Good ideas, Part I

I meant to write about this 9 months ago. :p

I attended a friend's (of my sister) wedding brunch in the States. Like any other wedding receptions, they give out souvenirs or gifts as memoirs of the couple's union. Sometimes a small wedding photo, sometimes a mini box of chocolates/candy. In Singapore, the Chinese usually give out gift cards/vouchers for wedding cakes/biscuits. Check out this one instead. It's unique!

A Chinese fan.

I know I know, these fans are all over Asia. But in the United States, particularly when you have lots of American friends, this is the h-a-w-t gift. (And very practical in summer from a summer wedding reception!)

Beautiful little pink flowers (Are these 梅花 - plum - or 桃花 - peach - blossoms? :p) growing out from the left as you open up the fan, and the word "爱" (aka. Love) mimicking the style of Chinese seals, gave this Chinese "painting" a finishing touch.

But that's not it! Look closer and you can find the couple's names imprinted (on a sticker) on the surface of the outer bone.

Praises to the couple - Very creative thoughts on your wedding gift! It really made your wedding a special one for the guests, and it showed how much sincerity and appreciation you hold for the friends and family who were there to witness your happiest moment.

And thank you for the coolest idea, I have just decided what my wedding gift would be. :D

A pair of chopsticks. The last character of our Chinese names carved, one on each. Together, tied by a piece of red string.

Think of it as the best and only opportunity to market yourselves as a couple (much like a signature or a name card) to your friends and family. (I mean, how often are you able to gather everyone you know in one place? Just this once.) Make it memorable. Make it valuable. Make it long-lasting.

So what will your wedding gift be? How will you like your friends and family to remember you and your loved one?
Drop me a comment or tweet @chibiryan to share your thoughts!


P.S. This post is simply to help you generate some ideas if you are looking to have a more unique and creative wedding. If you genuinely thought of the same idea, that's great! But please do not copy every single detail from what is posted here. (Or at least give credits to the people who thought of the idea first. If you think you're the first, feel free to voice it out here.) Every wedding is meant to be unique. So be yourself. :)

Innovolt on NBC 11Alive!

Woo my ex-colleague's on TV!? click.

Awesome job at the GreenBusiness Works Expo, wishing I could be there to witness. :p

P.S: I recently thought of Innovolt.. a rather constructive one for my usual idling personality. Something I've been wanting to do during the early Innovolt days, but failed to do so. Maybe this time I finally have the heart to complete it. :)

Just 5 days more..

Phew. Finally.. I feel more confident of this day now. Shipped out all my stuff, got all the paperwork done. Now it's just to pack my clothes and chibi's little cage, grab my computer parts, and we're both ready to go. Just need to make sure I don't miss my transit in Korea.

wx wants to pick me up at the airport! 第一次见面，好期待哦。这次回来就属他最兴奋了。
He's a real swt♥ tbh. muack :)

SweetWater Beer Tasting

Rating: ★★★★

Visited a small beer brewery this evening.. they have a beer tasting/tours session every Wed, Thu, and Fri starting at 5:30pm. Pay $8 and get a "SweetWater" glass + 6 "beer" tickets! Didn't tour the brewery BUT drank 3 almost-glassful of beer, 3 different brews. 1st glass: Blue. Light ale with a hint of blueberries, 4.9% alcohol. 2nd glass: 420. West coast style pale ale, 5.9%. 3rd glass: Roadtrip. A summer only brew, 5.4%. I only drank 3 glasses and couldn't drink anymore. My head was feeling absolutely bloated after the second. Needed to pay attention to my footsteps so I walk like normal. Came home with my sweetwater glass and 3 beer tickets. Sigh, I know I'm not a good drinker. :(

Front view. See the crowd?

Back view. The brewery basically has a lot of those big containers you see here.

Pay $8 to get a stamp on your hand, collect your beer glass and tickets!
Oh, and your ID pls.

Grab your beers!! :D

xiao guo (2nd) and baba (4th).. mm the difference between the driver and the passenger.

End. :)

Zhiyu's 1st month

Zhiyu is getting cuter day by day! \\\(^ <> ^)///
Here are photos from her 1st month celebration:

Fruit cake from a Greek bakery. Toxic, but my favorite!

