Last Day of 2007

Wow, how this year has flown. It seems like we always say that every December 31st, but this time it has truly been an activity-packed year.

Lisa came over for her first long-haul trip and amazed Todd with her smoky "O" rings ;-) Isn't this also when you were introduced to pear cider?
Allan and Todd and I took our first ever long-distance trip as a family. Todd enjoyed his first plane ride, and not only did we get to see a host of different cities, but we also got to meet more Net friends offline. Thanks again, Carl and Catch, for throwing the barbecue!
My grandmother passed away unexpectedly yet peacefully, and though we regret that Todd won't get to have her around more, we're glad he DID get to enjoy a few years with her.
I am still in between jobs, but the delay has actually turned out to be a blessing: not only am I able to help out while Mom recovers, but it's provided some great mother-son bonding time, something I haven't really been able to have since Todd was born!

All in all, a pretty good year with more than its share of ups and downs. I am looking forward to 2008 and the things it will bring :-) Meanwhile, this is what we have to ring in the New Year:



That "Ace" brand was the only one I could find, it was at Trader Joe's. All the other big-chain grocery stores had only apple cider. I tried a bit last night, and blergh... it tastes like beer. I had expected it to taste more like pears but it had very little such flavor. Ah well, there's sparkling blueberry juice and Moscato wine for the festivities.

Happy New Year, everyone! See y'all next year! :-D

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/343019651)

Holiday Ruminations

Christmas has come and gone. We've got a green Eddie Bauer shopping bag sitting on the floor, chock-full of candy and chocolate from the various stocking stuffers. Todd likes raiding it, giving me an angelic look and hinting "There's something in the green bag!" We seriously need to hide it-- out of sight, out of mind!

Speaking of coveting things, Allan and I have proven that we truly are bigger kids than our own toddler son. First there was his stuffed turtle-- it was so cute and cuddly that I wanted one of my own. Before I got it for Christmas, Todd had picked up on how much I liked his turtle, and started sharing it with me. But I'm not the only culprit. Allan grew up playing with Tonka toys, not the cheap plastic kind, but the sturdy metal ones that last lifetimes. So when Todd got a Tonka dump truck from his aunt, you can imagine who else wanted one (I have the video evidence of Allan's out-loud wish, too!) and who wound up on the living room floor playing with glee... long past the little man's bedtime :-P

Boxing Day. Canadians, Brits and Australians celebrate it. I guess that makes us the only English-speaking industrialized nation *not* to celebrate it. And that means I have no idea what it's supposed to entail. So what ARE you supposed to do on Boxing Day? And what did you guys do?

2007 is nearly over. What a year it's been! I remember ringing in 2006 with a bunch of Net friends all over the world-- what a riot! Allan didn't know most of them, but I remember connecting my laptop to the projector so the screen was displayed on our living room wall, and he could read along on the IM window (as well as hear the mic users through my turned-up speakers). This year will probably be more low-key, probably Times Square on TV. Todd loves fireworks, too bad midnight is far too late for him to stay up to see some. And maybe I'll find some pear cider and give it a try for once! Any brand suggestions?

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/342236450)

Relaxing and Fun Christmas

Monday and Tuesday shaped up to be one of the best little Christmases I'd ever celebrated! Now that little man is old enough to be excited about opening presents and decorating a tree, I had loads of fun shopping for little things for him to wrap and stuff the stocking with, as well as finding a little tree to decorate.

While in LA, my mom and I found an adorable little 3-foot tree in the nursery near our house, which was chock full of all kinds of gorgeous trees, both Douglas and Noble. We put it on the end table in the house, but when we opened up the box of lights and decorations, we discovered that the ornaments and lights were too big, as all our previous trees had been at least 6 feet tall. Still, we decked the tree out anyway and it didn't look too bad!



I got a fake 3-foot tree for our apartment in SB, and we had to forego the use of lights because the string of bulbs I bought was too short, and I had little desire to pay outrageous sums of money to get a new light strand from K-Mart down the street. So, we made do with little ornaments and some garland. Todd had fun helping, though by the time we took this picture, the lopsidedness (as you can imagine, most of the balls and candy canes wound up at the bottom of the tree) had been fixed:



Anyway, Christmas Eve was spent unwrapping presents, and basking in the joy of watching Todd rip open giftwrap with glee. Me, I got a 17-inch stuffed turtle that is identical to Todd's… only bigger, of course :-D

Christmas morning, Todd discovered a plush Blue from Blue's Clues in his stocking—left by Santa, of course. Then we headed to LA to celebrate with Allan's family. Along the way, traffic was blissfully nonexistent—highly unusual for downtown LA!

Todd had a great time playing with Allan's family, really coming out of his shell and actively engaging in conversation and giggles with everyone. He also loved playing with Sammy, Uncle Ron and Aunt Debbie's Lhasa Apso. This was a total first—up till now, Allan's family rarely had the opportunity to glimpse Todd as he really is at home—a big ball of boundless energy, talking a mile a minute and laughing like crazy.



One of my favorite Todd moments while opening presents was when he opened my parents' gift to him—a check. As it fluttered out of the box, he exclaimed: "Oh! I got paper!" But when he opened up Grandpa's gift of cash, he instantly recognized it as money and proclaimed: "I can pay!" And not just for toys and junk, for when asked what he'd pay for, he answered: "Food! For Mommy and Daddy!" :-D

Here's little man on the lawn of Ron and Debbie's house:


The evening ended a bit later than expected, when Allan locked the car keys in the trunk and we had to wait for AAA to show up and "break in" to the car. Very apt, then, that we made immediate use of the Christmas present that Ron and Debbie traditionally give us every year—a AAA membership.

All in all, this turned out to be one of the best Christmases I've ever had. Nothing exciting—just small, quiet family celebrations. Christmas Eve in our apartment in SB, and Christmas Day with Allan's family. But it was loads of fun because of Todd. Things I normally loathe, like shopping for gifts, decorating the tree, and wrapping presents, were made enjoyable because I liked the thought of Todd opening the presents or hanging ornaments on the tree, with the kind of childlike wonder and glee that only, well, children possess :-)

 (originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/341568672)

Home! (or not) (ok, home it is)

Mom's home-- yay! The surgeon saw her this morning and shared the amazing tale of how her surgery ALMOST turned into the major-invasive-slice-you-open-big-time one, but at the last moment, he got a clear picture through the cameras and could proceed laparoscopically, after all. Isn't that awesome?

Spent all morning cleaning the house, which paid off when my cousin and her parents arrived for a visit right after I got mom home. Probably anticipating more visitors tomorrow, so I'm glad the house is still in tip-top shape-- Todd hasn't destroyed it too much yet ;-)

Mom's appetite is flourishing, voice is back to normal, and I'm sure it won't be long till the incision wounds heal and her lungs are operating at maximum capacity again.

Here's to a Merry-- and healthy! Christmas!

EDIT [Wed, 19 Dec]:
1. pathology results are back-- they say it IS the same cancer as from her colon, so now she has a referral for a chemotherapy doc. just waiting on an appointment for it now.

2. I just got home from dropping her off at the ER. shortness of breath increased today, which is a bit worrisome, so she's there tonight just in case, and hopefully they'll be able to sort her out tonight or tomorrow.

and now i'm gonna finish my tea and collapse into bed, knowing that the construction workers outside my window will have me up in about 6 hours... and even if they don't, toddy will be up within 7 hrs.

EDIT 2, Thursday, 20 Dec:
So, about 3 hours after I dropped my mom off at the ER, she was ready to go home. Of course, as it was 3am, she was loathe to call anyone at home and wake us up, and so waited till 5am, the time my dad is usually up, before she called and asked him to pick her up.

So, little did I know that when I got up at 9am this morning, mom was actually sleeping in her bedroom. I went about my usual morning routine, and then settled down by the phone at 10am to call the hospital to find out where she was and how she was doing. Imagine my surprise when they told me she'd been discharged at 5am. As soon as I heard that, it dawned on me that dad had picked her up.

When I got up from the phone, that's when I finally noticed little things... like her jacket draped over a kitchen chair. And a hospital bag on the floor with her purse inside. I peeked inside her room-- there she was. Can you say: DUH!!

