Dislike

One of the common trends on Facebook right now is the plea for a dislike button. Ever since the inception of the like button, people have been clamoring for the addition of the dislike compliment.

But here's what everyone needs to understand. Facebook is selling a product - it's web-based application to share and express content. Every time you upload pictures, status updates, videos and interact with Facebook applications, Facebook as an asset and a company becomes more valuable because it's proven to attract attention and customers, such as you and I.

And one key component of the Facebook product is its experience. Facebook wants you to enjoy using its service, and wants you to become addicted so you'll keep coming back. In the latest fund-raising round to keep Facebook with cash assets, Microsoft evaluated Facebook at $15 billion. $15 billion. Just for letting users post status updates, send messages and play with applications.

Most people don't know that the like button was actually ripped off from another web service, FriendFeed. So Facebook never originated this idea, but it certainly has been the most effective in its implementation; in other words, Facebook has seen it used elsewhere, and used it appropriately. Facebook would never do something that it didn't believe would work - and risk alienating its 300 million users in the process.

With all this in mind, it's easy to see why Facebook would never endorse the creation of the dislike button. Facebook wants users to keep coming back to share content and enjoy their experience while they are logged in; they will never take risk and chance on a large scale - they beta test everything before public release.

Imagine for a moment if Facebook were to create a dislike button. And say your status said something like "I'm watching House!" or "I got an A on my test I didn't study for!" If people disliked your status, a part of you would feel discouraged and hurt. You might second guess future status updates or media upload, thus going against Facebook's desire and wishes for your experience with their product. But only enabling like, you only get positive reinforcement, encouraging you to continue posting updates and uploading pictures. While people may express their dislike through status comments, it requires more effort, and most people who don't care or dislike your post will probably pass over, or ignore your status/content.

So quit joining "if X,000,000 people join, we'll get dislike!" groups and adding "OMFG, WTF, DISLIKE BUTTON" applications, you won't get your dislike button. If you really want to dislike posts, quit Facebook by discontinuing/deactivating your account in the Settings menu, stating your reason for quitting because of a lack of the dislike button. Then maybe it'll happen. Otherwise, use comments to express your negativity.

So quit telling Facebook what to do, they are the largest social networking site in the world for a reason - and just admit it, you have liked nearly every improvement and innovation Facebook has released.

Injection of Positivity

Here's some positive thoughts for you, to inspire your day:

It’s so odd that, no matter how you perceive your circumstances, someone else can do one better…

If you believe you are getting old, someone is older who feels young…

If you believe you don’t have good health, someone is out there with a chronic illness, enjoying life…

If you wish for more abundance, there is someone with far less cherishing every gift they receive…

If you take people for granted, there are those who live in service of others, and appreciate them all…

If you feel your life to be difficult, someone undoubtedly has it worse, but feels hopeful…

How do we lose our perspective?

I’m thankful for today

I’ll have a chance to make a difference…and it’s up to me whether I will…

I’ll have a chance to overlook people’s weakness, and celebrate their strengths…

I’ll have a chance to dream for a better future, with the only limit being my imagination…

I’ll have a chance to share my song, however the notes are ultimately written…even if no one listens…

I’ll have a chance to care for others, and leave selfishness to another time, when others need me less…

I’ll have a chance to sow seeds of forgiveness, and let them grow where healing is needed…

I’ll have a chance to find my inner peace…and stop looking for others to create it for me…

Thank God I’m not so old…

- From some guy on Facebook (private profile)

Pumped for snow!

A storm is passing through, bringing with it a 30% chance of snow on Tuesday night.

I can't wait for this season. It will be my first, full snowboarding season.

I do hope that the snow on the roads remain at a minimal, if nonexistent, level. But at the same time, I hope the mountains are filled with powder.

Anyway, Spenser is a snowboarder from Alaska, and this is one of my favorite videos from him - really captures the entertainment and light-hearted fun that snowboarding brings.



Alright, back to studying!

Hope

Hope, faith and imagination; what do these words have in common? They carry positive connotations and fuel our dreams. But what they really have in common is an abundance of during our youth, and a steady decrease of as we progress in life.

Concepts like hope, faith and imagination were what we fed on and utilized to accomplish our goals in our youth. Success was relative, and opportunities were copious. But as we grew older, we began to realize one thing: success became absolute (you either succeed, or you don’t.) and opportunities to experience success became few and far in between. Ideals such as hope, faith and imagination were no longer enough to be the primary source of our success. Instead, tools and resources such as intelligence, good looks and money became the fundamental pillars in determining one’s success. This separates the haves and have-nots, closes doors to more individuals, and creates a funnel effect where only a few reach the top.

Sidenote: This does not apply to the entertainment and athletic industries, as the public loves an underdog and feel-good story. But think about the team owners and record label CEO’s, who are they? Generally privileged and expensively raised Caucasian males.

Now, I understand that genuine hard work and motivation can negate and overcome these obstacles. But the reality is that these individuals must work disproportionately harder to reach the level that most everyone strives for. Is this really fair?

Think about how many freshmen go into college trying to be Medical students, Pharmacists, Engineers and Lawyers. Then think about how many of them actually succeeded. Due to the structure of the system, most of them do not. And for good reason – there’s no room in society for everyone to be a Wall Street Lawyer or an Astronaut.

