Speed Networking.

Yesterday evening, I participated in my first speed networking event. You may be asking what exactly is a speed networking event? Well, it's very similar to speed dating. The only difference is that it's not a date, but a networking event. You are given two and a half minutes to talk about your agency before a bell rings to signal it's time for the other person to talk about their company/agency. In that short period of time, you get the gist of what the other person is about. After five minutes, you either sit or move to the next table. I ended up sitting for the whole evening so it was the other party who kept approaching my table. At the end of the conversation, you get to exchange business cards, and if either party is interested, you follow up with the person.

In total I networked with close to twenty people from different and varied backgrounds. The ultimate goal is to get the word out about our agency. I had a very positive experience and am planning to sign up for the next speed networking event. What I really liked about it is the fact that in a very short period of time, you get to meet different people and connect with them. I had already planned to have a luncheon with a lady who works with minority groups next Friday. The goal is to get the word out to these different groups that our agency exist to assist them.

It's amazing how many people have never heard of our agency. Most people think that their only option is either an assisted living facility or a nursing home. Most people do not know that because of our agency, we are able to keep people independent in their homes yet receive some services that they will normally receive at assisted living facilities. You can randomly ask anyone when they grow old if they would rather live at home or move to a nursing or assisted living facility, and nine times out of ten their reply would be to live at home. That's why our agency exist.

My personal goal by attending the speed networking event is to get people to think about options that are available to them when they grow old. It's never too late to think ahead. It saddens me when I receive phone calls asking for assistance and after speaking to them they'll say that they wish we knew we existed a long time ago. That needs to change as soon as possible.

Of all the people I met, only one person, yes, just one person was familiar with what we do. So, in that sense, it was a huge success for me to be there. I managed to speak to the organizer and he encouraged me to attend the next meeting because it's important to get the word out to as many people as possible that we do exist and we are here to help.

Click on the link below to read a write up in the papers about the event.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070301/BUSINESS/703010378/1029/BUSINESS&GID=As8Jw9tZYIxdrZ39GXOLghuHR6iRPUeamdI4tbcCFxI%3D

Snow, and lots of it.

Yup, the title says it all. We got quite a lot of snow on the ground. I've not been out yet, but will be in a short time for Mass. We'll see how the roads are. When I was out yesterday evening, as predicted it was sleeting but really, the roads were not bad. John and I were supposed to go to a classical concert, but it was rescheduled for another date. The art center where the concert was to be performed was closed due to inclement weather. So, I ended up reading in my apartment. It was eerily quiet because the power to my dish went out so I could not play any music in the background. Once in a while, it's nice to just be in the presence of silence.

After Mass today, I'll be headed to the bookstore and get caught up with some books and magazines then it's off to Ann's place for dinner. She had invited me over today and I'm still planning on making it unless the weather turns really nasty. I'll give her a call letting her know that I'm still planning on coming. That's kind of how today will end up. I don't forsee a lot of people on the road because with weather the way it is, most people tend to stay off the roads.

The week that was.

After the festivities of CNY, things have calmed down a little which is nice for a change. Our agency was closed on Monday since it was President's Day, and I did not do too much. I hung around the apartment and caught up on some dvds.

Tuesday, I brought some food into the office to share with staff as a CNY celebration. Oh, here's a funny story. So, I picked the food up from the restaurant and on my way back, I knew I had to get some gas. Can you believe my car ran out of gas twenty feet from the gas station?! See, it really doesn't pay to be cheap and to wait until the very last minute to get gas. In all my years of driving, I've never run out of gas before. There's always a first time for everything. So, instead of walking to get gas, I called AAA and told the customer service person where my car was located. She kind of chuckled knowing exactly where the car was because even she commented that the gas station was twenty feet from where my car had stopped. The irony of it all, when AAA called to get the service to me, this was the gas station that brought me the gas, yeah twenty feet from where my car was parked. Heck, I could even see the truck driving towards my car from the gas station. How could one not laugh about the whole situation! When word got out to the staff as to what happened, I brought loads of laughter to them.

Wednesday was Ash Wednesday and I went to Mass at 5PM. Our parish has organized a soup supper and I signed up for it. The students were dishing the soup. There was a pretty good turnout which is always nice. After dinner, I walked over to Drake for the final home game of the Men's Basketball. It was a very exciting and close game. In the end, we won and for the first time in twenty years, we have a winning season. That's a huge accomplishment and something all of us are extremely proud of.

