Woohoo... It's December 29th!!! Tonight, I'm going to take an overnight flight to go back home!! Just in time for New Year with family. It will be my first trip home since I moved here. I heard it has snowed on Boxing Day and that it is freezing now... Yay... I miss that weather!
I haven't finished packing. My husband can't find his suitcase. Not sure where his mother put it. Well, just waiting for him to get home and find it, then we'll just dump everything in and we'll be good to go!
Friday, December 29, 2006
I'm back!
It's been quite a while since my last blog... like a month! I've been busy... and also lazy... and also been hooked watching tv shows that I downloaded!! It is so addictive that I even delay my volunteering work to watch them.
I came back from my Chicago trip on December 4th. I went there to meet my parents who went to visit my sister. During my stay (on the Thanksgiving weekend), we drove down to Branson, Missouri. It was my first time going to small town in the mid-west USA. It was quite an experience. People there are so religious that there's even a county called Christian County. Church locations are part of the "things to do" section in their tourist guides. It took us 9 hours to drive from Itasca, IL to Branson, MO. In mid-way, we stopped at a McDonald's in the middle of the State of Missouri for a rest stop and dinner break. When we entered the restaurant, the staff were look at us and the janitor smiled at us looking surprised. "Are you guys from Vietnam???", he said. It was then I remembered that I was in the country side and that these people have probably never seen Asian-looking human beings.
Branson was a small small small town with one strip of entertainments. The entertainments included The Wax Museum, Believe It Or Not Museum, Shanghai Circus... Other than those, nothing really spectacular... I would never go back there for the entertainments, I'd rather drive 9 hours from San Jose to go to Las Vegas. Nonetheless, it was an interesting experience, very different from my usual trips to big cities and I got to see very conservative people.
I came back from my Chicago trip on December 4th. I went there to meet my parents who went to visit my sister. During my stay (on the Thanksgiving weekend), we drove down to Branson, Missouri. It was my first time going to small town in the mid-west USA. It was quite an experience. People there are so religious that there's even a county called Christian County. Church locations are part of the "things to do" section in their tourist guides. It took us 9 hours to drive from Itasca, IL to Branson, MO. In mid-way, we stopped at a McDonald's in the middle of the State of Missouri for a rest stop and dinner break. When we entered the restaurant, the staff were look at us and the janitor smiled at us looking surprised. "Are you guys from Vietnam???", he said. It was then I remembered that I was in the country side and that these people have probably never seen Asian-looking human beings.
Branson was a small small small town with one strip of entertainments. The entertainments included The Wax Museum, Believe It Or Not Museum, Shanghai Circus... Other than those, nothing really spectacular... I would never go back there for the entertainments, I'd rather drive 9 hours from San Jose to go to Las Vegas. Nonetheless, it was an interesting experience, very different from my usual trips to big cities and I got to see very conservative people.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Las Vegas I went!
We got back from Las Vegas on Tuesday night. We were so tired! I was so tired yesterday that I would just fall asleep when I was idling! Las Vegas has changed a lot since the last time we were there 3 years ago. Winn had opened, Trump buildings are being built, Venetian is expanding... Oh... there's also a big mall across from Winn that wasn't there 3 years ago.
On Sunday, we arrived Las Vegas slightly before 11am. I had breakfast at home around 7:30am before heading to the airport, when we landed, I was hungry! We went to Thrifty to pick up our car, the lineup was ridiculously long, I don't think I would want to rent a car again if I go to Las Vegas. We had the choice of picking our mid-size car, we had the choice between an Intrepid or a PT Cruiser. So for fun, we picked a silver PT Cruiser... I know it's ugly, but what the heck... we never rode in a PT Cruiser. By the time we met up with the other traveling pals and hit Paris Las Vegas for lunch, it was already 1pm and I was starving!... It was my first time having buffet at Paris and it was Sunday brunch for $25. It was good, their prime rib was delicious... very tender and tasty. We ate until 3pm and we were so full!!! After that, we had to walk it off and did some hotel hoping and site-seeing. We got back to MGM where the traveling pals stayed past 8pm after being tired of lack of sleep and 5+ hrs of window shopping. Some of us had a nap while the others watched Amazing Race on CBS... Hehehe, yes, I love watching that show and I was glad I could catch it. :) My husband and I then went to check in at Stratosphere, rested a bit, played a bit at blackjack and then, around 11pm we were ready to eat again. We've never been to Las Vegas Chinatown, so took the car to check it out. We were happy to find a Cantonese/Hongkongese style seafood restaurant and ordered some very good chowmein and congee for late dinner.
