Category: Day to day life

Updates on what’s going on with us

Small World

Chee-hoi called today and wanted to tell me something “weird”.

Brett, a college friend of Chee-hoi from Arizona whom he hasn’t spoken to for quite a number of years, called him just from out of the blue one day and congratulated him on his engagement to Fiona. Shocked, Chee-hoi asked how Brett knew about his engagement since he hasn’t told that many people about it. Jokingly (kinda), Brett told him that the news was all over the Internet. “Yeah, right. Whatever.” Chee-hoi replied. That’s when Brett mentioned “WiredAtom”!

Rock on!

My Issues with Volusion’s Import Feature

After spending a few days fiddling with Volusion’s cumbersome interface, I took Skip’s advice and exported the “products” csv file into Microsoft Excel on my Mac. Mass editing 700+ products with a dozen of fields for each product using Excel is way faster than Volusion’s cluttered interface.

I wanted to be sure that once I edited the products, I could upload the csv back to Volusion’s server properly (with special charaters, return characters, double quotes and other unknowns, I just had to be sure). So I started testing with just one product (having deleted all the other products in the spreadsheet). But I kept on getting the same error (the kind of error message that doesn’t explain anything):

An error has occurred.
Please try your request again, or contact customer service for
assistance. Thank you.
Advanced Error Details:

Microsoft VBScript runtime error ‘800a0005’

Invalid procedure call or argument: ‘Left’

D:\DOMAINS\32670\WWWROOT\ADMIN\../../../ecommerce/
_v_3_1/admin/incfiles/db_import.asp, line 1515

Volusion's meaningless error message

I kept trying by editing the csv file with variations of changes in the fields. But it kept on failing! So I emailed the Volusion tech support (they do have a very responsive email support team!). After three emails of standard answers (try this; try that; go watch the import/export tutorial… etc.) with absolutely no trouble-shooting questions (browser type, version, Excel version, how was the file saved, operating system type… etc), I decided they were not gong to be much help since all they were doing was spoon feeding me scripts from a “support manual” they must have internally.

I started to look for answers. It turns out that Volusion does have a not-so-obvious fact about csv files — Macs not welcomed. Here’s the fine print from their manual:

2) [The CSV] File must be generated on a PC, Macintosh is not supported. The reason is that Macintosh uses a different set of characters for line breaks than a PC.

OUCH! (And notice the bad grammar… run-on sentence.)

It turns out the Mac uses a different return character that their script doesn’t recognize. They should put that fine print up front at the actual import/export pages. Or maybe their tech support should have known to ask what OS I was using! Argh!

But no worries, Microsoft Excel for the Mac has a “save as” feature that allows the user to save csv files for Windows (hence creating the right return characters). Why can’t Volusion include this information on their site rather than saying “Macs not welcome. Period.”? That shows their tech support team is either ignorant or just plain lazy to find the right solutions for clients (or both).

Saving CSV files on Mac for Windows

Once that’s done, everything works pretty flawlessly.

From this, I think Volusion has a few more things they need to improve upon:

  • This kind of OS-specific failure is pretty obvious. A warning should be posted for Mac users on the import/export pages.
  • Tech supports should be more proactive in asking questions to pinpoint problems rather than to assume what the client must be using. If the first tech support had asked me what OS I was using, even if he was just a manual-reading robot, he’d have given me the answer in that first reply.
  • They need to provide more meaningful feedbacks on error messages. Many systems do. Why can’t they?
  • Make their online manuals more useful. It’s been less than useful a lot of times when I tried to find something.
  • Don’t be lazy. Find solutions for your clients, even if they are just Mac users.

UPDATE 12/20/2007: After a friendly email exchange with Volusion’s marketing specialist, Michelle Greer, it appears that Volusion has updated their documentation to include the fix I’ve provided here. All in all, I believe Volusion has been very proactive in listening to customer feedbacks and resolving their shortcomings in the years I’ve used them. Kudos to the Volusion team.

Flea Attack

For the past couple of weeks, Grace has been bitten by some mysterious bug somewhere in the house. Since no one else was bitten, we concluded she must have been bitten elsewhere. But last night as Grace was scratching Baobao, she noticed dark little spots on her head…. Hmm… what could that be? With further investigation on Wawa, we realized they were fleas (I saw one crawling on Wawa’s neck myself).

