The Late Show

2008-04-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

I have returned.

My first blogpost in almost 2 years. There's a certain sense of familiarity, but at the same time, some hesitation. Not only have I not been posting on my blog the last two years, but I also have not been reading other people's blogs.

Why?

Well, mostly, it's because I spent most of 2007 working in incredibly taxing jobs. Long hours, sleepless nights; and stressful weekends.

The other reason is frankly, I'd rather spend the time with J, than blogging.

Why start again now?

Well, I think it's time for me to start writing again. Writing, for me, has always been a sort of release point for me (the other release for me has traditionally been playing video games, and since I've started to become bored at playing video games... writing is what's left). Now, I've got a new job which allows me more time to do interesting things.... like blogging.

What am I going to blog about?

I have no idea...

2006-10-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Japan!

J and I just got here last night. We walked around Shinjuku in Tokyo but we were so exhausted from the plane flight and jet lag that we really couldn't appreciate it. I am so excited about the next two weeks!

2006-10-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

I'm a Ferrari 360 Modena!

You've got it all. Power, passion, precision, and style. You're sensuous, exotic, and temperamental. Sure, you're expensive and high-maintenance, but you're worth it.

"Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

2006-10-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

J and I are going to Japan and Taiwan!

10/16-10/24 Japan!
10/24-10/30 Taiwan!

2006-09-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

So, I got a job offer... to be a tax accountant at a CPA firm at a lower salary than what I would have expected to make coming out of law school. I've been having sleepless nights because I'm not sure what to do. Should I wait to see if I can get something better or take the offer? Should I wait for my bar results to see if I can obtain a job in the legal field? Would a legal job be better than a tax accounting job? Should I do SEC Reporting? I've prayed about it and J has prayed for me about it. I'm so not sure what to do.

Tax Accounting
-Pros: Get lots of challenging assignments. I know one person at the CPA firm who is fairly high up and can help me get the best assignments to work on. The job would let me use some of the tax law knowledge I've gained. The offer is in hand. The partners and people seem to be nice. Possibility to do tax law after working in the tax accounting field. Higher potential.
-Cons: Get less pay than I would have expected coming out of law school. The job title ("Staff Accountant") stinks.

SEC Reporting
-Pros: Better title. No offer yet but I could get one, I believe, somewhat easily. Pays quite a lot better.
-Cons: I wouldn't be using my legal skills at all in the field. Lower potential.

Law
-Pros: I get to use my legal knowledge. Probably better pay (but not certain).
-Cons: I may hate the practice of law, like many others. It's unsure at this time whether I will like it or not. The legal job market for new grads isn't so hot.

Gosh, what should I do?

2006-07-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

The Bar Exam is 4 days away!!!!!!!!!!

2006-07-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

What are the Reds thinking?

Ok, Bray is a great pitcher. But you coulda got more for Kearns and Lopez? Just makes no sense whatsoever.

2006-07-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

The Bar Exam is less than 2 weeks away. I took the PMBR practice MBE today and got creamed. No, it doesn't make me feel better that according to the PMBR Answer book, the average score is 95. I got a 117 and I just feel miserable about it. grrrr... the bar sucks.

2006-06-29T01:46:00.000-07:00

Soccer fans, who would you rather have take a free kick, Beckham or Roberto Carlos?

2006-06-28T00:35:00.000-07:00

With the wedding and bar exam, I have felt a little like that new song from The Fray... in way "over my head"...

2006-06-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

Bar-bri Essays

So I suck at Bar-Bri essays:

1st Assignment: Torts - Result: Failed Miserably

2nd Assignment: Evidence - Didn't turn in because I just was tired.

3rd Assignment: ConLaw - Failed Miserably, but not as miserably as in Torts.

4th Assignment: Property - Pass with Flying Colors

Please please let there be an Property question on the Bar!

2006-06-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

Man, I wish I could Bend It Like Beckham.

2006-06-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

What a difference 12 hours makes...

Bar Exam: July 25-27
4 weeks away

1st Bar/bri MBE Prep. Exam
My Score: 131
1st Impression yesterday: Crap, passing score in CA is like 136. Much work to do.

Get into the review class today:
1st thing announced: Average score of all bar/bri test takers= 105; the prep exam is intentionally harder than the real thing.
2nd Impression: Booyah! 131's looking prett darn good. =)

2006-06-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

Since this is the latest fad...

21 FIRSTS

1. Who was your first prom date?
Anna L., still good friends...

2. Who was your first roommate?
Sis

3. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk the first time?
Beer, I think...

4. What was your first job?
Teaching assistant, Kumon

5. What was your first nickname?
Alf

6. When did you go to your first funeral?
Grandfather

7. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown?
18, for college

8. Who was your first grade teacher?
Miss Stringer

9. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane?
Hawaii, in 6th Grade

10. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with?
Leaving the house? What a foreign concept!

11. Who was your first Best Friend and are you still friends?
Robert H., still good friends, currently a medical resident at USC (boo!); note: single but not a believer for all you single girls into good-looking doctors....

12. Where was your first sleepover?
My college roommate's parent's mansion

13. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?
Honey - General stuff

14. Whose wedding were you in the first time?
Mike J. and Erin J.

15. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Turn off the alarm

16. What was the first concert you ever went to?
Alice's Concert in the park

17. First tattoo or piercing?
Neither, the idea of pain scares me.

18. First celebrity crush?
No idea, never had one...

19. Age of first "real" kiss?
26? With my first and only girlfriend... =)

20. First crush?
VH from elementary

21. First REAL love?
my basketball

2006-05-19T01:23:00.000-07:00

I need to learn how to be more graceful.

There are people who just drive me up a wall...........

2006-05-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

Law School: Check!

I have finished my last law school exam... *ever*!

Time to celebrate!

2006-05-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

"Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Luke 12:15

"Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve."

