Hint #1

My favorite flowers are irises. ;)

World Issue

I was told that I should blog about world "issues." But I really don't care much for politics and such so here's one issue I'm actually passionate about:

Statistics

Millions of dogs, cats and other animals domesticated as pets in the United States are homeless.

The Humane Society of the United States estimates the number of animal shelters to be between 4,000 and 6,000. The society estimates that each year:

• 6-8 million cats and dogs enter shelters
• 3-4 million are euthanized by shelters
• 3-4 million are adopted from shelters
• 600,000-750,000 are reclaimed by their owners

Source: Humane Society of the United States. All numbers estimates.


I heard that for the Olympics in Athens, they killed thousands of cats because of the overpopulation problem. People need to be responsible and spay! That's a world issue for ya!

AllLookSame Results

AllLookSame

I scored a 11 out of 18, the average score is 7. Apparently, I am "pretty good" and "may have a talent." But alas, I was bragging about being able to score high...'tis not the case.

Belly-dancers & Fort Lee

We're studying at Border's right now. So many Koreans here in Fort Lee. I counted only 3 white ppl. It's crazy. It's kind of like Quincy but a tad classier b/c they have Starbucks instead of Dunkin Donuts and they can boast about having a Ruth's Chris here.

Anyways, Sat. night we went to L'Orange Bleu, a French-Moroccan restaurant in Soho. It was really really good...I highly recommend it. Such a lively little joint, complete with belly dancers and such. The highlight was a novice belly-dancer -- a gay guy who lifted up his tank top and folded it into a belly shirt and started maneuvering around all the tables. J's like, "dude, I've lost my appetite!" But the seafood paella and the baby butterfly roast chicken were superb, they were still yummy when we had it the next day. I was like, hmmm...I don't think paella is French or Moroccan...but whatever.

Afterwards, we hung out at this condo in Fort Lee where apparently Jay-Z used to live. The view was absolutely gorgeous across the Hudson. I couldn't believe regular folks live here in style like this...the weather was so good that people were sunbathing the next day at the pool/jacuzzi overlooking the river. It was like something out of a postcard. Anyways, hopefully one day I'll have a place like that. Close enuff to the city but suburban enough to be livable.

Learn Chinese

Ohhhh...I found this awesome blog - Learn Chinese Through C-Pop. Now, why didn't I think of this? I mean, I'm the target audience here! This is how I've learned any Chinese at all in the past few years...and it's all been self-taught!

For instance, if you look at my one of my favorite Leehom ballads - "Kiss Goodbye," it explains a lot of the significance behind the lyrics. I was pretty sure I understood the song in its entirety but there were a few holes here and there - this fills in the gaps. Then there's the crazy raps and such that I shall never learn, but at least now I have an idea of what they're about.

I remember when Hsin-ying spent like two hours explaining to me the lyrics of "Hua Tian Cuo," which was so academic I could barely stomach it. It's basically a Chinese poem about an opera. But I loved the song so much, I HAD to learn how to sing along! But every word was like "huh? what does this mean???" Gosh, if only I had just looked at this site. I think Albert was rolling his eyes into the back of his head during this whole thing.

Same goes for Jay Chou's "Snow-Like Hair", which I also love but is so freaking hard!!! My mom tried explaining it with many more Chinese words that I didn't understand. Anyhoo, it's fun practicing and I like learning it on my own and then surprising her. =)

At Least It's a Small One...

Ugh. I'm so tired this morning. Too early to wake and too late to bed.

So yesterday morning, we all met at Hudson Diner for breakfast. We're happily eating our omelettes and then suddenly I saw out of my peripheral vision a mouse scrambling across the room! I pointed and shrieked, "Oh my God, there's a mouse!" We all turned and then a guy in the booth next to us shrugged in amusement, "Eh, at least it's a small one!"

Everyone then turned back to their breakfasts as if nothing at all had happened. Only in NYC where the rats outnumber the people is this a daily occurrence. In any other city, they would be shutting down the place for health code violations. But oh no, in NYC, it's like, "eh, so what?"

