coolguyphil
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coolguyphil

'The Things We Make, Make Us'

A slogan, from Jeep, no less.



I think I'd like to own a Jeep Grand Cherokee someday. Not because of the tagline, although it is pretty awesome.

I think I'd like to make something also. Something beautiful.

Review: Yummy Noodle

The other day I ate some instant noodles. They were horrible. The brand was Yummy Noodle. The worst thing is, I've tried it before and it was horrible the first time. I thought maybe it'd be different the second time around, but no. I tried looking it up and this is all I found:



Apparently it used to be called Panda Noodle. Do not eat this - trust me, 'yummy noodle' is false advertising.

2nd Year

This past week was the start of my second year in the USC Marshall MBA program. This first glimpse of the electives I've chosen has been exciting, and I am really looking forward to the year ahead. I am sure that this will be a period of significant self-discovery, growth, and improvement in my life.

Forgotten

"In the end, most of us are forgotten.

And I don't want to be forgotten."

-Jaclyn, from Work of Art

Moving to Santa Monica

I hate moving.

I remember reading that moving was the number one most stressful event in people's lives, ahead of divorce and marriage. Or was that marriage and then divorce? In any case, the packing, loading, and unloading process is so arduous and you realize how much stuff you have that you don't really need. Maybe that's a good thing.

Because moving sucks so much, I've come to agree with the saying that true friends help you move. I've enjoyed my time living in downtown LA, but I'm ready for a new experience in Santa Monica.

Credit Card Roulette

Credit card roulette is when you're out eating with some friends, and when it comes time to pay the bill each person offers a credit card. The waiter/waitress picks one and whoever's card was picked pays the entire bill.

When I first heard about this game, I immediately wanted to try it. The idea of potentially getting a free meal was exciting and if I lost, well at least I was paying for friends. Waiting for a card to be picked provides a similar thrill to watching the ball roll around the roulette wheel, bouncing over the numbers. Unfortunately, I've lost quite a few times at credit card roulette, which got me thinking about whether my card was too flashy or colorful.

Some places won't understand when you ask them to pick a card. When this happens, make sure the person holding the cards doesn't hand them your card saying 'oh you picked this one?' Yes, it's happened.

Excerpt: Birthday Note, Many Years Ago

"You are reaching the age whereby many new challenges and choices will come your way. Realize that people respect you for how you handle yourself when times are tough. Success and failure are simply a state of mind. If you think something is possible, then it is. Remember, there is always an answer to the most difficult situation. And champions are able to find that answer. This holds true in all areas of life."

May, 1995

No Regrets

Some people talk about having no regrets in life. I don't think this is possible. There are plenty of times I've felt stupid or embarrassed. Can't change that.

But regrets are useless unless you learn from them - perhaps save yourself from bigger regrets later in life. Dwelling on regrets is what I think drives people to say not to have any. No good comes from that.

Cutting Corners

I've come to the realization that I am someone that stays within the lines. I follow rules. I play by the book. I am uncomfortable in situations that might be considered 'gray'.

Lately I've been thinking about how much this limits me. Who sets these rules anyway? And by what authority? If I really stop and think about it, most of the time bending the rules doesn't really hurt anyone. Of course, this is all dependent on the situation - I'm not going to start running red lights for the hell of it. But I am resolved to start deferring more heavily to my own judgement rather than taking every sign, rule, or guideline at face value.

Vietnam: Language

We learned a fair amount of Vietnamese history and customs before our trip, but I feel like we could've studied more of the language. I think that I only knew 3 ways to say 'cheers!' and what I'd gathered from pho menus before arriving. The interesting thing was that I was able to pick up some words from the ones I already knew (namely 'pho'). For example, I learned that 'com' means seafood as there were a lot of 'pho com' signs (some with pictures) on our trip to Halong Bay.

This was in contrast to my experience in China, where a significant amount of time was spent learning phrases such as 'no' and 'it's too expensive' among others to fend off aggressive vendors.

Vietnam: Pho

I love Vietnamese pho noodle soup. I remember eating pho with my family and friends growing up. I think I went a couple of years in high school where I ate pho at least once a week. I even wrote one of my college entrance essays on pho.

Imagine my excitement as I anticipated eating pho in Vietnam. Inarguably authentic pho for the first time. After arriving at our hotel, my friend and I ordered pho via room service.



They also had this same pho at breakfast. They served it in small bowls so I kept going back for seconds and thirds until they offered me a bigger bowl. I thought this pho was really good until I tried one of the street vendors that our tour guide Dragon (yes, his name was Dragon) recommended. This is arguably the best pho I've ever had. I ended up eating here 3 separate times.