1 Peter 5:2

2006-05-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

The Lawyer vs. The Accountant

Lately, I have been thinking more and more about law vs. accounting. You see, the opportunities for a lawyer are few and far between. I will have to pound the pavement after taking the bar to find a job in the legal profession. I'd probably be an above average lawyer: I go to a good school that trains hard-core lawyers, I'm in the upper third of my class, and I've got good experience up to this point. But still, the opportunities to be a lawyer can be stifling: the long hours, the generally challenging but stressful work environment. At this point, I'll likely find a job doing tax law or corporate securities work. Tax work is stable and the work life balance is decent and monetary compensation is sufficient, for a lawyer. Corporate securities work is demanding, can be a feast or famine type of situation, but the monetary compensation can be tremendous.

Accounting offers me better work life balance. Particularly, because I will have a law degree from a decent school, a Big 4 name on my resume, and an undergraduate business degree from a good college, employers come knocking. I post my resume in the "Finance & Accounting" section of any job board and suddenly, I am inundated by phone calls from headhunters and future employers looking for that finance person with the right pedigree; an accounting person who understands the numbers, the law, and can speak with authority to upper management. Basically: An accountant who can talk and write clearly. The compensation is almost as good as a lawyer's (if not better).

Something entirely different: I have also been thinking about doing something that is entirely different, but something where I can use all my skills to their fullest potential. Likely, something that would appeal to my entrepreneurial spirit (perhaps starting my own business?). But I don't know; just kicking around ideas.

So the question is: What do I want to do and where does God want me? The answer to that question will determine my future for the next 10 years. I need all the prayer I can get on this one.

2006-05-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

Welp, for all you Halo fans out there. There's a new trailer out for Halo 3 at Bungie.

2006-05-04T01:23:00.000-07:00

I think my favorite jazz artist at the moment is Jamie Cullum. Just has that smooth sound and he works the piano pretty well. J likes "Mind Trick". I like "High & Dry". I apologize that these links don't actually get you straight to the song but you can click through to each song and check it out for yourself. Good stuff.

As for me, I am in the midst of a nightmarish group of finals.

2006-04-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

Busy Busy Busy Bee I Am!

Final exams are right around the corner. The Bar Exam is on deck. The Wedding is getting his helmet and bat. Too much to do!

In the meantime, on Saturday, J and I chose photos to be put in our little wedding album. We also chose the photo that will be displayed prominently before our banquet, a shot of J and I in the Japanese Tea Garden. I liked the photo; J, not so much. But J, being the loving fiancee that she is, decided to go with the photo I liked instead of the photo she preferred.

Afterwards, I met up with MiscMusings to study and together with J, we all went to Moki Sushi, a small sushi restaurant in the middle of a quaint Bernal Heights neighborhood for dinner and followed that up with a showing of "Inside Man", a bank heist movie featuring Clive Owen, Denzel Washington, and Jodie Foster. The sushi was really really really good. The Mochi ice cream we had afterwards at the restaurant was incredible. The movie was pretty good in my opinion. All in all, a great time.

2006-03-27T13:03:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I've been a slacker about blogging; here's a post to catch you all up:

3/10-3/17: Hong Kong

Yep, I flew to Hong Kong with my Mom for a week. It was a true whirlwind trip as my Mom and I rushed to take care of wedding things (invitations and favors etc.) but I really enjoyed it, as usual. I did some studying with my buddy AY in some cool locales: a Starbucks location in Central District ("Jung Wan" to all you who are familiar) on Hong Kong Island, Pacific Coffee and Starbucks in the IFC complex (has to be one of the world's tallest buildings), Pacific Coffee on Nathan Road in Tsim Tsa Tsui. Had tons of good food. Did some shopping but at this time of year, there are few sales and good deals. There are some things in Hong Kong that really make you feel as if the United States is a Third World country, not the least of which is the cellphone capabilities.

3/17-Now: San Francisco.

Jet lagged. Tired while in class. But overall excited because: UCLA IS IN THE FINAL FOUR!!!!!!! UCLA is back and it'd be sweet for the Bruins to win a National Championship. I have said that this team is alot of fun to watch and it reminds me of why I love this time of year. Also, as in past years, Fantasy Baseball is starting up and having now participated in the two baseball drafts I was supposed to participate in this year, I can say that I feel pretty good about my teams. They aren't as good as I'd like them to be but you can only do so much.

Wedding Stuff

Lots to do. Part of the problem is that there is just so much going on... must remember to call PJW today...

2006-03-03T00:19:00.000-08:00

The Nike Jumpman Commercial: 2nd Generation is pretty sweet. I remember trying to imitate some of these moves in college and high school while trying to improve my game. I think I could still go from right to left using my dominant hand, stop, cross over, and while bringing the ball up with my off-hand, simultaneously square up, take a jumper.... all net.... at least in my mind, I could.

2006-02-14T01:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Yesterday, I surprised J with a red rose at her workplace. It was fun. I think I might have surprised her officemate (who happened to open the door) even more.

2006-02-13T13:24:00.000-08:00

Rahrahrah

There's been alot of rahrahrah in the news lately about the Bush Administration's NSA domestic wiretapping program. Most people take the view that if the President is doing this to protect the country, then he should be able to do it. The problem with this view is: How do you know whether the President is just doing this for the good of the country if he refuses to tell anyone (including Congress and the Courts) about it?

Anyhow, I could talk more about this but I think it'd turn into a rant against President Bush, which isn't my intent with this post.

My next post: About Valentine's Day and Love.

2006-02-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

Wedding Registry Blues

J and I are considering whether to have our registry at Amazon.com instead of the usual Macy's and Crate and Barrel (through weddingchannel.com). Reason: Macy's and Crate and Barrel charge you through the nose in shipping. At Amazon, every order over 25 bucks has free shipping. On top of that Amazon is like the one stop shop. We literally could put everything we need on Amazon instead of splitting things up between Macy's and Crate and Barrel. On top of that, I believe most stuff at Amazon is much cheaper and better. What do you all think?

