The Beautiful and Disturbed Mind of an Asian Nerd

Ever since, Kirby introduced me to the Halo video game franchise when the first Halo game of the trilogy, I have been playing on and off ever since. If my memory serves me correctly, on average my friends and I would hold Halo parties twice a year. Well I will hold another one this coming Saturday, and usually when I hold these events, I practice!

For the past couple of days, I have been playing Halo 3 via Xbox Live. I have to admit: I don’t play like I used to. :’-( I don’t remember being so frustrated with this game before. Assassinated here, beat down there, and sniped over there… Out of the 50+ games I played, I was on top once! (Usually, it’s at least three times.) Seems like I am losing "it".

Well, I can give you one good reason why: Lack of practice! And why the lack of practice? Answer: Current job.

On further retrospect, I realized that I am moving away from competitive gaming to cooperative gaming (with the exception of Soulcalibur 4). Why did I say that? Two words: ROCK BAND! For those who are unfamiliar, "Rock Band" is a music rhythm game that imitates a "rock band" fantasy. You have one person playing a lead guitar role, another on bass guitar, another on the drums, and one as a singer. The "band" plays through a series of gigs from various cities and works its way to the top to become the Rock ‘N Roll Hall-of-Famers. Although we are holding miniaturized, plastic-molded instruments, with the little kid that is still in me, I can say that it is still fun! Yes, we miss some notes and sing out of tune, but the overall experience is gratifying. I get to spend time with my friends, which indirectly helps me know what are their music preferences. Although you can set up and play team matches in Halo, usually one guy steal the show (thanks to the notion of a "ladder system"). However, in Rock Band, we work as a team usually from "dying," or failing a song, and ruining the show. That, in my book, is real teamwork!

In this coming party, of course, we will play Halo, but I hope that’s not the only thing we will play.

Do you want to know what does a blessed, happy man look like? See below:

It took five concerts, but I have finally interacted with my favorite artist, Vienna Teng. Words can’t really
express how I feel. But I can tell you that it is one of the best days
of my life. I mean every word in that previous sentence! I can say that if my life were to end right now, I can die, a happy man!

The 5/31/2008 concert was incredible. A group of my friends, who never seen her in person before that pain-stakenly assembled after coming back from a business trip in London (where Vienna held my concert #4, one day before my birthday), attended this sold-out show at the Noe Valley Ministry, listened to new songs and two encores! I remember, when she sang, "Homecoming," that almost brought tears in my eyes. It was something magical or spiritual.

After the concert was over, we went outside to take some group pics. Then, out of the "back door" of the Ministry, Vienna appeared. I have to say, it was a spontaneous moment.  However, it was a sign (from "God" maybe) to take this opportunity to introduce myself and bring this night a wonderful end. She was kind enough to take some pics with us. I will never forget this day, ever. Not to mention, I am glad and
happy that my friends were able to share that moment in time with me (see below)!

Thank you guys again for joining me to this magnificent concert and evening!

Another goal in my life accomplished!

And in case you are wondering, this is not my last Vienna Teng concert! I plan to go to every one I can go to…

Finally, I will not wash or wear that signed T-shirt anymore. I am thinking about framing it along with the concert ticket and the photos shown above. I guess you can say, it’s a trophy for myself of the good things I have done to earn this day!

7:00 AM alarm playing to the "Sunrise" song of Norah Jones.
1 minute later, he expresses his morning moans as he hushes his alarm’s constant groans.
Suddenly, everything is still like weary stones.

7:30 AM starts the most important meal of the day;
His routine remains the same as flowers always come in May:
Cereal, fruit, milk, bread, ham, and yogurt. Hurray.

It’s 8:15 AM and he’s waiting patiently for the trains.
"Mind the Gap", a wicked and cautious voice exclaims.
"What does he mean?" Look down and the floor explains.

8:55 AM with minutes to spare.
5 minutes here, 5 minutes there.
And of course, problems everywhere.

