Yay, I’ve been selected to attend this event to help man the booth, recruiting, and behind-the-scenes photography. Awesome!

The SXSW Interactive Festival features five days of exciting panel content and amazing parties. Attracting digital creatives as well as visionary technology entrepreneurs, the event celebrates the best minds and the brightest personalities of emerging technology. Whether you are a hard-core geek, a dedicated content creator, a new media entrepreneur, or just someone who likes being around an extremely creative community, SXSW Interactive is for you!

That means I’ll probably need to look for an interpreter around Austin, Texas. Anyone got a reference? Successful reference will receive a free Google t-shirt from me. :-)

This is my life motto.

“To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived – this is to have succeeded.”

Perfect! I’ve found a great learning tool to learn Korean characters.

http://www.aeriagloris.com/LearnKorean/

Off I go.

I turn 27 years old today.

Here’s my previous posts on the same day:

Twenty-six years old
The Existence of 24 years old on this Planet Earth.
I turn 25 today.

Like I said last year, I’m gonna write a post on my birthdays, it feels like giving a gift to myself because the ability to write is a gift itself. So, I have 3 years left to 30. Wow. Time’s flying by. A lot has happened since my last birthday. I moved coast to coast, from DC to California. Ha I don’t have a Subaru WRX anymore, now Honda Element where she and I shall go far. I’ve already slept overnight in it at Lake Tahoe; that was cool and fun. Gonna do more of that soon. Form and manage a connecticut foreign llc for business operations beyond state borders.

One big thing I’ve accomplished is that I have managed to maximize my 401k. That is $15,500 a year and company matching half of that so I am saving $23,250 a year plus interests and most importantly, zero debt. Well, I suppose that is another achievement too. Doubt I will become a homeowner because costs around here are ridiculously high and I’m constantly amazed at how people continue to find ways to buy houses at like 500k or higher. That’d be paying a loan forever. People who are in debt, get advice from experts by visiting https://nationaldebtadvice.org.uk/debt-solutions/debt-consolidation/. You may also visit sites like https://companydebtadvice.org.uk/ if you need help managing your business debts. Consider hiring an expert in insolvency advisory service if you decide to liquidate your assets to pay off your business debts.

Renting Makes More Financial Sense Than Homeownership

“What about the pride of home ownership?”

It’s not for me. I define ownership as no longer having to pay for something and being able to do as I please with it. I have my own coffee maker and I also own some of the coolest coffee mugs. For more custom drinkware options, click the link to see more. House owners must pay taxes each year even when their mortgage payments are done. In certain markets they can’t even make changes to the houses they’ve paid for without seeking the approval of others and hiring hvac maintenance chattanooga tn to maintain it. Personally, I feel the pride of ownership for shares of businesses, and I’m proud to occupy a nice place while leaving the burden of poor returns and maintenance to someone else.

Unless I move to a state where a house can be bought 200k or under, I might reconsider. For now, nope. I am happy with where I am now, all of my basic needs are met and I’m having a time of my life. I’m gonna explore life, make friends and help others. I know I’ll be comfortable later in my life, with a house or not. Just a roof over my head is good enough. I share a nice well-maintained apartment with a great roommate who is Japanese and is fluent in four languages. Ofc, ASL is one of them. We met through Craigslist and turned out that we have some mutual friends. How small world.

This year, I’m gonna do a lot of activities. I plan to become a member at a golf course, play in tournaments and see where I stand at. I’m gonna do more of running, rockclimbing, snowboarding, traveling, learn how to surf, camping, hiking, working out, dancing, basketball, take more pictures, building websites/apps, watch more movies, and writing.

Tonight, I will have a bday party at Dave n Busters and it’s gonna be a lot of fun. :-) See you all there!

I’ve come to believe that what really sets humans from all other animals is our ability to communicate. Even we are hearing, deaf, blind, or whatnot, we still find ways to communicate. I think that’s just incredible.

So I typed “define:communication” in the google search. Here are the definitions:

The exchange of thoughts, messages, or information through speech, signals, writing, or behavior.

a connection allowing access between persons or places

Communication allows people to exchange thoughts by one of several methods. There are auditory means, such as speaking or singing, and physical means, such as sign language, touch, or eye contact.

The exchange of information between two points.

The exchange of thoughts, messages, or information through speech, signals, writing, or behavior.

The successful transmission of information through a common system of symbols, signs, behavior, speech, writing, or signals.

A fundamental component of social behavior; the transmission of information (messages) between a sender and a receiver using any of the five senses. Language is a form of communication specific to humans.

From Wikipedia:

Communication is the articulation of sending a message, whether it be verbal or nonverbal, so long as a being transmits a thought provoking idea, gesture, action, etc. . .

Communication can be defined as the process of meaningful interaction among human beings. It is the act of passing information and the process by which meanings are exchanged so as to produce understanding.

Communication is the process by which any message is given or received through talking, writing, or making gestures.

There are auditory means, such as speaking, singing and sometimes tone of voice, and nonverbal, physical means, such as body language, sign language, paralanguage, touch, eye contact, or the use of writing.

Ha cool, I like the last one. “The transmission of information between a sender and receiver using any of the five senses.” Very cool. :-)

Hey everyone!

I’m gonna host a birthday party at Dave n Busters this Friday evening, February 22nd, 7 pm.

Not only does Dave n Busters have some good games, their foods are also good too!

One comment from someone named Debbie G.

Dave & Busters is good if you like arcade games. It’s supposed to be for families, but I haven’t seen many families there, mainly young adults. The food is so-so, typical bar food in my mind (fried zucchini, fried potatoes, fried onion rings, fried cheese, etc…. ). It is nice and roomy and doesn’t get super crowded. –Debbie G.