Qiqi has been very excited about cakes and candles!
She's singing a birthday song for her Zhiyu 表妹.

This is Qiqi waiting to blow candles and cut the cake..

Kobe wants to give Zhiyu his blessings too.. muack!

How adorable! Even in her sleep, she holds on to her ang bao from gong gong..

Happy parents!!

We wrote a duckling card for Zhiyu. The cute doodles.. done by me of cos. :)

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Napping with her mommy's mogu man..

Mini golf tournaments and updates

33 days left till I get to see my swt♥! :D happie

Over the past couple of weeks, we had two mini golf tournaments. One at Pirate's Cove, and another at Hidden Harbor Golf. I lost both but had some great shots. Hehe. Damn hot weather. Lots of fun.

27-hole at the Pirate's Cove. Pretty well designed terrain and obstacles.

Hidden Harbor Golf is an extension of the American Adventures Park. 18-hole, with the last being a giveaway hole-in-one. But my sister managed to make it in 2. Haha. We also took rides at the amusement park area. For kids. Qiqi was happy!! But sadly, most rides are too small for adults. :(

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I mailed out $500+ worth of books and stationery the other day. Haiz. Just packed another boxful of soft toys. Probably be at least another $100 to ship that out. I have a feeling that the money I've earned in the past year is draining out. Eelk.

Work stuff is kinda disappointing, but expected. Don't even want to talk about it. Lazy I am, but I should really try to push for a recommendation letter eh? Or not.

After all these crap, I just want to get on the phone with wx. At least, love and peace could calm my mind.

world's suckiest: badminton player.

I don't think anyone could play this sport as bad as I do.

The first time I really played badminton, straight for like a month or so, I completely lost the ability to play table tennis. (Back to zero. It's as if I've never learned that sports before. I "gave up" being a better player.)

Never quite dare to touch badminton again, until someday I started going to a nearby community center to play with my mama and sisters. And.. I hurt my neck. Could turn or tilt my head for like two weeks.

The third time I played badminton was when I came to Atlanta for winter break. That time, I hurt my right toe nail because I didn't cut my nails. It remained black for months to a year.

This is the fourth time I hurt myself in badminton. Took care of my neck and toes this time, but whack too hard and hurt my right shoulder. T_T

Sobs~

world's best: fish tacos. where do you find them?

Rating: ★★★★★

I've never been a fan of mexican cuisine. Growing up in Singapore, my knowledge of mexican food was: beans, burrito, Taco Bell. Maybe more if I was from a richer family. In any case, I hate beans. So bleh.

However, I admit there are good mexican food in this world after all. Taqueria del Sol. Fish tacos. No beans. Yum yum. If you ever come visit Atlanta, you must try this! Even my mama, who never enjoys any food other than her own cooked food, enjoys it. And my baba, who hates to wait, is happily willing to stand in the long line and wait. And they never take too long to serve. Great service, great food.

Heard that it's world's 3rd best.
Soft taco shell. Fresh fried fish. Mayonnaise. Jalapeño peppers.
You'll never get sick eating it. :)

Zoo Atlanta journal

Just back from the zoo!

Zoos are pretty much the same everywhere: animals staged typically includes, lions, tigers, leopards, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, rhinoceros.. add in some pretty birds and rarer animals like pandas, red pandas, or komodo dragons.. what else? Otters, penguins, crocodiles, snakes, how about some farm animals? Pigs, lambs, goats..

I think what makes a zoo fun is no longer just about the type of animals exhibited, the number and rarity, but the type of activities it encompasses, the themes, the organization, and the circulatory system. Think of how to get the people involved..

Zoo Atlanta, as well as the one in Pittsburgh, features a petting zoo area for kids. What's so exciting about viewing animals from a few hundred feet behind the fence?? Even for the most common types of animal, goats and pigs, it can become an interesting experience for people from the city. In the Pittsburgh Zoo, there are young kangaroos to pat, and an area where people could interact with deers freely.

Soooo, took some photos and few videos. Put them together in an online scrapbook! Enjoy!

P.S. No photos from Pittsburgh Zoo :( sobs.

Meh.

updated: zoo trip postponed due to bad weather.