I'm still chuckling at my moment of ditziness this morning!

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/339111611)

Hospitals

Hospitals. They seem hit-or-miss most days. I have only ever been hospitalized once in my life, and that was when Todd was born. Since both the pregnancy and delivery were very uneventful and normal, I wasn't a patient with very many needs. Heck, my appetite never even floundered-- Todd was born at lunchtime, and I ate my cold meal ravenously right after he came out-- while still in the delivery room!

I wish I could say the same for my mother. Now, don't get me wrong-- she's been in contact with some excellent, caring, responsible doctors. Just look at the timeline: my dad's company switched to a new insurance provider effective 1 Dec. My mom was able to secure a flurry of immediate appointments and referrals with all the right kinds of doctors-- to the point that surgery itself was scheduled for 13 Dec, a mere 12 days later. That cannot be called anything but a miracle, and for that we're very thankful.

However, now she's on to the recovery phase, spending time in the recovery ward of the hospital, where the staff is less than stellar. Yesterday I dropped by in the afternoon, intending to stay for an hour at most, just to check in on Mom. Instead, I wound up staying for over 5 hours because I had to play go-between and drag the nurses in when they wouldn't respond to my mom's call button, as well as help mom out with things I knew the nurses would drag their heels in getting to.

A number of things aggravated me about the nurses on duty. All of it boiled down to one thing: a bad attitude, not only toward their patients, but toward their work in general. Of the nearly dozen nurses on duty, only one did not possess a holier-than-thou attitude and act with disdain everytime I asked a question or asked for help on my mom's behalf. At one point, we couldn't understand why the nurse who had been tending to my mom all day, just stood there staring vacantly at my mom, who was waving frantically for help. (turns out that it was because of a shift change-- the "night nurse" had officially taken over, but would it have hurt for the "day nurse" to at least come by and reassure us "I'm off duty now, she's your new nurse"??)

Although it's my mom's responsibility to try to get up and walk around to regain her strength, none of the nurses could be bothered to help her up and help her walk around. That I could not understand-- not everyone has family who can spend the entire day at the hospital helping out, I would've expected one of them to come by my mom's room and *force* her to get out and move around a bit, as part of her recovery process! But no. They were all very mean and acted like we were bothering them and they were doing us immense favors for things like putting a bedpan in or helping adjust my mom more comfortably on the bed.

There were many more such "horror stories" from yesterday, but I won't bore you with the details. The important thing is that my mom's slowly improving despite the laziness, arrogance and impatience of the staff charged with her care. I would hate to think how I would feel and react if I were in her situation-- unable to move about, riddled with pain, and helpless because nobody around me (save for family, of course) will help.

She was sitting up when Allan, Todd and I came by today, and her voice was louder. I mean, it was by no means her normal pitch, but at least I didn't have to lean in and put my ear near her mouth to understand what she was saying! Todd entertained her a bit by telling her about his fun-filled day... which I think I will save for a separate blog entry!

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/338529494)

Duck Entourage

Part 2 of my previous blog entry chronicling the past couple days...

Today was Todd's last day of preschool for the year. The preschool is actually an "early learning program" put together by the local city recreation center, which also provides services such as after-school programs, dance classes, music lessons, theater classes and sports classes (including martial arts). Today several such classes put together a "Holiday Show".

Todd's class sang 3 songs-- "Jingle Bells", "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "The Dreidel Song". The dance and piano classes put on various recitals, the theater group did an improv and the martial arts groups put on karate and kickboxing demonstrations. Obviously, I was most keenly interested in seeing the performance of all the little toddlers. A bunch of 3 and 4-year-olds singing with glee? That stole the show ;-)
I dressed Todd up in a new red flannel shirt, and the black pants from his suit-- it barely still fit! Here he is dressed up as a dreidel:



Afterward, we headed to nearby Lake Balboa, a gigantic park/golf course/recreation center where the city was holding a Holiday Festival which basically consisted of free food (a hot dog, bag of chips, and juice box for each visitor), vendor booths, and a visit from Santa. It was all fun, especially watching Santa arrive by boat from the distant shore of the lake, but the REAL highlight came when we rented a footpedal-powered paddleboat and floated around the lake.

While eating lunch, Todd and I had fun feeding some of the birds on the lake with bread crumbs from his hot dog. It was amazing how well-trained the birds were-- we didn't even throw in any food at first, all we had to do was stand by the edge of the lake and they swarmed to us, hoping for a handout. Pavlov would be proud ;-)

As we paddled around the lake, I came upon the idea of trying to feed ducks from the boat itself, to see what would happen. You guessed it-- they swarmed around us and swam along with us, and kept peeking up at us, hoping for more food. It was adorable!

It was especially neat to see the interplay between the various ducks. Our first few visitors were a small handful of ducks-- one Mallard duck and a few white ducks whose name I do not know, but whom I referred to as "Aflac ducks" (because they are the mascot for the Aflac insurance company-- ever seen the commercials?) None of the ducks were afraid-- when I held food out in my hand over the water, they'd jump up and clamor for it. One of them even ate right out of Todd's hand-- grabbing the chip before Todd could throw it. He blinked in amazement at his now-empty hand, that's how fast the duck was.

The Mallard was very aggressive, having no trouble pushing the other ducks out of the way to get closer to us. One hilarious sight involved two ducks, beaks interlocked, in a tug-of-war as one tried to grab the food from the other's mouth. And the bigger ducks (the Mallards and Aflacs) liked to come right to the edge of the boat, stick their necks out, and eat off the boat itself! Here's the Mallard, mid-grab:



It wasn't long before other birds got wind of what was going on and flocked to join us, and we had "duck groupies" swimming behind and alongside us wherever Allan paddled around the lake! We were even joined by these strange-looking birds I have yet to identify-- maybe someone can help me? They are black, small (about the size of pigeons), white beaks, and odd feet-- the webbing was not fully connected like on ducks or geese. Their feet look like chicken's feet but with feather-shaped separate webbing along each toe. Towards the end, even the seagulls got in on the action-- flying by around us and settling in to swim with the ducks. That cracked me up because all I could think of were the greedy "Mine!" birds from Finding Nemo! Here is a shot of part of our feathered entourage, who followed us all the way back to the dock when we returned our boat.



I cropped a few of the "mystery birds" out of the photos I took of the entire entourage, and here's a couple of them, hopefully they'll aid a reader out there in figuring out what they are? I'd be much obliged!

 

I forgot to mention that since by then we were out of hot dog, we supplied the birds with a bag of barbecued potato chips. Todd's and my hands were quite a sight after we were done crumbling up chips and throwing them in the water. The ducks seemed to like it-- I hope they don't get a tummyache over it, especially the aggressive Mr. Mallard, who seemed to have gotten more than his fair share of food today ;-) Next time we visit this lake, we're gonna rent another boat and come prepared with a bag full of bread already crumbled up-- let the fun begin! :-D

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/338532068)

Doing Well

Took mom to the hospital yesterday morning, as her checkin was scheduled for 10am (with an anticipated surgery time of noon). After being prepped by the nurses and briefed by the anesthesiologist, who advised us that this operation might take a few hours (and even then I'd have to wait another couple hours for mom to go through post-op before I could see her) I took off. I left my cell phone number with the nurse in charge of my mom, asking them to call me when they were done.

3pm rolled around. Then 4pm. Still no phone call. I was getting a bit antsy. Finally, at 4:45pm I called the hospital. Luckily I still had the phone number of the general surgery department's appointment line onhand, and dialed it directly so they could forward me to the appropriate party. I ended up speaking to a woman in post-op, who told me my mom was doing fine and that she should be delivered to the recovery room by 6:30pm. I was a bit miffed that nobody called me, but I suppose the "no news is good news" maxim applied here-- something that didn't occur to me until after I called.

I fixed dinner for my dad and Todd, then took off-- arriving at the recovery rooms at 6:40pm. I walked into the room and was surprised-- no sign of mom! After hunting down one of the many nurses on duty at that station, I discovered that I had actually beat my mom to arriving there! She was still on her way out of post-op. So I sat in the waiting area for about 15 minutes before wandering back in-- and there mom was.

