Keep your eye on the ball

Golf

Today after work I had the second part of my golf seminar at Harding Park in San Francisco. Golf is getting more and more fun with each seminar I attend.

I took public transportation to the park and realize how unreliable the bus system is in the city. First I took the M from downtown to Stonestown. Then from Stonestown, I waited for the number 18 for what seemed like ages to me. It definitely did not come on time. On each of the buses I was on, there were people who talked to themselves. Just a something I noticed.

When I got to the park, the director of the park talked for a bit, introduced us to the golf clubs, the grip, posture and swing. He adjusted our grip and posture and diagnosed the problems with our swings. It was a good experience. For example, at first I was missing on all of my swings. Well, the problem was that I was not looking at the ball! After that, I was able to scrape the ball around a bit.

Around 12 people showed up today. Funny thing was that a lot of them were involved in forensic accounting. I met three other people aside from me who are in that area. Weird. I was the only one from my firm though. KPMG was out in full force.

BTW, I even sustained a hand injury, albeit a minor one. That was how much I was into it. :-) So, all in all, it was a good investment of my time. Who knows, maybe I'll pursue this further.

Work and work

Workspace

So the nature of my work requires that I read other people's emails. I'm currently on an investigation of financial statement misstatements and this one guy's emails are pretty blatantly bad. Bad in the sense that he is clearly cooking the books, manipulating numbers to reach his targets. He also has an annoying habit of putting everything in quotation marks. I think this is one of the most interesting aspects of my job. It makes you more aware about your own emails.

Lesson learned - be very careful what you write in your company emails because you never know who will be reading it. Don't write anything that you will regret or that will come back and haunt you.

In the spirit of work, here's a picture of my workspace. This is what I stare at 8 hours or more each day. Enjoy the view!

Typo

Abstract #4

I've been typing so much today for work that it seems like a chore to have to type some more. Therefore, I will keep this brief. Today's picture is of unmistakable denim. Some jeans can cost a fortune. Luckily I'm not a fashionista, so I don't need to coolest jeans. These are from Banana Republic.

So I saw the headline on the WSJ today. It showed a very grey looking Beijing sky and I don't think it was fog. The pollution was so bad there that you could cut it with a knife. I have only one word to describe it - nasty!

Thanks!

Intersection

Thanks a million for the lovely postcards from around Europe! I just got three in one day today (Munich, Vienna & Venice). They will be displayed in my cube, so that I'm constantly reminded of what I'm missing about Europe. :-)

I just found this article on sfgate -> click here. It's an interesting story about some guy who sent blank journals out into the world to see what people would write. It's somewhat related to my postcards. Too bad he only got one of his journals back.

Fake bear fur

Abstract #5

Naturally when I don't bring my camera, a great photo op happens! Today there was a Hare Krishna gathering on JFK boulevard. It happens every year. People dress up in their best Indian garb and chant "Hare Krishna". It's quite a colorful affair and a little creepy actually. There are these huge statues that get dressed up with wigs, clothing, flower wreaths. I find the statues scary.

This festival or celebration is not just for Indians. Actually you see many Caucasians dress up in Indian clothing and chant along.

Feedback

WSJ*

I just spent a couple hours writing feedback for an intern. It's quite difficult especially when you have to give some areas of development and growth and you don't know the person that well. I only worked with her for 2 weeks! But it's a good experience for me because to move to the next level, you will need to develop staff more and learn to give feedback, etc. It's par for the course. (I didn't realize until recently how many idioms in English are golf related! Other examples are sub par, hole in one)

*I'm glad I get the Wall Street Journal again. They have some great articles. I found one today about must read British spy stories.

Swing it

Amusement

The courtyard in front of 101 California street turned into a dance floor this afternoon with a swing band and a couple that really danced well. You can see them in the picture above. They looked like they were having a ball! If I had to learn a dance, it would be swing because I like the time period that it was invented in. In the picture above you can see the amused office workers walking by and staring at the dancers who don't seem to have a care in the world. How nice!