2006-01-31T21:12:00.000-08:00

I was reading Jedimaster Dan's blog, and he offered up this quote from Wayne Gretzky,

"You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

-Wayne Gretzky.

I decided that's an accurate quote for many things so I decided to make a collage of quotes (sort of). Dan might have been using Gretzky's quotes in another context but I will use it to represent what it's like to be a single guy in the dating world and then to find the one for him.

"You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

-Wayne Gretzky.

"Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love."

-Charles M. Schulz (Charlie Brown)

"Fortune favors the brave."

-Virgil

"To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides."

-David Viscott

2006-01-30T12:23:00.000-08:00

I hate being sick. I hate being sick while physically located in my law school's library. But while I'm here, I guess I'll comment on the general state of affairs:

The Wedding Planning is going smoothly.
-Restaurant: check
-Church: check
-Band: check
-Musicians: check
-Photography: check
-Videography: check
-Cake: TBD
-Flowers: TBD
-Pastor: TBD
-Invitations: TBD
-Programs: TBD
-Wedding dress (for J): Very concerned but out of my jurisdiction (jx).
-Tux: TBD

The Jobsearch has ground to a halt. Mostly due to me being lazy.

Bar exam preparation has not yet begun. Any advice out there? Much appreciated.

New Toys at Home:

-42" HDTV Samsung Plasma TV: very yummy. I never knew that sheep could look so good on TV! My Mom bought it last week and man, I can't wait to get a job so I can buy one too.

-Treadmill: Ok, the new treadmill is set up. J bought me a treadmill to help encourage me to lose weight before the wedding. It will be a part of our exercise room in our new house after we get married. I've used it once. It's pretty darn good.

2006-01-23T19:30:00.000-08:00

It's official: NBC is cancelling The West Wing. Bummer.

2006-01-18T15:19:00.000-08:00

In case you missed SNL's skit/rap "Chronicles of Narnia" (like if you lived in Taiwan or something),

Here it is.

2006-01-17T21:05:00.000-08:00

Some Brothers in Christ that I have met have an impression that the ACLU is anti-Christian and I simply don't believe it. Here is a webpage that lists just some of the cases the ACLU has taken on for the sake of defending Christians' right to practice their faith freely.

2006-01-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

I have started school again.... aiyah.

During my vacation (which was far too short!), I did get to watch a number of movies. Here are my reviews:

Chronicles of Narnia: I'd give it 7 on a 10 scale. The story was majestic and it was fun but the movie just wasn't of the same quality as The Lord of the Rings.

Memoirs of a Geisha: A really compelling story. Beautiful cinematography. A bit sad but the storytelling was fabulous. I'd give it 8.5 on a 10 scale.

King Kong: The first hour was a little slow but after that it really picked up and was quite good. Action packed and it was a weird but good love story. It's ironic how King Kong could communicate its feeling for Naomi Watt's character through action better than a man could with words. I'd give it an 8.5 on a 10 scale.

Munich: This was also a great story but really really sad. There's an irony what killing does to a man. Also, this movie has some great great quotes. I'd give it an 8 out of 10.

The Producers: I loved the musical. J and I had front row seats to the performance in Sacramento. Perhaps that is why I was disappointed with the movie. It just didn't quite capture me. Perhaps it was the lack of live performers or perhaps a lack of personal touch that was done by the performers in Sacramento but anyhow, it just wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be. I'd give it a 7 out of 10.

Pride and Prejudice: Ok, first I admit: I love the book. It's the romantic side of me and the love of a great wit. Today with the emergency of text messaging and email, the art of long-written personally touching elegant letters has been lost. Keira Knightley is really the perfect girl for the role of Eliza Bennett. She has just the right spunk to play the role. It's a great movie. The dialogue is a little hard to follow unless you've read the book but I really enjoyed it. I'd give it a 9 out of 10.

2005-12-29T12:16:00.000-08:00

I've come to appreciate how incredibly expensive weddings are as I finally sat down last night to put together a wedding budget. It seems impossible to have a wedding budgeted to be under $30,000 when you have 350 guests. If anyone has any ideas how to plan a low budget wedding (besides scheduling it in the off-season since we have already set a date in the peak season), please comment away!

2005-12-20T16:36:00.000-08:00

Finals are now done. Paper is done. Everything is done. I can finally rest...

2005-12-16T17:49:00.000-08:00

Following Jedimaster Dan's lead...
FOUR JOBS YOU'VE HAD IN YOUR LIFE:
1. Accountant
2. Tutor
3. Law Clerk
4. Teacher's Assistant

FOUR MOVIES YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER:
1. Shawshank Redemption
2. A Few Good Men
3. The Usual Suspects
4. Field of Dreams

FOUR CITIES YOU'VE LIVED IN:
1. San Francisco
2. Los Angeles
3. Sacramento
4. Washington, D.C.

FOUR TV SHOWS YOU LOVE TO WATCH:
1. The West Wing
2. Alias
3. ESPN Sportscenter
4. Will and Grace

FOUR COUNTRIES YOU'VE BEEN ON VACATION:
1. Hong Kong
2. Canada
3. Mexico
4. Macau

FOUR WEBSITES YOU VISIT DAILY:
1. espn.com
2. www.bensbargains.net
3. rotoworld.com
4. yahoo.com

FOUR OF YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE RESTAURANTS:
1. You See Sushi
2. In'N'Out
3. Bix
4. Top of the Mark

FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE FOODS:
1. Sushi
2. Steak
3. Apple Pie a la mode.
4. Korean BBQ

FOUR SCHOOLS YOU'VE ATTENDED:
1. UCLA
2. UC Hastings College of the Law
3. Lowell High School
4. St. Monica School

FOUR PLACES I'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
1. Hong Kong
2. Hawaii
3. Europe
4. Japan

FOUR THINGS YOU FIND YOURSELF SAYING
1. "You know..."
2. Tax is so hard.
3. I have a headache
4. I'm hungry.