;)

My Namesake

Apparently, my Apollo nickname has an alcoholic association with it. By the way, Paco, jealously does not become you!

"Mad Dawg" 20/20

I love this line:

"MD 20/20 is is reputed as being extremely popular with both "winos" and teenagers wanting to drink illegally, due to the fact that it is both inexpensive and has a high alcohol content. MD 20/20 has also found a loyal customer base in college fraternity members."

Quote of the Day - 5.22.06

"The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had."

-- Beantown Dogs

The Family Aquatic

J called my family "aquatic." Yes, we've been living an "aquatic" life ever since my Mom and Dad became bonafide fishing fanatics. I even got them matching fishing shirts for their outings. Mom's all buff from standing all day, casting lines and pulling in nets. Couple that with digging for clams and she's got abs of steel. Hmm...maybe I should go with next time. They're always returning home with huge 40 inch sea bass and bucketloads of clams and crabs. There's literally fresh fish to eat at every meal.

The funniest thing was when our refrigerator crapped out a while back and all the fish we had in it went bad. Dad commented despairingly, "Oh my, what are we gonna do? We've got no fish for the winter!!! How are we gonna live?!" Lynn responded dryly, "Uh, Dad, we live in NYC, you know we can buy fish, right??"

Yes, self-sustaining the Huang family is, even in Brooklyn.

Kennel krazy

I'm waiting to board my flight at the airport and taking a breather. Man, this morning there was some crazy cat wrangling. I took Miso and Tofu to the kennel for the first time. They were completely freaking out and meowing up a storm. Miso broke out of the carrier and I had to catch him and stuff him back in by force. My hands were all scratched up by the time I had them secured. I was like, I hope I'm not bleeding to death by the time I get to the kennel. I think it was traumatic for all involved. Sigh. I felt terrible leaving them but at least they have each other. That's what my mom used to always say--make sure you have two kids so they can stick together. Anyhoo, I felt like a terrible mother. At least social services won't be calling me up when they run out of water like last time!
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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

Rain

Rain, rain, go away...

Actually, I'm kind of enjoying the rain. Ludicrous maybe? Perhaps. But sometimes, you want the sky to reflect your mood...rather than impact it. I guess I feel a bit gray, a bit drab, a bit cloudy. It's one of those days when I just want to huddle in a ball on my couch and close my mind. Probably not the best way to start the day at 8:30am but I suppose I'll reserve my right to do so for later.

I'm sad I missed all the flooding and all the rain. I like looking out and seeing a monotony of gray color, an indication that this is real life. It washes away all that is seemingly perfect, all the fake sunny pleasantries and replaces it with a different kind of idyllic sentiment.

I hope it keeps keeps on rainin'. =)

I Wanna Go "Home"

I'm in love with this song. So simple in its lyrics but so pure in thought. Reminds me of how sometimes you just want to go back to where you feel at "home."

Home
by Michael Buble

Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm

Maybe surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
“I’m fine baby, how are you?”
Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life
It’s like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
That this is not your dream
But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
In even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel alone
Oh, let me go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all be all right
I’ll be home tonight
I’m coming back home

Skills

by Jonathan Aaron
Journey to the Lost City, published by Ausable Press

Blondin made a fortune walking back and forth
over Niagara Falls on a tightrope—blindfolded,
or inside a sack, or pushing a wheelbarrow, or perched on stilts,
or lugging a man on his back. Once, halfway across,
he sat down to cook and eat an omelette.

Houdini, dumped into Lake Michigan chained
and locked in a weighted trunk, swam back to the boat
a few moments later. He could swallow more than a hundred
needles
and some thread, then pull from between his lips
the needles dangling at even intervals.

I can close my eyes and see your house
explode in a brilliant flash, silently,
with a complete absence of vibration. And when I open them again,
my heart in my mouth, everything is standing
just as before, but not as if nothing had happened.

