Archive for December 2007
0 comments Looking Back at 2007 - 12.31.07
December 31st, 2007 11:57 PM
It will be 2008 in a few minutes here in Columbus, and when that comes, I should say farewell to 2007.
However, before that happens, I should look back to the pass 12 months (365 days or 8,765 hours or 525,948 minutes or 31,556,926 seconds) - to see what I have done (could have use the word "accomplished" here, but nay, it's disrespectful to the word itself). Please take into consideration that I have spent approximately one third of time sleeping and another half of a month blinking my eyes.
- Watched over one hundred movies
- Read six books for school assignments and numerous books for the persuasion of knowledge
- Read about 80,000 blog posts of various topics on Google Reader and a couple thousand articles online
- Passed driving test
- and the list goes on and on...
I don't really know what I should be remembering (should I be?). The year of 2007 has ups and downs for me, and for the World as a whole. Whatever happened, has happened, and they belong to the history. The optimistic me would look forward for a better year next year, or perhaps, I should look forward for something closer, like tomorrow.
The fireworks started cracking behind the backyard, and I wish you a Happy New Year.
0 comments New Wallpaper - 12.30.07
I am actually using the original version of the image (no watermark) from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day.
I find myself changing my computer's background wallpaper quite frequent lately. This photo was used as my wallpaper previously (12/13-12/28).
I really like the one I am using right now, but will probably switch to this photo capturing aurora over the sky of the Eielson Air Force Base when the moon turns full again.
Simply gorgeous (if I remember correctly, this is the first time to use the word "gorgeous").
0 comments Merry Christmas - 12.25.07
Hope that I am not too late. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! :)
0 comments Passed - 12.24.07
After a half month of complaining, I finally passed the goddamn driving exam on Friday - on my second try. Woot!
[photo by silentvale, used under a CC-license]
0 comments JibJab: In 2007 - 12.19.07
Not as good as last year's Nucking Futs, but Jibjab's latest "In 2007" will definitely worth your 2 minutes.
What? How can they forget Al Gore?
[via Laughing Squid]
0 comments Response - 12.18.07
photo by Lasse Havelund, used under a CC-license
I can't believe that I wrote a ~800-word response last night (at midnight! well, that's when I have time) to my friend's three-word question, "how u been?"
The following is an edited excerpt from the response:
Phew. First conversation in, what, two and a half years?
"How u been?", you ask. The question which I can simply answered that with a simple, and to the point, "Fine, I am doing very fine." However, I think you deserve more than that, because, after all, we haven't talk to each other in two and a half years.
I suppose that there are chances that you might not want to know what has happened to me over the last two and a half years. If that's the case, you may stop here, no further reading is necessary, as "Fine, I am doing very fine." should have fully answered your question.
As you can interpret, the rest of the response is about how I have been in the two and half years since we last met.
Yes, I am aware of my silliness.
1 comment Stressed - 12.13.07
I am overloaded, school-wise.
[photo by Chirag Galundia, used under a CC-license]
3 comments Unfortunate - 12.12.07
I don't really want to start this again but I have to say that, "OMG, I am so freaking unfortunate."
If you read this blog periodically, you should know that the last time I was supposed to take the driving test, the people over at the BMV (Bureau of Motor Vehicles) canceled due to the "heavy" snow. Well, I had another appointment for the test today, and guess what happened? Right before testing, the person who works there checks the car (normal procedure), and found out that one of the lane-switching signals isn't working. Of course we weren't aware of that before.
It took less than 5 minutes for me to have it fixed, but that was after I got home and bought a new light bulb.
I thought, "OMG, can you not make this unfortunate person's life even more miserable?" I know this time is our fault, but if such mistakes happen again next time, I think the chance of me having a mental breakdown would be like, right up there.
[photo by Christine Phippard, used under a CC-license]
1 comment OpenDNS - 12.09.07
For the last couple of days web-surfing was pain in the neck for me because for every page I opened, it would take like forever before it started loading. I knew that it has something to do with my ISP's DNS but it wasn't until this morning that I searched "ATT DNS" on Google to find out what's going on.
And DING!, there was a major outage on AT&T's DNS servers a few days ago (and looks like they haven't fixed it entirely).
Helplessly (read: too lazy to search for solution), I turned to OpenDNS and configured my router to use their "faster and more reliable" service, and phew, it works like a charm. :)
3 comments 25 Days to Go - 12.05.07
Haochi is thinking. Oh wait, is he sleeping?
I am going to start writing my New Year's Resolution tomorrow. Topics including but not limited to:
- Personal health
- Education
- Responsibility
Okay, tune back to this blog on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day if you want to see a better (and more intelligent) Haochi in the upcoming year (and help me to accomplish those goals by urging me to do them).
2 comments Driving Test - 12.04.07
Okay, I am going to take my driving test tomorrow, and guess what? It's going to snow, the first heavier snow this year, 3-4 inches. I thought to myself, "poor bastard." :-/
Just wish me luck.
I took this photo during homeroom today in the school.
UPDATE: Oh, it's always me. I knew deep down in my gut that something stupid will happen. They called my home phone this morning and said that they canceled the appointment due to the "heavy" snow. I am going to call them tomorrow to reschedule the driving exam.
[photo by Josef Stuefer, used under a CC-license]
0 comments The 2-Year Void - 12.03.07
Suddenly I feel like getting back the countless hours I wasted online between 2003-2005.
You owe me, Tim.
[photo by Simon J. aka shimown, used under a CC-license]
2 comments Love - 12.02.07
To my teenage crush: F. X.,
It was really exciting for me to you see again today, even though only seeing you on Facebook, but that's quite enough. My heart was beating fast and my hands were trembling. It was you, I am sure. You are the exact same person that I have had in my memory for the last three years. Or at least you look the same.
I remember your smile and the day you hold my hand at the zoo, the two things that I will always remember. I also remember your unwillingness to give up in various debates, and even that time you trying to fight that guy who's more than twice of your size. It would be a lie to say that I remember everything you did, but I tried to remember as much as possible.
I love you. Or at least I used to. I always tell myself that I love you - until this day, the day that I see you again, I question myself, "What's love?"
Love /lʌv/ n., strong feelings of attraction towards, and affection for, another adult, or great affection for a friend or family member - Cambridge Dictionary
Yes, I know what love is, but do I understand what it is? Afraid not. You are the only person I remember loving, but do I, or even did I, truly love you by its definition?
I wish I can still tell you "te amo" with affection and passionately, but I can't. I guess I might have lied to myself the whole time.
Perhaps I do love you, perhaps not. I can't even be sure. I used to laugh at those people who have their relationship status set as "It's too complicated", but I know how it really feels like now - way too complicated to be deal by a human being.
I give up. Maybe after all these years, it's time for me to have a fresh start.
Thank you.
[photo by fleurione, used under a CC-license]
2 comments Self Control - 12.01.07
For the first time in 3 years, I feel like beating the crap out of someone.
The sign of an intelligent people is their ability to control their emotions by the application of reason. - Marya Mannes
Of course, I didn't. I took a deep breath, and thought to myself, "WTF was I thinking?"
[photo by Hoser Dude, used under a CC-license]