Things I've Noticed

Sucking the Balls out of Pearl Milk Tea

2006-07-14T00:41:00.000-07:00

One of my other blogs is about food. Since I haven't posted to any of my blogs recently, I thought I'd post to my food one, and then write a post on my other ones linking to it. So here is the link to "Sucking the Balls out of Pearl Milk Tea".

Social Science in the OC

2006-04-05T00:41:00.000-07:00

Last week I graded finals for an intro Social Science "101" type of class. It is a required class that a lot of college sophomores and juniors take at my school here in Orange County. Grading the 90 tests took hours of reading through pages and pages of short answers. I now understand why places like the Educational Testing Service exist-- multiple choice tests save a ton of grading time.

So aside from complaining about grading, I am writing this because there was one question on the exam that asked how could a social scientist measure "popularity." The idea is that the student comes up with a variable or proxy and a way to measure the variable. This was one of 50 some questions on the test so I wasn't paying too much attention to what students wrote down for this question much less the others-- I am an easy grader-- until I realized what the students were writing. Listed below are a few of the more entertaining responses.

Selected final exam answers to: "How to measure someone's popularity"
Brand of clothing worn
Income/wealth
Type of car owned
Number of friends listed on MySpace/Friendster

I gave credit for all of these answers. After all, these students and I live in the OC.

California sunsets

2005-11-21T17:23:00.000-08:00

California sunsets are very scenic. The sky, clouds, ocean, and the sun combine to take your breath away.

This photo is of the entrance to Newport Harbor. The profile of Catalina Island lies on the horizon.

I also can't get over the weather here in Southern California. Lately it's been in the high 70's with clear skies and sunshine all around.

Fear

2005-06-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

Fear has taken on a new meaning for me recently. Fear of not having another cigarette kept me addicted to smoking. Soon after I lost the fear, I knew I could quit and I did.

Below are some links and quotes.

the only thing we have to fear is fear itself
--Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933)

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
--Steve Jobs (2005)

As the slogans say, have "no fear" and "just do it".

Saving Face

2005-06-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

I want to see the movie, Saving Face, because I identified with the director's efforts to make the movie, as described in the NY Times article: "Kissing Vivian Shing" by E. Leibowitz, May 29, 2005.

The director, Alice Wu (pictured below), obtained bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science from Stanford University and worked on the manuscript for the movie during her work hours at Microsoft.

Update: I saw the movie. It is entertaining.

Smoking

2005-05-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

For now, disregard the title of the book below. The book explores the subconscious reasons why we smoke and how smoking becomes an addiction-- incredibly mind-blowing.

If you are trying to stop smoking, this book will help. It will not fustrate you by offering you another way to fail at quitting.

The author may appear to be a hoax because he asserts something that smokers think is next to impossible: it is easy to stop smoking. The book eliminates misconceptions that keep smokers from quitting.

The Easy Way to Stop Smoking

The author's company is conducting 5-hour clinics May 21-22, 2005, in New York city, and May 30 in Los Angeles (see: http://www.allencarrusa.com/schedule.htm). Go.

Things I've lost

2005-04-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

It would be nice if blogging can help find lost things.

Lost:

1. The Graduate DVD

2. Chinese Primer audio tapes and the "blue" workbook that taught me how to read pinyin and speak mandarin. Both items are published by the Chinese Linguistic Project, Princeton University. I let an asian girl borrow these in 2000. I have a few ideas of who she may be, but have no time to find out. Ethnically Chinese but not being proficient with the language causes "funny" looks when I encounter Chinese-- in China, people think I am either retarded or Japanese. Please help me not "appear" to be retarded (I like Japanese).

My photos from Death Valley

2005-04-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

Go to: http://eddychifoto.blogspot.com/ for more.

Meditation guides

2005-04-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

I've used the following resources to learn meditation (both are by Barry Long): Meditation a Foundation Course: A Book of Ten Lessons and Start Meditating Now: How to Stop Thinking.

Here is a link to excerpts from works by the same author: http://barrylongexcerpts.blogspot.com/.

Going fast is fun

2005-03-29T00:04:00.000-08:00

I like motorcycle road racing. Here are a couple links about MotoGP, the equivalent of Formula 1 for bikes

DVD--

Images other people have captured

2005-03-28T23:12:00.000-08:00

Hoard Magazine contains great fine art photography: http://www.hoardmag.com/.

Images I've captured

2005-03-28T22:56:00.000-08:00

Click here for a few more.

Photos of people

2005-03-24T18:38:00.000-08:00

My "economics" buddies.

My favorite movie

2005-03-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle: Trailer.

So far this year

2005-03-24T13:41:00.000-08:00

I just finished my second quarter of graduate school. I've learned a few things.

First: going poo more than twice a day combined with sitting on the john for too long and "forcing" can induce hemmeroids.

Second: I appreciate being a graduate student and see the value of earning a PhD. Having the support and freedom to produce anything (i.e. research) is great. Not having a boss, not suffering from office space syndrome, is great. Being able to employ all personal and university resources to help you with your research is awesome. The life of a professor is outstanding. A professors is paid well, can obtain complete job security, has flexible hours, has freedom, helps people learn, is challenged to answer tough questions, and is constantly learning about the world.

Third: I enjoy teaching (see my "TA Memoir").

Fourth: TA'ing takes up a lot of time.

Fifth: Yoga is great. Meditation is great. Distractions are distractions. A cell phone is not necessary. Drama is not necessary. Attachment is not necessary. Conlict results from attachment and logic impaired by both positive and negative emotions. People need to love more.

Sixth: I am better off not eating meat. Alternative sources of protein include bean based products like like tofu. Meat costs more, takes longer to cook, is less sanitary, contains more fat, contains more cholesterol, contains potentially harmful hormones and other animal proteins, does not last as long in the fridge--or even on the shelf outside-- and hurts the environment more to produce than vegetable protein.

Seventh: I should stop smoking permanently.

Eighth: I enjoy playing sports. Excercise makes me feel good. Team sports are a positive way to have fun together. Drinking alcohol is overrated. The drinking age limit in the USA should be eliminated so Americans learn about drinking alcohol at home, before venturing off as an "adult."

Ninth: Giving people the benefit of the doubt is a better policy than not.

Ace and Garry

2005-01-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

Funny: http://mrt300.ods.org/snl/view.php?agd.

Triumph

2005-01-11T23:10:00.000-08:00

Funny: http://www.triumphtheinsultcomicdog.com/.

How to keep your flatulation under control

2004-12-27T22:49:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I farted and a nearby friend, I don't remember who, said: "go take a dump, man." It was incredible, I had no idea why I farted, much less how to keep from farting in all those awkward moments: sitting in class, in a movie theater, in a car, etc. Makes sense right? Rotting poop in the rectum releases methane which makes you fart, so get rid of the poop! So I learned once you complete a bowel movement, you shouldn't need to fart until the next time nature calls.

I'll have more to say about this topic and related epiphanies in subsequent posts. For now below are a couple related bookmarks to browse through.