On the second day, we visited Winn hotel and had lunch there for $18-19. The decor was very nice, everything was new and clean. We agreed that everything tasted a little better... However, we were not so pleased about the food selection. It was more "regular" food like pizza, chowmein, guacamole... The desert selection was great and delicious. There was strawberry shortcake, baba au rhum, chocolate fudge mousse, ... and their creme caramel... so smooth... so delicious... better than Paris'!!!
On the third day, we decided that we couldn't take another all-you-can-eat, so we ate fast food for lunch. My husband and I went up the tower of Strastosphere and enjoyed the ride called "X-Scream". For dinner, we checked out Hooters Hotel and ate fried wings at their restaurant. This is the first Las Vegas trip without eating at Bellagio's.
Travelling to Las Vegas is fun, but I guess more fun if you have money... :)... I played penny slot machines to make my dollar last longer... But that's ok since I don't want to support gambling as an entertainment. Food is probably the most enjoyable part. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't go on shopping spree... hehe... but that's ok :)
Next week... it will be Chicago :)... going there to meet my parents and sister.
On Sunday, we arrived Las Vegas slightly before 11am. I had breakfast at home around 7:30am before heading to the airport, when we landed, I was hungry! We went to Thrifty to pick up our car, the lineup was ridiculously long, I don't think I would want to rent a car again if I go to Las Vegas. We had the choice of picking our mid-size car, we had the choice between an Intrepid or a PT Cruiser. So for fun, we picked a silver PT Cruiser... I know it's ugly, but what the heck... we never rode in a PT Cruiser. By the time we met up with the other traveling pals and hit Paris Las Vegas for lunch, it was already 1pm and I was starving!... It was my first time having buffet at Paris and it was Sunday brunch for $25. It was good, their prime rib was delicious... very tender and tasty. We ate until 3pm and we were so full!!! After that, we had to walk it off and did some hotel hoping and site-seeing. We got back to MGM where the traveling pals stayed past 8pm after being tired of lack of sleep and 5+ hrs of window shopping. Some of us had a nap while the others watched Amazing Race on CBS... Hehehe, yes, I love watching that show and I was glad I could catch it. :) My husband and I then went to check in at Stratosphere, rested a bit, played a bit at blackjack and then, around 11pm we were ready to eat again. We've never been to Las Vegas Chinatown, so took the car to check it out. We were happy to find a Cantonese/Hongkongese style seafood restaurant and ordered some very good chowmein and congee for late dinner.
On the second day, we visited Winn hotel and had lunch there for $18-19. The decor was very nice, everything was new and clean. We agreed that everything tasted a little better... However, we were not so pleased about the food selection. It was more "regular" food like pizza, chowmein, guacamole... The desert selection was great and delicious. There was strawberry shortcake, baba au rhum, chocolate fudge mousse, ... and their creme caramel... so smooth... so delicious... better than Paris'!!!
On the third day, we decided that we couldn't take another all-you-can-eat, so we ate fast food for lunch. My husband and I went up the tower of Strastosphere and enjoyed the ride called "X-Scream". For dinner, we checked out Hooters Hotel and ate fried wings at their restaurant. This is the first Las Vegas trip without eating at Bellagio's.
