Chixe Forum: Personal

Lessons learned from Ike's extended weekend visit

fuscom — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:33:43

My family and I live about 60 miles inland from where Hurricane Ike crashed ashore. Being "only" a category 2 hurricane, we decided to ride it out and shelter-in-place as our city instructed us to. Besides, with a predicted 20' storm surge, folks from Galveston needed to be on the freeway getting out of the way more than we did.

Three days without power and other necessities of life (such as gas, milk and coffee) gives one a chance to reflect on some things. Here are some things which came to my mind.

Category 2 hurricanes which have a 600 mile windfield, do the damage of a category 4.
When you're in the midst of a roaring 600 mile windfield, after a few hours you pray it'll just end -- even if you're not a bit religious.
The terrified factor increases by 3 when a hurricane hits you in the hours you're usually asleep
The oh s* factor increases by 7 when this teeny category two hurricane knocks out ALL the power of the 4th largest city in the US, in the hours you're usually asleep
When the wind is howling close to 100 mph outside your home, and you hear things hitting your boarded up windows, and it's 3 am and pitch black outside, you can actually build up enough body heat from stress to spontaneously combust
Street lamps are really under appreciated in the feeling of security they provide
Hurricanes are a great way to shed 5 pounds in record time
Technology cant build a community. Rather the lack of technology, electricity, groceries, telephones, cellphone connections, gas, homes, whole cities and glass in downtown skyscrapers builds communities
When facebook and twitter and email and newsvine, and IM is down, newspapers and radio rule
When the things you take for granted are taken away, you celebrate like there's no tomorrow when they are restored
McDonalds is the best thing ever, after a couple of days of soggy peanut butter in a 92 degree home
It's good to get to know your neighbors, especially when your biggest fear is looters
The world hasn't changed. In fact, it reverts real quick back to the days of your grandparents and/or great grandparents when people depended on the radio as their primary news source and/or entertainment, and children played outside, and neighbors talked, and store owners only sold the necessities, and actually knew and shared their customers needs and desires
The people who'll tell you that empathy in business is a bad thing are dead wrong
It's good to live in a community that truly cares and takes the saying "neighbors being neighborly" seriously
You don't really need any more. In fact, you probably already have too much

To my friends and family in Galveston and SE Texas, and even in the midwest US, who's lives were radically changed by Hurricane Ike, Godspeed.

Help! I'm In Love With My Best Friend

rossflyer — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:57:57

I need your help.

I'm in love with my best friend. Before I begin, yes, I know this sounds cliched (probably because it is) but it's giving me one hell of a time and I need the advice of people wiser than I am. Hear me out, please.

Sometime last year I became madly infuated with B. B was a really close friend to my best friend A. In fact, while I was probably A's best guy friend, B was closer than I am, for obvious reasons (like being female, for instance). Me falling for B sucked, because I didn't actually know her and didn't have any valid reason to like her. But there you go. Hormones can be strange things.

A helped me out throughout this time, while I was getting over my senseless infatuation for B. We became a lot more closer during this period than we did before, and I gradually came to like her instead.

It took me a very long time to build up my courage to tell her. I was, at that stage, more worried about saving the friendship than being together, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want us to be more than friends. I presented my case as in a 'I like you, but it's getting in the way of this friendship and I just want you to know' way ... which actually worked. Our friendship survived that. We're still talking. In fact, I can still talk to her about my feelings for her, though it sounds awfully weird to do so. We joke about it and take it in good stride.

There's one problem, though. My best friend is in love with another guy. She told him, he admitted to the same feelings, but he didn't want to take anything to the second stage. I can't imagine why. The irony is that A liked me when I was so hung up over B, because (in her words): 'you were off the market for awhile, and I liked you because you were unattainable'. The guy she's in love with right now started off with her thinking he was in love with someone else, who turned out to be her. She liked him because she thought he was unattainable in the beginning.

Twisted, I know.

So here's my predicament. I'm in love with my best friend. Who's in love with another guy. Who isn't me. Who doesn't know her or understand her as well as I do. Who is probably God in her eyes right now.

