Prangster in Chicago

Happy holidays

I sent out this e-card to friends outside of Chicago this year in the hope I'll lure in some fun visitors in 2008.

Click and it should enlarge.

Happy holidays!

All the stupid in the world

This morning I woke up and checked the status of my Southwest flight from Chicago to LA. It was delayed. Uh oh. I checked the weather. Major fog. Uh oh. But I headed out and planned to arrive on time at the airport anyway because I'm an optimistic person who has a weird belief that things usually work themselves out. In other words, things usually work themselves out for me.

(And when they don't work out, usually I just shrug. But sometimes I hope things get even crappier so it's at least a good story to tell.)

So I arrived at the airport an hour before my flight and wheeled my big suitcase full of presents and my small carry-on to join the end of a ridiculous snake of a line at the Southwest check-in terminal. It was hundreds of people deep. And just when I thought I was close to the front of the line, the snake would go around yet another corner with dozens more annoyed looking people waiting. A lady security officer walked back and forth, directing people to move down. She kept repeating, "Happy Holidays!" in a cheerful voice and said that the wait would "only be moments!" I'm sure I wasn't the only person who found that beyond irritating.

Turned out the waiting to get checked-in only took 25 minutes or so. Not bad at all. But when I checked in, my big suitcase was labeled “late” and I was told it might not make it in time for my flight despite its delayed status. So I shrugged, then went through security, then waited in line to buy my breakfast before making my way to the gate. To my surprise, my flight turned out not to be delayed at all and they'd already finished boarding. I must have been one of the very last people because they'd already been announcing the "final boarding call" so I had to run to make it. I did, of course -- I'm usually lucky when it comes to travel stuff. And once I got to LA, I was relieved to see my luggage had made it too -- my luggage is usually lucky through association.

At LAX, I walked three terminals down to the international terminal. I lined up and checked-in at the China Airlines counter. A couple of weeks earlier, Dad had called up China Airlines to get a seat for me on the flight. I'd been on the waiting list for ages but it was booked out. Blah blah blah. Again, I guess I was lucky to get a seat. But at the ticket counter, the service lady asked to see my paper ticket. The one with all the carbon copies and different colored print. Oh, that one. I had actually taken it out of my passport wallet the night before, thinking I had an e-ticket instead. I threw it down next to the TV and distinctly thought to myself, "These useless papers taking up space." I guess I thought they were useless since this is almost 2008, and we can carry entire music libraries around in our pants pockets and we can read emails off our phones. And just the fact that we have email in the first place. So how could we possibly still need that ridiculous 80s style paper ticket booklet with the pointless carbon copies to get on a plane?

But that's the one she needed to see. Despite my name being on the seat. Despite me having this other sheet of paper with confirmation numbers and a bunch of other relevant-looking data. She needed that one.

"But it's in Chicago," I told her. "Can't you find my ticket somehow?" Like, using your computer?

She made this face like I just asked to try on a shoe size at the department store and she doesn't think she has it in stock. But she says she'll go out back to check anyway. In other words, a futile errand. So she went out back, then she came to me at the counter again and said with a completely straight face, looking me right in the eye: "You need to buy another plane ticket."

Yes. She actually meant it. That was the only way for me to get on the plane. I needed to buy another plane ticket.

Uh, you can't be serious. Can't you use the computer and...?

"Let me check the price. Okay, so the ticket is $830."

Uh, you sure there isn't something on the computer that says...?

Then just for good times, she threw in, "Yesterday the ticket was around $500."

Yes, that's really shitty for me. Thanks for that useless piece of information.

So two things went through my mind: One, I suppose I was relieved that I even have that much available in my checking account. A few weeks earlier that wasn't the case. And two, I was also relieved I could get a seat on this flight back to Taipei at all. So I handed over my poor, exploited Chase debit card and bought the ticket right then and there.

On my way to the gate, I looked at all the nice, shiny magazines on the racks and for the first time ever, I didn’t buy any. Not even one. I guess my resolution for 2008 had already been made for me.

Last day at the office for 2007, Part 2

Took this photo last Friday and forgot to post. It's Hugh from work posing in the office photo studio for a client campaign. I did it too. They needed people wearing jeans to stand with their legs that much apart and hold up their shirts so the belt was visible. It was a nice diversion on the last day of work. Nice, but also kinda weird.

Last day at the office for 2007

Woohoo. Last day and the boss is out. Yippee kee poo.

And today is exactly 7 months to the day since I started work in Chicago. I started on May 21, 2007 and today is, yes, December 21, 2007.

Wow. Seven months. Has it been that long? Should we sit around and discuss how long 7 months feels?

No. We should go out to an early lunch later and then all head home and finish packing! Yes, that's what we should all do instead.

Long time no blog

Well, it feels like that anyway. Doesn't feel like I've written anything interesting -- or well -- for a few weeks now. So I suppose the best way to remedy that is to write all jerky style and just mash together random topics...yeah, that's what I'll do.

