Meeting template | AAFES JD project

by yours truly for Mr. Robert Lin, Co-Chairman ... I would not take the title too seriously, knowing what I now know.

Director of Diversity application letter

Strategy, tactic, and writing from yours truly ... only the first three of five pages.

Big data project

Have been working on a big data file chopper based on how-to articles available at www.online-tech-tips.com, www.4guysfromrolla.com, and www.freevbcode.com ... another hour at most until I can test it against the files in my repository.  

Unfortunately [or perhaps very fortunately as I have been pecking at this project since 8:00 this morning, with ongoing interruptions and distractions] I have a social engagement to attend with a friend ... it will be my first public event since filing the annulment.  Part of me is excited yet another part is apprehensive at what might happen ... 

I will check in later tonight or tomorrow morning ... have yourself a rejuvenating Saturday night.

Sorry that I did not check back in until now ... have been basking in the afterglow of Saturday night ... 

Now back to the shackles of my daily life and the EDI Translator that is based in part on a code snippet of Microsoft ... Of course, I finished the big data file chopper although it took more than an hour that was originally allocated to it; the program is running well enough but am sure there will be hiccups along the way as I incorporate the EDI file that was generated using real industry data.   

Finally and in the longest time, not only this but other projects are being completed, which is akin to having one-hundred percent positivity as I have an immense aversion to half-finished work.  If nothing else, these projects serve as avenues towards greater understanding in coding; however, I am hoping that with a scary smart partner, a business enterprise might be in the offing ... 

May-December partnership

For those readers who have ever been in a May-December partnership, please email me and share your insights as to how it works when there is sufficient intellectual rapport, or if it did not work ... why not.  

Thank you in advance for the opportunities to learn from you.

The echoes of lying and lies

I made the worst possible mistake with my fifteen-year-old today.

For this week's assignment in his leadership class, my son has to research and present his family ancestry.  My error in judgement lie in not anticipating his emotionality on the subject, leading me to naively asking "why" when he informed me that he is choosing to focus on only my side of the family.

That one-word question really brought forth an hour-long monologue on how if he cannot trust his father to reveal the truthfulness of his personal character and family background, then what veracity is there to any and all words and statements that might slide off of said person's tongue?  He said he didn't want to be lied to nor to spend time trying to unravel the truth from among whatever lies he is sure will be told ... 

I was quiet but receptive and empathic throughout the episode ... what is there for me to say when the evidences support his conclusions and characterization of the person in question?  More lies and further blinders will not pave the way for a more honest and respectful interaction / relationship between him and my voidable spouse. 

Only now am I realizing my son was not kidding when he told me that he identifies himself as a Vietnamese-American, and would feel deep embarrassment to be thought of as a Taiwanese and / or Chinese ... and that he was serious when he asked to change his last name to that of my mother's.  

I feel sad ... for him and about the whole situation.

11th September

Today is 11th September.  Please participate in a moment of silence in observance of the day.  

You can participate in public service on the National Day of Service and Remembrance ... learn how to at http://www.serve.gov/?q=site-page/september-11th-national-day-service-and-remembrance.

What is the one thing I do that would make you feel ashamed of me?

This was one among five questions on an assignment my son had to complete for his communications class ... Talk about heady psychological stuff ... and on a three-day weekend, too.  Oh well, adventure traveling with a friend can wait for yet another more opportune time. 

A labor of love our discussion was; and no, we never did quite answer that specific question as it is formulated ... I see shame as something we do to ourselves and not anything others could have done to bring shame on us.  With regards to my son, about the only situation that will have brought me deeply felt shamefulness is to have nurtured and raised an interpersonally manipulative and exploitive narcissist or a remorseless egocentric who want, want and want, and see people as objects to be manipulated or pieces to be controlled, used, and discarded.  

Thank goodness I awake every morning seeing and knowing that my son is growing further away from becoming those types of people—my definition of the original "evil" people.  There had been too many teeth-grinding and bullets-sweating nights when I felt trapped in a never-ending nightmare just thinking how my child may ended up becoming and living his life deceiving others ...

맛있는

After trying the Vietnamese grilled beef wrapped in rice paper with fresh vegetables and aromatic herbs, dipped in Vietnamese sweet-and-sour sauce two weekends before, my fifteen-year-old requested a Korean-style version.

So this past Sunday [Saturdays are my days-off to do as I wish, alone or with friends as my fifteen-year-old turns his attention to creating media content and updating his video channel with his network of online buddies], an ordinary meal was turned into a festive occasion as we experimented with wrapping in butter lettuce caramelizing grilled beef that was topped with a pinch or two of kimchi ... this meal was addictively flavorful with its sugar, sake, garlic, onion, soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, black pepper and cayenne.  Surprising for us as we have tried but never quite liked the Korean national dish bul-goki. 

소주 or Korean vodka would have been a nice accompaniment ... but not when my son is present; instead, we settled for sweetened ginger and cinnamon tea on ice ... and a movie marathon night to catch up on a few of the latest releases.

On neighborsgo.com ...

Stumbled upon this article about my blog while posting launching events for our company ...

Chang Hsueh's Taiwanese lifetime health and medical insurance

Let us see how my voidable spouse talks his way out of this ...

As if they had never seen the bills themselves ... such black-hearted liars and cheaters yet they played the civilized roles so well that no one would ever suspect otherwise.

Shame on me for wanting to speak with a friend I had not seen in such a long time instead of "helping" [by standing around and clapping and shouting verbal encouragements] while my voidable spouse tried teaching his mother how to ride a bicycle on a school parking lot ... Who in their right mind would risk such an activity on an elderly woman who could barely walk and balance herself?

I would love to see that medical bill that he claimed to have co-signed, knowing that she had full health and medical coverage from Taiwan.

Family planning, the Chang-Lin style

"Ineligible services" as in neither I nor the child I was carrying were covered by the "family" insurance my voidable spouse claimed to have had ... 

What he had instead was a single-member health insurance coverage ... 

I wonder how many providers were conned and cheated out of their fair share of payments for services that had been rendered, including Dr. Lesa Mulligan for my ob / gyn exams ...