On Friday, the diocese had the Rite of Election down at the cathedral and as the RCIA Coordinator for our parish, I was present with my cathecumens and candidates. It was nice to see so many people welcomed as elect and come Easter will officially be welcomed to the Catholic Church. Overall, it was a nice celebration. There was no Mass, but just the Liturgy of the Word and the Rite of Election itself. John and I went out for dinner after the celebration. Oh, I received the DM Symphony schedule for the 2007/2008 year and it's going to be a good season. We've both decided to sign up for it. With my student discounts, the tickets cost close to nothing.

That's kind of how the week has been. The weather is supposed to be nasty today which is why I'm kind of cooped up in my apartment. Right now, it's raining, but sleet is predicted and soon some snow. So, what that means is that the rain and sleet will soon freeze making it a layer of ice. On top of the layer of ice will be snow. Ice and snow is never a good combination. So, we'll just have to keep track of the weather in the coming hours. I'm actually headed to Ann's place for dinner, but depending on the weather, I may just have to cancel. I don't mind driving in the snow because it can be really fun, but with ice underneath the snow, things are going to be a little dangerous.

I've died and gone to heaven.

So, the focus of the day was on the CNY dinner. By the way, Happy Chinese New Year to me and everyone who celebrates CNY! Since it was a special day, I decided to spiff it up for Mass and that normally throws people off guard. You see, I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy for Mass so whenever I dress up, those who know me well always wonder what's up!

Dinner was at 5PM and I was a little early which was fine. I spoke to the chef letting him know that I was there for dinner and he was ready for me. The rest of the people started trickling in and I had time to see what one group of people had. It was nice to see that they had ordered off the menu too. I could not get a good glimpse of what they had, but one of the dishes was spare ribs. All I know is that they thoroughly enjoyed their meal and thanked the owners profusely. Looks like the restaurant has their fair share of regulars.

Our meal started with a nice chicken soup the way mom made it. It had chinese herbs and was very flavorful. Talk about a good way to start a meal! The dishes then came fast and furious. Not in any particular order, we had tofu with beef, baby bak choy, salt and pepper shrimp, steamed chicken, sweet and sour pork and finally, steamed tilapia with scallions, cilantro, garlic and soy sauce. How can I even do justice to tell you how the food was? Let's just say I thought I had died and gone to heaven!!! The food was that good and do I even need to say that it was as authentic as can be? You bet it was! Even the sweet and sour pork was good. It was not the best I've had, but definitely the best here in US and that's saying a lot. I loved the steamed fish and the shrimp the most. Heck, I loved all the dishes, but those two stood out the most. The others really liked the chicken and shrimp dish. The only thing that was left were some chicken which I took back home with me. John summed up my dining experience the best - we heard very little from Anthony over dinner, because he was thoroughly enjoying his meal and taking the entire experience in. I even took photos of the dishes. Yeah, it sounds kind of corny, but I could not resist it!

What a way to start the new year! When it came time to pay, I said thank you to the chef and his wife. Both of them were cooking and were very appreciative. I asked them if I were to bring a list of food written in Chinese, would they be able to cook it and they said it should not be a problem. That's just music to my ears! I'll most definitely be back and that's a promise. I do not make promises because when I make a promise, I keep it. But in this case, I know I'll be back! Now, I just need to start plotting the next group to bring to this restaurant.

That's all for now. Happy Chinese New Year once again.

A Wonderful Evening.

Talk about a great way to pre-celebrate Chinese New Year. I did a little shopping today since mom insisted I at the very least wear a new shirt for Chinese New Year. Thank goodness it's President's Day weekend so there was an abundance of sale events at the different malls. I ended up getting a shirt and that's what I'll be wearing to the Chinese New Year dinner tomorrow. I am not and have never been a huge fan of shopping, but it's been such a long since I've shopped that it was kind of fun. I got a couple of books for Lisa and Matthew. Lisa will be in town over the weekend and this is the first time I'll see her new baby boy, Matthew. A number of us who worked together at Drake will be having dinner on Monday night. I'm pretty sure we'll have fun catching up with one another. Panom and her kids will be joining us too. Talk about a pretty large gathering! Looking forward to it.

So, why was it a wonderful evening? Well, after Mass, I went to an Afghan restaurant for dinner. The restaurant has been open roughly a month now and I've been meaning to try it. The only other time I had Afghan food was in Chicago. I had an appetizer, soup and for my entree, I had lamb kebabs. Overall, the dining experience was good. I'll probably go back there again in the future to try other dishes. I try my best to support independent restaurants and how many of you can say you have an Afghan restaurant in your neighborhood or city?!