And there's nothing I can do. Or is there? One part of me tells me I should give up and enjoy the friendship and suppress the feelings I have for her. And we interact. A lot. The other part of me is telling me to drop all and chase her. Go after her. Pursue with single-minded determination, even if she isn't interested, and is so in love with another guy.

What should I do? Please give me your thoughts. Thanks.

Little Girl Gets Disneyland Surprise

Mike — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:27:43

This is really cute and made me laugh. They must live pretty close to Disneyland else they had to keep the secret while driving for many hours with a bewildered child in the backseat.

20 Ways to Attack Shyness

Scrivs — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:02:03

What I really liked about this article was that it didn't treat shyness as a disease or something wrong with a person. I know plenty of shy people, my brother being one, that either just need to grow out of it or just need some experience of stepping out of their shell. Getting rid of shyness doesn't mean you have to be as boisterous and loud like myself, it just means (to me) you have no problem socializing with other people and not being just a fly on the wall.

Also it's important to know that not being shy also doesn't mean you don't get nervous. I get nervous around large groups all the time and god forbid I have a public speaking event. There isn't enough deodorant in the world that can keep my pits dry.

Going to bars and clubs isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. Understand what feels comfortable for you, and find people, communities and activities which bring out the best in you. You can be just as equally social in settings that you connect with on a personal level, than the popular social settings. You don’t have to be doing what “everyone” else is doing. Besides, everyone else isn’t necessarily happy, despite your perception as such.

7 Simple Rules For How to Take A Nap

Scrivs — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:47:06

What fascinated me about this article was the first part:

The first thing you should know is, feeling sleepy in the afternoon is normal. It doesn’t mean you had a big lunch, or that you’re depressed, or you’re not getting enough exercise. That’s just how animals’ cycles work — every 24 hours, we have two periods of intense sleepiness. One is typically in the wee hours of the night, from about 2am to 4am, and the other is around 10 hours later, between 1pm and 3pm. If you’re a night owl and wake up later in the morning, that afternoon sleepiness may come later; if you’re an early bird, it may come earlier. But it happens to everyone; we’re physiologically hardwired to nap.

Ever since high school I have always gotten extremely tired in the afternoon and I know part of it has to do with lunch because it is my first meal of the day, but I wasn't aware of the two sleepy cycles in a 24 hour period. My mother, Mike and Tyme always joke about my nap taking ability and now I have scientific support backing up why it must be done. I'm just wired that way.

It's all you you weirdos that don't take naps that I should be laughing at!

Your thoughts: This could either be the smartest, or dumbest, thing I've done

joshawesome — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:00:43

I've been so busy with other things that I haven't been keeping up with transgender news. Which, right now, seems to be a mistake as there are plenty of things to be focused on or concerned about. The biggest, at the moment, seems to be ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) which I wrote about on my blog. The second, and also important, is GENDA, which is essentially the same thing as ENDA, but on a state level. New York State to be specific.

Here is what I'm planning to do. First, I want to write my state senator and ask her to support GENDA in the state senate. GENDA has already passed the assembly. Second, I want to write basically the same letter and send it to my local newspaper.

I've basically decided that I'm going to do this. However, I'm reluctant for a few reasons.

I can't send an anonymous letter to either the state senator or the newspaper. I can't fully support something that I can't put my name behind.
My family reads the newspaper religiously from front to back, including any op-eds that might be in the paper. Most of my family doesn't know that I'm transgender. The ones that do know fall into two categories: 1) Being ok with it (my sisters) or 2) Ignoring it and pretending I never told them (my parents). The rest of my family has no idea and wouldn't be accepting of it.
My uncle knows the state senator. They talk often.
The newspaper is circulated in three counties. My last name is pretty recognizable. Most people know my family, know me, could point me out in the street, or know me if they saw me.

I think, essentially, this is something that I need to do. Eventually, I'm going to have to be able to live my life as I want and need. The real question isn't whether I should do it or not but rather, am I ready to do it now. Am I strong enough to really not care what other people think about me? Can I deal with my family not being there anymore?

