I wanna be 20 outside, 30 inside.

But in real world, I look 30 outside, 20 inside... =_=

 

我以后一定要挣很多钱然后把自己从头到脚整一遍！

Paris Michael Katherine Jackson: "I just want to say, ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you can ever imagine. I just want to say, I love him so much..."

 

人都死了，还骂来骂去的，这个世界无聊的人也未免太多。

 

R.I.P. MJ

MJ死了，周四的下午，离下班还有大约半个小时。无聊的人们传播着这条还算是爆炸性的新闻，借以消磨那最后一点无聊的工作时间。

没有任何震惊的感觉，或者惋惜还是遗憾，似乎长出了一口气，就像当初听到张国荣的死讯一样——他终于可以安息了。

媒体似乎总是喜欢在人死后为其平反。现在又蹦出来说什么当初被指控性侵犯男童其实是莫须有的罪名，他是流行乐之王，成就无人能出其右，blablabla... 我只想堵住耳朵。早干什么去了？怪胎，变态，异形，这些词又是谁发明的？

在YouTube上看模糊不清的Jackson 5时期的表演，那样活力的舞蹈，那样特别的声音，那样纯真的笑容。那个时候他才多大？看样子最多不超过10岁。他有幸福的童年吗？小小年纪就出来讨生活，作为乐队的核心人物，在舞台上又唱又跳。他的故乡Gary我去过，离Chicago仅半小时的车程。曾经的钢都现在只不过是一座死气沉沉的空城。就是这个“人何寥落鬼何多”的地方，出了两位名人，一位是他，另一位是被现代经济学奉为教父的Paul Samuelson.

 

 

The Screwdriver is the original vodka and orange, so named - as the story has it - after an American oil-rig worker developed the habit of stirring his drink with a screwdriver. Presumably, swizzle-sticks are in rather short supply on oil-rigs. As a member of the classic cocktail repertoire, it probably only dates from the 1950s, which is when vodka made its first, tentative appearance on Western markets. The rest is history.

 

2 measures / 3 tbsp vodka

4 measures / 6 tbsp orange juice

 

Add the ingredients, spirit first, to a rocks glass or whisky tumbler loaded with ice cubes, and throw in a slice of orange. Made with freshly squeezed rather than commercial juice, the drink tastes more grown-up and appears to pack more of a punch, as the juice is naturally thinner than concentrate orange juice from a carton.

 

You gave me this book as my 25th birthday gift. On the first page you wrote: "you are intoxicant..." Yet, you still don't understand why I am so obsessed by vodka, like you find it difficult communicating with me. I am sorry last night it was all my fault. I was drinking this cocktail and lost into Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A major, op.92: Allegretto, some scene similar to what's shown in movie "Knowing" when Nicolas Cage drinks scotch in living room before he overfills his drink. Larkin said we all need alcohol to be numb. I said we all need alcohol to keep dumb.

因为Good Friday的long weekend没有利用上，某Z非要催着我上周六把下个星期的机票订了。本来253的价钱只让我犯嘀咕：又不是什么节假日，凭什么这么贵……但某Z振振有词地搬出MSN上的farecast说机票涨价的概率在80%以上。我最终耳根子软，心一横把机票买了。结果今天一查Travelocity, 同样的机票现在只卖177…… Orz

 

血的教训：

1. 如果认为自己的想法是正确的，任何时候都要坚持。

2. 遇见不利情形时一定要沉着，否则倒霉的是你自己。

3. 买机票weekday有discount的可能性比weekend要大得多。据我的观察，很多航空公司的sale都是周一开始，周四或周五结束。

 

P.S. 刚才不死心地给AA打了电话，问能否price match, 对话如下：

M: 我的机票买贵了，你们能price match吗？

R: 如果你要re-issue机票，先交150块手续费，这样算的话你还欠我们74块。

M: 那我不改了，你们能把这76块的差价作为credit for my future reservation吗？

R: 不行。

M: 没有其他的workaround吗？

R: 没有。

M: 其他网站都可以price match啊，像Orbitz, Travelocity, 你们就不能通融一下？

R: 我说了不行就是不行！

M: 那我以后可要考虑是否在AA订票了。

R: 随便你。

 

老娘此时真应该拿出武汉人的彪悍作风骂一句: "Thank you for your shitty service, you bitch!" 可是人在美国呆久了，也变得忪了，这句话愣是憋在舌尖上没吐出来……囧

 

血的教训（续）

4. 如果航空公司网站上的票价和那些travel agency的票价是一样的话，最好在travel agency那里订，因为它们往往有price match. 不然像我这样亏了钱不说大半夜的还被一个更年期的恶女给骂了一顿，身心皆摧残啊！

 

发泄完毕，各位晚安。

L: Negativity is drug; Positivity is rice.

M: When is the last time you're on drug?