After dinner, Joel and I went to to a jazz concert and the performer was Diane Reeves. She won a Grammy last year for best jazz vocals and has been nominated for a number of Grammys over the years. She had an amazing and impeccable voice and that shone through over the course of the concert. Diane tours with a bassist, pianist and a drummer and they all do a wonderful job complementing one another. Like Joel said, the concert had a lot of improvisation and it reminded him of years gone by when he went to jazz bars in Detroit where he grew up. We and I can safely say, everyone in the audience were treated to a spectacular concert. When you stop to think about the fact that DM managed to reel in such a powerhouse artist, that just blows your mind! The concert definitely made my evening. Jazz concerts are not meant to be dissected. It's meant to be experienced - body and soul. That's how you appreciate jazz. Diane certainly got us in touch with ourselves! I left the concert beaming. Talk about a good way to ring in the new year. Yes, tomorrow is Chinese New Year! Yay!

Cantonese food and Valentine's Day.

I have two very interesting things to write about this time. The first took place on Tuesday. I should provide a little history to set the tone. In November of last year, I read a restaurant review that utterly intrigued me. The reviewer went to a Chinese restaurant called Wong’s Chopsticks in Johnston which is a suburb of DM. What really drew my attention to this restaurant is the fact that they supposedly cooked authentic (non-Americanized) Cantonese cuisine. The restaurant does have its “regular” standard Americanized Chinese food, but those in the know can call and order different dishes off the menu. The bonus is that the owner/chef speaks Cantonese!

So, for the past couple of months, I’ve been trying to get a group of people to go to this restaurant with me and since Chinese New Year is right around the corner, I did get a group together to celebrate the New Year at this restaurant. Granted, the group consists of priests, Kristi and I, but it’s still a group nonetheless and they are an adventurous group who are willing to try something new and different. I called the restaurant to make sure they were going to be open, and the guy I spoke to was very friendly and confirmed that they were open for dinner. I then proceeded to ask him what’s the best way to go about ordering the dishes, and he said if I can go about describing the dishes, the chef will know what I’m talking about. I did a pretty good job overall, but was stumped when I could not think of the Cantonese word for beef. The guy asked me if I spoke Cantonese, and I said a little. He then passed the phone off to the owner/chef, who started rattling off in Cantonese. Now, it’s been years since I’ve spoken Cantonese for a long period, and you can only imagine me stumbling through the conversation. However, I’m proud to report that we got the dishes ordered, and he knew what I was talking about. Can you tell I’m excited about dinner on Sunday? You bet your bottom dollar I am!

I was so thrilled about this whole experience that I e mailed mom to ask her to gather my aunts and uncles and come up with a list of Cantonese cuisines written in Chinese character with an English translation next to it so the next time I go to the restaurant, I’ll be able to order some truly authentic cuisine. Now, you may be thinking what’s the big deal about going to a Chinese restaurant and ordering a meal? Well, let me just tell you that not living in a city that has a Chinatown, this is a huge deal. With larger cities that have a Chinatown, you can get truly authentic Chinese cuisines. But try as I may, no such restaurant exists in good old Des Moines and this is something I direly miss. I’m trying my best not to get my hopes up too high, but how can I not? This is very monumental news for Des Moines. I can see this restaurant becoming my number one restaurant in Des Moines for a truly authentic Chinese dinner. Needless to say, the report of my dining experience will follow after I get done with dinner. Stay tuned. Oh, the cherry on top of the cake would be his wife specialized in Dim Sum. Yes, Dim Sum - One of my all-time favorite types of food. If and when this restaurant starts serving Dim Sum, I’ll be going there every week! They’ll get to know me so well it’ll be scary. Now, now, I should not start counting my eggs before they hatch.

On a totally different subject, as all of you know, yesterday was Valentine’s Day. Not to sound like I’m anti-Valentine’s Day (or maybe I am), but yesterday was not a fun/good day for me. Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love/relationships/couples etc., so where does that leave us singles? We stick out like a sore thumb where everyone else is all lovey dovey and having a twinkle in their eye. You could not imagine the number of red and pink colors I saw people wearing. It was kind of nauseating. I do believe for the most part, I kept my “cynicism” to myself, but it was a pretty downer day for me. Thank goodness the office had a “Beat the Winter Blues” lunch that coincided with Valentine’s Day. Food always makes me all warm and fuzzy inside and let me tell you, there was an abundance of food in the office. I brought some chocolate chip cookies and there was a smattering of salad, chili, sandwiches and dessert. I stuffed myself to the point I did not even have dinner.

