Happy Chinese New Year (It's Been a While)

First of all, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!

I know it's been a while since I last wrote something here. Many things happened, yet not much has changed either.

As part of my new year resolution, I wanted to do better at expressing myself, be more observing. So....here I am again: typing my thoughts away.

All I Want

Sometimes, I just want to be heard.

All I want is someone to listen to me, and be sympathetic.

How hard is that?

I don't need you to tell me what to do, coz I didn't ask for it.

I don't need you to tell me what I did wrong, coz I already realized it.

I just need a pair of ears...

I just need a shoulder to lean on.

So please, shut up and listen to me.

Where am I in the Income Bracket (really...where do I belong)

Every now and then, I'd fill out a survey. Maybe I just signed up for some membership, maybe it's required by some agency. There's one question that always got me thinking, and since now is Tax season, it got me thinking even more.

So, in the question, where they ask you about the household income, there're usually 4 categories:
A) below $50,000 (or something like that)
B) $50,000 to $75,000
C) $75,000 to $150,000
D) $150,000 or above

When I was a student, I would resentfully check (A), and imagine how nice it'd be if I can check the better options. As I graduate, and start earning REAL money, every time I fill out my choice, I'd think about how far I am from the top of the bracket, and subsequently when I'll move into the bottom of another bracket.

Then the Great Reccession started, and people started losing jobs, and cutting back on spending. I suddenly learned that, my tiny paycheck that comes with mediocre raises (as compared to those Wall Street giants, otherwise I really shouldn't be complaining much, since I still have a job and still receive a raise) is suddenly the top 50% earning group of the entire population.

Seriously?! Do I even look remotely like someone who earns more than half of the population? (BTW, to be qualified, you can be sitting very comfortably in the choice (A) in the questionnaire above) I live in one of the highest taxed state, with one of the highest unemployment rate, with the poorest government (who doesn't know how to manage money, yet tax us so much) that is on the edge of going bankrupt! On top of that, I live in one of the biggest metro area in the country, where $700 can't even get you a decent room, and forget about living alone if you're not willing to sacrifice more than half of your monthly paycheck to pay rent.

Seriously! Is that a life my income would bring? I guess just not in California. My girlfriend who live comfortably in the state of Illinois, told me that she gets a luxury 1 bedroom (or maybe 2 bedrooms) apartment, the best complex in town, with gym and everything: $700 with change. She also happens to be able to save more than me too, since she's not being taxed almost 10% every time she decides to go shopping. (just to name a few)

Now I wonder....why I can't get out of this state?


p.s. if you're interested, here's a link to the article.

New Ski Season

To motivate myself to become better at skiing (and to satisfy my need to spend money), I bought a pair of skis and poles.

Unlike my clueless ski boot purchase, I asked many of my co-workers before clicking on the "submit" button. I bought another Rossignol product too, in addition to my boots. Interestingly, they're both blue, so everyone on the slope has been complimenting my skis.

Maybe it's just psychological, but I found myself performing better this time with my own skis than last time. My beloved Voodoo did got her first scratch thanks to some rude careless skier who ran into me while I was standing on the slope. (I still cannot forgive him, especially the fact that he doesn't seem to care about the fact that he RAN into a stationary object! He also left my nice shiny ski with scratches and plastic threads peeling off)

Oh well....I guess there is always a first time. I need to examine my skis though, I haven't taken a look at them since my trip, as I had a minor accident where I hurt my right hand wrist.

No skiing for now, but I sure will come back.

When Southern California Got Too Much Rain

On not being able to make it to work.

We've been getting a lot of rain lately. Not just drizzles, but pours, as if some one kicked a bucket full of water.

Monday, 6:30am I got up and start getting ready

7:05am, as I was cooking my oatmeal on my gas stove, the kitchen light suddenly went out

7:10am, the light came back briefly and went out again

7:15am, the light came back again, but in a weird way: a 100W light bulb is only illuminating the brightness of a 25W one

I decided to eat breakfast in the dark, as my flash light decided to the battery is too weak to make it working

7:25am, I tried to study my water heater in the dark, using my cell phone as a flash light. I decided to take a chance and take a shower, hoping the warm water stored in the heater before power went out was sufficient.

7:30am, after a quick shower, I quickly got ready and was ready to leave the house. Everywhere was dark.

7:35am, I stood in front of the garage door, clicking on the remote, but there was no response.

7:40am, I went upstairs and knocked on the door of the apartment manager.

7:50am, the apartment manager couldn't open the garage door as well. It just so happened, it was a public holiday too (and my company happen to not observe this one), so he has to call the emergency line of the landlord to get some help.

I texted my manager, and said I couldn't come to work because I couldn't get my car out of the garage.

My manager's reply, 'Sorry to laugh, but LOL. Just get in when you can'

8:10am, the apartment manager returned, and said the emergency person would come in about an hour to unlock the garage door for us

I went back to my dark apartment, and decided to go to bed. There's nothing else to do anyways: I had limited cell phone battery left, there was no internet, no heater, no nothing.

10:xx am, I woke up, and the garage door was open. So I finally left for work.

10:xx am, as I drove out of the garage, I found one side of the street with lights still on, and the other side completely dark. Then I drove a bit further, and found a lot of service vans and trucks lined up. A tree had apparently fell down and knocked down a power line.

I got to work, and realized I forgot to bring my cell phone.

6:05pm, I got home. The power was still out.

To cope with the situation, and avoid smell like a pig the next day going to work. I decided to go to the gym, and use the gym shower instead.