Knowing that there are fleas in the house, Grace wasted no time and hopped into action. She started a major house cleaning — in the middle of the night! She went to Safeway and got some flea control drops and collars. The cleaning went on till 4AM after she washed every piece of fabric, vacuumed every square inch of the house and wiped every surface in the house. I could only helplessly march on with my project and thesis deadlines. Deadlines suck. Alpha Bed Bug Exterminator NYC, being real experts in pest control & K9 dog inspections, successfully dealt with this problem.

We are happy to report that there are now signs of dead fleas. That said, we are not sure how we are going to give the cats baths to get rid of the medication on the back of their head. They have never had a bath!

Fleas suck. Now we gotta restrict Baobao from going outside.

Almost Like A New Ride

It’s been almost a week since my last entry, the longest I have held out not touching this blog. Now it’s time to share some “exciting” news…

We finally got our car back today (thanks to Chee-hoi for the rides). The final damage was pretty hefty…

Labor Operations
Engine diagnostics: $145.12
Fuel injectors replacement: $509.43
Timing belt replacement: $473.75 (also replaced the water pump and such)
Recycling fee: 2.50
Subtotal: $1,130.71

Replacement Parts
Fuel injectors: $482.82
Timing belt: $0 (I supplied my own!!)
Parts cleaner: $10.90 (whatever this is)
Water pump: $169.80
Coolant: $15.31
Coolant lubricant: 1.15 (huh?)
Seal gasket: $5.22 (goes along with having to replace the injectors)
Thermostat: $45.02 (part of replacing the water pump)
Headlight relay: $0 (supplied my own; he didn’t even charge for the labor!)
Subtotal: $730.22

Total (with tax): $1,921.17
(But because I offered to pay cash, I only had to pay $1,800)

Because of this incident, I learned a few things about my car and just cars in general.

  • Fuel injectors rarely go bad; but when they do, they almost always happen on American cars and sometimes, for the unlucky few, on Japanese imports; I am among that unlucky few.
  • You know it might be the fuel injectors that’s bad when your car rattles badly as you start up the engine; and at the same time, the “check engine” light goes on and stays on.
  • When checking for bad fuel injectors, the quickest way is to use an ohmeter to check for electrical resistance. If the reading stays at around 12, that’s good news; if the reading goes beyond 17, prepare to shell out some dough (different readings for different makes and models).
  • When the “check engine” light goes on, always take your car to the mechanic you trust and get it over with. Usually mechanics will charge for checking the computer code, diagnostics of the problem according to the code (it’s not as easy as one might think) and eventually release the code to get rid of the light. Knowing this, it’s not worth the time and money to have it checked by more than one mechanic like I did… On the other hand, if all this is done by the same mechanic, he likely will spare you some cost for the labor.
  • If one injector goes bad, it’s a good idea to replace all six injectors (or four for four cylinder cars). The biggest reason is that the cost of labor would be the same whether it’s replacing just one or all of them. Another, perhaps a better, reason is the new injector will redistribute pressure among the other aging injectors, casing them to wear out more easily. If you are unlucky enough to have another go bad, the cost of labor might cause you to kick yourself in the ass.
  • For newer cars, it’s probably worth it to replace brand new injectors. For older cars (such as mine with 110,000 miles), it’s not a bad idea to replace them with rebuilt injectors by trusty injector rebuilders.
  • It’s a good idea to replace the timing belt and water pump between 80,000 and 110,000 miles for all car types (probably sooner for American cars). If your timing belt ever snaps while in drive, the damage to the engine will cause you to smack your head against a brick wall, and you will find your bank account short of at least a couple of grands mysteriously.
  • Offer to pay cash to get a discount (or ask for one). Everybody loves the smell of $100-dollar bills.
  • If your car came with good injectors, some parts rebuilders will buy them back from your mechanic. They did with mine. Or at least that’s what my mechanic tells me.

The car drives like new and purrs like a kitten. And now that the headlight relay has been replaced, I no longer have to worry about the driver’s side headlight going out on me while driving in complete darkness.