I knew that at some point in my life I would come to a crossroads where my family was on one hand and my happiness and sanity in the other. At least if I do it this way, it will be on my terms and not someone else's.

I know that this isn't something that you can just tell me what to do. I'm not looking for people to say do it or don't do it. I know I'm going to because it's the right thing to do. I guess what I'm really looking for is just...encouragement, people to tell me how stupid I am to give up my family over transgender law, or just your opinion on the whole thing.

I've done a lot of thinking. It hasn't been easy to come to this conclusion. Not many people here know what has been happening in my life the past few months, but for those of you that do (mostly 9rules members), I would really appreciate your input.

Quofda: Who was your best (or worst) elementary school teacher?

Tyme — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:05:37

Mrs. Lovejoy sticks out the most for elementary. She encouraged us to try new things, experiment and push our boundaries. She once brought caviar to school so we could taste it. She made topics interesting. Outside of my Mom, she was one of the first influences in my life of a person that didn't take any smack. You didn't want Mrs. Lovejoy mad at you. When she got mad her nose would flair, her chest swelled...looking back it was a sight to see. Back then? Not so amusing.

My worst was Mr. Bergdoll because he was weak. He was an authority figure but had issues controlling his class. There was a boy that used to pick on me (he had a crush but I had a boyfriend). My Mom caught him walking behind me with a big stick like he was going to hit me with it, and ripped him a new one (my little 5ft 2in Mom). The next day she was in Mr. Bergdoll's class asking him why that boy was able to pick on me in class (which I told her after the stick incident). His response: he was afraid of him. I guess things happen the way they should because Mr. Bergdoll was the catalyst in me standing up for myself. Since I knew he was afraid of the boy (he would never control the classroom) I fended for myself and soon the boy moved on to pick on someone else.

What were your best or worst teachers?

Don't Leave the K out.

cooper — Sat, 03 May 2008 23:40:17

I hadn't bookmarked "chawlk" until now, as I came here usually via 9rules.

I quickly typed it in my browser but left the "k" off by mistake, boy did I get a surprise.

Just thought I'd share

Feelings on Hats? Other stuff too...

carmodyarc — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:48:46

So the other day I was walking through a second-hand shop and I saw a fantastic, light brown fedora. It looked like it had never been worn, and it fit me pretty well so I bought it.

I am incredibly picky about my headgear. In the military I was one of the few people who still used a hat-rack, hairspray and a lighter to make my hat standup perfectly straight. When I shop for a new baseball cap my wife absolutely will not go with me. It takes me as much time to pick a hat as it takes her to buy a car. Seriously.

Anyway, I've got this fedora and I really like it but I'm too big a wimp to wear it around in public. It's this phobia of looking like a tool I guess, but it's really pissing me off.

Can you people relate to that at all... not just about hats, do you have little secrets that are your own that you won't let other people see... for me it's this fedora, what's yours?

Local or global phenomenon?

archangelchuck — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:17:58

There is a growing trend among teenagers who have just learned the ins and outs of (god damned) cell phones and text messaging. Have any of you ever seen extra, pointless letters attached to a word or number of words?

Let's say I write a half-paragraph:

Iii wennttt 2 thaah parkkk 2dayy. Itt was a lott offfh funnnm.

Now, of course I admit that I'm not the best writer in the world, but I have to ask...

First: Where the hell did this bullshit come from?! When I started out as a teen with instant messenger and chat rooms, admittedly I used the common abbreviations and shorthand like "lol," "brb," and "afk." While I no longer consider them acceptable for my own use in any line of communication, they did have a purpose... IMing was considered a lowly form of communication, wherein lazy spelling and grammar were considered acceptable, somewhat like a private chat room (where the shorthand ideas originated in the first place). Computers were new, people weren't used to typing so much. The shorthand made chatting quick and easy. Why make it inefficient and WRONG? With chat shorthand, there was a system. There was an accepted set of acronyms used to express different words or phrases. There is no rhyme or reason to this. "Iii jussttt decidedddh 2 typpeeeh lyk a moronnh one daaay." Ah-HYUCK!!!