Travelling to Las Vegas is fun, but I guess more fun if you have money... :)... I played penny slot machines to make my dollar last longer... But that's ok since I don't want to support gambling as an entertainment. Food is probably the most enjoyable part. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't go on shopping spree... hehe... but that's ok :)
Next week... it will be Chicago :)... going there to meet my parents and sister.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Limited Brands Buys LaSenza?
I was proud of how well LaSenza was doing... but looks like they are getting bought by Victoria Secrets' owners Limited Brands. Read more on the purchase...
Friday, November 10, 2006
Alliance Française
Last night, my husband and I went to an "Alliance Française" meeting. I heard about this association from a French gentleman that I met at the career consulting firm I go to. Luckily, the meeting is held every second Thursday of the month at a Mexican restaurant in Santa Clara, which is only few minutes drive for us.
The meeting started at 6:30PM, we got there around 6:45PM. There were only 2-3 other people there. We were nicely greeted by the organizer. Then, we ordered dinner and socialized with the other members. Many people came afterwards, I think by 8PM, we were about 30. The purpose of that meeting is to network and practice French. The group was very diversified with people from different background. We even met couple of Americans who learned French in school and wanted to practice it. One of them never lived in a francophone environment and I was pretty impressed by his good vocabulary and grammar. There were people from France, Algeria, Italy, ... We were the only French Canadian last night, but I heard there are usually a couple others. Overall, we met interesting people working in interesting fields. We even exchanged contacts... My husband would have to bring his business cards next time ;).
It was a lot of fun, we stayed late and the restaurant had to kick us out. We got home around 11PM. I was so tired, but very pleased by the productive evening. First thing that my husband did when we got home was to set a reminder on his Google Calendar for this meeting, I guess he has intention of going back every month :D. I think I have gone to more social activities in the few months then he did in the 6 years he lived in California! He also started attending free workshops with me, especially the ones offered by the Entrepreneur Center in downtown San Jose. On Monday, we attended a workshop called "Get Top Positions on Google/Yahoo - Increase Your Sales!". It was free and we got to learn and meet people. Yup, since I got here, I've found enough activities to keep me busy and entertained.
However, I still miss home...
The meeting started at 6:30PM, we got there around 6:45PM. There were only 2-3 other people there. We were nicely greeted by the organizer. Then, we ordered dinner and socialized with the other members. Many people came afterwards, I think by 8PM, we were about 30. The purpose of that meeting is to network and practice French. The group was very diversified with people from different background. We even met couple of Americans who learned French in school and wanted to practice it. One of them never lived in a francophone environment and I was pretty impressed by his good vocabulary and grammar. There were people from France, Algeria, Italy, ... We were the only French Canadian last night, but I heard there are usually a couple others. Overall, we met interesting people working in interesting fields. We even exchanged contacts... My husband would have to bring his business cards next time ;).
It was a lot of fun, we stayed late and the restaurant had to kick us out. We got home around 11PM. I was so tired, but very pleased by the productive evening. First thing that my husband did when we got home was to set a reminder on his Google Calendar for this meeting, I guess he has intention of going back every month :D. I think I have gone to more social activities in the few months then he did in the 6 years he lived in California! He also started attending free workshops with me, especially the ones offered by the Entrepreneur Center in downtown San Jose. On Monday, we attended a workshop called "Get Top Positions on Google/Yahoo - Increase Your Sales!". It was free and we got to learn and meet people. Yup, since I got here, I've found enough activities to keep me busy and entertained.
However, I still miss home...
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Home... Sweet Home
That is correct: I'm homesick... and I really need to get away, even if it's not to go home, at least I can be a tourist again.
You wouldn't think you'd get homesick or get a culture shock. The reality is that Bay Area, California, USA and Ottawa/Montreal, East Canada are very different.
