Friday, April 25, 2008

nerdy nerd nerds...

Firstly - there is nothing, absolutely nothing none nil zip wrong with nerds.

In fact nerds often throw the best (industry) parties... it is one of the few professions that you can claim 'playing games' as work, that full strength Pepsi/ Coke is a food group and the femme fantale is exactly that (come on, who has the portions of Lara Croft... oh, yes, Angelina).

Though there is one thing nerdy nerd nerds don't do well - and that is vocalising.

First encountered this lack of vocalisation at my gatecrash of the Bay Area Ivy League social (see earlier blog, where i recalled trying to chat with 4 MIT grads and it turned into a monologue on my part)... and then again last night at the Netvibes party, as part of the Web 2.0 networking events.

Through some connections, I got into the party without an invite (and on the VIP guest list). Typical mix of people who are there for work (jeans, shirt) and those who are there for the free booze (girls in top like dresses, inadequate tops to hold their boobies in, men sitting in the corner drinking in quantities).

Even though its officially a networking event... no one broke up of their immediate circles to speak with people they don't know! And there were absolutely no desire to do so... what kind of networking is that? I mean, it takes more than one brave soul to make it happen...

This, btw, is not from the lack of trying on my part. There were these two guys who were standing right in the doorway of 111 Minna... I overheard one saying something about Darth Vader and from my years of Star Wars training*, I said something which could be interpreted as witty. Maybe its the accent, but he was just not quick enough to reply. I gave up and moved on.

So my conclusions;

Nerdy nerd functions are like Internet dating....
You email each other over months, maybe chat on the phone once or twice... pick a party you'll both attend, tell each other what you're going to wear, AND bring a posse with you. Your group will meet his group, and your combined group will pretty much stick together at the party for the entire night.

Advertising functions, on the other hand, is like speed dating...
You crash into a stranger, start with something witty, he'll say something witty back. You learn everything about his agency/ account he works on/ political view/ favourite drink/ next Saturday's plans in 5 minutes.
Then you both spot someone else on the other side of the room and end with a 'see you round' and go your merry ways. If they made good enough of an impression you might email them the next day.

Was fun, regardless :)

* = no I'm not a Jedi knight. I worked on the Star Wars product range campaign for couple of years. It was my job to know the characters... so I guess that makes me a nerdy nerd also.

oh god, I am really in America

Update from last posting - the men in blue (well I am not even sure what the SFPD wears but I assume its some derivative of blue) came to our house and inspected the scene.

Turns out it wasn't some pellet.... that I can deal with. It's actually a bullet.

Theory from the cops is that the bullet is a projectile, a stray - most likely some punk (from the projects about 6 blocks away) missed and hit us instead of his *insert name/ title/ item being shot at*.

Perspectives changed once I saw the bullet... eagle-eyed roomie showed me what she found the next night and it was pretty hard to mistaken what it is. It looked exactly like the stuff I fired in that gun shop in Guam. Yeah, shivers went down my spine.

Admittedly our apt is the only one in the block that has a south facing window, which means we're the only ones with views of the main street (and glimpses of the projects)... its still pretty far away but guess its not close enough for stray bullets!

Positive side to this - it forced the landlord to send his handyman to our house. To replace the glass mainly, but whilst he's here he can take a look at our forever leaking taps.

I am more excited about our taps being fixed than bullets. No kidding, right?

No mistaken that I live in the US... I've now been shot at!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

damn you, punk kids!

Last night someone fired a BB gun/ air riffle into our apartment.

It shattered the glass in the living room... I was home at the time, heard it (and was fairly sure what it was)... but for the life of me I couldn't see it so just dismissed the issue.

Eagle eye roommate spotted it whilst doing yoga to Josh Groban - in the middle of down dog she saw the pallet, then followed the path to the shattered glass (small quantity, on the windowsill). And of course, she then panicked and want to call the cops etc.

To be honest I just don't know if they'd even pay attention to the report. How on earth are they going to track down where it was fired from? I guess the only positive is that if our neighbours reported similar events, then obviously there are some punks in the area.

I mean, what are the cops going to charge the kid with other than property damage? Guns are legal in this country.

Eagle eye didn't want me to ask the neighbours if they've had similar experiences (simple enough question, isn't it?)... but heck, I will anyway.

Just not looking fwd to having to file insurance, etc... or deal with the landlord anymore than i have to.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

End of mobile-free deprivation study

The study went on for 36 hours and I was besides myself.

So beside myself that I cracked open a bottle of Shiraz (06 McWilliams... nice mass Aussie brand, which I found for under $10 at my local Molly Stone's supermarket) - before my roommate got home from work i.e. I was prepared to down the whole bottle by myself.

Anyway, the two of us had wine, cheese (an ash soft blue, and a hard Gouda style cow's cheese), steamed artichokes and watched South Park.

It was a dramatic 36 hours indeed... first my phone, then work situation had a little shake up... ahh yes, it keeps the blood pumping.

That wine was awfully good...

Monday, April 7, 2008

end of another doomed so-called relationship

Loverboy J and I are over. Well, things were going sour for some time so it was good that we ended things. 

I did get a family recipe book from his Mom... its mine and I'm not giving it back!

Met up with another J whom I had previous liaisons with... he was over an hour late to dinner. And he froze when I spilt a glass of wine... I mean, wouldn't any nice person get up and hand me some paper towels? He just stood there and watched me. WTF is that?

I give up... maybe should stop dating guys with names starting with J.

Mobile-less deprivation study - first 24 hrs

What kind of sick joke is this. T-Mobile has cut my mobile phone connection for close to 24 hours now. I am usually the person on the other end of the deprivation study... you know, the analyst watching those video blogs and see how I can advertise to you at the end of the day. Right no I feel like one of those test subjects... and of course, in situations like this, I will blog.

My phone was low on batteries for most of Sunday. I didn't think too much of it, until I woke up on Monday and my phone said 'SIM unregistered'. Yikes. So I went to work looking for a phone charger, thinking it was affected by low batteries. 

By Noon it still hasn't improved. So I called (on my office land line) and was put on hold for 15 minutes. They said all phone users, on my type of plan, have been cut off by a technical glitch. They wouldn't put an ETA on it so that just spelt disaster to me.

So how have I lived the last few hours... well, I now know how annoying it is to try and meet someone without a phone. I had to get my buddy to email me on her Blackberry... which begs another question... where would I be without Blackberry's (or being around them)?

On top of that, our door bell doesn't work. So yet again i have stuck a sign for my friend to email me when she gets to the door.

OK so here are a few things you'd generally like to see on a deprivation study;
- I have increased my Internet use
- whilst my mobile might not ring every night, I am more aware of its presence
- I am multi-tasking more with the TV on
- I emailed my mother and asked her to not call me

Grrr.

T-Mobile had been kind to me, mostly... but if by tomorrow morning it has not improved. I am going to Yelp them and get some citizen feedback!

PS - it goes without saying... if you need me, do not call me as my phone doesn't work