Just for the record, my mechanic is located in Mt. View:

The Car Clinic
181 W. Evelyn Ave
Mt. View, CA 94041 Google map it!
(650) 961-2277

Ask for Tibor if you have mechanical questions. He and his wife are owners of the shop.

Happy 2006

Jason and Alicia came by for the New Year’s. This was the first time we ever hung out so late (other than the time they were staying at our NYC apartment). He did a quick sketch of Bryan which I thought captured certain qualities about Bryan…

Sketch of Bryan

Man, I should pick up doing art again… I miss the artist inside me.

We had some crazy cheese the Jason’s father sent him (which, according to Jason, were from UK!). Having good cheese with 97′ Chianti Ruffino Classico Riserva Ducale… YUM! It’s one of Grace’s all-time favorite wines. And damn is 97′ a good vintage or what! Everybody gulped two glasses before the flavor fully came out though… 🙁

Ah, another year’s passed as my waist line balloons. No matter. I will work it down this year. If the depression doesn’t do it, lifting Bryan all the time probably will. Or maybe it WAS the depression that got me so fat in the first place?!

Jason also took the last picture of Bryan for 2005.

Last shot of Bryan in 2005

Fry’s Electronics Price Matching Policy

I was going to write the first entry of 2006 with something “meaningful”, but I just had to get this thing down before the adrenaline subsides.

I got a label printer at Fry’s to organize all the personal and business files so that I could start 2006 on the right note. Later I went to Staples to get cartridges to refill the label printer, I found out that Staples had the exact same label printer for $10.05 less! So much for Fry’s Low Price Guarantee! I had no luck Googling Fry’s price matching policy. Instead, I found some ramblings about Fry’s. Good thing Fry’s “honored” their claim and refunded the difference.

But I want to make sure the geek community knows what Fry’s Electronics’ “low price guarantee” really meant, so I got a copy… and here it goes…

HERE’S OUR COMPLETE LOW PRICE GUARANTEE!
“We Will Match Any Competitive Price”

Before making a purchase from Fry’s, if you see a lower, in-stock, in-store price at a local competitor, Fry’s will be happy to match the competition’s price.

30-Day Low Price Guarantee”

If within 30 days of purchasing an item from Fry’s you see a lower in-stock price at a local competitor with a low price guarantee, Fry’s will cheerfully refund 110% of the amount of the competitor’s low price guarantee. Or if within 30 days of purchase, a local Fry’s, or a local competitor without a low price guarantee has a lower price, Fry’s will refund 100% of the difference.

NOTE: Low price guarantee for notbook computers, microprocessors, network-attached storage, memory, CD & DVD recorders, camcorders, digital cameras, and air conditioners is within 15 days from purchase date. To apply for Fry’s low price guarantee, simply bring in your original cash register receipt and verifiable proof of a current low price.
All comparisons are based on in-store cash register prices at the time of request. Offer good on all fresh-boxed products of the same exact model in stock at a local competitor. We reserve the right to limit this offer to one of each model. Offer does not apply to wireless phones, and papers that require a service agreement. Offer does not apply when price includes rebates, bonus or free offers or one-of-a-kind or limited-quantity offers. NOTE: Does not apply to expired ads. Fry’s ads are valid for only stores listed on that ad.

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED!
“30-Day Complete Satisfaction Guarantee”

If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your purchase from Fry’s Electronics, simply return it in brand-new condition with the original packaging, along with your original purchase receipt within 30 days, and we will gladly give you a full refund.

NOTE: Notebook computers, micro-processors, network-attached storage, memory, CD & DVD recorders, camcorders, digital cameras, air conditioners, and wireless phones may only be returned within 15 days from the date of purchase. Note: Open software is only exchangeable for the exact same item if defective. See store’s return policy for full details.

