Bloggie

BLOG TERMINATED

2009-10-26T00:48:00.000-07:00

I've started using a new gmail account (jonoklee@gmail.com) so I've decided to start anew and am going to terminate this blog. I'll post the new blog link on my gtalk/msn/AIM if I ever start a new one.

Pissed

2009-05-11T00:42:00.001-07:00

I'm pissed.

What does it look like to you? (UPDATED)

2009-04-26T14:09:00.001-07:00

The newly erected monument in the middle of our quad

UPDATE: Story posted at the bottom

I have a story about the monument but I want you guys to guess what you think it looks like first! Hmm...I personally think it looks like the logo for the game Portal:

The bottom are some panoaramas I took around school with my phone just to capture more of what Merced looks like for those who are still wondering:

A look from the entrace of the Kolligian Library

A view of the academic side of the campus taken across the bridge

On the left very left is the library

Right of the library is the classroom building where most of the classes are held

Right in the middle is the Natural Science building

Connected with the NS building on the right is the Enginnering building on the ery right

This is pretty much all the building on campus

Saw some ducks in the canal and decided to snap a picture from the bridge

STORY:

As my friend Theo and I walked to our morning class:

Jono: Hey Theo did you see that new monument in the middle of our quad?

Theo: Oh, you mean that gigantic (female body part)? [yeah..I felt that it's better to change it up a bit...]

Jono: =_= thanks Theo, now I will never see that thing the same ever again...

Uber Staff FAIL!!!

2009-03-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

So Eric (Douglas) and I decided to resume Bo Staff practice after our one month hiatus when something unexpected happened...:

First let's show some skills demonstrated by Eric on what I should've imitated:

Then it was my turn...

*sighs*

...backed by popular demand, I'm posting the following video for those who haven't seen it yet:

Desktop Upgrade!

2009-01-29T17:43:00.000-08:00

"The arrival of the new Dell 22" Ultrasharp fits surprisingly well with the 21" HP"

HORRAY FOR DUAL MONITORS! :D

But wait, there's more!

To finish the desktop upgrade, I purchased a new EVGA Nvidia GeForce 9800GTX+ Superclocked Edition graphics card from Newegg. The fact that I'm running dual monitors makes my SLI configuration useless, so I decided to use this new card while it was on sale.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2009-01-26T00:53:00.000-08:00

"新年快樂!"

Awaiting the new year

2008-12-29T00:24:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't updated my blog for a while but lately some events have happen that are just making my head spin. I do have things I want to share, it's just that I never finish my thoughts and I end up with numerous unfinished entries in my post lists. For those who do read this blog, I promise you I'll have more the coming year.

It started with a smile...

2008-11-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

"Have a Great Day!"

To tell you guys the truth, this is really a distraction post as I finish my other two 'working-in-progress' posts. So I got really bored one night while I ate the Korean funions my parents sent me in the care package. Then two of the pieces fell onto my table and I completed the happy face above with a smile I created from biting a chunk out of it.

However, one thing led to another and I ended up creating...I don't even know what to call it...I wanted to say I had someone in mind when I was making this but..I'd rather not..ha..ha *nervous laughter*

"Hehe..I have a belly button...he..he..he"

"Just flash them!!"

2008-11-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

My friend Rhett wanted me to flash my camera at the raccoon

After having pork roast, meat ravioli, and potatoes for dinner, my friend Rhett and I spotted these two fat raccoons rumbling through the garbage cans nearby. I took out my camera and he took out his iPhone. He was telling me raccoons are vicious because his dog was once badly injured fighting a raccoon in the backyard. In the video Rhett was complaining that his iPhone doesn't have flash so he kept telling me to the flash on my camera. I was so afraid to flash them after hearing his story but I did it anyways.

"Give me your soul!"

After I took that picture, I quickly jumped back 3 steps because I was so afraid of it leaping at me. Anyways, we decided to walk up the stairs around the trash can just to be sure we were safe from them.

UPDATE: I just also remembered seeing this sign on the bulletin board in our hall with a huge poster telling us not to mess with raccoons (so I took a picture of it):

"That did not sound good."

2008-10-28T02:55:00.000-07:00

This it the only road that links our campus and the city of Merced

So today as Matt (my suitemate) and I headed to town to restock on necessities (including midnight snacks), we experienced some...difficulties.