My family has been here for almost a month, my baba just arrived couple of days ago, and I have been so slacked ever since. All the work that I wanted to do part-time are on hold. Sobs. That means no money. Shipping stuff back to Singapore will cost a bomb. =( Just sold another book on Amazon, earned $65. But I still have like 8 other books waiting to get rid of. Sigh. Went to factory outlet today and I bought nothing!! woot. Only spent $9 on a little dress for Julian. (OMIGOD I just carried her for the first time just now! So small and chubby, and doesn't make a fuss when people carry her, unlike Qiqi.) Going to the zoo tomorrow. Hope it's not as unworthy as the Children's Museum we went on Tuesday. Much smaller than Pittsburgh's and not very well maintained. $11 for adults AND children. So that's how they treat children at a museum especially for them. To charge them like an adult. Why do they even bother having both adults tickets and children tickets? They're the same!

A new life.

I just witnessed the birth of my 2nd niece today. Julian/芷瑜 is the name. My gawd. I mean, how many times in your lifetime would you actually witness someone giving birth, watching the baby come out of the... (forgive me, but my bio knowledge sux way beyond your imagination) Anyways, it was quite a smooth delivery (and yes, it was all bloody and I watched through EVERYthing). I thought this would be a good chance for me to understand the procedure visually, trying to comprehend the amount of pain during the giving birth. My sister finally resorted to epidural anesthesia, it means sticking a needle into your spinal cord to numb your body so you don't feel pain from contractions. I guess the pain is really menstrual cramps amplified n times. :s Most part of the process is just gross. Looks painful, and I wonder if without the epidural, whether the pain from contractions or the pain from tearing the vagina is more significant. Ewww.

Pictures to come.

In my other life..

• Been quite into Wii sports after my family arrived. They're quite into it. And oops, I forgot to do my Wii fitness today. Although I can never quite believe how a 23 yr old and a 61 yr old can have their ages switched in a virtuality. =\


• They watched 2 HK dramas and I missed out on both. =( Caught only a few episodes over the weekends. But this House drama is awesome. Watching Season One. Only just started watching so I've missed quite a number of episodes now, but it's a different medical case each time so no missing out on plots.


• I got my international license today. $15 + 10 for 2 passport-sized photos. Eh hem.. don't know if you are aware of how it works, but this is supposed to get me my license in Singapore. We'll see.


• Nothing much happening on WoW these days. We transferred servers (back on a PvP server.. exciting). But it's like everyone's disappeared after the transfer. I don't log in as often too. Plan now is to focus on leveling and PvPing (I'm learning). Season 4 just came out.


• It's MidSummer festival now.. xiang xiang surprised me with a Captured Flame yesterday. Muuuuacck. So sweet. ^////^ Love you much!!! =D

Uploading 2-3/5

• Whee~ finally finished the Gen. 3 project specifications tho a day late.. more like a draft I would say, but meh, that's the best I can do for now. =p Will see what's next on Thurs. =(


• Info site status: still on hold. I put the text into a word doc today so the prof could edit over it. Stupid me didn't think of that before. Mmm.. 不够完善。


• Website edits: 1) Video link still needs to be updated on 26 other pages. Plus I need to add a fullscreen option. 2) Job openings changed. More interns. No more NPI. Add technician. 3) Create a form that allows customers to submit information for product registration.


• Many other things that I will not have the time to do. I should at least finish my operations manual so I could hand down the trivial tasks to Alyssa.


• I just want to do as much as I can. For my own sake.

Uploading 1/5...

Yawnz.

My whole body is aching bad and I am feeling awfully drowsy from today's team lunch. (Not that I'm usually awake at work :p) Buffet again at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center. Something more today though... A CAKE (& a card)! My gawd.. A farewell celebration for me as this is my last official week at work. So sweet. :) For some reason, I've always been teased around by my bosses and colleagues. I guess it's because I don't talk much?? :x But all that's fun, so it's okay.

