| foot in mouth |
[Feb. 11th, 2009|05:04 pm] |
Friend: XYZ (boyfriend) suggested that I need to go on a diet. He's such an asshole.
Dan: Yes he is, he should accept you for who you are.
Friend: Do you think I am fat Dan?
Dan: Not at all.
Friend: What's the hesitation?
Dan: Well, you're not fat. You're just... a little bit thick.
Friend: What! What does that suppose to mean!
Dan: Well... thick, you know, not fat, just thick, like thick in lipids.
Friend: (silent)
Dan: I got to take this a phone call...
Blah, talking about putting your foot in your mouth.. |
|
|
| IQ test |
[Jun. 3rd, 2008|01:19 am] |
I finally caved in and took an online IQ test. The result is very high, and I think there must be something wrong with the test, because I know for sure I am not that smart. But then came to think about it, I scored one point higher when I took my last IQ test, which was when I was about 10, so the result has been consistent. Anyway, here's the test:
http://www.free-iqtest.net/
If you're really bored, please take this test and let me know how do you. If everyone who took this test scored super high then I will be rest assured the test is inaccurate. |
|
|
| Kabob |
[Apr. 4th, 2008|07:46 pm] |
I just had a lamb kabob and it was so good... I normally do not like chicpea and they put it in the kabos, but still, it was sooo goood. I think it's because I am just so hungry now.
ok, out for swing dancing. The weekend has began! |
|
|
| Lol |
[Feb. 20th, 2008|10:51 pm] |
|
I was sawing the a samples in my bathroom last night (2:20AM) when I heard someone knocking on my door. I open the door and saw a hot, distressed blond in her 30's standing there in her pajamas and said "are you sawing something?" and I said "Did I play my music too loud?" and she said "are you sawing something" and I said "oh man I didn't know you can hear me" and she screamed at me: "I can totally hear you" and I said "ok, I will do it tomorrow morning instead." I feel really bad about it, but somehow I can't stop laughing at the absurdity of the situation. |
|
|
| Blogging Under Big Brother - Backdated January 2 2008 |
[Jan. 11th, 2008|05:19 am] |
I arrived in China last week. I wanted to post about my time here but couldn’t. The Chinese inertnet police blocked my blogger site, livejournal.com. A few years ago a blogger in the US posted his view on Tiananmen Square on livejournal, so the internet police blocked the entire site.
Every morning I am being reminded that the Middle Kingdom is still the land of 1984: When I go for breakfast I see the secret police outside my building. Why are they here you ask? There is an old lady who lives three floors above me. She is over eighty years old and widowed. Three years ago she said what many many Chinese people have been quietly thinking: that the Chinese people should be able to directly elect their president. But instead of keeping that dangerous, non-proletariat view to herself, she wrote an editorial on an independent newspaper. What did the secret police do? They shut down the paper and stationed two secret policemen outside her apartment. The secret polices live in a car and they come in three shifts, 365 days a year. I saw them in 2005 when I was in Beijing, and they are still there this morning. These secret polices do not look you in the eye, they don’t talk, they don’t even acknowledge your presence when you walk by. Like two cursed gargoyles, their presence serves one and only one purpose: fear. They are here to remind the old lady, and the entire community, that Big Brother is watching. Like the Gestapo that terrorized the German Jews, the Clansmen that lynched those who dared challenged the Jim Crow norms, the Chinese Secret Police use the same fear to keep its 1.3 billion people in place, in silence. The Chinese are only caged pigeons, living within cubicles of the stainless steel structures they call home. Thirty years after Mao’s death, twenty years after the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, Big Brother is still watching over the Middle Kingdom. The same Big Brother that ordered tanks into Tiananmen Square before my eyes in 1989; the same Big Brother that concealed the AIDS epidemic that ravaged the countryside; the same Big Brother that still threatens Taiwan with talks of Armageddon.
I used to be very much against the idea of an independent Taiwan, but I had a change of heart in college. Half of me thinks that the island should get as far from China as possible. The more optimistic side is hoping that the island will, in the words of Taiwanese president Chen Shui Bian, “serve as a guiding torch of democracy for China out of its darkness of totalitarianism.” |
|
|
| Me being stupid |
[Oct. 8th, 2007|06:18 pm] |
A person whom I met at a Chinese festival 2 weeks ago invited me to a meeting to discuss business opportunities. It sounded rather suspicious, so I asked her whether it's multi-level marketing scheme and she said no. She said it's a group of business people gets together and talk business opportunities. Being a business person myself I drove to Bethesda for the meeting after our Sunday afternoon dim sum.