2005-12-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

Could the government be spying on you?

I know, I know... a lot of people would say that they will accept burdens on their freedoms in exchange for security.

I won't even get into the legal arguments against this. I'll just repeat an old maxim: the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Edit:

Saw a better and more applicable quote from Ben Franklin:

"those who would give up a little liberty for a little security will wind up with neither and rightly so."

2005-12-14T12:13:00.000-08:00

You know that you suffered during a final exam when another professor you are taking a class with, remarks in response to your complaints about the other exam, "I once took an exam with Professor H.... I remember walking out and thinking, 'yeah, I got about a D, if I failed, I'll be really mad'...."

2005-12-13T11:20:00.000-08:00

Endtimes Near?

This past Sunday, Pastor J delivered a message that the endtimes are near, that the US is the beast (because the US worships no God), and that the Babylon referenced in Revelations is Iraq.

Not any of this is particularly new to me, except I've never seen a Pastor preach on it.

Silver Lining: When I talked about it with J, I told her that the coming of Christ would be great for me right now... I wouldn't have to take tomorrow International Tax Final... woohoo!

But in all seriousness, this means I ought to work harder to bring as many as I can to Christ in the coming few years....

2005-12-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

Want an XBox 360?

Go to Japan!

If you're gonna pay $1300 for it on EBay, might as well buy yourself a plane ticket and save yourself some money in Japan...

2005-12-13T11:05:00.000-08:00

Quotes I heard during my final exam yesterday from fellow students:
" Oh God... Oh God..."...
"I hope I passed..."
"I left the answer for that question blank..." (Note: 9 questions/ 3 hours)
It was that hard. Wicked hard. Dunno how well I did. Hope I got a B.... some questions I didn't even understand what the question was... let alone, figure out the answer...

2005-12-11T22:53:00.000-08:00

Lately, since I'm am engaged and to be married next year, I have been paying much more attention to the housing market. I have been thinking alot about rising inventory levels at certain housing markets, thinking high-level about inflation and interest rates, the US interest in having China change its peg of the Yuan against the US dollar, and other such (far too heady) things. I have also been reading alot on the web and I found an online blog-piece that is pretty convincing about the housing situation for next year and 2007.

Here is the article.

Anyhow, we'll see. Being in law school means I don't have the money to purchase a house anyhow so hopefully the article's right and I can buy one at the right time when I actually do have a job....

In other news, I have my first final tomorrow... OH NO! I better study.

2005-12-06T00:34:00.000-08:00

T-6 days til my first Final.

And I have not yet started studying for it!

Been busy studying for my other two finals which come right after my first one. But I'll get around to studying for it starting Thursday!

In other news, my poor beloved Bruins got beaten to a pulp by the Trojans of USC. That really sucked.

2005-12-04T01:13:00.000-08:00

Looks like I will not be moving to the East Coast... got this email (paraphrased) yesterday:

"Dear Alfdabruin,
Sorry chap, we can't offer you nor anyone else a job. We just don't have the budget to hire anyone. We hope one day we will have a budget to hire you. Best of luck."

C'est la vie.

2005-12-02T11:09:00.000-08:00

Three weeks from now, I will be a Tax nerd.

I have three finals: Non Profit Tax, International Tax, and Corporate and Partnership Tax....

Tax is so needlessly complex....

My brain is so tired....

2005-11-28T11:06:00.000-08:00

Spent a good deal of my weekend watching the series "Firefly" with Echangster. Coincidentally, it is now on sale at Amazon.com. I coulda saved myself $20. Anyhow, great series, two thumbs up. A definite must see before watching the movie, "Serenity".

2005-11-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving to Chrstimas used to be my favorite time of the year. Gathering with family, hanging out, having great food, and just generally relaxing... ahhhh.... how I miss those days...

And then I came to law school. Thanksgiving has become the all-out studying blitz-time with finals coming just around the corner. Law school transformed one of my favorite holidays to one which I basically look at with dread....

Oh how I can't wait to finish law school...

2005-11-03T02:01:00.000-08:00

The American Center for Law and Justice

If any of you folks are donors to the ACLJ, you really should read this article:

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1130499506270

It makes me mad to see that some people are personally benefitting by using millions of dollars from donations of believers and just lining their pockets with it when we have missionaries and workers in the field who could use all the financial aid they can get...

2005-10-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

In our weddin gnews, J and I have set the big date: Aug. 12th, 2006. Reserved the church. Put down the deposit for the restaurant. Now, gotta do invitations, wedding registry, get a DJ, get a photographer, decide on the menu, plan the low budget honeymoon... what am I forgetting?

2005-10-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

Constitutional Law Food for Thought today... (from volokh.com)

"The very purpose of a Bill of Rights," Justice Jackson wrote in a 1943 flag-salute case, "was to withdraw certain subjects from the vicissitudes of political controversy, to place them beyond the reach of majorities and officials and to establish them as legal principles to be applied by the courts. One's right to life, liberty, and property, to free speech, a free press, freedom of worship and assembly, and other fundamental rights may not be submitted to vote; they depend on the outcome of no elections."

2005-10-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

I think this is kinda neat.

2005-10-01T02:16:00.000-07:00

Serenity

Since I am a closet sci-fi fan, I decided to watch the movie called "Serenity" tonight. "Serenity" continues the story of a cancelled FOX TV series called "Firefly", which was about the crew of a spaceship (or perhaps more accurately called a spaceboat) flying about the galaxy in search of jobs, work, and food. Sounds alot like real life huh? Anyways, I remember the TV series as witty, funny, and a bit edgy. I also remember that it didn't last a full season (all of 11 episodes) but I did like it. So, I convinced J to come watch it with me and like any good significant other, she took it with a smile even though I knew I was basically dragging her along. At the end of the movie, J told me she really liked it and I actually came away thinking it was very good but somehow, I felt a bit more disturbed by it. Part of it is because there are two sets of bad guys in this movie and I'm not sure which one is more frightening... both are pretty scary on different levels... anyways, check the movie out, if J, a girl who only likes romantic comedies generally, can like it, so can you!

