usually unedited.

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:29:33 GMT

wow...it's been a while. So much of a while that it took me 4 attempts to figure out my password.

Is anyone still out there?

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 03:21:13 GMT

Well, it's been half a year since my last update. I wasn't inclined to do so tonight, but I came across this survey and thought it was worth doing to pass some time. But first, a few updates:

-I completed my first marathon (26.2 miles) on Sunday, June 3 in San Diego. I didn't complete it under my expected time, but I crossed the finish line, so all is well. I'm currently training for the Philadelphia Distance Run (13.1miles).

-Moved to a new office for the 3rd time in 2 years. I think I may get to stay in this one for the summer, at least.

Sadly, I can't think of much else to write regarding the past 6 months. So on with the survey...

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT?
The scar on the shin of my left leg...I was training on my own one day around Kissel Hill and didn't see the spiky, spiny bush on the side of the road. I tripped over it and the branches cut my leg twice. Since I didn't think it was that bad, I decided to finish the route and ended up bleeding onto my socks and sneakers.

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?
Not much.

3. DO YOU SNORE, GRIND YOUR TEETH, OR TALK IN YOUR SLEEP?
I snore occasionally, don't grind my teeth to my knowledge and sleep talk rarely.

4. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
A variety...my favorites include anything by the Goo Goo Dolls, Taylor Swift, and select songs by Keith Urban.

5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?
I don't remember.

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
For Andrew to recover from his latest setbacks.

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS?
My grandmother and good times in New Haven.

8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION?
I can't name one specific possession right now.

9. HOW TALL ARE YOU?
5'7"

10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?
No

11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK
I freak myself out on occasion

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?
Myself at today's mission moment

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Black

15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF BEING PROPOSED TO AT?
I don't know

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK?
Coffee on weekdays. Gatorade on Saturday before a long run.

17. FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING?
Mushrooms

18. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Strawberry popsicle

20. HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLDFISH?
Eww, no.

21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST MEANINGFUL GIFT YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED?
The collection of notes from various members of the LLS team before the RNR marathon.

22. DO YOU LIKE ANYBODY ELSE?
Yes

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?
Not that I know of.

26. DO YOU HAVE A PET RIGHT NOW?
Yes

27. WHAT KIND IS IT?
A dwarf rabbit-Harrison the Squirrel (named before I adopted him) aka Squabbit aka Squabtacular

28. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS
LEAVING?
Not if I could help it.

29. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU?
Not sure

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED
25

31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES?
Brunettes

32. WHO IS THE ONE PERSON YOU'RE ON THE PHONE MOST WITH?
Older sister

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE USA?
Yes

35. YOUR WEAKNESSES?
Ice cream

36. MET ANYONE FAMOUS?
Not that I remember

37. FIRST JOB?
Busgirl

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?
Maybe?

41. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT?
Sending emails

40. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY?
No. I've been to the ER twice, though.

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?
My weight

43. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES?
Yes

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
New running shoes (hey, they get expensive). And donations in my name to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (preferably through a TNT participant) or to the Humane League.

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT?
2, maybe 3

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
No

47. DO YOU WISH ON STARS?
Sometimes

49. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE?
Aveda

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Sure

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Soy turkey

52. ANY BAD HABITS?
Picking my nails when I'm nervous

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Sure

56. DO LOOKS MATTER?
Yes, to an extent.

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?
I run.

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?
Popples and etch-a-sketch

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?
Around 80

63. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Ha. Yes.

64. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE?
Both

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
Intelligence and a clean cut appearance

66. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?
Milly

68. WHATS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW?
I can't name just one...Traveler, Top Chef, Lost

70. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Cookies & Creme

71. DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES?
Yes

72. DO YOU HAVE A COMPUTER IN YOUR ROOM?
When I bring my laptop in

73. Plans for tonight?
Thinking of staying in and playing the wii

74. WHATS THE FASTEST YOU HAVE GONE IN A CAR?
About 90 on the blue route on the way to a Phillies game. I wasn't driving.

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
It would give me something to read!

76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
Kingdom of Heaven and squabbit rustling

77. LAST THING YOU DRANK?
Water

78. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Does someone's answering machine count? If not, the my mom.

79. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Height and hair

81. FAVORITE THING TO HATE?
Can't think of anything right now...

82. FAVORITE MONTH OF THE YEAR?
April

85. WHAT IS YOUR NATURAL HAIR COLOR?
Dark brown

86. WHAT IS YOUR EYE COLOR ?
Nearly the same as my hair

87. FAVORITE SHOES?
My black Reefs. And my Asics Landreths

88. FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE?
Does Boston Market count?

89. FAVORITE RESTAURANT?
Gus's!

90. DO YOU LIKE SUSHI?
Yes

91. LAST THING YOU WATCHED?
Kingdom of Heaven is playing in the background. I watched 2 of today's Wimbledon matches earlier.

92. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR?
Thanksgiving day (it would've been Christmas, but the weather is typically better during Thanksgiving)

93. PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS?
The piano, violin, and string bass

94. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT?
Democrat

95. KISSES OR HUGS?
Hugs

96. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS?
Relationships

97. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT?
Gift certificates for my coaches & photographs for my new office

99. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?
Everyone worth knowing

100. DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE:
Work in progress

101. DO YOU DRINK? SMOKE?
Yes/No

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 16:04:01 GMT

It's been a while, my dear friends. For some reason or the other, I've been slacking in updates. Maybe it's work. Maybe it's pure laziness. Whatever the cause may be (I haven't figured it out yet), I'm sorry. But here's a quick update on the life of yours truly from the end of last year until today:

-Stil working at the same office, with more or less the same people, minus an old tech colleague
-Spent September, October, & November in DC, Baltimore, Richmond, and Atlanta. Good times with great work colleagues. Except for the monsoon we encountered at the Batlimore Harbor on the last day. But still, good times.
-New year's was spent painting a resolution mug for hours
-Had our first dusting of snow last night. It's about time. Had to actually hide a little glee as I scraped off my car this morning.

And yesterday...

-Committed to training for the next 19 weeks with Team in Training of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for the Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon (13.1mi) in San Diego, CA. Immediately after attending the kick-off party, I created my fundraising site. My initial goal is $3,900 and need all the help I can get. Please help if you can!

http://www.active.com/donate/tntcpa/tntcpaMLui

Please give generously. Anything would help.

How has everyone else been?

Thu, 22 Jun 2006 13:37:53 GMT

things I've learned since the last entry:

-downtown St. Louis is a dump. Riverboat dinner cruises don't work on the Mississippi, as the river water somehow destroys the engine of the boat and then you're stuck on the upper deck of the boat with 120 other people, all fighting for the remaining alcohol in the open bar. Software conferences don't suck, however. Especially when you're fed every meal and poeple in attendance can actually answer your questions about how to transition from managed to campus-hosted. (We're still managed, by the way. Nar.)

-other conferences suck, even if they are held in Hershey. skipping the last day in protest doesn't.

-what's the deal with getting married nowadays? seems like marriage has become trendy again, and it's taking a toll on the wallet. I think Ollie's Discount Outlet down the road should start offering wedding registries. Beats purchasing oversized pancake spatulas at Crate & Barrel.

-it's been hot. and humid.

doing well, though! seriously.

Sun, 15 Jan 2006 04:17:42 GMT

An email that I received from a very respected past Econ professor/partial independent student advisor of mine:

"Lui, what are you doing wasting your talents in [current employer]? I've been waiting to see you on the cover of Forbes Magazine!"

I was quiet in quitting my old job where I was treated like dirt for 2 years. The switch was more of necessity than anything else. I was quiet in accepting the new offer.

Emails like this make me wonder if all the pain was worth having a better, flashier image to the outside world.

I have no idea where this life is going.

Fri, 09 Dec 2005 18:34:30 GMT

Updates, so I'll remember what I did this week next week:

Wrapped my first holiday gifts yesterday. Got crap for putting so much effort into it, but I'm sure that Eddie & Idelfonso will appreciate it. It's a shame that they both will know exactly what will be revealed as they pull the tape off the wrapping paper, but I guess that's just the way it is when all of your requests are put onto a huge wish list at a community service center. I don't think I'll ever meet them, but at least one student from the Lancaster Public School Homeless Project will have his own train set and one senior citizen from the Spanish-American Civil Association will have a scarf. Works out well. Now onto gifting for the family.

Was on a brief hiatus from half-marathon training after passing out shaking on my chair and scaring the crap out of my assistant last week. Doctor believe it's the not-eating-enough, low blood sugar thing; I'll take it. Did a few miles Wednesday & Thursday, feeling good. Slow and steady. Eating more calories than I burn also helps, apparently.

Mother Nature dumped 10 inches of snow into my community complex this morning. CT had a crap load of snow, but at least the roads were plowed. Not so much the case here. Sigh.

Have a great weekend, all.

Wed, 30 Nov 2005 01:12:05 GMT

The short lull after the gargantuan amounts of food consumption during Thanksgiving definitely ended on Monday with a week filled with committee and write/reads. I'm not complaining; I really do enjoy the quite ambiance of my office when the mp3s are playing, the candle's lit, and I'm doing all of the quiet work without client meetings. I still can't wait until the week-long break for Christmas, though!