"I complete me" and "I love you for free"

"When we're incomplete, we're always searching for somebody to complete us. When, after a few years or a few months of a relationship, we find that we're still unfulfilled, we blame our partners and take up with somebody more promising. This can go on and on--series polygamy--until we admit that while a partner can add sweet dimensions to our lives, we, each of us, are responsible for our own fulfillment. Nobody else can provide it for us, and to believe otherwise is to delude ourselves dangerously and to program for eventual failure every relationship we enter.”

-Tom Robbins (American Novelist. b.1936)

I thought this quote of the day was spot on. Most people will say, "yeah, yeah, of course..." but in practice, it's much harder to do. I think because it's really about developing yourself and getting to know yourself as you grow up. That's a very tall order. I think most of us are under the delusion that we know ourselves -- only to continually be surprised. But that's really the key to happiness. It takes a while, but one day you have to realize that only you can make you happy -- no one else is responsible for that. Which is why it's insane that one of the most "romantic" lines from Jerry Maguire is "You complete me." What a bunch of misleading baloney. No wonder we're all so lost. Relationships are a nice-to-have, they can even be really important (well, one would hope)...but in the end, you gotta be a complete person. That is the hardest thing to do though. Sometimes getting there can take an entire lifetime.

Here's another Tom Robbins quote I like. If only all marriages could work like this:

“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honor and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words "make" and "stay" become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free.”

Harrod's Gastronomy

We landed in London and boy oh, boy was it a trek. We set our sets on Harrod's in Knightbridge and even though it was a hassle, it was still worth it. I've never seen a department store of such breadth and scale. I can't believe there's nothing like that in the US. I would go there everyday if I could. They had a huge food market right alongside all these food counters (sushi, delis, italian, etc.) and then you walk a bit further and there's the Marc Jacobs and Chloe bags. Then upstairs, there's a pet store, a refrigerator section, furniture, clothes, and a chocolate cafe where you can paint portraits in chocolate. The place must have taken up 20 blocks and 5 stories. Crazy. I ended up spending most of my time in the food section - trying cheeses, pates, and jams. Then I had even better gelato - pear and blueberry and also a mango flavored one. Amazing. I bought some meat pies to take back home but sadly, they were confiscated by customs. =( At least they didn't take my scones and cheddars. =)

Athens' Stumps

I didn't expect much from Athens, having heard it was mostly leftover stumps of rock that people visit. However, when we did finally see the Parthenon and all the ruins, it was pretty cool. I was sick of museums and such so just being able to walk through these architectural marvels with all of its history was pretty neat. You also see a myriad of devices the Greeks made for elections and the democratic process -- very impressive for that time I must say.

Anyways, it was like we were finally in civilization again - a high-rise hotel, a highway, and mobs of tourists. At last I got my street gyro with tzatziki sauce and some real kick ass baklava gelato. Then I spent way too much on some Byzantine jewelry and we had our last meal of moussaka, pastitsio, octapus, and leek croquettes. Not to worry, I got a touristy cookbook. Maybe one day it will inspire me enough to at least make a fried egg dish...or at least dip some bread in olive oil. =)

Chania, Crete

We arrived at Chania, a little fishing village in Crete after a 2 hour cab ride from where the ferry dropped us off. Ironically, it was the most bustling island we had been to thus far. It's a less touristy place so it was nice to be among the locals. We stayed at this cute bed and breakfast overlooking the harbor. After a day of unavoidable fighting and disagreements, we finally sat down to a nice dinner. That dinner was my salvation - sardines in olive oil, fried cod, pastitsio, spinach pie, squid stuffed with feta and tomatoes, and of course, saganaki. Then the really nice waiter, an older greek man with a moustache brought us some ice cream and a little pitcher of Cretean wine. It tasted like rubbing alchohol but I didn't care. After saying "yamas" which means "bottoms up" several times with the waiter, we were pretty pooped and ready to leave. I fed a cute cat my leftover sardines and we retired for the night. Oh, not before more gelato of course. Then we realized that our cute bed and breakfast was right on top of a really happening club on a Friday night. Oy. Hip-hop all night rattling the windows but I still managed to fall asleep, being the weary traveler I am.

