h a l o g e n e |CHRONICLE|

new cycle...

2009-10-21T16:55:00.012-05:00

Good Bye Giant OCR1. Hello Cannondale Six Carbon:

my new STi

2009-10-02T11:39:00.003-05:00

2009-08-24T10:41:00.002-05:00

How my car is supposed to be driven…

2009-07-08T21:47:00.005-05:00

Ken Block is amazing!

officially dr. chan

2009-06-30T22:49:00.001-05:00

i successfully defended my thesis!

Still writing

2009-05-01T17:37:00.001-05:00

No blogging for now!

Playing in the Snow

2009-01-10T00:15:00.002-05:00

Pizzelles and Cantaloupe...

2008-11-07T13:22:00.001-05:00

Inspired by an inside joke that Neil, Gabrielle, and I had regarding antelopes and gazelles...

Tru Experience

2008-10-31T23:00:00.003-05:00

Decadent Breakfast and Afternoon Treat

2008-10-30T16:37:00.000-05:00

Fried Dough with Strawberry topping, whipped cream, and nuts from Navy Pier.
Sticky bun french toast with blueberry and pecans.

Bistro Zinc

2008-10-29T20:41:00.004-05:00

A nice little bistro in North Michigan.
Puff pastry with stew du jour of pork and apples.
Warm salad with duck confit and roasted pistachio.
Coque du vin with mushroom, bulb onions, and egg noodles.

Great view and Deep Dish Pizza!

2008-10-29T13:12:00.004-05:00

This is the view from our hotel. Great view of the Wrigley Building and the river. Deep dish pizza from Giordano's:

Chicago Food!

2008-10-28T22:34:00.000-05:00

Just to make you guys drool!

Dinner at Lao Shanghai:

Dessert from Grand Lux Cafe:

Mid Ohio 2008

2008-07-21T10:41:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday Eric!

2008-06-26T14:27:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to my other brother Eric!!

By the way, that Sushi buffet was awesome! For anybody who is in the area and looking for a cool restaurant, check out Yellowtail in Fairlawn. Great food and service!!

Happy Birthday Eric!!

2008-06-24T14:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my brother Eric!

The STi is broken in!

2008-06-23T08:00:00.002-05:00

I hit 1k this morning on my way to work. Now the fun begins!!

I->S#

My brother matched!

2008-06-18T19:18:00.001-05:00

My brother got matched to a cardiology fellowship at the University of Missouri! I'm so excited for him. Although I'll miss him since he'll be further away than he has ever been before! Congratulations!!! Also congrats to his girlfriend, Sarah who matched to the University of Virginia also for a cardiology fellowship! Time for a celebration!!

Rally Drivers and Fast Cars

2008-06-06T09:15:00.004-05:00

I've always said that Rally Drivers are some of the best drivers in the world (Colin McRae RIP). But there is no doubt that F1 cars are the fastest! Another excellent clip from TopGear.

Cool STi Commercial

2008-06-05T19:51:00.001-05:00

My next mod...

2008-06-05T10:16:00.004-05:00

Installed TWM Abrams M1 RL Shift Knob

2008-06-03T13:15:00.006-05:00

Installed my birthday gift from my brother and his girlfriend! A beautiful shift knob from TWM Performance!

Stocker:Side-by-side comparison:The TWM knob sits a little lower than the stock. Feels great in the hand and because it's weighted, shifting is noticeably different. I love how the satin finish matches the STi interior.

Josephine Chan, BA, PhD, CCRP, and MBA!!!

2008-06-01T14:21:00.001-05:00

CONGRATULATION to my awesome wife who just finished her MBA degree at the Weatherhead School of Management! I can't believe you finished two degrees before I finished one!!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2008-05-28T09:59:00.002-05:00

Thanks for all the birthday wishes!

STi Intercooler...

2008-05-15T23:53:00.005-05:00

Pictures from my latest mod. STi on the TMIC.

Making sure everything was covered up to avoid overspill. This was after I took off the paper that I basically wrapped the entire engine bay with.
This is how it turned out. The paint lines are sharp, no fuzzies! It's good to take your time when making the outline and make sure you use high quality painter's tape.
You can actually see the logo through the scoop. Very subtle if you just walk by you might even miss it!

My STi

2008-05-11T22:19:00.005-05:00

Had some fun with Lambo over the weekend. Went to an empty parking lot and took some pics of our cars. Had a lot of fun! This was of course after a clay bar treatment (had some rough areas in the paint) and two coats of wax! I also put on some Rally Armor mud flaps to try to keep the car clean. There were some complaints that the AWD was kicking up too much dirt and damaging the paint! I'll post the other pics in a web slideshow soon. The above was my favorite photo!

