Wow I didn't expect this to happen so soon, but I guess I should have seen the signs...

Mike resigned today. I just sat there and asked him where he was going.
He's going down to South Carolina to semi-retire for the next few months.

Hmmm... I know they won't ask me to take on all of his workloads, because I simply can't. I guess we'll have to see.

I talked briefly to Brian and Robert after work. I hope they have a plan, because I'm still not in the mood to be Atlas and come up with one where I end up with most of the work...

Easy button, where the hell are you when I need you??

why can't everyone who's had cancer be survivors?

why can't all cancer patients turn out like Lance Armstrong? Or like Jaclyn Smith? This takes me back to Jim. It has been one year since his passing, may God give him peace.

I am crying my eyes out watching the 20/20 special about Farah Fawcett with Ryan O'Neal and Barbara Walters. Ryan just looks so lost. Their love story is an inspiring one.

At one point Barbara asked him point blank, "Are you ready if she goes?" And there is no diplomatic answer, just an emotional shake of his head, and a resounding "No".
Then at one point Ryan said, "She asked me, Am I going to make it? And I said, sure, sure, you'll make it. And if you don't, I'll go with you". He was choking up at the end, and he didn't even look at the camera at that point. Which makes me believe that he really means it...

I've heard of stories of people left behind by their loved one and just eventually died of their own heartbreak, not long after the passing of their loved one.

What a heartbreaking story...

And it's weird, but when I looked at the two of them together, for some reason, I think about Liv and Elliot. Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay. And it's weird because they're not together. Maybe because I've always thought of them as the definition of soulmates. So when I saw the story of Farah and Ryan, Chris and Marish are the two people that first came to mind.

And with Michael Jackson, it's just so bizarre... I guess that word will forever be the embodiment of his life and now his death...

I am still baffled about this stock market thing. I don't have a feel for anything. How does a company that announced a 23% decrease in sales from the previous year manage to gain 7% in their stock price overnight? I'm kind of happy because I own their stocks, but I still don't get the logic. Ok, maybe it's due tot he fact that they actually posted an INCREASE in their cash flow and a decrease in debt. Nowadays people like companies with high cash flow and LOW DEBT. Because debt is the root of all the problems with la crise financiere 2008.

I found a new favorite brand: Kashi
I've tried their honey almond flax bar and the oatmal raisin cookie. I love that their stuffs have the lowest sugar level than any other bars or cookies. And the taste is just right!

I'm a bit tired today. Saw the news about the missing Air France plane. I'm praying for the passengers and crew and I hope that whatever happened, I hope it was swift and that they didn't feel any prolonged fear or pain...

That news kind of gripped me. We fly most of the time, thinking what are the chances that something would go wrong with the flight... Not even because you're conceited or anything. Just that flying has become such a normalcy.

I got tired of watching MTV Movie Awards, waiting for Adam to show up. I heard rumors that he was going to be presenting or something. But then there were rumors that he was not invited, that he was just supposed to come and pose on the red carpet, that he was not supposed to show his face at all because they really had invited Kris to come and so they didn't want Kris to be upstaged by Adam... Geez, which one should I really believe?

I turned off the TV after watching Robert Pattinson went up to the stage for the third time tonight with his stoic expression, super lanky figure and man, they didn't really have to do much to get that pallor on during Twilight, did they? He just about won the award for every category he was nominated in. Sheesh... I don't quite know what the hype is all about.

They did show a scene as preview of HP6: the Half Blood Prince. That was cool. Other than that and Ben Stiller, I couldn't quite follow what was going on. I must be too old for MTV Movie Awards now... I didn't know half of the movies, couldn't figure out for the life of me who the host was, who the presenters were (aside from Sandra Bullock). Oy... No wonder I switched to Iron Chef midway.

Speaking of TV, I can't wait until Tuesday for the season 10 finale of Law & Order SVU. Oh wow, from the preview it looks very interesting. But then again SVU has disappointed me before with hyping up the preview so much that the true ep actually turned out to be a letdown. They really do need to bring back the writers from Seasons 1-4.

On the other hand, I heard rumors that both Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay are set to return for the next season! If that were true, that would be the best news ever!! I can't get enough of them, and if they just make this next season to be sappy Elliot and Liv romance, I would have no objections to that. Their last season, perhaps??

