Overtime - Week 2
Up until last week, the word "overtime" had only sports-related meaning to me. It signified something good, representing an exciting game close enough to "go to overtime", or a golden opportunity for my fantasy players to score more points.
Now, it means I gotta stay at work later every day and wake up early on Saturday. It also means I am more tired and less inclined to write blogs.
Less inclined, but of course I still do it.
I made fried rice the other day, it turned out ok actually. Also, I stir fried some spinach, and it was good too. I had no idea what spiznatch looked like before cooking, it looks so different after it's cooked. Anyways, I am trying to learn how to cook. It should be cool, cause eating something you made yourself seems to be more rewarding than eating what someone else cooks.
Within a couple months, I might be leaving Darien and moving up north to Palatine. That would free up more time and make it easier to hang with the northern folks, but then I'm leaving my roots. But this daily drive has been pissing me off lately. Don't know how much more I can take.
Currently playing on my Winamp: Busta Rhymes f. Mariah - I Know What You Want
I've never liked Busta, and I haven't really liked any Mariah stuff in a long time, but this song is P-H-phat. Highly recommended by the Dudo509 Blogspot Music Division.
Saturday, February 08, 2003
Thursday, February 06, 2003
2004 Maxima
Pictures of the 2004 Maxima were released a couple months ago. In case you haven't seen them, here are some shots:
Don't really like what I see so far, but then again, I didn't like the last generation of Maximas either (2000-2003). I also didn't like the 350Z and Altima at first either, but they have all grown on me. Front looks a lot like the Altima, back like the Z. So keep an eye out.
Pictures of the 2004 Maxima were released a couple months ago. In case you haven't seen them, here are some shots:
Don't really like what I see so far, but then again, I didn't like the last generation of Maximas either (2000-2003). I also didn't like the 350Z and Altima at first either, but they have all grown on me. Front looks a lot like the Altima, back like the Z. So keep an eye out.
Tuesday, February 04, 2003
Me an P lifted a couple days ago, and I am still quite sore. If you see me walk, it kind of looks like how Edward Norton looks in American History X, after he pisses off the prison guys. Not good.
I had a bunch of stuff written for the political blogs I was gonna publish, but I accidentally overwrote that file. So those might be a little slower in coming. In the meantime, enjoy the following short story.
The Awakening
The empty room sits cold, deserted and empty in a silence that is almost deafening in its magnitude. There are no windows, no markings on the walls, nary a hint of life to be seen. To a random passerby, it would likely appear as though this were just another empty room, one no different from any other room you might find.
But this is no ordinary place. For within these walls, great warriors once gathered. From this room, many a soldier prepared himself for battles from which his very return was questionable. To this room, some have fled, weary from the fight, seeking a haven of rest. Others, meanwhile, perhaps came simply to enjoy fellowship, to share wisdom and experience among comrades.
Though the echoes of war cries have long faded, this ground is far from ordinary. Indeed, it is a room with an all-too-real life of its own, a room that a select few still hold sacred. Yes, it is none other than the Battle.net Channel 509.
In the age when fresher, flashier newcomers as CounterStrike or WarCraft III have stepped to the forefront and lured many away, room 509 has sadly fallen to the wayside over time. Its greatness all but forgotten, the room now quietly rests, like a leviathan in deep slumber.
Has this once-revered channel seen its best days pass by? Has time taken its toll? Will the 509 be content to slowly fade into its dying moments? Alas, the answer to all of these questions is a clear and emphatic "no".
Footsteps can now be heard in the distance, approaching quickly. Strong, forceful footsteps, each emanating its own authority, leave no doubt that great men are about to storm into this place. As these footsteps get louder and nearer, they are followed by more and more footsteps like them, but each forceful and authoritative in its own way.
The door flies open, and in steps `sniffles`: mouse in one hand, keyboard in the other, and a fiery scowl on his face. Shortly after, he is followed by Folken32, also arriving with battle gear ready, and game face on. One by one, the great warriors enter in similar fashion. BrotherD... Dudo~509~... and BrianCook34, once known as Dostovi[spoons] and Enis44.
Hardly a word is uttered, but all are aware that something special is happening. It is only a matter of time before ISRmonger, Buddha5000, LOreaLPhiE, wetnight89, tink2000, Shubes~509~, PopiChulo~509~, coksuka, Gujuplaya, and countless others return to their homeland. One would not even be surprised to find the mysterious Poongbunkor's arrival in this place, although it is uncertain whether it will be with the face of xMAdMx or as PazLenchantin[ZWAN].
The tension and excitement in the air is palpable. Years have passed since this many quality craft masters have been found in one place. But the spirit of 509 has undeniably lived on, and nothing short of a full revival is upon us.
