4 Candles

Lately I have been getting a lot of interesting forwards from different friends, if I like the project then I try to link it on my blog to share with other friends. Here is another one I received this morning. Wait for the first 3 candles to go out then watch the 4th candle...
4 Candles

Middle East geography

how well do you know the geography of the middle-east/Asia minor/Northern Africa region?
This was forwarded from a co-worker today... why don't you take the test! =)

Mental Floss

my friend D. introduced a bunch of us ("the usual suspects") to a fascinatingly geeky/nerdy/funny magazine called "Mental Floss" about a year ago. Since then, I flip through some of the short articles once in a while and it's quite entertaining.

visit mental floss
also this neat site of collective intellectual comedy called Neatorama

and the article of "25 most important questions ... " by mental floss posted on Neatorama.

Finite Simple Group (of Order Two)

The Klein Four Group is a very talented a cappella group "of the world of higher mathematics" of the Northwestern University mathematics department, composed of Clark Alexander, Scott Bailey, Mike Johnson, Kal Nanes, and Matt Salomone. Their viral single, a mathematical love song called Finite Simple Group (of Order Two), is funny and clever in an endearingly nerdy way. Do check out the a cappella group's video on UTube here.

The lyrics for Finite Simple Group (of Order Two):

The path of love is never smooth
But mine’s continuous for you
You’re the upper bound in the chains of my heart
You’re my Axiom of Choice, you know it’s true

But lately our relation’s not so well-defined
And I just can’t function without you
I’ll prove my proposition and I’m sure you’ll find
We’re a finite simple group of order two

I’m losing my identity
I’m getting tensor every day
And without loss of generality
I will assume that you feel the same way

Since every time I see you, you just quotient out
The faithful image that I map into
But when we’re one-to-one you’ll see what I’m about
‘Cause we’re a finite simple group of order two

Our equivalence was stable,
A principal love bundle sitting deep inside
But then you drove a wedge between our two-forms
Now everything is so complexified

When we first met, we simply connected
My heart was open but too dense
Our system was already directed
To have a finite limit, in some sense

I’m living in the kernel of a rank-one map
From my domain, its image looks so blue,
‘Cause all I see are zeroes, it’s a cruel trap
But we’re a finite simple group of order two

I’m not the smoothest operator in my class,
But we’re a mirror pair, me and you,
So let’s apply forgetful functors to the past
And be a finite simple group, a finite simple group,
Let’s be a finite simple group of order two
(Oughter: "Why not three?")

I’ve proved my proposition now, as you can see,
So let’s both be associative and free
And by corollary, this shows you and I to be
Purely inseparable. Q. E. D.

Simply brilliant!

"In Your Eyes"

Just watched "Say Anything" this weekend, because the part where John Cusack lifting a boombox over his head under Diane's window was mentioned in "Lost", the TV series.

I loved the song that was playing during that scene, looked it up and it's "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel. Lyrics below:

PETER GABRIEL LYRICS
"In Your Eyes" - from movie "Say Anything" - 1989

love I get so lost, sometimes
days pass and this emptiness fills my heart
when I want to run away
I drive off in my car
but whichever way I go
I come back to the place you are

all my instincts, they return
and the grand facade, so soon will burn
without a noise, without my pride
I reach out from the inside

in your eyes
the light the heat
in your eyes
I am complete
in your eyes
I see the doorway to a thousand churches
in your eyes
the resolution of all the fruitless searches
in your eyes
I see the light and the heat
in your eyes
oh, I want to be that complete
I want to touch the light
the heat I see in your eyes

love, I don't like to see so much pain
so much wasted and this moment keeps slipping away
I get so tired of working so hard for our survival
I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive

and all my instincts, they return
and the grand facade, so soon will burn
without a noise, without my pride
I reach out from the inside

in your eyes
the light the heat
in your eyes
I am complete
in your eyes
I see the doorway to a thousand churches
in your eyes
the resolution of all the fruitless searches
in your eyes
I see the light and the heat
in your eyes
oh, I want to be that complete
I want to touch the light,
the heat I see in your eyes
in your eyes in your eyes
in your eyes in your eyes
in your eyes in your eyes


[ www.azlyrics.com ]

Poker II

Tonight I just finished another "real" no-limit poker cash out game at someone's house.
Initially the group was playing a game called "Omaha 8" which not only pairs the high cards, but one can also go for the lowest hand possible. I think that's just way too much calculations going on at the same time, you must think of all possible combinations of the high cards, for your hand and what other player's potential hands can be. Then you have to turn around and repeat the same exercise for the low hands. Plus one must choose 2 of the 4 cards in hand to make the match.... Aiya!

Anyways, I was still watching at this point, then the group started on rounds of "limit based" games, and that confused me even more because I am not used to the betting limit pattern and it is just so different from the several poker games I have witnessed before with the friendly "no-money-chip-only" rules.

Finally another player prompted people to start playing "no-limit" games, and I just decided to join the game for tuition values. End of the night, after several wins and some losses, some great hands and some bluffs from everyone, I came out positive!! can you believe it?! First time newbie!! I won a meager $4 enough for an ice cream cone, but it, the victory, tasted even sweeter!!