Santorini Sunsets

...Are absolutely stunning.

Our apartment suite has an amazing view. I am envious that people take in this gorgeous scenery everyday from their homes. It seems like most days, folks just sit outside by the cafes and enjoy the sunset from the top of the mountains. What a life. You watch the sun and marvel at how it slowly changes over time, the rays of light bouncing off the water below. As nice as it is, I'm sure that after a while though, you would still start to miss civilization and city life.

The main drawback to living in the middle of nowhere is the curvy, windey, unlit roads. Narrow and dangerous as they were, we still rented a car and made our way around. We weren't sure whether we'd make it back after the sun set...but we're still alive so that's good.

What else? What else? Well, the people here are really really nice...it's very refreshing. We made friends with these twins, Andreas and Alkiv, that own a jewelry store and we chatted them up everyday. They were super-helpful. We also made friends with some girls from Calgary and went clubbing with them. It's like, gee...we knew the entire town already by the time we were leaving.

All the locals are really laid back and people take siesta for a few hours midday. Everyone knows each other and it's got a nice small-town feel. What I also noticed was that all Greek guys are universally cute (we didn't see ONE ugly man). However, none of the Greek women are lookers. Even the ones I saw on this awful Greek variety show did not impress. You would think they would at least showcase the few beauties on t.v., but I guess not.

Anyways, after some awesome meals at Nicholas Taverna (a great little hole in the wall), we really didn't want to leave. But onwards to the next destination. Hopefully it will be as fun as Santorini was.

Ferries and Scarlet Letter

We're awaiting the arrival of our ferry to go to Santorini. These ferries look more like cruise ships...they are monstrously big. I thought they would resemble the Staten Island ferry for some reason. All this inter-island travel is going to be very taxing...I can tell already.

So anyways, I got burned by the massage I had yesterday. The masseuse put two very HOT stones on me - one on my forehead and one on my chest. I literally thought I was being branded! Now I have a scarlet letter on my chest to prove it. Eek! Needless to say, I bitched them out and got my euros back.

Aegean Tanning in Mykonos

I'm lying right now on a tanning mattress on a beautiful deck overlooking the Mediterreanean Sea. It's really amazing to be here. I'm sippin' a fresh fruit cocktail (non-alcoholic of course) and chatting with this lady who's on her honeymoon. She's got a huge rock and a very progressed tan (she's from Miami). There's not a whole lot of people at the resort so it's nice and quiet. Anyhoo, we're gonna hang in the jacuzzi outlay above the beach, then get massages. Then it's off to town to see the sunset and get some grub. Mykonos is supposed to be a party town but it doesn't seem like it...but we'll find out tonite.

Chinese Article Quoting Me

I searched for my name on Technorati, the blog search engine and up pops this Chinese article quoting me! I have no idea what it says:

"Gartner并不是唯一跟踪数据质量问题的研究公司。数据仓库协会估计公司每年由于错误的数据损失6000亿美元。其中有400亿要归因于消费品工业与零售供应链的孤立，Kosin Huang说，他是ankee集团的一个高级分析员。根据Forrester研究公司最近的一份研究报告显示，37％的公司把复制数据和备份文件作为重要的数据管理问题。

“脏”的数据对你的商业的每个方面都有危害。在客户服务方面，坏的和过时的信息意味着市场促销失败和导致顾客的生气。在供应链方面，不准确的产品数据会导致生产瓶颈，降低运送货物到零售商的速度，增加新产品首次展出时出现故障的可能性。“当然，你可以跟踪诸多情况和不同的货盘，”Huang说，“但是你可能是跟踪一个错误的事情。”

Ok, ok, if you click on the original eWeek article...it's translated. But I just thought this was uber-cool in Chinese! hehe.

