Saturday, December 12, 2009

Funny translation in Beijing Olympic Park

I took those pictures in the bathroom of Beijing Olympic Park....











Wednesday, November 18, 2009

When I was little

Came back from my China vacation, and brought back some old photos:


My grandpa went for a business trip to hongkong in the 80s, which is very rare at that time. He brought back this pink 2-layer dress for me. It was super expensive, probably equal to my grandama two weeks salary. All my little friends envied me for this dress ^_^


I was a brave little girl. Look at my right knee and my face.



I still love this dress!!! I just don't remember why I had to alway wear those ugly socks...


I like soaking in the ocean, sitting by the ocean, or just watching the ocean. That' the best thing ever.


I guess I was flying.


As a kid, I never noticed the home was that clean :)


Is there any fish?


I forgot the reason why I was so happy. I really like this smile (:



My cousin and I.
I get together with him and his wife on this trip. His wife complained to me that he didnot want to quit smoking. I was shocked as I never knew him smoking before, then I told to his wife "He definitely didnot smoke when I knew him". LOL

MORE PHOTOS

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

3 years service plaque



Just clarify: T-shirt + Jeans + Sandals are not mandatory for our work environment, LOL

Thursday, October 8, 2009

My picture is on google map now!

See it in google map:



My co-worker/bike buddy Catharine and me.

Friday, September 18, 2009

My version of Sticky Situation




Only 124MB free space left after installing windows 7 + msn messenger + google talk + google pinyin IME on my netbook...

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Finally got refund from the viv3/AcaiBerry scam company

I thought only stupid people could got scammed by online fraud until I also got trapped lately. Fortunately, I got most of my money back (I have to pay the exchange rates difference between USD and CAD, that is the tuition for the lessons learned)



On July 24, 2009, I ordered Acaiberry Exclusive online, then I got an email from them said CAD$1 will be charged by Viv3Labs. They didn’t mention any additional changes.

On July 25, 2009, my credit card was charged USD$1.43 (CAD$1.60) by VIV3 +442031399027

On Aug 11, 2009, my credit card was charged USD$118.63 (CAD$132.35) by FOCUSCLEANSE 3618088234

On Aug 26, 2009, my credit card was charged USD$119.02 (CAD$134.14) by FOCUSCLEANSE 3618088234

I received my first bottle of Acaiberry in August, I don’t remember the date but there is nothing in the envelope indicated I would be charged additional.

I called my credit card company (CIBC Visa) and they told me the FOCUSCLEANSE is the same company of Viv3. As I gave Viv3 my credit card number, they cannot do anything.

on Aug 31,2009, I called Viv3 to cancel my membership and they did it for me. Then I asked them to refund, but they refuse to refund the transaction on Aug 11. And they said the 2nd bottle is on its way to me, and I need to contact them for return after I receive it.

On Sep 3, 2009, I received the 2nd bottle of Acaiberry. This time they put the invoice of £69 in the envelope.

On Sep 4, 2009, I called them for refunding. They said they will send me an email in 72 hours to tell me what to do.

On Sep 6, 2009, I received their email which told me why they charged me twice, and confirmed my account is cancelled. So I wrote back to ask how to get a refund.

On Sep 7, 2009, I received the 2nd email, they said they cannot credit me as I accepted the terms and conditions. So I wrote back that I didn’t accept the terms and conditions at all, there is not checkbox for me to check. And I attached the original email they send me of charging $1 for shipping the free trial, there is no terms and conditions in that email.

On Sep 8, 2009, I received the 3rd email. They said I did agree to their terms and conditions, but they were going to give me a refund of 118.63 USD, as they prefer not dispute with clients. I wrote back I never accepted the terms and conditions, and if they will refund me, the refund amount should be 118.63 USD + 119.02 USD.

On Sep 9, 2009, I received the 4th email. They said they credited 118.63 USD and 119.02 USD to my credit card.

On Sep 15, 2009, the credit transactions appeared on my credit card (The transaction date is Sep 10). I got my money back

Lessons learned:
Before ordering:
1) When some free trials asked for a very small amount of money for shipping, you should be aware of they actually want to get your credit card number.
2) Never give your credit card number before researching the company. Don’t assume your credit card company will protect you.
3) Read the terms and conditions carefully. You don’t care about wasting a few buckets but you may be trapped into some memberships that cost you hundreds of dollars.
4) Google the company to see what kind of reputation it has, especially in the www.complaintsboard.com
5) If you really want to order the free trials no matter how many complaints you found for this company, buy yourself a visa gift card of $25 or less and use this visa number to order.