Second: Is it a global or a local phenomenon? I really want to know whether I should lay down the proverbial hammer of justice or dismiss it as one of those phases.

Are you really satisfied?

maritza — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:03:51

These days life is building up and it's just become so hectic.
The question here is..are you really satisfied with what you have?If not..what would make you satisfied?Here you can talk about your job,relationships,friendships and many more..
Are you dreaming outload or are you holding back?Make yourself happy man!

What gets you excited..

maritza — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:52:46

These days all i am doing is putting myself into positions where i get hurt.first i fell for a huge player, then someone that just moved far away.Im tired of being single and just good enough for one week.what can us 'women' do to make guys want you reall bad.play hard to get?what?

Do you have issues remembering important dates?

RightOn — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:26:20

I saw this online this morning and while I think it is a pretty ingenious invention I had to wonder... WHY is this a problem that needs solving?

It's a ring, that is pre-programmed with a significant date, and 24 hours before the prescribed date proceeds to HEAT UP to 120 degrees for 10 seconds on the hour every hour for a full 24 hours.

Do you have issues with dates, like your wedding anniversary and why? I don't see what's so hard about it that you need to make yourself uncomfortable every hour as a reminder.

Weirdness!

Have you changed?

Ozone42 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:39:23

Lately I've been re-connecting with a bunch of people I went to high school with on facebook, and I'm experiencing quite a bit of culture shock. I'd say 9/10 of them have not changed in any way except for appearance. Mind you, it's been ten years so I was expecting quite a lot of differences. Perhaps that expectation was silly? I'm not sure.

I know that when I look back to myself at the end of high school, I did have the "core" of me formed. My values have not changed much, but my experiences, communication, skills, I'd even so far as intelligence, have all grown drastically. I can look back at the 18 y/o me and say: "Yes that's me, but that's a kid." I don't dislike who I was then at all, but I'm very glad I've grown into the person I am today.

But I look at some of these people, and they're doing the same things, saying the same things, living in the same places... it honestly kind of freaks me out. I don't "get" it at all. What are your experiences on this subject? Have some of your old friends gotten stuck in time?

Guess whose suprise party I helped organize?

RealTinWoodsman — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:52:13

My own. Yes, my own.

Please allow me to start from the beginning. It's better that way.

My best friend of 15 years, Joy (yes, she's definitely a girl), had been planning a surprise birthday party for me for two weeks. Little did I know that I was really making life hard on her by rearranging my doctor's appointments. One of the things that really bites about being in your mid-30's -- well, any age, really -- and having a heart condition is that it tends to be a little unpredictable. It wreaks havoc on a social calendar, especially one as sparse as mine!

The lab had scheduled a stress test for me on my 37th birthday. Wasn't that thoughtful of them? Nothing says "we're so glad you survived that heart attack" more than hooking me up to a bunch of equipment and making me run on a treadmill until I wish God had taken me during the heart attack.

Joy figured that since my birthday was on Wednesday, then the party could be sometime this past weekend. So e-mails went out and plans were made by my closest friends to surprise me then. Well, I felt like crap on my birthday, so I rescheduled for this past Friday. More e-mails went out, plans were put on hold and contingency plans were planned.

I did the stress test and felt like I had just run a marathon and then had a Mack truck hit me. My mom drove me home and we hit the drive-thru at the Taco Bell on the way. I called Joy to let her know that I had not had to be admitted to the hospital, as I had feared. Then I hit the hay.

Saturday passed with me studying and relaxing some more. Joy called and asked me to a movie on Sunday with her and her 6-year-old son, Aaron. I agreed and I continued my studies. More e-mails were exchanged among my friends concerning the party. No one had my godparents' home or cell numbers!

Sunday morning, Joy called again. "How are you feeling?"

"OK, I guess... still a bit tired."

"No, Tom. That's not the answer I was looking for."

"Um...OK. I feel great..."

"Good! Look, I'm gonna go ahead and tell you this. I have been planning your surprise party and I need your help. So... Surprise!"

So, there I was, calling my best friend from high school, Frank, and my godparents to explain about my surprise party. Everybody, including me, had a good laugh over it. Joy even thanked me for my assistance! So did some of the others!