When Matt drove into a remote parking lot next to our hall, something lodged into his right front tire.

Spotted this in a remote parking lot

(Since our campus is in the middle of a cowfield, this fits perfectly.)

We didn't notice until we were driving on the road (the one in the picture above) as we hear repetitive thumps coming from the passenger side of the car. So we pulled over and discovered some strange bolt stuck in the tire.

Matt tried to pull it out but I told him that wasn't such a good idea. We resumed on our trip into town and on the way we heard one final loud THUMP on the passenger side. At that moment we both looked at each other and said "That did not sound good..." We suspected that the bolt fell out because the repetitive thumps stopped. However, our bad luck had just begun. We hurriedly pulled into the gas station on the edge of the city and just as we expected, the tire was deflating rapidly by the seconds. Matt tried to stop the leaking by putting his hand over it but (of course) his attempts were futile. In a matter of minutes, the tired was completed deflated.

Depressed by our misfortune, Matt called AAA and we waited for an hour until we saw the mechanic in his tow truck pull into the plaza. As the mechanic replaced the flat tire with the spare, I waited at a nearby sandwich store and spotted a guy getting pulled over for speeding (and decided to take a picture of it....hey, I was bored lol). A lady also came up to ask us for a gallon of gas so she could get home (seems like that's how she's been getting around lol) but of course we didn't have any jugs of gasoline around so we said no. After a couple of minutes, we continued our way to Food4Less with the spare tire.

On the way, Matt's mom wanted him to take the flat tire, have the hole filled, and mount it back on. So we stopped by SEARS and they estimated a total of $45 (30 for the filling and 15 for the mounting)! Normally it should only cost $10 for the filling but we suspected they are ripping us off because we still looked like a bunch of kids. >_> So (of course) Matt said, "No way, Jose" and decided to get it repaired when he goes back to his mechanic in Riverbank next weekend.

After shopping for food we decided to stop by Best Buy just to look around. We were only thinking about browsing for 20 minutes but ended up spending 2 hours. As I browsed through the laptop and camera section, I noticed that they had prodcuts in stock that weren't even available in the Best Buy on Gale. For example, Sony new T700 Point-and-Shoot camera and Logitech's new Illuminated Keyboard.

At first glace, the new T700 seemed like such an improvement in every way from my T300. But after careful consideration (and thoughts from Stephy), I've concluded that the T200/300 is still better :D. Right off the bat you can see the difference in design. At first it looks slick but the more I look at it, the duller the camera gets. They basically made it extra "squarish," which attached a boring look to its overall design. Aside from that, they took out the "hook" on the side, leaving the framework more vulerable to damage if you tug on the stylus.

The majority of our time in the store was in the XBox and Wii section because we decided to rock out on Rockband and Guitar Hero XD. On the way back we decided to stop by In-N-Out since Matt has NEVER tried out Animal Style Fries before. Aside from that, I also caught a snapshot of Merced's theater tower and our school logo at night.

At the end of the day, I stuffed Josh's fridge with the supplies I bought from Food4Less.

This is Josh's fridge but the only thing that's his are those two water bottles on the door and those 3 other water bottles on the middle left. The rest (Fraps, Hot Pockets, Ice Cream Sandwiches, and Soy Milk) are mine lol. I even had to organize it just right so everything fits.

"YES WE CAN!"

2008-10-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

Panorama view of the the quad

Boy am I glad it's the end of the week. After 4 hours of CORE lecture and visit to the professor's office hour, I can finally lay down on my bed in peace. Though this weekend should be different than the past weekends because my parents are coming for a visit.

Earlier this week there was this huge Obama rally exactly the position where I took the panorama. They pumped up rap song that chanted Obama's name. Then they formed into a large group right across from the McCain booth and yelled repeatedly, "Yes we can!" The rowdiness ascended to the point where the campus police were on standby just in case anything happens.

UPDATE: In the end my parents didn't come but sent over a bunch of junk food instead LoL...

"I miss you..."

2008-10-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of each day, I take my thick black sharpie and cross out the previous day.