Man on the street -

Today I overheard some guy say to his buddy with awe in his voice, "There were beautiful women all over the place." I didn't catch his previous statement or his follow up words, but it made me smirk. ;-) I wonder where he was talking about. Was he talking about a place like a bar or restaurant or a country like Brazil?

Golf

Little blue box

Wow, I was quite impressed by the golf seminar I attended this evening. I actually learned a lot of golf basics that I did not know before. It was really worth it and the people who attended were open to networking. And then when I came home, my 5 year anniversary gift was waiting for me. It's a sterling silver necklace from Tiffany's with 2 very small silver heart pendants. You see a picture of the famous blue Tiffany's box.

So, here's an exclusive for my loyal blog readers and I know there are many of you out there following this blog religiously. ;-) I jotted down some notes from my golf seminar and will post some of them here. Maybe you'll learn something new as well and help me remember some of what I heard. Apologies if they are somewhat randomly organized.

- The maximum number of clubs golfers are allowed to have in their bags is 14.
- Proper attire for golf includes:
a) Collared shirt
b) No T-shirts
c) No jeans
d) No golf shoes with metal spikes! Only golf shoes with rubber spikes or normal shoes.
Note: Golf shoes with rubber spikes help you maintain a good grip on the grass. When it's wet and you swing your club, you might slip on the grass.
- A golf course has 18 holes
- Each hole has different pars. A par is your goal. You should strive to hit the ball into the hole in as few strokes as possible. Therefore people who are really skilled do not need as many strokes to hit the ball into the hole.
- A handicap refers to the difficulty of the holes. It also enables people of different skill levels to play together.
- A hole is composed of the tee area, the fairway and then the green.
- There are a total of 72 pars on a golf course.
- Generally it takes 5 hours to play a round of golf
- Golf etiquette:
a) Silence on the green
b) No cellphones
c) Golfer with best score tees off first
- A birdie is when someone gets a ball in the hole 1 stroke under par

Conflicted

Here I am this morning, thinking about the work day ahead of me and the networking event I signed up for after work. On one hand I am well aware that I need to expand my network outside of the office. However, on the other hand going to these events takes time and will divert valuable hours that I could be using to finish up some work or just to catch up on my sleep.

I usually end up being glad that I attended an event because it takes me out of my comfort zone and places me in an environment with new faces and ideas. Hopefully this will be the same. I'll be learning all about golf.

Holiday

Roma

This article from Salon.com was pretty good and inspired me to post one of my pictures from 2007 trip to Rome. Be sure to read the comments because they are part of the entertainment. Oh, to be able to write like that! The language was quite picturesque. You could imagine his experience in Rome. I wonder how long it took the author to write this piece. I especially liked the part where he mentioned the "Visgoths" who were chanting USA, USA.

Americans are very recognizable when they're in Europe. The stereotypical American tourist wears white tennis shoes, which is totally understandable because of all the walking that's done when on vacation.

Silk

Abstract #3

Today's featured texture is silk. It's shiny, smooth and sleek. The buttons are also knotted in the traditional fashion.

This is the Mandarin collared top that I had tailor made in Beijing. I've only worn it in public once and that was to try it on. More often I like to photograph it. :-)

Textures

Abstract #2

Nope, nothing exciting to blog about from sfgate. Oh, I did receive a very nice postcard from a friend who was vacationing in Barcelona. It arrived at my workplace. I like getting postcards from around the world at work instead of boring stuff.

This is a picture of my brown corduroy blazer.

Let's Dance!

Stern Grove Festival

I went to a dance and music performance at the Stern Grove today. The performers were from Alonzo King's LINES Ballet featuring Pharoah Sanders and Hamideen. It was pretty cool to see the dancers. They must all be really comfortable in their own skins because they were generally wearing flimsy costumes that didn't provide much coverage. Plus, you have the eyes of the entire audience glued upon your every move, so that doesn't help. They did not have an ounce of fat on their dancer bodies! Impressive!

I met up with my high school German instructor and another one of her students. It was good to catch up and reminisce about the good ol' days. Since this was a free concert, there wasn't formal seating. Instead, it was a bring your own blanket event as you can see from the picture below. We had a little picnic of fresh veggies and dip, fruits, cheese and crackers. Very healthy so that you don't feel guilty when you snack away!

