Chua is in Seattle

It’s not a game unless blood is drawn

seechuatravel — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:46:51 +0000

So played softball with my sister and her friends today. Nice day although I’m not the greatest player. But there was a highlight to this day…
We rewind two? years ago when playing the usual get together basketball game with enloe people. I drive the lane, a small elbow flails and someone catches the stray elbow. Bloody nose, perhaps broken. I end up being the jerk that broke the bro’s nose.

I approach the batters box and get ready to rip the ball. I was told if the ball goes straight back that means you timed your swing perfectly just wasn’t the right level with the ball. Well that happened… and the catcher (who JUST arrived) takes it in the face and I end up breaking his glasses. No broken bones this time, I don’t think… but blood was drawn.

It was just worse because I was with people I didn’t know. But I just went on, apoligized, and left soon after.

Monday tomorrow, back to the work, eat, sleep routine. Have a good week.

Happy Birthday Joe

seechuatravel — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:46:12 +0000

Happy Birthday Joe.

Everyone else… Happy flag day

Rock Paper Scissors. SHOOT

seechuatravel — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 16:37:07 +0000

The game we all know and use to decide meaningless things.

The question is… When do you throw your item?

- Rock Paper Scissors. SHOOT

- One Two THREE

On the third or fourth count?

I also saw a squirrels tail on the sidewalk. He prob lost to scissors. Can a squirrel live without its tail?

Work, eat, sleep. Repeat.

seechuatravel — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:47:04 +0000

It’s been awhile since the last update, but nothing new has happened. Just work eat sleep and repeat. Went to another Mariners game the other week. They lost, Griffey didn’t play… AGAIN… AND Ichiro lost his hit streak. Oh and their loss was in extra innings. So it was garbage.

In the almost 4 weeks I’ve been here. Here are some things I’ve learned.

- There is a Steven Chua within Microsoft who someone wanted to eat lunch with and emailed me. I accepted, then told them I wasnt the right person.

- It does not rain every day like people think. It hsan’t rained in 2 weeks.

- Getting on the bus at 5 means getting home at 7. So I leave at 4.

Had a morale event yesterday. We went to a park and did “team building exercises”. It was cool to just get out of the office and play. We had to like do tasks as a team and solve it together and what not.

Next week is another morale event and we get to go kyaking, that should be fun.

Baseball Game

seechuatravel — Sat, 23 May 2009 22:32:44 +0000

Stefanie got home today. When I got home it was time to grab a quick dinner and then it was off to the baseball game. Parked at her friends apt and walked to Safeco with abunch of her pharmacy people. It was against the SF Giants. Randy Johnson was the starting pitcher for SF and I have no idea who was playing for the Mariners except Ichiro. Griffey was out of the lineup tonight, bummer.

After climbing what seemed like Mt. Rainier we finally reached our seats. We were the furthest seats back and probably as high as you could get, but it was suprisingly a very good view. You can see Quest Field in the background of the picture (where they play football).

It was a fun time, sometimes it was more entertaining seeing people try to start the wave. It did go all the way aroudn the stadium which was pretty cool because I’ve never seen that happen before in real life but it got old real fast. The coolest part was probably between innings where the guys just play catch to warm up in the outfield and the infielders throw groundballs to each other. Reminds me of playing catch in the backyard (hi Joe).

We ended up leaving after the 7th inning when it was tied 1-1 because Stef had work this morning at 7am. The game ended up going into extra innings and I still have no idea who won.

Nice weather the past 2 days after that horrible rain, hopefully it’ll stay that way throughout memorial day. 3 day weekend for me… YES!

I took a guitar family picture. Guild, Martin, Taylor, and Yamaha. Specific types I don’t know so don’t ask.

hot beverages conduct heat

seechuatravel — Thu, 21 May 2009 02:37:05 +0000

That is what is printed on the cup here at brilliant MS.

Nothing new going on just getting settled in with work. I finally got my bus routes down and have been using it properly for two days.

But the new realization is that it sucks being a sports fan on the west coast. Hockey and basketball that is going on with a 7 or 7:30 start time means that it starts at 4 our 4:30 here. Even an 8 o’clock start means 5 here which means I miss most of the game. So all the people reading this on the east coast, don’t take your time zone for granted.

Stef comes home tom. Going to a Mariners game. That’s all for now, sorry boring post.

No pictures either.