2005-09-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

The stories coming out of New Orleans are really quite atrocious and a bit traumatazing. Just a few days ago I had read that the New Orleans Police Department spokesman Paul Accardo had released a statement regarding the police department's efforts. This afternoon, I read that Paul Accardo committed suicide yesterday. Clearly, whatever is going on over there, it's a nightmare...

2005-08-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

It's funny. I leave the Bay Area for 3 months and when I come back, all these people are dating.... what the heck?!?!?!?!?! I am so out of the loop!

2005-08-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

For the Love of the Game:

MARC Commuter Train ticket from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore, MD: $7
One Night Hotel stay at the Wyndham in the inner harbor area of Baltimore: $75
One Amtrak Train Ticket back to Washington, D.C. from Baltimore, MD: $17
Catching an Orioles game at Camden Yards with college friend's parents who consider you family: priceless.

One of my hobbies/obsessions/passions/loves is baseball; be it fantasy baseball, baseball simulation, reading about baseball, watching baseball, or playing baseball. If I had a dream job, it would be General Manager of the SF Giants... heck, I'll even settle for Assistant to the General Manager of the Giants. So far this summer, I've been blessed to watch baseball in two different venues: the Tigers' Comerica Park, and the Nat's RFK Stadium. On Friday, I'm going to an O's game at Camden Yards, reputed to be one of the most beautiful parks in America. (We'll see about that, I haven't seen anything that matches PacBell.)

Anyhow, I'm excited about going and thought you all should know. Yes, Friday night is just a mere 24 hours before my flight leaves D.C. headed for home. I'll be on the train back to D.C. Saturday morning.

2005-08-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

Nominate the ultimate jetrosexual?

Highlights from the "Commandments of a Jetrosexual" on the Virgin Atlantic website:

11. Thou shalt have thine passport ready to go at a moment's notice.

7. Thou shalt be able to order a beer in six different languages.

5. Thou shalt be able to pack a week's worth of clothes into a signle carry-on bag.

4. Thou shalt not own one of those inflatable neck pillows.

3. Thou shalt have at least one passport stamp from a country that now goes by a different name.

2. Thou shalt travel Economy class, on rare occasions, just to keep thineself humble.

Man, I love British humor.

2005-08-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

Going Home

I have been here in Washington D.C. for the last two months but this week will be my last here at the Capitol. Washington D.C. is a nice place to visit for maybe a week but I think living here is not that much fun. Too many people here are caught up in the politics and while politics can be engaging; it's not so much so when it's the topic of conversation every day.

On a side note, I went to service at McLean Bible Church yesterday. McLean is the super church located in Virginia. My roommate told me they spent $94 million on their facilities, which includes stadium seating (the sanctuary I estimate seats 5,000-10,000 easily), a full fledged parking garage - the size of which rivals any Ikea parking garage I've ever been to, a full gymnasium, a fully stocked cafe where you can get your coffee before service, and convention hall area that reminds me of an airport - complete with airport style counters where you can learn about the various ministries McLean is involved in. My only complaint is that they didn't have cupholders in the armrests. Just kidding of course. But seriously, yesterday's message at Frontline (that's their Late Late Service/Young Adult ministry) was "off the hook". You can download it here. The title is "In Jesus Name" which was delivered by Todd Philips on August 7th. Check it out. (Note: The replay is not likely to be as good as seeing the messae live as for some of it, you kinda had to have been there).

2005-08-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

Couldn't quite match up with echangster... but, still not that bad...

Your IQ Is 125

Your Logical Intelligence is Exceptional
Your Verbal Intelligence is Exceptional
Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius
Your General Knowledge is Exceptional

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

2005-08-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

Fantasy Sports and the Law

This is an absolute hilarious blogpost (from a "Fantasy Football widow") about Fantasy Sports and the law. Be sure to read the comments, they are absolutely precious...

My favorite comment...

"With Fantasy Football, players have to watch every NFL game. There's an NFL game on nearly every day during the season."

Response: In a perfect world maybe. But in real life we can only watch football on two days per week. All games are on Sunday except for one Monday night game. There are occasional Saturday games after the college season ends. And of course there is a game on Thanksgiving, a holiday in which we give thanks for football. I think there might be a few early season Thursday games as well. But every day? Not by a long shot.

"I live in Wisconsin. If I decided to bet with Jason in my suite (hi, Jason!) on the Green Bay Packers v. Minnesota Vikings game, that's illegal under WI law."

Response: I think it's only illegal if you bet on the Vikings.

2005-07-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

Christianity's Alliance with Neo-Conservativism and its Hatred of the "Useful Idiots"

Last Sunday, I attended Capitol Hill Baptist Church here in D.C. (capitolhillbaptist.org). Afterwards, I went to lunch with some brothers-in-Christ and our discussion somehow got on the topic of church politics and one of the Presbyterian networks. Particularly, one brother said that the Presbyterian churches out west and in the northeast are "out to lunch" and that many presbyterian churhces spew "wishy-washy" theology and that only maybe 5% of the churches are "truly evangelical" because these churches allegedly support gay rights in some shape or form. I do sense now, more than ever, a sense of struggle within the body of believers. I did not sense it so strongly within the confines of my safe, non-controversial home church in San Francisco. What I found so troubling about my brother's statement is this sense of contempt for other believers. And if he is so contemptuous of other believers, how much more so with non-believers!?! It reminded me very much of Ann Coulter and the neo-conservative (see Fox News Channel) hatred/contempt for all things liberal. I find it very troubling.

