Lei

The Mind Wanders

Quickly I crack the egg and remove the shell. At the same time I could hear the chickens outside scratching the door to the kitchen. I can't believe how loud these chickens are sometimes. Like who knows what they are doing? Flinging dirt? Kicking out small rocks as they dig themselves a nest possibly. And interestingly enough, this coming year is supposed to be the year of the you know what. So maybe it will be my brothers year for that is the sign which he was born under. The chicken. I will always refer to him as that instead of a rooster.

There was just enough time to drop the pants off at the alteration shop before having to pack up and speed up to Cypress Bowl Mountain for some night boarding. The gang was convening at a quarter past six. It takes approximately forty five minutes to get there and at five thirty, I was sitting in a huge line up before the Patullo bridge. Slowly I inched my way on and from a distance I could see a set of emergency arrow lights near the middle of the bridge. When I got closer the arrows had disappeared and all the cars in the right lane were merging into the left lane. Someone's corvette was parked and the driver was pacing behind his vehicle. Flames danced three to four feet above the cars engine compartment where the hood was raised up. I had never seen a real car fire this big before. Without rubbernecking too much, I took a photo from inside my truck except that I forgot to turn the flash off. I noticed on both sides of the bridge there were ambulances waiting incase the car exploded and caused any injuries to passersby. No fire trucks were at the scene yet.

I sped up to the top of the mountain in relative ease. The road was covered in fog and there was a descent amount of snow in the parking lot. This was the first time boarding this year and during the drive up I wasn't feeling very good. Still, I went on and took the chairlift up to the east side of the valley. Even though it was slightly busy, I ended up getting a quad chair all to myself as the people I thought I'd share the chair with wanted to sit alone. The ride up was nice. The slope beneath and in front of me was covered in darkness and some clouds. The air was cool and refreshing. You just wanted to take a few large breathes and just sit back and relax. Soon the night lamps near the top was in view signalling the end of the ride. I had a small fall as I rode off the chairlift but charged ahead down a blue run. Most of the people were heading down the green run so my path was pretty much empty except for the odd few people. Near the bottom, I saw someone lying down on the snow face first not really moving. I slowed down and asked him if he was injured to which he replied no. He was just goofing around. A voice from farther up then yelled at the person to move out of the way instead of just lying in the middle of the run. I proceeded to go down to the chairlift where I recognized one person which I was supposed to meet. Then the rest of the group showed up.

We all boarded together for the next hour or two before people started getting tired. The two beginners were beat and while they slowly made their way down the runs, I decided to practice riding fakey. In the end, there was only three of us left the runs got faster. The rest had gone in to the bar for a beer.

We packed it in after another two runs and everyone drove down to Pho's for vietnamese noodles. It was good and cheap. Better than the expensive burgers and fries on the ski hill grill nevermind the food in the bar. At the same time I told the group that I wouldn't be joining them on new years eve. I have been doing stuff with this group almost every second day since last Friday and it was almost like a vacation somewhere with a group of people. But all the activities has been wearing me down and I just wanted time to clear my head and think about what I wanted to do with my life. It almost seems like the group just lives to play everyday. So like Gambit, it seems that all I've known in the past was to work. I filled all my time up with work and couldn't fathom the thought of doing the complete opposite with this group. It all seems rather pointless.

Xmas Weekend

It's noon the day after boxing day and I just called some friends to tell them that I won't make it to Dim Sum. I was supposed to be at a restaurant almost an hour away but all the speeding in the world won't get me there on time. I the evenings of both Xmas day and Boxing day at my friends homes. The Liew's were so nice to host a huge dinner for their already large and extended family never mind their friends as well. All their aunts and uncles, little nieces and nephews, and then us. Even though we all got stuffed with food early on, we continued to munch away at the table full of appetizers and snacks all night. We started drinking the hard liquors when they decided to get out a really expensive bottle of Otard Cognac. Then everyone wanted a drink. Even I had some and probably against my doctors orders. It was smooth with a peppery bite.