10 seconds after I entered the room I knew I walked into a MLM scam. The service they sell is financial advisory. The business model is not too different from other MLM schemes I have seen. There are two differences that distinguish World Financial Service from other MLM presentations I have been to (I have been conned into two other). #1, the presentation is given in Chinese. Subsequent research shows that this MLM group targets mostly immigrant community, especially those from China. The second difference is the demeaning attitude of the presenter. He said "oh, you're late. If we charge $10,000 per presentation I bet you'd be on time." I think he is trying to use this arrogant attitude to make people think he holds all the leverage.
Anyway, so I was about to walk out of the presentation when this lady stopped me and asked to talk to me. She's a statistician who has been doing this MLM as a side job for 3 years. She hasn't re-cooperated her money back yet, and she still thinks that this is the best thing that has happened to her (despite the fact that the business model clearly does not work).
So I wasted about 2 hours on something utterly useless. I feel kind of stupid because of that. What amazes me is the level of infiltration of MLM in today's society. Since I moved to DC in May of 2006 I have encountered several friends who are into MLM (and has been actively trying to recruit me into it).
1. One of my high school friends asked me to visit him in Philadelphia on my way back from NYC to DC. After I got there, he gave me a sales pitch on joining AmWay. That was the most time I have ever wasted on a MLM scam. My high school friend is an engineer with a degree from Carnegie Mellon and is currently working for Lockheed Martin.
2. One of the guys I played Magic The Gathering with asked me to join Pre-Paid legal. I told him I am a lawyer and don't need it. He said Pre-Paid Legal is hiring young lawyers like myself (and lots of other bullshits).
3. One of my friend at swing dancing tried to get me into a multi-level marketing scheme. When I asked her whether it's MLM she said no, but later conceded that her company is not called Multi-Level Marketing, but it's called infinite level marketing. Stupid bitch...
4. A person I almost hired as consultant got me to go to a healthcare product MLM company called Nikken. Same story - told me it was a business meeting, and by the time I get there it was a little too late to leave. She has a MD and was a practicing doctor. 3 other MDs were also in the room and were members. Needless to say, I didn't hire her to work for me after that.
So what can I conclude form this? Smart people are not always smart on everything. I think often Greed blinds people's eye from seeing reason.
Ok, that's my rant. |
|
|
| Creepy Old Guy |
[Oct. 8th, 2007|02:06 pm] |
|
So far I really love my apartment. The location is great, the rent is reasonable, the view is splendid, and I get to live by myself, which is very comfortable. The only down side is that down the corridor lives this creepy old guy. There are a lot of old people living in my apartment and I always try to be as nice to them as I can. But this creepy old guy remind me of this (http://tvmedia.ign.com/tv/image/article/743/743859/familyguy-toloveanddieindixie-herbert_1162591879.jpg) character from Family Guy. I mean, it's nothing wrong with him on surface, but I just have a creepy feeling when I talk to him. I try to avoid him as much as possible but he bumped into me in the elevator today. Very uncomfortable 30 seconds listening to him ramble. |
|
|
| Political Dork |
[Sep. 21st, 2007|01:51 am] |
Ok, since I am a dork I am going to give a prediction of the 2008 Senate race. I think the Democrats are going to pick up anywhere between 3-9 seats, as follows:
Virginia - Best chance of picking up a seat. Mark Warner is going for John Warner's seat. I put the chance of the popular ex-Democratic governor winning at 2-1 against Tom Davis, who is most likely going to be his opponent.
New Hampshire - Very good chance of picking up a seat. Republican Sonunu is running in a blue state in a time when the nation is very upset about the war. I put the chance of his Democratic challenger Jeanne Shaheen, a former governor, beating him at 2-1. Shaheen is up 15 point in the polls at the moment.
Colorado - Another Republican retirement. The swing state, which went for Bush in 2004 with a slight margin, has no strong Republican candidates declaring at the moment. With the national mood I put the chance of Democrat pick up at 3-2
Nebraska - Chuck Hagel just announced his retirement. Very good chance of a pick up.
Ok, the above 4 states are states where I think the Democratic odds are higher than the Republican. The following states have a 2-3 chance of a Democratic pick up.
Maine - Susan Collins is vulnerable. The state is very blue and she is not as stable as Olympia Snow. She did raise a lot of money and so far no strong Democratic challenger emerged yet. I hope the state's Democratic party get their act together and find someone strong.
Oregon - This one is tricky. The state is blue and the senator, Gordon Smith, is not very popular. The Democrats need to find someone good to challenge him.