So I had a feeling my new landlady was a mean son of a bitch. I really did. Just from the one phone conversation I had with her before I moved in, I got that vibe. Then after I moved in, when the phone connection and internet in my new place wasn't working properly, I had to call her in Florida and it was confirmed: my new landlady is a mean son of a bitch.

But then I was thinking, how can you really tell over the phone? How can I be such a mean son of a bitch that I would actually label someone else a mean son of a bitch just from two phone conversations? So I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps she was just a lonely, old spinster lady with bad (no, horrible!) (no, disgusting!) (no, ugly like a dead plant!) phone etiquette.

Then one night this week, I was doing the mailbox dance with a neighbor in my building. Turned out he also lived on my floor and had just moved in. So after making the customary introductions (because neither of us are mean sons of bitches) I asked him if he had ever met the landlady:

"Yeah, I have," he said.
"Really? What'd you think of her? I've only talked to her on the phone and I thought she was really mean..." I replied.
"Oh, yes. She was an extreme bitch. I was actually taken aback by how bitchy she was..."

Taken aback? He was actually taken aback by how bitchy she was? I loved that. Who gets taken aback anymore? And what else these days has the power to take someone aback? Not much that I can think of. It made me realize the extent of bitchiness my new landlady must possess. And for a moment I felt a mix of annoyance, anger and bitterness that I have to pay her a chunk of my salary every month. Oh, I hope I'll never have to look her in the eye. But I know I'll have to. Fist shake! No, double fist shake!

So what else?

Oh, right. I've been doing so much holiday shopping this week. Usually I don't buy this many gifts for people, but because I'm going home after 6 months away, I don't want to just show up empty-handed. That's the Asian in me. So I've started to pack and already three quarters of my suitcase is filled with gifts. It's pretty ridiculous actually. But it will feel good to open it up when I get home and toss presents into my parents' hands. It will help to break the ice. (Just kidding.) I also got a bunch of small things for other family, stuff for my old coworkers, stuff for friends. I guess this really is what Christmas is about. Finally it feels like I'm doing Christmas right. I'm walking against the cold wind on busy streets while carrying shopping bags and bumping into other shoppers and feeling paranoid about having my wallet pickpocketed. It just feels right.

Also today our boss took us -- the interactive department -- all out to lunch. We all went dressed in our red and green outfits for "Red and Green Outfit Day". On the way back to the office, we saw two Chicago police cars parked across the street from one another. One of them had a parking ticket on the window. Oh, those Chicago policemen. So funny. Hehe. But also corrupt.

I went right up to the car to take this photo with my phone. As I was taking it, the cops came back and yelled out jokingly, "Get her! Get her!" Then I ran away.

The last level of Super Mario Bros.

This week -- the final week of work for 2007 -- is sooo busy. It's feels like the last level of Super Mario Bros and I'm about to reach the Princess's castle.

But then on Saturday morning I fly to LA! Then from LA I fly to Taipei! And after 10 or 11 hours on a plane I'll land straight into the full-body massage chair that's in Mum and Dad's room.

West Barry

My street in the morning when it snows.

Been busy

Sorry there have been no posts for a week. Work has been busy. Jess came to visit this weekend. And I'm busy at work again this week.

:(

Come again soon.

First snowball fight

It's been busy at work lately. Lots of projects floating around. So I've been staying back a lot, eating dinner at the office and then catching a taxi home at around 9 or 10. The company pays for both the dinner and the taxi, so it's not so bad.


It started snowing this afternoon and it's still snowing now at 10:30pm. The floaty, soft kind. It was so nice out that after dinner (we ordered from a sushi place), a few of us -- Jessi, Brinky (or Christina) and I -- had a snowball fight on the sidewalk with the clean, fresh snow. It was so fun. Brinky fell over! We each got hit in the face. My sheepskin mittens were completely wet by the time we were back inside and back at work. I hope we have more of this nice snow...

So I caught a taxi home and when I got inside my building, there was a huge brown box with my name on it. I saw it was from the MoMA in New York and immediately wondered what it could be. And who it was from. I managed to get it into the crappy old lift and into my apartment. I opened it up and saw it was from Janice! A housewarming gift! A lamp called the "Miss K". Look at it! It's so cool and way too nice for my current little dump. But it'll look great sitting on my desk, next to the potted orchid and the African violets.


Now I have to admit that I don't keep a lot of "stuff" anymore. It's kind of a "travel light through life" philosophy that I keep. So in Sydney and Taipei I've culled my material things down to the bare minimum and the most sentimental. (Except for clothes, which goes without saying.) But already I know this lamp will be one of the special things I'll have with me always, wherever I end up. Definitely, definitely not a penguin gift.

Thank you, Jan :)

Skokie

I went to an outdoor mall in Skokie yesterday afternoon called Old Orchard Mall. It had stopped snowing by then but the white stuff was still everywhere and the place was really cute with all the outdoor decorations and Christmas-themed storefront windows, such as this one inside the Apple store.