I find it troubling because there is a serious rift among believers that may prove fatal for the body of believers. Such contempt amongst believers suggest that we, as believers, are not living out the Lord's message of grace. For if we cannot extend grace to brothers and sisters in Christ, we cannot extend grace to non-believers. Anyhow, to me, it's troubling. I will pray tonight on it.

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life." 1 Timothy 15-16.

2005-07-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

8 Mile

So I flew out to Detroit to spend some time with and pray for my bro KL. KL and I go way back when we were both high school juniors at Lowell. KL is one of the brothers-in-Christ who really inspire me each day, a rock solid bro. An outsider who meets him sees the Asian GM Engineer with the engineering masters degree from Stanford. An insider sees the D.J. who spins Christian hip hop (as his ministry) for Christian concerts on the bad side of town. That's my bro KL. 8 Mile is the street made famous by Eminem's movie. You see, 8 Mile splits the city of Detroit in half. North of 8 Mile are the nice neighborhoods of Detroit. South takes you to the crackhouses and run-down shacks of the 'hood. KL lives on 7 Mile, which is south of 8 Mile. He told me that the first time he drove across 8 Mile at night, the street reminded him of the road in the movie, "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" (with the trees shaking and the wind blowing somewhat) at the moment when Frodo looks down the path and tells the other hobbits to get down as the wraiths were about to come flying down the path. A little scary. KL lives in a fairly run-down house with 3 African American bros-in-Christ and from what I can tell, he loves living with them. Not because they have lots of material things, but because the bros inspire him to pray fervently and to beat down his flesh every day. I went up there and I too was inspired by my bro KL and the way he lives his faith out loud. I got to meet his family (should I say "our family"?) of bros and sisters in Christ and they welcomed me warmly into their community. We checked out a baseball game at Comerica Field and most importantly, I got to pray alot with my bro KL. He'll be moving to Shanghai in 8 days and I'm gonna miss him. I just hope that I will remember to pray for him each day.

2005-07-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with Echangster in DC.

Always good hanging with Echangster. Our two entourages met up in DC and it was a fun time had by all. Tapas were eaten. Sangria was consumed. A pretty fun time altogether.

War of the Worlds

After we split up into our respective entourages, my group, the Hastings gang, went out to watch "War of the Worlds", which was good, but also intense at some points. I'd recommend watching it, but just once. I think it's way way too dark and I came out of it with an emotional drain.

2005-06-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this verdict:
Scrushy gets off. This proves the fallacy of trying a man in a forum where he is famous for his philanthropy.

More background on this man: USA Today Article

I cannot look into Richard Scrushy's heart but as a believer, I hope his faith is true because if it is not, I sincerely doubt God would stand for it. Also if it is not, people who take advantage of our religion really give Christians (and God) a bad name.

Lastly, if I was the SEC attorney on this case (which I'm not) (by the way, just cuz he gets off on the criminal charges doesn't mean that we can't go after him on civil charges, which has a signficantly lower burden of proof), I would have no problem going after him to the full extent that I could.

2005-06-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Welp, my grade in Con Law has confirmed what I already know: I really like Con Law. It's too bad my other grades aren't so solid. If they were, I might have had a shot at a clerkship somewhere.

2005-06-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

China and Energy

I don't know how many of you know about CNOOC's bid to takeover Unocal, but it certainly signals a disturbing fact: The United States will be competing with China for oil and energy. Right now, the US really has two choices: work together with China and try to forge some sort of relationship where both countries come out a little disappointed with their energy supplies, or take a hostile stance and compete with China for oil fields/energy sources, which could lead to war (one day) (comparisons to Japan in the 1930's abound)... I dunno about you but that's a scary thought... energy/oil is the one commodity that drives the world's economy. The environment will be the first casualty to that sad fact. I just hope there aren't any other casualties as well.

2005-06-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

You scored as Yoda.

Yoda

69%

Anakin Skywalker

61%

Clone Trooper

56%

R2-D2

50%

Padme Amidala

47%

Mace Windu

44%

General Grievous

44%

Obi Wan Kenobi

39%

C-3PO

31%

Darth Vader

28%

Chewbacca

25%

Emperor Palpatine

14%

Which Revenge of the Sith Character are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

2005-06-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

Batman Begins

I saw this with fellow interns I and J. It was really quite good. Go see it.

Working

So, I have now finished 2 weeks working at my new job/internship. The entrance to the office building is a non-descript side door in Union Station. If you didn't know any better, you would think it's just some access door with people going inside it Amtrak employees. But, no all the people who step through those doors are under oath to serve this country dutifully.

2005-06-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

Washington, D.C.

I don't know why but I have seen and experienced some of the worst service here in D.C.. Some are slow as molasses. Some are just plain rude to customers. I just don't get it.

I went from Hong Kong where they serve you well and they don't expect a tip to Washington, D.C. where they serve you horribly and expect a big tip for it.

2005-06-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong, May 25th

I took J shopping around the Causeway Bay area and we spent most of the day shopping at Sogo, this huge department store. Think Macy's Union Square except twice as large with 1,000 times more people. There was literally no space to manouver throughout the store. I had never seen so many people shopping at once. After shopping, it started to drizzle a little but I insisted that we stick to our plan to stop by The Peak. For those of you who don't know, the Peak is the top of this mountain on Hong Kong Island. It overlooks the many skyscrapers in Hong Kong's Central and Wan Chai districts. It was about 6 pm and we had dinner reservations at 8 on the other side of the harbor in Kowloon so we had to hurry to make it up the Peak. We got a taxi and while it drove up the mountain, I was thinking alot about what made J so special to me: her lovingkindness, her gentle nature, her love for Christ, her giggle every time we make fun of each other, her love for all things cute and cuddly, her voice when she sings worship, her patience when I'm stressed out, just to name a few. We got to The Peak at around 6:45 and decided to do just a little more shopping (there's a mall at the top of the Peak). We also decided to have some french fries, apple pies and water. The McDonald's in Hong Kong are great because they serve the old apple pies, the ones that are deep fried rather than baked... mmm mmm good. Anyhow, we finally got out to the observation deck and we took some pictures. We tried one of those coin-operated binocular scope things with little success. And after looking out at the lights and skyline of Hong Kong one more time, I told J that there was just one last thing we needed to do up at The Peak. I got on one knee and told her that I love her and asked her to marry me with a purple lifesaver. Yes, a purple lifesaver....