I had sent an e mail to a friend telling her about my true feelings about Valentine’s Day, and she said that my thoughts on it would probably change if I were dating someone or in a relationship. I highly doubt that because when I was dating Kate a number of years back, I cooked her a nice meal and baked a cheesecake. She was utterly thrilled. We could have gone out for a nice meal, but I figured it would be so much more fun for the both of us by me cooking her something. What really sealed the deal was the fact that I cooked something I never cooked before, and baked for the very first time. She was most impressed. Now, for me, that’s what Valentine’s Day is all about. We as a culture/society are too caught up in the commercialized aspect of Valentine’s Day and are contributing to their profit. If you truly love someone, you don’t need a special day to show that love. You should show your love every day through your words and/or actions. That’s so much more meaningful than sending your significant other a mushy card and flowers on a day when that has come to be an expectation or norm. I’ll get off my soap box now. Am I truly anti-Valentine’s Day? I don’t believe so. I just feel that it’s been blown way out of proportion and the industry is making a killing. All this could change when I meet my special someone, but I hope not.

I’m glad I went to the Drake Basketball game last night because at the very least, I got to cheer for my alma mater, and it made the day go by faster. We won which was an added bonus, but for me I had fun doing something I like to do. By the time I got back to my apartment, I surfed the net a little and replied a couple of e mails then it was bedtime. When I got up this morning, the one thing that came to my mind was the fact that it’s no longer Valentine’s Day. That was a very good feeling at least for me.

Boy, reading this blog over, I just feel that it’s been somewhat negative, and I really don’t mean it to be negative, but what’s a blog, really? It’s a journal for one to express one’s thoughts and feelings. So there, you have my thoughts and feelings. Now, I’m just looking forward to CNY celebration on Sunday. I know I’ll have a lot of fun that evening for sure.

Pork Chop and Malaysia.

Talk about a great subject line! Yesterday evening, John invited me to his parish for a pork chop dinner served by the Knights of Columbus. It seems they've been serving this dinner for a number of years now and it's so well attended that they always sell out. John had a couple of tickets and since I've never been to one of these dinner and did not have anything going on, I accepted his invitation.

Dinner was served at 7PM and we sat a the table with the Walker family from St. Catherine's. I've known this family for quite some time and they have a son who is deaf but he's a really neat guy. Another priest, Fr. Jerry Stessman joined us at the table. The Walkers had to leave early since Linda works as a surgical nurse over the weekend. The food was good and there was more than enough to eat. Later that evening, another couple joined our table this is where the story takes a Malaysia turn.

Larry and Kathy Zimpleman are this wonderful couple who've heard of me through John and also because they know I'm from Malaysia. This was the first time I got to talk to Larry and Kathy. Such a neat couple. The topic of Malaysia came into the conversation and they shared with me that they'll be heading to Malaysia the beginning of March. Larry will be there on business while Kathy is there to tag along. I asked them if they would like to meet dad and mom and they said they would be most delighted. They'll be in Malaysia not more three days but they'll make time to see my parents. As I talked to Larry, I soon realized that he is the COO (pretty much the second in command!) of Principal Financial Group which is a Fortune 500 company that has its headquarters in DM. They are in a joint venture with CIMB-Principal Asset Management Berhad that has its office in Bukit Damansara. It seems that Larry works closely with Najib Tun Razak's youngest brother who owned this Malaysia company. How small a world we live in! We started talking a little about Malaysia politics etc. and it was so refreshing for me to meet this guy who has a pretty big business venture in Malaysia. Larry also mentioned that Principal bought the second largest bank in Malaysia so now, they are second only to Maybank.

What struck me the most about Larry and Kathy is that they were such down to earth people. The only way I found out who Larry was, I had asked John about him. It's people like Larry and Kathy who garner a lot of respect at least from me because they just did not have any airs about them. This guy will probably end up as the CEO of Principal Financial in a couple of years yet he's so very down to earth. I wish more people were like them. While speaking to Kathy, I told her to list down a couple of things that would interest her and I'll try my best to tell her where to go. She's such a fun lady and she said that she can't wait to meet dad and mom as they'll be quite a lot to talk about. As a tourist, there's no better way than to meet a local and chat with a local and try some local cuisine. I'm sure dad and mom would be up to meeting up with them.

Whoever said we do not live in a small world most certainly have not had some of my experiences. It's these experiences that will just blow your mind! That's my big news for the weekend.

Miracle of Life.

When the term miracle of life is said, what comes to mind? It's gotta be babies! Yup! I spent Thursday evening hanging out with Matt and his little one month and a half old baby, Delaney. Angie had an evening class so she was not at home. However, her parents were in town to visit. This was the first time I got to meet them. Nice, laid back people.

Earlier on, I had told Matt that he needed to make sure Delaney was awake. By the time I was at the house, she was sitting in this little rocking chair looking all content. Hey, life for a baby is really simple. All they do is eat, sleep and poop! It was really kind of neat seeing her in the rocker and she soon fell asleep for a short nap. What was really cute is seeing her try to stay awake and her eyes closing intermittently. Finally, she was out and had no care in the world.