Minnesota - My favorite race, because one of my favorite Democratic candidate is running. Al Franken from the left is challenging Norm Coleman from the right. Coleman currently has a 45% unfavorable rating, and Al has out-raised Coleman in money. The Republican national convention is going to be held at St. Paul in 2008, so it'd be great to give them a slap on the face with a defeat in Minnesota. Despite all that, Al Franken is a little troublesome candidate. I think his strait talk humor might get him into trouble with the Midwest farmers. I am putting this one conservatively at 2-3 chance, but I think Al could very well make us proud by squeezing his Jewish ass into the senate.
The final 3 are the long shots:
Alaska - Ted Stevens has been investigated by the FBI. If it weren't for the investigation he's a safe bet. Now with the ethics investigation he could be vulnerable. I am not counting on this one because Alaska has been red for sooooooooooo long...
New Mexico - Same story: a safe Republican senator Pete Domenici is now under ethics investigation, which makes him vulnerable. But he still has high favorable ratings in New Mexico so I am not counting on this one.
North Carolina - Elizabeth Dole is a safe seat unless former governor Mike Easley (who got term limited out of office) runs. Polls of Dole / Easley match up yields 41 - 44% results in favor of the Democrat. So if Easley do decide to run I will move this race up to tier one as one of the favored race. If Easley does not run then it's a safe seat for Republicans.
Those are all the senate seats in play. So if Democrats play their cards right and the stars align in place, we should be able to pick up anywhere between 3 to 9 seats. A nine seat gain, which is highly unlikely, would put Democrats into a filibuster proof majority. But realistically, I think the Democrats are going to pick up 4 seats: Virginia, New Hampshire, Colorado, and one wild card state. This would give us a 55-45 majority like the Republicans had last year.
God did I just write all that at 2 in the morning? Time to go to sleep. |
|
|
| Hillary Clinton |
[Sep. 5th, 2007|01:23 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  geeky | ] |
I went to a Hillary Clinton fundraiser tonight. It suppose to cost $500 but I got in for free by latching to one of my friends. I have always been a bit suspicious of Clinton's ability to win the general election, especially if she goes against Rudy, a Catholic who's a national hero in 9/11. Anyway, I heard her speech and I was really amazed by her public speaking skills. I always thought she sucked in giving speeches, but she did a good job tonight. I think her charisma, while lacking compare to her husband, is enough for the American audience, which is not too bright in the first place. I have always been an Obama fan, but I think Obama's speeches are too intellectual, where as Clinton dumbed it down to normal people's level. I have no doubt that both Obama and Clinton are extremely intelligent, but the ability to dumb things down is important.
Anyway, I got close enough and shook hand with Clinton. I gave up a photo opportunity because I took a picture for my friend with Hillary, but I am sure I'll have more chances in the future. I also bought a Hillary for president t-shirt. I think overall my impression is very good. I think hearing her speech dispelled some of my doubt of her electability. Personally I think either Obama or Clinton would make a good president, but realistically I think Clinton is going to win. I will post some photos in a few days.
Maya the singer was also there supporting Clinton and she looked really hot. I mean, she looks good in movies, but in person she looks even prettier. I got to say hi to her too, so I am happy :) I also made some friends while standing in line before I got in. I met some students from American University and talked to them for about half an hour.
In terms of my own political stance, I feel like I am moving closer and closer to Libertarianism. Lately I feel growingly distant from popularists like John Edward (whom I supported in the 2004 primary) and taking even more cynical view towards the religious right. I mean, I was a free trade, anti-affirmative action, pro-gun Democrat in the first place. I have been watching the Bill Maher show a lot since I moved to DC and I think he's pulling me towards the Libertarian direction. |
|
|
| update |
[Aug. 30th, 2007|05:54 pm] |
Alright, someone nudged me for an update, so here it is:
1. My company is going well, business is going smoothly. Got a large hospital as client on Monday, so I am happy about it. Also, I salvaged a SPAC deal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_purpose_acquisition_company) for my dad this week. The deal collapsed and I devised a compromise for my dad and his business partner, and now the IPO is scheduled in October. I am proud of myself, those ADR skills from law school is paying off.
2. Dating front: nothing yet. I feel like I need to get out there and start meeting people. I don't think bars is a good way for me to meet people, so I have to think of a venue where I can meet a lot of girls. Maybe volunteering, social gatherings, or just through networking. Actually, there are a lot of hot law students in my building. I met one of them yesterday and she was super nice. I am kind of getting excited about the prospect of dating in DC. I have never been on the dating market before, I have always just dated my friends around me. Actually I am kind of lazy about it. I just want a nice girlfriend without having to put in the search effort, could we just skip the dating part? Lol, I know the world doesn't run that way, so hopefully I don't have to date too many girls before I find a good one to settle down with.