Afterwards, everyone went home,got a few hours of sleep. They all probably woke up for a bit to do nothing around their homes before taking a nap followed by another dinner. Most of us met up at Leigh's place this time as well as some of her own friends. I managed to do a bit of boxing day shopping and found a M&M shower radio with a built in toothbrush holder. When I saw this in the ad, I thought it would be perfect for a friend who had a whole bunch of those little M&M chocolate candy characters. I dropped by Costco and picked up one of those party veggie trays too. When my friends saw it, they couldn't believe it. I was about forty minutes late so they all had finished eating already and were quietly watching 'The Last Samurai', digesting dinner before seeing this huge tray of food. It still got finished as everyone started to pick at it throughout the evening.

When I finally got home and into bed last night, it started to hurt again. The pain was more constant this time and longer from the middle of my back to the front of my heart. I had only taken two thirds of the medicine. I had ran out of cranberry juice so I couldn't make the hot lemon drink. I knew there was a reason why I paused in front of the cranberry juice bottle at Costco earlier in the day not thinking that I needed to buy it...

Ho Hum - Merry Xmas

The former CEO of our company dropped by earlier this week. We chit chatted and told me how he doesn't buy the tree for his family until after xmas day when it's much cheaper. Now if he was struggling financially I would think, okay, yeah you're saving money. But in actuality, the guy is a multimillionaire. What a cheapo. So anyhow, every now and then, he drops by the office trying to see whats happening. Trying to dig up whatever dirt so that he could use to take control of the company again. He's a like a wolf in sheeps clothing.

The office closed at noon today. I left earlier having only worked for about two hours. The medical lab was also closing early and I needed to give my two vials of blood for testing. Time to start the next component of the herbal treatment.

For the rest of the day I just relaxed and waited around for a driver from the drug recovery house to come and pick up the turkey I was donating. They have quite a few mouths to feed and know they could use it. Shortly thereafter, I dropped off the groceries at the nursing home and wished the staff and all the old folks a merry xmas.

The Night Before Xmas

I stayed up all night, listening for him. The jingle of the bells. The swoosh of the sleigh. The cheery voice of the big fat man in the red suit on my roof. The only problem is that there's no snow. The flute in the chimney is closed so if he manages to get himself to even fit inside, he'll be greeted with a 'metal plate'. I suppose I should unlock the glass fire place door as well.

And what if there are no reindeers. Reindeers can't fly. Have you ever seen one fly? How about a small herd of them? In Japan, they celebrate Colonel Sanders of the all too familiar KFC chain. His statue is decorated to make him look like Santa while people feast on fried chicken. That would be so much easier than watching a turkey tan in my oven for four or five hours. I think they still have the bucket deal for ten dollars. Don't ask me how many Yen that is and I guess I should substitute the sound of deer hooves on my roof with the ticking noise of tiny chicken feet instead.

The presents were already opened today. We're so untraditional. With so many people and their own shedules to keep, its just not possible. My friends opened gifts at our own gathering. My coworkers opened theirs at work last week.

Our family never really celebrated it to begin with. It used to be the big family gathering at my grandparents home but after losing grandfather to old age and uncle leaving our aunt, the cohesion is diminishing. As a result, planning the family dinner has now become a last minute thing to do.

So what is this bloggers xmas wish or wishes? In no particular order of importance, here they are.

1. To see more people blog at this site. I quite enjoy getting a peek at peoples lives here whether or not I even know them. It is as though I have moved into an apartment complex and they are my neighbors.

2. Cheers to my health. Or rather, its improvement.

3. To learn to do more than just 'work'. It's been a slow transformation on my part.

4. To get back some of that 'cohesion'.

Okay. That's enough for now. I think I'm confusing this with a list of new years resolutions. We can save that for later.

Ho Ho Ho... Merry Xmas to the Iqexchange!

Windows

Windows. Microsoft Windows... Another day crossed off the calendar. Another day lost. Wasted. I spent so much time trying to fix the virus problem on the computer last night that I realized it was just not that important. As a result, I got into work really late. I'm sure everyone noticed but my main office machine is pretty much still dead. We'll deal with it in the new year.