This is driving...

2008-05-09T13:49:00.002-05:00

Crabby Dinner!

2008-05-05T23:12:00.003-05:00

Josephine celebrated her promotion by treating us to a seafood feast! We had giant stone crabs and clams! It was delicious! I think crabs are one of my favorite foods. My favorite would have to be king crab but stone crabs and blue crabs are a real close second. Thanks honey! And congratulations on your promotion. You'll do great!

Freakin' Cool Stove

2008-05-02T12:34:00.005-05:00

This stove from Fisher & Paykel in New Zealand would make me want to cook everyday! Everything retracts to a smooth clean surface. It even has a LCD display to let you know how hot the stove is.

Dreams do come true...

2008-04-26T17:06:00.006-05:00

Introducing my new 2008 WRX Sti.

Two days of one mans life recorded...

2008-04-17T14:26:00.006-05:00

This is a video of a man trapped in the elevator for almost 2 days. I feel really bad for this poor guy! It's almost like a psychology experiment gone totally wrong! Notice the fetal position. What's interesting is that he will try to open the door every once in a while just to reaffirm his situation. I wonder what was going through his head! At 12-13 hours I think he actually begins talking to himself. This man will need to go through therapy after an ordeal like this! I can't believe nobody noticed him! What are security cameras for if nobody is watching!!! The video is time lapsed. I wonder what he did when nature called?

Apparently, this happened several years ago. The man ended up getting a small settlement and has lost his job since. Sad...

Analog or digital?

2008-04-10T14:44:00.006-05:00

I'm a big fan of watches. Not sure if it's a guy thing but I am willing to bet there is a gene on the Y chromosome that makes guys dig watches. And this my friends is hands down one of the coolest watches I have ever seen! It's a completely analog watch with no digital pieces or use of LEDS. The description of the thing makes me want it even more even if I don't understand it!
The mechanically operated digital display of the second timezone shows tens of hours, single hours, tens of minutes and single minutes, all displayed by mobile microsegments driven by an assemblage of 23 cams connected to a set of gears and a triggering and synchronization system. The time information is displayed by an array of 23 horizontally and vertically positioned microsegments. Vertical segments are 9 mm high and weigh at most 25 milligrams while the horizontal segments measure 2.90 mm in length and weigh only 10 milligrams. The segments have four faces: two opposing visible faces fitted with colored strips and two opposing unmarked faces. Time changes are effected by 90° rotations of the required segment or segments. Involving one to twelve segments, time changes are lightning fast.Is it too early to start a Christmas wish list?? The limited-edition Di Grisogono Meccanica DG is top on my list!

Devil May Cry 4

2008-04-06T15:07:00.002-05:00

I have the best wife in the world! She surprised me with a new game on Sunday for no reason at all! I've been trying to save money for a new car so I have been holding back on buying video games. The last game I bought was COD4 in December!! Definitely the longest period of time between new games! Well, in my spare time, I'll answer Nero's call! Thanks honey!

My Grand Mentor...

2008-04-03T18:16:00.009-05:00

What an exciting day! I got to listen to J. Craig Venter give a seminar today on his exciting career and what he sees as the future of science. Dr. Venter is the founder of Celera and the brains behind the sequencing of the human genome. He also happens to be the mentor of my mentor, Mark Adams. This makes him my grand mentor! One of his many projects involves collecting genes from organisms around the world mostly from the Sorcerer II (below). Now the exciting part, with millions of genes in his collective database as his tools, he plans to build artificial organisms custom made to perform specific functions. One exciting application would be the production of biofuels. It's no wonder he was ranked by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World and one of the top 3 scientist of our time.
I'm so honored to be a part of his academic lineage. I hope that I can accomplish just a fraction of what he has already done! Todays talk was such an inspiration to work harder and believe that nothing is impossible. (From left to right: Gabrielle Nickel, Mark Adams, Craig Venter, Me)

Pittsburgh is not so bad after all.

2008-03-31T21:43:00.008-05:00

Took a nice day trip to Pittsburgh this past weekend and I was pleasantly surprised. It's actually a very pretty city with the three rivers and all the bridges. We got there early in the morning and walked around the market. Went to Wholly's seafood market and had some fried calamari and clams. Delicious. Then we got a coffee and did some window shopping. For lunch we wen to Primanti Brother's for their almost famous panini sandwhich and a cup of chili.

After that we went to Ikea and walked around. Got a nice little lamp and night light. Then we went back into the city and took a ride on a cable car up the Duquesne Incline. We later realized it was probably better to drive up there and save a few bucks! We also drove past another incline which we decided to call the Fuquesne Incline. It's funny when you pronounce it all loud.