She looked fine, aside from a bit of jaundice. No breathing tubes or anything sticking out of her. Blood pressure read normal. And she was snoozing away, even snoring a bit. She woke briefly, asked me what time it was and how long I'd been there. She was so disoriented and still drugged up she didn't realize she was in a different room. She kept dozing on and off. At one point she asked me if I'd taken care of dinner, and when I told her I cooked, her eyes widened in surprise (I'm not much of a cook). That cracked me up. When she awoke again a few minutes later, she again asked me what time it was and how long I'd been there. I had to chuckle-- I wonder how much of this conversation she'll remember (if any at all) today when I drop by? anyway, she reassured me that she was comfortable, breathing fine, warm enough, etc...

I tried to find out more about her condition and how things had gone, but since it was after hours, the surgeon was no longer around, and since she'd JUST arrived in recovery, nobody had had a chance to thoroughly review her chart. Hopefully today I can get more answers when I return.

Of course, that will have to wait until after lunch, as I shouldn't bring Todd with me, and there won't be anyone to watch him until Allan arrives from Santa Barbara.

Meantime... I'd better get some breakfast for myself and Todd. I got some library books yesterday (including a really nifty one all about turtles!) so maybe we'll get a chance to delve into them this morning. Also a good way to keep him occupied and prevent him for tearing down the house I just tidied up last night ;-P

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/338056330)

The next few days...

... will definitely be a whirlwind of (offline) activity.

An update to my previous blog entry from last week:

The biopsy turned out positive for cancer (we kinda figured anyway). Mom and I visited with the thoracic surgeon yesterday. Despite looking extremely youthful, he was a very nice, respectful and knowledgeable doctor with many years of experience. He explained that they should be able to perform a lobectomy of my mom's upper left lung lobe and do it via minimally invasive surgery: instead of cutting her open all the way, they should be able to use cameras. This means not only smaller incisions (a couple tiny ones for the cameras, and one "large" one to fit the mass through"), but faster recovery time. It also means that, barring any unforeseen complications, she should be discharged the next day, after the operation.

The surgery has been scheduled for tomorrow. If all goes well, my mom should be home by Friday.

Thanks, everyone, for all your kind words and prayers. Please continue to pray for her. I will be sure to keep everyone posted on the updates, as they come.

(originally posted at:  http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/337465546)

Been far too long...

... since I updated this blasted thing (I'm in the library right now)! Been in LA this past couple weeks, and dialup is not conducive to much web surfing beyond checking emails and reading (but barely being able to comment on) my friends' blogs. I've discovered that Google Maps (or any other mapping service) also dies on dialup-- it's useless. Bereft of my handy Thomas Guide, it was faster for me to call Allan and have HIM look up directions for me and then dictate them over the phone.

Anyhoo-- first up, Todd stuff:

He's been in a preschool of sorts since September, and has adjusted pretty well to it. No longer too shy to even ask to go to the bathroom (I no longer have to bring a change of clothes in case of accidents during the day), and plays well with the other kids. He's taken to another little boy, and I'm not too pleased-- the kid hates school, plays too roughly, and his attitude is a bad influence on Todd.

Part of our parental duties is to serve as volunteers once a month, I've done it twice so far, and it's neat to see what goes on in class and what the kids learn-- alphabet, numbers, singing, crafts-- all good stuff! They even get homework every week. On the 15th the school is having a Holiday Show and Todd's class will sing 3 classic Christmas songs, it'll be neat to see our son out in public, performing with his classmates.

WORK STUFF:
I've lost track of what I've recently blogged about, but my interview at Citrix went well and the recruiter received positive feedback. Unfortunately there's one slight snag: despite the need, there aren't any actual positions officially available to offer anyone. The recruiter has even had to cancel interviews that were supposed to take place this past few weeks because they are still haggling with Finance and corporate HQ to get funding for official positions. They are hopeful for some results in 1st Quarter 2008-- if not then, then hopefully 2nd Quarter. So, if I do get an offer it won't be till January at the earliest, and possibly not till March or April. Fingers crossed that Finance approves the openings they are requesting.

Amgen stock continues to hover in the 50s. Prime time to buy, I say. I took a look at my stock options online the other day-- because I started working when their stock was at an all-time high (in the 80s), my strike price is $80 per share. Umm... yeah, no thanks-- I don't think I'll be exercising those options at all-- even though they expire in a month.

FAMILY STUFF:
Thanksgiving came and went, as always, we gathered at Ron and Debbie's house for a nice quiet family dinner. Todd continues to gradually shed his shyness around Allan's family. This year, he was busy interacting more with them, allowing us to leave him alone with other family members, and even playing actively with the dog! He had great fun teaching Uncle Ron how to count from 1-5 ;-)

Saturday we saw the LADWP Christmas Lights, a mile-long stretch of colorful and whimsical Christmas light displays. I managed to snap a few photos with my phone-- we'll see how they turn out when I download them this weekend. Todd didn't talk much during last year's show, so this year was a treat to have him sit in the back seat and exclaim at all the sights.

On to more somber news: my mom's had a persistent cough for nearly two months. A few weeks ago, her doctor ordered some X-rays to see if they could find the cause. They still haven't, but the X-rays revealed a mass in her lungs, leading to more tests and scans to figure out what it is. These past few days have been a flurry of carting my mom back and forth between doctors and clinics, the latest of which involved doing a lung mass biopsy. In the meantime, we are awaiting news of the biopsy results while Mom recovers from a partially collapsed lung (caused by the biopsy procedure).

As most of you know, my mom had a bout with colon cancer 2 years ago, and we are hoping that if the mass in her lung turns out to be cancer, it isn't the same one that was in her colon. Because if it is, that indicates that it has spread, and that's not good news.

Please pray for her, her health, and a successful and uneventful recovery. Thanks.

That's about it for current updates! :-)

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/334873733

Guestbook Memory Lane

Following Willow's lead... you're supposed to go to page 10 of your Grab guestbook and post some of your favorite entries. Well, in keeping with my self-imposed avoidance of the site, I decided to do a different version: pick out my favorite entries in ALL of my Myspace guestbook.

But because the majority of the funny posts come from the same handful of people, I decided to forego the "guessing game" portion and simply paste in the date, entry and author... along with a little commentary from me :-)

Here's a few of my favs... along with a little "bonus round" at the end that never fails to make me laugh.

Aug 25, 2007 7:45 AM (Jenna)
i had a dream last night that you and i were at some sort of dinner party, and Todd was there too. he took a liking to me and sat in my lap, wearing pajamas with feet on them that were patterned with Eeyore (i clearly read your email right before bed last night). i played "this little piggie" with him and then he fell asleep. how random is that!?
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has had some mighty strange and random dreams involving my friends-- I had a couple involving Jenna, myself-- one with us as runway models, and another where we had a sleepover and spent the entire time surfing the net!

Jul 20, 2007 6:42 PM (Scot)


When I first saw this, I thought it said "HELLY I'm into it" LMAO---I had to do look real close to realize what it really said, but the funny had already happened!
Not a whole lot more needs to be added to this, I'm sure ;-)

May 30, 2007 1:35 PM (Lisa)
I just had a mail. It said

"Just want to say you both look so so sexy looking. So which one is you?"

Im thinking of mailing back and saying the middle one...
This was back when Lisa's display picture was the one of me, her and Fuzzy in Wales. The "middle one", of course, was Fuzzy :-D

May 11, 2007 5:20 PM (Fuzzy)
Hey Helly, I think I've found the perfect airline for you.
I'm sure you'll feel right at home with them :-P

My love of spreadsheets apparently is too well-known. I've had a number of similar comments, but as the saying goes-- a pictures says a thousand words :-P

May 2, 2007 1:52 PM (Wayne)
Happy Birthday!!
2nd annual 29th birthday, right? ;)
Haha-- leave it to good ol' Wayne to put it all in perspective ;-)

Dec 16, 2006 4:30 PM (Lisa)
Those emails Friday night were the funniest ever

guess you could say we talk about anything and everything - my ass included...
We've always talked about some really random stuff, but this ass-related conversation took the cake! Lisa, do you remember it? ;-)

Dec 10, 2006 11:53 PM (Lisa)
Ok, so I only now notice your background

Why have you little spermies floating around your page?
They were NOT "spermies"! They were music notes! See:


Nov 2, 2006 1:42 PM (Jen[glockie])
LOL Loves it! I think I will call your employer to see if they can provide more funds for your vision plan. Loves ya babes! Country is cool (no matter what they may say about it)
This was after I made some commentary about how hot she looked ;-) And thanks for sticking up for me in terms of country music, babes!