I have a 2-page project specifications to finish by tomorrow. Darn, I forgot about it ever since I got home on Friday. Haha! It's for revamping the Innovolt website to Generation 3. 2nd meeting on Thursday with people from ObjectNet. It's a pity I couldn't stay to see this project gets completed. It'll be a great experience to further boost my resume. ;) Grr, they could have started this earlier though. :( But at least during the time I'm here in Atlanta, I will be "assisting" with the project as needed. Don't know what that means exactly. :\

The info site that I wanted to do is ~80-85% completed. Putting them into html then getting them approved by the technical people (that's basically just Dr. Divan). Looking great so far, personally. The proofing part is usually the worst part. >< Some people just prefer something else that is not your style.

We'll see how things go.

"I'd love to spend hours troubleshooting @#$% computer."

Wah sianz.

Since I arrived in the office this morning around 10+, I have been scratching my head and chin *pulling my hairs* trying to fix a silly Vista problem for this guy from our partnering company (they do concept design/development and initial manufacturing), who just arrived from India recently.

The problem was..
Somehow this morning around 8, after a forced shutdown, his default Windows account profile could not load up correctly, so a temporary profile was created, and he could no longer access information previously saved on the original profile, including old emails in Outlook. Now, the problem is actually pretty straight forward. The old account no longer function properly; we want to restore old emails, and documents saved to that user account. A straight forward solution would be to create a new profile and copy the documents/application data from the old account to the new one. Open Outlook and boom! Everything should have been perfect.

Unfortunately, we were so distracted by the Windows scan disk (or check disk), it kept prompting whenever we restarted the system. Looks like it would help with the problem. I mean, you would have assumed that following instructions, step by step, should get things fixed. But not really. The check disk kept hanging at 3%, restarted, and it hung again.

From this point on, my decisions just spell out how plain stubborn my brain is structured. In chinese, I would call myself "死脑筋". It's a common type of structure among people, but not one of a creative or wise person. Instead of going back to the original problem and finding alternatives to solve it, I tried to drill through a chain of secondary, tertiary problems stemming from the initial failed check disk operation.

Sigh. Stupid leh. Waste of my time.

Last month at work

...and counting down to my sis's EDD (Expected Date of Delivery). =)

Woot finally.

I'm recreating my online portfolio and adding in projects from work. Too lazy to revamp my website right now, so using webjam as the temporary solution. Erm.. looking back now, seems like I haven't achieved much over the past 8-9 mths!! =D haha ha ha T_T *shhh keep this to yourself wink*

First, the Squirrelville video. Just a couple of weeks back, I heard that some executives at Only Green 4 Me saw my video series and wanted to hire me on some projects. Unfortunately, I could not offer you any more details about this company, their "website" does not help either. But apparently they are our first distributor for Innovolt products. Whee.

Then comes the "major" website upgrades. Mainly involved changing the organization of the content, adding in new content, and giving it a newer look (home page: product views, animated banner, "buy now" link; connecting website to webstore). This is the so-called Generation 2 website: commercialized.

Other personal developments include:
1) building professional relationships with different vendors. The webstore is the first, where Michael and I worked on getting it set up with CoreXpand. Then comes the problem with the actual selling online. Securing credit card transactions, authorizing transactions online, and processing the authorized transactions.. Selecting the compatible Gateway, hiring the right merchant bank.. Was fun getting involved in the decision making/problem solving process, even when I was only just assisting. The second one was sort of a project I initiated. Well.. they approached me first but I went on with the discussion and finally received a proposal from the company. Search engine optimization is what the company PointMetrix does. While no decision has been made yet, I think I'll send in a note before I leave to remind them of the proposition. Looking to totally revamp the website, so further actions will only likely take place after the Generation 3 upgrade.
2) getting things done... and follow up!! 2 major events. Assisted in getting peripherals designed, printed, and ready for the show. First, the ITEX show in Vegas - feb (sadly, I did not go on the trip). Then, our official launch event, with a press conference and reception - apr. Very basic principle that you already follow in elementary school: meeting deadlines. Now the key is to follow up. It's something that my dad has stressed repeatedly in the past before.. then my eldest sis as well.. and now my boss too. So reeeeaaally important. Following up with the people from ITEX (that was Michael's job) then the people who we invited for our event - I did a newsletter for that which my bosses thought was fantastic and very much impressed.