But why even bother preaching the possibilities and potential when all the elders know, deep down, that most of the youth will never ascend the peak of their dreams? Most of us won’t drive the Aston Martin’s, own beachfront houses or be Chief Executive of anything successful, so why give the hope?

By crushing hopes once reality sets in, people lose spirit and imagination. Some people rebound from failures and achieve success later on; it’s a part of life. It’s too bad this process isn’t explained when our mentors and seniors encourage us in our youth to reach for the stars.

Hope, faith and imagination can’t be taught and gained, but they can be lost or forgotten when we fail. The best we can do is not let that happen when we do stumble – it’s one of the only things in life we have complete control of.

WSU fans need to grow up

I'm a Coug. And I'm proud to be a Coug. Except on Saturday, September 12. 2009. On that day I was ashamed to be associated with WSU. And it wasn't because of our "football" ball team on the field - if you even consider the first 20 minutes of the game "playing football" on WSU's side. No, I was ashamed to be a Coug because of our "fans."

Our fans are some of the crudest, rudest, impolite, explicit, meanest and most negative fans that I've been exposed to.

More than twice the fans broke out into chants of "F--- Hawaii." Are you kidding me? Hawaii was doing what any team goes out on the field to do: win. Yes, the Cougs were losing, but it wasn't that Hawaii was being exceptionally forceful about it. All the big hits were clean, all the penalties were accidents, all the points were earned. And you're going to curse at them for that? The Cougs turned the ball over so many times in the first half they may have well been bakers.

The University of Hawaii is home to some of the nicest people on this planet and they are the athletic representatives for the State of Hawaii (since they lack a professional sports
team). They have never done anything disrespectful to WSU like spit/stomp on our cougar head (USC) or set a part of our field on fire (UW). They don't deserve to be cussed at. If anything, chants of "F--- Wulff" should have been expressed. And the F means "Fire." Wulff has done a poor job of getting our team ready for the games. Don't get mad at Hawaii for showing us what we need to work on.

Calls of "B---S---" when it wasn't even clear that WSU was on the short end of a ref's ruling are also inappropriate. Think about it; if you were a ref and the fans chanted BS on your calls, would you support them on the next close call? I wouldn't. If we don't respect the refs, they won't respect us. They're just doing the best job they can. If you don't like them, simply boo to express disapproval appropriately and complain to the Pac-10 later for better refs. But don't take it out on the guys in the stripes!

I've also seen Cougar fans starting trouble with Hawaii fans, leading the Cougar fans to being led out of the stadium in handcuffs. I don't know details, so I won't elaborate - but it's shameful to see, regardless of the finer points.

Instead we should channel energy into being louder on defensive third downs (shoot, all downs), so they can't hear the snap count and audibles, focus on the fight song so we clap on beat and yell louder on "Go Cougs!" chants to shake the stadium floor and pump up our team.

I love the passion we have for our football team, I just wish our maturity and class positively correlated with our heart. Otherwise, we look more like childish potty mouths rather than a respectful Pac-10 fan base.

Something to think about.

-- Post From My iPhone

Riches-to-Rags

Wanna hear some facts about today's game?

1. Prior to today, Hawaii has never, ever won a game on the road against a BCS team. Today was their first.
2. Hawaii only returns one defensive starter from last year.
3. Hawaii barely beat Central Arkansas (is that even a school?) last week, and WSU put up as many points against Hawaii's suspect D as they did: 20.
4. A running back from Pasco, WA - a WSU territory - scored the TD to put Hawaii up 21-0.
5. Here's a direct quote from ESPN: "Even Hawaii's linemen were faster than Washington State's defensive backs. When Chima Nwachukwu picked up a fumble by Alexander at the Cougars 1 midway through the second quarter -- 1 yard from Hawaii going up 42-0 -- he briefly appeared free for a 99-yard score down the sideline. Then Warriors right tackle Laupepa Letuli ran him down and pushed him out of bounds at the WSU 31."

What happened to Wazzu?

Here's what WSU accomplished in the first few years of the 2000s:

1. Beat USC.
2. Beat Oregon.
3. Beat a team with Vince Young.
4. Went to the Rose Bowl.
5. Went to major bowl games.

How could this have happened? It's quite possibly one of the greatest falls among BCS schools.

What makes it worse is that UW won a game today.

If we can't beat SMU, it may be our turn to go winless for a whole season.

I love my Cougars, I just wish they'd give me more reasons to love them.

Please Coach Wulf, turn this thing around. No more letting teams jump out to 35-0 leads. No more giving up the ball 7 times in a game. No more letting opponents get over 500 yards from passing alone.

Please. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Concerned Cougar fans everywhere.

-- Post From My iPhone

Health

Is health care a right, or a privilege? That's a major discussion going on right now, due to President Obama's push for national health care.

In my opinion, there should be no discussion. Health care provided by the government should be accessible to its citizens just as much as safety, defense and education currently are. The government currently foots the bill for the police, military and grade school teachers, respectively, and it should do so for health related programs. So why isn't health care provided nationally? For the same reason every other innovative program or idea gets stifled – those with wealth and power as a result of the status quo intend to keep it that way.