The operating system on the second machine at the office is barely adequate. I needed to install the programming software and eventually did so. Not by fixing anything but by repeatedly running the installation CD. After about ten attempts it eventually made its way through. Once this was completed then it was off to the races. Another potentially happy customer.

Windows. The windows on your wall. The windows on your car. You see things in all its detail. Bright colours of the day. Shadows and darkness of the night. Like glasses on your face, your view is clear and without hinderance. It is up to you to decide what bias there is. A thin piece of glass is all that stands between you and whats on the other side. Something wonderful or something horrible? White flakes falling from the sky or a burnt steak on the fry.

Open it and make it bigger. You'll see and maybe understand more as well. Just your perception.

We Will Meet Again

What a disaster. All the computers around me are failing. I've spent the past two days trying to reinstall windows 2000 on my main computer at work until finally figuring out that the motherboard or RAM is hooped. Bus speed is barely tricking by at 33MB/s instead of around 800 MB/s. Everything is painfully slow. At the same time a customer submitted an order for one of the products which I work on except that now I can't generate the code for them without my computer. The backup computer runs windows 98 and isn't compatible with the development software. Meanwhile, my mothers machine at home is currently under heavy attach from a virus. I used my other home computer to detect the virus but it blocked me out after a short while. At the last check, it was up to 744 infected files and the CPU processor usage was nearly maxed out at a hundred percent. The memory on the main system drive was being thrashed out pretty good. In the defragment window, any space that was green or blue was red. Time to get out 'BitDefender!'

I've only completed part of the first lesson online. And it was enough for me to send an email to a old friend who has been living in Japan for a number of years. The half japanese message surprised him and prompted the response "Who are you and what have you done with my Lei?" I'll probably meet up with him to catch up on life.

Didn't sleep well last night. Tossing and turning. After the two days of glutonous eating, I had to cut back to the healthy food. For a day or so I was feeling pretty good. Then the sickness came back but not as bad as the other week. The dull pain down my arm from the shoulder. The random spots of pain above my abdomen and heart. Or so it would seem. Some light exercise helped. The plan was not a complete success because I couldn't stick to it. So now I've modified it and added the western approach as well. I filled the subscription to the giant pharmaceutical company with the hopes that I will be able to significantly shorten the expected program duration. There's only a few more days before the next big meal. Healthy food with sporadic days of stuffing oneself silly. Listen to me now or hear me later, we will meet again chocolate mouse.

Feats of Strength

The shopping is done. I avoided the malls on the weekend like the plague. Instead, I went on a week night in the downtown area. The siblings and I agreed that this year, the new addition to mom's Swaroski crystal animal collection will be me. The pig. I went to a jewelry store in Pacific Centre except that they only had one left. It was a display model and had finger prints all over it. When I told the sales woman that I didn't want it she responded with a shocked look on her face. Instead, I found out that there was an actual Swaroski store on Robson street so I went there. Afterwards I found a Radio Shack on the same strip and decided to browse around. They had a whole bunch of cool little gadgets that would fit the bill. In the end, I chose the bug shaped massager. Just press the button between the eyes and the four legs massage away. It would have gone perfect with the sex dice and the oil at my friends gift exchange.

It's been two days of festive eating. The company Xmas party was held at the Vancouver Golf club again. A buffet style lunch where the menu has been the same for the past three years. After two full plates of food, I stayed away from the dessert table. Everything but the chocolate mouse. It was wonderful and probably my favourite. Following that was the gift exchange which involved a game of picking and stealing. In the end I gave part of my gift to my coworker. I kept the gel time capsule and gave the digital tire gauge and clock back to the coworker that I stole it from. The time capsule is like one of those glass bottles with the sand falling down except its filled with a thick gel. Oh and before I forget, did I tell you how much I liked the chocolate mouse?