Jul 6, 2006 5:03 AM (Fuzzy)
As cute ad Toddy is, he scared the heck out of me when he called me 'Daddy'
Written after a group voice chat in which Todd mistakenly identified his voice as "Daddy's"... never mind that the voice was coming from the computer and Daddy was in the next room!

And finally, the pièce-de-resistance: a group of comments, most of them from Lisa's page. It's... well, you can read for yourself (I've inverted the order to make it easier to read on here):

From Lisa's page:
Mar 13, 2006 10:07 PM (inog)
Old?
Hell, Helly gives me the freaking creaps.
She looks 14.

Mar 14, 2006 9:45 AM (Brian)
Helly gives me the creeps too, but it has nothing to do with her age...

Joking... just joking....

Mar 14, 2006 10:04 AM (Helly)
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
What's this "creepy Helly" talk going around on Lisa's guestbook!?

Creepy, my ass. You ain't seen nothin' yet! :-P

As Lisa said to inog: fuckers :-P

And then on my page:Mar 15, 2006 11:01 AM (inog)
I am reporting you to MySpace for not properly flagging your account as underage.
And finally separate from that, a photo comment:
June 27, 2006 12:46 PM (Fuzzy)
lol, my mates saw me checking your pic Helly. They wanted to know why I was looking at pics of a 14 year old girl. OOhhhhh my ribs hurt, lol
The funniest part about that whole "mock Helly" bit? The fact that a year and a half later, when I finally met the Oregonians, they remained consistent in asserting that I STILL look 14... in person... this time dragging SPAC into the mix ;-P Lisa and Fuzzy weren't too convinced I was nearly 30, either, when I met them in the UK last year. Har har ;-)

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/329572453)

Christmas Gift Flash Toy

Stolen from Jenny (ArmageddJenn). A neat little flash toy that lets you give gifts, customize the look of the wrapping, search for gifts that aren't already posted in their default list, and enclose a personal note. Thought I'd have a bit of fun and sign up for one of my own. Here goes!


(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/329495436)

Need a brain, anyone?

... or a witty comeback, in my case? Some random acts of downright ditziness follow...

While shopping at Staples earlier this week to get some nice professional paper on which to print my resume for the job fair, I stopped to peruse the digital cameras. I did a double-take when I spied this little red-tag deal underneath one of the cameras:



Hmmm... how's that for some major savings? Wow, instead of paying $249 for the camera, I'll only pay $248.99!! I think it would be easier to recoup that penny by just looking on the ground.

Yesterday I took Todd to the main branch of the Santa Barbara library system-- downtown, where parking spots are scarcer than virgin sheep in Wales, or talent at an American Idol audition (:-D). I entered a parking structure in which the first 75 minutes was free, and $1.50 for each additional hour thereafter. Knowing that the show we were going to watch would last just an hour, I figured we'd have plenty of time to make it out of there before 75 minutes was up. And we would have.... except...

My first mistake? Letting the slow-ass behemoth SUV go ahead of me as he pulled out of his parking spot and crawled toward the exit. Probably afraid to dent his shiny new gas-guzzler in the cramped garage. My second mistake? Not honking more avidly at the other cars lined up in front of us to pay at the exit. Time was ticking, and people took their sweet time scrounging for change in their purses. By the time I reached the exit, 76 minutes had elapsed since I withdrew the ticket from the entrance, and I was charged $1.50 for basically idling in line trying to get OUT of the damned parking garage! I tried pleading my case to the  hapless parking attendant, who was too low on the totem pole to do anything about it, especially as everything was automated. But it sure got my blood boiling. Now that I think back, maybe I should've paid by credit card. Stick the county with the credit charges ;-) Ah well... next time!

And today I was on my way out of the apartment with the laundry hamper in my arms and Todd following me, clutching a box of laundry detergent. Quite clearly, we were on our way to the laundry room. What do you suppose we were going to do once we arrived? Gee, ya think? Maybe you can enlighten the salesperson (of sorts) that approached us on our way. Her attempt at small talk? "Going to do some washing?"

Again, too late with the snappy comeback. I wish I had thought to say, with a completely straight face: "No, I'm just gonna burn a few buildings down. These 'clothes' are highly flammable, and my son's not actually holding detergent, that's gasoline". Or something equally absurd...

And then, with a flourish: "Here's your sign"

:-D

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/329068221)

Mattress Shopping

It was another dreary day in Santa Barbara. The entire week had been drab and cold and cloudy. Friday and Saturday provided respites of warmth and sunshine, which I had hoped would last through today, so I could wash the cars with Todd. Alas, it was not to be. So, we were left wondering what we could do today. I hit upon the idea of browsing local mattress and furniture stores to look for our ideal mattress.

We already had an idea of what we wanted: a king-size memory foam (like TempurPedic) mattress, but beyond that, we had to figure out what exact kind of memory foam (medium? firm?), whether we wanted a separate foam pillow top, foam pillows, etc...

So we visited several shops today and took the various mattress for test drives, obtaining all sorts of information from the salesmen in the process. The most obvious plus of the mattresses was exactly what they were designed for: the comfort factor and reduction in pressure points that springs normally exert. The next most important factor for me was the absorption of movement (remember those commercials featuring a woman jumping on one side of the bed while a glass of wine barely moves on the other side?)-- because Allan tosses and turns pretty violently at night, which sometimes causes earthquake-like tremors that sometimes wake me up.

Anyway-- the point of this entry is to inquire amongst my friends and see if they have any opinions (either personal or secondhand) about the mattresses? For example, one common complaint I've heard of is that the mattresses don't breathe as well as spring ones, causing people to get too warm. Not a problem for me, but potentially one for Allan-- depending on what "too warm" actually constitutes.

I'd be curious to see about other folks' experiences with memory foam mattresses, so please chime in with your (or your friends'/families') thoughts :-) Thanks!

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/327670177)

More Random Updates

Brrrr!!! It's friggin' COLD up here! Allan blames me, as this cold snap coincided with my return to SB from LA last Thursday.

Thursday was our 4-year anniversary (what a nice, neat date-- Nov 1st) so we dressed up and headed downtown for some dinner. We even dressed Todd in his suit, figuring we might as well get at least one more use out of it. Unfortunately the restaurant was crowded, I was starving and didn't want to wait 30 minutes for a seat outdoors, and we opted to eat outside, under the heaters. All I can say is, I'm glad I ordered hot tea with my meal, because BRRRR!!! I was frozen by the time I finished my meal and though I had room for dessert, we didn't stay. Instead, we rounded out our Italian meal by grabbing some Tiramisu Gelato from Trader Joe's on our way home.

It's been a fun week, lots of quality bonding time with Toddy, especially during the week when Allan's away at school all day and I'm basically full-time Mommy. What an exhausting task! But soooo much fun!

Todd made a new friend on Monday-- a little redheaded girl around his age (and her siblings), she lives across the way from us, and they had fun playing in the sandbox and toy kitchen in her back patio. It was refreshing to see him cast away his usual shyness and see him interacting so much with another little kid! First time I observed it was when we met Molly in Oregon, this was pretty much the same scenario-- except that since he's nearly 6 months older than when he met Molly, his vocabulary has expanded and he could talk more and hold actual conversations with the other kids. Hard to believe he's no longer a baby and is turning into an actual little person who can reason and think and talk (and talk back sometimes!)

Last week I got an actual job offer from the "adult industry" company. I interviewed with them the week before and learned that they are actually a consulting company whose clients are porn industry leaders, like Vivid. They run the e-commerce, web stuff and marketing for Vivid et al. It was mighty tempting-- the job itself sounded interesting, the pay was decent and the benefits (well, retirement, anyway) were EXCELLENT. But in the end I decided I wouldn't be comfortable having to hide aspects of my job from family and friends, and by that time I was getting ready to interview with another company (the one Allan will start at in January) so I declined. Bit of a gamble, since I still don't know how things will pan out with this other company, so I'm a bit anxious.