FIRST DAY OF WORK!… and second

seechuatravel — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:42:49 +0000

5/18: FIRST DAY OF WORK

6am: wake up

6:30: walk to transit center

6:52: bus arrives (its like the first day of school)

7:30: arrive on Microsoft campus (did I get off at the right stop?)

7:50: arrive at building for orientation

9:30: start orientation (thought I had to be there at 8… )

Until 3:45:

Listen to random people try to talk to me and ask what kind of computer I use and the specs…. not cool
Try to have a conversation about any current sports or the recent UNC championship and realize they had nothing to say…. not cool.
Judge people on their choice of first day of work attire (shorts, teeshirts, sneakers)…. very cool.
Paperwork, listening to random information while staring at a mountain trying to figure out if they were the Cascades or Olympic Mountains, texting on the cool iPhone at Microsoft, waiting until I could go home…. not cool
Realize that I’m in a building with 150 interns and only 5 girls… not cool at all.

4pm: Meet my team

5pm: take a shuttle to Overlake transit Center ( I needed to be at Overlake Park and Ride how stupid)

walk around trying to see if there is a close bus stop near me

6pm:

Get a shuttle and go to a building close to a bus stop I know and walk to that stop (it starts raining)
Walk across the street thinking bus will be on that side to realize it will be coming on the other side (6 lane street btw)
Get on the bus ( I hope this brings me home)
40 min later I arrive home

5/18: SECOND DAY OF WORK

Same as yesterday but a bit cooler. Got my office and comp set up. Went to another orientation but this one for Office. Just more reading and meeting new people but these ones are part of the team I’m on so they’re cool people. Get ready to go home and another which side of the street dilemma (I’m at a different building location than yesterday). I choose one side, ask a guy standing there where he’s going and he tells me the other side, then see my bus pass me from the other side. Moral of story… Microsoft has some dumb people. Oh it starts raining also… suprise suprise. Takes like 40 min for the next bus to come and now I’ll be stuck in the traffic. Got home and ate and rested. Not the best past days. I hate rain yet I act suprised each time it rains here.

Guitar shopping!

seechuatravel — Sat, 16 May 2009 23:12:28 +0000

So today was designated guitar shopping day. After 5 hours of shopping at 4 guitar shops we finally found a winner. Went out with Paul and just went around music shops looking at their selections and just messing around with the guitars. I’ve never gone guitar shopping before and it was quite an experience. I was afraid to knock any of the guitars and to even touch the 5000 dollar guitars. I was looking for a cutaway style so i can reach past the 12th fret but didn’t want a built in tuner with it (apparently the two come together a lot of the times). I looked at others and then played one and it sounded nice, looked nice, good price, so that was the winner. A martin.

Oh I also found a troll hiding under a bridge.

Dinner time now.

Bye bye stef/MY STUFF CAME!

seechuatravel — Fri, 15 May 2009 00:18:59 +0000

Stefanie went to San Fran for a week for some conference thing. So I’m stuck in a city I don’t know about with no food ready at hand for 10 days. Good thing her friend has taken me under his wing to make sure I’m not lost. She woke me up super early again today and I stayed awake as usual. Did the same stuff as yesterday pretty much. nothing.

Finally my packages arrived. I was getting worried just because I don’t like waiting all day for them. I called UPS and asked the update on my package since the tracking number didn’t help. She said it would be in by the end of the business day (it was 4:30 here). Then right at 5 I hear the knock and there’s all my stuff in 3 big boxes. This kept me occupied for at least an hour.

Watched the Celtics lose and the Canes win then I went to the grocery and got some things to bring for lunch when I start (mon the 18th).

Settling In

seechuatravel — Thu, 14 May 2009 00:38:48 +0000

My sister had to go to work and leave here at 7am, that meant I got woken up by accident also and couldn’t go back to sleep. My packages were supposed to arrive today(pc, monitor, clothes/shoes/etc.) but apparently I didn’t give them an apartment number (even though I know I did). I even put a postit note on the door saying to call me and I politely got rejected with a note saying “no phone”. Lame.After settling things out hopefully they will come tomorrow.

Played a lot of my sisters guitar and hopefully I’ll be buying my own acoustic this weekend. Ate a burrito Stefanie made for me before I got out here. Saw the penguins massacre the caps in hockey while enjoying spaghetti with my sister and her friend (hes sick at guitar).

Finished the night watchign pixar’s ratatouille and sleepign on the floor.