Three and a half hours later, nothing sublime.
Look at the watch. Wow, look at the time!
You know what? Hurray, it’s lunchtime!

Five more hours, more to stare.
Time spent here feels like a year.
Care just a little more, just a little more to bare.

10-minute break, that’s what he needs to refresh his brain.
Over the distance, the sight of a lucious field of ever-so-still cranes,
Complimented by the downpour of harsh, spring rain.

Clock strikes 6:00 PM. Another end to a gray fray.
As he steps out, not a single, bloody ray,
But vividly recalling his "City by the Bay."

Four minutes into his "City Hall" song and Randy Pausch’s tome,
He then decides to sit here in his quiet room to write you this brilliant poem,
Telling you and living anxiously through the days before he can go home.

First off, thank you Stud for giving me a reason
to blog again. It’s good to sit in front of the computer again and type
out words that may only be read by a very few.

Anyway, the reason for this blog is the following from Stud:

Although I have enough friends to tag, if this keeps
up, it will become something like a virus. So to avoid annoying
everyone, I am going to end this with me. But to make it up, I decide
add 10 more facts about myself. Enjoy!

1) I am a Mac fan, even though I use Windows for work.

2) Because of 1, I go to Macworld Expo every year for the past 8 years and counting. No doubt my first Macworld is the best!

3) As a devoted Mac fan, I hope to visit every Apple Store in the world!

4)
My first computer was an Apple Macintosh Perform 550CD with a PowerPC
chip running at 75 MHz, 5 MB of RAM, and 250 MB of hard drive space.
Unfortunately it is long gone…

5) I have a fetish with mice; the computer peripheral, NOT the animal! I have 6 mice, but only 3 computers.

6) I integrate computer software for a living, working for a Microsoft .NET consulting company located in Georgia.

7)
I also travel to many places that I would never dreamed of going since
I joined my current company: Alpharetta, Georgia; St. Louis, Missouri;
Hyderabad, India; London, UK; Manila, Philippines; Roseland, New Jersey

My work schedule is not set in stone. (Sigh.) I must be ready for
anything. For example, one of my coworkers was sick, so I have to fill
in for him. I had to get packed, book my plane, hotel, and car to the
client site the next day.

9) I used to blog almost once a week,
which started out at Friendster. But due to job, a lot of things like
this came to a halt. Last time I blogged was on Tuesday, November 13,
2007.

If I were to find a genie in a bottle, who would grant me three wishes, they would be the following:

10) Learn to speak, write, and understand all of the languages in the whole world.

11) World peace

12) Give my family, friends, and myself 100% health and magic.

13) I am obsessed with the Halo video game franchise.

14) My favorite video game character is not Master Chief, but Yoshimitsu from the Soulcalibur series.

15) One of my goals in life was to make more than my dad, which has been fulfilled, thanks to my current job.

16) Another goal would be to own a house located in an area where you can raise a family.

17) A third goal would be to finish a music video. In general, I hate things that are left unfinished! Must finish that soon!

18) To extend the goal above, I still need to finish a movie/TV show script.

19) To extend the two above, I hope to become a movie star, earning millions of dollars Euros, meeting all my childhood and current stars, and owning a nice crib somewhere in Hollywood.

20)
Finally, I was obsessed with a dance competition show on MTV called
"America’s Best Dance Crew". Yes, I watched all of the episodes. It was
the first time that I actually participate in voting for the best crew
and was so obsessed in wanting a crew to win that I used a piece of
software from my job and create a solution to do some voting for me.

Greetings from London! I’m back here again. Coming here two times in one year is a little strange, but wicked! This place reminds me a lot like San Francisco, except that it’s colder and people talk with a funny accent. I would live here if it weren’t so bloody expensive.

If you want to get noticed here, try this: Wear a hat. More specifically, wear a hat that resembles a Frenchman. I learned that apparently hats are not trendy except for old people. No, I am not a old timer yet. Maybe with my good looks and unique charm, I can change that mentality.