Joy, Aaron, and I went to a great time seeing Horton Hears a Who and then on we went to the birthday dinner.

All of them made it, except Frank: my good friend Tony and his lovely wife and daughter, my godparents, godsister and her boyfriend, and Joy and Aaron. We had a great Sunday supper at my favorite Chinese restaurant... and we got a free dessert. For two hours, we sat and joked and just talked, enjoying a good meal and good conversation.

My group typically discusses religion and politics with very minor versions of "fireworks" at the table. I am a conservative on both issues, being a political junkie and seminary student notwithstanding. But that night, no one brought up either issue. I didn't even bring up my usual serial killer talk, as I am a budding, though amateur, behavioral analyst... but that never came up, other than a passing mention as one of my interests.

Just good friends having a good time while eating good food. For that little window of time, I wasn't a heart failure patient with a lot of worry and frustration that he usually tries to keep buried and silent. I wasn't a seminarian trying to catch up his work from last weekend's hospital stay. I was just a man having a birthday party with his friends, opening gifts and laughing. For just a little while, everything felt normal again, and that may have been the best gift of all.

Why Burma has fallen into the abyss of no return( a viewpoint)

moonshadows — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 21:37:42

I'm so sick and tired of Burmese people. Sometimes to the extent that I'm ashamed to admit I'm Burmese. It seems like the country is falling into moral and social decadence. Burma today does not deserve a strong, bold, self sacrificing leader, dedicated to its peace-like Aung San Suu Kyi. I admire the Lady greatly because she,living in Burma, would be much much more aware of the peoples' sickening attitudes but yet she never loses faith in them and keeps plodding on what seems like a seemingly pointless journey to save a sinking boat, all BY HERSELF.
I'm not being presumptuous here by assuming that I am a model citizen. I am not;I never claimed to be but at least I am willing to accept the flaws and faults of my people. That over all the decades Burmese people have been tyrannized by power hungry megalomaniacs. Its just that because of globalization and and an pro-democracy leader like Aung San Suu Kyi, the whole world is made aware of the Junta's terrorizing ways( like its predecessors before) which do not fit into the pattern of justice in today's civilized world. What the world does not know is that this very same cycle of tyranny has been in motion since the dawn of Burma's founding!They get a precious gem of a leader like Bogyoke Aung San and what do they do? The assinine Nay Win and his cronies order the Bogyoke's assasination thereby the only one who could have saved Burma. Bogyoke Aung San and his daughter were the best things that happened to Burma and they failed to see this, blinded by their egos and arrogance and sheer stupidity.
People of all levels and rungs of Burmese society are not doing the best they can. I know a few brave ones are but the majority is letting the Junta hold sway over them. There is widespread corruption, discrimination ( amongst the different races and religions), indifference, subservience and even apathy. People all think in terms of "What's best for me" and most are opportunists-like a pack of hyenas looking for an opening in a herd of gazelles.
Basic values of humanity such as respect for people of different tribes and beliefs are totally disregarded. There is chaos and disunity when the only thing that could actually overthrow this rogue government is the unity and the power of the tribes combined. This unity can only be achieved through the removal of the core Burmese people's disdain for other tribes with different religions and races. Their need to douse their false sense of superiority ( that Burma is the land of the Buddhist Burmese and all others are lesser than second class citizens). This superiority is ill begotten because Burmese people of non Buddhist origin and non-Burman stock such as the Karens, Mons, Chins and Rakhines( etc) have contributed greatly to Burmese culture and the country. They cannot just be sidelined on the basis of difference of tribe or religion because they are as much Burmese as the staunchest Burman Buddhist next to them.
Bogyoke Aung San and Aung San Suu Kyi, father and daughter, both of intellectual pedigree, understood this universal concept and tried to expound it but no one used his faculty of reasoning to see that Unity and application of this Universal Value was the only thing that could keep the country from falling into the dark void it is in today.
Burmese people need to shoulder the responsibility for the country respectively and each and everyone should do what they can to the best of their abilities wherever they may be. And to show courage where needed and to recognize a good leader when they see one and support her and throw caution to the winds in following her lead!