This Friday I have an on-site interview at the second company (here in Santa Barbara). I'm a bit nervous, which is unusual because I rarely get nervous at anything. But it promises to be interesting and potentially grueling. First of all, the inital phone screen I underwent last week consisted of TONS of technical questions. Second of all, the recruiter advised me that they'd study my resume and quiz me accordingly (in other words, I'd better know my shit down-pat!). Third of all, I'm interviewing from 9am to 1pm. And since I was warned to eat a huge breakfast, I'm not counting on lunch.

Anyway, I've been studying this week and doing lots of review (I feel like I'm back in school again) and am anxiously anticipating the day after tomorrow. Please send good vibes my way on Friday-- I feel like I'll be needing it! Thanks :-)

(originally posted at:  http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/326521208)

Asian Delicacies

Asian supermarkets can be fun to visit. They carry all sorts of snacks, fruits and vegetables you wouldn't ordinarily find elsewhere. Prices are usually pretty good, too. I don't often frequent such markets, so when I do go, it's fun to try different products.

But there's one section of the supermarket I've learned to avoid: the seafood section. I can't stand the sight of lobsters with bound claws, crowded crabs, and catfish just biding their time in the full tanks until a customer decides to order some fresh seafood to cook. Worse yet are the poor crabs thrown into dry bins, many upside down, only a few moving their feet pitifully. It's positively heartbreaking to watch these poor creatures suffering and just waiting for their demise.

Then last weekend I came across a REALLY horrid sight: turtles! I knew the Chinese ate turtles but I'd never seen live ones in supermarkets until then. There were a few "ordinary" looking turtles, but most of them were pig-nosed turtles-- utterly adorable! The poor things were huddled in what looked like a giant bathtub, most of them retreated inside their shells. Many were piled one on top of the other. Todd saw these turtles and exclaimed in excitement at them, but I couldn't share his joy because I knew what cruel fate awaited them.

Tonight, while I was looking up the actual name of the turtles with the pig-like snouts on Google, I came across this petition. I didn't enjoy reading about the ghastly conditions of animals targeted for consumption in China (which I imagine also holds true for most other Asian countries), but it did not surprise me to read it. China's human-rights track record is pretty atrocious, let alone its treatment of its scaly, furry, and four-legged citizenry. It makes me both sad and angry that such wanton disregard for life is so widespread.

Of course, I am aware that animal abuse and neglect exists in the United States as well-- including on farms. But at least here the culture and general mindframe scorns such abuse and even makes it a crime. Animal rights advocacy is a pretty strong movement.

There is a verse in the Proverbs book of the Bible, which speaks to the respect and care a righteous person shows to his animals. How true. The world would do well to keep mindful of that! Human beings are not only the most complicated but also the cruelest of creatures on this planet. Maybe one day it won't be so... one can only hope!

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/325307871)

Continuing the Meme

Okay, I've done this on Kendra's, Jenna's, and Scot's blogs... so now it's my turn to post it and sweat over the answers ;-)

Type your name in my blog comments.
- Once you do that, this is what I'll do for you...

1. I'll respond with something random about you.

2. I'll tell you which song or movie you remind me of.

3. I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle you in.

4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me. (if possible. if not, I'll say something that only makes sense to me.)

5. I'll tell you what I like or admire about you.

6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.

7. I'll ask you something I've always wondered about you.

*If you play, you MUST post this on yours. No exceptions!

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/324621777)

Interesting Web Finds

I am heartily enjoying a bowl of Weetabix as I type this. It's good, but disappointingly not as good as the "real" thing :-(

... and trying not to breathe in ash. There's been a dozen wildfires all over the So Cal region this weekend, some are contained, others are still blazing and spreading. Someone keeps Google Maps nicely updated with not only the location of the fires, but details, such as acreage burned, number of people evacuated, etc... Here's a snapshot of where the numerous fires are. If you click on the image, it will take you straight to the Google Maps site with the detailed info. As you can see, there's no actual fire near Santa Barbara, but the winds kicked up the ash from the Zaca fire (which burned for 2 months this summer and ended up being one of the largest fires in So Cal history-- consuming over 240K acres) and brought it down to Santa Barbara-- thank goodness it coincided with cleaning day anyway ;-)



In other news, yesterday's online jobhunt on Monster and CareerBuilder yielded an interesting position: a web developer job at an adult entertainment company!

Here's the full job description:
Mid-Level Programmer job

And in case that link expires or whatever, I took a screenshot of the actual job description itself, here's a thumbnail version (clicking on it will yield the full-size picture):



Good salary (more than I made at Amgen!), good location, interesting sounding job (even if it wasn't in the adult entertainment industry), and hey-- free access to porn! ;-) What do you think-- should I apply? ;-)

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/321695305)

Weetabix

I am a very happy shopper at the moment because I just returned from Trader Joe's with our usual cache of food staples and snacks. Usually not a blog-worthy event, but today's purchases included this:



You're probably wondering what the big deal is. Cereal-- nothing unusual. And you'd be right... save for the fact that we don't normally get this decidedly British/Australian food here in the US. The closest equivalent would probably be shredded wheat, but that's nowhere near the texture, consistency and flavor of Weetabix.

When my uncle came here for my grandmother's funeral last month, he brought a few packages of Weetabix along. No surprise-- he is from Hong Kong. I'd enjoy eating it as a midnight snack-- mixed with milk and honey and maybe some sliced bananas. Delicious! I only regretted finishing the last box and knowing I wouldn't ever get to eat it again for a long time, if at all. So you can imagine how I jumped for joy when I discovered the above-pictured box in the cereal aisle of TJ's. Even better-- it was very reasonably priced, and much cheaper than most branded (and far unhealthier) cereals. My mouth is watering at a much-anticipated midnight snack tonight and breakfast tomorrow :-9

(and yes, you know it's a slow day for blogging when all Helly can write about and take pictures of is a box of cereal amongst her grocery store purchases!)

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/321491956)

Foreign Employers?

The job hunt continues, slowly but surely. Crashed a couple of career fairs on campus Tuesday and Wednesday that provided a few good leads. While in my Gmail and emailing various prospective employers, I glanced at the side, where the ads are. Those of you who use Gmail know that the ads are based on the content of your emails. In fact, Lisa and I tried testing it out by filling our emails with words like "dildo" to see if any adult-toy-related ads would come up. I can't remember if we had any success or not.

Anyway-- it was no surprise that the majority of the ads on the right-hand side of my Gmail today consisted of employment/recruitment-related websites. All except for a curious one that wasn't even written in English. I thought maybe it was a foreign employment agency or something, but when I clicked it, I ended up on a travel website that specialized in travel to/from India. Yeah... as if someone who's looking for a job will be able to afford overseas travel :-P

I took a screenshot so you can see for yourself. How do you suppose that ended up in there?



(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/320592402)

I Hate Windows Vista

A couple months ago I blogged an anti-Internet Explorer rant. Today the rant continues-- not just about a web browser, but an entire operating system: Windows Vista. I was merrily typing away at an email and paused to watch some TV, allowing the computer to sit idle for a little while. The screensaver kicked on, and I turned back to the computer, moving the mouse to kill the screensaver and get back to what I was doing. Before my very eyes, my browser window (with my half-finished email) disappeared, as did every other application-- and the entire system shut DOWN! Fortunately I had an automatically-saved draft of my email and hadn't been working on anything else I could've potentially lost.

Still... who needs the blue screen of death when you can just watch your computer shutting down in an orderly fashion, without any prompting from you!?

The interface is tacky, too, I find. I guess it's designed to be "user-friendlier" but the only thing I like is the fact that you can right-click on your desktop and bring up ALL your preferences, not just display options. First thing I did when I set up my account was to revert back to the "Windows Classic" interface. And even then it's laced with Vista-specific foibles. It is still basically ugly and kludgy and hard to manage.