At this time of the year, I'm used to get prepared for the first snow fall. I actually miss the snow. I don't know how I'm going to survive California's winter. I'm serious. Before moving to California, I've been visited it during winter, oh boy I didn't like it. I was constantly cold, even indoor, even in shopping malls!!! Yes, it is colder in Canada, people make fun of our winter, but there's one thing people don't realize is that we are prepared for winter. Houses are well insulated to keep warmth, hence it is possible to maintained a room temperature. Here house walls are roughly 15cm thick, with no insulator fibers, so it is like a reptile: its temperature follows the outdoor temperature. Ok, I know what you are thinking, you probably want to tell me to turn on the heater. Hey, but the room or house can't keep the heat and it just leaks out... So what? I turn on the heater, there's like a draft of hot air... and that's it!!! If I keep the heater at low, then there's just as much cold air coming in as there's hot air leaking out, hence the room never gets warm. If I turn the heater higher, there's a big draft of hot air, then you'll have to turn it off before over heating the room... It is very hard to maintain a good temperature. So my intention is to give you a different point of view. People who make fun of our winter are maybe not aware that houses don't have to follow outdoor temperature. But because winter is milder here, there's not need to invest money in insulating the house with bricks and fibers. However, the big irony is... houses cost 3 times more in California...
I so need to get away... After my Las Vegas trip this next week, I'm going to meet my parents and sister in Chicago for Thanksgiving. Then for New Year, I'm going back to home sweet home.
You wouldn't think you'd get homesick or get a culture shock. The reality is that Bay Area, California, USA and Ottawa/Montreal, East Canada are very different.
At this time of the year, I'm used to get prepared for the first snow fall. I actually miss the snow. I don't know how I'm going to survive California's winter. I'm serious. Before moving to California, I've been visited it during winter, oh boy I didn't like it. I was constantly cold, even indoor, even in shopping malls!!! Yes, it is colder in Canada, people make fun of our winter, but there's one thing people don't realize is that we are prepared for winter. Houses are well insulated to keep warmth, hence it is possible to maintained a room temperature. Here house walls are roughly 15cm thick, with no insulator fibers, so it is like a reptile: its temperature follows the outdoor temperature. Ok, I know what you are thinking, you probably want to tell me to turn on the heater. Hey, but the room or house can't keep the heat and it just leaks out... So what? I turn on the heater, there's like a draft of hot air... and that's it!!! If I keep the heater at low, then there's just as much cold air coming in as there's hot air leaking out, hence the room never gets warm. If I turn the heater higher, there's a big draft of hot air, then you'll have to turn it off before over heating the room... It is very hard to maintain a good temperature. So my intention is to give you a different point of view. People who make fun of our winter are maybe not aware that houses don't have to follow outdoor temperature. But because winter is milder here, there's not need to invest money in insulating the house with bricks and fibers. However, the big irony is... houses cost 3 times more in California...
I so need to get away... After my Las Vegas trip this next week, I'm going to meet my parents and sister in Chicago for Thanksgiving. Then for New Year, I'm going back to home sweet home.
Las Vegas in Few Days!!!
This Sunday, we are going a 3-day trip to Las Vegas!!! This trip has been planned for few months. We are going to meet up with bestman hurc, his sisters and a couple of friends from Bay Area. It will be our first trip since our honeymoon, I'm looking forward to it... Yeah, I know, I don't sound very enthusiastic about it... well, I've been there before... I don't gamble, I don't shop and I hate the smoke there, so basically, we are going there for the buffets. The thing I look forward most is to get away from here. Oh... I so need it!
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Gas Price Dropping...
Yes, I know we all know that gas price dropped... but probably nobody kept track of how much it has dropped...? I've been here in the Bay Area since June 1st, 2006, that makes it 5 months and a few days... I remember when we just got here, price gas was slightly above $3 a gallon, but since we buy from Costco, I remember we paid at most $2.97 per gallon. Gas price at Costco settled at $2.199 over the weekend and now as I just check, it seems to go back up and it is now $2.23.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Save Park Avenue!
Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay wants to change Parc Avenue to Robert Bourassa Avenue. I don't know why they like to change names, but I know that Avenue du Parc has a value in the history of Montreal's culture. I remember reading books by Michel Tremblay and they mention Avenue du Parc and its bus #80. I grew up near that area and it will mean a lot to me if they can keep this part of my past, so I'm voting to keep Avenue du Parc. Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/parc/petition.html
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Five Months Already...