As my sharpie slowly makes the thick dark diagonal trails acoss the rectangle , I feel a temporary moment of accomplishment and alleviation. Though I feel frustrated at the same time seeing how slowly the time is passing. With every unexpected obstacle that I encounter (such as the crisis involving Berkeley and the score I received on my essay), I try to cope with the fact that it has happened and I must do whatever I can to overcome these obstacles. Aside from these unforeseen misfortunes, everything has pretty much been a systematic routine I do without even thinking of what to do next. I try to refrain my mind from wandering off thinking about useless thoughts by occupying myself. I try to finish assignments way ahead of its due dates, chat and hang out with floormates, surf the internet, chat online, blast my music, and occasionally replay some old games. However, sometimes these methods fail, and I find myself tilting my chair back and staring out of my window thinking about the past. As I walk from the dining common back to my dorm room with my chicken strips, I realized something.

In the end, all the materialistic things in this world doesn't matter anymore. I would give up all these "things" in the world to to have someone I can turn to at the end of the day, smile at them, hold them in my arms (give them a biggg bear hug XD), and cherish every moment we have together. I miss the feeling of having someone close. I miss the feeling of letting people know that you're there for them and that they are there for you too. I miss being happy. I miss you.

Achieving the Impossible

2008-10-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

A hit on the left front wheel + 170mph + 720 barrel flip in mid-air = what's shown above.

Normally if your car is flipped, the system will automatically get you back on track. However, all four of my wheels are still facing the ground so I guess the system didn't recognize my situation. Eventually a nice guy actually started ramming the sides until I could get my rear wheel on the grass again. Though it took him at least 8 tries to finally get me down, I actually got back on track before the race ended. Just to show there are also nice people in the gaming community. For those who are wondering what game this is, it's called Race Driver GRID.

Okay, enough about GRID. For those who don't know about my crisis with the Shared Experience Program (also known as the Bobcat to Bear Program [B2B]), the advisor at Berekeley denied any evidence of me being in their program's system approximiately a week ago. Ever since, I've been frustrating over this issue and made countless calls to different advisors explaining that I AM in the program. Why else would I travel 5.5 hours to attend UC Merced!?!?!?!

Good news came in on Friday when I got an email from the Berkeley advisor saying that there was a confusion with the B2B program system. She also mentioned that I should be receiving an update on the program soon. I'm just REALLY glad that this crisis is over and I can finally focus on studying for my classes.

My care package is slowly diminishing as I munch away every night. I better go stock up again before the weather gets any colder. This following thought is random, but I always thought those videos of a particular scene fastforwarded throughout the day pretty cool. So I decided to make my own by sticking my Orbit AF outside my window from 5AM to 3PM. As I watched it back 8 times faster, I fascinate myself as the shadows slowly move across the pavement. I also laugh as I watch little people in the distance walk rapidly across my screen. As soon as I find and install Adobe Element, I'll try to upload a piece.

"You Got Mail!"

2008-09-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I had to keep my hand there to

make it look like it wasn't opened.

As I lugged this 15 pound box back into my dorm. My roommate Josh, who was studying on his bed, watched me walked across our room with silence. At first, I wasn't too excited about the package because my dad told me they packed a lot of "nutritious supplements." In my mind, I am thinking of vitamins and oatmeal packs (which would be inconvenient knowing that I don't have a water boiler). But then when I opened the box, the first thing I saw was a Chinese version of Captain Crunch and from there I knew that it was junk food. It was then when my primal instincts took over and I clawed the rest of the box opened (I am not kidding, Josh's face looked like O_O"...*looks away and resume studying*).

After organizing things around to make it look presentable, the above picture is a good idea of what are the contents of my care package. For those who still don't know what a care package is, here's a literal definition from Encarta Dictionaries:

Care Package (noun) - package from home for somebody: a package of food or personal items for somebody far from home such as a member of the armed forces or a student boarding at a school.

So as you can see, my dad even packed a Rubbermaid container and a fork along with my long lost OCZ 16GB ATV USB Flash Drive (which, according to my dad, was hanging on my lamp the whole time)! Horray for Pocky Sticks (thought I think I only have 2 packs left...)! Aside from the ramen and the Chinese snacks (Won Won and Guai Guai), what's not included in the picture are packs of 台南油飯. Though they are not nearly as good as the Taiwanese Deli kinds you get at 士林夜市, they still bring back old memories of how rice is suppose to taste (since the I rarely eat from the "Kung-Pow" station that serves wannabe Chinese food).