And then... my favorite email client, Outlook Express, which comes built into Windows, was repackaged as "Windows Mail". Okay, not a big deal, as the functionality and interface was basically the same. Until I tried doing simple things like watching a video on YouTube, and discovering it was extremely choppy. I thought it was a lossy internet connection so I downloaded the Flash Video file and tried to view it offline. Made no difference. So I pulled up the task manager to figure out what was going on, and what do you suppose I saw, hogging up an unconscionable amount of CPU power and memory? That's right-- Windows Mail. How can a program as basic as an email client consume that many resources!?!? Oh and speaking of memory-- let's not forget that just to install Vista itself requires an inordinate amount of "minimum" memory and hard disk space. Windows seems to get more and more bloated with each new version it rolls out!

So, in a nutshell-- I am no fan of Windows Vista. Crappy interface, terrible memory hog, unexpected shut-downs... yeah... as soon as we have time I'm gonna revert this thing back to good ol' XP.

Meantime... back to my email. My apologies to the recipient for the even further delays...

Frustrating Day

What a day! And am I glad it's finally over. Started off with a trip back down to Thousand Oaks for a one-on-one appointment with a consultant from the career services agency that Amgen had contracted with to help us get back on our feet. My appointment had been scheduled for 1pm, but when I arrived, not only was my name not on the appointment sheet, but they were running behind. WAY behind. I waited in the kitchen and helped myself to some snacks and drinks while I waited, figuring I'd be seen within a half hour. If only!

An hour went by. And then another(!) before I was finally seen-- by none other than the woman who scheduled my appointment last week herself!

The meeting itself was brief and, in a nutshell, a colossal waste of time. The only reason I was remotely interested in meeting with a consultant privately was because I was interested in making a career change and wanted to hear about some ways to go about it. Instead, I got resume-building advice (I showed her a draft copy of my resume)-- which is always useful, but not what I was looking for at the moment. I also got the age-old "consult our website" adage, and lots of encouragement to attend their workshops designed to prepare us for the upcoming job fair in November. All well and good, but again, not something I drove 60 miles and waited 2 hours to hear.

I fielded a couple of calls on my cell phone afterward, and while I did, I took a look around the room-- it was basically full of individual cubicles, each outfitted with a computer and phone. I later learned that they were for the ex-Amgen-employees to use in their job hunting. And then I took a closer look at the computers, for the style of case, monitor and keyboard caught my eye and looked very familiar-- they were exactly like the HP/Compaqs used universally throughout Amgen. What do you think the closer look yielded? None other than property stickers emblazoned with the Amgen logo! I had to chuckle at the notion that perhaps this was where the computers of the laid-off employees ended up (joking, of course!) ;-)

And now, to kick up my feet, sip a hot cup of steaming tea, and relax for the night!

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/319427789)

Brief Update

I'd sent email to several of you whose email addresses I had handy at the time (I set all recipients to blind copy, so if we've emailed recently and you didn't get it, check your Junk folder). For those I couldn't immediately contact, you may have heard the news secondhand: last week the mass layoffs at my company took effect, and I was amongst those to receive the axe. Some of you may have heard about the looming layoffs in the news this past several weeks. It has been a tense couple of months since the initial announcements, but now that the dust has settled, it's a relief to know who's leaving and who's staying, and be able to move forward.

Anyway, I got the news on Wednesday morning and spent much of the day packing up, cleaning up the work I'd been doing up till then, and backing up my personal files off my computer. I intended to come back on Thursday and finish up. To my (and everyone else's) utter surprise, when I arrived in the morning, my computer and telephone were gone! Apparently there was much miscommunication and confusion surrounding who was staying until Friday and who was leaving immediately, so it seems that they just swiped EVERYONE's computers. They even took the computer of one guy who DIDN'T get laid off! Fortunately I'd already taken care of everything important I wanted to on my computer, so all I had to do was get phone numbers of a few colleagues I had intended to email, from another co-worker.

This coming week(s) brings a lot of miscellany-- making sure I turn in the proper paperwork for my severance package, and meeting with the career consultants that have contracted with Amgen to provide free services for all of us who got laid off. There is a job fair specifically for us in November. In the meantime, I'm busy re-tooling my resume and continuing the job search.

Before I left on Thursday, I said good-bye to the manager who had hired me at the onset over 2 years ago. He asked if I saw this as a new opportunity or devastating news. Frankly, I see it as more of the former than the latter. Hopefully this gives me a chance to pursue another career besides IT/IS. Maybe I'll be able to find something where my love of spreadsheets, organization and attention to detail will come in handy ;-)

Yesterday was a busy day, continuing the apartment search. Now that my job location is variable, it increases the number of possibilities for places to live. So now we're a little more flexible in not only where we want to relocate, but also when we can actually move in. And hey-- I got plenty of packing boxes (for a small cubicle, I sure had amassed a lot of stuff and took SIX boxes to cart it all away!) that will come in handy when it comes time to move! No shortage of silver linings in this cloud :-D

Back to the job hunt and resume-rewriting I go. Wish me luck!

p.s. I still owe a few of you emails. I haven't forgotten them, and will get to them as soon as I am able, I promise! Meanwhile, thanks for the emails of love and support :-)

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/319031227)

All you've got... and then some!

I HAD to screenshot this after uploading some photos. Anyone see what's fascinating with this picture?



And all this time I've been rebelling and pointing out the physical impossibility of the feat whenever over-enthusiastic leaders demanded we give 110%! Guess this is their way of thumbing their noses right back at me!

Silly Names

Swiped from Scot. Haven't done one of these in ages, and this was too silly and funny to pass up.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car),
Goopy Galant (he was a goldfish!)

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie),
Black Cherry Chewy Chocolate Chip (that's 4 Cs!)

3. YOUR "FLY GUY" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name?)
H Kwe

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Orange Frog (sounds poisonous)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you grew up),
Belly Sylmar (going with Jenna's assertion of my middle name)

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first),
Hel Kw (Ooops-- did it wrong. Correction: Kwe He)

7. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),
The Purple Root Beer
(or if we're going alcholic: The Purple White Russian)

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Cecil Allan (I don't actually know my own grandfathers' names, so I used Allan's grandfathers)

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names )
Marie Raymond (again, my parents don't have middle names either, so I used my in-laws')

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter),
Needham New York

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower).
Summer Daffodil (that sounds way too lame to be a spy name-- it sounds like the name of a tree-hugger!)

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now + "ie" or "y")
Strawberry Jeansy

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Toast Sycamore (I don't really have a favorite tree, I just picked a neat-sounding one. I think my "spy name" from 12 makes a better hippie name!!)

Math proofs and the versatile iPhone

... to continue on with the random musings I posted earlier today, here's a couple random funnies.

You've no doubt seen the "mathematical" proofs that Women are Evil or that Money is the Root of all Evil, right? Well, now I present to you proof that studying will get you nowhere in life except failure:




And, in reference to the iPhone video that I mentioned to Scot in the comments section of the previous blog entry: this is the video I was talking about. The iPhone has so many capabilities that all you really need is one or two extra little features and voila! It's an iEverything!

iPhone

Add to My Profile | More Videos

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/317279882)

Random Musings

Saw this license plate the other day: FOTOLDY -- it made me think of Lucia :-)

This bumper sticker on another car made me laugh:
"Laughter is the best medicine. And your face is curing the world"

Allan will finish school and start a new job in January. The fact that I am writing this today in the future tense implies that it will be January 2008. His offer letter, however, mistakenly said January 2007. Looks like he's been missing nearly a whole year of work! ;-)

Apartment-hunting continues. We are in love with the townhome-style apartments of a newer complex not too far from where I work-- with the den and garage on one floor, living room and kitchen above that, and bedrooms and bathrooms at the top. Sure, it might be a bit of a pain to have to lug the vacuum cleaner up and down 3 flights of stairs every week, but it's worth it to be able to compartmentalize the different aspects of our lives like that. AND it'll be great not to have neighbors either above or below us (or worse yet-- both above AND below!).

I have learned that I obtained the majority of my education in modern pop culture and music through The Simpsons. I've lost count of how many times I've heard a song on the radio and exclaimed: "I heard (a spoof of) that on the Simpsons! I had no idea it was a REAL song!" So, I guess Bart and Homer and clan have some redeeming and educational value after all :-P

My son is quite the budding photographer. Allan recently got a new phone-- a Motorola RIZR, one of those really sleek and gorgeous slider phones. Todd enjoys playing with the 2MP camera feature of it and snapping pictures. Maybe we'll get him one of those toy digital cameras that are real cameras yet sturdy enough to survive the grubby hands of an active toddler.

