Why I love 1-800-Contacts

After my eye exam this past summer, my optometrist gave me a free
trial of Acuvue Oasys contact lenses.

Most comfortable lenses even when I slept with them in. No dry eyes
and much better than my old acuvue 2 lenses from high school.

Found a good deal on 1-800-Contacts for both brands but decided to go with AV2 since it was $100 compared to $271 of AVO.

After wearing AV2 for past month, I couldn't stand the dryness any
longer. I called them up and they easily accommodated a price match
from lens.com + instant $30 instant savings (as opposed to mail-in
rebate),+ free shipping + a refund of any unused AV2 lenses that I
shipped back to them in their prepaid envelope. What a sweet deal.

Highly recommend them for your next contact lens purchase. Great
customer service and painless price match. All you have to do is ask
for it.

Update of past few months

Part 1 (Boring entry-but it will let me reflect on what I have been doing the past few months.)

-Got a 23 inch samsung monitor for my mac. Hulu never looked so good.

-went to Duke for Defmo Showcase in April. Had a dance-off with Sungho and won with the crowd-favorite "String Dance"

-filmed my first "real" short (good cameras, lighting, boom mic, actual script,etc) called "Infernal Charades" with GraceWTF, a film group I met through my brother. It was one of those timed film contests so the result was a bit rushed but I had a great time exploring my hobby: acting.

-got promoted at job in early May 2009. Really doing a good job and getting noticed by the principals of the firm.

-May birthdays: Jon and Sharon's birthday dinner at Madangsui for some Korean BBQ. Jon got this sweet percolator from Wei and uses it every morning to make some bold coffee. Also attended Miho's bday party on May 9th with Bob. We flashed Spock's hand signs in multiple pictures as Star Trek just premiered. May 19th was Audrey's birthday and we surprised her with a brunch at Phillip Marie with church friends and coworkers. Grace did a great job in planning and I had a sip of a drink called me-mosa or something.

-hired a maid/cleaning lady. Best money I have spent. She is Ukrainian and is a lifesaver. How did I live without her?

-starting frequenting underground poker games to scratch the poker itch. Expanded poker network and won 8 out of 10 sessions. Yes, there are still fish out there.

-In early June, I helped get my mom's website www.nu-interiors.com off the ground for her new interior design firm. Shoutout to Kevin Su for the clean web design.

-In mid June-cooked for about 20 people at Don Choi's surprise housewarming party. Menu items included homemade hamburgers (rosemary, worcestershire sauce, garlic, and
ground sirloin), corn on the cob, jon's secret ribs, audrey's deviled eggs, mushrooms with truffle oil, and S'morssaints. Passed by Mitsuwa on the way back to the city....made a mental note to check it out later. Watched the Hangover with Skaggs afterwards. Inappropriately funny esp during end credits.

-late june-I co-wrote script with Jon titled "Just A Burger". Made it with GraceWTF and it won 4th place out of 50 at Asian Film Festival in NY. Tight deadline but props to brad and sammy on directing, editing and special fx. Learned about my face's insane elasticity. Most fun i had in a while. Further cemented the fact that I want to take acting classes and explore this hobby further.

-read "Act Like a Lady and Think Like a Man" by Steve Harvey. Funny but true gems in there. Thanks Sung.

Airport Security-Finale

While I was ruminating on this life lesson, I breezed by Sinclair and gave him a nod which he reciprocated before going back to flirting with some Amy Adams doppelganger wearing magenta-colored American Apparel tights under a denim skirt, edges frayed.

A new security guard came out of nowhere and literally stopped me in my tracks. He looked like the bald, goateed security guard in Ocean’s Eleven who pretended to beat up Clooney in the interrogation room.

“It’s ok sir,” I replied with confidence. “Sinclair waved me through.”

“Rules are rules, you have to go to the back of the line and wait like everyone else,” gruffed Mr. Goatee.

At this point, I was on tilt. It was now 7:15pm and I was not going to miss this flight after everything I had already accomplished.

“Let’s just ask Sinclair,” I seethed as we both made our way over.

Sinclair saw me and nodded and told Goatee that I was cool and that arrangements were made beforehand.