2005-05-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

This quote from former California governor and Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren is so true:

"Many people consider the things government does for them to be social progress but they regard the things government does for others as socialism."

2005-05-16T00:18:00.000-07:00

Fantasy Baseball Update

It is now getting close to the end of May. April and May are the months that you, as a Fantasy Baseball GM, just want your team to be competitive. The first two months are when the desperation add-drops start to occur. Two years ago, I picked up Sean Green off the waiver wire when he batted under .220 in April and May with fewer than 3 Home Runs. He finished with 42 Home Runs, 114 RBI's, and a .282 batting average. Guess what? He's on the waiver wire again.... Anyhow, my theory has always been the contenders are separated from the pretenders in the months of June, July, and August. So we are nearing the key stretch for my squad. There's alot to be said for the age-old axiom: "It's not how you start... but how you finish." Thankfully, my team is off to a fast start, led by an overachieving pitching staff and 4 key offensive studmuffins: Abreu, Dunn, Glaus, and Barmes. But we'll see in the upcoming months whether my team is a contender, or a pretender. And we'll see how we finish.

Current Contenders: GHai's team, Millbrae's team, and AlfDaBruin's team

2005-05-04T23:21:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, J and I discovered a great song named "Home", sung by Michael Buble. (And if you are a lady, I'm sure you will find him quite attractive. Fortunately for me, J has never seen his picture ...) We had no idea who this guy was so I, naturally, got the song from iTunes and last week, Starbucks started selling his CD. Clearly, someone at Starbucks has the same taste. But anyhow, check him out. He's really good.

Check out these lyrics:

"Home"
By: Michael Buble

Another summer day
Is come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm

Maybe surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
“I’m fine baby, how are you?”
Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life
It’s like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
But this was not your dream
But you always believe in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
And even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel alone
Oh, let go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all right
I’ll be home tonight
I’m coming back home

2005-05-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

I know.... just following echangster on this one... but I've got a final tomorrow and nothing original to say at the moment...

>

American Cities That Best Fit You:

80% Honolulu

65% Austin

65% San Diego

60% Atlanta

60% Miami

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

2005-04-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

So, I'm going to Washington, D.C. to work this summer and unfortunately, I'm finding it pretty difficult to find a place to stay for the summer. I've been searching feverishly through Craigslist and other places and it's just not easy... if you guys have any suggestions, it'd be much appreciated...

2005-04-14T02:14:00.000-07:00

My computer is crash proof!

For the first time since I've had this computer (2+ years), it has not crashed on me in 24 hour period. These new drivers (especially not installing certain parts of the video card drivers) have made my computer stable! WOOHOO!

I know... joy in small wonders...

UPDATE: Looks like my computer now will only crash if I'm running Mozilla... boo! No more Mozilla!

2005-04-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

The funny thing about Republicans attacking the Supreme Court is that 7 of the 9 justices were appointed by Republicans.

2005-03-21T10:22:00.000-08:00

It's late March and that means it's time for... fantasy baseball! There are many closet fantasy baseball aficionados out there and I am definitely one... I still remember my very first draft in 1993, when I compiled my list of players by manually inputting their statistics from the year before on Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets to determine which players were most valuable.... it's now 2005, and I'm still inputting players into MS Excel Spreadsheets... technology has changed but old habits die hard...

2005-03-19T01:09:00.000-08:00

Tonight, my gf and I watched Nobody Knows, a deeply moving and yet, disturbing movie about 4 children abandoned by their mother. It was very gripping... would really recommend you go watch it, but it is really tragic. Makes you realize just how lucky we are and how much we need to be lights in a world of darkness.

2005-03-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

I forgot my cellphone at my gf's apartment in Sacramento, I'm gonna be stuck in Fremont this whole day, and I'll be in SF the rest of the week so... I'll be without my cellphone a whole 4 days....

While almost as bad as miscmusing's locking herself out from her apartment for the day, I'm coming to realize how dependent upon the cellphone I am. Nonetheless, it's still not that bad because: (1) I have the keys to my home and car, (2) I have my laptop and wireless access at Starbucks, and (3) I took the liberty to memorize some phone #'s on my cellphone.

Still, not being able to contact anyone by phone is kinda sucky...

2005-03-09T15:09:00.000-08:00

Bush's Second Law of his Second Term

New Bankruptcy Laws favor Credit Card companies.

He definitely has a pro-business agenda this second term. I hope he has the American people in mind...

Note: Over 50% of personal bankruptcies arise from medical emergencies/medical conditions...

2005-03-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

My computer crashes alot. That's why I really want to kick it sometimes.... or throw it out the window... stupid computer!

On another note, one of my college friends is getting married next week. I didn't even know she was engaged! I realize though, that I haven't spoken to her in a little over a year so alot could have happened in that time... but it still shocked me a little when I received my invitation in the mail...

Update: I just viewed my friend's wedding registry and true to her form, my friend asked for many items that are on sale or less than 20 bucks... (and there's fewer than 25 items on the registry)...

2005-02-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

The Warriors have acquired my boy Baron Davis! Woohoo! I used to watch BD ball at UCLA and he was THE MAN! I'm going to go to a couple games now to watch BD play... (I would much rather have 30 games of a healthy BD than 80 games of a healthy Speedy Claxton, who always got hurt anyways)

2005-02-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

March is around the corner which means... baseball season is almost here! I don't know why I love baseball so much but there's something to the look and smell of grass... the "crack!" of baseball on a wooden bat... the peanuts guy going "Peanuts here!" ... the buzz of fans walking into the stadium... the pounding of a baseball into the catcher's mitt... the umpire calling strike three ... and the "ROAR!" of 40,000 fans as baseball leaves the yard for a home run... man, baseball is great!

