Superfat Tuesday

PR is an interesting game.

What an exciting Tuesday! So exciting that I forgot it was Mardi Gras. I hope most people went out to vote, no matter who they voted for (although I am confused about the significant number of people that voted for John Edwards, considering he is out of the race?). I would be happy with either Democratic candidate, but I personally prefer Obama. So the close race is really interesting to me... looks like it will be a while before we know who will be on the ticket. And after that, it's going to be a pretty crazy presidential race. I'm not going to say that I'm necessarily a democrat or a republican, because most people aren't only one or the other on every issue, but some of the Republican candidates..... mmmm.... and no firm opinion about McCain yet. So... go Clinton/Obama. And that is enough insignificant political talk from me.

Also went with W to Border Grill today for dineLA week/to take my roommate out for her birthday-- that place is good. And not uptight. Super. My tamale and chicken chilaquiles were great but my roommate's tres leches cake was the best... I love milk flavored things. I'm trying to find a gelato place in LA that has good milk gelato (different from vanilla!)-- unsuccessful so far.

(side note: it's interesting how my tastes change as I get older. I used to not be a big fan of milk. Now I love milk and milk or vanilla flavored things. I also like vegetables a lot more. At this rate I'll be craving prunes by next winter... oh, and if you haven't tried it already, try organic milk. Not to be hippie, but because it tastes SO MUCH BETTER! very worth it.)

So it's been a good superfat Tuesday. The gluttony continues tomorrow for Chinese New Year's eve dinner, awesome. I hope this will be a lucky year... although, not to be overly superstitious, but the terrible weather in China leading up to the new year is not a great sign. Very sad situation. And I can't help but be worried about the Olympics, for both environmental and political reasons (I know, I should probably scale-down the things I "worry" about). I hope it turns out well.

Happy New Year

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"Peace-equins" in Beijing, China (10/04)
Victory!!

Meomi Desktop Calendars

Cute calendars for your desktop from Meomi! http://www.meomi.com/desktops.html


In personal news, I can't decide whether or not to extern during my Fall semester next year. It could be with a judge or an agency, so I think it would be a great and unique experience. On the other hand I'm paying $15K in tuition per semester-- I should get what I can out of school course offerings, right? There are so many courses I still want to take.

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Detail of Wat Arun in Bangkok, Thailand (12/05)

Meomi iGoogle "Tea House" Theme

I love almost all of Google's applications.

I love Meomi, creator of the Octonauts.

So of course I love this iGoogle theme!! It's so cute!! It changes throughout the day to match with the time. The little fox goes about on his daily errands.

One day I will have to write a full post of all the Google apps that I love (gmail, picasa, reader, maps, blogger, igoogle, earth...) but this will have to do for now :)







This is not even all of them... ahh cuteness overload. Anyway I was never a huge fan of the personal homepages but I really like my new iGoogle set up. I have Google News, my reader, Gmail, travel photos, weather, brain teasers-- even Super Mario World! ahaha awesome.

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I'm on a whimsical streak: A lion fish at the Long Beach Aquarium

Itzhak Perlman

Saw Itzhak Perlman perform at the Disney Concert Hall yesterday.I've never heard him perform before and I thought it was amazing. He was supposedly playing "show-off" pieces. I call them crowd pleasers.

The celebrated violinist is also quite the comedian.

Two things I didn't know about him: 1) He contracted polio at an early age and walks with braces, 2) He did the actual performance of the John Williams score for Schindler's List.

First Class

Hmm...

Where is this?

It's Singapore Airline's new jet... I think it's called the Dreamliner. The private, convertible seat-beds of first class. It would be pretty sweet to fly this way, esp on those 10+ hour flights. I guess I have an easier time than most sleeping on planes, but I wouldn't mind being upgraded to this. Especially since Singapore Airlines is also awesome in general already.

I really agree that it's much more worth it to use frequent flier miles to upgrade classes rather than get a free economy class ticket. Economy seats are getting more and more affordable while the difference in price between economy and business/first class is huge-- thousands of dollars.

Sometimes it's hard to balance the desire to indulge in luxuries for yourself and keep in mind one's desire/responsibility to help others in need. I mean, even if I could afford to fly Super Triple Diamond First Class, should I? Wouldn't that money be better used if donated? I recently read about some [probably sensationalized] expenses of the uber-rich-- e.g. a $15,000 diamond martini or a $1000 bagel. Is it crazy?

The extremes are a crazy to me right now. But then again having luxuries available is arguably a good economic incentive to encourage people to work harder and earn more money. Which is good for the economy as a whole and, I guess the argument would go, ultimately helpful to those in need. Both in the sense of raising standards of living and also of creating the Bill Gates and Warren Buffets who create the billion dollar endowment charity foundations.

As selfish as indulgences and excessive consumption are or seem to be... I guess that's just how the average human being is. I think the average person wants to help too, so it's a little give and take. Maybe a lot more take than give, but it's better than nothing. Or am I just justifying my future spending on the excessively unnecessary?

Business class

Economy class still looks about the same.

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I will take whimsy over diamonds:
a wintery installation at one of Glasgow's art museums (12/06)

Downtown LA Artwalk

A free event in Downtown LA, every second Thursday of the month.
My first time... it was great. (I had to drag W along but he ended up enjoying it)

my favorite: David Grant at the Bert Green Fine Art gallery
http://www.bgfa.us/ , then click on "David Grant"

Happy New Year

It's already 2008. The 2000 years are flying by. This tells me I'm getting old, because years were just so much more substantial when I was younger.

Embarrassing moment of the week: writing "your" instead of "you're" to a person at the firm I'm going to. I really hate those mistakes, they make a person look dumb. The worst is when you notice it right when you click "send."

Some 2008 goals I don't mind sharing:
1) being able to comprehend a Chinese newspaper by the end of the year
2) being healthier
3) being on time
4) becoming principle-centered

Some people think new year's resolutions are lame, useless, for the desperate. Whatever, I think if you want to have them then have them. It's better to self-evaluate at SOME point rather than never, right? True, you can start turning your life around at any minute. But there's a reason why we like to celebrate a new year-- it just feels significant.

It's helpful to break them down into weekly/monthly goals. E.g. 20 new Chinese characters per week, working out at least 2x per week, and learning to cook (so as to eat better). Being on time... well that's a life long struggle for me :P I think it will have to be dealt with by becoming principle-centered... on the right principles. I admire people with a strong sense of principle (but are subtle about it).

I hope this will be a great year. Classes this semester are interesting, despite their boring names: Evidence, Business Associations, Taxation of Businesses, and Professional Responsibility. PR is very interesting-- ethics topics usually are-- I think it will provide good blog material. Anyway, the summer should be awesome (though I will make sure to work for it), and I'm hoping for a trip down to South America for the first time this winter.

Happy 2008.

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