Next was my friends Xmas party. I was running late so I abandoned the idea of picking up some assorted mouse cake for them. Instead, I only had enough time to throw on my suit and put the supplies in my truck after work. I was responsible for bringing the paper plates, plastic utensils and cups. I also brought some extra chairs because the couple hosting the party didn't have enough chairs for a house full of guests. I'm usually the late one so this time, I had to get there on time otherwise people would have nothing to eat on/with. That's what my friends told me at least so as usual, I drove as fast as I could from my house, down the hill, over the bridge and on the small highway to Coquitlam. When I arrived at the house, no one was there except for Roni. When she opened the door, she quickly grabbed my bag of items before disappearing up the stairs. I brought the chairs up from my truck. Roni was home alone, preparing appetizers ina frenzy while her husband was out buying ice. Everyone else was late for once. I helped put up some Xmas decorations across the ceiling and felt like I was taking her husbands place. There were around thirty people there and it was pretty good. They all found out that I was sick for the past while so now they don't try to push alcohol on me anymore. This became the big joke on me. Does Lei want some of the non-alcoholic punch? And to spice things up, I met some great new people and had a friend ask if I didn't mind being setup on a blind date. I'm open but as always, not a big fan of blind dates. In fact, never had any luck in the whole 'oh I know someone who would be perfect for you'. That's Festivus for now.

An Interview with Gambit on that time of Life.

Gambit and LeanPorkLei:(Opening greetings)WaaaaaaazaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

LeanPorkLei: Oh just taking a break from the other machine. It’s doing something which is taking a long time.

Gambit: Umm ok. Good luck!

LeanPorkLei: (returns from the washroom) I did it. It's all flushed away. The evidence has been disposed of.

Gambit: Wow! My evidence is getting brutal.

LeanPorkLei: Go see a doc. You've got more time now right?

Gambit: Kinda.

LeanPorkLei: Plus, you're no good to anyone dead to put it bluntly...

Gambit: Heh. Why don't I want to be dead though?

LeanPorkLei: Do you believe in reincarnation?

Gambit: Face it, Life doesn't have much meaning, at least currently.

LeanPorkLei: But?

Gambit: I don't mind if I found out I had ‘cancer’ and was going to die young because I've lived most of it. There's not much 'left' that I can see.

LeanPorkLei: No you haven't. That's because that’s all you can see...

Gambit: So what am I missing? Quite frankly, I’ve ‘done’ a ton.

LeanPorkLei: You haven't done two of the biggest things which practically everyone around you have.

Gambit: What?

LeanPorkLei: 1. have a long term relationship with a woman that is meaningful.

Gambit: and get married and have kids?

LeanPorkLei: 2. You said it. If you die, then it is only by your perogative.

Gambit: Well, what I'm saying is, I don't see any reason of how Life is 'more
interesting' the older I get. Like, what is there for me to learn? I’ve done all he sports, lead teams to championships, I’ve got my career, I’ve traveled and seen the world. If I hadn't traveled, there'd be a reason for living and seeing or exploring it. But as I see it, since I've ‘done’ most of the ‘important’ things, the ‘missing’ items remaining seem very trivial – eg. getting married and having kids. If you think about it, this equates to one long job, where it’s not about you, but about your spouse and kids. Essentially, you’re working to pay off a mortgage and raise kids. That's twenty-five plus years of commitment. It’s a ‘routine’ we get ourselves into.

LeanPorkLei: (pause) All in one’s own perspective.

Gambit: But do you know what I mean? See where I’m coming from? Doesn’t it make sense?

LeanPorkLei: But one point I disagree. Making it work. The twenty-five year job, keeping the relationship and the family working or functioning smoothly. Despite how you've done this and that you've still failed to even at least get a long term relationship working. The step before the marriage and kids can even happen. I think that will be the toughest job of all unless you've been subconsciously sabotaging all of your attempts at getting a relationship...

Gambit: Interesting point. I wonder if I am subconsciously sabotaging my relationships. I don’t think so. I just have high standards and perhaps live in a dream world. I want it all. I won’t settle. All I wanted was someone I loved to love me back as much as I loved her. I could settle….if I wanted to. I know I would make a good relationship person.