I seem to have run out of random musings that have been brewing all week. So I'll end this post with a simple wish:

Happy Columbus Day!

(originally posted at:  http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/317178058)

Ode to Rocky

The infamous stuffed dog is sitting at my desk, watching me solemnly as I type this. I thought it would be fun to chronicle how Rocky came to be a part of my life and how, despite merely being a plush animal, he's probably seen more adventures and places than most real dogs, and even some human beings!

I got him when Allan and I were in Minneapolis, Minnesota in December 2003. On a starving-student budget, we figured it would be a great, quirky place to visit on our honeymoon. You might be thinking: "Minnesota? In the dead of winter!?" but our lapse of judgment in making that decision is another story entirely :-P Anyway, we were in the Camp Snoopy store at the Mall of America when I came across the stuffed dog with the collar and leash. Yup, the stuffed Rottweiler, a product of Fiesta Toy's line of "Good Dogs" looked woefully trapped in the red leash:

You see, for a long time I'd been on the lookout for the perfect stuffed dog. Most fall into one of 2 categories: 1) They look realistic but aren't cute. Or 2) They are cute but don't resemble real dogs. I had a hard time finding that perfect blend of realism and cuteness. Until I chanced upon the Rottweiler in the Camp Snoopy store. He was the only one left, and I hurriedly snapped him up. First thing I did when I got him home? Cut off that suffocating collar and leash!

Anyway, Rocky looked real enough that he's fooled people into thinking that he's a real dog. When I first got him, I'd do a double-take whenever I walked into the room where I left him, thinking there was a puppy sitting on the bed. My mom had the same reaction when she saw him. The nurse who came to check on me after Todd was born, was startled at the sight of what she thought was a real dog-- inside the hospital! And just recently, while I was carrying Rocky under my arm while entering the building for work in the morning, a co-worker spied him and asked if it was my dog. Thinking she knew it was just a plush dog, I replied, "yes". She then took a closer look and realized, "Oh, it's a toy!"

Rocky has been everywhere. As mentioned above, I took him to the delivery room with me when Todd was born. He helped me get through the childbirth process by giving me something to focus my attention on. He has accompanied me to Germany, the UK, and Canada. Starting off in Minnesota, he's since traveled to California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada. He's probably seen more airports and airplane cabins than Allan. He has spent days lazily lounging on the bed, and days watching over the other creatures in my office (remember the day he played police dog after Wallace fell over?)

One of my favorite Rocky stories takes place at a rest stop in the UK, where we parked next to a car with a couple of dogs resting in the back seat. The window was cracked open slightly and just for fun, I made Rocky bark at them. The dogs went absolutely ballistic, lunging for the crack in the window and sounding like they wanted to tear Rocky to shreds! Here's a shot of their reaction:

I've become so attached to the little stuffed critter that not only does he get carted around everywhere I go, but I've taken numerous pictures of him (most of which make it into my blog), written this entire dedication to him, and even given him a profile on Facebook (via the Dogbook app):

http://apps.facebook.com/dogbook/pet.php?id=374770

Arf, arf! :-D

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/315682425)

Once a Geek...

... always a geek.

I thought I'd share a random collection of funnies, mostly personal, to exemplify this.

First up, a bit of the cartoon that always seems to grace my blog :-D

These are a couple of my personal favorites because I can especially relate to them. The first one fits me to a tee-- how I don't go through withdrawals on weekends, when I rarely check email and stuff, is beyond me. The second one also describes me pretty well-- when searching for hotels, having free hi-speed internet access is among the top amenities I'm looking for! Our road trip this past summer perfectly exemplified it: free internet trumped free continental breakfast anyday!



The hot tub vs. internet cartoon segues perfectly into a real-life example that's very similar. Allan's been doing the job hunting rounds lately, and has been fielding calls from recruiters. One recruiter tempted him with the tantalizing prospect of having not one, but TWO monitors at his disposal. Not a big deal, you say? Well try on two 30-inch monitors for size! Allan's first thought? "Ooooh, sign me up! Salary? Who cares about salary-- we're talking about 2 30" monitors here!!" Sigh... geekish priorities...

And finally, geekery cannot be evaded even in the most un-geekish of settings, like a wedding :-D We went to a friend's wedding several weeks ago, and during dinner, we were given cards and a special pen (with long-lasting ink) to write our wishes for the bride and groom. Rather than the usual Hallmark-type fare, Allan and I decided to show our true colors (hey-- the groom is a geek, too!) by writing a bit of computer code. I took a picture of the card before we submitted it:



It's a tad blurry, so I thought I'd write out the code itself. My geeky readers (read: Wayne and Steve) should be able to decipher it ;-)

while (true) {
   scott.messup();
   scott.beg(forgiveness);
   brittany.forgive();
}

void beg (Goal g) {
   scott.plead();
   scott.cry();
   scott.buy (flowers, candy, jewelry);
}

I guess the point is not so much the content of the "code" itself, but the fact that we came up with such a geekish representation of our wishes to the happy couple. Not to worry, we flipped the card over and wrote our normal English greeting so the bride could keep some semblance of sanity ;-)

So... what's your favorite personal geeky funny?

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/313896189)

More Random Updates

Wow, I can't remember the last time I had a gap this huge between blogging days! I feel like I've forgotten what all there is to update on, it's been so long!

Funeral for Grandma was held on Monday. It was a lovely service, and everything came together quite nicely. It was also quite the learning experience for me, never having to deal with death-related matters and miscellany before. It can get complicated!

Some of my mom's family flew in from overseas to visit and attend the funeral, and Todd immediately took to his great-uncle (mom's oldest brother). It's rare that Todd warms so much and feels so comfortable with anyone new, so it was a treat to see him actively talking and interacting with Great-Uncle.

As you can tell from my last blog entry, we ended up getting Todd a suit, after all. Firstly, the amount of time, effort, driving and hassle it would've taken just to find a shirt and pants, would've outweighed any cost savings. Secondly, it was only $49, and that price included the tie, matching hankie and vest (and since a waistcoat IS a type of vest, I'm sticking by that term) so it was a pretty good deal anyway. Thirdly, the folks running the tuxedo shop from where I got the suit, were so nice and friendly that I couldn't help but want to take my business there. The suit fits perfectly and it remains to be seen whether or not he'll get another opportunity to wear it before he outgrows it.

Like Lisa, I was jumping for joy at being able to use some new cleaning products this weekend (multi-purpose cleaning solutions as well as new scrub brushes), and immediately set to work scrubbing off stubborn stains in the bathroom and kitchen. It was also reorganization time, and though I didn't throw much away, just rearranging items in the kitchen shelves and cabinets provided so much more space!

I'm still catching up on stuff I've missed from the past 2 weeks! Heard a news bit on the radio this morning about a survey that some advertising company conducted, which revealed that the majority of Americans are so attached to their online time that not only could very few survive even a couple of days offline, some would even put their internet time ahead of their own friends and family! The sad thing is... as extreme as that viewpoint sounds, I can relate!

And go figure-- in about an hour some tech guys are gonna come by and do a "desktop refresh" on my computer-- apparently it entails hardware updates, but at the moment I'm busy cataloguing and backing up all my essential files and programs in case they give me a new hard drive. So after lunch I shall be offline (it's kinda risky to leave your computer on while you're opening it up to install new hardware ;-) ) for a few hours. Guess by the time I get back online I'll STILL be in the midst of catching up on everything, and getting myself back into the groove of work.

Dressing Up

Finally got little man's suit and some dress shoes today. Little girls are fun to dress up like dolls, but sometimes little boys can be fun to dress up as well! Especially when he's clamoring to try on his suit as soon as we got home. Here he is, in stages... shirt and tie, then added the vest, then the whole ensemble, including a matching "handkerchief" in the pocket!

Random Updates

First thought of the day: I hate IE. I hate IE7 even more. I had just typed up my entire blog post and somehow, before I could post it, the tab with the blog editing screen freakin' DISAPPEARED. WTF!?

Anyway, here it is again, re-typed to the best of my memory...