Many have wondered, what had caused the crafting spirit to lay dormant all this time? Was it merely the competition from CS and WC3? Was it driven away by competition from "labs" and "exams"? Was it simply a natural progression through time?
Some have said that the problem all along is that they all needed to "mine more minerals", but a true crafter knows that life is not all about minerals. As the Protoss commander so wisely and poignantly says, "You require more Vespene Gas" as well.
Whatever the reason for this extended hiatus, all is now forgiven. With one simple word, "gone", the warriors let out a collective shout and flood out of the 509 to mine, build, and conquer. Will they return, satisfied and invigorated with a "gg"? This is something that only time will tell.
As for now, this room again lies empty, just as it was only moments ago. But this time, it is empty in appearance only; it is hardly empty of life and energy. For the sleeping giant has awakened, and it is ready for battle once more.
I had a bunch of stuff written for the political blogs I was gonna publish, but I accidentally overwrote that file. So those might be a little slower in coming. In the meantime, enjoy the following short story.
The Awakening
The empty room sits cold, deserted and empty in a silence that is almost deafening in its magnitude. There are no windows, no markings on the walls, nary a hint of life to be seen. To a random passerby, it would likely appear as though this were just another empty room, one no different from any other room you might find.
But this is no ordinary place. For within these walls, great warriors once gathered. From this room, many a soldier prepared himself for battles from which his very return was questionable. To this room, some have fled, weary from the fight, seeking a haven of rest. Others, meanwhile, perhaps came simply to enjoy fellowship, to share wisdom and experience among comrades.
Though the echoes of war cries have long faded, this ground is far from ordinary. Indeed, it is a room with an all-too-real life of its own, a room that a select few still hold sacred. Yes, it is none other than the Battle.net Channel 509.
In the age when fresher, flashier newcomers as CounterStrike or WarCraft III have stepped to the forefront and lured many away, room 509 has sadly fallen to the wayside over time. Its greatness all but forgotten, the room now quietly rests, like a leviathan in deep slumber.
Has this once-revered channel seen its best days pass by? Has time taken its toll? Will the 509 be content to slowly fade into its dying moments? Alas, the answer to all of these questions is a clear and emphatic "no".
Footsteps can now be heard in the distance, approaching quickly. Strong, forceful footsteps, each emanating its own authority, leave no doubt that great men are about to storm into this place. As these footsteps get louder and nearer, they are followed by more and more footsteps like them, but each forceful and authoritative in its own way.
The door flies open, and in steps `sniffles`: mouse in one hand, keyboard in the other, and a fiery scowl on his face. Shortly after, he is followed by Folken32, also arriving with battle gear ready, and game face on. One by one, the great warriors enter in similar fashion. BrotherD... Dudo~509~... and BrianCook34, once known as Dostovi[spoons] and Enis44.
Hardly a word is uttered, but all are aware that something special is happening. It is only a matter of time before ISRmonger, Buddha5000, LOreaLPhiE, wetnight89, tink2000, Shubes~509~, PopiChulo~509~, coksuka, Gujuplaya, and countless others return to their homeland. One would not even be surprised to find the mysterious Poongbunkor's arrival in this place, although it is uncertain whether it will be with the face of xMAdMx or as PazLenchantin[ZWAN].
The tension and excitement in the air is palpable. Years have passed since this many quality craft masters have been found in one place. But the spirit of 509 has undeniably lived on, and nothing short of a full revival is upon us.
Many have wondered, what had caused the crafting spirit to lay dormant all this time? Was it merely the competition from CS and WC3? Was it driven away by competition from "labs" and "exams"? Was it simply a natural progression through time?
Some have said that the problem all along is that they all needed to "mine more minerals", but a true crafter knows that life is not all about minerals. As the Protoss commander so wisely and poignantly says, "You require more Vespene Gas" as well.
Whatever the reason for this extended hiatus, all is now forgiven. With one simple word, "gone", the warriors let out a collective shout and flood out of the 509 to mine, build, and conquer. Will they return, satisfied and invigorated with a "gg"? This is something that only time will tell.
As for now, this room again lies empty, just as it was only moments ago. But this time, it is empty in appearance only; it is hardly empty of life and energy. For the sleeping giant has awakened, and it is ready for battle once more.
Sunday, February 02, 2003
Sabbath
"Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work..." - Exodus 20:9-10
An often overlooked commandment, but God definitely knew what he was doing when he declared one day of rest a week. I don't know how people actually work like 100 hour weeks, but I worked about half of that and it left me exhausted. Today after church, I had a 3 hour nap. It was pretty clutch, I must say. After all the working, I really needed that.