My Wheels Are Bigger

Oh my goodness. The other night, I got back to my parking space and was horrified. Right next to me was another Mazda 3 in the same Strato Blue! Previously, I was flanked my two non-descript silver Corollas or something...then suddenly -- wham! Someone decided to copy my taste in cars. What the heck??? Did my neighbor see my shiny new car and think -- "hmm...that seems like a nice choice...why don't I be original and get the same one in the same color??" She even has one of those stupid yellow signs with a suction cup on her window that says "bitch." Yes, that's right.

Ok, so upon inspection -- it's a used car and it's all scratched up and mighty dirty. It's also a 2.3 engine but a slightly different trim. I have the touring model so yeah - MY WHEELS ARE BIGGER! My alloy wheels make her stupid knockoff car look whimpy. There's a certain grace to having bigger, bolder wheels. Now I see the difference. It's analogous to women and their shoes. Your shoes can make a statement more than anything you're wearing -- if you had on the right pair of shoes, say...Manolos, then all else pales in comparison . Anyhoo...it irks me everytime I drive into my spot now to have to park next to my lesser twin.

Fluffernutter

So I went to the mall tonight, walked around and had din din with my friend. I said "let's go get some fro-yo." So I pick chocolate (of course) plus coffee frozen yogurt. He, on the other hand, got a flavor called "fluffernutter." Innocently enough, it's really just marshmallows and loads of peanut butter. But I could not get over the name. Now, if that ain't X-rated ice cream, I don't know what is. Frankly, unless you're over 18, I don't think you should be able to order up a cup o' fluffernutter. I was thinking...that's a great pseudonym for someone in a certain profession. But alas, since I am not affliated with anyone in that line of work...the name may just go to waste. Unless...I hereby dub my friend, "Fluffernutter." There you go.

Test First Email Blogging

Good Morning via email!

Quote of the Day - 5.4.06

In Las Vegas, there's a saying:

"You can never win when you have to..."

Crabby Exterior

Here's a somewhat "apt" description of me from Cainer (ok, I'm not a saint). Hehe. Funny, because J called me a "tough-cookie"...whatever the hell that means!

Kosin H. - A very special Cancerian

Kosin is a tough cookie. You can't pull the wool over Kosin's eyes and you had better not try! Kosin was born under the sign of the crab and she can deliver a very nasty nip! Cancerians may not be the fiercest creatures in the zodiac but they are blessed with a brilliant set of self-defence mechanisms. They have impenetrable armour and sharp, scary claws. Kosin's shell is especially strong. She won't let anyone come anywhere near to her heart unless she knows for sure that they mean no harm. Her impeccable instincts inform her of this and alert her to act accordingly. This is why the world around Kosin is divided into two sorts of people - those who don't know quite what to make of her and those who have been fortunate enough to meet the real Kosin.

The real Kosin is soft, kind, caring, loving and giving. So soft, so kind, so special as to deserve a sainthood. All praise to 'Saint Kosin the Caring.' 'Saint Kosin the Caring.' It has a ring to it does it not? It is fair comment, is it not? Indeed it is, as all who know the true nature of Kosin will willingly and eagerly confirm. There's only one problem with being a saint. It is what it does to your ego. Kosin is a true saint and true saints are not just naturally loving and compassionate, they are also naturally humble. But true saints have a tendency to turn into martyrs. Sometimes, just sometimes, Kosin can be a little too good for her own good.

Here's to My Germaphobic Tendencies...

"Nobody cleans the desktop, usually, until they stick to it."

-- Charles Gerba, amicrobiologist and clean water expert at the University of Arizona, reminds office drones that the average desk harbors 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat. (Gerba also uttered the immortal quote, "Never fear a doorknob.")

I dunno about that doorknob comment...