Today, I received an email from thenest.com congratulating me for being married for 150 days. Oops, has it been 5 months already? hmm, that means, in two weeks, I would have been in Silicon Valley for 5 months! Yes, I haven't forgotten - I better get those thank you cards mailed out!!! Ok, my target is to get it done within the next two weeks... hehehe... Sorry for those who have been waiting :) We needed to get the pics from the photographer and then have them printed out.
Today, in thenest.com's newsletter email, the topic is "Learning to Love (or at Least Tolerate) Your In-Laws". Hmm, interesting... According to them:
2. Never spend more than three days under the same roof with your in-laws.
3. Try (really, really hard!) not to bash each other’s parents.
4. Call your mother-in-law once in a while to say hi, even if it kills you.
5. Never criticize your spouse within earshot of his family.
6. Deal with your own.
To read more about each of them, read the article about The Laws of In-Laws on thenest.com
For those who know me personally, it is very obvious that I fail badly at one of them.
Today, in thenest.com's newsletter email, the topic is "Learning to Love (or at Least Tolerate) Your In-Laws". Hmm, interesting... According to them:
6 sacrosanct rules of behavior
1. Every family has a different way of doing things.2. Never spend more than three days under the same roof with your in-laws.
3. Try (really, really hard!) not to bash each other’s parents.
4. Call your mother-in-law once in a while to say hi, even if it kills you.
5. Never criticize your spouse within earshot of his family.
6. Deal with your own.
To read more about each of them, read the article about The Laws of In-Laws on thenest.com
For those who know me personally, it is very obvious that I fail badly at one of them.
The Jimmy Chiu Show
Have you ever watched the "How to Make Pho" cartoon movie? It's hilarious!!! Even funnier if you understand some Vietnamese!!!
I found it so amusing that I went for more and looked for more cartoons from the same group and found The Jimmy Chiu Show website!
Don't skip the intro and listen to Jimmy Chiu rapping... so funny... but BEWARE: mature content... :)
I found it so amusing that I went for more and looked for more cartoons from the same group and found The Jimmy Chiu Show website!
Don't skip the intro and listen to Jimmy Chiu rapping... so funny... but BEWARE: mature content... :)
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Using Code to Catch Sex Predators?
The following information was taken from SlashDot:
An anonymous reader writes, "Wired News editor and former hacker Kevin Poulsen wrote a 1,000-line Perl script that checked MySpace for registered sex offenders. Sifting through the results, he manually confirmed over 700 offenders, including a serial child molester in New York actively trying to hook up with underage boys on the site, and who has now been arrested as a result. MySpace told Congress last June that it didn't have this capability."
Wired News says they will publish Poulsen's code under an open-source license later this week.
An anonymous reader writes, "Wired News editor and former hacker Kevin Poulsen wrote a 1,000-line Perl script that checked MySpace for registered sex offenders. Sifting through the results, he manually confirmed over 700 offenders, including a serial child molester in New York actively trying to hook up with underage boys on the site, and who has now been arrested as a result. MySpace told Congress last June that it didn't have this capability."
Wired News says they will publish Poulsen's code under an open-source license later this week.
Monday, October 09, 2006
France Bans Smoking in Many Public Places
It was almost unbelieveable to me when I read the article. I visited Paris, France last year on a weekend trip.
My then fiance and I took the EuroStar train from London, UK and stayed in Paris for two nights. We arrived at night after a day at work in London. I was astonished to find out how we were surrounded by smokers. The next day, we got up early and spent the day site-seeing. We had lunch at a small bistro and we could smell cigarette everywhere in the restaurant despite the big windows opened to outside: there were just as many smokers inside as outside the restaurant. We looked around us to look at the other customers, everyone seems to smoke... and drink! From lady-like to teenage girls, from professional to trashy women... they all smoke!!! I guess that's just part of their culture!