Although I guess the 4 hours working Saturday wasn't so bad. Something about the atmosphere is just a lot more chill than weekdays, even though I'm in the office. Maybe it's just because there's barely any people around and it is quiet. Kind of reminded me of summer school, when there's barely anyone around town, and everything is so relaxed.
And I got a taste of what the commute could be like, without traffic. But it's probably better that there is traffic, or else I might have had about 10 speeding tickets already.
You know what though, the G cruises so smoothly at 100+. Not that I condone that type of reckless behavior, but with an open road, and all the tension built up over time from stop-and-go driving, I couldn't pass up the chance. I might even say that short bout of open, free driving was worth the 4 hours at work.
Saturday night I went with Olivia to her med school "Winter Ball", which was aight. Didn't really know anybody there, but oh well. Here are some pics:
This is us at her apartment before leaving. Notice the big blue monster in the background. I'm not sure if I mentioned this story in an old blog, but when me and Olivia went to Fright Fest this year, I won that guy from one of those games where you toss a ring and try to make it land on a bottle. The best part was trying to carry that thing through the crowd at Great America back to my car. Every single person we passed was like "Ohmygod they got the big blue monster!" while some little girl's jaw dropped wide open and she kept staring at it. Good times.
Here's a group picture. I think I was chewing something. When you take pictures of me, ALWAYS count to three and let me know when you are gonna take it. Unless you want me to look like a fool.
Another group pic. Of all these people, I only know Olivia and the guy on the right. You could probably tell I didn't belong by the fact that I am behind everyone else. Maybe it's just cause I had to set the camera, but still.
Ok, gotta sleep.
"Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work..." - Exodus 20:9-10
An often overlooked commandment, but God definitely knew what he was doing when he declared one day of rest a week. I don't know how people actually work like 100 hour weeks, but I worked about half of that and it left me exhausted. Today after church, I had a 3 hour nap. It was pretty clutch, I must say. After all the working, I really needed that.
Although I guess the 4 hours working Saturday wasn't so bad. Something about the atmosphere is just a lot more chill than weekdays, even though I'm in the office. Maybe it's just because there's barely any people around and it is quiet. Kind of reminded me of summer school, when there's barely anyone around town, and everything is so relaxed.
And I got a taste of what the commute could be like, without traffic. But it's probably better that there is traffic, or else I might have had about 10 speeding tickets already.
You know what though, the G cruises so smoothly at 100+. Not that I condone that type of reckless behavior, but with an open road, and all the tension built up over time from stop-and-go driving, I couldn't pass up the chance. I might even say that short bout of open, free driving was worth the 4 hours at work.
Saturday night I went with Olivia to her med school "Winter Ball", which was aight. Didn't really know anybody there, but oh well. Here are some pics:
This is us at her apartment before leaving. Notice the big blue monster in the background. I'm not sure if I mentioned this story in an old blog, but when me and Olivia went to Fright Fest this year, I won that guy from one of those games where you toss a ring and try to make it land on a bottle. The best part was trying to carry that thing through the crowd at Great America back to my car. Every single person we passed was like "Ohmygod they got the big blue monster!" while some little girl's jaw dropped wide open and she kept staring at it. Good times.
Here's a group picture. I think I was chewing something. When you take pictures of me, ALWAYS count to three and let me know when you are gonna take it. Unless you want me to look like a fool.
Another group pic. Of all these people, I only know Olivia and the guy on the right. You could probably tell I didn't belong by the fact that I am behind everyone else. Maybe it's just cause I had to set the camera, but still.
Ok, gotta sleep.
Thursday, January 30, 2003
Stream of Consciousness - Continued
I've been listening to mp3's so much lately, I forget that there is still a huge gap between mpeg-quality and CD-quality sound. Listening to my Alicia Keys on the way home today, I was reminded of that fact.
Circuit City is an excellent place to get CDs at a good deal. I got two quality CDs there for 25 bucks today.
One of them was the ZWAN CD/DVD combo. I've already heard most of the songs, so I already know the CD is gonna be good. Haven't watched the DVD yet, I'm sure it will be entertaining. But the best part of this thing, by far, is the STICKERS that are included. It reminds me of the old days of opening packs of baseball cards, or better yet, Botan Rice Candies. Probably only the chinkers reading this know what I'm talking about.
Did anyone hear the news about how Thai people and Cambodian people are throwing down in their respective homelands? Supposedly there's all these riots set off because some Thai actress said that Cambodians stole some Wat from Thailand. And now all the Thai people living in Cambodia are fleeing the country by airlift, while the Thailand border patrol has been instructed to bar Cambodian nationals from entering.