This is for now, though I know I still have a lot to write about. Hopefully I will keep blogging a habit so there aren't such huge gaps between my posts.

Double!! and let's hope it stays that way...

2008-08-16T01:03:00.000-07:00

A mail came in recently specifying my dorm information and (HORRAY!!) it's a double! It didn't come as a surprise to me because we were given the option to choose our rooms. What got me worried was a letter sent a few weeks ago saying that some complications with space might result in doubles turning into triples. However as of now I'm glad I got a double. Though the words "subject to change" are still scaring me at the moment.

Just went to Macy's at Brea Mall the other day to buy dorm supplies. Disappointed at their limited variety but at glad at the same time because mom gave me a Macy's card enough to buy furnitures for a whole living room. After Macy's I went to the foodcourt since I haven't eaten anything since I woke up. I wanted to try the Mongolian BBQ there since there was such a huge line (which must mean it's pretty good), but I ended up having nachos instead. After I bought it togo (since everytime it hurts when I eat alone in public), I went walk around Express in search for some new clothes. After 10 minutes of browsing, I suddenly realized I only had 5 bucks in my wallet (I already exceeded my credit card limit for the month T_T). I then walked out with my head down with my nachos and drove back home. It wasn't all bad though, I ended up watching 3 episodes of Human Weapon with my nachos :D

Oh! Some of you already know this but I recently purchased a Chinese Rattan Bo Staff and it's on its way right now. For those of you who have no clue why I even did this I'll be sure to inform you with all the details on my next post along with a few pictures.

The Wooden Cube..an example of how bored I was...

2008-08-15T03:13:00.000-07:00

"May I see your vehicle license please?"

2008-07-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

So on an ordinary Tuesday night while I was driving home from Eric's house, a cop pulled me over. The scary part was, I didn't even see him coming. I was driving down Lemon Avenue, when suddenly a car started tailgating me so I tried to keep some distance from him by speeding up a little. I couldn't see what the car was because his headlights were so blinding that I kept my eyes in front of the road.

While I was turning into Rapidview Drive (the way I usually go to cut through the residential area), the car suddenly turned with me and red, white, and blue lights started flashing behind me. That was when my heart started pounding and my palms started sweating. I pulled my car over and waited in the driver seat while I waited for the officer to walk over. Those 2 minutes of waiting felt like hours as I spent those them thinking that this is the first speeding ticket I am going to get. I also thought about how unlucky I was since my parents were coming home the next day and the fact that I was about 1 minute away from home.

As the officer approached me, he asked me, "May I see your vehicle license please?" So I handed him my license and he took a closer took. I was expecting him to start writing my ticket but all he had on him was the flashlight he pointed at my face. Then he asked me, "How long have you been living on Garzon?" I answered him honestly and said about a year and a half. He then told me that he looked up my data and said that I lived on Garzon and that he was looking for a Mr. Chung. Something about the police had an arrest warrant for him for the last 10 years. I just nodded and listened to him while he returned my license and told me to drive safely.

I still think the scariest part was the police car popping out of nowhere and you not being able to see that he was driving behind you.

Updated: I told my step sister about this and she thinks that the officer that pulled me over was just trying to catch some action, hoping that I do something wrong. She came to that conclusion because she thought the 10 year arrest warrant was so far-fetched.

I am never flying China Souther EVER AGAIN!

2008-06-13T23:52:00.000-07:00

Tom Bradley International Terminal
I told my dad not to move, but I guess he didn't listen to me

As my parents and I walked up to the counter on Sunday, June 8th, we were ready to check-in. I handed the lady my passport and the printed the boarding pass which she held in her right hand. Then she walked back to the counter and ripped up the pass then came back and told us she that she couldn't find my reservation. We purchased the ticket through a travel agency and we only brought our passport because my dad said we can check-in using "e-ticket." The lady pretended to check our information over and over again and said that she still couldn't find my reservation in the database. Then she went told us to step over to the closed counter juxtaposing to the counter we were standing and went away again. When she came back, she printed out some papers that showed our tickets were never purchased and said during our agency's attempt to purchase our ticket, they canceled it midway. Right at that moment, my face turned red and I felt cheated by my travel agency.