Psychological trainings: what? why?

KVA — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:02:35

What can you say about psychological trainings?
What kinds of them do you know?
In what did you participated?
Why are they useful for a person?

I think that it is a very interesting topic for discussion.

The last action... before your death.

KVA — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:29:59

Imagine, that you are going to die now.
What would you like to do at the last seconds of your life?

To build a house?
To draw a picture?
To say somebody that you love him?

What?...

Think a bit, it is a good type of a little psychological training.

What makes you happy?

aadil — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:21:38

A little kid very innocently asked me this question yesterday - What makes you happy? Fluxed as I was, it did send me down thinking lane.

All the 9rulers out there, heres goes, What makes you happy? Now don't go theorizing like Peter Drucker or Daniel Goleman. I'd be more interested in little things that make your day, those shiny moments that throw your tiredness away and those dingy instances that inspire us all or whatever you consider is well worth contributing to this thread.

Let thy wisdom pour. Amen!

A Rush Of Hypochondria To The Head.

dieseldelicious — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:51:16

I was diagnosed with Hypochondria when I was 14 years old. Though it was scary at first to deal with, as I became older, I learned to find humor in my endless discoveries of aches and pains that I swore were terminal/fatal. A lump I felt in my pelvic region when I was seventeen turned out to be a pelvic BONE. A headache was sworn to be brain tumor. Most recently, I was convinced that I was allergic to my shower water because I'd itch terribly when I got out. When I calmed myself down and really thought about it, I had my water so hot that it dried my skin out, and I just needed some lotion.

Ever experienced a freak out spurt about your health that made you feel silly and adolescent when you learned what the real problem was?

What do you do...

dreamweaver — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 21:02:44

when you're entire immediate family forgets that it's you're birthday? Heck, I know we're all busy right now (we're getting ready to move and the packers come on Tuesday for a solid week of packing and loading and delivery of our household goods), but wow. I don't even know what to do or say at this point, since it's 6:00 p.m. here, and my husband and kids have all forgotten that it's my birthday today.

Is it martyr-ish to feel a bit hurt? I don't think I should have to remind them about this one. And just for the record, I KNOW that there's no surprise party in the works either.

I bought an apple strudel pastry at the bakery this morning, so I think I'll put some candles on it and light them up after dinner, and see what the reaction is. Meh.

P.S. I hesitated to even post this, 'cause I don't want y'all to think I'm fishing for B-day wishes. I'm not; well, I am, from my family, but they don't hang out here. ;)

Have you ever had one of those days...(A good day)

joshawesome — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:42:49

I've been going through a rough few weeks recently and while I've been trying to keep my spirits up, sometimes it's not so easy. I've started to notice that the things that wouldn't normally cheer me up now can make my day a bit brighter. Today is one of those days.

I had to go to Buffalo with my mom today, and while the drive is boring and my mom and I don't really have anything to talk about, I enjoyed the drive with her all the same. I just happened to walk by a mirror today and caught a glimpse of myself. I had to pause, take a step back and look in the mirror. I look pretty hot today! On top of which, I'm having an amazing hair day.

I'm usually a pessimistic/cynical person, but I've been trying to take joy and find happiness in the simple things that are in my life, instead of passing them over as the same old thing.

What about you? What cheers you up or makes you happy unexpectedly?

When is enough, enough?

Clarkey — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:51:48

We all have times when we get to feeling it's time for a change. This is quite quickly followed up with the thought of "If only it was that easy!"

This isn't a post about it being easy - the answer there lies in how you feel about what you're doing - no, this is more a question of where your limits lie.

When you are in a situation that quite frankly you'd rather not be in, be that a relationship or a position of employment, what personal boundary settings do you have? How much do your personal commitments, family etc, come in to it?

I guess we all know people who won't take a minutes nonsense and are quite happy to move on to the next opportunity. They seem to have a very strong sense of personal identity and self respect and are deeply empowered to move on if needs be.

Is this something you can learn or is it just in your make up?

