|
Right after arriving at work yesterday, I ran into my "work mom". She asked me how I was; I told her: "I'm older today." So she cheerfully wished me a happy bday.
My "work mom" is an all-around great woman (she's Caucasian, btw). If there's a subject I feel uncomfortable talking about with my real folks but when I need advice on, I go to her. I know that sounds silly, but hey, Asian parents can have the tendency to lecture (although a little less, since I'm older) which I'm not into anymore. I love them and all, but I don't open up to them about everything.
Anyways, my "work mom" knows all about raising a kid, although her daughter's like 5 years younger than me. So she also sees me as a son, in some ways. She even lets me call her "Mom" at work, although I'm careful not to do that too often. But I did on my bday, and she certainly didn't mind.
What can I say? She's just awesome.
As are the rest of my friends + fam who sent me their well-wishes. :]Current Mood:  calm |
|
If you're at my workplace, and you hear a laugh from far off (but coming nearer), I can tell you EXACTLY from whom it would be:
"Oh, that's just Bri."
And believe me when I say that her laugh's kinda prevalent. Prevalent in the sense that it brightens up the atmo with a cheerful and jubilant personality floating around. Even if you're not feeling so yourself.
We weren't always close at work. Initially, she struck me as kinda ... I'm not sure what's the right way to put it. Stand off-ish...?
But over time, as we chatted more, I can say for sure that I'm glad I know her. And I'm grateful that we're at the same company. Every now and then, Bri would come by my cube to talk. She's someone whom I can also go to for professional advice, since she's much more so than I. I see her as a peer, even though she could treat me as otherwise. I wish I knew as much about of line of work as she does.
Bri is also in top shape. She eats right, she exercises right. And she does it all with a certain humbleness and inspires others. You gotta respect her for that.
She's just an all-around good person. She makes you feel comfortable around her. And she's super-giving. Definitely the altruistic type. (Now, that's one trait of hers that I can actually relate to, I hope.)
I'm sure everyone who knows Bri would agree.
Happy bday, Bri!Current Mood:  good |
|
So this is incredibly late. If we were to meet in person, she'd just give me a big shove. But then again, I think that's what May would do anyways under normal circumstances..
Out of all the people on our Dragonboat team, she's the one whom with I had most interesting friendship. I pushed her around a lot, literally & figuratively, teased her, made fun of her, etc. And May returned in kind. Treat others how you wanted to be treated, as they say. Well, where May is concerned, I'd expect no less. :] She's a rough & tough gal.
But then again, that's part of what made going to practices fun. And one reason why I miss paddling with V10.
Oh yes, I still haven't gotten her a cupcake from Sprinkles. She needs to drag her bottom down to Stanford so I can get one for her bday (or one of her's bdays). Even if I did, May would shove me as a way to say thanks.
Until then, I hope she had fun -- in early May! -- and that she's doing well in SF. :]Current Mood:  silly |
|
"Our clients are our only assets, so we kill ourselves for them."
-- The Firm, by John Grisham
I haven't read many legal thrillers, so The Firm sticks out to me. And if the representation it gives regarding the lives of tax lawyers is at all accurate, then its a good thing I'm not in that line of business b/c I wouldn't be able to handle it.
For starters, I even didn't do well in accounting courses. Yeah, the math's simple enough: +, -, x, and ÷. There aren't any complex formulas, integrals, or derivatives (at least none that I remember). But what made is so damn confusing to me was all the regulations out there. These regulations would dictate how you handle the numbers, and that in itself got quite confusing to me. So it's much more than just # crunching. But accounting is necessary since every company, large & small, needs to keep track of their greens.
And if that's what accounting is like -- complicated and necessary -- then I'm sure being a CPA/tax lawyer is just as much, if not more so.
First, there's the schooling.
And then going through the bar exam, which I heard lasts for a grueling four days.
If you pass and get to a tax firm, you're expected to work 30-40 hours a week (or at least 18 hr days) for the first six months as an associate attorney.
And then 50 hours a week...
If you want to make partner, then 60 is the requirement. And those are just the work hours.