The next day I went with my dad to the agency and the lady who purchased our ticket showed electronic proof that their company DID in fact purchased the ticket and the actual ticket was right in front of their hands. The lady then told us that we've been cheated and tricked. She said that this situation has happened to some of their other customers before. Basically, the airline company sells reserved tickets to customers who would pay at a higher price and when the reserved ticket customer comes to complain, the airline company would just blame it on their corrupted database and said there was a technical difficulty that night.

So after all this, I decided not to go to China anymore. Instead, I'm flying straight to Taiwan on the 18th and coming back on July 7th.

Winnie the Pooh (Ghost Edition)

2008-05-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

Teddy the Bear: Hi! I'm Teddy the Bear and I'm out to looking for my friend Polo so we can go visit Winnie the Pooh! Oh! There's Polo walking towards me now!

Polo the Grizzly: Hey Teddy! So we're going to see Winnie today right?
Teddy: Thhhhhhat's right Polo! Let's go!

Teddy: Hey there stranger, who are you?
Happy Birthday Bear: Hi! I'm the Happy Birthday Bear! Where are you guys headed?
Polo: We're going to visit Winnie the Pooh!
Happy Birthday Bear: Oh wow! Can I come too?
Teddy and Polo: Sure!

Teddy: We're here! Hi Winn...
Teddy, Polo, and Happy Birthday Bear: O__________O AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! It's a ghost! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!
Winnie the Pooh: Hey guys! Wait, where are you guys going?

Winnie the Pooh: A ghost? I'm not a ghost..*look at self in the mirror* Aww man...I mistook the Elmer's Glue bucket with my honey bucket again...TT___TT

2008-05-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

光良 - 如果你還愛我

我帶著一顆疲憊的心走了
我知道自己在你心裡已不重要
雖然我們曾經相聚過也許對於你來說
已經沒有什麼值得回憶

我帶著一顆沉重的心走了
我知道自己沒有勇氣道別離
雖然我們曾經擁有過但是對於你來說
已經沒有什麼值得回憶

難道早已註定不能真正擁有你
難道我真心付出一切是為了承受孤單和寂寞
我知道你不敢對我坦白是不要看到我的傷懷
雖然你沒有說要離開我我已經感到你不再屬於我

如果你還愛我你不會對我如此的冷漠
又怎會讓我在漫漫長夜獨自徘徊
如果你還愛我你不會對我如此的冷漠
我只能含著眼淚默默的離開

周杰倫 - 心雨

橡樹的綠葉啊白色的竹籬笆
好想告訴我的她這裡像幅畫

去年的聖誕卡鏡子裡的鬍渣
畫面開始沒有她我還在裝傻噢

說好為我泡花茶學習擺刀叉
學生宿舍空蕩蕩的家守著電話卻等不到她

心裡的雨傾盆而下也沾不濕她的髮
淚暈開明信片上的牽掛那傷心原來沒有時差

心裡的雨傾盆而下卻始終淋不到她
寒風經過院子裡的枝椏也冷卻了我手中的鮮花

蘇打綠 - 小情歌

這是一首簡單的小情歌
唱著人們心腸的曲折
我想我很快樂當有你的溫熱
腳邊的空氣轉了

這是一首簡單的小情歌
唱著我們心頭的白鴿
我想我很適合當一個歌頌者
青春在風中飄著

你知道就算大雨讓這座城市顛倒
我會給你懷抱
受不了看見你背影來到
寫下我度秒如年難挨的離騷

就算整個世界被寂寞綁票
我也不會奔跑
逃不了最後誰也都蒼老
寫下我時間和琴聲交錯的城堡

What happens when your eyes are bigger than your stomach

2008-05-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Piggy: I think it's time honey.
Mr. Piggy: Okay son, I think you've grown old enough to swallow coins now.
Piggy Jr.: Oh boy! I've been dying for this day to come!

Mr. Piggy: Okay son, take it slowly step-by-step like this
(Coin drop with PA-TONG sound)
Piggy Jr.: Dad I'm not a little piggy anymore, I can handle a big coin! Just watch me.
Mr. Piggy: No son, don't do it!