We got dinner for free at Hooters at Station Square. It was obviously an area that once was hot but now was quickly becoming a ghost town. Next time we'll have to pick out a nice restaurant on Carson. I'll take any suggestions!

The STi on GT5

2008-03-25T16:20:00.004-05:00

My favorite car in my favorite game. Wish I had one of these!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ERIC AND MARI!

2008-03-23T22:28:00.001-05:00

A new life has come into the world! Baby Noah!

Selling Out...

2008-03-20T15:49:00.003-05:00

Wow... This phrase has never been so true. Tom Clancy has sold his name to Ubisoft makers of all my favorite games including Assassin's Creed and all the Tom Clancy based series Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six, and Ghost Recon. Tom Clancy is still able to use his name in books and movies and such but when it comes to videogames, Ubisoft owns the name! That must have been one big paycheck!

Gran Turismo 5 Envy

2008-03-18T17:49:00.007-05:00

This is a screen shot from the upcoming GranTurismo5 Prologue. The latest installment from Polyphony Digital in their extremely successful driving simulator series. This is the reason to get a PS3!!! It is the game that made me doubt my purchase of getting a 360. With the first installment of Forza, I really thought I would not miss the GT series. Visual damage to the car a great feeling simulator and unlimited customization of cars all on the LIVE network. However the lack of diversity in the tracks (they are basically all circuit tracks), I miss racing in Tokyo on the streets and in the Alps for a few rally races. GranTurismo5 is begging me to buy a PS3. Hmmm... I wonder if Josephine would..... I still have time... GT5 Prologue ships April 17th.... Come on honey! Just look at the picture!!!

My Dream Car...

2008-03-15T22:00:00.006-05:00

I've decided my next car. I don't know when I will have saved enough money for it but at least the decision has been made!! It's the perfect balance of fun and practical. The new WRX STI. All wheel drive, 305hp, 6 speed transmission, and a 0-60 in less than 5 seconds, this is no toy! That's faster than a Porsche Cayman! Yet there is enough room for a baby seat in the back! Just some comparisons:

Joffrey's is GOOD COFFEE!!

2008-03-12T20:52:00.001-05:00

I received a sample of Joffrey's Jamaican Me Crazy coffee. And I must say it's a great coffee and I would highly recommend it! The aroma of the coffee as soon as I open the package was enticing. The only issue I have is that it is not as full bodied as I thought it would be. But all in all, it made a great cup of coffee!

Stop the Hunt for Seals

2008-03-10T13:39:00.006-05:00

Usually I don't go around signing petitions as I can often find two sides to any story. But this picture says it all. Of course it does, as Nigel Barker famed photographer is trying to raise awareness to this barbarous act. (I am sure he didn't take the above photograph since I am sure that any decent human being would have tried to stop the man with the club!) Please take some time to make yourself aware of this cruel practice and sign the petition that could potentially save the seals. Although I wish there was something more direct that can be done as I hope that not all Canadian fishermen participate in this outrageous behavior.

Winter Storm

2008-03-09T12:42:00.006-05:00

Joffrey's Java Beta Tester...

2008-02-28T13:36:00.002-05:00

I've just been selected to be a coffee beta tester for Joffrey's Java! I'm excited to get the coffee and let you guys know what I think.

Another Winter Day in Cleveland...

2008-02-26T18:01:00.003-05:00

Sitting here in Arabica in University Circle. It's snowing outside but it's really beautiful. the snow is hanging on to the tree branches for dear life almost knowing that this will probably be one of the last snow storms of the year (fingers crossed). It's strange to recall that this is the same coffee shop that I studied in during my freshman year of college. Still here after 14 years. It is time for me to get out of here. At least I guess I can truly call myself a Clevelander!

U2 3D

2008-02-24T11:36:00.004-05:00

Josephine bought tickets for us to go see U2-3D last night. It was amazing! For any U2 fan it is a must see and for any casual listener, it's a great intro to what a great rock band they are. My favorite part was Bono on the drums and the transition into Bloody Sunday. The film angles were awesome and it was well edited to give a great feeling of depth. In one scene, Bono reaches out to the audience and you feel like you can reach out and touch him. There were of course a lot of classic U2 hits that they were not able to play but that's what happens when you have such a huge repertoire.