Abstract

Abstract #1

My cousin is a fireman and a fisherman.

Cup O' Joe

Coffee

There's a hierarchy of coffee places (large chains) in my book.

1. Peet's
2. Starbucks
3. Tully's

I like Peet's because its mixed drink coffees like mocha, chai, lattes, cappuccinos, etc. are less sweet than Starbucks' drinks. Tully's stuff just doesn't taste good. At Peet's I usually order a small chai latte or caffe mocha when I need a little boost.

Of course, if there are unique and quaint little coffee places with great ambiance, I'd like those too. However in our harried lives, it's sometimes just more convenient to pop into one of these chain coffee houses.

One of my favorite coffee experiences was in Berlin. There was a Cafe Einstein close to my hotel where we had breakfast each morning. The chai there was perfect - warm, but not too hot and subtly sweet.

You Go SF!

Pedestrians

Good news for San Francisco lovers.

The city has been voted as one of the most walkable cities in the United States! Yay! Read the article here. Let's break out the champagne glasses!

I'm surprised it even beat the Big Apple. It's no surprise everyone loves the city - even big companies like Google. The company is based in Silicon Valley, but it has opened a satellite campus in San Francisco because most of their employees live in San Francisco and don't want to commute down to the valley. Driving everyday down there adds another level of stress to your life. Who needs that?

The Awakening

Dawn

As a sworn early bird, I tend to wake up pretty early these days so that I can fit some reading and other things in that I really need to get done (like daily blogging!). In the picture above you see a sleepy neighborhood on the cusp of activity.

Yesterday I was in a rush to get some documents printed in the office and of course the printer has to jam! It happens every time. So the monitor tells me where the jam is located and which doors I need to open to remove the paper. I do that and turn little green knobs until I see the evil paper jam. Keep in mind that the copier has been running so the innards are still fairly warm. I'm not going to stick my hand in there! With the clock ticking, I was very tempted to just leave the jam there until the next morning. Luckily a very helpful coworker of mine came over and we cleared the jam. While I turned the green knob furiously, he was pulling out the paper. It came out in pieces and eventually we had to resort to using instruments such as rulers and a scissor. It was like performing a complicated surgery! Funny when you look back, not so funny when you are there!

Heart to heart

Footsie

Okay, here was the photo meant for yesterday.

Tuscany or South of France

Sorry no pic today. It's the fault of Blogger and I had such a unique picture!
Well, I guess it means I had better get to work. It's 9PM and I haven't even started yet! I was 2009 vacation planning. Trying to decide between South of France and Tuscany, both of which are gorgeous destinations so you can't really go wrong.

Reality TV

TV

Reality TV is running rampant in the States. It's all they have on TV these days. It all started with "The Survivor." Yesterday on Bravo, I saw "Shear Genius" which is about hair stylists competing against each other to win some sort of prize. They all live together and get mysterious notes that give them clues as to their next challenge. It was somewhat interesting to see the hair cuts that result and I also enjoyed listening to how the stylists described hair cuts.

Project Runway is another reality type show hosted by Heidi Klum. (How does she have time for all these shows when she also hosts "Germany's Next Top Model"?)

Then there is a show documenting life as a "little person". It's called "Little People, Big World" on The Learning Channel and shows how a family of little people experience with everyday life.

MTV and VH1 have their own shows following celebrities, B-level stars or wanna be celebrities.

German had some reality shows too like "Bauer Sucht Frau", which translates into "Farmer Searches for Wife". The premise of this show is that some farmers in rural Germany have a difficult time finding wives, so they go on this show. Then there were these shows where a nanny goes into people's homes and tells them how to raise their kids and discipline them.

When is the madness going to end? What is the next TV trend? How can we waste more time watching TV?

Centered

Grace Cathedral

One of the crowning glories of California Street is Grace Cathedral. This is an Episcopalian church with a French Gothic architectural style that is reminiscent of Notre Dame in Paris. Inside Grace Cathedral you will find peace and quiet, along with colorful stained glass windows and impressive frescoes. Step inside if you are in a contemplative mood or just want a European fix. This is the closest thing in San Francisco that we have to a European-style church.