If you already got scammed
1) Calm down; don’t upset yourself too much for a few hundred dollars.
2) Google the success stories of getting a refund from that company, so you could get an idea of what kind of difficulties you can expect and how to deal with them.
3) Contact the scam company immediately. The earlier you call them, the smaller your loss.
4) Contact your credit card company, but don’t expect them to dispute all the charges.
5) Try to follow up with the scam company. If other people could get refund from that company, you definitely can as well. If other people cannot, you may also get refund.

Monday, August 31, 2009

My crown falled off last night!



The dentist just cleaned it then glued it back...So weird...The crown was put on 2 years ago, not sure whether it is normal that dental glue worn out after just 2 years.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Grouse Grind in a hot afternoon

Date: 2009/08/27
Duration: 72 mins
Avg HR:167
Max HR:176
Calories: 696

It is a company team build event. I'm in the middle place, LOL.
The time is not bad, considering the heat and the fact I have worked hard for a whole morning...

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The saddest little function

Got this one from a co-worker's email, I thought it is a joke at the first sight, but it turned out to be real...

-----------------------------------------
SPUtility.HideTaiwan Method (Microsoft.SharePoint.Utilities)

Checks whether the Taiwan calendar is hidden based on the specified Web site and locale ID.

true if the Taiwan calendar is hidden; otherwise, false. By default, this method returns true and the Taiwan calendar cannot be displayed for the following SPLangId values: PeoplesRepublicofChina, HongKongSAR, and MacaoSAR.

See MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms441219.aspx

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Grouse Grind For the 3rd time


Time: 71 mins
Avg HR: 162
Max HR: 173
Calories Burned: 649

I paid enough attention to my HRM during the whole climbing to make use I always stay in my heart zone. I only had 2 very quick stops, one is for drinking water, the other is for chewing gummy candy. I haven't used to drinking or eating when climbing...

I carried about 1L water in my camel bag. But it was very foggy and wet, I only drank about 300 ml water, and carried the left 700 ml to the peak, wasted so much energy...

And the 2nd thing I could blame is my hair. I forgot to bring hair strings for binding a ponytail, so my hair stayed loose and it is not comfortable...

I felt much better this time, so I probably could make the grind as a monthly activity rather than a yearly one:)

PS. It seems people (or at least me) look ugly in the fog...I got really ugly photos this time, so I just post a landscape one.

Monday, July 20, 2009

12 Grain


In the first week I landed Canada, I kept on watching the commercial of Tim Hortons, it was about 12 Grain. It seemed so tempting that I finally encouraged myself to walk into a Tim Hortons store:

Me: "I want to get a 12 Grain"
Cashier:“Do you want a bagel?”
Me: "No, I want 12 Grain"
Cashier: "12 Grain Bagel?"
Me: "I just want 12 Grain"
...

Finally I got my 12 Grain and learned the new word BAGEL...

Don't be a workaholic


Knowing what you really want from life.
Don't be a workaholic, your work probably never let you down, but your co-workers and bosses may do.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Grouse Grind 2009

I did my annual Grouse Grind this weekend, it is 78 mins. I did not really enjoy the stairs, but I just want to have some record about my fitness level, so I prefer to do it once per year.
Last year is my first time, it was 90 mins.

I think the HRM is very helpful. I did not pay much attention to my heart rate at the beginning, I tried to climb as fast as I can. But I got exhausted very soon, and have to rest for a few times. Later, I kept my heart rate within my trainning zone. If I noticed my heart rate exceed the upper boundary, I slowed down before I got exhausted, then I didn't need to stop to rest any more. HR records: 43 mins in the training zone, Average HR 156, Max HR 175.

I burned 677 calories on the Grouse Grind, but I ate them back on the continuous snacking on the mountain, LOL.

Start and Finish Line:

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Life without cellphone is offically ended

After living without cellphone for 8 months, I finally got a new cellphone.

Actually I like the freedom of no cellphones, as long as I'm outside, nobody can find me. How cool is that! Especially I won't need to worry about phone calls when I was riding!

Of course I suffered many inconvenience for no using a cellphone, that is why I finally gave in and bought one. I will turn it off when I'm riding, I just cannot stand the continuous ring in my backpack. I probably should set a voicemail greeting like "You caught me riding, so leave a message"


About my new phone: It is a 7-11 phone, yes, the phone service provider is the 7-11 stores. I never heard it before until I found it from google on Thursday evening, then I bought it in Friday. It works so far so good, hopefully no more surprises happens. I had got too much surprises from TELUS.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Delicious microwaved apple

Cut an apple into 4 pieces, core, then microwave for 5 mins.

Enjoy!

Perfect for dessert or snack.

Inspired by Damien's delicious apple pie, just simpler and healthier :)

Monday, June 22, 2009

a Reason, a Season or a Lifetime

This article is from a forwarded email, I usually do not copy other people's article into my blog, unless it is really very good.
For this one, it solved some of my confusion and relieve some of my frustration.