Google Medical

2008-02-21T12:44:00.003-05:00

Google has started a test pilot of medical record keeping in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic. This pilot study will involve 1,500 to 10,000 volunteers who have given Google the right to house their medical information to make it more readily available to them if they discontinue services at the Clinic. I personally would be very scared to have one centralized medical record keeper although I can understand the benefits as well. I think there needs to be some good ground rules set before anything like this goes to public use. I'm surprised that Google would take such a huge risk in taking on this project however, I can't think of a better company to do it!

The original article after the jump.

The HDDVD vs BluRay wars are officially over.

2008-02-19T14:57:00.005-05:00

With the announcement from Toshiba (the only manufacturer of stand-alone HD DVD players) that they will no longer be making HD players, the last nail in the coffin has been hit home. This was a drawn out battle but Blu-Ray has won the war. I feel bad for all those people who had bought HDDVD players. I'm glad I held out. I was so tempted to buy the HD DVD player for the 360, but I hear that there will be a Blu-Ray player for the 360 soon! I'm going to wait until Blu-Ray discs become more popular (cheaper!).

My Zune...

2008-02-19T14:21:00.003-05:00

Sorry I haven't written in a while. I've been enjoying my Zune! Here it is:

Having A Ball!

2008-02-10T12:31:00.001-05:00

Josephine and I went to a fund raising ball for the Kidney Foundation of Ohio. The event was held at the Intercontinental Hotel next to the Cleveland Clinic. Josephine got two tickets from work. The tickets were $100-$2000 a head!! Being a black-tie event, we both had a good time getting dressed and figuring out what to wear. (Granted I had an easier time than Josephine!) The event raised over $140,000. The MC celebrity was Mark Nolan, a local weather forecaster for WKYC.

They were honoring Dr. Braun, a noted nephrologist who was a pioneer in kidney transplantations. What I got most out of the few speeches was that the most important achievement in his life even with all the patients lives that he touched, was his role as a family man. I've noticed this many times and the most successful PIs that I know, also are extremely family oriented. I am glad that I found a wonderful partner in life that I can see us starting a wonderful family of our own. OK, now back to work so that I can do my part!

Zune Delay Resolved...

2008-02-09T01:19:00.001-05:00

I got an email from Zune customer service. I am very happy that they have finally taken charge of the situation and I am very pleased with their compensation. They have decided to refund the entire amount and send my Zune within 3-4 days. After all my frustration, i really wasn't sure how MS could make things right. But this definitely makes me happy.

ZUNE STILL NOT HERE...

2008-02-07T19:38:00.001-05:00

This is a formal complaint I sent to Microsoft regarding the delay of my Zune order:

I placed an order (1/17/2008) for a Black Zune 80 with Tattoo and Text on the zuneoriginals.net site. My credit card was charged the following day. I got an order confirmation stating that my Zune would arrive in 5-7 days. I understand there was a “delay” for the Red Zunes although I never got any communication regarding this.

I was informed after many frustrating calls to 1-877-GET-ZUNE and what little information I could gather on the zune.net forum that the delayed Zunes would ship on a first order first serve basis on 2/4/2008. I STILL do not have a shipping confirmation or tracking number. After many days of calling and frustration, NOBODY can give me a tracking number. Only that it SHOULD have shipped. I have compiled a list of IDs from the Zune.net social forum. This is the breakdown:

ID	Ordered	Received
zxo2000	15-Jan	NO
J iIIian	16-Jan	NO
DruJC	16-Jan	NO
BunnyGlue	16-Jan	NO
WoodyWindy	16-Jan	NO
clc15025	16-Jan	NO
Delux24Seven	16-Jan	7-Feb
QueenIce07	17-Jan	NO
Halogene	17-Jan	NO
pulsetn	17-Jan	7-Feb
LBrenn	20-Jan	7-Feb
Jfunkese	22-Jan	6-Feb
RazielderVampir	26-Jan	7-Feb
Sparkingling9Souls	28-Jan	7-Feb
Uhlisuh	28-Jan	6-Feb

I want either a TRACKING number immediately or a reasonable explanation why my Zune has not shipped. This is totally unacceptable for a product that I have already been charged for AND an order I am not able to cancel. Somebody needs to fix this now. I have gotten promises of calls from supervisors and even a promised call from your Critical Response Team (2/6/2008) regarding a tracking number but nothing has happened. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

Becareful of the Gyoza!

2008-02-07T14:26:00.002-05:00

A recent article says that there was a batch of tainted dumplings shipped to the Japanese market. Somehow the conclusion was made that it was done on purpose. Not exactly sure what the reasoning would be! Sorry Toshi!! Make sure your family doesn't buy this brand until they figure things out. On the other hand, why would you buy Chinese gyoza in Japan?