L and I began the training for the half-marathon today after work. As I'm recovering from back problems and L has been out of the long-distance scene for a little while, we decided on a comfortable 3 mile run. Training should be pretty calm, as the race isn't until late April. All we can do now is push on and hope that winter weather isn't too harsh this year while we climb towards the 13 mile goal.

Erm, what else...

Purchased my first few holiday gifts yesterday during Cyber Monday (hooray for free shipping!); I'm definitely going to have to take a gander at the new Pottery Barn outlet that just opened at Tanger soon. Goal for this year is to keep a self-gifting ceiling at $50. We'll see. Me, myself, and I will plan to spend our time at locations like the library over too much time at those pretty retail places.

Work travel will be put to a minimum until the spring. A quick trip back to Baltimore will be scheduled for mid-December. I'm thinking of a pleasure trip through NYC, New Haven, and Boston soon.

'Tis all for now. Photos of the past few events will be posted later, if I remember. What's everyone been up to?

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 18:35:20 GMT

the recent life pictorial:

-Wedding at the Yacht Club: hurricane wilma, and pirates of the carribbean

-Annual conference in at the Baltimore Convention Center: "I'm not crabby, I'm cute!"

Thu, 27 Oct 2005 04:18:26 GMT

In town for business. I flew in yesterday night after a few days in Orlando for all of A&K's wedding fesitivities. Good times at the Yacht Club. The hurricane cleared up at the perfect moment; chapel and reception were amazing.

It's freezing here. I packed all skirt suits for my client visits in North Carolina, seeing that the south is supposed to be warmer. I was so wrong.

Photos to follow...

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 00:38:25 GMT

Okay, no more short, political entries for now...

I'm beginning my fall travel and am assigned to the Southeast this year, which is great because I'm spending the rest of September, October, and November in MD, VA, and DE but after Hurricane Katrina, I'm wondering what to do since the gulf coast is also my region. My organization has pledged to match a dollar for every dollar that we donate, which has definitely been helping.

Currently in DC, which is great except I definitely have to get into the habit of sleeping earlier because client visits at 7:50am means that I need to be up at 6am (at least, I do if I want to take advantage of the continental breakfasts at the Hiltons!). Having dinner with Alex this week, which is great because I haven't seen him in what seems like eons.

Vacation-wise, I'm off to the Yacht Club in Orlando at the end of October for Aimee and Kevin's wedding, which should be good. I definitely need to save more money so I can be a little more carefree and less worrysome there. Flying straight from FL to the Research Triangle in NC for work after the wedding. We haven't been there in the past few years, so this should prove to be interesting.

Looking forward to actually spending some quality time with the loved ones this Thanksgiving after my last week of fall travel in DE :)

The Eagles game last weekend was amazing. Watched it with the mister and a few others with lots of cookies. Can't wait to watch this week's game on my Ikea couch.

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 03:01:28 GMT

this morning, I spent some time in silence...

4 years.

Tue, 06 Sep 2005 12:45:50 GMT

Labor Day weekend was quasi-relaxing, although my mind was definitely on other things.

Congress needs to get their act together and really understand what would happen if Roberts is confirmed as Chief Justice. I hope we can find a less extreme conservative soon.

Let's just say that O'Connor isn't my favorite person right now.

the current state of the country scares me.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/09/05/bush.missteps.tm/index.html

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 17:11:17 GMT

Because I have no reception in my office, I decided to take a few lunchtime phone calls outside today. As I'm making dinner plans with an old friend for tonight, I venture out to my car and realize that I should just never look at my car in the daylight when it's clean. I found at least 2 scratches on the side of my car and was too disgusted to find more. This never tended to happen while I lived in CT, for a few reasons

-it was snowing most of the time, so almost nobody would venture out onto the roads
-the average value of the cars there were much higher in ghetto central PA. when people drive more expensive cars, they're less likely to hit yours. not the case here.
-people can drive over there

ignorance truly is bliss

and no matter what my mentally challenged co-worker says, central PA certainly does suck.

Mon, 08 Aug 2005 14:27:24 GMT

rest peacefully, Peter Jennings.

world news tonight will never be the same...

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 14:04:23 GMT

http://www.liverforalife.com

Tue, 19 Jul 2005 23:56:56 GMT

nar, John Roberts is the nominee to replace Justice O'Connor in the Court. an uber-conservative white male wasn't what I was looking for...

let's hope that Justice Rehnquist holds on until Bush is out of the office!

