Archive for the year 2007
Blue Collar Poker
Posted on January 7, 2007 by Ching under Flickr, Food and Drink, Poker, Reviews.
We returned to APL HQ yet again for another try at the Blue Collar Poker Tournament. We must be gluttons for punishment you say. Well, it’s not like it’s a real long, long shot. I did find out Friday that Micheal (aka Phantom2 at Doyles Room) took first place and won $300 at last Sunday’s tourney. It’s ironic that I was the first one out of that tournament while he was the last one out. We had a good laugh about it. I think I’m a pretty good sport when it comes to poker. Despite the embarrassment, I wasn’t really too upset. After all, the only losses I suffered were $10 and a bruised ego. It’s not like I lost my first born or anything.
Anyway, Brian and I returned today with a backup plan. We figured that if we both got knocked out early this time we’d just go watch Casino Royale. We’d both been wanting to see it, but haven’t had a chance to.. Now would be the perfect opportunity.
It’s funny because while we were in the shower Brian asked, “What if we don’t get knocked out by seven? Do you want us to just bail?”
I said, “Baby— if we are still playing at seven we’re nixing the movie because there is a great chance that we are winning some money!” As much as I am a movie buff, I think I’m a bigger poker addict because when it comes down to it, I’d rather be playing poker. Of course, I can watch movies anytime. I only get to to play poker once in a while. (more…)
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The Way We Were
Posted on January 6, 2007 by Ching under Flickr.
I’m posting this photo for Jen. I recently gave her two more huge trash sacks full of clothes. Jen has made a few trips to the house to collect clothes over the last year. I think, after several trash sacks, I’ve finally unloaded 50% of my closet. I can’t believe what a huge clothes horse I was.. Even more amazing is the fact that I couldn’t care less about clothes now. What a 180!
Anyway, I had given this dress to Jen in the last batch. It is very old (I had bought it from Spiegel—years ago when I worked for the company and got a 30% discount on everything) but this style of dress doesn’t really go out of fashion. There is a greater possibility of one getting too fat to wear it, than it going out of style—which is what happened in my case. It had been hanging neglected in the back of the closet for several years. I’m hoping Jen can revive it. It’s a nice fun dress. You can wear it with sandals in the summer or with boots and a nice comfy cardigan sweater in the winter. It’s very versatile.
I was quite surprised that Jen didn’t recognize the dress considering I used to wear it all the time. I had worn it to Shiela and Andrew’s wedding (which is where this photo was taken) and also on one of my birthdays. I really liked this dress. I owned several dresses that had only been worn once. This was one that really got a lot of wear. But I guess it has been a long time since I wore it last. Too bad it no longer fits or I would still be wearing it.
I hope Jen takes care of my lonely old clothes. May they have a long, vibrant life with you.. And may they never get neglected. (more…)
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Sex and the City
Posted on January 4, 2007 by Ching under Life.
I’ve been watching Sex and the City
Anyway, I’m not sure what episode sparked the conversation but Brian and I got to talking about the things we’ve given up since being together. He asked me the question first. I couldn’t think of anything so I just said “Why?” He said he just wondered because of the show. So I asked him what he misses of all the things he’d given up since we’ve been together. He said smoking. I don’t think that really counts. I never thought he gave up smoking for me. He gave up smoking because he had oral surgery. Brian countered that he gave up smoking because I had said that I would never kiss a smoker. He said he could have returned to smoking after the oral surgey if he chose to. He still misses smoking from time to time but has never reverted back.
Then it was my turn to share. Frankly, I couldn’t really think of anything. Brian and I decided that’s probably what makes our bond so strong. Unlike other couples who have had to make major compromises in order to be together, we really haven’t had to change or give up anything. We just fit. So almost eight years later, we still do.
Of course, not to be outdone, I had to come up with something. I said, “I miss being thin.” Okay, so I wasn’t really thin but I was little. I miss it. Though I don’t think it’s completely fair to say that I gave that up to be with Brian. It’s just something that seems to happen when people are in stable, comfortable relationships.
Why is it that long-term relationships tend to make people gain weight? It seems like we find ourselves in a relationship we tend to become complacent. Is it because we know that no matter how much weight we gain our loved ones will always love us regardless? It takes a lot of self-discipline to maintain your current weight (or lose weight) despite the comforts of unconditional love.