The insurance industry is a lucrative field. People often forget that insurance companies and third party warranty programs are designed to make a profit. If the company actually benefited you, it wouldn't exist! With insurance, you pay a premium. Then the company has an agreement with you to provide you coverage should you get sick or get injured. That's all fine and dandy, but on average, a typical individual spends more on their premium than they do on whatever routine health care they receive. Only when we undergo freak accidents, like I did with my teeth, do we find ourselves wishing that we had insurance coverage. But insurance providers are profit companies; they need to stay in the black. Therefore, they will do their best to provide the least amount of coverage for the most amount of premium while staying competitive within the market rates. With this in mind, it's easy to see why those with wealth due to the status quo intend to spend millions on advertising and propaganda to ensure that it stays that way.

Even the wealthy not tied to the insurance industry prefer to keep the way things are. The wealthy enjoy the luxury of being able to pay off their personal medical bills. But if the government were to sponsor a national health care plan, not only would the wealthy continue to pay their own health care, but their taxes would increase because someone would have to foot the bill for the lower income on health care. In fact, they would argue that the poor are more likely to get sick, because they cannot afford to eat healthy (like purchase organic foods), exercise regularly (gym membership and clubs) and carryout a positive lifestyle (the poor are often overworked and have poor work environments) – so why should they have to foot the bill for this new health care plan that mostly the poor will take advantage of? It's an understandable, but incredibly selfish mindset possessed by the rich, and since they have the money and influence to shape public opinion, it will be difficult for health care reform to pass.

Who else doesn't want government sponsored health care? The medical field employees. If government sponsored health care were to pass, the pay for nurses and pharmacists would undoubtedly fall from the astronomical salaries they are currently at. The government is notorious for providing low pay for its employees. Government workers – in the past at least – enjoy great benefits, high job security and a relaxed work environment. But they don't get a high pay rate. Current medical employees are in a dream situation. They have high job security from third party insurance companies, and they have lucrative salaries. Government intervention would likely hurt their current situation, so you can be sure that they will protect themselves by not exactly jumping aboard with President Obama's plan.

But here are the facts: the United States remains one of the only industrialized nations in the world without a national health care program. Critics of President Obama's plan are primarily republicans, which is most ironic because they also oppose abortion. You get it? Republicans want every fetus born, but once you're in the world, you have to fend for yourself! This is absolutely ridiculous and hypocritical! Health care is expensive, no doubt about it. That's why we need a program accessible to every American to assist them in their right to live. That's why we need change. That's why we need to support President Obama's initiative on health care reform.

Pineapple

I hate Apple. Have you ever seen a nice sports car like an S2K or Skyline driven by someone with the driving style of a grandma? You know what I mean, going 55 mph on an interstate late at night, dropping speed drastically before turns, etc. That's how I feel about Apple. I recognize that they have made revolutionary strides when it comes to technological design and innovation and have made the realm of technology attractive and accessible for mainstream consumers. But they are capable of so much more. They could quite possibly assist in making the greatest strides in lifestyle improvement in recent memory with their products, but since they continue to think with their pocketbooks rather than the possibilities, Apple will never cease to amaze me in the ways they hold back from their consumers.

ITunes: one example is the walled garden approach Apple has taken with iTunes. Admittedly, iTunes is a very effect desktop media manager application. But Apple will not allow any other device to use iTunes as media sync other than its own devices. This wasn't much of an issue initially, as Apple's iPods were the de facto mp3 player; there were no other viable alternatives that could compete with the iPod. Recently, Palm came out with its Pre, which competed with the iPhone. The Pre was designed to sync with iTunes for media and backup purposes. But Apple blocked this feature in its most recent iTunes update – 8.2.1, essentially solely for the purposes of blocking this syncing capability. This is unfortunate because Apple was in a position to make iTunes the premier media application on all computers. Instead, consumers are left with an ever messier plethora of various applications like Windows Media Player, VLC, etc. Not to mention the fact that more will be coming, as Palm and RIM (Blackberry) will eventually have to release their own media managers since Apple won't let them use iTunes – very user unfriendly, especially since many Pre or Blackberry owners are in the upper class and likely own iPods, like the iPod touch.

App Store: The app store is another idea with great potential, but one which is severely limited by Apple. Yes, there are over 50,000 apps, a marvel by itself. But once you take out the fart apps, quiz apps and beer apps, you're left with only a handful of innovative ones. And the best ones are forbidden from even entering the app store. Google Voice put out a native app for its service, which was already approved by the Android Marketplace and the Blackberry app store. But Apple rejected it. It also rejected a Google Latitude app, for no reasonable explanation. I can understand policing apps due to malicious software or misleading descriptions, but not for actually attempting to benefit consumers. Apple is afraid of competition – and is willing to be a jerk to do so.

I could go on about overpricing its products and how brain washed their fan boys are, but the tune is overplayed. I know I may sound hypocritical as an iPhone owner and all, but if it's any consolation, jailbreaking, unlocking and cracking app store apps to get them for free on the iPhone is a major middle finger to Apple; one that I proudly throw up to the best of my abilities to express my frustration with Apple.

The iPhone growing in popularity and quickly becoming the next Motorola Razr, but if it continues these antics, remember these words: it won't be long before Google's Android takes the lead as market leader – maybe in a couple years once its kinks are ironed out.

Technology, like any other facet of life such as relationships and politics, requires transparency and collaboration – principles Apple shuns to increase revenue and can only get away with because of their brilliant engineers and visionary leader. Apple may be the darling of society today, but if it continues its close-minded behavior, it won't remain so for long.

Walls

Facebook Added the option to comment on wall posts a few months ago. A cool idea, but some people don't understand it's purpose.