I took a deep breath and made my way through the metal detector without delay and gave a thumbs up to Mike who thumbed me back as I galloped to Gate C3.

Empty.

My heart began to play Connect Four with my crotch as I sauntered to the empty seats. Resigned. Defeated. I had missed my flight by a pube. Turning my head, I lazily glanced at the plasma display and saw that my flight was moved from C3 to C 36…conveniently located on the OTHER side of the airport.

I jogged, ran, flew, nay, teleported my way to C36.

Lactic acid rapidly filled every pore of my being (I made a mental note to play more tennis) as I turned the corner to see a line of about 10 people. Mentally, I fell to my knees in glorious victory. Physically, I couldn’t feel my knees. But that’s ok! I made it baby, I made it.

“Running late, sir?” quizzed the flight attendant the gate as she scanned my ticket.

Still catching my breath, I nodded and gave her a goofy grin while a little drool/sweat/blood escaped down the side of my mouth.

Tampa. Here I come.

Airport Security- Part 2

“Excuuuuuse me sir, where do youuuu think you’re going?”

“It’s ok,” I blurted with a monotone voice, “Mike from TSA said I could go and check my bag in.”

“Mike from TSA?” he bellowed extra loud for the 2 ravishing brunettes wearing Juicy Couture sweatpants. “He is in TSA. You’re in my section now. Step back and wait your turn.”

He turned to the 2 brunettes, his lustful eyes wandering where they shouldn’t and muttered, “I have to take care of my customers first who have been waiting.”

Their eyes widened in agreement and smiled. I clenched my cheeks and barely stifled a fart from frustration.

I was 3 seconds away from losing my cool and telling him that there is no way those strippers were going to sleep with some French megalomaniac.

Instead, I bit my lip and waited until Frenchie walked away.

“Next in line,” said Patricia, a comely African-American who looked nothing like Tyler Perry. More like an older Aisha Tyler.

I smoothly Defmo’ed my way to the counter before the people behind me in line even noticed.

“Patricia, my plane is boarding now and I have less than 20 min to get that flight. I will need your help in checking in this bag. I’ve been told that it is too late to check in but am hoping you can find a way to help me out. The item in question is a face cleanser that I got for my mom for $162. If you could just help---"

“$162 dollars?!? You kiddin’ me right?”

“Err…um…no?”

“Let me see the receipt, hon.”

I fumbled through my pockets, relieved that I didn't throw it away as usual.

As she scanned my receipt her eyebrows were knit in excitement.

“You weren’t BSing me ‘eh? Why it $162? I get my noxema face wash for $4.99 at the CVS.”

I took a deep breath. This was it. I needed to sell her now or else it was going into the trash. I began to speak with my most seductive voice reserved for emergencies only.

“Well, upon application, you’re supposed to rub in a small counterclockwise circle. As you begin rubbing, dead skin cells begin to clump and fall off. After a minute or two, your skin feels much better and cleaner. As if the outermost layer of skin was replaced by a smoother second layer. It’s really quite something. I’m surprising my mom with it so hopefully there is a way for us to work something out.”

“I wish my son was as nice as you.”

She lowered her voice and leaned in.

“Give me $15.”
“$15 or $50?”
“$15. Credit Card only.”

A bribe was being committed in broad daylight in front of the eyes in the sky but I didn’t care. The plan was already set in motion and there was no stopping it.

As she swiped my card she muttered. “Oooh child, I hope I don’t get fired for this. You know how hard it is to get a job now in this economy? You’re a good son. Tell your mom I said hello.”

I nodded in agreement. Hoping that this would end on a good note.

“Ok, you’re all set. Put the bottle back in your bag and take it to that door all the way down the hall. Knock on the door and when they open, tell them Priority Rush".

Flashing a smile and thanking her profusely, I grabbed my bag and ran to the door. AS instructed, I knocked and there was no answer. Crap-It was like a scene out of a movie-too good to be true. I wasn’t about to give up. I was too close.

I rapped harder, my knuckles stinging with determination and sheer will. No answer.