So, what are your limits, what is the straw that would break the camel's back for you. Humiliation, confrontation, just getting plain fed up by repetition or does it need a SEE (Significant Emotional Event) that forces you instantly to re-evaluate who you are and what you are doing?

When do you know it's time to change, and more importantly what brings you to do so ?

Distorted Chinese and Korean Names on Mass Media

loism — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:44:05

If you are a typical Chinese or Korean, have you ever been frustrated to find westernized Chinese or Korean names on Television and on any printed media?

Let me be clear to you all about the formation of our names. Our family names normally precede the second ones, like Lo Sin Yee(My Chinese Name-Lo is a surname while Sin Yee being my second name) and Kim Bui(Korean Name-Kim is a surname). However, our second names will usually come before the surnames once they have been westernized. Mine will become Sin Yee Lo while the Korean name will be read as Bui Kim. I think they sound awkward enough. The alteration seems to downplay the significance of our ancestral names.

What if we change the formation of western names the Chinese way? Maybe it should be done in the coming Beijing Olympic. The following are the altered names:

Original Altered name
George Bush --- Bush George
Britney Spears --- Spears Britney
Brad Pitt ---- Pitt Brad
Tiger Woods ----- Woods Tiger

If I find all westernized Chinese names odd, what do you think of 'Chinesized' Western names like the ones above?

Moving cross country

touqen — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:12:31

So I'm seriously considering uprooting my life and moving from Boston, MA to Portland, OR.

I've pretty much decided that Portland is where I'd like to go. I like the Pacific Northwest and am in desperate need of a change. I've heard a lot of great things about Portland and it's nice that it's betwixt Seattle and various locales in California.

So, basically, I'm just curious to see what some Portlanders have to say about Portland. What to watch out for, words of advice, etc...

Can you do 700?

nabiy — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:57:05

On Sunday I called I called my old man up (he’s heading on sixty) and he told me about an exercise he is doing in his PE class (he teaches elementary PE). He and the kids are setting weekly goals for themselves. Some of these young kids are now aiming to do seven hundred pushups and sit-ups this week… and yes, my old man is doing that.

Now, I’m in pretty good shape. I jog at least four days out of the week for at least thirty minutes and do some push-ups and pull-ups every once in a while. So I figured I’d take him up on it and just add them onto the end of my regular jogging routine. It’s been two days. The first day I hit 110 pushups and 85 sit-ups. Today I only did 75 pushups and 90 sit-ups. This is depressing as I know that my dad is having no problem with this. What does it say if my dad, almost sixty and those young kids (fourth and fifth grade) are doing more than I am?

Now I'm wondering how many of you guys would make a serious attempt at it. Can you do seven hundred pushups and sit-ups in one week? Would you be willing to make it part of your daily routine if it isn't already?

What a weekend

Bakedblog — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 08:43:30

What a strange day I have had. I posted a blog early on in the day, because for most of the day I was going to be out, and I didn't want to leave the people that visit my blog without something new to read.

My husband, myself and my son all went down to the Museum of Transportation. It was such a nice day 60 degrees out so we had to go. He loves trains , and this place is full of them. About half way through the trip I noticed my son had some red marks on his neck. I thought he was scratching and it was no big deal. We keep going and take a bathroom break and I find he has broken out all over his belly and arms. he has a rash and welts.

I freaked, this is my first child, but I used to run daycare out of my home for about 7 years, so I have had to deal with a lot of colds and stomach flus and what not, but my son has been a really healthy kid. I have been very lucky and this was the first big thing to happen.

We leave and stop at the store and grab some anti itch cream, and some oatmeal bath. By the time we get home the rash is almost gone. So we feel okay, we aren't sure what happened, but it is gone so everything seems better.

We go out later to the grocery store and when we arrive home he starts complaining of itching again, and so I check him out and it is worse then before. To try and make a long story short we think he had an allergic reaction to something, but we have no clue what. There wasn't any point in taking him to the emergency room because lucky ducks that we are, we have a friend who is a doctor and we spoke with him. He reassured us that it was probably just the hives caused by some allergic reaction.