Here's what commenting on an wall post was intended for:
Joe writes on bob's wall: "Dude, I hope you had fun at the movie last night with Diana!" Jennie sees this and comments on the post saying: "Who is this Diana? I've never heard about her!"
In the past, Jennie would have had to make a new wall post, causing confusion and starting seemingly a new conversation, when really, she wanted to add to Joe's comments.

Instead, some people have been using it as a way to carry out extensive conversations like an AIM or facebook chat session.

Here's why using wall commenting is inefficient:
1) once someone has gone past 5 notifications, it doesn't show up anymore on the bottom of the screen. So if you respond to their post by commenting on it rather than a wall-to-wall, there is a high chance they won't ever know that you've responded, since not everyone stays up to date with their notifications. But everyone checks their profile once in a while, so you can be assured they'll get it.

2) as you accumulate posting from apps and wall posts, the conversation will drop lower on your page, making it hard to see if the other person has responded. Using wall-to-wall keeps everything at the top.

3) Mobile versions of facebook, like the facebook iPhone app, do not support wall post comments (and the "Like" button). So people who use any version of facebook outside of a browser will never be able to read or respond to your wall post comment until they get to a computer.

I know this might sound anal and all, but have you ever seen crazy lane changers on the freeway or guys who rapidly press the elevator button? They're technically not doing anything wrong, but it doesn't save them any additional time, and it's kind of annoying. It's kind of like that.

Commenting on a wall post as a response to one is fine I guess, just not really what the feature is for. Just my 2 cents.


-- Post From My iPhone

Generosity

Recently, I had an opportunity to do a small community service project with the Washington State University Hawaii Club. The purpose of the event was to raise money and awareness for the Christmas Wish Program of Hawaii
by holding signs and collecting donations via fishnets while standing on the side of the road. The organization itself is relatively small, so despite raising a relatively low per-an-hour-rate of contributions and helping for a few hours, I believe that we made a notable difference for the organization, its staff and eventually, the children.

However, I'm not writing to advertise for the non-profit or the Hawaii Club of WSU. Rather, I wish to express and expand upon a disturbing observation I made while participating in the project. It can be summarized like this: the poor give, and the rich do not.

The ones who took the initiative to give were the ones driving old, beat up cars from a decade or two ago with humbles brands like Toyota, Honda and GMC. The nice cars like Lexus and Acura with middle aged couple drivers almost never gave, with one caveat: they would give only when they saw someone else giving first – but they would only consistently give around a dollar. On the other hand, the less fortunate by appearance gave freely. A couple dollars, five dollars, even twelve or twenty after pooling together what everyone else in the car had.

This is sad on many levels. The wealthy are the ones who have the power and ability to effectively make an impact and difference in this world, but oftentimes they do not. Since I originate from the lower-middle class, it is difficult for me to understand the mindset of the affluent, but I can speculate since I am better off than others in this world. And sadly, I believe the rich hoard because they are greedy and seek only to increase their wealth, status and influence. On the other hand, the poor give because they understand the futility of the pursuit of money and relate more to the struggles of the less fortunate. The rich and elite are only interested in one thing: remaining rich and elite; helping the lower class hurts this objective, so they do not donate in a method which does not benefit them. That's why they'll only give when there's something in it for them: a receipt so they can write it off on their taxes or if an audience is watching so they'll gain the admiration of others.

I could end here, but I want to expand this idea to the controversial realm of politics. Please stop reading at this point if you're uncomfortable with slightly liberal views.

I hate the majority of Republicans. I really do. In case you were wondering, the Republican Party is controlled by the wealthiest and most greedy people of this country. Granted, they are in the minority, so they created an alter-ego and presented an image of socially conservative, traditionally Christian views to lure in a far larger portion of the country into their party. But make no mistake; the Republicans do not have the interests of the middle and lower class in mind as they make their policy decisions.

The United States remains one of the only industrialized nations in the world without national healthcare. Why? Because the rich republicans do not want to foot the bill for the poor as they have the resources to provide for their family and they make a large amount of money from health insurance companies. Furthermore, they stunt technological advancement and overall economic improvement with their insistence on maintaining the status quo. They killed the electric car over a decade ago as California moved towards them because it threatened oil companies. They orchestrate senseless and unnecessary wars which cost the lives of friends and family from people like you and me while they sit pretty with their loved ones in gated communities for personal monetary gain.

I could go on, but it would likely be meaningless as you likely have your opinions set in one direction or are entirely apathetic toward the whole discussion.

Although we cannot control the generosity levels of others, we can assist in dictating the generosity level of the government by opening the political discussion and ignoring society's taboo on the subject while educating others on the facts of each party. Once the facts are laid out, it would be unfathomable for any family under the income threshold of about $250k and individual under around $100k to support the GOP since the Democratic Party actually seeks to assist and help those under these income brackets through tax cuts and federal assistance programs while increasing the taxes for those above these levels.

Finally, we can also control our own actions. While success is achieved through hard work and dedication, there is no denying that the circumstances we are born into play a huge role in determining the ease for us to achieve a certain level of success. Therefore, by helping those less fortunate than us, we provide them an opportunity to fend for themselves and to contribute in our society; something nearly individual would love to do, but many poor regrettably never get the chance to do so. By helping them, you inevitably and inexpiably oftentimes end up helping yourself.

iPhone vs. Android

I was going to switch to android for my next phone this summer.