Piggy Jr.: *cough cough* DAD I'M CHOKING!!!
Mrs. Piggy: DO SOMETHING HONEY!
Mr. Piggy: I'M TRYING TO TIP HIM OVER!
Narrator: But it was too late...

Piggy Jr.: X___X
Mr. and Mrs. Piggy: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! TT__TT

Morals: Take things step-by-step, think before you do something, and listen to your parents.

Well my parents recently went on a business trip along with my brother because they decided it's the best for him. After I dropped them off from the airport and arrived home around 1 AM, I realized the door light was turned off. I walked sluggishly towards my door and try to find the key hole in the dark without the help of my LED lights (which reminds me I still need to get it back from the school when they confiscated them during prom). As I closed the door behind me, the emptiness of my house sent a chill down my spine. However, I didn't feel fear but loneliness instead. I don't know why because many would think that without parental supervision, their life would be filled with freedom. I used to think the same until I start feeling a small empty hole inside me that keeps growing and cannot be filled with the freedom to do anything alone. To keep my mind off this matter, I tried to watch movies, drive around the neighborhood, and go out to eat. These methods seem to work for a while, but sooner or later I still think back at how much better I would feel if things were the way they were. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm just thinking too much...

I told the general idea of my parents leaving during Mrs. Dutton's class and she started to feel sympathy towards me and this was the conversation:

Mrs. Dutton: Awww...something should seriously adopt Jon...
John Teng: Not me.
Philip Gao: (whispering) Party at Jono's!
Me: T_T

Which reminds me, two scorching hot days ago in Dutton's class, she asked us why people live and I raised my hand and this was what happened:

Mrs. Dutton: So why do you think we live Jon?
Me: We live because...we anticipate and look forward to do something.
Mrs. Dutton: Okay, so let's just say this afternoon, what do you look forward to?
Me: Eating ice cream.
(Class laughs)
Mrs. Dutton: Okay, so are you going to die after you eat ice cream?
Me: No.
Mrs. Dutton: So what else would you do?
Me: Eat more ice cream.
(Class laughs again)

Then she got picky with her questions this is what happened:

Mrs. Dutton: Okay class, some people think that we live because we have a certain goal in life. What is a goal that you have that makes you want to live? Except ice cream. (stares at me)
Me: T_T

Once in a while I would also lie on my bed to clear my mind and relax...
Below is part of the lyrics of a song that always makes me smile:
我想就這樣牽著妳的手不放開
愛可不可以簡簡單單沒有傷害
妳　靠著我的肩膀
妳　在我胸口睡著
像這樣的生活　我愛妳　妳愛我

2008-05-04T03:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a video of what's 5 minutes away from Merced:

Eric: "...is this on a loop?"
Jono: "look! there's the right turn with the small green arrow pointing to the right with 'UC Merced' on it!"
Eric: "..."

Mr. Ojii-san's walk in the park

2008-04-11T00:45:00.000-07:00

Mr. Ojii-san: Oh ho ho....what a nice day for a walk in the park

Mr. Ojii-san: oro? what's this?
Mr. Ninja dude: hehehehe...here comes another one >:D

Mr. Ninja dude: BOO!
Mr. Ojii-san: ...what the?

Mr. Ninja dude: FEARRRR ME!~!!! FEAR ME AND MY LITTLE TINY STAR!!! WAHHAAH!
Mr. Ojii-san: ...err...okay....?
Mr. Ninja dude: T_T Can I have $20? I've been trying to make money but no one would hire me and my little star and now I'm hungry...please? :)?

Mr. Ojii-san: ... *walks away*
Mr. Ninja dude: T__T HEYYYYYYY!!! Come back here!!! It's okay little star...we'll get the next guy that comes along >:D

Well..Spring Break has been pretty fun so far. Ken's, Sandra's and Connie's birthday parties all went really well and all of us had a TON of fun (I kinda went crazy at all the parties lol but hey...its a party xD). I don't know what happened to me but I think I went a little overboard when we were playing Truth or Dare (actually..just DARE lol) @ Connie's party. Some of the pictures should explain what I mean when Connie uploads them on Facebook. Homework during Spring Break is UGHS though...still doing it at the moment. Stephy, Ken and I had to watch classical movies for Mrs. Dutton. We watched: Death of a Salesman, Hamlet, The Joy Luck Club, and The Great Gatsby. All really great movies, but some were tragic at the end (actually...ALL WERE :P). The sad part is I actually cried a little at the end of Death of a Salesman. One thing that's bothering me is the upcoming AP Tests which I still haven't looked over closely. Other than that Spring Break has been alright.