It seems like every time I stop by at Fry’s, the return/customer service line is at least 10 minutes’ wait. Today it took me, from start to finish, 22 minutes to get my price match done. And the store is so big that there are so many inefficiencies everywhere (like the return line blocks the entrance, which also blocks the traffic to the customer service area). I simply don’t see this kind of things at Best Buy (though they also have their fair share of issues, I am sure). Sometimes I wonder if bigger is really better at places like Fry’s. And clearly, they often don’t have the lowest prices even on a local level. Staples, on the other hand, makes me feel cozier than Fry’s (though their electronics selection is far from being able to compete with Fry’s).

I try to like Fry’s. And I hope my shopping experience with them improves. After all, there are only so many places a geek can actually enjoy hanging out at.

Python Explods Trying to Swallow Alligator

Well, this “news” isn’t exactly entertaining, but it sure is amazing.

An unusual clash between a 6-foot (1.8m) alligator and a 13-foot (3.9m) python has left two of the deadliest predators dead in Florida’s swamps.
The Burmese python tried to swallow its fearsome rival whole but then exploded.

The remains of the two giant reptiles were found by astonished rangers in the Everglades National Park.

The rangers say the find suggests that non-native Burmese pythons might even challenge alligators’ leading position in the food chain in the swamps.

The python’s remains with the victim’s tail protruding from its burst midsection were found last week. The head of the python was missing.

Ouch. And Grace thought her headaches and stomach cramps were bad. 😉 It’s a bit tricky to identify where the python’s body ends and alligator’s body begins at first glance. But it’s clear the alligator’s hind legs were tangling inside “something”. Yuck.

Python bursts trying to swallow alligator

via [BBC News]

Remembering Filip

After reading a sad story from Michelin’s blog, it stirred up a long forgotten memory my consciousness had buried somewhere deep in my head — the passing of Filip. He died in a freak accident caused by a car crash visiting his family in Belgium.

I dug up an old journal I used to keep in college (only for a very short while) and found the entry on Filip. It dated January 6th, 1996 (sunny), the day when we held Filip’s memorial service. Even now, almost 10 years after Filip’s death, my heart is still heavy thinking about him. Amazingly I still have a picture of Filip from the memorial service as well as drafts of eulogies from Andrea (Filip’s girlfriend at the time) and Billy (Filip’s best friend). The entire entry was about how unwilling I was to accept his death and that I wasn’t ready to let go of his physical existence as a friend.

But I guess human brain does have a damn good way of dealing with traumatic experiences. Much of what I wrote in the journal regarding Filip’s death I can’t recall anymore. I wrote about what I did the day before the service and how I felt I still hadn’t done enough. The only thing I can vaguely recall is the sense of loss and sorrow I experienced. But no details. How silly is that? Ironically, in the same entry, I wrote that though I was saddened with the loss of Filip, I knew this wasn’t going to be the last funeral I attended.

Only months after Filip’s passing, another acquaintance at SCAD also passed away. He was driving back from Texas after a school break when his body was found in his car which had crashed into a tree on the side of the highway.

Years later after I had started working in New York City, I heard the most surreal news over my cell phone through a friend who was sharing an apartment with me at the time. A mutual friend of ours from college had been murdered. We flew back to Savannah for the memorial service a few days later.

Sometimes I couldn’t help but sigh at the infinite potentials these people would have had had they lived to enjoy them. Having attended three funerals of my peers in the short ten years I have lived in the United States has been overwhelming. But memories of their passing seem so laborious to recollect. The little that I could salvage will probably make the consciousness shove them even further down the subconsciousness where those memories will probably never see the light of the day again.

As I write about Filip and the other friends, perhaps I am also finally letting them go emotionally. Filip’s memories live on as his family set up a scholarship fund in his name at SCAD.

Pork Belly

I was giving Bryan his daily routine bath at its routine hour (at around 7PM), except this time I didn’t bother to change to shorts. There comes times when you feel confident in doing something routine enough that you just know nothing can be messed up. So as I sat on that tiny stool, trying harder than usual to bend over to wash Bryan’s hair, immediately I felt uncomfortable with something. And that something is giving me a hard time, hurts even, to bend over further to the normal position at which I typically give Bryan bath.

It turned out that it was my stinking fat belly. No more jeans.

The belt in my jeans unnaturally restricted my belly from getting out of my way like a nice pair of shorts with elastic waist straps would. When you can’t give your child bath bending over, that’s when you know you are too FAT!