We may never know what caused this, but I am just relieved in so many ways that he is going to be alright. I wanted to share this with you guys because I am sure some of you can relate. I am going to probably post about this tomorrow on my blog. I have pictures of my poor little guy with his rash and the bumps. I was thinking it would make a good post for first time mom's since this is something that they should all know about.

Not just first time moms, but this can happen to anyone. I never had an allergy in my life, then one day I walked into a pet store and was playing with some of the small furry creatures they had, then I rubbed my eye and, well my eye swelled shut. From that day on I was allergic to pet dander after years of having dogs, and cats, my allergies to dander got so sever I had to give my dog up.

I hope everyone else had a great weekend, and I hope the rest of mine is a lot calmer then it was today.

Take care all and have a wonderful night

Rachel
Bakedblog

That Chair You Are Sitting In ???

ericastjohn — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:58:04

So, what colour is the chair you are sitting in right now as you read this?

Mine, black

Post It Notes Anyone? How Many?

ericastjohn — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:57:16

How many post it notes do you use on the average in a day?

Me, I go through about 3-4 (not including site design plans) post it notes a day

How Many Rooms?

ericastjohn — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:09:36

If you could build a new home - any size - how many rooms would you have? What would they be used for?

Found a job far,far.....far away from home

Sebastiano — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 06:08:19

Some of you might know that I mainly only work during the summer as a waiter or barman in restaurants, I live in Italy and now I am contracting with 2 fellow Italians to go work on the US Virgin Islands, overseas and about 27 hours of traveling time needed to arrive at St.thomas... I have no idea what it's like over there, no clue what to expect once I arrive there. Anyone been there? or know what it's culture is about, I mean I've never been to NY, but I can imagine what it would be like, the Virgin Island's I've no clue, so any thoughts about what I could expect?? I've seen some websites and pictures, but some Chawlk-ers knowledge would be great.

Quofda: Why is your favorite color your favorite color?

Scrivs — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:27:06

Today's Quofda touches upon an interesting question that I love to ask almost anyone I encounter. I like to believe color choices say a lot about a person when many times it might just be they like the look of it. my favorite color is red. It doesn't mean I like to wear it or I want a red car, but it's definitely my favorite color because of the emotion it evokes. I can be passionate or it can be rage-filled hatred.

The spectrum of emotions it represents is why it seems so real to me. Other colors are nice, but red has some meaning for me. That's why it is my favorite color.

Quofda: Half-empty or half-full?

Scrivs — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 03:10:40

Today's Quofda was half-empty or half-full?

For me this is an interesting question because I know people that are half-empty and use the excuse that they are just being realistic and not pessimistic. If something has yet to be decided can't it be changed still? I like to think I tend to be on the positive side of things. Mike and Tyme usually tell me they are amazed (maybe not that word) by my ability to keep my head.

For some reason I always think things will work themselves out if you keep pushing forward. It will always work out in the end. Half-empty is defeatist and gets you no where. How many steps can you move forward in life if you just stop moving at all?

Or hell, take another philosophy and finish the half-empty cup because you are thirsty and fill it back up with more.

Email Apnea: Are you breathing right now?

Ozone42 — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:14:23

Apparently a lot of people are not breathing while they're emailing. At least they're not breathing normally. I read that, and thought "no way," but now I'm catching myself breaking up my breathing pattern based on what I'm doing.

Scary! I don't consider email stressful in the least, but if I'm not breathing right during it, it could certainly impact my stress levels.

Here's the original article, what do you think? Try to pay attention to your breathing today. See if and when you stop or break up your normal patterns and post them back here.

what's your email signature? (PART II)

RalphDagza — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:54:59

I think email signatures are amusing, im not talking about your hotmail or yahoo email signature. In the Air Force, we have some crazy shit just like...

"IMPORTANT: This email is intended for the use of the individual
addressee(s) named above and may contain information that is
confidential, etc. etc...."

Thank God, we're allowed to modify/change them. So I changed mine to...

"Sent from my work computer using Microsoft Outlook."

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Click here for the old thread.