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Showing posts from June, 2005

Winbledon 2005

Watched a women's semi-final between Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams on TV. So sorry Maria didn't win. Hope she can make it to US Open 2005. See you in Flushing, Maria! :)

La Copa De La Vida

Addicted to World Soccer: Winning Eleven 6 International, the best soccer game in the world. In its master league mode, you have to compete in an imaginary league of world's best soccer clubs, starting from an ordinary division 3 team, by aggressive playing and thoughtful management. A lot of decision-making and coaching makes you more involved in this game and finally becomes addicted. My first major player purchase was Nuno Gomes (CF), an underestimated Portugual forward, which turned out to be very successful. With his unstopable goals, I finished division 3. Then I purchase Klos (GK) from German, Kohler (CBT) from German, Simone (DMF) from Argentine and Ronaldhino (OMF) from Brazil, making my team strong in both defense and attack. Recent purchase was Kily Gonzalez (OMF) from Argentine, with whom I changed my formation from 4-5-1 to 4-3-3. Terminology: GK - Goalkeeper CBW - Sweeper CBT - Central Defender SB - Full Back/Wingback DMF - Defensive Midfielder OMF - Attacking Mid

Cherry Picking

Sweet Cherry Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Went cherry-picking in Shaw Orchards . Driving on a scenic two-lane highway was such a treat.

Sun of the Beach

Sun of the Beach Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Went to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware on Friday. Now that IS summer. Woo-hoo!

Go SDs!

Sliver Dancers Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Woo-hoo!

Go TD!

Tim Duncan Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . NBA Finals Game 7 is coming. Oh yeah!

Not Guilty

I got my first parking ticket in March when we were dining out in an Indian restraurant downtown. It was very difficult to find a parking place so when we found someone was leaving his/her spot we were so happy to wait him/her to leave and parked in. I couldn't park in so Veera did it for us. I remembered we did look around to see if there was any "no stopping" sign and there wasn't. However, when we left at about 11pm, I was terrified to find a little piece of white paper on my windshield. I was thinking: "This is it. Finally!" It was ridiculously charging me for "obstructing/impeding free flow of traffic" for $77! That's a huge number for me, a poor student. So I asked to stand a trial and waited the subpoena to come. The trial was scheduled on today. So I had my first United States court experience, which turned out to be both enlightening and entertaining. Since we were dealing with some not so serious cases, the judge was telling jokes fro

iSee and iTrip

Got the last iSee , a transperant plastic case for iPod, in Towson Apple Store. iLike it! As some people pointed out, you'll get your iPod scratched if you don't use the protective jacket, a.k.a. iUnderwear, before slipping it into the case. After that It works great. Plus I got the iTrip after staring at the price tag for a long time and a final relief of "what the heck". Just in time for my next New York trip. Oh yeah!

I'm Lovin' It

Finally watched "Super Size Me" , a film which has been on my list for a long time. Amazing! One of the best documentaries I've ever watched! Given the situation I know about how fast food is corrupting Chinese people, especially kids, I can't help wondering if this film has been translated into Chinese. If not, I would like to volunteer.

"Smiths" Failed To Live Up To Hype

Went to "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" yesterday and left disappointed. Could've been a great movie if they put more effor in. They had a better story to tell than "Paycheck" and the casting was great. However they lacked John Woo's action cinemotography and the comic punch lines needed obvious refinement. Bottomline: One good story and two good stars wasted.

Full Metal Panic

Full Metal Panic Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . A hilarious anime ! Reminds me much of Ranma 1/2 , "a great mix of comedy, romance, and action".

Ph.D. Fun

Ever since I started to pursue a Ph.D. , I got a lot of questions like "How many courses do you have to take to get a Ph.D?" or "It's been years and you still haven't graduated?", which essentially misunderstood the nature of a Ph.D. It is a title to be conferred upon someone who has demonstrated one's ability in independent scientific research. The way of learning that ability is via apprenticing with a more skillful worker in this job. So when we were watching "Star Wars II: The Attack of the Clones", when young Anakin Skywalker was complaining about how his Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi critisized his lightsabre skill and the Jedi Counsil refused his request of the "Master" title, saying something like ANAKIN SKYWALKER He's always not content with me, saying I still have a lot to learn. I hate him.

California Sun

I've always dreamed about California and will probably visit it this year. But after reading an article in NY Times, I started to wonder if California, specifically Silicon Valley was good for me. I've never liked ferocious competition and life-consuming hard work. That's just too much for me. All I want is to work on the things I like, to be proud of what I create and to cheerfully enjoy my life. Be myself and never follow the crowd. My deepest criticism for being "Moneymen" is that it blurs the line between path and destination and THAT is dangerous. Life is too short to get lost.