Brian says that people who are heavier are happier. You know the really happy couples because they are comfortable enough not to care about superficial things. I always thought that he was just saying that to make me feel better about having gained thirty pounds since we’ve been together. However, more and more I’m starting to think that he is probably right. I’m seeing more and more women gain weight after a year or so of being in stable relationships. Maybe there is actually something to this heavier equals happier thing?
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Looking Back at 2006
Posted on January 1, 2007 by Ching under Life.
The year 2006 brought us viral marketing campaigns gone wrong, more corporate scandals, new gaming consoles, crazy videos that you emailed to more than a dozen people, The Departed, Google bought YouTube, Ryan cheated on Reese.. This is an attempt to recap the less exciting things that happened to me in the past year (beyond the poker stuff which you have previously read about).
Work was very challenging in more ways than one. It was a trying time for me not only because there was so much work to be done and not enough time but also because people were literally making my life a living a hell. There were a few weeks that I just felt defeated and worn down but I persevered because I knew deep down that good people always prevail. Adversity will always exist. How we respond or overcome it is our choice. I always try to remind myself, that which doesn’t break you will make you stronger. And, of course, there are many lessons to be learned along the way.
School was both stressful and exciting. For my final undergraduate semester I decided to take the the road less traveled. Instead of taking it easy, I decided to challenge myself and try for a Computer Science minor. This would give me three minors instead of just two: Management and Accounting. The Computer Science course was a daytime class. Although I had received permission to attend the class, work commitments (like training seminars and meetings) sometimes prevented me from attending but besides that, I did not have the time to devote to completing the programming assignments. The class progressed really slow but the assignments increased exponentially in scope and difficulty. At first it seemed as though I was going to do alright and pass the course but by the last month it became obvious that I would not make it. By then it was too late.
It was in 2006 that I received my undergraduate degree. It was conferred during the Spring 2006 commencement of the Barton School. My degree is a Bachelor of Business Administration. My major is Management Information Systems and my minors are Management and Accounting. It’s not as impressive as the engineering degree that I had originally set out for out of high school but I am very glad that I decided to go back to school. I feel proud of my accomplishment particularly since I had to it while working forty-plus hour weeks the whole time.
Early in the year I decided that I would remain in school. I decided that I would pursue my MBA through Wichita State University. Having a tight deadline, I had to take my GMAT the week after finals. I wrote my essay, begged for recommendation letters, etc. all before June 1st in order to be accepted for the fall semester. I had to scramble but somehow I managed to pull through. I was one of the 54 accepted into the program. I think 97 had applied. There were many more applying throughout the summer but they would have wait for the next round.
Summer went by pretty quickly. I tried to get my fill of poker. We got a new car. It’s our first brand new car ever. We adopted Molly, the newest addition to our family. I lost a lot of shoes because of her chewing habit but that’s okay. We had our first set of joeys (we had two other sets since; we have our third set of joeys now in case anyone is interested). Yes, Brian and I became grandparents. LOL.
So much has happened this year. I feel that 2006 is significant in that I experienced a lot of personal growth. I took away from my experiences many valuable lessons. We met a lot of new people. All of them interesting and some of them quite impressive. I survived my first semester in graduate school, against all odds so to speak.
I look forward to 2007 and the challenges it brings. I have more knowledge and experience now so hopefully I can use these to make better choices. I made some mistakes in years past but, as with everything, I take it as a learning opportunity. Some of the things to anticipate in 2007 are:
- Doing well in school (that is always a priority).
- Giving my all at work (equally important).
- Getting our passports (we actually have our application completed, we just need to go to the post office for passport photos and to turn it in).
- Working on the house.
- Playing more live, real-money poker (we’ve already made reservations for our first one; our room is booked for Harrah’s NKC during spring break; Brian and I are planning to do two of the $50 tourneys).
- Gradually getting back into shape (hopefully in time for our cruise).
- Cruising in September to celebrate our five year anniversary.
- Indulging in more couples massages (and enjoying more quality time together).
- Stressing out less and spending more time with family.
- Taking up another hobby (maybe golf, but maybe I’ll just start bowling again).
- Eating out less and cooking more (this is where Rouxbe comes in).
This is all I can think of for now. I’m sure this list will expand as things come up and some of the things may not take place. We’ll talk again around this time in 2008.
Happy new year, everyone!
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