R e – P e t e

iPhone and Thievery

I have not blogged in a while due to being hammered at work. It’s unfortunate since there’s so much that has been going on. Ronnie and Lisa got married. I went on a cool outing with some coworkers (in lieu of going to work and not using a vacation day). And there’s been a lot of tech news.

But there was one thing I just had to blog about because the chances are so slim.

I wanted to blog about this beauty:

Actually, I don’t want to blog ABOUT the phone. I’ve been reading about it for the prior 2 weeks– 2 months. I’ve been really interested in how it’s performing. In short, it looks like it’s been a major success based on projected sales from it’s launch on Friday.

It’s received a fair amount of coverage. In one story I read they had an image from San Francisco’s Apple store:

No big deal right? Well let me take a step back here.

Yesterday, Emily and I were just around here. We were in the Ross that’s highlighted in the photo (apparently it’s down the corner from the Apple store). It looked like this Ross was full of women’s clothes so I found a place against a wall SMS-ing some friends. Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone stare at me. It was this african-american kid (high-school age). I thought nothing of the long stare as he looked away. What I did catch was him stealthy reaching under his shirt as if he were putting something there.

I looked up and noticed the black surveillance domes. I also noticed a security guard near the door who looked very bored.

I didn’t want to make presumptions but I had a few friends in middle school who loved the “five-finger discount” (stealing). Thieves always have that look too. Like they are trying to look TOO casual. It probably didn’t help that he and I were in a section surrounded by products for females (think small jewelry like earrings). I noticed that he was with a friend or brother (also young) and that there was also an older sister figure (slightly older). The sister looked casual but the two guys were constantly looking back and forth, surveying the area.

I didn’t want to be too presumptuous here but I was interested to see if I was right. Don’t let good intentions blind you. I watched from a distance and saw that the older brother asked for an empty bag. He turned and placed something in the bag. My guess was that it was HOT goods. They were carrying some Ross bags like they had shopped there and were openly displaying money like they were ready to purchase something. So it was really hard to tell what was going on.

Anyway, as the older brother left I casually watched him. (What can I say? I was bored and Emily was shopping.) I noticed that by the door the security guard had stopped him and right outside another security guard had stopped the sister. Oooh ooh action! Eventually they were brought back in and I lost them.

Ok. Back to the iPhone. I was reading this article and saw this picture. See the two guys in the lower right. THAT’S THEM! I’m 99% sure of it. It’s a still image but the faces are clearly caught. The older brother figure was also wearing a similar hat in a similar style.

Anyway, I thought was totally weird and coincidental, but interesting. They must spend all their time in downtown SF.

Need a date?

You’ve covered all your bases:

1) Brushed teeth.

Check!

2) Combed hair.

Check!

3) Clean underwear.

Check! Double-check!

But do you find yourself dateless? Maybe it’s not you. Maybe it’s where you live.

National Geographic Magazine, Feb. 2007

This is a national singles map from National Geographic. It shows you which geographic have more single men than women. It also shows you where there are more single women than men.

According to this, it sucks to be a single guy in LA or the Bay Area. Good luck trying to find women. And if you’re a single lady in New England, then say hello to the competition. Or maybe I have it completely wrong.

Maybe men in LA and women in Boston would rather be single.

The Circle of Life

Meet Justin, Alice’s first child (Alice is Emily’s older sister). He was born Tuesday morning and weighed 6 lbs and 9 oz.

My cousin is currently visiting me and my family in Torrance. I found out today that his father-in-law passed away early this morning due to terminal liver cancer.

Thus is the Circle of Life. With death comes life.

I had a realization today. I was speaking with my mother on the phone when she informed me of the news. After our conversation, I was thinking about the korean word for “passing away.” I asked her about it later and it’s true. The korean word for “passing away” literal means “to return” or “to come back.”

Pourquoi Zizou?

I must admit that during the earlier stages of the World Cup I was a fan of several teams. This includes England which looked good on the field even though they seemed unable to score with their endless shots on goal. This also includes Ghana, especially in their match up against Brazil. It’s good to see nations from other continents advancing in the World Cup and it also makes things more interesting. But one team I was NOT cheering for was France.

But the more I watched them, the more I found myself inspired. Zizou looked crisp and masterful in his touches and Ribery (aka Scarface) sprinted throughout the field with fervor and passion. I also liked their style of play. Too much of soccer is marred with diving and operatics. This is the reason why I detest teams like Italy and Portugal. I didn’t watch Brazil this year, but I recall in a previous world cup where they resorted to the same behavior and it’s also why I’ve never been a fan of them.

But France did not resort to this (granted there will be players that will do this but, as a team, it did not seem like it was their policy). There was no dirty, subtle play like that of Gattosso on Ballack or like Ronaldo. But, of course, what about Zizou headbutting Materazzi?

Italy should be celebrating on their win but I feel that France was the better team. Their play was more inspiring at the endless shots during the 2nd half were just begging for a goal. I have to credit Italy on their beautiful goal in the first half while France has only scored in that past two games with penalty shots.

Anyway, I, like many others, find myself wondering what Materazzi said to Zizou to elicit such a reaction. I find myself torn between the thoughts of ‘Nothing he said could excuse such a reaction’ to ‘He must’ve said somethig that deserved a response’ to ‘How could he be so stupid to fall for such tricks!’ Irregardless, it was sad to see his international career end like this. I’m glad to see that he still won the Golden Ball which he very much deserves.

Well, I can’t wait until 2010 in South Africa where the next World Cup will be held!

Capturing Life

This past memorial day weekend Emily and I went to LA to attend Mike Chan’s wedding (her college friend). I’ve been to a few weddings and each of them have their moments. At Em’s sister’s wedding, THAT moment was when her father was recalling his early years back in New York. He reminisced about his memory of coming home, entering that backyard and seeing his little daughter’s run up to him to greet him.

At Mike Chan’s wedding, THAT moment was when Mike couldn’t contain his emotion while saying his vows and Sandy, his wife, reaches over to dab the tears away from his eyes. Awww. If that doesn’t make you laugh or feel good you’re most certainly made out of metal and circuitry.

It was a combination of this and spending the weekend scanning old family albums that put me in a reflective mood. Life has its moments where it’s sweeter than chocolate, brighter than the summer sun and grander than a snow-capped mountain. While we watched the requisite slideshow during the reception, I couldn’t help but think that I want to capture that. Well, WE ALL want to capture that, don’t we? That moment where a father gives a daughter away, that moment where vows of love and commitment are made, that moment where friends come together to share a good time.

And yet, as I continued to watch the slideshow, I realized how wrong I was. Things like this cannot be caught or held. And, if you can, it can be held for only so briefly. It’s like capturing smoke in your hands. You think you’ve got it but when you open your palms a crack to peek inside, it’s gone.

Time always wins. That doesn’t mean you lose. Once you accept that time wins, you learn that it’s more fun to surf on the wave of life than to swim against it trying to go back to a time and place that is no longer there. Catch the next wave, for the last wave is gone.

It seemed like just yesterday, and not 30 years ago, that my parents came to america.

And it was just last week when my brother and I were making trouble and having fun doing it.

Then our parents had their revenge by forcing us to wear traditional korean clothing. (My mom clearly is having a great time while my brother and I are miserable. I have the “Have A Day” face.)

I don’t know how to conclude such an entry. Something like this has no beginning or end. I can only say that I long to continue a life of living, loving, laughing, crying, seeking, finding, discovering and, most important of all, feeling.

Btw, my mom’s birthday was last week. I love you mom! And she clearly loves me.