It seemed like the iPhone community was growing weaker. Newer iPhone models were harder to unlock. Less developers were willing to produce apps as a hobby and instead wanted to monetize their product. App store apps began developing crack checks.

More importantly, Apple was beginning to crack down on jailbreaking and tmobile appeared to get rid of their nicely priced data plans.

In the end, I'm glad I stuck with the iPhone as many of these fears were unfounded. The 3gs was jailbroken and unlocked less than 2 weeks after release and developers are working harder than ever to develop innovative apps and crack app store apps.

Rumor has it that the next iPhone will be unjailbreakable (new word!). Let's hope not!

Viva la iPhone! :)


-- Post From My iPhone

Must read article for NBA finals fans

The link below shows why we, as middle class and under people, must
root for the Lakers in this NBA finals.

Orlando Magic = Amway

Period.

http://iphone.cbsnews.com/site?t=qVjhefCrOaH9AkFk1ZexPA&sid=cbsnews_ip

---------------------------
Jonathan Li
Post from my iPhone

Race - Revisited

I am not Chinese.

Well, I have Chinese blood, but I don't really consider myself Chinese. My Chinese reading and writing is primitive, and my verbal abilities are far from fluent. And yet, when people ask me for my ethnicity, I answer that I am Chinese. But does it mean anything when I was born and raised in the United States?

So here it is, the thought of the day: it doesn't matter what your blood or heritage is; you define your cultural and ethnic identity.

Think about it. Who's more Japanese? The Caucasian born and raised in Japan immersed in the Japanese culture, or the Japanese who grew up in France and doesn't know a lick of Japanese and Japan's culture and traditions? I argue that the Caucasian in this situation is more "Japanese" because he understands practices and respects the Japanese customs, culture and norms – regardless of his blood.

The world gets smaller with each passing generation and people are more mobile than ever before. Asking someone what their ethnicity is can no longer clue you in as to where they originated from. The day is quickly coming where your ethnicity by blood is irrelevant, especially as people marry and reproduce – regardless of their partner's ethnicity – at an exponential rate to produce children of mixed ethnicity.

It's not fair to judge someone based on their blood – they had no control over it and it shouldn't be held against them. But we can evaluate a person on their alignment, background and adaptation towards a particular race; these are the people who will carry on the culture to the next generation.

What has been happening in Hawaii will soon occur throughout the world – which is the integration of several traditional cultures into one, new common norm for the people to practice and follow. After all, minorities such as Blacks, Asians and Latinos are judged and evaluated on how well they adapt to traditionally White, but increasingly mixed America. I don't know if this inevitable shift towards a generic and colorblind society is a positive or a negative. But it's happening.

It's difficult to imagine, but we may soon find that the humorous but occasionally offensive stereotypes that we toss around carelessly today will be considered distasteful and outdated.

Race is irrelevant; don't let it be a factor as you carry out your daily goal in being the best person you can be.

Thoughts on the Lakers – Rockets Game 2

Both Fisher and Kobe should be suspended.

Fisher's hit was malicious and clearly intended to hurt Scola, which should get him a suspension, maybe a fine on top that.

Kobe should also get suspended, as he went for a hit above the shoulders. If Dwight Howard got suspended for elbowing Dalembert, then it's only fair that Kobe get suspended also - especially since not even a foul was on Kobe was called on that play.

And Kobe deserves the hate, he admitted on a national press conference that he committed adultery and there's no doubt he loves putting on a show for attention.

Kobe has great talent, but sometimes you have to look past ones skill and into their heart and character before evaluating if they are worth respecting and admiring.

Rebound

I recently applied for a position and was rejected.

That's a fairly common storyline, but I really felt confident and certain that I would obtain the position. The interview went well, and I put a large amount of effort in the application packet. Unfortunately, it didn't work out, and I'm left feeling inadequate and incompetent. No amount of sweet and generous words can compensate for an introduction of "We regret to inform you…." Initially, I was pretty disappointed – as one could expect. But that feeling was only temporary, as I quick came out of my rut.

The reality is that I didn't get my desired job, and no amount of depression and moping would change that. So I had to begin the process of rebounding.

First, I reminded myself that I was still very successful in my own right. Holding three jobs while being a successful full time student isn't easy and is a task not many individuals can maintain. Not many individuals can sustain themselves completely based off of student loans and their bi-weekly paycheck. I didn't need this new position to be a successful individual. In fact, not getting the position was probably best, as now I can focus on improving the areas I am already invested and involved in. I am looking forward to the challenges of being a third year mentor and stepping up to maximize the acknowledged potential of our team, I am excited to be promoted into the Training department of Student Computing Services with the intention of increasing the production of the department and I am thrilled to continue recruiting and assisting the Office of Enrollment Management as a Cougar Connector, the student ambassador for the university. I also intend to use my time to continue to increase my focus on school and my GPA. The new position would have required a minimum of 10 hours a week, on top of the 20+ I was already putting in my other three positions. It's probably best I didn't get it.

Next, after I had assured myself that I was still a successful person and that it was best I didn't get the position; I looked objectively at reasons why I didn't get it. It's never easy to self-criticize, but I find that "you are your own worst critic," and blunt criticism won't come from any external source – it has to come from within. After analyzing my flaws and weaknesses, I began to take an even more difficult task – I began to look at ways to correct these flaws. Some were correctable for future interviews and positions, others required a process of self-improvement and self-education, all of them could only be revealed after I experienced this form of failure. As long as I can make these adjustments, I will retroactively be thankful for being rejected.