Friendster Power

Man, I have to say Friendster is one social phenomenon...a positive one or a negative one -- the jury's still out. All I know is that it fucks with you and everyone else around you. If you Friendster, you would know. I have one friend that REFUSES to log in to her account unless she had to. I have another friend with crazy stalking issues. And yet another that was freaked out by that sudden introduction of the "who's viewed me" function. Ha, I love how Friendster screws with people. That was like the best invention yet. What better way to create havoc??? On the positive side, I've hooked up with old flames, new flames, and far-flung buddies through the damn thing. It's nice to know people are around if you ever need to get in contact...

Now, another social phenom that is unique to Friendster which makes it "oh-so-powerful" is something my friend D noticed:

"Revelation: The new way (apparently) to declare something official is to change your profile on Friendster."

Well now, isn't that great that we all give over so much power to this one entity? For something that started out as such innocuous fun, it certainly took on a life of its own.

What's crazy is how often some people log in. (Again, a function introduced by Friendster to extend its almighty hold over people). Oh well, whatever...I guess you could say blogging is just as addictive. eeek! Seriously, I wonder what our kids will be doing online by the time we're old and gray!!!

Poetry Kick

I think I'm on a poetry kick. Reading lots of poetry - stimulates the mind...stirs up feelings and such. I've noticed that I like contemporary poets much better. They tend to take everyday observations, mundane situations, and common artifacts and turn them into something heftier - something with weight and feel. Perhaps I'll dabble a bit more in writing my own. I already have some ideas. Images I want to employ. Words I want to use to stir.

What Do Women Want?

by Kim Addonizio

I want a red dress.
I want it flimsy and cheap,
I want it too tight, I want to wear it
until someone tears it off me.
I want it sleeveless and backless,
this dress, so no one has to guess
what's underneath. I want to walk down
the street past Thrifty's and the hardware store
with all those keys glittering in the window,
past Mr. and Mrs. Wong selling day-old
donuts in their café, past the Guerra brothers
slinging pigs from the truck and onto the dolly,
hoisting the slick snouts over their shoulders.
I want to walk like I'm the only
woman on earth and I can have my pick.
I want that red dress bad.
I want it to confirm
your worst fears about me,
to show you how little I care about you
or anything except what
I want. When I find it, I'll pull that garment
from its hanger like I'm choosing a body
to carry me into this world, through
the birth-cries and the love-cries too,
and I'll wear it like bones, like skin,
it'll be the goddamned
dress they bury me in.

The Shirt

The shirt touches his neck
and smooths over his back.
It slides down his sides.
It even goes down below his belt—
down into his pants.
Lucky shirt.

--by Jane Kenyon
from Collected Poems by Jane Kenyon

State of the Union

Life is very interesting. Frankly, I don't think anything surprises me anymore. Least of all, myself and the things I think, feel, or do. And that old adage about how nature abhors a vacuum -- it's true in a weird, almost cosmic way. I guess I'm grateful for the random voids that nature fills or I'd be a swiss cheese for far too long.

It's peculiar, I think I've aged by a decade or so in the last 9 months. I don't feel old - on the contrary, I feel younger. But I think my perspective has broadened considerably. Don't ask me to explain it, I don't think I could. It's been an interesting time. A wild, crazy ride in a way. I think I will always remember this phase in my life. It's a quasi-turning point, you could say. Again, a turning point in what direction, I couldn't begin to tell you.

So what part does this blog play? Why, a central one of course! Har.

I was hanging out with my friend yesterday and we were chatting about Kosin's Chocolate Boxxx - the one with the triple x. ;) He professed his shock at my prolific blogging. I was like, "Dude, I don't only write in my personal blog but I've got a corporate blog too....AND a journal where I take pen to paper every night." I think he was like, "Where the hell do you find the time???!" Well, the thing is, it's like any other kind of expression...it's its own reward.

--- What it really is -- is a process of finding your own voice. You don't even necessarily have to have anything all that relevant to say. It's just an imprint of how you feel or what you think at a given moment in time, expressed through your own personal voice. Whether that voice is whiney or it rants and raves (as in my journal) OR it's rational, reflective, and analytical as in my corporate blog...it's still an imprint. I like that. I really enjoy it. It's something I do for myself, I guess that's why it's important.