They say Paris is a romantic city, no offence, but I couldn't concentrate on that part. My mind was preoccupied and disgusted by the smoke and hence the pollution level. By early evening, after dinner around 7:30PM, we had to head back to hotel. My fiance just couldn't stand the smoke anymore: his eyes were burning and red!
All that to say that I think this is a good move for France, I just don't know how the population will react and just sceptical that they are ready. Hopefully, my next trip to France will be more enjoyable.
My then fiance and I took the EuroStar train from London, UK and stayed in Paris for two nights. We arrived at night after a day at work in London. I was astonished to find out how we were surrounded by smokers. The next day, we got up early and spent the day site-seeing. We had lunch at a small bistro and we could smell cigarette everywhere in the restaurant despite the big windows opened to outside: there were just as many smokers inside as outside the restaurant. We looked around us to look at the other customers, everyone seems to smoke... and drink! From lady-like to teenage girls, from professional to trashy women... they all smoke!!! I guess that's just part of their culture!
They say Paris is a romantic city, no offence, but I couldn't concentrate on that part. My mind was preoccupied and disgusted by the smoke and hence the pollution level. By early evening, after dinner around 7:30PM, we had to head back to hotel. My fiance just couldn't stand the smoke anymore: his eyes were burning and red!
All that to say that I think this is a good move for France, I just don't know how the population will react and just sceptical that they are ready. Hopefully, my next trip to France will be more enjoyable.
Monday, October 02, 2006
It rained..... Finally!
Yesterday, October 1st, exactly 4 months after I moved here, it finally rained for the first time! I was so happy. I wore my rain jacket with hood and went under the rain for a few pictures. It had not rained for at least 4 months. The rain made the oil stains on the roads bubble. What a cleansing feeling. It was cold and dark, a perfect day to enjoy a hot chocolate.
Monday, September 25, 2006
From Tomorrow on...
There's something new about me. Starting tomorrow, there will be something to keep me busy. Please ask me if you haven't heard about it :) and care about knowing.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Vacation - Flight, Hotel, Car search?
Many friends have asked me for advice when it comes to flight search. I could say I'm experienced. I had a 5-yr long distance relationship (San Jose - Ottawa) and I had to learned how to find cheap flights to fly across the continent. How to find cheap flights? Here are my tips:
For Trips to Asia:
Internet pricing aren't the best. Just go to Chinatown and check out travel agencies one by one. As they need to stay competitive, they will usually give you a good price. You probably wouldn't need to shop more than two places. Unless you have a regular travel agent you go to who gives you good deal, you should at least get a second opinion from a different travel agency.
For Trips within Canada/USA:
First check a few well known online travel agency. These are my favorite ones:
Then, take note of the airline of the cheapest flight and go to the airline's website to see if they have the same or even cheaper deal. For Ottawa/Montreal to San Francisco/San Jose or vice versa, Northwest Airlines is often the cheapest airline. My second choices are United Airlines and Air Canada. They rank second on my preference list because they are member of Star Alliances, hence easy to collect either Mileage Plus or Aeroplan points.
If you need to add hotel to your trip, the above two sites seems to have good flight + hotel packages. Of course, nothing stops you here, you can also check other websites like www.expedia.com or www.tripreservations.com. If you book hotel alone, Orbitz seems to have better deals, from my experience. Do remember to read customer reviews on the hotels. We find them very useful. Just like for flights hunting, take note of the hotel you want to stay at and call them for a quote. You can even ask to match the online price you found.
Tired of searching websites one by one? Websites like Kayak, Mobissimo, and SideStep are travel seach engines... Yes, these search engines will browse travel sites to find the best deal available...
Want to learn more about how to save on trips or how to get even better deals? Visit flyer talk where frequent flyer shares their experiences or deals.
Finally, Rewards Canada and Frequent Flyer Bonuses are websites that provides informations on travel reward programs.
Hope all these tips help... Enjoy and travel safe!