---

One of the conversation exchanged I had today regarding Poker really stood out in my mind. "Poker is Risk Management --- ... "

childhood

I had an interesting chat tonight regarding the question "What do you miss about childhood?"

Simplicity!

When we were six, most of us were just innocent worry-free children playing around, most of our responsibilites revolve around school and home, and that's our entire world. As we grow up, we have now more freedom, financial independence, the opportunity to make our own decisions. However, with the freedom and privileges comes responsibilities - we cannot blame anything for a wrong decision or just use "I can't help it" as a scapegoat. We are now responsible for a lot more things and the consequences that come with the freedom of choice...

Yes, Simplicity of life is what I miss about childhood....

If

I recently came across a little square book called "If, Questions for the Soul", it's so intriguing that I want to read the original "If, Questions for the Game of Life" book. (Ok, at this point I think the "If Questions for the Soul" is the best one in my opinion!) I want to share a well written comment left by one of the readers below:

"If" is a book of life questions, much like the "The Book of Questions" that came out in the 1980s. Except that "The Book of Questions" was longer, more trivial, and more redundant. "If . . ." is an interesting title choice. Of all the "Who? What? Where? Why? or When? standard questions, the authors choice "If" instead. "If" is more forward focused, exploring possibilities, variables, and self-chosen paths. The other "journalistic" questions are better suited to describe & explore characteristics of the past.

The process of investigating if you have good enough answers for the book's "If" questions, good enough to satisfy yourself, is an interesting exercise.

I bought the book to stimulate my internal dialogue & hopefully find new questions to focus some of my attention on. As I began to answer the questions, I realized an important, secondary reason to recommend the book to others: If you have small children, and would like them to know what you thought about important life questions, in the unfortunate event that you die before they grow up, then writing down thoughtful answers to these questions may be a valuable, enabling resource for your children.

Fear of Driving

I think in recent years, my fear of driving has been seeping into my subconsciousness. This is evident in the nightmare I had early this morning.

So I was due for a traffic court arraignment at 9am today. This must be what triggered the dream machine at the wee hours. In addition, I also went on a few exciting roller coaster rides at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.

I recall driving over the newly paved smooth 85 to 101 interchange bridge, I used to have a fear for the arm that extended on the carpool lane section, because it's a single lane bridge. But in my dream, this section is nice and wide and smooth.

However, when I was heading up to SF, I recall coming to the intersection of highways that crisscross and is lifted so HIGH up, I felt that I had to gas my little Civic all the way to the floor in order to make the climb for a continued time period. The angle is so steep that I visualized the road climb up and up just like on a roller coaster type of feel. Just when I was wondering if the little horse-power on my car is going to make it, the higher sections of the bridge start to fall apart!! I see pieces start dropping from the mid-section far away, progressive pieces drop and the gap comes closer and closer to me (probably recalling images from the 9/11 WTC incident, as well as the recent news of a pieces of the Big Dig in Boston falling down).

I remember thinking logically, oh, no, there is no way for me to avoid this fall! --> then I woke up. sigh...

interesting Trivia

came across a few interesting trivia questions, thought I'd post them here for your enjoyment:

- rearrange the Puzzle letters into another word/phrase:
Hint "April agony" Puzzle "toxic name"

- does it take more muscle to laugh than to frown? True/False ... why?

- Wall street in NYC. Is it named because the wall was built in 1653 by Dutch farmers
to keep hogs from running across the settlement? or to keep out British and Native Americans.

*note: Urh... I didn't know that there was actually a real physical wall there to begin with, but then again, why is the Trinity church at the beginning end of the "wall" then? shouldn't it be inside the settlement wall then?

Poker

Even though I was first introduced to Poker (Texas Hold'em) rules back in 2003, but it's not until I watched the movie "Rounders" did it really spark an interest in me to learn how to play the game. I think the single most striking thing I recall from that movie with Matt Daemon is "know when to fold a hand"... (still working on that... hehee... =)

Just like all beginners, I usually just toss around some chips with friends. There was one time I played with real money for a Tsunami related cause, which I ended up winning purely by luck. I pretty much had no clue what I was doing. But I played a few more games this past month, and playing more frequently with chips did help to familiarize me with the game more.

So on Sunday night, I played my second $$ game, "no-limit tourney" style. And I WON!! I posted the pictures of one of the most "dramatic" hands below for your entertainment. Luck some times does have something to do with it...

the Hand: (3 players in the game at that point)

- I get A+7 in spade, also in the big blind position (20)
- player A (dealer position) folds
- player B (small blind, 10) bets 50
- I call the 50
===> Flop: Ace, King, King


- player B checks
- I raise (some larger amount, I forget, something around 200 I think)
- player B thinks for a long long long time, and raise All-In.
- I did not hesitate and went all-in


==> at this point we flip over our cards, I have A+7, B has pair of 10's. the "Turn" card came down and it's a 10!!! ( I am thinking, Oh, no, I am going to lose for sure now... )


==> so when everyone thought the 3 10's are going to get it, the most interesting thing happened when the "river" card came down, and it's a -----------> !!!