I had asked Matt what time would she get up and he said whenever she was hungry. That would have been thirty minutes and almost like clockwork, she was up after her short nap. Babies have a way of telling you when they are hungry. She did not wail, but she's been known to do that. To see Matt and Delaney was sheer bliss. Talk about love in action. You can tell he loves her to death. Oh, I should mention that Delaney has this bright blue eyes and both Matt and Angie were blonde when they were kids. So, needless to say, this kid will be a gorgeous blonde and blue eyed kid! Matt and Angie will have their hands full once she's a teenager.

It was so enlightening seeing Matt as this new father. Here's this former jock acting all goo-goo-gaa-gaa over a kid. I guess that's what a kid does to you! It blows my mind why anyone would get married and not have kids. I know some of the reasons why couples choose not to, but still I just don't get it. Raising a kid up in this world is not an easy task yet at the same time, knowing that you're responsible for another human being is downright profound.

I told Matt that I'll come visit once a month. Just to see how much Delaney has grown in a month is utterly amazing. Babies truly grow at an unimaginable rate when they are that young. I'll attest to that. Next time I see her, she'll be able to see more clearly and hopefully react to this Asian guy! I can go on and on about kids so I should just stop here.

Drake Basketball.

I finally made it to a Drake Basketball game on Saturday. They've been having a pretty good season this year and for some reason or another, I've not been able to make it to a game. Ray and Mary sent me an e mail asking me if I wanted to go to the game on Saturday and it was a big game - Drake vs. Creighton. They had a single ticket for the game from someone who could not make it. The rivalry over the years has been intense to say the least. Creighton's fans love to travel to support their team so it made for a very good game.

There were a couple of upgrades that were made to the stadium. For example, there's now a digital scoreboard that also screens the game in real time. The lighting is much brighter too and it's those little changes that make all the difference. One thing that really struck out to me is how much the students come out to support Drake. When I was a student, there was not a lot of support from the students. It's the opposite now. Drake's fans can be a little overwhelming and intimidating to its opponents, and that's a good thing in my books.

All in all it was a neat experience. We lost the game by five points, but we definitely made the game interesting right to the end. It's nice to see Drake alive and well. What's more comforting is to see the Des Moines community come out to support its team.

On a side note, the weather the past couple of days have been in the single digits. Yes, single digits without the wind chill. Needless to say, that's cold! I had to return a couple of dvds and cds and after I got that done, I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning my apartment. I also did some laundry. When the weather is this cold, the last thing you want to do is be outside. So, what better way to spend a cold day than inside cleaning the apartment! I think the forecast is still predicting cold weather in the next couple of days so it'll be interesting. I just can't imagine those homeless outside in the cold weather.

That's all for this weekend. I don't believe I have anything too exciting going on this coming week, but that could change in a heartbeat.

Phantom of the Opera.

I had the luxury of watching Phantom of the Opera two rows from the front and let me just say it makes a whole lot of difference. The one and only other time I saw Phantom was at the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis almost nine years ago. That in and of itself was a good experience considering I was still a student and could not afford good seats. This time, by subscribing to the Broadway series, I got first dibs when it came to Phantom tickets. That's pretty much how I ended up with an excellent seat.

Unbeknownst to me, the person who played the role of Phantom was here in DM for the New Year's Eve concert featuring the "Three Phantoms". At that concert, I was impressed with all three men, and it was nice to see this guy in his Phantom role. I only found it out when I read the program. The role of Christine was played as well as anyone could play the role. I've not heard of her before, but she did a fine job. The music of Phantom of the Opera is very familiar to me, but to sit upfront, you really feel like you're part of the musical. At the end of the performance, I left a happy man.

I got a backstage tour once the musical was done. One of the RCIA candidates had asked me if I wanted a tour because her dad is on the production crew and I said certainly. For as long as I've been going to the DM Civic Center, I've never been backstage or onstage. So, to walk around backstage and onstage was neat to say the very least. I got to see where the costumes were, and this is something you probably did not know, but some of the costumes cost roughly $60,000 - $80,000 each! Yeah, that right! To look at the props and all the different lighting and staging were an eye opener indeed. Needless to say, I've come to a much deeper appreciation for musicals more than ever before. Now I can understand why it would take the musical "Lion King" weeks to get everything ready before opening night. It's a huge production to get everything up and running.

What a neat way to end a Thursday evening. I still had a smile on my face on Friday morning at work and was very free in sharing my Phantom experience with whoever wanted to hear!