I should really get back to posting stuffs. I have a paid account, and yet I'm rarely in LJ. WTF is with that?? Damn that facebook...

So... what a devastating result from Roland Garros. I love Rafa. And I really thought he was gonna break that record from Bjorn. But alas, another Swede stood in his way. Dammit. Not even in the quarterfinals? So how many points did he lose this year?

Ugh, whatever, I can't even begin to tell you how mad I am at NBC/Tennis channel for delaying the broadcast of the match just because they wanted to show it on a network channel!! I mean, WTF???

Sorry for your loss, Rafa, better results next year! PS: Can you please make sure Nike won't ask you to wear something in pink again next year?? Oh, while you're at it, tell them you want to go back to your sleeveless and pirate pants uniform again!! Grr... screw Nike for getting rid of those!!


( who's reviving glam rock in the 21st century?? )

You guys know I love AC Milan. The magical red and black uniform, the grandiose of San Siro stadium, Ancelotti, and most of all, the flagship players like Maldini, Costacurta, Nesta, Pirlo, Gattuso.

But seriously, if Beckham joined the squad, it would just add to my doubts of the hiring policy of the management of this team... I mean c'mon... Ronaldo, then Ronaldinho, and then Becks?

Well, on the other hand, who knows, maybe Becks can get back his passion for the game. Point blank, his year in MLS sucked. In my opinion, he barely performed but he was getting all the awards. I don't quite understand that...

I know now why they decided to make the trek to Washington DC using a train. The whole theme to this inauguration is about the middle-class, the ordinary commuters... And apparently Abe Lincoln, the other president from IL, also made a similar trip when he was coming to the capital for his inauguration.

Pretty good crowd turnout at the Tubman Garret Park in Wilmington, DE.

The good stuffs about the speech:

William Graves introducing Joe Biden: And, Amtrak's no. 1 commuter, Mr. Vice President-elect, Mr. Joe Biden!!


Mr. Vice President-elect


Joe Biden said something about his wife Jill will have to deal with him being home more often than what his previous commuting schedule (left home before 7am and came home after 10pm).

Joe: We're going to be in public housing now... (referring to the White House)

Joe Biden: This wouldn't have happened without you, the people of Delaware, the people of Wilmington.

It's Michelle Obama's birthday today!


Mr. President-elect

Obama: I'm asking Joe to take one more train ride to Washington, with me...


The Whistle Stop Train's Private car (that's Biden on the outside, Obama's already inside)

AWESOME!!!

Of course, just when I have decided to start diving into the stock markets, the movements went southward! Of course! Why should I expect any different? I was so hopeful during the rally before the election. And then the election finished, and Democrats won, and I'm happy, but Wall Street isn't. Of course the markets are not happy. Why the fuck didn't I remember that before I executed the trades?

Oh well, I keep telling myself I'm in the markets for the long run. It's just disheartening when I saw my shares/funds tumbled a couple of points today. Nothing I've read so far shows any optimism that we are going to get over this hump soon. We're talking maybe 1-2 years of recession. So they said. I think the last time we had the techie bubble, I remember people were desperate too. But apparently that period pales in comparison with now. People old enough to remember keep comparing this to 1987. Heck, I'm not old enough to remember what Reagan did... But people keep saying the Dems at the three executive and legislative branches of the government will try their damnedest to end the Reagan era. Does that mean no more free markets?

This is why I think people should keep journals... I have to remind myself from time to time that getting your thoughts out there is good...
I found an email that I had written to Howard Schultz, then CEO of Starbucks, just a couple of weeks after the 2004 tsunami that hit South Asia. To this day I still believe Mr. Schultz actually read my email personally, although I had to hear from one of his minions...

Now, every article or press thing I read, Schultz always mentions Sumatra as his favorite coffee... I'd like to think my email had something to do with converting him into a fan.

( Dear Mr. Schultz --- my letter to Howie, Jan 2005 )

Seattle, February 25, 2008
Howard Schultz Transformation Agenda Communication #8

( H. Schultz, 2008: 'Aged Sumatra... Hands down, it's my favorite coffee...' )

What can I say? The man loves his coffee... and it happens to be: Sumatra. Long live the beans!