As your part of your job, your clients can be wealthy high-rollers who expect to pay to little or no taxes. They keep their finger on every dime. Legally avoiding taxes can be done, but I'm sure the pressure is immense. Some clients just breathe down your neck and may dish out all sorts of legal threats if they're not pleased.
Grace recounted similar experiences to the above since she was working at a CPA/tax firm. I don't know how she did it because I wouldn't have that much patience in being professionally courteous while dealing with such people. I'd be frustrated (and nervous) as hell.
Then I think about other CPAs-in-training -- ie. Jess and Leona -- signing up for a job that seems to be anything but easy. They're probably just that good at it.
So to those who are in this line of work or who have done it, all the more props to ya.Current Mood:  contemplative |
|
For high school, junior year is known to be the toughest year. That's when students seriously start gearing up for the whole college application process -- SATs, AP classes, extra-curriculars, etc. It was a busy 9 months, and I remember nearly overloading myself with more than I could handle.
In the beginning, I signed up for EMR -- Emergency Medical Response, a local fire department's program for high schoolers to gain first response experience alongside firefighters & paramedics. My longtime pal, Vince, was doing it for quite a while at that point. Early on, I remember chatting with him via AIM and I was concerned that EMR would take so much time in the midst of all that was going on with school. Vince's reply was straightforward: "Well, you're just going to have to learn to prioritize." Or something like that. It's not something you wanted to hear, but he was right.
But the EMR program was a lot to handle. Too much, as it turns out, as I was only an "Explorer" for a mere 6 months. It's a long story with many factors, but I'm just going to say that back then, I wasn't mature enough to be in such a program. I underestimated the amount of material a first responder had to know and didn't appreciate it enough to study effectively. My test scores weren't good (I was never a good tester anyways), and I even got a personal note from the EMR head, Tony, saying that he expected better of me since I was in a leadership position at the time. So in the end, it just became too much for me. After I resigned, Adam, another longtime friend, stepped in, I believe.
(I remember after some test scores were released, Rossan -- one of the Captains, who is now a doc -- remarked in an email to the leadership panel, "See? This shows that girls are smart." True enough, the top scores were all girls, Karen , Candice, and Julia amongst them.)
12 years later...
I've been with this company since '07. Still working there. When I first joined, I learned of a volunteer group of employees, the ERT -- Emergency Response Team. My fellow co-worker, Ron, was on it. So right away, yours truly joined.
Looking back, I'm not sure why I did it. Yeah, I've always liked to help others. But volunteering while keeping your primary job can be a delicate balance. Somewhere in the back of my mind: "EMR didn't work out. So why am I doing this again?" It's not high school anymore. True, the working world is less stressful in some ways, but more important than in others. My performance as a student suffered back then; would it happen again as a full-time employee?
I haven't regretted it. Over the past five years, I've received first response training and have met many co-workers who are amazing in their own individual contributions -- Ron, Bri, Andrea, etc. We have fun, but we're also professional when it comes down to helping out our fellow employees who are in some kind of medical distress. Nowadays, if I don't have my ERT radio on me at work, it's like something's missing.
I've helped treated patients. Nothing too hardcore or dramatic, maybe even compared to some of my high school friends' experiences back with EMR. But I know my fellow ERT members and I have done good. I'd like to think we've saved a number of lives over the years. Or at least contributed.
But there's only one number that sticks with you.
Even if we called 911 any sooner, I'm not sure if that would've made a difference. The lady was going, and she was going fast. Even when the paramedics arrived, it wasn't looking good. I still think about it from time to time ("Did we act soon enough?") and I still don't know the answer. Maybe, maybe not. It ended up being a massive stroke and that was the first time I witnessed of such.
We learned of her passing not long afterwards. I didn't know the lady, never met her before. But it still makes you stop and wonder. Over time, the best thing you can do is learn from it so that in the future, others won't "cross the bar" (Coast Guard term for passing away). Now, when the ERT responds to a medical dispatch, I'm sure that she is not far from our minds.
And that's how it should be.
===============
What's your number?
22.
22? That's not bad. It's not 200 but...
22 is the number of people I lost. The only number I kept track of.