People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.


When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support,
To aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
This person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons,
Things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson,
Love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life,
Whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Brian Make(s) your browsing faster...

I'm shocked this morning when reading my email previews, how can my friend Brian make browsing faster????
So I open that email immediately: Oh, the "Make your browsing faster" part is a commercial added by his emailbox provider.
Google Email Preview + Yahoo Email Commercial = LOL

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

LOL New feature in VS2010: position of the X button!

I remember I once worked on an .aspx file, and later I wanted to close it. I clicked several times on the x in 'aspx' but the tab is not closed... It's not my fault, the X button of the tabs is in the right top corner of VS2005, totally different from the IE tab style...


VS2008: the X button is still in the right top corner.
But it got a new feature for the tabs, the tab is highlighted when the mouse moves to it....


Finally, the VS2010 moved the X button to the place it should be, LOL. I noticed this feature in yesterday's event, it is really exciting! Here is the screenshot I found from internet, I didn't install the VS2010 on my machine.

Monday, June 8, 2009

My role model: Beth Massi

There are some people so perfect that I suspect the major reason of their existence is to let people like you and me feel so bad for ourselves, LOL.

I attended a Microsoft Event this evening: Future Directions for Microsoft Visual Basic and C# by Beth Massi. The speaker is a young pretty fit girl. She was an architecture MVP and now working as a PM in Microsoft. She is definitely brilliant and knowledgeable, besides, her presentation style is awesome! Even I like her speech very much, not mentioning those guys.

She is the most perfect girl I have ever seen, I wish I could be as good as her someday....Here is her blog:
http://blogs.msdn.com/bethmassi/

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

my biking activity statistic May

Bike to work: 17 days.
Totally workdays in office: 19 days
Bike commute percentage: 89%
Marathon event day ride: ~ 70 KM
Spirit Run event day ride: ~ 50 KM
Other ride: ~ 70 KM
Total distance ride: 8.55 * 2 * 17 + 70 + 50 + 70 = 480 KM
Total Calories burned in riding: 9600 Calories
According to the calories I burned, I should have lost 1.066kg fat. But I didnot lose any...

BMI = 21.26, same as last month.

I started to use my HRM to record calories burned during workout since June 1st, so I will have a very accurate calories burned in my next statistic.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Summer offically comes


Another professionally taken picture declares summer is already here. Thank you again, Brian!


Nail Arts by Hsin Chiao, a professional nail artist. Thank you, Hsin Chiao!


Finger Tan by the sunshine and fingerless cycling gloves, LOL

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Critical Mass Bike Ride

Quotations:
We are not blocking traffic, we are the traffic!!!
Pedals are Power!!!

I attended the Critical Mass Ride of May last Friday afternoon. The sunshine is perfect, and it is so good to be a part of the special 'Blue Shirt Team' A.K.A. Vancouver marathon bike escort team.

Here is the photo of me and my bike buddies:


You could see the captain from my sunglasses. He is taking picture for me, LOL


This photo looks a little bit weird. I guess the reason is I was drinking from my water bag.


We shut down the Burrard Bridge


I had a conversation with a co-worker who is both a cyclist and a driver before I went to the event. She said she like riding bike, but does not like the Critical Mass. As some people may get late for appointments or important events because cyclists block their way. It also frustrates the bus drivers, as being puncture is their responsibility but they cannot be there on time because of the Critical Mass bike ride blocks their way.

I thought her concern makes sense. So I paid many attentions to other road users when I was riding in the event. Almost all drivers are pretty cooperative, it is not a big deal, it probably only take 10-15 minutes for all the bikes passing by the intersection, so they won't be delayed too long. And it is only once per month in the Friday evening, so nobody is really in a hurry. Many pedestrians enjoyed watching and shooting us, and a boy at the bus stop of Main Street even shouted out "Keep on going! I'm patient !"

I love this event, I'll definitely go for the next time.

Critical Mass is a grassroots reclamation of public space -- a bike ride and skate -- held the last Friday of every month. You are invited to enjoy the safety and comfort in the car-free space that we create by simply riding together! Bicycles, skateboards, rollerskates, self propelled couches, and any other form of human powered locomotion are all welcomed! Critical Mass Vancouver Website is: http://www.bikesexual.org/cm/home.htm

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Show the sender's photo in your outlook 2007



Just create contact cards with photo for your contacts, then you could see their face when reading their emails! It applies for the emails they send you before.

For the people who wants to set up this feature for their work email, it is easier just copy & paste all contacts from the public folder to your local folder.

Monday, May 25, 2009