I reckoned it’s been five months since my project in India. (Yes, I would rather stay in London than in India, mind you.) As I’m listening to my iPod through the Underground the other day, I realized that I still fancy the same three Hindi songs that caught my ear when I was there. If you are curious they are "Aaj Ki Raat", "Dekhu Tujhe to Pyaar Aaye", and "Mujhe Khabar Thi". Although I have no clue what they are singing, it’s the beat that fascinates me. Brilliant, isn’t it? What makes London more brilliant is that it has a huge Indian community, mainly in poorer East London. So if I fancy for some Indian food, I’m not far away.

According to the project schedule, I’ll be back in mid-December. I won’t be seeing you guys and my games for a while. I still haven’t played Half-Life Episode 1 and 2 yet. Call of Duty 4 just came out, and Rock Band will be released shortly after. I have so much catch-up to do when I get back… Hopefully I’ll get a chance to drink Guinness with some of you at a pub, or most likely I’ll join you in a bloody game of Halo 3.

I suppose I’ll see you then.

Cheers, mates!

It’s not what you think…

Yes, I am alive. It’s been almost three months since I posted my last entry. I’ve done lots of traveling most of that time. But recently, a sign from the heavens pointed me to a halo created from an inconspicuous place called Redmond, WA. But this is not meant to be worn, but played.

Halo 3, the video game by Bungie Studios: Have you of it? I’m sure you seen it everywhere from TV to even soft drinks. You brother (or sister) maybe playing right now. I’ve been playing this everyday since it came out on September 25.

All I have to say to you nice people is that the Halo series has ruined my life.

It’s the end of my world as I know it, but you know what though?

I FEEL FINE…

Something amazing happened the other day. I listened to the radio for once. 101.3 FM to be exact. A familiar song played on air, which I never thought in a million years would ever happened. Remember my playlist for Jane? Well, there is one song that I want to sing specifically for her: "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T’s. At the time, they were an independent band based in Chicago. Today, they are still an independent band based in Chicago. The difference is that they are well known now. Look at the screenshot below:

In the "Top Songs" section on the left, guess who is Number 1. Yes, it’s "Hey There Delilah" by Plain White T’s.  Remember this is iTunes, one of the top music retail stores in the world.
If any artist makes it here, they know they made it big… I was very shocked, but very happy for them. Most likely though fan support and word of mouth, the Plain White T’s finally made it big. I hope Jane is as happy as I am for them…

Now I’m wondering: If Plain White T’s can make it this far, I’m sure Vienna Teng can do the same. I definitely hope that her music will be known worldwide. Fortunately, I did my due diligence by spreading the word. As I was in Hyderabad, India, one of my coworkers wondered who is my favorite artist. With my iPod in hand, I pressed play and let her listen without my interference. And surely enough, she also fell in love with Vienna’s music instantly. Looking back at the timeline, it took the Plain White T’s at least two years after their "All That We Needed" album. I hope through my perseverance, I will see her Number 1 on the "Top Songs" soon. Note to self: Finish the music video ASAP!!!

For those of you who knows me very well, I am a gamer. And just like any gamer, he/she has his/her favorite games. I can tell you for a fact that the Soulcalibur series definitely ranks high on my list. I don’t know exactly what number, but let’s just say, it’s on the top 5…

Anyway, for those of you who knew me back in my college days, how could we forget our faithful machine that sat at the very end of the Rack N’ Cue: Soulcalibur 2. Ah great memories. I played that machine to death. At one point I was almost a pro at it too. Yoshimitsu, Voldo, and Xianghua. Those were my characters.

Also back in the day, I remember that we had a little community going. Do you guys remember this site. That’s where we connected and wrote whatever our hearts content about the game, and anything else for that matter. Even though it is a forum thread, to a certain extent, that was my first blog.