I wish I had more/better pictures. Some of my classmates worried about the cleanliness of the food, especially since they saw the bowls simply getting hosed down in a tub. That didn't worry me so much - the food was delicious and my stomach wasn't upset about it. This place only had a beef option though, I would have liked to try chicken and seafood.

When we first arrived in Vietnam, I kept seeing 'Pho' everywhere on street signs. I was so excited - pho on every street corner! Until I realized that it wasn't and that the accents were different from the pho vendors. Apparently this 'pho' and its accents meant road or street.

I miss this place. Could eat some right now.

Vietnam: Sofitel Metropole

I think it's about time I try to catch up on some posts from my PRIME trip to Vietnam. First, the hotel. We stayed at the Sofitel Metropole - a 5 star historic hotel built in 1901. We were fortunate to stay at this hotel. Normally the Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel is booked for the PRIME trips but the effects of the economic dip made it affordable this year.

I wasn't able to pull pictures from their website , but here are some pictures I took of the room we stayed in:


It's funny how the beds are so close together.

And here is the pool:

Twice a day, someone would come by in the afternoon with ice cream cones (or frozen yogurt cones) for hotel guests - one of the small perks of staying here the entire week. I was finally able to try a mango one (not bad).

Staying at the Sofitel Metropole was a very comfortable experience. The staff was courteous and helpful. When we first got there, we asked where the pool was and instead of simply pointing us in the right direction, the lady walked with us. We had breakfast at our choice of the two downstairs restaurants, a combination of Western and Vietnamese options (including pho!), complete with an omelette station and really delicious hashbrowns.

There is a spa and a gym, which was aptly named So Fit. The gym is small but is rarely crowded and has enough dumbbells, machines, and treadmills to get the job done. There is a trainer on hand to help out but he is usually courteous to the point of hindering your workout.

We had the opportunity to explore the restaurants and bars as well as use the conference rooms. Relative to other places, whether restaurants or bars, the hotel offerings were expensive (hey, it's a 5 star hotel). Definitely check out Angelina Bar, even if you don't stay at the Metropole.

Dexter: Season 3

Okay, I changed my mind. I figured I wouldn't be able to concentrate fully on my other tasks with this temptation in front of me. Starting Season 3 today.


Dexter: Season 2

I finished season 2 in less than a week. I am hooked - I have season 3 but I think I'll take a break from it since it's eating up a lot of my time.

To elaborate on why I find this show so fascinating:
Dexter is a serial killer, but there's so much more to it than that. The show explores themes of acceptance, self-understanding, masking one's true self, right and wrong. Usually when I watch this much TV I feel brain dead, but with Dexter I find myself thinking of how this twisted, yet somehow logical, thought process of a serial killer and his search for a 'normal' life relates to my own. The well-woven integration of such universal themes into something as heinous as mass murder is unnerving and captivating.


Dexter: Season 1

I received season 1 of Dexter as a gift. Some people had previously told me how good this series was but I couldn't really imagine why it would be at the time.

Chilling. Disturbing. Intriguing.

On to season 2.


Vietnam: A First Look

Some thoughts and info on Vietnam:

-fortunately haven't had any issues with an upset stomach here. can't say the same for some of my classmates.

-crossing the street is really fun. our tour guide told us that street signs that tell you when to walk are more like 'decorations'. the general advice is to walk slowly and close your eyes, with the understanding that cars and motorbikes can go around you. of course nobody really closes their eyes but the walk slowly advice works.

-vietnamese people honk constantly on the road. it's more for awareness to let other drivers and riders know that they are around rather than a hostile, angry gesture.

-the vietnamese generally bury their dead and then dig up the bodies after 3 years to clean the bones. this is based on the premise that there is both a physical and spiritual part of each person that needs to be cleansed after death.

-the infrastructure here is much more broken than i expected.

-my stay has been in hanoi but i am interested in someday visiting the south to compare the two regions. hanoi is a more conservative, political environment where connections matter given it is the capital. ho chi minh is more of a business environment.

-in hanoi, people save about 90% of their earnings whereas in ho chi minh, people spend about 110% of their earnings. the economy in the south is thriving as a result.

-roughly 70% of the population is under the age of 35.

-the service culture here is awesome. it may be partially due to the standards of the hotel we are staying in, but i've found in general that people are friendly and helpful.

Cancelled: PRIME Trip to Thailand

I found out this morning that we will no longer be travelling to Thailand due to the escalating unrest.

What a disappointment. 

Another reminder about the role that timing plays in our lives.

