On Facebook, my political views are "Moderate". Technically, I had considered myself a conservative Democrat. But the more I think about it, the more I realize...I'm a hard-core Democrat!
THIS is why I am liberal at heart. Because if you leave it all up to capitalists and conservatives, you get douchebags that widen the gap. 1% hold 90%...something is wrong. Ya, ok so the bill is a little dramatic, but I love that it's making a statement. Did you know that the CEO of Costco makes only about $400,000 and pays their lowest-salaried employees over 2.5x the national minimum wage anyway? Hooray for accountability!
Props to H.Vo for providing this link. Actually, she blogged about it first and now I'm just piggybacking!
1.30.2009
1.28.2009
The world is falling apart, but not completely
I am fine. My life is plugging along and stable enough. But I went to dinner and saw some Berkeley friends that asked "How are you?" Usually I say, "Things are great :)", but today I responded, "mehlaa I'm...ok.... :("
Recession. 70,000 jobs cut on Monday, bringing the grand total to... x00,000. Every industry is touched by this, and when Helen sent me this link, I couldn't help but think how the world is falling apart. Though it's my favorite, I know that it's just magazine (and let's be honest, how is a magazine going to survive when they lower their subscription rate to $10/year given inflation and increased postage!). domino was a very good, very successful magazine and to see it being shut down is a sign of the rest. How did a real estate bubble pop into a credit crisis that shocked the auto, retail, high tech, airline, home furnishing, you name it industries, that spiraled into the rest of the world's economic decline. I am hoping that this $819 billion stimulus package that Obama just got passed will revitalize this mess.
That's the macro-level, here's the micro:
One friend lost her perfect dream job that she was great at and is now filing unemployment papers and freaking out.
Another friend got mono while recovering from surgery and lost a fantastic career opportunity, and a quarter that delays graduation.
A friend is sick of her job and is in limbo wanting things to just end so she can feel like she's finally starting her life.
Friends are figuring out their lives and what to do moving forward. 23 is very young, but in this state of the nation (and the world), the opportunities are limited.
One friend suffered the loss of her grandmother and an unexpected breakup of a 4-year relationship in one blow.
Another friend just told me today that she's still looking for a job because the architecture firm she was going to join is in a hiring freeze.
Two friends among 100 that I worked with came to work one day and by 9:30am, had lost their job and gone home.
Since 2009 began, I have been reminding friends that sometimes, it's ok to not be ok.
Everyone is surviving. Everyone is plugging through. But friends, I am sharing in your pain. Though for me, life goes on as usual in this little Pac Heights/Google/IKEA bubble of mine, I see what is going on around me. I am sad because you are sad.
And you know what, though these times are miserable, they are not devastating. Life is not over, it is just more complicated. Things suck, but really, we will all be ok.
Recession. 70,000 jobs cut on Monday, bringing the grand total to... x00,000. Every industry is touched by this, and when Helen sent me this link, I couldn't help but think how the world is falling apart. Though it's my favorite, I know that it's just magazine (and let's be honest, how is a magazine going to survive when they lower their subscription rate to $10/year given inflation and increased postage!). domino was a very good, very successful magazine and to see it being shut down is a sign of the rest. How did a real estate bubble pop into a credit crisis that shocked the auto, retail, high tech, airline, home furnishing, you name it industries, that spiraled into the rest of the world's economic decline. I am hoping that this $819 billion stimulus package that Obama just got passed will revitalize this mess.
That's the macro-level, here's the micro:
One friend lost her perfect dream job that she was great at and is now filing unemployment papers and freaking out.
Another friend got mono while recovering from surgery and lost a fantastic career opportunity, and a quarter that delays graduation.
A friend is sick of her job and is in limbo wanting things to just end so she can feel like she's finally starting her life.
Friends are figuring out their lives and what to do moving forward. 23 is very young, but in this state of the nation (and the world), the opportunities are limited.
One friend suffered the loss of her grandmother and an unexpected breakup of a 4-year relationship in one blow.
Another friend just told me today that she's still looking for a job because the architecture firm she was going to join is in a hiring freeze.
Two friends among 100 that I worked with came to work one day and by 9:30am, had lost their job and gone home.