2005-02-23T12:20:00.000-08:00

God's Grace

This weekend my gf's community group at SCBC is going to be serving food to the homeless at Glide Memorial Church, a Methodist church here in SF. Glide is famous for its acts of mercy. The thing is as a Methodist church, Glide's beliefs do not totally coincide my beliefs (particularly pertaining to homosexuality/gays/lesbians, etc). A friend of mine, the current leader of the Christian fellowship at my law school, expressed concern that participation in serving meals at Glide would be tantamount to a tacit approval of Glide's orthodoxy. However, somehow, I don't think Jesus would let that fact stop him from feeding the homeless and I think that by not going, we would implicitly be saying that God's grace is not sufficient for all sins. Anyhow, just some random thoughts of mine... after all, I'm definitely no theological scholar...

2005-02-23T01:20:00.000-08:00

You are Ephesians.

Which book of the Bible are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

2005-02-20T22:00:00.000-08:00

There are times where someone comes up to me seeking advice on some pressing matter. Sometimes, it has to do with money. Sometimes, it has to do with family. Sometimes, it has to do with love. Sometimes, it has to do with death. Sometimes, it has to do with relationships. Sometimes, I just wish I could duck these questions.... or punt on them because of my lack of experience and my youth... but I can't... because sometimes, people have no other person to go or no other person whom they feel comfortable talking to... and the burden feels so heavy.

2005-02-16T13:18:00.000-08:00

I was curious to investigate further who the nominees are so here they are.... I might investigate a few of them just to see what their qualifications are and why they are being filibustered... if I have time..

2005-02-16T13:03:00.000-08:00

From the PBS News Hour, a Democrat Senator criticizes the judges that President Bush has nominated. If what he says is true and not taken out of context, it's a little scary...

"SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER: Yeah. The bottom line is the judges we have blocked want to turn the clock back. They don't want to be narrow interpretation of the law. Their view of narrow interpretation of the law is to turn the clock back to the 1890s.

One of the judges that they nominated said, "God's gift to white people was slavery." A judge they nominated said the purpose of a man is to be subjugated to a woman. A judge we blocked, we blocked those two. A judge they nominated said there should be no zoning laws. If someone wanted to build a factory right next to your home, that's a taking of property. And a final one said there should be no labor laws, no minimum wage, no wages and hours, no worker protection laws, because those were all takings, unconstitutional takings.

The people we have blocked are extremists, and if they were to go forward, the America we know, the changes we have made to making America a more fair and humane place, would be gone; and we'd go back to the 1890s where those who had the power got their way completely. They can't do it in the Congress. They can't even do it when they elect a president. So they're trying in the courts. It's our job to block them. "

2005-02-15T10:06:00.000-08:00

We are having a Lumps downtown lunch on Monday, the 28th at Bistro Burger in Downtown SF. Let me know if you care to join!

2005-02-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

You can now get a Ph.D. in video gaming. How cool is that? Unfortunately, it's at USC...

2005-02-10T01:16:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, one of my favorite shows is The West Wing. Well, if you watch the West Wing like I do, you'll notice that lately, they have made mention of Constitutional law professors/scholars and these scholars are REAL-LIFE scholars. A few months ago, they made mention of Vikram Amar, who is a ConLaw professor at my law school. Last night, the Con Law scholar character on the show is a real life law professor, Lawrence Lessig (played by Christopher Lloyd). Anyhow, you can read thoughts from the real Larry Lessig at his blog.

P.S. They just mentioned reform of the Rule Against Perpetuities.... Property! My favorite! Actually, ConLaw is my new favorite subject so this whole debate on presidential power and segregation of powers is great! Man, I love the West Wing...

2005-02-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

President is rattling his sabre again. I sure hope we don't find ourselves in a third theatre of combat...

2005-02-08T16:57:00.000-08:00

The Giants are hosting the Baseball's All-Star Game. Hopefully, it'll be a midsummer classic to remember...

2005-02-07T23:45:00.000-08:00

This Friday at Hastings: A Constitutional law discussion on Same-Sex Marriage featuring Con law scholars from Hastings, USF, an attorney from the Alliance Defense Fund and some other folks. I'm thinking of going... hrm... I did do well in Con Law...

2005-02-06T22:56:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, Valentine's Day is just around the corner and as I have a significant other, I am starting to plan our evening together to celebrate Valentine's Day. What I planned last year is tough to beat: A trip to LA, a day-trip to Catalina Island followed by dinner at the Getty Museum... this year, what should I do? I already have reservations at a very good French Restaurant....

2005-01-24T21:44:00.000-08:00

My brand new DVD-Recorder...

I've never owned a VCR but my DVD Recorder sure is cool!

2005-01-23T01:47:00.000-08:00

2005-01-22T16:19:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts but I'm taking on waaaaay too much work (inside and outside of school)... I'll post when I have more time... all I can say about law school grades is this: Most of the time, you have no idea what the heck the professors are looking for... case in point: Last semester, I took a course that was supposed to be an "easy A"... in fact there's a nickname for the professor, "easy A (last name)", it rhymes w/ the professor's last name. Unfortunately, I got the worst grade I have ever gotten in law school. And of course, conversely, one of the hardest subjects in law school, Con Law, I did really well in.... go figure.

2005-01-21T13:54:00.000-08:00

When you're in love, there is nothing like listening to some Sinatra.... and then doing your best impression of Sinatra for your love...

2005-01-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I'm back in the blogging world....

2004-12-14T03:50:00.000-08:00

And now... I'm DONE with finals! Woohoo!!!