 

MSN上有人签名：好好一个奥斯卡被印度歌舞搞得像春晚一样……

所以为了学习阿三们在困境中也能发扬乐观向上的精神，特此把space背景音乐换成本届奥斯卡最佳电影主题曲"Jai Ho". 敬请欣赏！

从阿角同学的space上转来的，感觉测出来的结果一点也不靠谱……公司今天又裁员了，哪天轮到我头上就回国去！

http://match.lansin.com/zy.html

 

你的类型为： 个性十足的工作狂

 

性格简笔画：当你测试完，蓝心想告诉你，拯救地球的重任落在你的身上了。的确，你就是这类人。一直以来你都有个远大的目标，有抱负。低调不是王道，你的魅力迟早会如同漆黑中的萤火虫，散发出光芒。你给人的感觉总是那样的特别，有个性。总是能从不同的角度去思考问题，解决问题。你喜欢竞争、敢冒风险，挑战来临前觉得期待和激动。对于你而言，与其平平淡淡地过小日子，不如轰轰烈烈的去干一番大事。在你一直在寻找机会，一个可以提升自己展示自己的机会。你注重效率、为人务实。偶尔会有些情绪化和怀旧，对你而言，不爆发则矣，一旦爆发身边的人还是先去火星躲躲为妙。

 

爱情扫描仪：你的恋爱会是一个浪漫和浪费的结合。一旦你发现了猎物，90%的可能会选择主动出击，而不管对方恋爱与否又或者生老病死。Noting is impossible。任何韩国电影感动得哭天抹地的浪漫情节、美国电影火爆的英雄救美桥段最大可能会发生在你的身上，你的爱是天雷地火，无止不息。你的心上人往往也不会是平平之辈，你希望对方能和你双剑合璧，一起仗剑天涯。这才是你的爱情宝典。

 

注意问题：你注重对权力、权威、物质的追求。这些东西对你而言是成功的重要标志。因此在生活和工作中，你可能经常会以利益得失、权利、地位、金钱等来衡量做事的价值。这样会让别人感觉你过于现实，而不能靠得太近。应该学会去分享，事业永远不是全部。自我放松，体验平凡而普通大快乐，可能让你大事业更有动力。无论失败或者成功，也许有一天你会发现，与你同行的人，比你想到的地方更为重要。

 

发展方向：喜欢要求具备经营、管理、劝服、监督和领导才能，以实现机构、政治、社会及经济目标的工作，并具备相应的能力。如项目经理、销售人员，营销管理人员、政府官员、企业领导、法官、律师。

Yellow Roses: This mellow hue denotes friendship and is the most customary and recommended for friends, mothers, grads and/or newlyweds. However, be careful not to send them to someone you are passionately involved with, at least not alone, but rather combined with some other more romantic color. Remember yellow signifies joy, happiness, freedom, and fun. But, in some German-speaking countries, yellow can indicated jealousy and infidelity.

Peach Roses: These are simply peachy keen and speak of appreciation, anticipation, sympathy, modesty, and optimism for the future.
Orange Roses: These roses, much like red roses are bold and beautiful and bound to get noticed. Send Orange to convey wanted to get to know someone better, especially since they are known to rely a message of enthusiasm, desire and sometimes passion.
White Roses:  White is always right and often, historically speaking, just as popular as red roses. They communicate innocence, loyalty, unity, humility, sincerity, purity, secrecy, and silence.

Assorted Roses: A mélange of colors conveys a bit of what each has to offer and says, “You are everything to me”.

18 Roses: "I am sorry"?

I'd rather explain it as "Everlasting Love X 2"

 

May these flowers be everygreen.

You are always so dear to me.

Since when I do not laugh from heart;

Since when I start wearing a fake smile;

Since when I cannot feel a pain;

Since when I forget how to cry.

 

Since when I do not dream;

Since when I start being selfish;

Since when I cannot trust anyone;

Since when I forget what is love.

 

I do not belive those beautiful fairy stories.

I do not belive there is any good doing.

I only see a materialism world, cruel life, and money rules everything.

But since when I become like this, please tell me.

"Why are you crying?"

"No, just eyedrops are shed." 

I was surprised by my American co-workers' early votes - some of them went to the poll at 5 a.m.!

As one of my Chinese co-worker said, "Americans are eager for revolution now".

 

Chicago, Nessun dorma!

转自渊渊的space:

 

 

 

 

Happiness 1: passed CFA Level II

Happiness 2: admitted in PhD program

 

Goal 1: CFA Level III next June

Goal 2: FRM next November

Goal 3: PhD in next ? years

 

それじゃ、がんばでね！

鉴于本人在80%的中签率下都没有被抽到，不得不说这是一个RP时代。所以既然被点名了还是老老实实回答问题吧，不过我就别再贻害后人了。

 

Me: I wanna go home this summer.

Dad: Why? We're coming soon.

Me: But you cannot bring the whole country here.

 

My parents' arrival didn't bring as much joy as I expected.

I'm still dreaming of China every night.

I don't know where I can stay, and where I can go.

早晨坐公司电梯，忽然屏幕上蹦出一条消息: Earthquake in Central China! 心里抽搐了一下，别是湖北吧……

一到办公室后立刻开会，心不在焉地瞅见会议室里偌大的LCD上正热播NBC的新闻: 7.8 Mw earthquake strikes Sichuan, China!