Finally, I ran down what I had to be thankful for. My friends, my family and my situation in life are all positive aspects I have going for me. Many have not been given the blessings and opportunities I have, and I am so thankful for what I have.

Life isn't easy and is admittedly based on chance, but I refuse to let luck and my weak background determine my success. Although I missed this shot, I'm going to rebound back and follow up with a better one.

Compensation

I love doing favors for others. When I assist someone, I put myself in a position where my gifts, ability and blessings are used not for selfish purposes - but for making the lives of others better.

I grew up with little and never believed I had the connections or resources to help others. But as I grow older, I find that I've either gained resources or believe that you don't need much to give. Probably some combination of both.

I really believe that helping others will one day lead to others helping you in a time of need. It may not be the exact same person giving back, but life works out in the end.

Recently I had the oppertunity to do a big favor for someone else. The experience in this case was disappointing. Why? Because I didn't really feel appriciated.

It would have been different if an attempt at compensation or grattitude was expressed. But it didn't happen and I left the situation drained and unhappy. It bugs me weeks later.

But I'm glad I went through this experience. It reminds me that I need to express my thanks when others help me. I should offer compensation on big favors, but at the very least, I need to openly and expressively be thankful for their help.

Not only does it make the one being helped appear to have manners, but it makes the helper feel valueable and important - a trait we all need to feel as human beings.


-- Post From My iPhone

Success

I watched a talk by John Wooden today on TED, and one thing stood out to me.

For those who don't know, John Wooden is considered to be the best college basketball coach of all time.

John Wooden told the audience that his father told him to never compare himself to someone else. Success is not defined by your accomplishments in contrast to your peers and neighbors. It is defined by the achievement of your potential.

So, with this in mind, John Wooden believes that you can lose despite scoring more points than the other team, and you can win when you are outscored. The media and critics may tell you otherwise, but you as long as your play and perform to your potential; you have nothing to be ashamed of.

And this made me think of a Bible parable which never made much sense – until now.

The Bible has a parable which began with a master who gave three servants a task of holding onto money in the amount of 10, 5 and 1 respectively – the currency standard is irrelevant at this point. When the master came back, the servants entrusted with 10 and 5 were able to double their amount and returned their master 20 and 10 monies. However, the servant given 1 took it and buried it in the ground, and only returned the master 1 when it came time to return it to the master. The master berated this servant and cast him away from his resources and protection.

I thought that was harsh and unfair, as it wasn't like he lost it or spent it – and he was given very little to begin with. But now I realize why he failed. He made no effort to reach his full potential and do the best with what he was given. It was unlikely that he was going to give back the master 10 or 20, but he could have given back 2 or 3.

Don't define your success by comparing yourself to others, just do the best you can – and you will still be considered a success.

Some other rules and ideas he shared:

1. Never be late. So you can start on time, and more importantly, end on time.
   
2. Never use profanity.
   
3. Never criticize a teammate, that's your coaches/supervisors job.
   

He also said that the journey is far more important than the destination and gave the example of how he enjoyed the practice sessions far more than the games.

Finally, I wish to leave with this thought that Wooden shared. "Your reputation is what others believe about you, and your character is who you really are. Hopefully they are the same."

Rough week

Man, this has been a pretty tough week. I think I'm going to pull a "coors light" a have a venting session.

First off, the starter in my car broke down. I called for a tow truck and took it into a shop. When I was given my estimate, they wanted to bill me for $1200 to do a bunch of stuff. I ended up doing the bare minimum and only replaced the starter for nearly $500.

Then there's the school stuff, which everyone struggles with. But I've really had a hard time keeping up with 340 and 325. For a Chinese, I'm really terrible with numbers - and it's hurting my grades.

Then I went to play ball at the rec tonight. I was in on two possesions. The first one, I scored a basket. In the second one, I went up for a rebound and landed on another players foot. I rolled my ankle and am currently laying in bed with my fat ankle elevated. I'm going in to see a doc tomorrow morning cuz this thing is rediculous.

Family issues are also bothering me. It's a little personal - so I won't elaborate - but my little bro has reached a critical point in his life.

I missed my appointment for oral surgery to begin the healing process of my teeth due to the breakdown of my car. Which also threw me off.

What's one thing that has kept my spirits up? My friends.

My boys who know their cars have helped given me advice and offered to help to the minor tasks so I only needed the shop to do the big one.

My roommates have been here to walk me around the place with my bum ankle and have iced me and given me crutches. I'd be helpless without my friends.

God has blessed me with good people. And for that, I am thankful.

Life is hard.
But it's the hard times that make the easy times enjoyable.

Let's hope an easy period is around the corner....

-- Post From My iPhone

My ankle

Lessons from ASWSU

The ticket I didn't expect to win, won the ASWSU presidential election today. There were a number of reasons why I thought they couldn't pull it off - but they did.

One losing ticket had current ASWSU members, another had overwhelming vocal support. So I assumed that the winners didn't have much of a chance.

In the end, the only thing we can assume is nothing. Never assume anything. Never feel as though you can predict the future.

The ASWSU election result wasn't an upset -as each ticket was qualified - but I was humbled and reminded how foolish it is of me to judge and draw conclusions without letting the events play out.

Lesson learned, hopefully.


-- Post From My iPhone

The pursuit of an internship

It's been a pretty frustrating few months as I've had the most difficult time securing a summer internship.