If you are curious how I remember this site. Well, actually I forgot about it. As I was organizing my bookmarks the other day, that just hit me. Looking at the last post, it was more than two years ago. That doesn’t seem very long, but it feels like a long lost friend to me. I remember all of the people who posted there; some of them I haven’t talk to in a while. It’s amazing how two years can change so drastically.

Before I left Atlanta last Monday, I stopped by a newsstand and checked out the magazines. SOULCALIBUR 4 and SOULCALIBUR LEGENDS on the EGM magazine caught my eye. I must buy it. After reading the article in the plane, I felt so excited about the game again. I hope when that game comes out, our long lost blog will be found once again…

“New Voicemail” was vividly shown on Raymond’s cell phone as he brought it out from his left pocket of his dress pants every day after work to find out if he missed anything special in his life, or if anyone missed him at all. It was about 7 pm on January 18, 2007.

“You have one new voice message. First voice message…” A familiar voice spoke out. It was his former tech lead, John.

“Hey Ray, how are you doing? Hey listen, I have a job that I would like to ask you about. Call me when you get a chance. OK. Bye.”

“That was interesting,” Raymond thought. He couldn’t figure out if John said “job” or “Java.” “Why would he ask me something about Java?” You see, at the time, Raymond was working on a project for AT&T in San Ramon, CA, which took him two hours. Yes, two hours one-way. Yes, one-way to get there. And yes, the project involves Java web services. He started this project only three days before. “What a coincidence!”

To his surprise, his tech lead is working for a small, .NET consulting company, called Vertical Thought, based in Alpharetta, GA, about an hour away from Atlanta. He offered Raymond a job. Learning more details about it, Raymond was very excited. More pay, travel, .NET, an exit to this miserable commuting project. It’s an offer he cannot refuse. As they virtually shake hands on the offer, in the coming days, Raymond communicated with the president of the company, absorbing more and more of the job’s goodness. Raymond had a great lust for this new opportunity. He thought about it all the time, all the possibilities that would come out of it. The feeling was so intense in fact that one day, after two weeks of silence, he gave his current company his two-weeks notice.

Shortly after his departure, Raymond was getting ready to join a company where his good friend recommended him. And not to mention he would earn more than his family combined at the time, travel to places he never been before, and learn an ever-growing technology. But little did he know what his main challenge would follow.

The project in St. Louis that Raymond was supposed to join for his new company was delayed. One week had passed.

Again, another week had passed, and the project was delayed again.

A third week had passed, and the project was delayed the third time.

Throughout this whole time, Raymond worried about his lustful decision. “Did I make a mistake by quitting a job that I was lucky to join?” He checked his email everyday, once every hour. “What am I going to do?” Raymond never felt so uncertain and scared before. “Should I go back to school?” He was afraid that he would let everyone he knows down. “What am I going to say to Mom when she asks?” At one point he tried to convince himself to shamefully go back to his previous job. “I f***ed up!” Many things flashed through his disturbed mind. “Sigh.” All hope seems lost…

On the ninth day of March, Inbox (1). “We look forward to having you on board at VT.  I will get you an official offer letter by Tuesday…” Ahhhh… Relief. Finally, in the end, Raymond received what he was waiting for… Raymond’s patience prevailed. “Note to self: learn to be more patient and not to rush things.”

He started the St. Louis project in mid-March, and lasted for a month. His work and dedication was admired by not only the client, but also by many of his colleagues at his new company as well. Raymond realized that he is happier because he found a job that he is definitely perform well at, as well as seeing the new worlds other than his own.