散会后立刻找了个kiosk上网（公司对网络有严格限制）。美国各大新闻网站上均将其列为头条。似乎震源就在成都附近。

开始担心大姑妈一家，还有ZZ的家人。

Space上，萧萧和Dan也更新了blog. 虽然电脑上不能显示中文，但她俩应该是万分焦急的吧。

提心吊胆地过了一天，回家后立刻打电话。所幸父亲刚从北京出差回来，称并未有任何震感。ZZ的家人也无事，只是不知道大姑妈一家如何。

看着电视上触目惊心的画面，身在异国的我着实无能为力。就连想往红十字会捐钱，也因网站无法登录而暂时搁置。

我唯一能做的，只有祈求神保佑我的祖国，这片美丽而又饱含痛苦的土地，以及在上面生活地勤劳而又多灾多难的人民。

 

P.S. 在Sohu上看到的：

当雪灾冻裂大地

当藏独干扰圣火传递

当地震震撼每个人的灵魂……

无论遭受什么艰难，

绝不让任何一个同胞成为孤岛。

加油中国！挺起你的脊梁！

Tibet & Olympics

早已不是愤青的年龄，却被CNN和BBC等欧美各大媒体的接连报道刺激得想要骂人。首先我承认中国政府对待西藏问题是有些方面做的不对，但仇视共产主义的西方世界硬要将体育与政治挂钩，提出抵制奥运的口号，却也不是什么新伎俩。现在看冷战时期美苏两国小孩赌气一般互相拒绝参加比赛，简直就像笑话似的。再说Dalai Lama都表示支持北京奥运并希望出席开幕式，不知道这帮“所谓”的藏独闹个什么劲。而且据说伦敦的许多破坏分子其实是被藏独雇佣的，根本不关他们的事。说白了这群傲慢无理目空一切的“人道精神捍卫者”只不过是抓住一切可以利用的机会诋毁攻击中国罢了。

 

OPT & H-1B

美国经济现在已经下滑到我都麻木的境界了，看着再多触目惊心的指标数据都已无动于衷。偏偏今年H-1B的申请比去年还要多。4月1日开始一周后，09年的名额终于“如愿以偿”被用光了。巧的是，这边Department of Labor刚刚宣布失业率创下五年新高，那边Department of Homeland Security就推出了OPT延长至29个月的新政策。但条件要求甚高，而且只限STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)专业。这下美国人又开始嚷嚷了:" ...This gives those cheap foreign labors more chance to be hired while more and more Americans are losing their jobs." 我靠！说这句话的人是不是得了大脑萎缩了？纵观STEM专业，哪个不是中国人、印度人、东欧人的天下？受歧视、被剥削不说，现在又成了美国失业率高的替罪羊。拜托，这些领域要不是我们这些廉价劳动力撑着，美国经济更要玩完。抢了你们的饭碗？请问凭你们的智商做得了吗？

 

这个国家，10%的人是精英，剩下90%的，我不作评价。至于能否继续呆下去，全看USCIS的电脑是否青睐我吧。

Got this from my Senior Li Dan's space:

 

1. There are 5 houses in 5 different colors.
2. In each house lives a person with a different nationality.
3. These 5 owners drink a certain beverage, smoke a certain brand of cigar and keep a certain pet.
4. No owners have the same pet, smoke the same brand of cigar or drink the same drink.
5. Hints:
           a. The Brit lives in a red house.
           b. The Swede keeps dogs as pets. 
           c. The Dane drinks tea.
           d. The green house is on the left of the white house.
           e. The green house owner drinks coffee.
           f. The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
           g. The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill.
           h. The man living in the house right in the centre drinks milk.
           i. The Norwegian lives in the first house. 
           j. The man who smokes Blend lives next to the one who keeps cats.
           k. The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.
           l. The owner who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.
           m. The German smokes Prince.
           n. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
           o. The man who smokes Blend has a neighbor who drinks water.
Question:Can you determine WHO KEEPS FISH?

 

Here is my answer:

Norwegian -- Yellow -- Water -- Dunhill -- Cats

Dane -- Blue -- Tea -- Blend -- Horses

Brit -- Red -- Milk -- Pall Mall - Birds

German -- Green -- Coffee -- Prince -- Fish

Swede -- White -- Beer -- Blue Master -- Dogs

 

I'm not sure whether my interpretation is correct, though, it fits all the hints, which I doubt if there're enough to determine the sole distribution. Einstein said that 98% of people in the world cannot solve this puzzle, but I don't think I'm part of those 2% geniuses. It's not so difficult than I expected, costing me about 20 minutes -- interrupted by work for several times, even less than a hard-level sudoku. First I felt a bit lost among the 15 hints, then I sorted them in order, one by one. And when I got a kind of tired and was about to give up, it turned out this beautiful result on paper.

Lesson: The darkest moment is always at dawn.

I hate waiting, but God is teaching me to be patient.

The harshest winter I've ever had, both in Chicago and Wuhan.

 

"Pieces of you, Pieces of you

Lying me inches deep"

 

Happy Birthday to my dearest friend Hippo!