I've done a quarter dozen mock interviews and have heard nothing but glowing praises for my abilities and talent.

But when it comes to an actual position, I've only had one interview request - and I made it to the second round before being passed over. And I was passed over for what I believe to be a minor mistake which I have learned and corrected today.

It's frustrating.

I just need an oppertunity.

I've fought for everything thus far in my life.

I guess this is another battle to win.


-- Post From My iPhone

?

Why blog when you can tweet?

http://twitter.com/jonli


-- Post From My iPhone

Perception

We often hear that we should strive to be good people. Follow the rules, be kind and caring.

But the reality is that it's irrelavent if you're a good person or not. You can be good, or you can be bad. You can strive to be morally straight, or you can do whatever makes you feel good - it makes no difference.

What does matter is how the others percieve you - at least initially.

Your surface image is what determines, for better or worse, how others will recieve you and interact with you - which can make or break any further relationships.

It takes great maturity to look past the cover and into the pages right off the bat - and that's what I've been appriciative of over the past couple months.

But once the relationship has formed, who you really are is revealed over time.

In the end, who you truly are matters - we can only hope that others will let us get there.


-- Post From My iPhone

Housing

Note: This will also appear in the next mentor newsletter. Here's the unedited preview.

As the second half of your first year at Washington State draws to a close, reality soon begins to set in that the resident hall room in which you currently reside in will probably not be home any longer. Since the freshman live-in rule no longer applies to you, the world of Pullman becomes accessible to you. But where should you live? Who should you live with? What are my options? These are some of the issues we will be touching on over the next few paragraphs.

Housing in Pullman essentially breaks down into 3 popular categories: resident halls, on-campus apartments and off campus housing.

The residence halls are where you likely spent your first year at WSU. While you experienced a part of what the resident halls have to offer, there's a lot more to explore and take advantage of. Age restricted housing in places such as Rogers and Orton offer age restricted housing, offering single rooms as standard, optional RDA and a quieter living environment. You may also want to try living in the new $26 million dollar Olympia housing, there' plenty more Resident Halls can offer.

On-campus apartments like Chinook and Chief Joe are popular because they are close to campus, maintained by the university, no leases are required and it's affordable. It takes the best parts of living on campus and mixes it with the freedom and independence of off campus living - Chief Joe even pays the electricity bill for you!

Off campus housing can be tricky because they often require leases and require dealing with a third party. Benefits of off campus housing include the ability to own pets and begin to attempt independent living. Some popular off campus managers include DABCO and Hill apartments.

What does this mean? Here's a simple flow chart. If you consider yourself irresponsible, too lazy to cook, lack a car or access to a car and are financially stable, your best bet is to probably stay in one of the resident halls. Otherwise, if you prefer a close location to campus, prefer dealing with the university for rent and are looking for affordability, you should explore on-campus apartments. And finally, if you'd like to own a pet, want extra perks like dishwashers and inside washing machines, might stay in Pullman for the summers and have no transportation issues, off campus housing may be the best option for you.

As far as roommates go, your best bet it to not necessarily live with your best friends. Rather, the best thing to do is live with people who match your style and personality. Try to find roommates who have the same biological clock, cleanliness and responsibility level as you. Otherwise, early birds may get sick of insomniacs, OCD cleaners may hate slobs and punctual bill payers may get irritated by late and forgetful roommates. If you happen to be friends, even better, but the priority should be to find others who share your personality.

The bottom line is to find housing which will match who you are as a person. Just because it worked for your best friend or parents doesn't mean it's the best option for you.

And, as always, if you have any questions, don't hesitate in asking one of your friendly student mentors.

Procrastination Pays Off… Now!

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I'm late to everything… no matter how early I get ready to leave or plan to arrive.

2. I strive really hard to listen twice as much as I speak… despite the fact that I love speaking.

3. I have an inner hunger and drive to succeed… but I try not to step over others to feed it.

4. Yes, I am Chinese… but I absolutely hate math and science.

5. I love driving… although I'm the first to admit there are better drivers out there – I'm too aggressive.

6. This might seem like an oxymoron… but I try to be as humble as possible.

7. I like taking charge… but only when I sense I have the support of the group.

8. I love my mom like no other and give her the utmost respect… even though I'll be the first to admit and concede her many flaws.

9. I am a huge tech geek and love technology… but I hate coding and programming – I can't believe that coding and technology are related.

10. I love playing my violin… even though I rarely play it these days.

11. My biggest fears are failure and disappointing others… although I've come to accept that others will disappoint me.

12. My favorite beach is Makapuu… but parking there sucks and big days make the waves untamable.

13. I love getting to know people… but I get turned off when their mannerisms are nonexistent.

14. I admit, I'm a lane changer… even though I know it doesn't save time – I like being in control, okay?

15. The iPhone is the greatest thing ever… but only when jail broken.

16. I consider myself competitive… but I'm working on channeling and containing that energy.

17. I grew up resisting my mothers' effort to teach me Chinese… one of my biggest regrets today.

18. I have over 60 GBs of music… and have never spent a penny on my collection.

19. I hate watching TV because I feel it's a waste of time… but I'll watch a competitive sporting event any day.

20. I prefer the versatility of bodyboarding over surfing… even though I'll probably end up surfing when I get older.

21. I love to sing… even though I'm terrible at it and most wouldn't call it singing as much as they'd call it talking loudly.