Ignoring the “Private Personnel Only” sign posted conspicuously above the door, I opened the door to see about 4 baggage handlers from 2 different airlines. The room was extremely loud with the droning of the conveyor belts and pattering of footsteps. One of them, obviously flustered at my sudden appearance came over. I handed the bag and with my most serious voice I dictated above the machinery, “High Priority. Extreme Rush for Delta flight 1452.” He nodded in compliance and took my bag.

As quickly as I entered, I left and sprinted down the hall towards the TSA security area. I passed by Patricia and gave her a thumbs up and she smiled.

My god-what just happened? Did I just do what I did? Why did nobody stop me? If I was a terrorist, I could have easily snuck in a bomb. But I digress, the valuable lesson was to not give up and take what people say for face value. Anything can be negotiated and manipulated. No does not mean no.

---Part 3 next week---

Airport Security-Part One

“What airline?” asked the taxi driver.

“Delta,” I replied while looking at my watch.

The time was 6:45pm and my flight at 7:30-plenty of time since I only had one carry-on and my boarding ticket printed at the office.

After getting dropped off at the terminal, I made my way to check in my bag at the outside kiosk for convenience sake.

Paola at the service counter looked at me, my license, and my ticket.

“No, no sir. No more.”
“What do you mean no more?”
“No bag check-in now. Too late.”
“Really? Are you kidding me?”
“Yes, cutoff is 1 hr before flight. You will have to carry-on.”

I grabbed my bag while rolling my eyes (not safe. Don’t recommend it) and made my way to security. Shoes went separately on the conveyor belt. Metal watch and spare coins in the cylinder bowl. Belt, laptop, and blackberry followed suit and I walked through the metal detector without a beep.

“Bag check!” bellowed the large African-American lady. She looked like a pissed off Tyler Perry on a mission to screw people over. I had a bad feeling about this one.

A young Spaniard named Mike with a shiny TSA badge on his chest pointed to my carry-on bag. “Is this yours?”

Throughout the bag check process, Mike was careful with my stuff and wasn’t a jerk like other TSA agents. The liquid in question was a super-concentrated $162 face cleanser I bought for my mom at a Korean beauty shop just 30 minutes prior to arriving at the airport. Unfortunately, it was in a bottle that violated the 3 oz rule and had to either be discarded (goodbye $162) or checked in. (obvious choice)

Mike escorted me and my bag past a security checkpoint and waved at Sinclair, an olive-skinned Desi Arnaz who was flirting with a passenger. Sinclair waved back and went back to checking the callipygous blonde’s passport for the 4th time. As we approached the first-class check-in station, he told to just walk up and cut everyone, check in my bag, and bypass the checkpoint to breeze through the metal detector.

I barely took 3 steps towards the check-in station when a older security attendant stopped me. His crisp white shirt was neatly tucked into his pressed navy slacks. This told me he was a straight arrow who played by the rules and had an eye for detail in which nothing escaped his attention. Could be trouble.

---To be continued---

I <3 T-Mobile

My 2 brothers and I share a MyFaves family plan for 1000 minutes, unlimited text, and blackberry internet for $79 before taxes. Last month’s paper bill was in an open envelope on the dining table and it read $210. Apparently, Jon is in the midst of two projects and has been making a few calls to London and the face that we went over the allotted minutes by a few hundred didn’t help either.

On a whim, I decided to log into my t-mobile account to see how many minutes we had left for this current month.

“1000 whenever minutes used. 584 additional minutes used”

I blinked and rubbed my eyes.

Relogged in-same message. This isn’t possible. There was still 2 wks left in the billing cycle and we were already 600 minutes over…

Darren had a cheerful voice as he asked how my day was. It helped assuage the anger I felt. He confirmed that of the 3 lines, I had used 60 minutes, Josh used like 40 minutes and Jon used like 1484 minutes…in fact, he told me that Jon was actually making calls as we spoke and that we were going over by 642 minutes and rising.

I was beginning to tilt, but luckily, playing poker had raised my tilt threshold. I kept a clear head and asked what could be done. Could I upgrade my plan? Darren said yes but the next plan would offer only 1800 minutes (Which Jon was going to break in a few hours) and the largest family plan they had was 3500 minutes for like $139 plus tax (which even if I got…wouldn’t be enough for Jon). All in all, Darren estimated that on top of the usual $163 bill, overage charges would be $600 minimum (assuming jon used another 1500 minutes).