LeanPorkLei: It's not easy right?

Gambit: No. It's totally easy for me if I found someone to be with who was
interested in me. So easy! What I fear the most is that I'd get bored with that person. I like the chase! The excitement!

LeanPorkLei: So are you admitting that you purposely screw the relationship when it gets to the point that things seem possible?

Gambit: Nope! You kidding? I've never sabotaged anything.

LeanPorkLei: Or did all of your past attempts to win over some woman fail legitimately because the other guy won?

Gambit: More than anything I want right now is someone to share my life. My 20’s to 30’s…I’ve done so much. But sadly whomever I end up marrying, hasn’t shared in any of it. But I'm at the point where I realize that, y'know what? It may not happen. I may have been blessed in all other areas except finding that someone special that complements me. It just wasn't meant to be. And if I do find someone special, the idea of buying a place, and having kids seems very trivial to me now. Not sure if that's the right word but it seems very unrewarding.

I'm having the same conversations with friends. I see people doing things I've done already. I see how North America is run. It's all marketing. I see the patterns of life. I see how it works.

LeanPorkLei: What do you think of your little nieces and nephews?

Gambit: Love 'em.

LeanPorkLei: What do you like about them? Being around them? Playing with them?

Gambit: Seeing them grow. From birth to their current ages. Seeing how they progress through Life.

LeanPorkLei: There! You said it yourself! That's the exact same line that I hear out of everyone I know who is a parent or has kids - same thing. Despite all the bad things, whether it be family catastrophes, boredom, job stress etcetera. They all say that its all worth it just to see them grow up!

Gambit: Sure. So they grow up. That's the 20 year plan. After that, old age is feeble.

LeanPorkLei: So then you can die after that. There you go.

Gambit: Liferaft was complaining how his parents chide him for not calling and I was saying they don't have a purpose. As a Parent, your only purpose is your kids…because you spent ¼ or more of your life raising them. When you let go, and let them become their own or parents themselves, it’s a tough readjustment. Once the kids grow up, it's awfully lonely to realize they have not much left…so they ‘bicker’ to the kids or to get attention. To not be forgotten, not to be a relic – or inconsequential. That's why his parents call all the time. Face it, they have no interest in pop culture, marketing/advertising isn’t aimed at them anymore, they are a generation forgotten.

LeanPorkLei: So figure that out at that time or plan something to get over that problem later on if that is what you foresee. The choice is still yours. Die now or later. You still haven't done the most difficult stuff. Building the successful relationship and family stuff. Other than dealing with your dad... everything else you've done is superficial. It can be bought with money. Travelling, seeing things, doing whatever, just shell out the dough and its done. Relationships can't be bought.

Gambit: Interesting point!

LeanPorkLei: And it certainly won't be boring all of the time...

Gambit: But relationships and having kids, isn't that money too?

LeanPorkLei: Arguments, joy, highs and lows... yes.

Gambit: Having enough money can provide anything.

LeanPorkLei: But buying things doesn't keep it going. Just look at all the rich people who are screwed up.

Gambit: Rich people are screwed up because they don’t instill any values. As if I would follow those footsteps. I know where I came from, and I know I’m privileged. And I know with privilege comes responsibility. The more I see it, the more I think I really have very little left to do or see. Subconsciously, I’ve done a ton of stuff in my 20’s. From the 30’s onwards….it’s open season. I’m not sure what the reason is for living. So, if I knew I had cancer and was about to die, I think I wouldn’t be so freaked out. Again, if I hadn’t done all the things I have, I would feel Life was unfair. But….I have to say, I have had a blessed Life. The only failure? Nobody to share my Life with….

As the World Turns

It's 4:26pm. Another hour or so and I'll be able to leave. I feel so bored and uninterested. Thoughts in my head echo that of a discussion I had with Gambit a week ago - the meaning of life.