Currently, Raymond travelled to India for a month for a project relating to a surface-integration technology called OpenSpan. This is definitely an opportunity of a life-time. More on this later. Stay tuned…

It was early in the new year. Wednesday, January 3, 2007 to be exact. Raymond rolled off from the CSAA project two weeks ago. He had nothing important to do that day. He was just thinking and wanting someone to talk to who understands his situation…

The night before the third of January, he gave someone a call. It was about 10:23 pm. He was a little scared. It was something he rarely does. He opened his cell phone. He attempted to dial the number. He closed it. He opened his cell phone again. He attempted to dial the number again. He closed it again. He opened his cell phone a third time. He attempted to dial the number again a third time. He dialed the number. The dial tone rang. He waited. The dial tone rang again. He waited again. The dial tone rang a third time. He waited. The dial tone rang a fourth time. He waited. A familiar voice spoke. It was the lady who mentioned that "Yee" was no available to answer the phone right now. He left her a message, inviting her if she could meet up with him for a cup of tea at the Japanese Tea Garden. Minutes later she replied and Raymond was happy that she accepted the meeting.

That day on Wednesday, January 3, 2007, Raymond left his house around 2 pm, heading to the garden for an early start. The meeting was at 3 pm. He is not a type of person who wants to be late for something, especially a meeting like this. Knowing he was early, he found an empty, green park bench with his name on it. Well, not exactly; it had a name dedicated to someone he didn’t know. He took out his trusty red, paper notepad and started drumming up ideas for an idea that he had since he fell in love with his first Mac a long time ago. He wrote feverishly about everything that came into his mind. He drowned himself into his writing that he almost forgot why he was at that every spot in the first place. But his cell phone rang. He picked it up, and it was "Yee." She was almost there. Raymond saw her as she approached the tea garden’s gates and waved. As he started to head toward the gates, Raymond continued writing his last thoughts in that notepad until he and "Yee" intersected.

"What are you writing?" "Yee" asked Raymond with a curious tone.

"Oh, nothing much. It’s for another project of mine." Raymond replied with a faint smile and quickly hid his trusty notepad.

Raymond and "Yee" entered the garden together. Raymond pulled out his wallet and offered to pay the admission for both of them. He was shocked that "Yee" refused his kind gesture. She insisted on paying her own share. "Yee" told Raymond something in Cantonese that he didn’t understand. It might have something to do with his attempt of his kind gesture. He just brushed it off aside, and they both headed toward the tea house.

The tea house looked and felt serene. It’s surrounded by well-pruned trees, well-placed man-made structures, and the natural sound and beauty of Golden Gate Park. It was made during the World’s Fair of 1894 from wood that Raymond could not make out. But he could clearly observe from its gray patina, squeaky floors, countless spider webs, and long slender vines that the tea house had been through a lot through the years. Fortunately, it’s still there for everyone to enjoy.

Raymond and "Yee" sat in the middle of the tea house overlooking at an empty pond and the garden’s entrance. "Hmmm… there’s usually water here," Raymond thought out loud as he was perplexed in terms of why the pond didn’t contain any water. "Maybe they are doing maintenance after all it is winter season."

They ordered the classic green tea. A young woman, who seemed to be Chinese, but dressed in a pink kimono decorated with flowers, quickly served them the tea with a compliment of assorted Japanese snacks and the infamous, American-concocted fortune cookies.

They both enjoyed their tea, the snacks, and each other’s company. They talked about many things ranging from work to their personal lives to each other’s philosophical ideas to their future as they stared out to the empty pond, the people entering and exiting the garden, and a young couple getting their wedding pictures taken at a cloudy, winter day. Raymond couldn’t hope for a better day. They finished all of the salty, Japanese snacks. Coincidently or intentionally, there were two fortune cookies left. Raymond and "Yee" each took one, and cracked open to perhaps another lame piece of fiction writing, printed on a piece of white paper, which could have been used to publish the next great literary masterpiece.

Unfortunately, Raymond didn’t remember what "Yee’s" fortune said, but he remembered his very vividly. It contained these exact words:

"You will pass a difficult test that will make you happier."

Raymond just looked at it and laughed, thinking it was another waste of paper. Eventually they both left the tea house to explore the garden, which they had not walked through for a long time…

Little did he know that this simple seemingly innocuous fortune cookie would result in Raymond’s next chapter of his professional life.