***BIG change***

I am going down the list of things I want to get done and this is one of them:

1. Changed my hosting company…cheaper and better

2. I am now hosting MY OWN BLOG >>> http://www.ducleworks.com/blog/

Please bare with me as I am still trying to get up to the speed but things are moving as expected.

-D-

Opium dream – 24

In my dream…

I was a FBI special agent responded to the call of duty to save our beautiful city – Seattle and its space needle from the terrorist attack.  The attack plan was armed and it can happen in any moment.  I was picked up at the airport by 3 local agents and briefed about the situation.  From there we started to make terrorist connections.  We worked very very hard…some of us didn’t even feel a need for a even short nap.  We worked through the night.  Within 24 hours, we saved the America – the Jack Bauer’s style.

I woke up…

Found myself driving through a rainy traffic in San Jose.  I then realized I am not a  hero.  No one asked me to be one.  Does becoming a hero require sacrifices?  Does becoming a hero require changes in life style?  Does becoming a hero require putting your life on hold?  Does becoming a hero require dealing with uncertainties?  And above all who am I saving?

And just like that I wanted to start living again.  I wanted to fill that empty space I have been missing for quite awhile now.  I want a normal life.

-D-

Move-over Law

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/paffairs/news/pressrel/09pr23.htm

In California , the “Move-over” law became operative on January 1, 2010.

The cost of the ticket was $754,  with 3 points on your license and a mandatory court appearance

Important Law to Share:

I wanted to let my Medlock Bridge neighbors know about the CA move over law.
My son got a ticket on Pleasant Hill coming back from Wal-Mart. A Duluth police car (turned out it was 2 police cars) was on the side of the road giving a ticket to someone else. My son slowed down to pass but did not move into the other lane. The second police car immediately pulled him over and gave him a ticket. My son and I had never heard of the law. It is a fairly new law that states if any emergency vehicle is on the side of the road, if you are able, you are to move into the far lane.

The cost of the ticket was $754, with 3 points on your license and a mandatory court appearance.

Please let everyone you know that drives about this new law.

It is true (see details at the following web address). It states that except two states, all the other US states (even Canada ) enacted similar kind of law.

http://www.moveoveramerica.com/
www.snopes.com/politics/traffic/moveover.asp

Abstract: Jazz on the beach

Finally got around to upload some “abstract” images I took at the Riviera Jazz Fest in Playa.  Spyro Gyra on 11/27 was the best night of all.

The rest are on Flickr >>>

-D-

Ground up

Who says I don’t need a truck?

I have been using this beast to do a lot of stuffs lately…fun stuffs.

Dirt cheap?  Who says dirt is cheap? It costs $30/yd to dump.  Most expensive dumping item.

In my case, there’s a careless charge.

Taking pride in what you do is fun but the cost doesn’t really justify.  I’ll let the landscapers finishing up the rest.

-D-

Upcoming CES

This was one of the most interesting gig ever.  From the product/technology to the people involved.  Look for it at the CES 2010 (1/7-1/10/10) in Vegas.

-D-

Leaving 2009

2010 has finally arrived.  The year that many people are looking forward to – to turn the economy around, to find a better job that they don’t have to do 3 people works.  And we just hope all that will come true.  There were probably worse than good things had happened to me in ’09 but nevertheless I still think it was a great year.  If one thing I learned from ’09, it must be ‘fear’.  It was fear that stopped many of us from progressing in life.  It was fear that holding us back from doing what we always wanted to do.  It was fear that preventing us from becoming the person we should be.  It was fear that put us in the world of darkness and slowly disintegrates ourselves from the outside world. And it was fear that makes us losing our way.

Just like anything else, fear is a personal choice.  We can choose to let it be a dominant factor or just simply let it be a common denominator.  For the most part of ’09, I chose to live without it for once for I knew for sure it was not the greatest force to destroy me and for I’ve lived with it for most of my life.  It’s not a surprise to anyone that once you are opening up to challenges the door of opportunities and adventures are awaited.  And I have found some answers to most of my questions.  Some results didn’t quite turn out to be the way I imagined – rather disappointing.  But some answers were just a pleasant surprise and made me wonder why it took me so long to figure it out.

And without fear, the learning curve is exponential.  Mistakes are waiting to take place, but not all mistakes are unfixable and that’s how we learn – by making mistakes.  People always say that money and time will fix everything.  Unfortunately some of us need more than that – self-fixing.  In contrary to both fear and mistakes, patience can somehow be a magic elixir.  Patience is not the answer for everything but that is what answers are based on.  Sometimes adding a little patience will change the whole world.

Taken with my iPhone on my first cycling day of the year.

-D-

Bad owner

and a freezing temperature resulted in a dead Chihuahua.  So I called SJ animal control and off to work.  I was a bit surprised that the Viet in my hood didn’t make Chihuahua stew out of this.

me: hey Dick, I saw a dead dog this morning in my neighborhood

Dick: what do you mean dead dog?

in an old and grumpy voice…that’s Dick, my officemate.

me: yeah, dead. On the sidewalk.  Probably due to the freezing temperature over night.

showed him a photo on my iPhone.

Dick: Damn it! I guess the Obama’s shelter program doesn’t work after all.

Keep up the spirit

It ruined the Holidays spirit when some retailers stop giving gift box (e.g. Old Navy).  Well, if the world doesn’t celebrate, I still do.   I got this very nice photo from Long in my email this morning and wanted to share.

-D-

Diving adventure in Mexico

5 days, 15 dives…not as much as I wanted to but I got a good glimpse of what Mexico has got to offer: the varieties, the technicallity, the challenges, the adventure and the heart racing.

There are shore divings, cave divings, cavern divings, wreck divings, reef divings…you name it.  That is why I was able to stay for more than 2 dives and didn’t get bored.

The cenotes (deep hole, cave and cavern divings) are breathtaking.  One dive at the Pit we saw human bones at 150 ft, and that wasn’t the bottom.  From there you can actually connect to other cave with a 3 tanks dive.  In the same area, Dos Ojos, bat cave was another great dive.  Chach Mool was my last cenote – also loved that one.  The saltwater was more, therefore the halocline effect was greater.   I found a few interesting websites about cenotes here:

www.ilovecenotes.com and www.cavediving.com

The bull shark dive made my heart skip a little.  They were huge…in the range of 10′ long.  Supposedly, they are one of the most aggressive and curious sharks in the ocean.  At one point, we counted 10 of them circling us.

The costs of diving in Mexico are relatively fair.  For a $45 you can do a 2-tanks dive with rentals included.

For most dives, the boat rides are relatively short – 15-20 mins.  The boat are actually much smaller than in Thailand, Hawaii and even in Viet Nam.  I think the maximum they carry is 6 divers + 1 dive master and the captain.

>>> Flickr Page <<<

-D-