mobile note #6

Funny how I was just thinking about consumption the other day. There was a discussion in class today about buying organic. Most people, me included, cited reasons such as feeling good about myself and health reasons. The biggest reason nobody thought of is sustainability. A sustainable way of growing food will ensure environmental integrity and food supplies for generationzs to come. So I guess that is yet another way to think about the way I consume. I already started some things. I recycle and I try to conserve water when I shower. Does it really help? I don't think so on a daily basis. But I do believe it adds up in the long run.

mobile note #5

I'm starting to have some issues with being a child of tis consumerist society. I am raised to believe that more, bigger, the better. This is not what my parents are all about, but it is a product of capitalism. We consume the amount of things we do because we are conditioned to believe those are the things we need. The latest gadget, like the one in my hand for example, is essential to my well being. I know for a fact that I don't need a phone, and yet I am willing to purchase the latest and greatest. I want to believe my purchasing pattern is discriminatory. I can do so much better. My issue with the way I learned to consume is the amount of waste I generate and other opportunity costs. I throw away an enormous amount of garbage every week.

The whole issue goes back to my consumption pattern and what adjustments I can make to change it. I recycle a lot more now then I did before. The man focus is on beverage containers. I was reading an article last night about how much oil it takes to make those containers and how they end up in the middle of the ocean. It's such a waste.

mobile note #4

It is hot this weekend. There is something about this weather that makes me want to be lazy. Unfortunately I had to work. Yesterday at work was not entirely fun. Today we had an early meeting and I worked through it. Meetings are usually boring... and this one is no exception. Making occasional smart ass comments actually helps the time pass a little faster. Two hours of sitting around and making fun of people is not bad. I think sometimes I have no soul. I charged close to $1k in revenue after the store opened and about 100 of which was cost... I was very profitable today. Sometimes I feel bad about just grabbing the most convenient thing instead of the cheapest. I don't feel too bad about charging somebody 550 for something that I was willing to charge 350 for. Yeah. People should beware of me.

I have been known to do some pretty silly things and have weird reasoning. One of the silliest thing people think I do is that I still use my hipster PDA. If you remember from some weeks back I made a little pocket notebook from recycled paper. So why do I still use it even after I got my crazy new phone? Because the pen will always be mightier. Even with a touch screen on this phone I still can't lay out a series of complex information in one screen for comparison. I like to lay out my pages side by side and draw relations on it. I will get around to put some of these things on my phone as a reminder, but it doesn't tell me everything. So I keep using it. It just make sense to me.

Sometimes I wonder if it will be better if I just back away and not be in touch with some people. It's so hard to strike a balance. I think from now on I'll just act dumb and uninformed. That seems to be the way to go.

I had some pretty strange dreams last night. I think I had too much on my mind. Things that really shouldn't bother me at all. I want to start doing some meditation at night to clear my head. Speaking of doing healthy things... I need to start to eat better, smarter. I am actually gradually losing weight. I need to really watch my portion size and what I eat. I gt into the habit of going out for lunch twice a week with a couple of my friends. I jus need to watch how I eat when I do that. The majority of regular spending I did last month was on food. It really shouldn't be the case. I had some goals this month, and so far I only got one of them done. I got an important one done. My resume is done, I started sending it out. I will have to see what I can get. The other things really involved self control. Things such as spending, exercising regularly, and plan meals. I need to have more decipline. One of the things I need to work on is to keep things to myself. I have a blog that nobody reads anyway... I may as well dump it on here. =p

mobile note #3

Sometimes I just want to be left alone. I don't feel like this is one of those times... but it may be best to stay away from some people to clear my head. I have 4 more weeks of school. That includes finals. I'm getting there. This is the time when I need to really concentrate, and yet I let myself to be distracted. I think I was happier a couple of weeks ago. I tried to do more then I usually do and was questioned for it. What exactly is my motivation for wanting to do something different somebody asked. I justed wanted to do something different like you all wanted me to. I don't understand why some people have to artificially create social pressure. Maybe it hakes him feel more important. It makes the whole situation repulsive. I'm already sick of it. I opened a few doors in he last couple of weeks, but now I don't even know if I want to walk through them. Fun isn't it. It's like going to high school all over again.

I found myself as part of a crowd waiting for the recycling guy to show up. it's funny how everything stops before he show up. They wait in a crowd. I have a ridiculous amount of cans and bottles this week. That is mostly due to the failure of communication. I can't trust them to get things done. Thus is life.