With a few quick moments online, thought I'd provide a few random updates.

Services for Grandma scheduled for Monday. Spent 5 hours yesterday purchasing the plot and making all the necessary arrangements with the funeral home. Still have to sort out extra floral arrangements, photographer, and post-service "reception".

Finding a suit for Todd is harder than it seems. Most places don't rent suits, just sell them. A scant few rent tuxedos. I thought we could rent a tux and then have Toddy just wear the shirt and pants. But when a tux rental is $40 and a suit *purchase* is $43, it hardly seems cost-effective. We'll see if we can simply pick up a shirt and slacks at K-Mart or somewhere, for a lot less.

There's a freakin' MOUSE in the house! I saw the little furry critter on Tuesday night, scampering across the hall. My paranoia caused me to stuff a towel under my door, to ensure he couldn't get into my room. Yesterday night my paranoia dissipated-- no towel. This morning? Upon opening the piano we were greeted to a lovely surprise-- tiny little turd pellets and urine spots on the keys! Nasty little varmint! I hope he either leaves or we catch the germ-filled furball soon!

Dialup sucks. I had forgotten how much time is wasted waiting for stuff to load when all I need to do is look something up super-quick.

Time for dinner and a shower now, and probably more cleanup, as my uncle arrives in town tomorrow evening... nighty night for now!

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/309764859)

Update and Thanks

Hi everyone,

I thought I would blog an update on things that have been going on this past several days. I also wanted to use this forum to thank all of you who have sent me emails and left voice messages of condolence and love. It means a lot to me and I hope you don't mind my making one big public thanks instead of several individual replies :-)

My maternal grandmother passed away suddenly on Friday evening. I had just arrived in Santa Barbara when my mom called me with the news, so after dinner, Allan and I got into our cars and headed back down. Todd was actually the one who discovered her, lying in the bathtub. I think her heart began failing, and when this caused faintness, she sat at the edge of the tub, falling in as she lost consciousness. Todd ran to my mom and asked why his great-grandma was "sleeping in the bathtub". Paramedics rushed to the scene, as did police (to rule out foul play), to no avail. By the time Allan and I arrived, the coroners had finished the paperwork and were about to transport my grandma to the mortuary. I had the opportunity to see her for a few moments before they did. She looked like she was merely asleep on her bed, so it was a bit strange to feel her skin so cool to the touch when I smoothed her hair and forehead.

Grandma was almost 91 years old, and until the last month, was even healthier and more active than my parents. She didn't even look 90, she barely looked 60. She always helped around the house with chores, even swept up leaves in the backyard, and of course, in the last few years, Todd kept her highly entertained and full of laughter. She was 100% mobile, independent and coherent until her very last moments. Though she suffered a stroke a few years ago, it only slowed her down, but didn't hamper her. Her last day was filled with the usual mundane activities-- doing the dishes, folding the laundry, and being pestered by Todd, which always raised her spirits. The evening ended like any other-- dinner followed by a shower. It seemed like only a split second, and she was gone.

And for that we're extremely thankful. I cannot imagine how painful it must be for someone to languish in bed and in pain for weeks, months, even years, before they finally succumb. My grandma's death was sudden, painless, and quiet, and I feel it's quite a blessing that she didn't suffer at all, and that she was able to live in comfort until she did pass on. If there's a more ideal way to go when the time comes, I can't imagine one.

Tomorrow is our appointment with the funeral home to purchase the plot and make all the funeral arrangements. Family will be flying in from overseas at the end of the week. Since today provided a bit of a lull in the nonstop activities and arrangements we've been making, I decided to drop by work so I could officially put in for my time off, tie up some loose ends with work, and of course, catch up on online activites and keep you all updated on what's been going on. After today, I'll be taking a whole week off to help tend to everything.

Thank you again, everyone, for all your well wishes and prayers!

Love,
Helly

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/308958722)

Grammar Police (with an addendum)

Been a while since I blogged one of those silly Blogthings quizzes, but I do keep them on my feeder in case an interesting one catches my eye. Yesterday this quiz popped up, and for those of you who know me, with my low tolerance for spelling/grammar errors (IM excepted, of course) I would be remiss in my role as the lovingly-dubbed "Grammar Nazi" if I didn't take it.

So here goes:

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

This reminds me of a couple of Livejournal communities I particularly enjoy. I stumbled across them when Jenna first blogged, a couple years ago, about some outrageously funny entries in mock_the_stupid. From there, I found these two communities, which always provide some entertainment. Sometimes I even learn something new!

Grammar Whores and Grammar Police

I had to come back and edit this post after playing around a bit on Facebook and sending myself a gift using its "Free Gift" application. I received the email notification for it, and what do you think it said? Have a look:



I realize that it's just filling in a form that would've otherwise normally read something like "Jane sent you a free gift", but honestly? Would it have been that difficult to simply plug in my own name, so it would at least read "Helly sent you a free gift"? While that might create a philosophical conundrum, at least it would be grammatically correct. And that is, after all, the important thing! :-D

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/307701428)

Happy Birthday Hijinks

In the wake of Willow's birthday blog party and Scot's personal video birthday wish to her, most of you have no doubt read the comments on his blog, in which he and I discussed ways to jointly wish Jenna (today) and Fuzzy (tomorrow) a Happy Birthday together.

Here are the fruits of our labors. Don't laugh too hard! In my video, you can hear Scot on the speakerphone while my eyes dart around every which way except the camera, mostly because I was trying to concentrate on keeping the same tempo! Without much success, as you can see (hear).

Happy Birthday duet

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And here is Scot, standing under a street lamp and looking slightly spooky ;-) I decided it would be funnier to post the entire thing and not just the cropped version, so, enjoy his one-sided conversation with me :-D



:-D

And finally, just for some kicks, the commercial and song I will forever associate with Jenna (this seemed like an appropriate place as any to post it, and today of all days!). I present to you: Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper, courtesy of Mana Mana!


Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper Commercial

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Happy Birthday, Jenna and Fuzzy! Hope you have a wonderful one and may all your dreams and wishes come true!

(originally posted at: http://www.myspace.com/hellykwee/blog/307045175)

Hot Labor Day Weekend

Santa Barbara provided a nice respite from the heatwave consuming the inland areas of Southern California this past week, a heatwave that only intensified over the weekend. There was about a 30-degree difference between my parents' house, smack dab in the middle of the San Fernando Valley, and the pleasant coastal city of Santa Barbara. While my parents roasted in 107-degree temperature, we enjoyed a breezy and sunny 78 degree day on Saturday.

It started off with a phone call-- from Lucia! Apparently neither of us sound anything like we do in videos featuring our voices, so that was a pleasant surprise. And despite having a British accent, she was quite easy to understand. Maybe it's because by now I've talked to so many of you, I've gotten used to your general accent, way of talking, and colloquialisms :-) That was a fun conversation.

Then Todd and I did some shopping, brought lunch to Allan, who was studying on campus (and where all the eateries were closed due to the holiday weekend). We picnicked in the shade, where the breeze got cool enough for me and Todd to don our sweaters. On the way back to the car, I nearly stepped on the largest dragonfly I'd ever seen. I managed to snap a picture of it, with my size 7W foot next to it for size comparison:



We then spent the rest of the afternoon finishing our shopping, washing the car, and cleaning out the back patio, where we were able to enjoy dinner outside in the cool summer night's air.

Next day, we headed back to LA early, to leave Allan more quiet time to study for his upcoming job interview, and we left after lunch. Stopped by Wal-Mart and made a field day of it-- leisurely playing in the toy aisle, and then sitting in the McDonald's inside to enjoy an ice cream sundae snack together.

Monday didn't provide much opportunity to go outside on account of the heat, but that didn't stop Todd from grabbing an old-fashioned, motorless lawnmower out of my dad's shed, and getting to work on the front lawn! Here's some pictures of the little man struggling with it, video footage can be found on YouTube :-)



All in all, a nice, quiet, yet productive weekend with lots of quality time spent with my little man. I need more of them. Weekdays I see him for a few minutes in the morning and then 1-2 hours in the evening after work, before he goes to bed. Weekends are mostly family days, so Daddy's included in most of the activities. Which is fun, but sometimes good mother-son bonding is just what I need :-)