It's so sad that Asian people cannot get along. Across the board, you see tension and conflict, not only between races but within races. North Korea, South Korea. North Vietnam, South Vietnam (before the war was lost). China, Taiwan. And everyone still kind of despises Japan.
One of my upcoming political blogs will most likely be about the China-Taiwan situation, a subject near and dear to my heart. This is assuming the first few political blog entries don't flop and I'm not stoned for my controversial views.
Good thing that the tensions back in Asia haven't really transferred here. I'm friends with Thai people, Japanese people, Flips, Koreans, half-Cambodians, and Mainland Chinese alike. Today, I got a postcard wishing me happy birthday from one of my top 3 favorite roomates of 312, Ray, who despite being a mainlander, still represents all the way from UC Berkeley.
I'm watching the ZWAN DVD now. Matt Sweeney reminds me very much of Dave Grohl. Now there is some guy doing "the worm", he's not bad actually.
Happy Chinese New Year! Ok, so it's a little bit early, but tomorrow I will be busy partying up to celebrate CNW, so I might not write a blog. I'm scurred, my Grandma and Grandpa are crazy party animals so I might end up hammered. Maybe I will bring all the leftover MGD, Skyy Blue, and Mike's Hard that nobody drank during the Superbowl and get trashed with the 'Grands at their apartment, the Illinois Chinese American Residence for the Elderly (I-CARE).
I better not though, gotta wake up to go to work on Saturday at 8. Only a half day, but still sucks.
One last thing... apparently, after reading my blog last night, my sister IMed me to advise that I should wash my car. Cause it eats away at the paint. Haha gotta love my sister. I was just kidding about the salt thing, meh... don't worry.
Currently playing on my Winamp: The Used - Buried Myself Alive
Sorry, even though the guy and Billy Corgan hate each other, this song is not bad. A little on the pop-side to be played on Q101, but it reminds me of Eve 6 stuff.
I've been listening to mp3's so much lately, I forget that there is still a huge gap between mpeg-quality and CD-quality sound. Listening to my Alicia Keys on the way home today, I was reminded of that fact.
Circuit City is an excellent place to get CDs at a good deal. I got two quality CDs there for 25 bucks today.
One of them was the ZWAN CD/DVD combo. I've already heard most of the songs, so I already know the CD is gonna be good. Haven't watched the DVD yet, I'm sure it will be entertaining. But the best part of this thing, by far, is the STICKERS that are included. It reminds me of the old days of opening packs of baseball cards, or better yet, Botan Rice Candies. Probably only the chinkers reading this know what I'm talking about.
Did anyone hear the news about how Thai people and Cambodian people are throwing down in their respective homelands? Supposedly there's all these riots set off because some Thai actress said that Cambodians stole some Wat from Thailand. And now all the Thai people living in Cambodia are fleeing the country by airlift, while the Thailand border patrol has been instructed to bar Cambodian nationals from entering.
It's so sad that Asian people cannot get along. Across the board, you see tension and conflict, not only between races but within races. North Korea, South Korea. North Vietnam, South Vietnam (before the war was lost). China, Taiwan. And everyone still kind of despises Japan.
One of my upcoming political blogs will most likely be about the China-Taiwan situation, a subject near and dear to my heart. This is assuming the first few political blog entries don't flop and I'm not stoned for my controversial views.
Good thing that the tensions back in Asia haven't really transferred here. I'm friends with Thai people, Japanese people, Flips, Koreans, half-Cambodians, and Mainland Chinese alike. Today, I got a postcard wishing me happy birthday from one of my top 3 favorite roomates of 312, Ray, who despite being a mainlander, still represents all the way from UC Berkeley.
I'm watching the ZWAN DVD now. Matt Sweeney reminds me very much of Dave Grohl. Now there is some guy doing "the worm", he's not bad actually.
Happy Chinese New Year! Ok, so it's a little bit early, but tomorrow I will be busy partying up to celebrate CNW, so I might not write a blog. I'm scurred, my Grandma and Grandpa are crazy party animals so I might end up hammered. Maybe I will bring all the leftover MGD, Skyy Blue, and Mike's Hard that nobody drank during the Superbowl and get trashed with the 'Grands at their apartment, the Illinois Chinese American Residence for the Elderly (I-CARE).
I better not though, gotta wake up to go to work on Saturday at 8. Only a half day, but still sucks.
One last thing... apparently, after reading my blog last night, my sister IMed me to advise that I should wash my car. Cause it eats away at the paint. Haha gotta love my sister. I was just kidding about the salt thing, meh... don't worry.
Currently playing on my Winamp: The Used - Buried Myself Alive
Sorry, even though the guy and Billy Corgan hate each other, this song is not bad. A little on the pop-side to be played on Q101, but it reminds me of Eve 6 stuff.
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