I was tired by the time I got home today. I was tired of things. Work is getting to the point where it's starting to wear on me. Stupid people, mainly customers, makes me not like my job. I think today was the first time I'm really looking to graduating because I can find a real job and quit this one. It's a great job while I'm in school, but I can see how it wears people down. I looked at a couple of people I know today and felt lucky. They talked about getting back in school to finish and do something else. But being in this job for so long just wore them down. I'm glad I had the luxury to have a choice.

sabotage

I know somebody that is really great at sabotaging relationships. It's sad really, to do that and not realizing it. I am trying to give him the benefit of a doubt. I get the sense that he learned interpersonal relationships through mass media. Often exaggerated drama. What he doesn't understand is, relationship between people is not always cut and dry. It's delicate and has many dimensions. Categorically sorting things in that is and what isn't doesn't work. It's worse when he tries to impose these ideas on the people involved. I can try to work around it, but that's because I learned to not believe a single word he saids unless somebody else backs it up. It's sad really. To not be able to trust a friend.

mobile note #2

*If I'm watching Charlie Rose at 12 am... I have time to post all of the things I wrote today*

I had a moment of clarity tis morning. I'm not ready for another relationship. This of course comes with some 'but's. I have yet to come across a person that makes me change my mind. I'm not opposed to dating and such... I'm just not ready to settle again. The last time around I was heavily discounted and it made me apprehensive. I don't know what normal is like... but can I be wit somebody normal for once. I'm also done with trying so hard. I'm sick of carrying the relationship through. One of my best friends told me once the guy I should be with eventually should care enough to check on me every morning and night, and sensitive enough to give me my space. I should be on his pedestal and I should be able to not be bothered by his flaws. Maybe I'm being too picky. So far I have found flaws on anyone who showed any remote interest. Maybe I still hold a candle out for somebody else and nobody can compare. I have some very precise expectations. The bottom line is he needs to make me happy without annoying the hell out of me. I hate it when people try too hard. It's not hockey... if it comes naturally to you then you don't have to work so hard. It only pushes me away.

On a lighter note I canceled a dinner with my friend to watch my beloved Sharks pummel the snot out of the Flames last night. I was so happy they moved onto the next round. There was so much emotion invested in this game that I finally feel this team will come through at the end. It's a sense of optimism I haven't felt for a very long time. It's a tricky thing to support a sport team. I think this is the first time I have unconditionally be so passionate over a sports team. It's somehow different. I was going to make a post a few weeks back about how I don't get excited over anything anymore. That sense of passion slipped away from me. It's not true. I do have one thing I'm passionate about. The way I can tell is from my own physical reactions. I rock back and forth in anticipation, my heart rumbles in my chest, and I feel like I'm at the precipice of greatness. The last time I really felt that great anticipation was at my first DMB concert. Every song was like a revelation. Every note and every beat drove to the core of my being. Last night, 10 miles away from the Shark Tank I felt it. The last three minutes of the game lasted an eternity. The nature of the game is unpredictable. At any moment the tide can turn. There is a sense of finality to it. The fun thin is, whatever happened last night does not matter anymore today. I am looking forward to Friday when this process starts all over again. God I love playoff hockey.

An old friend of mine wrote a thing about the Democratic nomination process today. He wrote an open letter to Clinton. From what I gather off his writing is that the situation right now is a no win for the Democrats with Clinton still in the race. I too can sense the imminent attacks from McCain. In fact I am thinking now to just vote for McCain and get it over with. I would probably have voted for him if he had won the nomination 8 years ago. It is true that the war changed my opinion greatly of the Republican party, but comparing to the Democratic party right now it is much more disciplined. To tell the truth none of the candidates are appealing to me at this moment. I am still hoping for Gore. I voted for him last time around and I absolutely stand by that decision.

Two hours is an eternity to me right now. I spent the whole morning winding myself up for the test I had to take at I. I finished the 75 minute test in 20, and the class was supposed to be 3 hours. The last week had been jam packed with homework and activities. Now I have nothing. I have my phone... I didn't even bring laptop. It's one of those days where I get to spend the time alone without much worry. I probably would be content to be in complete silence but this playing a Beyonce concert that skips. I need to find motivation. I have to register for Bay to Breakers. It is a 7.5 mile distance across SF. I want to do it but I am so reluctant to train. Right now I can run 4.3 miles without slowing my pace. I can probably go longer. I come up with way too many excuses to not do the right things. Making the right decisions are so hard when I get to choose. I need to train and feel better about myself. Maybe I have too much self confidence to hinder my progress to make myself better. I am content. I also know I should be way better. So I need to find my motivation again. It really is a strategic management issue for me. I need to run my life more like an enterprise. I figure it will only make sense because I'm a business major.

I'm fairly happy with my new phone at this moment. The label is a bit of a stretch at this moment because it serves more as a portable communication device more then a traditional phone. I barely make calls out of this thin. The large touch screen and keyboard makes it ideal for my interwebs addiction. I use so few of its features, it makes me feel a little guilty about paying so much just to have mobile internet.

yet another... PSA

I honestly don't think R2 would be the one smoking... he's too cool for that. If anything C3PO is the one that's totally high strung and need a smoke... lol

mmm... cereal

PSA

ROUND 2!!!

nuff said bitches...

mobile note #1

Interestingly enough I have found yet another way to overcome the lack of true mobile support in blogger. I know my postings have been sparse. It's getting to crunch time and I really should be doing homework. I somehow have a way to always find some sort of distraction. For example, I am currently typing on my new phone. This piece of technology have wasted many of my hours due to customization and learning. Although I am largely back to my previous productivity (if you can call it that) level with a few new perks, there are still a couple of features I am trying to get to work. I suppose that is what my down time will be for. I do have to note that a larger keyboard does help me type a bit faster, when I use both hands. The keyboard is fairly wide.