Mr. Stress Reliever Meets Giant Alien Hershey's Kiss

2008-04-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

Day 1

Mr. Stress Reliever: Are you an alien?
Giant Alien Hershey's Kiss: We come in PEACE!

Mr. Stress Reliever: I like you ^_^
Giant Alien Hershey's Kiss: I like you too! You're so orange and you wobble! :D

Day 2

Mr. Stress Reliever: *burp* hehe

The VOSS Water Invasion! [led by Yang Xiong]

2008-04-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

Yang Xiong: ALL HAIL MEEEEE!!!! MUHAHAHAHA
Jono: >___> Yang Xiong, get down from there...you're gonna hurt yourself...
Yang Xiong: No!
Jono: suit yourself...

Yang Xiong: TT___TT
Jono: told you...

My parents just recently came back from their business trip in Las Vegas and instead of coming back with my "college gift (which is suppose to be a watch)," they got me a lot of water instead. It's so sad because the classy glass design makes me not want to drink out of it...which defeats the purpose. Hope I don't die of thirst one day just because I don't want to open such an elegant "glass" of water.

As for the phone poll, feel free to keep voting. I have decided to choose the Sony Ericsson K550i because I cannot stand my phone any longer!!! Plus, the contract ends April 20th and the K550i is the only decent phone I can get without having to put down any money since my parents are going to pay for it as part of the family plan.

As for my post about my burned graphics card, I have RMAed the product and have received a new one! Woohoo! Now I can post it on eBay and sell it since I have the 9600GTs for college. I have pictured myself with a Antec P182 case in college, but after seeing its gun-black metallic finish (which is a different shade of black), I don't know anymore. I might just stick back to my P180 for the next couple of years. No need for a high-end case when I don't game anymore! Plus, time to get serious in college anyways.

P.S. Yes...if you paid close attention to the picture, I couldn't resist and drank the one on the far left.

Which phone would you get?

2008-03-26T01:32:00.000-07:00

Hm...as my cellphone contract comes to an end, it's time to get a new phone! Plus, my previous phone's screen shattered to the point where I can't even tell the time nor the battery life T___T...

My current Samsung SGH-E900

If you haven't noticed already, I added a poll application on the right side of my blog!
This current question is: Which phone would you get?
(I will be adding new polls from time to time to see what your opinions are :D)

Since some of you might not have heard of some of these phones, this blog is dedicated to show the picture and specifications of each phone! (I also attached some personal comments about the phone.)

1. Sony Ericsson K550i

Phone Specifications:
Dimensions: 102 x 46 x 14 mm
Weight: 85 g
Display Size: 176 x 220 pixels, 1.9 inches
Camera: 2.0 MP
Flash: Yes
Battery: Standby - 350 hours
Talk time - 7 hours
Personal Comments: Ah..the Sony Ericsson K550i, though it came out in February 2007, this phone has Sony's Cyber-shot camera status. It's also a light and small phone for convenience and portability. This phone also has the PictBridge feature which allows you to connect the phone directly into the printer and print! One last cool feature is its Picture Blogging Feature! It allows you to send pictures to your blogs instantly wherever you are.

2. Sony Ericsson K850i

Phone Specifications:
Dimensions: 102 x 48 x 17 mm
Weight: 118 g
Display Size: 240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches
Camera: 5.0 MP
Flash: Yes
Battery: Standby - 400 hours
Talk time - 9 hours
Personal Comments: The Sony Ericsson K850i is one of Sony Ericsson's high end camera phones. Made to take pictures, it has a 5.0 megapixel camera with an accelerometer to enable programs and pictures to be rotated and viewed horizontally.