Beijing 2008 Olympics

2008-02-07T12:58:00.001-05:00

I'm very excited about the upcoming Olympics hosted in Beijing, China. This will be a great opportunity for China to show the world the beauty of our culture and modern progress. Have you seen some of the buildings that have been erected for the games? Absolutely beautiful. Although there is still a lot of reform that will be required, I think that China is steadily moving in the right direction.

I came across this cartoon which is rather funny. Hope it doesn't offend anybody!

How Beijing came up with their Olympic logo:

Happy New Year!

2008-02-06T23:15:00.001-05:00

Today is Chinese New Year's Eve! Josephine, the brothers and I were going to go to a Korean restaurant but I guess they decided to take the day off! We were all looking forward to it! But we ended up going to Siam Cafe. It was nice to have dinner with everybody.

I wish all of you a Happy New Year with good health and fortune. Best wishes!!

iPod Touch now with bigger capacity...

2008-02-05T11:41:00.001-05:00

Adding to my Zune delay frustrations is the latest update from Apple. They have upped the memory to 32gigs for the Touch. Still just below what I would want but getting close to my 40gig minimum requirement. But at a price of $499, you must be crazy!!! However, this trend does make me feel better because it is unlikely that they will be coming out with a Touch with hard drive model and will most likely continue to increase the flash capacity as the technology allows.

U2 in 3D

2008-02-05T10:31:00.001-05:00

I will be going to see U2 in 3D. I'm really excited about it. I heard that it is a great experience and that the visual effects are amazing. I did not go see Beowulf, but I heard it is the same technology. I'm happy to see that 3D is making a huge comeback. I hope that it succeeds!

Speaking of 3D, a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon has developed a way to hack the Wii technology into some very cool uses. Including a virtual 3D hack. Check out the video, looks very impressive. I think Nintendo and other software companies need to give this guy a job!!!

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/

Zune is still not here!

2008-02-04T15:17:00.001-05:00

The black Zune80 that I ordered 3 weeks ago is still not here! I've ordered a few accessories for the new toy and they have all arrived!! I bought the old Zune A/V package and modified it to fit the new Zune. I was able to shave off the bottom tray so that I could keep the shiny cover. I'll post pics as soon as my Zune gets here! I heard that there was some undisclosed reason for the delay and that we would be compensated some how. One rumor was that we would get the new A/V pack for version 2 Zunes. I guess I could always sell it on ebay!

Zune Delays

2008-02-01T09:00:00.002-05:00

It has been over two weeks since I ordered my Black Zune 80 original. It is still not here!! I'm so disappointed!! Maybe I should have gotten an iPod Classic!

Eric and Mari's Baby Shower

2008-01-26T15:14:00.001-05:00

Josephine and I are throwing a baby shower tonight for one of my best friends Eric and his wife Mari. She is due sometime in April. Can't wait to see him! I'll post pics from the shower soon.

RAIN: The Beatles Experience

2008-01-25T23:30:00.001-05:00

Josephine was very thoughtful and bought a pair of tickets to go see RAIN: The Beatles Experience. It was a wonderful concert. Rain is a tribute band to the Beatles. They are awesome. I had heard them before but not a full concert. It was great to hear all my favorite Beatles songs. But there were also a lot of songs that I wish they would have played. Then again, the concert would have lasted forever if they played all the Beatles favorites! Thanks Honey for the great time. I hope you enjoyed your first concert!! It was fun watching you get all excited and nervous about it!

http://www.rainthebeatlesexperience.com/

If they are in town and you are a Beatles fan, I would highly recommend them! After watching the pros play guitar, I realize I have a long way to go. The solo performance of "While my guitar gently weeps" was amazing.

Joining the Zune Social...

2008-01-21T15:28:00.001-05:00

So I've been extremely happy with my 4th Gen Ipod. I've had it for a good 3 years now and it's been very reliable. But recently the battery just hasn't been holding it's charge. Time for a new MP3 player. After extensive research, I've decided to get the 2nd Generation Zune 80. The hardest part was to decide on even buying a new player since Josephine got me the iPod as an engagement present. On the back she had engraved our engagement date. I will keep the iPod in the car as a mobile music storage device.

I've put my order in for the Zune at the zuneoriginals.net site so that I can get free engraving. It will be engraved with our wedding date and "chapter II" in memory of my iPod! The choices were mainly the new iPod 80 classic or the zune 80. The iPod Touch was out of the question because of the measly 16 gigs. If it came with at least 40gigs, it would have been the hands down selection. But the Zune with it's new design, scroll pad, large screen, and wifi edged out the perennial favorite.

Guitar Hero! The Real Thing!