The whole idea of mobile notes is a fairly simple concept from Google. I'm glad they put it in. I can now convert my down time to blogging time. Isn't it swell. I anticipate some sort of information overload. My intentions from earlier in the week was to use Facebook as such a platform. A couple of drawbacks are the immediacy of publication hence the lack of the ability to edit and it is simply the wrong audience. Twitter solved some of my problems with that particular venue. There are a million thought going through my head on a daily basis and not too many of them warrant a full blog to themselves. Most of them are one-liners. Twitter is built for that and it is not as stringent as the status update on Facebook. I plan to add the application on the blog also... this is the hub for everything about me afterall.

FB Note #1

going mobile

6:29pm Today | Edit Note | Delete
Uploaded via Facebook Mobile

I find this whole facebook thing a bit much. I use it, but I have to limit myself. I think it's actually easier to set a "note" from my phone then to blog on my site. In fact, I'm on my couch right now typing on my phone. I feel like I'm texting myself....

is it icy fruit or fruity ice?

*ponders as I enjoy my frozen jamba block*

borders

I met a new girl at work this morning and we already disagreed on whether Israel is a country or not. Good way to make friends. I ran into her at barefoot. At least we agree on something. I should abstain from divisive conversations. I want to make friends sometimes.

discussions

Today was interesting at school. Everything was discrete.

I got an email last night from one of my professor that a group assignment was not turned in on Monday. Curious, another group member and I tried to contact the member who was suppose to turn it in. We weren't able to find her and our professor gave us an extension until today at 2. There were a few more things that entirely ticked me off, but long story short, she was very sick and was entirely incompetent of informing us of such fact. We took care of it and all is good. Now I need to throw all eight weeks worth of data into a spread sheet to see what has been happening. Anyway, it will be fun.

It was suppose to be a fairly boring discussion on how modern China effects the world in my first class of the day. In fact it was going to be so bad that my professor could not find a good movie to show and came up with the whole truth-statements worksheet so we would have something to talk about. There were twenty statements for us to fill in. We were suppose to work on them five at a time and discuss them. Little did he know that we would be hung up on the first one. It was a really huge and eye opening discussion. I jotted down a few things because it was a chore to get my opinion in. I think that's a piece of writing for another day.

I'm not even sure what I did for the rest of the day. All I know is, I walked all the way across campus to get a burrito from Iguana's. I don't know why I did that. I went there yesterday. Maybe their carnitas was really that good. I don't know.

a good idea

http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/03/introducing-the-hipster-pda
http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/notebook-productivity-tips-2/


I can totally do that. I think I'm going to make one tomorrow with all of that scratch paper I have. Yay recycle!

**update**
I'm so proud of myself. I almost gave in and bought stuff to make this bad boy... but no.... I made one with the stuff I had on hand. Yay to scrap paper!

barefoot

So I'm sitting in this little indy coffee house in santa clara of all places. This place is so unassuming I have missed it for pretty much its entire existence. I think that is the magic of social networking and recommendation websites. This place has over 200 reviews on yelp and retains a nearly perfect rating. I like it... I just need to try the macchiato now....

*edit*
The macchiato was ridiculously good. You see my banner photo? That one was great, but the one I had today was better. No roasting taste at all. Just plain espresso heaven. I can't wait to finish all of that coffee I have at home so I can start buying small batches from them.

some things off top of my head

I've taken a mental and physical break for the last few weeks. I woke up this morning thinking I want to sleep in, but why? I think it's about time I get my business in order. I graduate in six weeks. I should plow through it.

Standing on top of a six story building at 10 in the morning is interesting. I'm overlooking the city. The sky was overcast. I should have worn that orange sweatshirt I laid out yesterday instead of the skimpy blue hoodie.

How do you judge the character of a food services establishment? I always start with the lowest common denominator. A latte in a coffee house, katsu-don at a Japanese restaurant, carnitas taco at a Mexican place, pho at a Vietnamese noodle place, shredded pork sandwich at a Viet sandwich shop, palak paneer at an Indian place. These things gives me perspective. How good can the more complicated dishes be if they can't excel in the most fundamental parts of their cuisine? I want to venture out of the usual places I go to, but these are the things I want to stick to.

I'm thinking about getting some playoff tickets today. I have an hour to think about it.

Having the house to myself put things in perspective for me. My role in the household expanded. There are so many little things I didn't think of before. I had to go out of my way to get those things done. These things are routine now. It's just strange.

Bay to Breakers attire idea:
Back of my t-shirt: "I'm graduating in 3 days... FINALLY!"
Back of dad's t-shirt: "No more tuition... WOOHOO!"

RIP

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7332960.stm

Matt

don't be a piece of s**t

writings

I was walking from one class to another today and I was seriously contemplating the viability of writing a two-page essay every week on topics I'm interested in. This stems from writing a three-page (double-spaced) essay this morning for a class. It was a mildly interesting topic. What happens when I write about something I actually have a strong opinion on? I am going to need a whole lot of prompts.

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