I'm barely halfway through the experiment and can't see any signs of a conclusion yet. I am the guinea pig but I won't try to grow a new ear on my back or a hand on my neck. Actually, I get these little spots of mild pain felt randomly above my stomach. In the middle of my back, towards the left and towards the right. They go away as fast as they come yet through it all, I just sit there. Taking notice of each one. This whole experiment is typical, they can be long, boring and tedious. Sitting at my desk, I stare at the monitor aimlessly. Work? What work? Yeah, there's work to be done here still. Code to program, papers on projects to read through. Let's just say that progress is slow. Every so often I'll search the net for information on liver disease. It seems that lately when I flip on the tv, there's always some show or movie about someone dying.

My friends asked me to sub in their hockey game tonight but I turned them down. I played a game last Friday for another team where I bonked ten minutes into the game. We still won with a short bench. At the kick boxing club I almost passed out from overexertion. Exercise is good but in moderation. So this week, I cut back on all the activities. Instead, I went to Chapters downtown and browsed through some books. There was one good one called "First Year for Hepatitis" or something like that. In it the author explains everything from his personal experience to where you can go to get help and what you can do. His description of peoples reactions to finding out about his affliction was interesting. Basically he got the whole range. In another book I was looking for, there was a chapter called "Learning to say No". Saying no to things which you shouldn't be doing without feeling guilty about leaving your friends or whomever to do in your absence.

I also came across some CD's for learning different languages. The japanese looked interesting. I could use a bit of relearning of my mandarin as well or maybe spanish. Now that I have a tiny bit more time having dropped some sports, I can work on the languages maybe. And as luck would have it, I received a twenty percent Chapters discount coupon today.

With the release of Ocean's Twelve and Return of the King on CD, my interest in movies has recently been renewed. That's a relief. I'll have something to watch over the holidays too.

So what is the meaning of this thing called life again? It's too complex and simple at the same time. For now, I just want to sit here and close my eyes.

The Experiment - Take #

I had the prescription filled. A tiny bottle containing one hundred tablets of a rather expensive drug which my doctor wanted me to take but I have other ideas. If you look at the previous blog with the enzyme levels, you'll see that I was able to reduce the levels down to within the recommended range before. I purposely did that test a week or so after a liver flush. My doctor at the time would not divulge to me how successful I was. Only that I needed to be on these expensive drugs. I was only able to see the raw data the other week when I requested copies of all the results. I conferred with a chinese herbal doctor about my theories and methodologies and she told me that maybe I had only found a way to purge my system of the infection but not inhibit its growth. This leads me to my current theory where I need to follow through on the whole program which was taught to me by the wholistic practitioner. It is mentally tough for me because its almost like having to fast or not eat normal food like everyone else for at least one week, if not more. Now that we are in christmas season, it will be even more difficult to stay away from all the holiday treats. But ignore it I must for the success of my experiment depends on it. It's either one or two weeks of a strict diet or one or two years giving money to my favourite giant pharmaceutical company.

On two previous attempts at this program, I had seen signs of iminent success until I basically caved in. The temptation was simply more than I could handle.
The experiment begins.

Things You Don't Like To Do

There's this new guy at the kickboxing club. We chit chatted a bit as he started telling me about his current school problems. Tonight, if he doesn't hand in his last matlab assignment, he will have no chance of passing the course which he has already dropped in first year university. He asked the administration office if he could drop it again the other day and they said no without getting an 'F' on his transcript. I don't know why he came to the club tonight. He should have stayed home to do his homework. He's still just in his second year trying to get a biochemistry degree but he just doesn't like his matlab class.

And why did he tell me all of this? Well I told him that I had to learn matlab for one of my courses before as well. In the end, the advice which he was probably looking for wasn't the one that I was going to give him. Basically there are things in life which you just have to do no matter how much you dislike it. It's like doing chores for some people. And for first or second year university students, it's the dreaded courses which you don't care for because it doesn't directly relate to what you really want to study. If you can learn to just put aside the negative thoughts preventing you from doing it in the first place, you'd probably have a much easier time of doing it. Detach the emotional self from the unbearable task and it becomes bearable. Barely... Nike got it right. Just do it.