And guess what? there will be a bit of extra entertainment going on. Ian, JMD, and I will have an ASL War!!! We’ll be telling ASL stories and try to up each other. You won’t see this anywhere else in the world. I’m not joking. And ofc, free show! ;-)

All is WELCOME to come! just need to let me know so I can make a reservation. Thanks and hope to see you there! Spread the word!

Calvin and Hobbes comic on Wikipedia

That’s my religion, exploring life. No wonders I love North Face so much, ha. Never stop exploring!

One of my favorite quotes.

You will be different, sometimes you’ll feel like an outcast, but you’ll never be alone. You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father and the father becomes the son.

For the longest time, I’ve always felt that I was different from most. Back then in the old school, I remember being alone but happily reading something like magazines or books. Would spend time in the library, reading stuffs. Sometimes, I go walking around, looking for new stuffs to be learned. I tried to have a good time with students but they seemed too busy trying to look cool and worry about the game of attraction. Though I had a crush on some girls, they never wanted to be with the only Asian kid with slanty eyes. Luckily, I have my parents, mentors, and teachers who kept supporting me and that if I worked hard enough, something good will come up.

When I become a father someday in the future, I’ll be the best father a kid will have. I will show my kid the best movies that must be seen (Lord of the Rings, Matrix, Star Wars, Shawshank redemption, some 1980s, ’90s flicks), teach him all the sports, take him to the games. My mom and dad set a great example for me, so when my kid goes through some hard times, I will know exactly how he feels and will guide them through it. Ofc, I will share the Superman quote with my kid. :-)

I’ve been reading www.dumblittleman.com and to my surprise, the author posted a pic of Daveynin, who went to RIT/NTID. I wonder if he even knows?

So cool. :-)

Oh yeah, you can enter the doodle competition at http://www.google.com/doodle4google/

This actually sounds like me. Cool.

You are the Jack of some trades, and a master of many! You’re good at so many things – you never know what to do and what to not do. Change is in your blood, and you don’t stick to just one thing for long. You are destined for a life full of visits to different places, travel and exotic experiences.

I gotta read Bill Bryson’s books again and try to somewhat imitiate his writing style. It’s the best.

There are many good writers out there but one of the best writers I’ve come to know is my friend, Megan Malzkuhn. You can visit her blog at www.malzed.com/blog.

She’s trying to start a new organization body for those who are fresh out of high school and realize that life after high school isn’t exactly very pleasant or glamorous.

Join Deaf Youth USA if you’re still reading this and agreeing with what I have been saying. Deaf Youth USA (DYUSA) is a new concept, borrowed from our European friends. Last summer, I went on a backpacking trip with my sister and roommate, just three of us, for a month before joining up forces with other friends in Barcelona, Spain. Our destination: the World Congress of World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) in Madrid, Spain. Why? My sister was selected as a representative for National Association of the Deaf (NAD), acting as a delegate and spokesperson for USA in a huge international conference. Soon enough, my sister was voted in as the secretary for the youth board of WFD. Her mad English skillz helped. Anyway, once I was there, I met plenty of young people like me, whether they spoke/wrote in a different language, we could understand each other pretty well. With liberal amounts of sangria, beer, firewater, and campy atmosphere, I found myself analzying what was really wrong with America. We have it all, the laws and rights that allow us to get school, jobs, and live normally as we could. But, one thing was missing: a collective body of young deaf adults. There used to be College NAD (CNAD) but it fell one too many times. Duh. College kids all care about their grades, partying lessons, and nearest cash machine. Organizing a strong body of young deaf adults is a bit too much for them. Instead of relying on others for manpower and motivation, we have to look inside ourselves and decide whether we are capable of greater things.

Go join the organization.

I’d be much grateful if anyone can transcribe this for me. Thanks! Oh, I’ll send you a free Google t-shirt. :-)

Finally launched.

DeafPulse.com

Will update again soon later.

Enjoy the site!

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how things are and why they come like that in life. One example of that is our thoughts. Where do our thoughts come from? Sure, it’s in the brain but exactly how they are manufactured? I’ve read that we are capable of having approx. 50,000 thoughts a day. 50,000 thoughts a day! That explains why it’s important for people to communicate, otherwise, our thoughts will go on a rampage, wondering what our friends, families are up to. I now understand why my parents keep worrying about me.

Let me share thoughts that I’m thinking right now in the next 10 seconds.

I need to do my weekly snippets
why am I even typing this post on thoughts!
I wanna buy that honda element
Super Bowl this weekend!
Disneyland next week! (Google trip)
I need to drink more water and exercise.
I need to take a break from being on computers almost 24/7
what will we be like in 5 years, 10 years?
what is my purpose on this earth?

I probably could keep doing that till I get to the 100th thought. Probably won’t be too interesting, I’m afraid.

Since I can’t record my voice on a tape, this blogging is like a recorder of my thoughts, trying to decipher what I’m thinking, learning, and writing allows me to break down information that I’m getting through my eyes. Letter by letter. Bytes by bytes. (8 bits equals one character, btw). When I’m reading something, somehow, I feel fortunate enough to be able to understand it. I’ve never thought that I would be reading a person’s post and then I found out that he graduated from Harvard University or MIT. I thought those guys were too good for me and that I wouldn’t able to understand any of it. But I do, although maybe not to the full depth but I can get the sense of what point they’re trying to make and the application of it. Granted, my writing won’t become as eloquent or pretty as theirs but it’s good enough to express some of my 50,000 thoughts a day.

:-)