Wed, 01 Jun 2005 03:00:23 GMT

it's been a while...

moved into the PA apartment a month ago, and have spent a total of 4 nights there thus far. spent a few days in charleston, visiting k and t, spent lots of time on the boat and the hammock :)

returned for a few days in the ct office and (finally!) a qualification meeting at dartmouth

went to nyc for the week for SQL training

currently in atlanta to start-up GA tech

back to nyc next week for more SQL training (at least there's halo 2, jack johnson, and honey wheat bagels in the break room!)

then back to the ct office to train the newbies

someone please let me know what the point is in paying rent for my apartment?

Sat, 23 Apr 2005 03:48:18 GMT

so another birthday is closing out...

it's interesting to see how things have progressed over the years. the friends are different. they now call me in the morning when I'm on my way to meetings. it's so different from college and high school days. you're reminded of the friends who remember you just as much as you remember them. the gifts are different. no more wish lists with clothing and other knick knacks that are "cool" to own, but don't really show much thought from the one who gives. instead,

cotton totes, hand soap that will match the new apartment bathroom, square paper, 2nd row 3th base line tickets to the red sox game, my favorite south carolinian pralines, simple white gold chains, on and on. it's just a whole other level of thoughtfulness.

thanks.

Fri, 25 Mar 2005 01:13:57 GMT

hmm, I somehow feel obligated to update this, although I'm not sure there's much to tell that should be posted on a public entry.

Some things:

-my apartment has been under renovation since last monday. I came home Sunday night and cleaned out the cupboards with G, got a phone call while on 95 on the way home on monday with G telling me "Oh my God." Came back to greet my fridge and the range in the living room and was a bit disappointed that the kitchen floor and I didn't have a chance to say goodbye. been squatting in various yale apartments since then, sleeping on the floors in bedrooms, dining rooms, you name it. came back last week to see that our toilet is now a toilet seat mounted on a spackle bucket. I'd use it except I can't seem to figure out where to put all of the erm, human droppings until trash day comes. photos may be posted after I photoshop various people out of it.

-work has been draining, but okay. been busy finishing up some big presentations and interviewing vats of undergraduates elbowing themselves to obtain an entry-level position at the 'ole consulting firm. always fun. except when they refer to me as Ms. Lui. not exactly the way to my heart. or to my recommendation.

-got a new cell phone a few weeks ago. let me know if you need the number.

-it snowed again last night, which makes me think that spring doesn't exist in the northeast. looking forward to my vacation to SC in a few weeks. also looking forward to florida in october to attend a & k's wedding. I wonder if divorce rates are lower for the couples who get married at disney.

-that's all, I suppose. going to work on iowa state's presentation now so that I don't have to work on it whiel I'm delayed in the cincinnati airport...I can read about people's lives on lj instead.

have a great weekend, all.

Mon, 21 Feb 2005 14:42:28 GMT

nar, I never realized how wimpy PA people are until I moved to the NE. Dug my car out of another foot of snow this morning; in Philly, we would've called that a blizzard. Here, we shrug it off and everyone treks off to their respective offices on President's Day. Let's see if this stuff stops before 6 tonight.

Just a 2.5 months til I get to escape to the beaches of SC, yay.

Had a good weekend; spent the majority of it shopping. Got a dress for A & K's wedding from BCBG, James jeans for $40 (!), vats of poterry barn kids sheets for pretty cheap, and a few Penguin shirts from Barneys New York.

...and in the last 3 minutes, the snowflakes outside my window have grown two-fold. Rock on.

Tue, 11 Jan 2005 17:20:18 GMT

Just wondering, anybody out there really, truly happy with their career? I mean, to the point where searching for something else isn't even an option that crosses your mind right now?

Mon, 27 Dec 2004 06:33:52 GMT

I had full intentions of sleeping, but after a quick glance at the news webpages, I can't. This is surreal.

Please be okay.

Wed, 22 Dec 2004 13:42:53 GMT

Best Christmas ever :)

So far from the company:

A 256KB Flash Drive, yay!
A 9-keypad for the laptop
And who could forget the bonus and raise?

I'm extremely excited about the first two.

Wed, 01 Dec 2004 16:24:56 GMT

Hello all-

I hope things are well and that everyone's not too stressed with work and the upcoming holiday season and such. I haven't updated recently, but I felt like this deserved an entry.

My cousin Mike is training for a marathon in Rome and is currently attempting to raise $4700 through the race for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I've done my share of runs and walks for various societies before and I know how difficult it may be to reach a fundraising goal. My cousin told himself before that he wouldn't run any more marathons, but heard about this society and after learning about the great number of people who suffer from these diseases, decided that this is a cause worth fighting for. I know that finances are tight for everyone, especially around the holiday season, but please consider donating anything you can. You can view his page at: http://www.teamintraining.org/personalpages/page.adp?event_id=415434&user_id=239370

Thanks so much,
Michelle

Tue, 16 Nov 2004 18:08:00 GMT

go eagles :)