And with those words, my newfound friend thanked me and went home to somehow try to finish the last assignment. His final exam is this saturday. Unfortunately at the same, all I could think of was the words god help him.

Historical Review of AST and ALT Enzyme Levels

Have you ever wondered what they do with your blood when you give it to a lab? For me, there's usually a standard set of tests performed and the list is rather long depending on the laboratory and the machine used. Below are five of these categories. For all you doctor types out there, yes there may be errors in the list below. Remember, I'm not one myself.

1. Hematology Panel: WBC, RBC, HGB, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC, PLT

2. Differentials: Neutrophils, Lymphocytes, Monocytes, Eosinophils, Basophils

3. General Chemistry: Bilirubin, ALK PHOS,GAMMA GT, LDH, ALT, AST, TSH, Cholesterol, Triglyceride, VLDL Choesterol, HDL Cholesterol, LDL Choesterol

4. Coagulation: INR

5. Tumour Markers: AFP(Alpha Fetoprot.)

I've collected the data for most of the items above as well as some others but the only ones which really mattered are the ALT and AST.

Below is a graph of their levels versus testing date over the past few years. I have not been consistent in getting the testing done but there may be sufficient data to draw some kind of inference.

The recommended levels for AST and ALT are shown in the legend on the right. Although I was able to get the levels down for a while, the most recent test showed that something had changed as I am clearly off the chart. In both cases I am approximately twenty to twenty five times the norm.

Results and Time

After I drank all the liquid out of the can, I could still feel some dead weight at the bottom. The light is barely bright enough for me to see the aluminum bottom inside and small clump of dark matter stuck to it. I hold up the can again and with a small gesture, try to get the small mass to fall down and into my mouth. It's useless. All the tiny bits of grass jelly have stuck together so even if I use a chopstick or straw to try to break it apart, there's no more cane sugar sweetened juice to carry the jelly pieces to the opening in the can. This was a lesson learned in drinking grass jelly from a can. I wonder how long it sat upright from the time it was sealed in some factory in china to when I actually opened it for consumption.

This morning I managed to get up really early to go to the doctors office. When I arrived, no one was there. The lights were still off and two other vehicles just pulled into the parking lot as well. One young woman who turned out to be a receptionist and a middle ages man driving a truck almost like mine. He was another patient. I waited a bit in the car listening to some music before one of those new Nissan 350Z's drove into the lot. It gave out a low rumble as it stopped to my left. The driver side door opened and the doctor came out. A relatively young man but geeky looking nonetheless. Acne riddled his face. He walked in front of the vehicle to open a large chainlink fence which had barbed wires across the top. He was parking his car in a private section so that people wouldn't try to steal it. At this point, I turned off the stereo to go into the medical office.

The young doctor gave me the results of the bloodwork and it was somewhat of a shocker. My ALT level had skyrocketed to the highest I had ever seen. The AST was also way over. The ultrasound exam in the middle of the week had not been received yet but the doctor didn't seem to be anxious to see it. I told him that the people at the lab didn't see anything after they had rolled the little scanner all over my abdomen. A second set of blood tests was ordered to be done in two or three weeks time.

I received the first seven episodes of the current Initial D series in Japan this week. It's awesome. Probably the only thing I want to watch on my tv right now until The Return of the King comes out on DVD later this month. There's nothing interesting in the movie rentals or the theatres at the moment. The theme song for this series is really cool too.

The office gave everyone the whole christmas week off. Now I have a weeks worth of time to fill with who knows what.

Things that 'Pic' me.

Last night I started reading a book called "Tools and Tactics for the Master DayTrader". It's basically an ad for the Pristine.com trading method seminars. And while flipping through the first few pages, I came across the page where the authors dedicate or thank their family. Now don't get me wrong but come on now, unless your partner loves math or has a passion for this kind of jargon, what wife or familiy would care if their husband dedicated a stock trading text book to them? The book itself isn't even that good having been filled with so much fluff that they could have cut it down to a thin little paperback instead of a seemingly official looking, 385 page long so called text book.