22. Along the same theme, I pick up the lyrics to songs fairly quickly… no looking up necessary.

23. I desire to one day be the father I never had… just not anytime soon.

24. I have this thing for hats… while I could care less what my shoes look like.

25. I never follow the trend and do what everyone else is doing….

~~~

USING ONLY ONE WORD! It's not as easy as you might think! Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers. Be sure to tag the person you received it from!


1. Where is your cell phone? Jeans.

2. Your significant other? Huh?

3. Your hair? Short.

4. Your mother? Heroic.

5. Your father? Lazy.

6. Your favorite? Music.

7. Your dream last night? Nice.

8. Your favorite drink? Milk.

9. Your dream/goal? Succeed.

10. What room you are in? Lobby.

11. Your hobby? Technology.

12. Your fear? Failure.

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Focused.

14. Where were you last night? Room.

15. Something that you aren't? Average.

16. Muffins? Yum.

17. Wish list item? Wisdom.

18. Where you grew up? Honolulu.

19. Last thing you did? iTunes.

20. What are you wearing? O'Neill.

21. Your TV? Old.

22. Your pets? Died.

23. Friends? Love.

24. Your life? Solid.

25. Your mood? Distracted.

26. Missing someone? Home.

27. Car? Toyota.

28. Something you're not wearing? Glasses.

29. Your favorite store? Amazon.

30. Your favorite color? Blue.

33. When is the last time you laughed? Recently.

34. Last time you cried? Cry?

35. Who will resend this? Dunno.

36. One place that I go to over and over? Beach.

37. One person who emails me regularly? Bischoff!

38. My favorite place to eat? Pho.

Snowboarding

Note: This piece will end up being published in an upcoming Mentor newsletter. This is what it is prior to the inevitable edits. Enjoy.

Winter season in Pullman can be frustrating and depressing. No one likes icy sidewalks, freezing temperatures, shortened days and travel limitations. While the common reaction to adverse weather conditions is to curl up into the nice warm sheets of your bed, some individuals will pack their gear and head to the peaks of mountains for some winter action courtesy of skis or snowboards. In the next few hundred words, I'll be breaking down the sport of snowboarding – with information that boarders of all skill levels can use.

The first step to snowboarding is getting your stance down and picking out the right gear.

Here's a test to determine if you are regular or goofy. Stand with legs shoulder width. Then have someone push you from behind – fairly hard. The foot you lead with to regain balance should be your comfortable lead foot. Alternatively, picture yourself sliding on ice. Which foot is in front? That's your lead foot. For most people – those who are right handed – will likely find that their left foot is their left foot.

If you haven't been snowboarding before, there are 3 ways to try gear before investing in your own: your friend, at the mountain or at your friendly neighborhood OREC. For exact fit custom to your needs, you might want to check with the professionals. While renting at the slopes might be most convenient, you can get the best bang for your buck at the WSU Outdoor Recreation Center. The OREC offers an entire snowboard package (boots, board and bindings) for $18.50 a day. And if it's a Sunday or Holiday, it doesn't count toward you days loaned total.

Now let's look at some of the possibilities on this side of the state.

Bluewood – Bluewood is actually the closest slope to Pullman, and is one of the better kept secrets for snowboarding. A straight line from Pullman to Dayton, where Bluewood is located, is roughly 60 miles away. With lift tickets under $40 and hardly any crowds, this place is a winner. Just understand that the lifts are slow and the runs are limited.

Mt. Spokane – Mt. Spokane is a non-profit park, and is another affordable a humble slope. This is a well rounded mountain with even runs for everyone to enjoy. Conditions vary at this slope, and limited visibility is a common characteristic here. Still, Mt. Spokane is a nice mountain to enjoy on off days with good conditions.

Silver – When you'd like to step up a little, Silver is a solid choice. With nearly 70 different runs, Silver has something for everyone. Advanced boarders will appreciate the double black diamonds and have fun on the less traveled Wardner Peak – usually littered with powder. Although many riders often find themselves wishing for high-speed lifts at a resort such as this.

Schweitzer – One of the premier Mountains in the nation, Schweitzer is one of the largest resorts in all of North America. It's not easy – parking is expensive, $50 for students and a nearly 3 hour drive from Pullman – but once there, you'll experience on of the best boarding and skiing runs possible.

Well, there you go. While there are other close mountains like 49 North and Lookout Pass, the list provided should give you some exposure to the slopes around here.

Happy shredding!

F5

Alright, so it's time I paid my blog some attention and give it an update.

So I spent the past couple hours working on a total overhaul. Here are some of the major changes:

• I obtained a domain name for this blog. It is currently www.jon808.com. I attempted some others before this, but the .com's were taken. Nonetheless, www.jon808.com fulfills the core requirements: short, simple and connected to me in an obvious way.
  
• The blog has a more social focus. Similar to the Web 1.0 to 2.0 transitions, my blog has also begun shifting to a social and interactive experience. I've connected it with Loopt, Facebook and Friendfeed. My Friendfeed is integrated with Twitter, so feel free to follow me. I've even added a text messaging widget so that you can reach me from anywhere at any time.
  
• The appearance has been adjusted to be easier on the eyes. Just minor cosmetic coloration changes.
  

Everything else is generally well.

I have a piece of snowboarding coming up shortly which will be in the mentor newsletter.

Hope you enjoy the new look, let me know what you think!

Shoots.