A couple weekends ago I sent some emails to non-profit organizations volunteering my time and energy to help them out. I thought I would get a resounding response, but surprisingly only 1 of them emailed me back. The nerve of them! Oh well, it's their loss. I would like to find a way to get involved in my community in areas where I have an interest so that includes the arts and culture.

Since I registered for a photography course in the fall through City College, I probably won't have time for volunteering anyhow. Maybe next year in 2009. The photography course will be 6 hours long on Saturdays from August to December! That's a big commitment of time, but I want to finally take a course. I'm tired of just talking about it.

Nob Hill

Nob Hill

Here is a picture of California Street just as a cable car starts its descent down the street.

The cable car was invented because San Francisco's streets were too steep for horse-drawn carriages and wagons. One day, the cable car inventor saw a team of horses that was dragged backwards when the wagon tried to climb a hill. Poor horses, I can just imagine the pain!

BTW, they call it Nob Hill because that's where all the "nobs" used to live. A long time ago, nob was a slang term for very wealthy people.

How to Spot a Snob

View from the Top

Today you see a view of California Street as it starts to climb and become more steep. Be sure you have enough leg power because you could get out of breath going up this street. Of course it also depends on your pace, but if you know me and the speed at which I walk, you'll understand.

It's funny how we all know which people are friendly and which are snobs, or people to watch out for. It's an instinct, a feeling, a vibe that you sense from another person be it a stranger or a coworker in the office.

Here are some sure signs of a snob:
- You just get a negative vibe from them.
- You are always the first to greet the snob. The snob never greets you first.
- When you're in a group, the snob will never respond to your comments. They will just wait until you are finished talking and then start jabbering.
- When you initiate a conversation with them, they are not very talkative or willing to share or ask you questions.

Crossroads

Crossroads

Here's a picture of California Street as it goes through Chinatown. This is the intersection of Grant Ave and California. Notice the little lantern with bells and the pagoda like structure in the background that houses restaurants.

Okay, enough slacking, must get back to work.

ROTFL

California and Battery

ROTFL - Abbreviation for Rolling On The Floor Laughing

That's what happened when I watched the British mockumentary called "The Office" years ago. It is so funny you can't describe it. Okay, I'll try anyway. :-) The humor is uncomfortable. The main star and one of the producers, Ricky Gervais, who is a comic genius, will say stupid things with a straight face, but you'll be laughing your socks off. You don't know whether to laugh at him or feel sorry for him because he is so oblivious in the series.

I was inspired to blog about him by this Salon article I read. Apparently he's trying to gain fame across the pond here in the States. If you still haven't seen the British version of "The Office", run to your nearest DVD rental store or order it from Netflix! Sometimes you just need a good hearty laugh. Life is too serious.

Back to my photo series, this picture above shows California street when it is still in the Financial District, and relatively flat.

Journeys

California

I want to share with you my favorite street in San Francisco - California Street. Over the next few days I will take you on a photographic journey with me as I walk this street. I really like it because it is pretty steep and it takes you through many different neighborhoods in SF.

On a separate topic, after being back in the United States for over half a year now, I can now more objectively rate the positives and negatives of Europe and the States. In the United States, I appreciate the many freebies that we get like free use of toilets at malls, free tap water at restaurants and toilet seat covers. America is the land of the free after all! In contrast, Italy will charge you for water and often you have to give a tiny tip to the restroom attendant.

Museums

Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco

Buildings

This is the new up and coming museum in San Francisco that was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. I've never been inside, but I've seen pictures of the interior with its slanted walls and windows sprinkled liberally everywhere.

Fashion

In downtown San Francisco, I see trendy young men who wear really tight jeans just like the girls. I guess they are trying to be hip and cool. These jeans are usually paired with a hat or alternative looking hairstyle. Observing people and their styles can be entertaining at times.