-- Coast Guard rescue swimmers, from 2006's The Guardian Current Mood: contemplative |
| » my "pension" |
|---|
Normally, when I don the blues as a Coast Guard Auxiliarist, there's respect on the other end. Whether it'd be gracious or authoritative. But not all people are like that. I guess there's a first time for everything.
Yours truly was taking part of a safety boating patrol in the SF Bay. We were near a harbor and had to more or less keep order out there. Particularly, if incoming/outgoing power boats were going too fast, we had to remind them to slow down. Most boaters listened and didn't give a fuss. But not all of them.
It was a small personal watercraft (PWC) that was coming in fast, and three POB (persons on board). I got on the loudspeaker and told them that they had to slow down. They did.... for a few seconds. It was only long enough for the guy at the helm to yell, "I PAY FOR YOUR PENSION, I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT!"
And a guy next to him made this gesture of rubbing his fingers together (implying $$) to drive home the point. Then they took off, at the same fast speed.
I could've said that I'm a Coast Guard Auxiliarist, and that I don't get paid as a volunteer. But that'd just confuse them since we wear identical CG uniforms. That guy's probably dissing the USCG right now for all I know.
I could've said that slowing down was for their own safety, and for the safety of other boaters. But in such a situation out on the water, it's not ideal to get into a debate.
So I didn't say anything and we just let them go. Even my skipper remarked, "@$$hole." After all, Auxiliarists aren't law enforcement. The USCG is, but we can only advise and recommend. If that PWC were to get into any accidents after flipping us off, the fault wouldn't be with me and my crew.
I get that there are people out there who don't like governments, public services, taxes, etc. But that guy's reaction would be akin to being pulled over by a police officer for speeding and then responding, "My taxes pay for your pension! I can go as fast as I want on the road!" Okay....
Anyways, that's the first time I've received a reception like this. Granted, it's nothing major like being spat upon. But I hope others I know whom have worn the uniform haven't had a similar experience.
May. 1st, 2012 @ 11:23 pm
|
| » happy bday -- Ivan |
|---|
Sometimes, I hear the generalization that Europeans are much more friendly than Americans. You can't speak for everyone, but there is some truth to that.
I've blogged repeatedly about how much I didn't enjoy high school. How most of the people there were immature and... well, just not very nice. Yes, I know I know.... that's how kids are. But that doesn't change anything.
Ivan, however, was different. The guy came from Sweden and almost immediately, I had a liking of him. He was: funny, outgoing, smart, AND.... friendly. I never had a fight or argument with him. Thinking way back, I realize that he was a true gentleman. Which is an amazing trait to have in high school.
Obviously, the guy was well-liked. Whenever you see him on campus, he was socializing with others. Those that I didn't warm up to -- and vice versa -- liked him. He was well accepted by pretty much anyone, seemingly.
We had a few classes together. His integrity never wavered, whereas others, including myself unfortunately, did. One time, I even put him on the spot about some stupid grading policy in physics in junior yr. But really, Ivan was right; that's how mature he was.
Ivan being a great guy was even apparent to my mom, who met him once or twice.
I'm not sure what he's up to nowadays; heard he went back to his homeland. Wherever he is, I hope life's treating him well. And that he had a fun bday celebration (albeit 2 weeks ago).
Take care, Ivan!
May. 1st, 2012 @ 11:02 pm
|
| » happy bday -- Val |
|---|
I met and got to know Val through S.H.O.U.T. from the ol' UCI days. She was an incoming frosh and like most freshmen, was full of life and bounciness.
But what really made her stand out was when we joined our little community service club, saw indeed just how small we were... and she stayed. Most freshmen would have a reaction like, "Man, this group's so tiny and isn't as exciting as other clubs" and would then jump ship without a second thought. Not Val. Not only did she stay but she brought a lot of energy to the club itself. She contributed to and participated in all of our activities. And every one of us "old timers" were really thankful that Val was with us.
Eventually, the old timers graduate. And when we left, Val took the reins for two whole years! She -- and others like her -- kept S.H.O.U.T. alive. I wasn't in the loop on everything they did, but I trusted Val; the club was in good hands. When you leave an organization you care for, you want it to be in better shape than when you joined. You wanted it to get better and better, even if you're no longer a part of it. And those sentiments were captured perfectly through Val.
