Well...it's kind of quiet here in the office today. After all the rushing and juggling from last week, this week seems relatively slow and easy. Bloody hell, I'll probably just be blogging till 5 pm!
Got the fax from the client just now, and we only ranked second place for the project we went for. Sadly, that's the second interview I went to, and until now, I haven't said a word during the interviews. For those two projects, we didn't nail any of them. So, two loses in a row. That's 0W-2L, .000 PCT.
Chatted with Kwei, Ni, and Bruce the other day on MSN. It's been...10+ years since we knew each other. Kwei and I came to the states in 2000, and Bruce got married and started his MBA program last year. This year, Ni came for his PhD. After all these years, we are all in the states now!! 10 years ago, I'd never imagine I will be working in the US and all my buddies are here as well. Bruce will get his degree next year and move back to TW. We should really get together this year. Most likely, it's going to be during X'mas vacation on the east coast. By then, Kwei and I will turn 30......(and Ni will be only couple days shy from that ...) Geez, time just flew by like nothing.
Ok, that means I still got about 100 days till I am 30 (114 days, precisely). So, what have I done? And, what I am going to do?? It's harder and harder to set up a new goal when you get older. It used to be pretty easy... like pass exams, get a girlfriend, survive from the army... Feel like it's more complicated now. A man at our age must carry somewhat burdens, regardless where he is and what he does.
"Well, so you are 30 years old, big deal?? How's that different from 29??"
Well...that's true. But, I'd rather have the thought and responsibility which drive me. So... there's something I want to do:
1. Golf: just took a lesson, and hopefully I will be practicing on regular basis (as long as Yihann is still here in Bay Area, I don't think this is a problem). Man, this is a pricy sport. But finally feel like doing a grown-up sport.
2. Investment: I really have to come up with something to do with my little, tiny pay checks. The earlier, the better. Nowaday, the interest rate is low, plus you have to pay taxes for what you make from your saving account. Besides, the inflation pretty much kills the rest of it. Maybe mutual fund is a good idea for a lazy man like me. Small-cap, large-cap... so far, they are just crap.
3. Continuing Education: I've been thinking about taking online courses, anything except civil. Something about management or marketing?? Hopefully, I can convice the company to pay for it.
See, I came up with all the meaningful goals, and I am still blogging at work?? I guess 30 isn't really much different than 29......
From this, you guys can sort of get the idea what we have to do in the field. But before that, there's a lot more to be done. First of all, you have to know where exactly the site is, and how the hell are we supposed to get there. Right now, it scares me when I have to go some places I've never heard of. That means FAR and requires at least 1.5-hour drive!! Then, you have to arrange the rigs, call for utility clearance, obtain whatever permits required, and schedule for inspection if needed. Quite often, the job got cancelled or pushed back just because there's one phone call we forgot to make.
For design purpose, it's critical how you choose the locations. For bridge projects, that's easy. Try to stay as close as possible to the proposed abutments or bents, then you're set! What about when you have more than 100 borings needs to be laid out?? Not only you want to stay close to the structure, also, you want the locations will be accessable.
So glad we have google...Zoom in, zoom out, we now can get pretty good idea by just watching the computer screen. How did they do things without computers and cellphones?? I guess I will never want to figure that out.