Ok, so I think both of us made a slight mistake there (anyone care to comment?)

Player B should have folded when he sees 2 kings and an ace on the flop; I should not have gone all-in maybe because it's very likely that B has a King in his hand to be raising All-Ins.. well, unless, I was thinking, why did he check on the flop round then? if he indeed had the King, but then again, he could be trying to reel me in as well.... or he could have a hand of Ace + higher card.. After the "turn" card, the only cards that could help me win would be either Ace or another King... Um... the probability is ???

--> Anyone care to comment? also, what's the way to calculate say Ace+J/Q vs. a low/mid pair?

The lesson I learned: I need to play some more!! ==> note that I only won a handful of Single dollars... hehee... low tuition fee.

Casablanca market

Today, after a dizzying 300+ backpacks prepared for disadvantaged kids at a volunteering event, I went to chill at the pearl tea shops in MV with a friend.

On our way back, I noticed this delightful little shop which I have never noticed before. It's called the "Casablanca Market", it sits at the other end of Castro street.

The shop sells specialties imported from the middle-east, with funky furniture, hooka apparatus, arrays of colorful lamp shades, and one of the customers was examining amongst a pile of exquisitely hand painted tiles with interesting geometric patterns...

Friendship

Last night, during a brief discussion with some friends, the topic of "what friends do for each other" came up. Here are my thoughts on this:

Friends are there to provide support, in various forms, to each other. Whether it be an act of service in the physical sense, or buying gifts, or emotional and mental support. I value the intangible aspects of the friendship especially, since material goods and services can be acquired in various other forms, what's irreplacable are the matters of the heart. A kind word spoken at the right moment, a good advise when needed, a shoulder to cry/lean upon, a warm hug, a praise of affirmation, or even a constructive criticism ... honesty, kindness, caring ... those are some of the intangibles we derive from "real friendships". There are no shortage of people that we can meet up for a casual luncheon on any given weekend, but there are "Oh so few" #s I want to dial at times when I am in need... And those *real* friendships are the ones I value and cherish, and is willing to further invest and develop.

"That's what friends are for" is the song we all sang at my high school graduation years ago, I posted the lyrics below:

Song: That's What Friends Are For Lyrics

Verse 1
And I
Never thought I'd feel this way
And as far as I'm concerned I'm glad I got the chance to say
That I do believe I love you

And if I should ever go away
Well then close your eyes and try to feel the way we do today
And than if you can't remember.....

Chorus
Keep smilin'
Keep shinin'
Knowin' you can always count on me
for sure
that's what friends are for

In good times
And bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for

Verse 2
Well you came and open me
And now there's so much more I see
And so by the way I thank you....

Ohhh and then
For the times when we're apart
Well just close your eyes and know
These words are comming from my heart
And then if you can't remember....Ohhhhh

Lost

I have checked out the first season series of "Lost", the TV show, this week. Many thanks for the recommendation, as soon as I started watching, I became hooked on the series and its developments.

The reason I like this series is different from "Alias". "Alias" is more along the lines of eye-candy, exotic locations, fancy/weird outfits, and action packed scenarios. But "Lost" is very different. There were no fancy clothing, or exotic locations, other than the beach and the cave. But after finish 3 out of the 7 first season DVDs I realized the name is not only about these 40+ people lost on the island in the physical sense, but they are, in their individual ways, lost in their own world mentally. They have *lost* their soul.

We have these 40+ people in a plane crash waiting for rescue on a remote isolated island. I thought this will be a modern version of Gilligan's island, but was I wrong. The flashbacks are the interesting parts that reveal more about each individual as the story unfolds. It reveals that each individual, no matter how picture perfect they seem on the outside (like Kate), or a strong leader (like Jack), but inside, everyone has a story (especially when I got to Sawyer "I became the very same person I was hunting for"), everyone has a past, everyone has some suffering and misery in their lives (like Charlie).

So the exile on the island is not only a physical trial, but it's also a "long vacation", a sense of rest for them (like Sun and Jin) in that stage of their lives. Hopefully they will each pick up where they left off in the real world later, but also becomes a stronger and better person when they re-emerge from this time of rest and introspection (Locke's comments about the Moth to Charlie)..

This reminds me of my previous solo backpack trips as well as my missions trip last summer. I really do appreciate the opportunity to be taken out of the comforts of my daily life, comforts or you can call it the routine, placed in a totally foreign environment, where I don't know anyone, is culturally/linguistically challenged. And through those experiences, I was always able to reFOCUS on the states of my own personal development.

(TBD)....

I can't wait to see the rest of the story /season.

Fortune Cookie

I ate a fortune cookie today, the message reads:

"You lose nothing by asking,
and there is a chance to gain something lasting."

Fortune cookie is one of the prime examples of the power of marketing! It costs almost nothing, yet it became a symbol of Chinese food in America.