Her altruism didn't stop in college though. Now, she's a special ed teacher in the Bay. Oakland is one of the most challenging places to be in Cali, but Val's been working hard to ensure that the kids there have a chance for a brighter future. Being a teacher is a low-pay, noble profession. But in Oakland? That triples.
I wish her all the best in the world and hope she had a great bday last week. :]
May. 1st, 2012 @ 10:45 pm
|
| » a big kid at heart |
|---|
I called him Uncle Andy. He wasn't a relative but, rather, a close friend of my dad's. They go way back to the Hong Kong days. His widow, Aunt Amy, is also a good friend of my mom's; they go hiking on the Stanford Dish, talking about anything & everything.
Many wonderful things were said about Uncle Andy at his funeral this past weekend. So I wouldn't do him justice by repeating them here. But here are a few random, fond memories I have of him....
- He was a very active guy. Even more so than me. A few years ago, Uncle Andy dragged me and my dad up Mission Peak. I almost made it to the top; my dad did. And of course, Uncle Andy got up there. He conquered that hill (more like a mountain) as if it were nothing! In the subsequent years, he also ventured up Half Dome.
And last year, the three of us went skiing along with one of his girls, Becky. First off, it was great of Uncle Andy to drive all the way there and back for that 1-day trip. He was totally cool with it. Secondly, I remember him saying that we should go ski some double black diamonds. O_O Double blacks. I thought he was kinda nuts, saying that single blacks were good enough. But he saw those as for babies. Again, he was quite the active one.
- Several years ago, he & Aunt Amy came over for a bbq. As much as he loved his daughters, he also complained about them, albeit in a fatherly-affectionate way. I remember standing around in our backyard with Uncle Andy telling me about his girls downloading not just gigabytes, but hard drives of MP3s off the web (this was before iTunes made them legal). He recalled warning them, "If the police ever comes by, I'm going to say I didn't know anything!" Of course, he said all this in his usual half-jokingly way.
- As everyone who knew him says, Uncle Andy was very much into electronics. With all due respect to his daughters, his home surround system really was his baby. He nurtured that thing. Every now and then, he invited my dad over to show him. One time, I tagged along. I think it was during that visit -- and other times talking to him -- something wouldn't exactly work right or what-not. So Uncle Andy would shake his head and exclaim, "Shit! I just installed this thing yesterday and it's already screwing up! What the hell, man?!" That'd just make you laugh inside. Both my dad and I can still hear him saying that now. He really was a big kid at heart, playing with his "toys" and all.
Finally, the last time I saw him was last Thanksgiving -- he was cutting up those birds pretty good.
I'm going to miss him. My family misses him, especially my folks. Thinking about Uncle Andy makes me want to become a better person.
When one of us passes onto the next world, the first thing we'll ask is, "Where's Andy?" And someone already in Heaven will say, "Oh, he took off on a hike right after he arrived. Hasn't come back yet."
I'm sure he's doing that now.
May. 1st, 2012 @ 07:43 pm
|
| » happy bday -- Cheryl C. |
|---|
Ripped from the bday girl herself:
Even though we've met only once, Cheryl strikes you as the type of gal who's mature, intelligent, and very outgoing. We ended up sitting at the same table of a mutual friend's wedding (actually, I'm still not sure if she was associated with the bridge, groom, or both), and it was fun getting to chat with her + her brother who was also cool in his own right.
And you know someone is cool when they do a completely random favor for ya. Yours truly will leave out the details, but it just something that went along the lines of: "Hi, I think your friend is pretty. What's she like?" A lot of people would probably give a mere response like "FREAK!!!". Not Cheryl. As small a gesture as it was, I really appreciate her doing that.
And lastly, she's at a major biotech co. So that alone says a lot about her professional, altruistic attributes.
I hope she had a great bday and is doing well in the City!
Apr. 22nd, 2012 @ 01:17 am
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.2){kind=small}
piggydc's journal