I once took an advanced calculus class in first year university(don't ask me why. I was young and stupid) and the textbook was written by the professor. It was small and to the point but again, dedicated to his wife and kids. Now you must be thinking, ghee, what a thoughtful and heartfelt gesture from him right? To give his wife a bunch of formula's which she' may not even have the slightest comprehension of its meaning and use. Send her some flowers for no reason at all and she'd probably like that better. It's kind of like a tv commercial which is being aired right now about a family who thinks that their son is going to buy the mother a basketball for christmas. Because in the past, that's what he did and everyone made fun of him for it, except this year. The son will actually buy something which the mother will like as opposed to a 'basketball'.

Someone died today behind our office building. Rumour has it that they got ran over by a car or truck. My coworker found out when he went out to buy some lunch and saw an ambulance and police crew standing there and on the ground was a body covered by a police coat. During the last couple of days, I had been thinking about how fast people drive around our business complex, including myself. And its true, it's crazy around here. The Fedex delivery trucks are all in a hurry. The supply trucks are all in a hurry. Everyone's in a hurry. My other coworkers and I went out for our usual thursday lunch and as we drove off, we followed the ambulance out of the parking area. It's emergency lights were off meaning that there was no need to rush to the hospital. It was too late.

On the way to the restaurant, it rained. A large Mercedez sedan slowed down in front of me on the main road. The driver drove like he didn't realize there was a whole line of cars behind him as he took his time looking into every parking entrance for a store or empty stall. Then at the next major intersection, I watched a person attempt to beat the intersection lights before having to come screeching to a halt as the traffice was stopped on the other side. His car skidded a few feet befored bouncing off the back end of a volkswagen. Both drivers got out after a minute as cars filled up the intersection. We pulled into a plaza parkade not too far after the intersection. They had recently changed the driving directions so that you were made to drive around the whole main level circuit before entering the ramps to the other levels. The car in front of us didn't know where they were going. The man sat there, put on his left turn signal against the arrow sign, watched an old couple walk by and once they were far enough to his right, he turned right to follow them. I followed this car around the circuit and watched him look around everywhere really, really slowly before finally passing him as he had staked out a leaving car. I don't know what it was today, be it seemed like it was just a day of really bad drivers everywhere.

And on a slightly similar topic, have you ever seen people picking their nose while driving? God its disgusting. Maybe it would be better if they covered their activities with their other hand like asian people do picking their teeth with a toothpick in a restaurant. If only those people would realize that it's not like they are alone on the road sitting in traffic. I wish I had a handycam for all those times that I'd seen someone do this so that I could post it on the web or submit it to the local television station or some late night talk show.

Christmas Story

'Twas the night before Christmas-Old Santa was pissed.
He cussed out the elves and threw down his list.
Miserable little brats, ungrateful little jerks.
I have a good mind to scrap the whole works!

I've busted my ass for damn near a year,
Instead of "Thanks Santa"-what do I hear?
The old lady bitches cause I work late at night.
The elves want more money-The reindeer all fight.

Rudolph got drunk and goosed all the maids.
Donner is pregnant and Vixen has AIDS.
And just when I thought that things would get better
Those assholes from the IRS sent me a letter,
They say I owe taxes-if that ain't damn funny
Who the hell ever sent Santa Claus any money?

And the kids these days-they all are the pits
They want the impossible-Those mean little shits
I spent a whole year making wagons and sleds
Assembling dolls...Their arms, legs and heads
I made a ton of yo yo's-No request for them,
They want computers and robots...they think - I'm IBM!

Flying through the air...dodging the trees
Falling down chimneys and skinning my knees
I'm quitting this job there's just no enjoyment
I'll sit on my fat ass and draw unemployment.

There's no Christmas this year now you know the reason
I found me a blonde. I'm going SOUTH for the season!