11:25pm

i know that, in the grand scheme of things ... this really isn't late... but what can i say? i'm getting old. plus i have been in the office from like 7 am to about an hour and a half ago. long day to say the least.

it has been suggested that i clarify the reason for the name of this blog, i figured it was kinda self explanatory so i let it go... maybe i should have been more explicit. so for all my racially and pop-culturally deficient readers (yes, all 2 of you...) "life, the universe and..." is an homage to the late Douglas Adams's literary masterpiece "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy"

as for the Chindian part, well being of Chinese – Indian decent, Chindian is a colloquialism that one becomes aware of at quite a young age.

so there. going to sleep now... have another 18hr day ahead.

stupid unfair having to work so hard for money.... lousy work... (or as Homer so eloquently once put it... “I can’t take his money, I cant print my own money, I have to work for money...., why don’t I just lay down in the corner and die!)

~m

A Little Pre "Fa La La La La...."

great weekend. period.

though quite a contradiction in terms, we actually got a lot of stuff done over the weekend and still managed to kick back and relax...

the holidays are coming so Bridget and i decided that since we are not going to be here this Christmas that we would do most, if not all, of our holiday decorating this weekend. truth be told, we actually did quite a lot.

we got all the lights up, placed and trimmed the tree and even cleaned a little. oh, and get this: our fireplace got delivered! it is just such a nice touch!

less than 4 weeks to out trip and we are really getting excited about this... i’m not really sure why but this trip seems to feel a little more special.

hope you all are getting as excited as i am about the upcoming holidays!

Things that make you go hmmm

someone said something really hurtful to me today. and it really bothered me. i’m not going into the details but i believe it can be summed up to me be being an arrogant, stereotypical american. concordantly, the verbiage “so Bush” was used to illustrate my actions.

this really hurt me.

i think it did for several reasons. firstly, this is the second time this person publicly belittled my actions, pointing out my glaring ignorance and other shortcomings for all to see. i didn’t think that was the way you pointed out the mistakes, if you believe them to be, of people you care about. if a child does something stupid, do you yell and scream at him in front of everyone, publicly humiliating him or do you pull him aside and reprimand him privately explaining the error of his ways?

secondly and i think maybe more importantly it hurt me because of who he is. i have always looked up to this person, his strength of character, choice of career and educational aspirations have always inspired me. i have always tried to emulate these things in my own life but have never quite measured up. i spent a lot of my childhood with my grandparents, he was the apple of their eyes, and though he wasn’t the oldest, most of his siblings often went to him for advice. how could i not see him as the definitive role model. so to have this person say this kinda stuff really does bother me.

additionally what if he is right? did i deserve this public chastisement? have i become this stereotypical, arrogant, empty, ignorant, childish jackass? am i really bothered, not by how he said what he said, but by the truth of what he said?

because of who he is, i would be inclined to believe him to be right but i don’t know. i'll need to think about this.

lots o’ other stuff going on. really can't bring myself to write at this point.

Snow Day

i have been living in the united states for about seven years now. that means that i have been driving in the united states for about six years now.

yesterday was the first time since being here that i was actually afraid that i might die whilst driving.

alright, i understand that the first real snow fall of the season is usually quite taxing on most people because it is the first time in a while that you have to remember/renew you winter driving skills. yesterday’s storm was something else completely. firstly, Bridget and i were driving separately so all the way home i was soo worried about her getting home safely.

secondly, it was whiteout conditions for a good third of my way home. for those of you who have not had the distinctive privilege of experiencing  “whiteout” conditions... well try driving with white paint on you windshield... there you go...

still i can’t complain... i do love this time of the year....

in other news:

if last (work) week was likened to cranial blunt-trauma, then this week can be likened to a mild beating by, oh i don’t know.... lets say the local school yard bullies. things have settled down a little and it is stable enough now that i can actually get home at a time that affords me the opportunity to actually see my wife. that’s nice. we may even take in a movie this weekend (The Prestige with Christian Bale and Wolverine).

only about six more skull-drudging weeks of work before Bridget and i embark on our highly-anticipated trip to Malaysia... and brother you better believe that we are counting the days (43 as of this posting)..... i'll have the laptop with me so hopefully i'll get to post more when i’m on vacation...

out for now...

~m

3D Video!!! Finally!!!

now bring on the 3D porn!