3. George Sunny visited me last weekend. It was nice seeing him again, I put him to good use by get him to do some heavy lifting at IKEA. He didn't change much, still the big nerd I know of from undergrad (I think he gained like 10 pounds, must be those dorm room food). He didn't get to stay for my housewarming party because he had to leave for Phili. Talking about it, the Saturday night housewarming party was a big success. A lot of my friends came and we ran out of food at the end, which I guess is a good sign. Will have another one in a few months, watch out for an invitation.
4. I wanted to try this restaurant for a long time ( www.2amyspizza.com ). Anyone up for it? |
|
|
| Friends only |
[Aug. 2nd, 2007|12:47 am] |
To all:
Most of my journals are friends only. So if you want to read them send me a friends request :)
Love
Dan |
|
|
| work |
[Aug. 2nd, 2007|12:41 am] |
For the last two weeks I've been working and working and working. I wake up usually around 10 in the morning. Since I work from home, I jump into the shower and I start working, and I work until about 2 AM everyday (except last night when an addictive game introduced to me by Kellev kept me up playing it until 1AM). It's going to be like this for the next 2 months I think, which is not too bad. I actually enjoy what I do a lot, it's just that I wish I had more time to socialize, especially that now I am moving into DC. I wanted to have a housewarming party on the 11th, but it seems like I have to cancel it due to work. I am going to reschedule it for sometime in October.
Ok, back to working :)
Oh by the way, if I haven't told you, I am moving to Cleveland park this weekend. I can't wait. |
|
|
| New Apartment |
[Jul. 9th, 2007|01:24 am] |
So Kazoojew and I went to see a few apartments today and I really liked an apartment in Woodly Park. It's fairly big, metro accessible, and the landlord feels pleasant. I am hoping they are going to accept my application.
If I get to live there, I will be 15 min walk from both Kellev and Kazoojew, which would be great. Also, the place is full of young people. I feel very refreshing when I was there.
( $1495 - Beautiful 1 bedroom apartment - Woodley Park ) |
|
|
| whining |
[Jul. 2nd, 2007|04:16 pm] |
|
I am having a stomach ache, ouch :*( |
|
|
| Candidates' names are tough in Chinese |
[Jun. 27th, 2007|11:05 am] |
Mitt Romney's been called many things as he runs for president, but chances are "Sticky Rice" isn't one of them.
That's how his name might be read on some ballots, according to state Secretary William Galvin.
Galvin says the federal Justice Department is pressuring Boston election officials to translate candidates' names into Chinese characters in precincts with prominent Chinese-speaking populations.
But there's more than a little lost in translation, according to Galvin.
Since there's no Chinese character for "Romney," translators have resorted to finding characters that most closely match the sound of each syllable in the name.
The problem is that there are many different characters that could be used to match the sound of each syllable, and many different meanings for each character.
So Mitt Romney could be read as "Sticky Rice" or "Uncooked Rice." Fred Thompson might be read as "Virtue Soup." And Barack Obama could be read as "Oh Bus Horse."
Galvin's own name could be read at least two different ways, as "High Prominent Noble Educated" or "Stick Mosquito."
But perhaps the most perplexing translation would be for Boston Mayor Thomas Menino's name, which could be read as "Sun Moon Rainbow Farmer" or "Imbecile," or "Barbarian Mud No Mind of His Own."
"To try to make rhymes or approximations in Chinese, you can have unintended negative meanings," Galvin said. "It leads to confusion. You can render it with a good meaning or a bad meaning."
To add to the confusion, Galvin said, the ballots have to be offered in two major Chinese dialects, Mandarin and Cantonese, leading to even more potential variations of candidates's names.
But advocates for minority voting rights say Galvin's objections are misdirected. If the translations are awkward, they say, the candidates should be free to offer variations, or look to the way Asian language newspapers already transliterate their names.
"We are looking to make sure Asian Americans are able to vote for their candidates of choice," Glenn Magpantay, staff attorney of the New York-based Asian American Defense Fund, told the Boston Globe. "This is difficult to do when voters with limited English proficiency cannot find those candidates."
Cynthia Magnuson, spokeswoman to the Justice Department's civil rights division, said a system is needed to let voters with limited English vote without the aid of election monitors.
"This will allow them to vote independently," she said.
Galvin said he supports translating the bulk of the ballots into Chinese as required by a 2005 agreement with the justice department, as long as the names of the candidates' names remain in Roman letters. |
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
| |
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
dxy12's journal