2008-01-14T15:20:00.001-05:00

Josephine bought me a guitar for Christmas so I've been spending what little free time I have trying to teach myself. Not bad soo far. I'm getting a hang of the chords which are a lot harder to play than you would think!! What's cool about the guitar is that it can connect to the PC via USB so that I can record what I'm playing and modify the amp sounds it outputs.

For those of you who have played Guitar Hero, a real guitar is nothing like it! The difference is like playing basketball on an Xbox versus real life.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-01-02T10:21:00.001-05:00

It's been a while! But I would like to make a New Year's resolution! I will be posting more frequently!

I wish everybody a wonderful and productive year. Don't let this year just pass you by. Make some serious goals and stick with achieving them. Remember the feeling of a fresh start and run with it.

Thoughts on recent events...

2007-04-19T12:28:00.001-05:00

these are just my thoughts on the recent events at VT. please feel free to comment and let me know if what i am saying is naive or misinformed.

a friend of mine recently commented on the way media handled the description of the killer. i never even thought about those comments of him being a permanent resident but now that i think about it, it is true. media always like to put a spin on things as if to target certain groups as if it had something to do with it or that we need to address that as an issue. i think those comments are based on fear and can be very detrimental. it is almost like they are saying, "if we only didn't let aliens into the country this would have never happened." you're right, it's totally unnecessary information.

as for broadcasting his "manifesto" video, i'm on the fence on that one. partially, i can understand why people would want to see what a mad man is thinking, but on the other hand, is there really anything to understand? in other words, do i really want to understand? i guess it's good to have access to this information but at the same time does he deserve this spotlight? i feel like we should focus on the victims at this point, but we should revisit perhaps in the near future some of the REAL issues that surround this incident and not just Cho himself. these incidents are like Kevin says, happening all the time at various levels.

is it really the violent movies and videogames? is it a matter of gun control? i'll go out on a limb and say i don't think so. i think that at any given time there will be a small percentage of the population that has the potential to "snap." and their environment, be it family, school, movies, videogames just pushes their manifestation into a particular action. when we were in grade school/high school, all we heard about were serial killers, who have killed as many people with a knife (in some instances cannibalized) as these recent shooters have with a gun so for me that takes out the issue of gun control. no guns? then bombs. no fertilizer? then ax... crazy is what crazy does.

now our "entertainment" has given us portrayals of mass shootings and violence. but i think it is safe to say that a normal person who views movies like the Matrix or Saw or played Halo/Grand Theft Auto will not be influenced to do these things. however, in these small percentage of "crazy" people, it gives them a view of how to act out their "craziness." the movies and videogames and guns don't make them do these things, they just get incorporated. and even if we didn't have these environmental portals, these people would act out in some other way that is equally disturbing. it's like they are intrinsically unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy.

bottom line is that it is too easy to blame movies, videogames, and social law when in fact i think it is more of a psychological disorder that will always be a small part of human behavior that we may never understand or even want to, yet we find so disgustingly fascinating. sick people will do sick things and in order to have normalcy, there must be a small set of people who define what is "crazy." these people need help and i think it is the job of psychologist and socialist to determine the criteria for diagnosing these individuals and not the media.

in the end, my thoughts are with the victims and their friends and families. i hope that the people who are in need of help will find what they are looking for and as for myself, i take this as a lesson to be open to the views of others and to be courteous and nice to all that are around me.

New Photo Site

2007-04-06T14:35:00.004-05:00

Check out my new Photo Gallery! Thanks to Kevin Chan for the web space!

Enjoy!!

http://halogene.powerchan.net

Nikon D80

2007-02-16T16:19:00.002-05:00

I have a new toy! I recently got my Nikon D80 DSLR w/ the 18-135mm kit lense. I'm excited about taking lots of cool pictures so keep your eyes peeled!

Orlando Trip

2007-01-17T22:57:00.003-05:00

Pictures

2006-12-14T23:43:00.001-05:00

Hello from Orlando!

2006-12-09T21:30:00.002-05:00

This is an image taken from Orlando, Florida of the shuttle launch! The conference at ASH has been great so far. I presented my poster and I got a few inquries but nothing really too helpful in temrs of next steps. Tomorrow is more meetings!

THANKSGIVING DINNER!

2006-11-25T15:24:00.001-05:00

And yet another successful turkey prepared by my beautiful wife. It was delicious! And look at all the trimmings! From green beans with carmelized onions, stuffing, homemade mashed potatoes, corn, cheddar garlic biscuits from scratch, two types of gravy, and a cheeseball. We were sooo stuffed. My mom also added to the delicious food with a pineapple walnut bread and a pumpkin flan with orange topping. Jealous??

happy thanksgiving...