Tourist for a day

Jailbird

"Your English is really good", remarked an Alcatraz employee to me when I requested the audio guide to Alcatraz in German. Ha ha! I just wanted to challenge my brain that Saturday morning by listening to the German version. Yes, as you can see, I have finally realized my dream of visiting Alcatraz. No more lip service, I finally did it. I was on the early bird tour that departed Pier 33 at 9 AM in the morning because I wanted to avoid the hordes of camera toting tourists.

The whole Alcatraz experience cost me $24 approximately including audio guide in German or any other language that happens strike your fancy that day. You could get an audio guide in Mandarin if you're feeling particularly frisky that day. :-)

To reach the island takes only a 10 minute ferry ride. I purchased my tickets online at alcatrazcruises.com. If you're thinking of going to the island, it's a good idea to purchase tickets well in advance because the cruises are so popular that they sell out very quickly.

When on the island, you are given a mandatory introduction from a ranger, who points out the restrooms, the rules (no eating except on the docks), and warnings that the ground may not be level in all locations, so watch out! Afterwards, you can either go watch a brief introductory video about the island or walk up to the cellhouse. I would recommend watching the video first as it provides context for your visit. When you reach the cell house, you get the audio guides, which last around 45 minutes. The stories were kind of interesting because you hear about how some inmates tried to escape and were never found. Also, when we reached Block D of the cells, there's a park ranger standing around the isolation cell who lets a couple people walk in a dark cell and then slams the door shut very hard. Then he proceeds to open the little viewing door to let people take pictures. Finally he "releases" his prisoners who are all smiles. What an interesting job to do all day!

One great thing about Alcatraz is that you have spectacular views of the San Francisco skyline from the island. If you're afraid of bird poop however, I would not advise you to visit Alcatraz because birds now own the island and do their business all over the place. After seeing the cellhouse, there's not much more to do on the island, so you can head back to San Francisco, or do more island hopping by visiting Angel Island. I decided to head back into the city because I had to realize one other dream, which was to ride a cable car.

I got on at the intersection of Taylor and Bay streets and found some seating inside. After the cable car became less full, I got to stand at the back of the cable car where the operator turns some lever. It was SO fun to have the wind in your face and see San Francisco sights sail by! Maybe next time I will be holding on to the rails on the outside. In the picture below you see the cable car operator turning the cable car around.

Independence Day

July 4th - Birthday of the United States

You will see American flags displayed prominently today. Actually, I don't think I would notice if the American flag were incorrect unless it was really obvious.

However, overseas, the Germans seem to be very detail-oriented and observant. On a major German news broadcast, there was a flap over the American flag because it was wrong. See if you can spot what's incorrect about this flag? Flag fiasco There was one more stripe than necessary. I certainly don't think I would have seen it, so it amazed me that Germans would notice it. The station fired some people over this because it was the second time recently that flags were shown incorrectly. They even showed a German flag wrong. Instead of horizontal stripes of black, red and yellow, the red stripe was on top.

Here is a bonus picture that I took today inside Grace Cathedral. I really like the atmospheric glow from the candles and the spiritual and mysterious mood it creates.

Minutiae

Analyze this!

Today was work-free as my employer generously gave us the day before July 4th off. I've been prepping for the Certified Fraud Examiner test, so I thought this picture would be fitting for today. Nothing really exciting to blog about today. Sometimes you're inspired by some daily news or happening, and other times you're not. That's just the nature of the beast.

In terms of local news, there are some wild fires in California. There are so many that apparently the fire fighters have to prioritize the fires and can't fight them all. San Francisco is not affected by the fires, although some days the sky is smoky looking and the sun turns a weird orange red.

Look and you shall find

Prism

A drowsiness that's hard to shake descends upon me. Head is nodding. Must be the big lunch I had today at Kokkari's.

Dusk and twilight

Reminder

I'm staring out the window at the shifting clouds and the sky. The light at dusk has much more character than the light at midday. It's much more nuanced with hints of purple, pink and light blue.

So this is a picture of a ring I splurged on last year in Vienna. I quite like the red color, although I dislike having to remove it when I wash my hands with soap.

My IRS check arrived yesterday. I spent it prior to receiving it; got myself an external flash - Canon Speedlite 580EXII. That's the best way to be patriotic in America - spend money.