PRIME

Blogging from Vietnam!

As part of the USC Marshall MBA, first year students are required to travel to an international location and present research and analysis of a business issue to a company's management team. This program is known as PRIME (Pacific Rim Education Program). I fortunately received my first choice in location (Vietnam/Thailand) and in project (Starbucks Thailand). Below is a list of the different options offered this year:

Russia
Beijing/Shanghai (China)
Hong Kong/Guangdong (China)
Vietnam/Thailand
Brazil/Argentina
Japan

After travelling for over 18 hours, we are finally here in Hanoi. Pictures will be forthcoming as I forgot to pack my camera cable and battery charger.

Reflection: Spring Break Belize

Didn't do much for days 5 and 6 except lay out. Day 7 was another long day of travel.

Thought I'd jot down a few notes about my experience as well as some reference points for anyone that is considering travelling to Belize.

-Belizean dollars are half the value of US dollars i.e. BZ $10 is US $5
-Ambergris Caye Island was beautiful but rather isolated. There is some fishing and snorkeling close by but as was the case with cave tubing many of the activities are a couple hours away. We had originally considered checking out the Blue Hole but this was a few hours away and is mainly an attraction for divers.



-On day 3 we did some kayaking in search of bluer waters further away from shore. I think that the bluer areas are where you can see straight through to white sand so the rays of the sun are reflected more clearly. Here's a picture as we headed out.



-'Caye' is pronounced 'key'
-Belizeans are in general friendly, trusting, and trustworthy. When we rented our bikes and golf cart, they told us we could just pay after.

Relaxing week except for the travelling part. Glad to be back in LA!

Belize Day 4

We arranged a tour to go cave tubing today. This meant that we had to be ready to go at the dock by 6:30AM.

Little did we know, cave tubing is done about 45 minutes from Belize City. So again we rode a boat into town, and transferred to a ferry to the port in Belize. We got picked up by our tour guide Joel who took us on a quick tour of the city before we hit the highway. 

This was a very informative tour. The following pictures were taken from the passenger seat of a Jeep Grand Cherokee. First, this is the main street in Belize City:



There are only 8 stoplights in Belize. Generally, drivers slow down at each intersection to see if cars are coming or not. They go by miles per hour even though there are some speed limit signs in kilometers.

Next, a picture of St. John's Cathedral. This church was built by slaves and is the oldest church in Central America.



This park is where Belizeans first gathered after declaring independence from Britain in 1981.



This sculpture is called the "visible hand" and was designed by a Taiwanese student and given as a gift by the Taiwanese government. The hand holds a leaf from a mahogany tree, which used to be an abundant resource in Belize, but was heavily exploited and now there are few left. Each school in Belize has a mahogany tree.



On to cave tubing! Cave tubing is basically floating through caves on innertubes. We had to hike a bit before we started though. Unfortunately, Joel forgot his tour guide license so he swapped places with one of his tour guide buddies named David. Here are a few pictures along the way. What does this look like?



And this one?



The first picture is supposed to resemble a turtle; the second, an elephant next to an evil man. I can't see the evil man in this picture but it was rather obvious to me at the time.

Here is a picture of the cave ceiling - if you look carefully you can see a fruit-eating bat.



Hiking along the trail.



The start of our cave tubing journey.



Entering the water. Notice the head flashlights.



Floating down cave 1.



Looking back at the entrance of cave 2.



Usually when we hit the rapids, the water was pretty shallow so David would tell us to keep our "butts up". Even so, I still hit patches where I'd get stuck and have to push myself off of the rocks. 

Also, Joel had mentioned that it wouldn't be a problem to bring a non-waterproof camera. I have to say I was the only one without a waterproof camera. I held it within the clasps of my life jacket and looped it a couple times so it wouldn't hang too low. Pictures were hard to take since I had to paddle as well, AND eventually it started raining. Halfway through the second cave I was ready to be done as it began to feel cold. Here is a picture after we finished - you can't really see the extent of the rain but it was pouring.



After cave tubing we headed back towards Belize City and the port, but stopped for lunch at Amigo's first. We had some traditional Belizean food - jerk chicken, rice and beans, and pickled cabbage.



I started eating before I thought to take a picture so it may not look as appetizing but it was good, filling food. This is also the first Coke I've had in years.

We got back to our place only to find the power was out. I could see a light on in the villa next to us so we contacted the groundskeeper for some help. He was able to get the power up and running only to have it go out again a few minutes after. Apparently at that point the whole island was down and there wasn't even power in town. Luckily, this didn't last too long and we were able to make some dinner.