2006-11-20T22:59:00.001-05:00

yes another holiday is upon us. happy thankgviging! this year we are having turkey at the apartment. josephine is going to make a 20lb turkey this year! i'm really excited. she's a great cook and i'm looking forward to it. my parents and our borthers will be here to celebrate.

i think we'll just relax and play some video games. i have to work a bit in the morning but i'll be home in time for turkey! spearking of video games, i finished "splinter cell: double agent." great game!

now i'm trying my best to finish this poster for ASH meeting. i'll make sure to take pics of the feast on thursday! later!!

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T22:09:00.001-05:00

new schedule

2006-10-23T21:52:00.001-05:00

i think it is more practical if i write once a week. i'll try to write more but once a week will be the bare minimum! anyways... i've been working hard trying to find the mutation in one of my mouse strains. it's been quite an illusive end. but i will be sequencing several genes at once and hopefully i will get lucky. i really want to have a good complete story for my two mouse strains by the time i present a poster at ASH (American Society of Hematology) Meeting December 9-12. i'm pretty excited as this will be my first meeting that i will be attending and it definitely helps that it will be in Orlando, Florida. josephine is also be going. she's actually going to Florida this week for some other meeting. lucky her!

i'll try to work hard but i'll probably end up playing lots of video games. speaking of video games, i just got Splinter Cell: Double Agent two days ago. great follow up to Chaos Theory. i highly recommend it. another something i would recommend is "Heroes" on NBC. what an intersting show!

this past weekend we celebrated my mom and dad's birthday. they have birthday's a week apart. it was nice to have dinner and cake with them. we went to Brassa Grill down in the warehouse district. brazillian style grill of about 15 different types of meat! all you can eat!! it was delicious. oh yea! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Happy Bosses Day!

2006-10-16T09:07:00.001-05:00

Happy Bosses Day Mark! More than 1800 Post-It Notes were used!

The Culprits...

2006-10-16T08:08:00.000-05:00

and yet another lag

2006-10-05T23:03:00.001-05:00

Hello everybody, I know this is yet another apology for not posting, but I've been so busy. Josephine and I actually have both been extremely busy. Especially Jo since she is currently managing work with writing a paper with Joe AND taking classes. But she's wonderful and has been a great wife through it all. I feel bad, I can't help her out more and sometimes I get stressed out by the thought of not being able to help her. Which really doesn't help the situation at all!

Anyway, tomorrow is a Chinese holiday. So my family are coming up from Mansfield and having dinner with her family who come down from Toronto. It will be great to see the big family! But I really wish I could see my parents more.

Have you guys heard about the cola that helps you burn calories? It's by Coca-Cola called ENVIGA. Another start up has also made one called Celsius. Looks interesting! Drinking one cola will help you burn 7-100 calories. Hmmm... sounds fishy. Wonder if it'll make me go to the toilet like Olestra? But I'm a sucker for new drinks so I'll let you know as soon as I try it. The secret ingredient is chromium which is suppose to boost metabolism. I need that... I think...

I'll try the one from Coca-Cola first! Another COLA WAR has begun!! Pepsi will join soon enough!

Bone Marrow Transplant Patient Reunion

2006-09-17T16:28:00.001-05:00

Josephine and I went to the Cleveland Clinic's Bone Marrow Transplant Celebration of Life: Patient Reunion. This annual event was held this year at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I was touched by how many people have been treated and at the same time, how many people have been affected by cancer, particularly leukemia. The 800 people that attended was only a small part of the huge family that the disease influences; care-givers, family members, as well as patients. And to think that those in attendance were only the survivors. It was also a good experience for me to see how important my wife's work is. Her work, although she says indirectly, helps makes these peoples lives better. I think that's awesome. I enjoyed meeting all her coworkers and seeing the people she interacts with everyday. It was also my first time at the Rock Hall. I'll have to go again when I can actually go through the entire exhibit!

First Brown's Game

2006-09-10T19:56:00.001-05:00

My brother and I went to the first Brown's game of the regular season. We got club seats so we had an excellent view of the field and good food too! Thanks dad for the tickets!

Although the Brown's lost, we still had a good time! It's going to be a rough year! But as usual, Cleveland fans always find something to cheer about.

GO BROWNS!!

Weekend in DC

2006-09-05T22:32:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all our friends who meet up with us in DC. We had a great time. Special thanks to Kirsten for letting us stay with her and showing us around town. I hope we didn't cause too much trouble!

