careful, these may get stuck in your head

http://www.upbuttcoconut.com
http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com
http://gprime.net/flash.php/llamasong

additions 4/18/2007:
http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/magical+trevor/
http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/magical+trevor+2/

learning languages

in no way do i profess to be a connoisseur of languages. but i like to learn useful phrases in various languages ... y'know, just in case i should have need to use them. and since i am likely not the only person that could find these useful, here's a sampling of my collection so far:

• onde é o banheiro? (portuguese for, "where is the bathroom?")
• qual é seu nome? (portuguese for, "what's your name?")
• maytanong ako. (tagalog for, "i have a question.")
• si no lo puedes pagar, no lo debes comprar. (spanish for, "if you can't pay for it, you shouldn't buy it.")
• moshi moshi oshima shimai. (japanese for, "hello sister oshima.")
• yachab behtak. (arabic for, "may Allah destroy your house.")
• nata taka mme. (swahili for, "i need a husband.")
• tahimik ka at halikan mo ako. (tagalog for, "shut up and kiss me.")
• sa palagay ko, makakagawa tayo ng mga maganda bata. (tagalog for, "i think we would make beautiful babies.")
• kuh lien mayo run eye nee. (mandarin for, "how sad that nobody loves you.")
• venha cá, meu amor. (portuguese for, "come here, my love.")
• haben zie ziech etva in miech ferliebt? (german for, "could it be that you have fallen in love with me?")

that's it for now. please feel free to make any corrections/additions/suggestions.

chocolate?

i recently conducted a poll among my family members and i appreciate your opinons. and now, it is with some dismay that i make the following announcement ...

seeing as how a majority of those polled (60.0%, to be exact) have expressed a concern for the amount of chocolate i currently consume, i have decided that i will abide by the results of this scientific study and refrain from purchasing chocolate for one year. now, since i haven't technically purchased any chocolate since beginning of february, that will count as the start date for this exercise. therefore, the following will now restrict my chocolate consumption during the year starting Feb-2007 and ending Jan-2008:

1. no purchasing chocolate for my own consumption -- in a recent discussion, my sister was quick to think of other possible requisite purchases of chocolate, and it was decided that purchases of chocolate as gifts *for others* are allowed. of course, her concern was whether or not i could purchase chocolate for her. the answer is yes.


2. eating any and all chocolate currently hoarded up in my room is allowed. waste not, want not.


3. gifts of chocolate from others to me are certainly welcome and even encouraged but there can be no "payment" or "exchange" made on my part for any such kindness.


4. the chocolate drought officially began Feb-1-2007 and officially ends Jan-31-2008.

any and all comments/encouragements/concerns/doubts/gossip are welcomed.

thank you.

review comments

okay, so i have been with my firm for just over 6 months now, so i am still officially considered the peon. that's okay. i just have one thing that bothers me. well, at least just one thing today. well, one thing that will be the topic of this blog.

so, the skinny on how things generally flow here: my senior assigns me certain "cycles" to complete which include analyzing a handful of processes within the client's accounting system, answering a bunch of questions, and then when i am finished the senior will review my work and return it to me with "review comments". sounds innocent enough. but i cannot even express how frustrated i get when going through these review comments. and that's when things are done in the order i just described.

but ... today.

okay, so friday my senior asked me to just attach everything i was working on -- whether or not it was finished -- answer as many questions as i could, and send all my work to him. so ... i did. and i even included notes here and there indicating that this spreadsheet wasn't finished, or that spreadsheet just needed one or two more things, etc. i thought that would be sufficient.

nope.

got my "review comments" back today. and i am not even kidding -- 7 of his comments were "please finish and sign off". as if i thought i was done just because i had attached the spreadsheet. grrr. i just think it is ridiculous. i mean, what does a review comment like that do, besides just irritate me? is it supposed to help me resolve some issue? is it supposed to point out something i wasn't already aware of? grrr.

anyway, i'm really not that upset about this. i was earlier today. but it's a good thing i forget stuff quickly. makes it easier to let go and move on.

a beginning

i was washing my car yesterday and thought of something interesting. can't remember it now. hmmm.

maybe it will come back to me later.