The solution was clear. I had to break Jon’s fingers so he wouldn’t be able to call anyone. Or rip out his esophagus.

Darren paused for a second and said that perhaps there was something that can help. It’s called Unlimited Loyalty plan available to long-term subscribers in good standing. No more myfaves, nights and weekend, mobile to mobile……unlimited. Infinite minutes. No additional contracts to sign. No catch- individual plan for $45 or $89 for 2 lines. He could backdate it to take effect immediately since I called before the end of the billing cycle.

Let’s see….do I pay $10 more for infinite minutes or $600 more to stay on the same plan?

God bless you t-mobile. Although, I’m still going to break Jon’s fingers. For fun.

Vday Recap

So in my last post, I was whiny. I didn’t have any plans or anyone to spend it with. As usual, Miho came to the rescue and we decided to spend Vday weekend in Boston. Don’t get me wrong…NY is great but getting out of the city always provides that much needed breath of fresh air.

Our weekend excursion got off to a bumpy start. I was running late because of subway traffic and was about to miss our ride to Boston aboard the Bolt Bus. By the time I exited the subway, I had 3 missed calls and 4 txt msgs from Miho. She had convinced the driver to stay just for me as everyone else was already aboard. I flagged a taxi and weaved down 3 avenues and 13 blocks in about 8 min. All traffic lights were green for some divine reason and I huffed and puffed my way onto the bus. Cold glares met my sweaty face and I limped to my seat to a very flustered Miho. Yay Vday!

We watched Ping Pong Playa on my Macbook for 30 minutes before Miho started to snore/purr like a kitten and I fast-forwarded to the very predicable end. Oh well, at least Asians are trying to break down Hollywood’s door. A bad movie is still a movie nonetheless. My aunt picked us up at Boston and the first thing we did was debate on where to eat for dinner. In contention were a decent American steakhouse, sushi place, and an Italian place. We arrived at the Hsu compound without deciding on dinner and promptly began eating Chinese sponge cake with kiwi and strawberry slices. Washed it down with Japanese green tea and Miho and I made our way to the basement.

I could seriously live here….there is a kitchen, pingpong table, pool table, and a basketball/racquetball court. Being ultra-competitive, Miho decided to do a decathalon. First up was pingpong which was surprisingly close. She held her own and owned me with a few backhand passing shots. Unfortunately, due to her lack of height, I lobbed my way to victory. Next up was pool. We both sucked and one game was taking 45 minutes. Excruciating. So painful, we decided it was a draw and went to the bball court. After a few warm up shots, a competitive game of HORSE was afoot. She found her rhythm and began draining free throws and 3 pointers. She could not miss. I failed to secure a win 3 games in a row. Defeated, I suggested racquetball: a game we both knew very little about.

Most amazing sport ever. Yes our face met the wall a few times and yes a sprained ankle occurred every few minutes but the adrenaline and feeling from a perfectly placed shot proved to be enough to make us fans for life. Great cardio too which made room for dinner.

We drove out to the steakhouse only to find out about the 2 hour wait. Our backup was a cozy Italian joint with crisp table linen and a rose for the ladies. Many couples were drowning in each others eyes and it was sweet to see a few 60-70 year olds whisper sweet nothings in each others’ ears. That or their hearing aids ran out of batteries. My aunt ordered a delicious linguine dish with fresh chunks of lobster and clams in a white wine sauce. Miho had a lasagna the size of her face and I had some chicken carbonara. Dessert consisted of chocolate fondue- Savoring the crispy graham crackers and luscious strawberries dipped in dark chocolate gave me a frisson that rocked every fiber of my being. There were also some starfish fruit for dipping-Miho was fascinated as it was her first time seeing starfish fruit so she played with it instead of dooming it to a slow, chocolate death.

After the food coma set in, we rolled our way back to the car and began our journey home where a tenacious game of racquetball awaited us. How we didn’t spray the plexiglass with lasagna covered, chocolate starfish is beyond me. Oh, yeah. I won the game.

Then we met up with Bob....Part 2 to follow