For Trips to Asia:
Internet pricing aren't the best. Just go to Chinatown and check out travel agencies one by one. As they need to stay competitive, they will usually give you a good price. You probably wouldn't need to shop more than two places. Unless you have a regular travel agent you go to who gives you good deal, you should at least get a second opinion from a different travel agency.
For Trips within Canada/USA:
First check a few well known online travel agency. These are my favorite ones:
Then, take note of the airline of the cheapest flight and go to the airline's website to see if they have the same or even cheaper deal. For Ottawa/Montreal to San Francisco/San Jose or vice versa, Northwest Airlines is often the cheapest airline. My second choices are United Airlines and Air Canada. They rank second on my preference list because they are member of Star Alliances, hence easy to collect either Mileage Plus or Aeroplan points.
If you need to add hotel to your trip, the above two sites seems to have good flight + hotel packages. Of course, nothing stops you here, you can also check other websites like www.expedia.com or www.tripreservations.com. If you book hotel alone, Orbitz seems to have better deals, from my experience. Do remember to read customer reviews on the hotels. We find them very useful. Just like for flights hunting, take note of the hotel you want to stay at and call them for a quote. You can even ask to match the online price you found.
Tired of searching websites one by one? Websites like Kayak, Mobissimo, and SideStep are travel seach engines... Yes, these search engines will browse travel sites to find the best deal available...
Want to learn more about how to save on trips or how to get even better deals? Visit flyer talk where frequent flyer shares their experiences or deals.
Finally, Rewards Canada and Frequent Flyer Bonuses are websites that provides informations on travel reward programs.
Hope all these tips help... Enjoy and travel safe!
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
How to Choose a Pineapple
For our honeymoon, we went to Honolulu, Hawaii and went to Dole Plantation. There, we had a chance to get lost at the world's largest maze and also tasted fresh sweet pineapples! We even learned how to pick a good sweet pineapple.
When choosing a pineapple, there are basically 3 things to look for:
Did you know? Pineapple don't get any sweeter after they are picked. That's why farmers have to harvest them when they are ripe. Like melons, pineapples don't store the starch in the fruit. Rather, pineapple plants store their starch in the stem. Hence, no starch in the fruit to be converted to sugar. Conclusion? Buy fresh pineapples and eat them fresh, no need to let them sit on the counter. :D
When choosing a pineapple, there are basically 3 things to look for:
- Firmness - You want a fresh pineapple, hence you want it to be firm.
- Smell - A fresh pineapple shouldn't smell. Hold it about a feet away from your nose and you shouldn't be able to smell it.
- Eyes - The eyes of the pineapple should be big and even from bottom up. If the eyes at the top of the pineapple is more or less the same size than the eyes from the bottom, it means it is fully grown.
Did you know? Pineapple don't get any sweeter after they are picked. That's why farmers have to harvest them when they are ripe. Like melons, pineapples don't store the starch in the fruit. Rather, pineapple plants store their starch in the stem. Hence, no starch in the fruit to be converted to sugar. Conclusion? Buy fresh pineapples and eat them fresh, no need to let them sit on the counter. :D
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Dawson College Alumnus
"It's a bad day when your school gets into the front page of CNN", said a friend to me this afternoon. For those who still don't know, there was a shooting rampage earlier this afternoon at Dawson College in Montreal, Quebec. Yup, I went to Dawson College indeed. It's beautiful college, it was very clean and new when I attended school there.
This is not the first shooting at a Montreal college. We still remember Marc Lepine who killed 14 women at Ecole Polytechnique some 17 years ago on December 6th, 1989.
About two weeks ago, there was a hit and run rampage in San Francisco. It seems like there's no where to be safe... What can I say? My two advices:
This is not the first shooting at a Montreal college. We still remember Marc Lepine who killed 14 women at Ecole Polytechnique some 17 years ago on December 6th, 1989.
About two weeks ago, there was a hit and run rampage in San Francisco. It seems like there's no where to be safe... What can I say? My two advices:
- Make sure you have an insurance policy to protect your loved ones in case of your death.
