Am I being too self-centered when I see my initials (backwards) in a bottle cap?
Egocentric
Hong Kong skyline
Hong Kong has one of the more distinctive skylines in the world (especially the night view). Here’s my first glimpse of it.
hong kong skyline from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Sleep & waking up
I have trouble falling asleep before 1 or 2 AM and usually don’t get to bed until past 2. This doesn’t bode well for getting up in the morning, which is always a painful experience. Yet, no amount of suffering in the morning seems to motivate me to get to bed earlier. It’s difficult to go to sleep right when your body is reaching its peak energy levels. It’s also difficult when your mind is reaching its peak activity levels. I always want to do more at night and can stay more focused too.
I wonder how long it’s going to take before I can sleep at midnight again. Perhaps never? After all, I seem to be doing alright with 6-6.5 hours a night, then sleeping in on the weekends. I love sleeping in more than most things and I’d definitely want to try an alternate work day in the future, getting up around noon and working until the late night. It might not be healthy by normal standards, but I believe my body is telling me something about my personal internal clock that supersedes conventional norms.
This week has gone by at a decent pace and I’m glad that tomorrow is Friday! That means that I won’t have to worry about how late I sleep, since I can just sleep in the next day. 🙂 It’s a satisfaction that few things in life can bring me. Simple, yet so pleasurable. Plus I’ve got an AMAZING body pillow that encourages me to stay in bed all day long. When I first got it, I couldn’t climb out of bed for a week. As I got more used to it, I can manage to let it go better, but it’s a great sleep aid. If only Costco still sold that texture! The ones they have now are nowhere as comfortable as the original ones they sold two years ago. Pity, for I definitely would have gotten more.
Fire frenzy
The Night Festival, held outside the National Museum in Singapore one hot evening.
Check out the people drumming upside down at times!
fire show from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
ring of fireworks from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Fireworks through the trees provide an interesting perspective.
fireworks through the trees from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Time Warner fail
Well, yet again Time Warner has failed us here in LA, leaving Panda’s apartment without internet or television service. This has consistently occurred on a monthly basis and their repair trucks can be seen on our neighborhood streets a good 2-3 times a week. Not a good sign at all. so here I am stuck blogging on my iPhone, with little heart to put together a nicer entry.
It’s amazing how this happens time and time again. At first, Panda would call in and get a month or a week free, but he just did so this weekend when this same thing happened (albeit not for as long). It’s gotten to the point where even that doesn’t make up for the inconvenience and loss of productivity.
I did enjoy the peace and quiet of not having so much buzzing around me, but I’d rather get to choose when I take a step back from the hubbub of modern life. I didn’t even feel like reading a business magazine I had been meaning to read for months now. Situations like this put a damper on my entire mood and make me wish that TW took better care if their customers. I can’t wait until we leave this place and I find a place near work – I’ll know then to avoid Time Warner at all costs.
Coincidence
Well isn’t it weird that the day after I write about the earthquake tunnel and have a lengthy discussion with Panda about safe practices and earthquake preparedness, an earthquake occurs? I doesn’t seem to be the big one we’re all waiting for, but it was quite large and still shook us in SoCal. Ironically, Panda and I didn’t feel it at all, because we were on the road, driving in Westwood. Plenty of our acquaintances did experience it, and for one it was her very first time. I’m curious what it felt like, but kind of glad I didn’t feel it, since it would have been an eerie reminder of the blog entry I had just posted. Perhaps I should give a honk for good measure the next time I’m in that tunnel.
Earthquake tunnel
I don’t know if you’ve ever heard, but in Los Angeles, there is an “earthquake tunnel” that locals like to use as a good luck charm against earthquakes. It’s a tradition that I learned of soon after arriving here and I have no recollection of how I heard of it or who told me, but I observe all the time when I am there. What am I talking about? Well, where the 405 North ends and merges into the 5 freeway, there is a tunnel that people drive under. When you are under it during rush hour (or any other time traffic is slow), you will find a good third of the cars will honk their horns incessantly until they are out.
It’s one of those fun, somewhat underground (haha no pun intended) traditions that is still alive and well. I guess it’s a superstitious act, since honking your horn is supposed to prevent earthquakes from hitting us too hard. It seems to be working, since that big one is way overdue and still not coming… Anyway, whenever I’m stuck in that tunnel during traffic hours, there’s always a car or two honking its way through. I’ve only joined in once, but it puts a small smile to my face as those people enjoy their freedom to honk as they please. After all, I realized not long ago that I don’t even know what my car horn sounds like. I don’t exactly have a situation where I can test it without drawing attention.
Balancing act
Haha, this amused me so greatly. Check out how the pigeons rock back and forth as they try to stay on that unstable wire.
pigeons balancing from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
A day of fools
Today was a fun, playful day as Starbucks introduced its new sizes – Plenta and Micra, and Google decided to give props to one of my former hometowns by changing their name to Topeka. I’m sure there were plenty of other fun pranks out there from similar high-profile companies, but these are the two I happened across today.
Some of my coworkers actually believed the Starbucks one and I’m sure many people wished the Plenta was for real. After all, that’s about how much coffee they could power through in a day. I really enjoyed the quirky uses they suggested for both sizes after you’re done with your drink and that picture of the two guys is brilliantly hilarious. How could anyone take that seriously? Lol.
The Google one taught me something I didn’t know about (which isn’t surprising, since Google – excuse me, Topeka is always coming up with crazy new products). Their concept of that sort of ultra-fast internet connection could propel us even further into developing cool new technologies and ways of virtual interaction. I’m imagining something straight out of Star Wars here, with holographic 3D images. Can’t help it.
Oh, and a random unrelated thought – all 5 of my iPhone app updates today were iPad related. Not like that does me any use!