Mike and Ploy

Look outside, turn on the TV, open a book or look at magazines.   Unless you’re a hermit and were raised by wolves, you probably know that this world is made up of people.   They’re everywhere – your mom and dad, sister, brother, coworker, bus driver, and even the dude at 7-11.

And people are cool:  The smile, they talk, and they have feelings.   If someone falls down, someone else will ask if they’re ok.  If someone gets hurt, we all grimace with empathy.  We can come together to celebrate an occasion, and we can bond during a disaster – people are amazing.

So when did this world stop being about people? (continue reading…)

Note: I started writing this back in January, but now just published it.

This last weekend we embarked on a interesting journey: 50 miles south to Santa Clara Paintball (which, interesting is located in San Jose).  There were supposed to be 20 of us, but we only ended up with 16.   Over the next few hours, we engaged in a simple activity.  Shooting small, Whopper-sized (the candy, not the burger), balls of paint at each other through a marker (or gun).  Why is this so much fun? (continue reading…)

I took the trip to the post office today to mail back some bad ram (from the Mac story earlier).  I was dreading the long line, but thankfully, not too many people were there at 9:45AM downtown during my lunch hour.  Put my labels on and got ready to mail it, but then I noticed a curious machine in the corner.  I had bought stamps before, but this one was different – it was a complete Self-Service machine: pay by credit card, check zip code, print and affix label.  Woohoo!   (continue reading…)

“You can’t change what happens to you, so change your perspective”

Think about it for a second – everything that happens to you is interpreted.  True, you can state facts: “I ate a McDonald’s lunch at 12″, “I took a trip to the grocery store to buy eggs”,  ”I worked for 8 hours on a project” – but no one talks like that.  There’s always commentary thrown in:  ”Nuggets are good!”, “The grocery store was crowded”, “I’m glad the project’s done”.  Without commentary, facts would be boring.  We have radio shows devoted to commentary and public opinion.  Reality shows have that announcer that tries to add suspense to the situation.  Even this blog has a comments section.  Why is it so important? (continue reading…)

Been away for awhile, but it’s not due to a lack of things to say.  Regarding this post though, I only have one piece of advice:  Do not drive to Las Vegas from San Francisco.  It’s a freaking 10 hour drive.  And you’re going to drive from San Francisco to Las Vegas, don’t stay there for just one day. (continue reading…)

There’s that old saying,  ”You don’t know what you’re missing until you don’t have it”.  The idea is that we often take things for granted, whether it’s a person, some material item, or even just something.  No matter how small it may be perceived to be, as soon as its gone, it’s impact is immediately noticed.  Example:  what would you do if you flipped your light switch, and the room remained dark? (continue reading…)

“Cleanliness is next to Godliness”

That quote was by the sink at my mom’s house.  Whenever I was assigned the dreadful chore of washing dishes – a daily assignment I might add,  I would read that quote and wonder why the cartoon in the picture was so happy dancing around this kitchen with a mop in his hands.   I never did that.  Have you ever tried to dance while mopping? Besides getting the muddy water everywhere (gross….), the pure friction of a mop on vinyl floor prohibits any quick movements, let alone reenacting a triple-toe, double axle combo.  You’re more likely to slip on the wet floor and bang your head on the kitchen counter, resulting in a concussion. (continue reading…)

Everyone loves saving money – that’s why we love sales.  I mean, who wouldn’t want to pay less for something that you were going to buy anyway?  The issue arises, however, when you purchase more than you originally planned or budgeted for. (continue reading…)

It’s frustrating when you think about all the things that could have been in your life. At times you wish that you could be a different person, someone else, somewhere else altogether. At other moments, you can relax and be grateful for all that you have and what has been given to you as a gift. Yet, still in moments of deep thought you are left to wonder what might be the purpose of what goes on in your life – why you have to deal with issues that are redundant and never-ending, why you must face the things you don’t want to face, and why on earth are you persuaded to be somewhere that just makes frustrated over and over again?

I guess the answer isn’t easily found, for if it was, most people would probably be free from the feelings and thoughts I am failing to explain in this one-dimensional page we call a “blog.” It’s far more interesting to ignore the problems you face and to look at the same problems from an outsider’s perspective when it happens to someone else. Yet, how is that any good to yourself?

Sometimes, the answer to your problem can only be envisioned by you and everyone else may deem you crazy. Other times, the answer is one that everyone else sees and you refuse to except. No matter the question, or the answer for that matter of fact, you may find yourself lost in a world that revolves into the same thing over and over again. Day after day, nothing seems to change, and one day you find yourself sitting in front of a computer not knowing where to go next.

It’s kind of pathetic if you think about it. The way you have to fully except that nothing is actually in your own hands – although everything you do is a “choice” that can lead to consequences, who actually knows what those consequences are until they happen? What signs do we actually get about how to live this so-called existence of a life? But most importantly, what madness drives us to do what we do? What are our reasons, what are we called into, what are we envisioning as we take a leap of faith?

Just something to contemplate over before the new dawn breaks. Maybe the choices we make seal our fate into something we can’t control – but is it fair to render ourselves responsible for something that we have no control over the outcome? No control over what others may do? For even though we can chose reactions for ourselves, we cannot predict or control the actions of those around us. We cannot count on their thoughts to be similar to our, we cannot rely on their feelings to experience our happiness or pain, we cannot contemplate the actions their choices will lead to.

The conclusion to this conundrum is not set in stone, and probably will never be. The only thing we can wish for is to be the most that we can be for what we believe in. Be something we are happy to face in the mirror everyday – because if you can’t wake up and look at yourself in the mirror, who will be able to do it for you?!

One month from now will mark the 3-year date for the start of my Northern California journey – which officially started at Stanford on Pearl’s Birthday (August 10, 2007), if you don’t count the weekend trips to scope out living situations, interviews, etc. It’s quite amazing how fast the time flies – I’ve come from living in a 1-room in-law, to renting a house, to moving back into a 2-room in-law!

I’ve also realized that, with my bumbling brain trying to find vast ways of escape, blogging would be a very healthy remedy for the time being (on top of getting my thoughts across to my newest “housemate” that happens to be the mister in my life)!

In any case, for those who have been out of the loop for a while, after working at Stanford for a year, I moved to UCSF for 6 months, laid-off for 6 months, got proposed to somewhere in between all that nonsense, got married 6 months later, and started working at Alma Heights Christian (and have now been at it for 1 year)!!! Not to mention, hubby getting a new job in the middle of it all, moving a couple of times (getting family moved up here), health issues, and still trying to keep sane in my marriage – which has lasted 1 year, 3.25 months and counting… Oh, did I mention, I’m doing my MA at the same time and trying to pick up new hobbies while volunteering, trying to connect with old friends (all while making new ones), and trying to spend time with our church folks?!

Okay… no wonder I’m slightly delusional!! Yet, overall, I’m finally content (kind of… getting there) and feels like I’m being “placed” where I belong (again, still getting there). I have to admit that it’s hard at times to be displaced from somewhere you considered “home” your whole life, leave friends and family behind, and start over again. Yes, yes… many of you may think it’s been three whole years almost, so get over it… but three years is nothing compared the realities of your whole life (just think of your college years, or high school years… doesn’t seem all that significant in terms of time does it?)…

I guess the funny part of it all is the realization that everything changes, and with it, we all change to some degree as well…