Zhou Dynasty

I haven't written an entry in a while but here's what's on my mind lately... I am convinced that the only reason why Amanda's profile has 5 times more hits than mine is because my counter is broken. I know that sounds like a pathetic excuse for only having 269 hits but I think it's impossible to be stuck on 269 for the past month! I even filled out my profile in detail, clicked on my profile from several locations on different computers but it still remains 269. Ok now that that's settled... I rode the campus connector yesterday and guess who I ran into again, yep, the Jazzman. Man this guy is so awesome, I'm always baffled by the way he and his bus makes everyone smile. At first I didn't notice it was the Jazzman because I got on the bus through the back door. But as soon as I sat down, I saw him look at me through the rear view mirror and when he caught my eye, he gave me the cool Jazzman wink and then turns around and gives me the thumbs up. I am convinced that he thinks I'm someone else, because he didn't do that to anyone else on the bus. When I got off the bus we bumped fists and I wished him a good weekend and he told me to "stay cool". How does one stay so positive during the Minnesota winter when it is 15 degrees out, cloudy all day and you drive a bus full of college kids? Maybe it has to do with the jazz. Later on that day I was driving to Snelling Ave. to drop off my passport in order to get a Chinese visa when someone honked at me. I looked in the mirror and it was a guy in another SUV trying to get by me via the shoulder on the exit from the highway. I moved my car so he can get by and this guy drives by while giving me the finger. What the hell? Why are people so retarded on the road? It made me want to speed up next to him and drive him off the road. But instead I turned to the jazz station and tried to think what the Jazzman would do. I'm sure not everyone on the road is a bastard because I know some of my friends who drive like bastards and yell at people who drive slow. People usually get carried away with this road rage, they honk and flip fingers before they listen to jazz and try to think from the other driver's perspective.

It is only 6°F today, so cold. I can't wait to be done with school as this is the last week of instruction. After my final on the 17th I will be done with my bachelor's degrees and moving on to bigger and better things like, like, like making money and stuff. Actually the college experience I had from 2000 to 2005 is priceless to me and even though I am happy to graduate, I am sad to leave that phase of my life which was filled with many adventures and times of good laughs. The times I smiled most during my entire college career was being in the company of friends. And there were the times when I wished that I could wake up from the nightmare, the nightmares of engineering exams and cramming all night just so you can get a 40 the next day, which turns out to be average. There are so many important things I learned in college, one of them is persistence. Even though I wasn't built for engineering and dreaded math, I stuck to it and now I'm going to graduate, with a job lined up that I'm very much looking forward to. I've also learned about composure, how to keep your cool when you receive scores that are not up to your expectation. In fact I got so good at it that poor scores didn't affect my mood at all, maybe I had too much practice there. I'm also thankful for all the people I've met and gotten to know over the years, everyone has had a very positive impact on my life, you know who you are, punks. Actually if you are reading this right now, it is most likely that you've affected my life in a positive way. I'm also scared of what's going to come next. Most of us are still pretty young and not married. But what happens when we're all married? It is so hard to imagine that all the happiness that comes from your friends will no longer be the leading factor in your life. I know that transition will come soon and even though I hate to admit it, I feel that the next phase will make life even more precious.

I think it's time. Yeah it is definately time. It's time for me to get back into shape. I haven't been working out consistenty for the past 2 years and it is really starting to affect my health. I remember when I first started college, I was built, lean, and full of energy. After just 5 years, I am 25 pounds heavier and my 6-pack has been covered by a layer of fat, like the ground that's been covered by snow after a Minnesota snow storm. Drinking all those beers, living at Michelle's house, and not exercising has really taken a toll on the body. I long for the old days when I had higher energy levels, more alertness, and more muscles. Starting on February 6th, I am going to enroll at a healthclub and get back on the right track. Some of my strategies include: - no more happy hour at Hooters - eating more salads and fruits (I will never give up red meat) - going to the gym right after work - finding an active sport which I enjoy (not golf) - listening to some music at the gym (I am still ipodless Santa) - thinking about how sexy I will look in a pair of black speedos I will lose 15 pounds by April. By that time the snow should be all melted and so should my beer fat.

A couple weekends ago (12/3) I had a little gathering for the guys' that were like brothers like to me during my junior year. We actually had a very similar event three years ago (11/27/02) and thought it would be nice to do it again since everyone is out of school now and don't see each other everyday.

Yesterday was the last day that I'll ever have to be apart of an engineering class. I took my very last final and ran out of the lecture hall with my arms flailing in the air while shouting "I'm FREE! FREE AT LAST!". Actually, I scurried to my car in the parking lot and drove away shivering because it was so damn cold. The thought of being done with school didn't really hit me until I came home. I sat down and started to think about what exam to study for next or what other ridiculously boring engineer course I need to fulfill, I just couldn't think of an answer. That's what I realized I was done with school, done with the 5 and a half years of trying to major in electrical engineering and computer engineering. Sometimes I think about how I could accomplish this despite the fact that I knew I wasn't the engineering type and didn't really enjoy doing math. The only reason why I think I could accomplish my college education not qiving up. During my second year when I talked to my parents about how hard these engineering courses were and how the students were different from me and how I wanted to change majors, they basically said no. They said don't give up or you'll always be giving up in life. I never liked giving up but that usually applies when I playing a game on the console or computer. I never thought I'd take on something this challenging and complete it. The major lesson I learned in college is that no matter how smart or dumb(like me) you think you are, you will always encounter huge challenges in life which will bring upon you the feeling of unbearable anxiety and overwhelming hopelessness. But to give up, is to surrender your future and your dignity.

After 3 delayed flights and one first class upgrade, I finally arrived in Shanghai, 3 hours late. I can't believe every flight was delay due to some weather issue or runway congestion problems. Anyway the trip was fine and didn't seem to take long at all. I watched quite a few movies on the plane because I had one of those personal video screens where you can select movies and play games. It wasn't till the last flight that I got a free upgrade to business class. I got to sit in one of those dome-shaped seats that turn into a bed. It was awesome, I fell asleep immediately and almost missed my salmon dinner. "How's Shanghai?" Well it's cold, but not quite as cold as in Minnesota. The only problem here is that houses/apartments in China tend to lack heating so you're constantly feeling chilly. Another issue with the cold is that in MN, we're not exposed to it for longer than 10 minutes at a time, because we'd probably freeze to death. In MN we're out in the 7F for 5 minutes tops, whereas here, you're out in the 29F for maybe 30mins at a time because you need to walk to most places. But I can't complain, I'm on vacation and I'm doing absolutely nothing. When I'm tired of that I'm going to go back to reading my books, "Getting Things Done" and "Reminisces of a Stock Operator".

I went to the Golden Jaguar International Cuisine Collection and they are insane. They must have over 200 different food items for you to choose from. Just walking around the buffet tables was enough to get me lost. They had everything you can imagine, except King crab. All you can drink beer and wine too, I guess that's why people were being carried out by their buddies.

I found this awesome game called Samorost. In Samorost you must figure out how to change direction of an oncoming space ship so it doesn't collide with your own. There's also a Samorost 2, which I'm trying to beat right now..hehe http://www.samorost2.net/samorost1/