Being the youngest in the office, I think my colleagues and bosses dote on me much. My bday celebration.. "slacked" hours :x ..and always praising me for good work oO I've seen ppl come and go.. Blanche and Madhav, always bringing to the office joy and laughter. I've seen new ppl joining the team.. Michael and Tania, then Alyssa, Lanecia and Jason. Kudos to Michael for the help and snacks and photos (!!); Tania for getting me paid on time =D Seen people grow, and more kudos to Michael for his work attitude and capabilities. Sometimes I get inspired.. *sometimes* And now, it's my turn to say good bye..

My last tasks on this job:
1) Finish up the addition I wantED to make to the website. So I can put it on my portfolio too. IMPT!!
2) Finish up the product brochure that I started *ahem* week*s* ago.
3) Listing ideas and next steps that I feel is required for a Gen 3 website. Generally modularity and flexibility is of highest importance. Then comes the theme and content upgrades.. I've had those ideas but didn't have time to make it happen.
4) Train Alyssa to perform some of the routine tasks I'm on.. web admin, email stuff, IT stuff..

My family is coming June 15!! =D So time is running low.. and there's packing and many other things to settle.. cat stuff, visa stuff, air tix, money... T_T

Last day of work: June 30.

damn ants.

I can't remember when I fell asleep..but I awoke at 3:43am, feeling flustered. (I don't recall dreaming of anything. Though I most probably did.) This wasn't the first time I felt it this way, so I intuitively did what I always do. I walked to my computer and left an MSN message. Nauseous. I went back to sleep.

At 7am, I heard my alarm and snoozed it. Around 7:24am, I stood up. Had the same horrible feeling again, left another MSN message and went back to sleep. At 8am, I felt worse. Woke up from a nightmare. Kobe and I were running in a rural environment, lots of hills, water, trees, rocks. We were trying to get home. Everywhere seemed the same and yet different. We got lost. I turned, ran towards where we came from, not knowing if I still remember the way back. Then I realized Kobe wasn't with me. I stopped and shouted for him to come. I think I caught a glimpse of Kobe, but there were other dogs around. I think he was scared. He ran further and I lost sight of him. I woke up. Sent my third message.

I was getting ready. Chibi kept meowing for attention. There was still food in her tray. No wait. There was something more than just food. Something overflowing. ANTS! I quickly grabbed Chibi away. I hope she hasn't eaten any. Gross. I had to get rid of it quick. Damn the ants. I hate insects.

Gloomy Monday.

crunchyroll@work

What are the advantages of bringing your own lunch box to work?
1) You can save $$.
2) You don't have to commute to anywhere. Just stay at your desk!
3) The privilege of staying at your desk is so that you can enjoy your mini theater during that 1-hr lunch break.

I just started watching this Taiwanese drama (those so-called 偶像剧), "They Kiss Again". Some of you may be more familiar with the chinese title, 恶作剧2吻. It's a sequel to the Taiwanese version of Itazura na Kiss (aka 恶作剧之吻 or Mischievous Kiss), originally a Japanese drama (adapted from manga) starring Kashiwabara Takashi and Sato Aiko.

I actually never liked Taiwanese drama. Just not used to the way they talk, their dialogues, despite having lived in Taiwan for 2 years. But this is actually the second Taiwanese drama that I've watched. And I like this one. Not too cheesy, at least for now. In the first 2 episodes, 湘琴 (Kotoko) and 直樹 (Naoki) went on their honeymoon! And it was sooo sweet. It was that feeling that hooked me on to this drama. The life of newlyweds.

Envious.
Indulgence.
Imagination.

Getting on with work...

I'm slowly accepting that there are certain things I can't control. At the same time, feeling more relieved as things may not turn out as bad as I imagined. But, I will never know what's in store for me in the future. Good or bad.

I'm actually getting happier at work these days. Got some great accompany here in the office. They realized that they missed my birthday last week. So this Wednesday, they bought me a cake, a card and flowers, and even sang me a birthday song in the office.


Thank you Blanche, for making all these happen. You may not know how much impact this had on me *A LOT* when I was still feeling so miserable about my birthday. Especially that redeemable coupon for 2 round trip air tickets...it really meant a lot to me. Truthfully.

I'll be earning extra bucks from one of my bosses soon. He has his other company website that needs some revamping. Yay, more $$!

my kawaii chibi. :D