- Live your life fully, so that you don't die with regrets. (Psst... for example, make sure you tell your mom that you love her, tomorrow might be too late...)
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Where can Entrepreneur get help?
It's been already one week since my last post. I kinda feel bad for not updating for so long... but, hey... that means I've been busy and I found better things to do than staying at home (and watch crime shows on tv)!
On Wednesday, I went to the Entrepreneur Center (note that here, it's "Center" and not "Centre") in San Jose downtown. There, I was surprised to discover that there are many organizations helping entrepreneurs. There I found SCORE, SBA, and couple other organizations in the same building. SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) is a non-profit organization where retired business owners, executives and corporate leaders volunteer their time to teach, coach, and counsel entrepreneurs. SBA (Small Business Administration) is a US federal government agency that provides support to small businesses. It was established after World War Two in the purpose of boosting the economy. I had the chance to speak and get valuable advices from both SCORE and SBA staffs. The knowledge that there's support and help available out there makes me feel good and even more attracted to the idea of small business ownership.
Then, I went to San Jose State University. It felt good to walk around campus with a backpack : I felt like a student again. I saw students chilling out reading books on a bench on a sunny afternoon. Other students were gathered doing street dance. Young female commerce students were baring skin trying to impress male schoolmates. I remember those days... days where my only worries were to do well in school, then I would be able to find a good job. I checked out two of their programs for their pre-req, program durations and tuition fees. Unfortunately, at this time in life, I don't think, I want to spend $10k-$40k on a degree.
On Thursday, I spent the whole day at the career counsultant, where I attended a workshop on interview. I had the chance to network with other clients.
Then weekend came, I was happy to spend quality time with my husband for the long weekend. We went around for furniture shopping. It's been 3 months that I have moved here and we still haven't been able to find a bedroom set to our liking. :(
Yesterday, we drove down to Monterey Bay and visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We spent over 5 hours there... There was a lot to learn! I saw big tunas, sea otters, sharks, jelly fish... I had the chance to touch and feel a skate fish, a sea cucumber, star fish, shark eggshells... One of the most hidious fish is the sunfish.
That's it for now, today, I'm back to my routine...
On Wednesday, I went to the Entrepreneur Center (note that here, it's "Center" and not "Centre") in San Jose downtown. There, I was surprised to discover that there are many organizations helping entrepreneurs. There I found SCORE, SBA, and couple other organizations in the same building. SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) is a non-profit organization where retired business owners, executives and corporate leaders volunteer their time to teach, coach, and counsel entrepreneurs. SBA (Small Business Administration) is a US federal government agency that provides support to small businesses. It was established after World War Two in the purpose of boosting the economy. I had the chance to speak and get valuable advices from both SCORE and SBA staffs. The knowledge that there's support and help available out there makes me feel good and even more attracted to the idea of small business ownership.
Then, I went to San Jose State University. It felt good to walk around campus with a backpack : I felt like a student again. I saw students chilling out reading books on a bench on a sunny afternoon. Other students were gathered doing street dance. Young female commerce students were baring skin trying to impress male schoolmates. I remember those days... days where my only worries were to do well in school, then I would be able to find a good job. I checked out two of their programs for their pre-req, program durations and tuition fees. Unfortunately, at this time in life, I don't think, I want to spend $10k-$40k on a degree.
On Thursday, I spent the whole day at the career counsultant, where I attended a workshop on interview. I had the chance to network with other clients.
Then weekend came, I was happy to spend quality time with my husband for the long weekend. We went around for furniture shopping. It's been 3 months that I have moved here and we still haven't been able to find a bedroom set to our liking. :(
Yesterday, we drove down to Monterey Bay and visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We spent over 5 hours there... There was a lot to learn! I saw big tunas, sea otters, sharks, jelly fish... I had the chance to touch and feel a skate fish, a sea cucumber, star fish, shark eggshells... One of the most hidious fish is the sunfish.
That's it for now, today, I'm back to my routine...
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