Since 2009 began, I have been reminding friends that sometimes, it's ok to not be ok.
Everyone is surviving. Everyone is plugging through. But friends, I am sharing in your pain. Though for me, life goes on as usual in this little Pac Heights/Google/IKEA bubble of mine, I see what is going on around me. I am sad because you are sad.
And you know what, though these times are miserable, they are not devastating. Life is not over, it is just more complicated. Things suck, but really, we will all be ok.
A quote from Allan Ma
"Can't believe this is gonna be my third time seeing Death Cab. I've only seen Backstreet Boys twice! Somethings wrong here..."
AHHHH he's so funny!
AHHHH he's so funny!
1.22.2009
mono and rearranging
joanne has mono. i visited her on saturday. helen visited her today.
we both have sore throats.
i'm pretty sure we both just have a cold.
but joanne if we get mono i.will.kill.you. and don't you go all "ooh then i'll have company!" because i will kill you. i have rent to pay buddy.
also, my apt has decided to split rooms so we each have our own. i have the living room, which means shelling out an extra $106 a month and exceeding my planned budget by approximately 3%. but it also mean *breath deep* personal space :) re-deco this saturday.
we both have sore throats.
i'm pretty sure we both just have a cold.
but joanne if we get mono i.will.kill.you. and don't you go all "ooh then i'll have company!" because i will kill you. i have rent to pay buddy.
also, my apt has decided to split rooms so we each have our own. i have the living room, which means shelling out an extra $106 a month and exceeding my planned budget by approximately 3%. but it also mean *breath deep* personal space :) re-deco this saturday.
1.14.2009
Today was a bad day
Email to Minna at 10:45AM: big news. big freaking bad news...
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/changes-to-recruiting.html
I am thankful to have my job.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/changes-to-recruiting.html
I am thankful to have my job.
12.30.2008
"No, you're always the yin."
Helen, Sharon, and I had a dinner conversation that only friends of many years can have. After a bottle of wine and many updates, stories, and healthy debates about each of us (we took turns), we came to a realization. We are each the yin and the yang in our individual lives.
Clarification: Yin is Black, Yang is White. Ok so turns out you can't make tables in Blogger. Whatever, I used Paint. Here's how you read it:
X is the _____ for Y.
(i.e. Helen is the Yang for Sarah.)
Sometimes we are neither the yin or the yang, but the neutral curvy line in the middle. But turns out, according to those fools, I am always the yin. So what if I'm opinionated and expressive!! !! !
Something I realized is that we will always, in the end, do whatever the heck we want. Regardless of how much scolding the other two will do, we will still follow our own gut. But we need the debate, differences of opinions, pointing forks, muted yelling, and frustrated expressions. It's how we keep each other in check and make sure that even if we are going to make huge mistakes in our lives, at least we are prepared for the consequences. Thanks guys for not saying "I told you so" but instead cluing me into the realities of this world.
I have two remaining questions:
1) Were our lives always this interesting and ironic, or is this a product of being 20-somethings?
2) What do the dots represent in our little analogy? Maybe that we always seem to agree and disagree at the same time?
Clarification: Yin is Black, Yang is White. Ok so turns out you can't make tables in Blogger. Whatever, I used Paint. Here's how you read it:X is the _____ for Y.
(i.e. Helen is the Yang for Sarah.)
Something I realized is that we will always, in the end, do whatever the heck we want. Regardless of how much scolding the other two will do, we will still follow our own gut. But we need the debate, differences of opinions, pointing forks, muted yelling, and frustrated expressions. It's how we keep each other in check and make sure that even if we are going to make huge mistakes in our lives, at least we are prepared for the consequences. Thanks guys for not saying "I told you so" but instead cluing me into the realities of this world.
I have two remaining questions:
1) Were our lives always this interesting and ironic, or is this a product of being 20-somethings?
2) What do the dots represent in our little analogy? Maybe that we always seem to agree and disagree at the same time?
12.17.2008
Urban Education
I hate No Child Left Behind. Good in theory, horrible execution. Here's to hoping:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/us/politics/16educ.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/us/politics/16educ.html
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