Josephine and I had a really fun time listening to all your stories of how life has changed and not changed since moving away from Cleveland and we are anxious to make the move ourselves. For a while I was in a slump in terms of my studies, but seeing all your successes, gave me a renewed spirit and energy. I'm going to buckle down and focus so that we can get out of here and on to bigger and better things. And from the commentary that Toshi gives while we were in DC, Boston seems like the next place we need to visit and consider for our next abode.

Shopping in Chevy Chase and an unplanned tribute to the Beatles.

The little dessert cafe we stopped at was very fancy. Toshi and I had fun taking pics of our food. Then, tackling the all you can eat crabs was an event.

It was fun to see everybody try it but I think I was the only one that got full! Thanks to everybody who joined me!

In the picture is Zhen, Me, Toshi, Mike, Matt, Laura, Karen, Kirsten, Josephine, and Connie (L to R). Congratulations to Matt and Laura and Zhen and Connie who will be proud parents very soon!

Next time we'll have to try this Moby Dick House of Kabob! It just sounds funny! Must be big skewers. In front of the Spy Museum.

And I have to add this last picture of Toshi with his $30 umbrella. After checking it for wind-resistance in the store, we both agreed that it probably would be worth the investment. Keep me posted Toshi! And by the way, I still think you should have asked for that girls number! She was DEFINITELY flirting with you!

Next to be added will be pictures from Josephine and I's trip to HK and Tokyo. Stay tuned! They will be added VERY SOON!

Happy Anniversary!

2006-08-06T15:25:00.001-05:00

I can't believe it has been one year! Happy Anniversary to my beautiful wife.

I am the luckiest man in the world. Everything in my life is better now that you are in my life.

2006-07-05T10:54:00.001-05:00

Sorry! Really have been neglecting the blog. Trip to asia hasn't been posted and I've been so enthrawled with the World Cup! I'm so sad that England lost. But they weren't playing up to par. Now I'm cheering for France. Go Zidane! Go Henry!!

2006-05-07T10:18:00.001-05:00

josephine's bruise from paintball! more pictures to come!!

2006-05-07T10:16:00.001-05:00

but in reality we were there to pick up lambo's new car. a brand new mazda3! it's a beautiful car! i like the color too. can't wait to see what changes you do with it! looks like it's time for me to get a new car...

2006-05-07T10:14:00.001-05:00

josephine was quick to find a new car she wanted. she even suggested trading in the benz for this yellow elise! my wife is awesome!

2006-05-07T10:12:00.001-05:00

josephine sold her very first car. lots of memories attached to that car! so many road trips! our first trip to chicago. it was the car we drove around in when we were dating. as you can see from the picture, she was sad to see it go. good luck corolla! hope your next owner treats you well!

2006-05-07T10:10:00.001-05:00

and then a month later... josephine got one for me as an early birthday present! i have to stay young somehow!!

2006-05-07T10:04:00.001-05:00

lambo and his firts gaming console. he was sooo happy!

2006-05-07T10:03:00.001-05:00

i know i've neglected you guys. so here is an assortment of pictures to catch up. enjoy!

2006-04-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

sorry i haven't been writing recently. i've been working extremely hard on my thesis proposal. my student seminar is on april 10th and my thesis proposal defense is on april 17th. wish me luck! and i'll post more as soon as i am done.

2006-03-17T12:09:00.001-05:00

Congratulations! Class of 2006.

2006-03-16T21:07:00.000-05:00

today was match day for medical students across the U.S. the day they find out where they will be doing their residency. i'm proud to say that my brother got into the cleveland clinic foundation for internal medicine! way to go eric! he is driven to be a cardiologist and there's no place better for him than ccf. we are all so proud of you!

2006-03-16T21:00:00.001-05:00

Proud brother!

2006-03-16T20:59:00.000-05:00

Proud parents...

2006-03-16T20:56:00.002-05:00

"Internal Medicine. Cleveland Clinic Foundation." YEA!!!!

whopper crave

2006-03-06T00:05:00.001-05:00

whopper crave... i had a craving for whoppers... so i decided to eat three of them. thank god we have a new hobby... also thank god they were only a dollar each.

we have a new hobby!

2006-03-05T23:48:00.001-05:00

josephine's new bike! josephine has finally decided to join me in my hobby of cycling! i know that you'll enjoy it!!

2006-03-05T23:41:00.001-05:00

front fork as well as seat post suspension should make that 42 mile trek in NY more comfortable!

2006-03-05T23:40:00.001-05:00

shimano alivio deraileurs with some 101 component in there.

2006-03-05T23:30:00.001-05:00

i'm going to be suffering! 42 miles on my bike is going to be a bit painful. i think i'll have to buy some padded shorts!