3. Sony Ericsson K660i

Phone Specifications:
Dimensions: 104 x 47 x 15 mm
Weight: 95 g
Display Size: 240 x 320 pixels, 2.0 inches
Camera: 2.0 MP
Flash: No
Battery: Standby - 320 hours
Talk time - 9 hours
Personal Comments: The K660i is very similar to the K550i in specifications. The only difference is a larger pixel display and an unique design with the option of having the colors of lime on white or wine on black. The disadvantage against the K550i is the lack of flash (which comes in handy not only while taking pictures but also finding things in the dark :D), heavier weight, and bigger dimensions.

4. Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1

Phone Specifications:
Dimensions: 110 x 53 x 17 mm
Weight: 145 g
Display Size: 800 x 480 pixels, 3.0 inches
Camera: 3.2 MP
Flash: Yes
Battery: Standby - Unknown
Talk time - Unknown
Personal Comments: The XPERIA X1 has yet to be released to the public but is one of the most anticipated phone from Sony Ericsson. Its creation is to be a competitor against Apple's iPhone. Though the X1 has a smaller screen, it has higher pixel display and also a QWERTY keyboard. If you look closely, it also has an unique arc slider design to access its keyboard. One great advantage against the iPhone is the ability to record video through its integrated camera.

5. Apple iPhone

Phone Specifications:
Dimensions: 115 x 61 x 11.6 mm
Weight: 135 g
Display Size: 320 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches
Camera: 2.0 MP
Flash: No
Battery: Standby - 250 hours
Talk time - 8 hours
Personal Comments: Well..there's not much to comment about the "Invention (and Phone) of the Year." However, there are two disadvantages I would like to mention though. First, this is a all touchscreen phone. Meaning it will definitely take time for some to get used to its touchscreen keyboard. It also means it will be hard to dial behind the wheel since you have to see the keys instead of feeling them. Second, (like I mentioned in the XPERIA X1 comment) the iPhone does not have the ability to record video. This kind of shocks me because such a phone with such amazing features does not even have the feature of what my old Motorola can do.

The poll will be open for a while, so please vote! Oh...if you can, please also leave a comment with the phone you voted for :D

Start Listening!

2008-03-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

When I came home one afternoon after school, I was adjusting the built-in microphone on my laptop when I discovered the voice recognition feature in Vista. I played around with it and went through the tutorial. I found the program can actually do quite a lot of commands. It can go from typing to moving the mouse. What's also cool is that it also tries to adapt to your voice patterns. The correcting feature is also very useful for situations where the program just does not type the word you want it to.

Here's a Demo:

Wooo..fire...wait...AHHHHHH!!!

2008-03-17T18:16:00.001-07:00

A couple days ago when I was repairing my motherboard, something unexpectedly unfortunate happened. I switched from my cheap @-power 500W power supply to my new Enermax Infiniti 720W power supply to test why the motherboard would not boot up. During the switch, I think I overpowered my XFX GeForce 7900GS graphics card that jet flames started to come from the bottom of the graphics card! Smoke started to spread everywhere but thanks to the adjacent Zalman CPU fan, the fan sucked up all the smoke and extinguished the flame. During this time, I panicked and turned off the power switch on the back of the power supply and manually unplugged the AC outlet to make sure there is no more electricity running through it. I took out the graphics card from the PCIe slot and tried to examine the damages. I then discovered that a transistor was totally deformed from the flames. When I put the card back into the slot and gave it another go, the card continued to restart spontaneously and I no longer get any feed on the monitor. Though I got this card 1.5 years ago, I hope I can still file a RMA.

The XFX GeForce 7900GS DDR3 256MB Graphics Card

The side of the graphics card with the XFX Logo

The damaged and burned/deformed transistor

As Easy as 1, 2, and 3 :D

2008-03-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been trying to cut my spendings outside of the house so I decided to make pancakes!

On Stephy's birthday I made thick blueberry pancakes but now I decided to switch it up a bit by trying a different recipe! And this time it was a success (an EGGy success xD)! At least I think so because Ken and Eric kept grabbing one after another.

1.Prepare 110 grams of flour, 275 ml of milk, and 2 eggs.

2. Stir the eggs with the flour and add the milk while you mix the three ingredients together.

3. Put 1/4 cup each time onto a preheated pan on low fire and flip after you see the sides have fried into a brownish color.

The finished product should look something like this:

You can add some finishing touches such as syrup or some bananas!

Try it if you have the time and material! Hmm...I wonder what I'm gonna make next time....