I actually don’t eat that much (anymore). I mean, the only thing I don’t do is exercise. Where’s the crime in that? God I hate skinny people. It’s true, I used to be one.

I gotta look into that “cut the calories” program. Rumor has it that it’s going to be big. Or maybe this is a good time to go vegetarian full time!

But meat… so… hard… to… give… up… Hmm… Meat…

Car in the Shop

So I dropped the car off at the nearest AAMCO on El Camino Real this morning. Without a car to get back, I took the VTA bus. Not knowing anything about the public transportation system in Santa Clara County, I Googled and found a great website with a nice trip planner.

Since waiting for the bus was such a boring event, I decided to time my journey back home. It took roughly 10 minutes waiting for the bus, that was after I just missed one as I crossed the 8-lane street. But the ride itself home only took about 16 minutes with the bus stopping a number of times in between. A 10-minute car-drive took about 30 minutes to travel with public transportation. I have a new found respect for those who have to take public transportation, as I did in NYC, on a daily basis. I can’t imagine how long a one-hour drive would be on a public transit…

The mechanic was supposed to call me back today on the status of my poor Infiniti J30t. But I guess they were too swamped with all those cars that were already on the lot when I arrived this morning (at least a couple dozen).

Better luck tomorrow.

Dental Visit

Stopped by the dentist today… The assistant must have taken a dozen or more x-rays of my teeth. They said this is part of the procedure required before anything can be done to my fractured tooth. That, plus 10 minutes of the actual dentist peering into my mouth, lectured on the importance of flossing (which I do), cost me $220. And no, I didn’t even get my tooth fixed.

But they gave me a quote for a list of things to work on in the following visits:

Tooth #8 (upper front-right tooth filling) — $360
Tooth #9 (upper front-left tooth filling) — $360 (also chipped when I was a kid; needs to be redone)
Tooth #20 (cavity) — $290
Tooth #29 (cavity) — $290
Tooth #2 (cavity) — $380

Total: My left arm and right leg (or $1,680)

In Thailand, I can get all that done, plus mouth cleaning and whitening for less than 1/3 of the price with the same quality and standards (Thai dentists that I know of are almost exclusively trained in the UK or US). But then again, I am in America. And I pay the price for it.

Panicked. I Googled some more and made sure those online insurances WILL cover some of the operations. For those of you who are unemployed and looking for an individual or family plan, Deltacare dental plans in the San Francisco Bay Area is probably the best bet. There are other ones like Aetna, GE (and some cheesy one called “Patriot” ) simply aren’t as popular among dental offices I called. But everyone seemed to know Delta.

With insurance, my initial visit with all those x-rays would have been free (on paper anyway; I’ll find out the next time I visit a different dentist). And those front tooth fillings would cost, at maximum, $150 each. Big difference. So that’s my $220 lesson for today.

The catch is, of course there’s always a catch, I can’t make any appointments before February 1st, 2006. For some reason, insurance companies like having rules like that. The rule says, if I signed up after 21st of any given month, the coverage doesn’t start until the 1st day of the second month (meaning, skipping one month). SO STUPID! Argh… I am sure there’s a “good reason” for this kind of rule. But it sure as well un-human centered. And I thought these kinds of rules, especially when it comes to healthcare, are supposed to make things easier for the patients.

So I paid $170 to sign up for both Grace and I (don’t think Bryan needs a dentist anytime soon just yet). Hopefully the savings will add up to at least that amount.

Tomorrow I take my car to get checked up. Let’s see what the damage is there. But for sure, it seems like $600 – $800 worth of repair is in order. ARGH! I can see in America (or any country really) how the poor can easily become poorer with no healthcare. They just can’t win with or without insurance (since the really poor simply can’t afford either).

A Christmas Proposal

At around 12AM this morning as Grace and I prepared to watch a DVD, we got a surprise Christmas present from Chee-hoi, one of the last remaining bachelors:

On Dec 25, 2005, at 6:55 PM, Cheehoi Chua wrote:

…I proposed to Fiona and she said yes! She’s moving to bayarea next month!
woohoo!

😯 !!!!!!!!!

HOLY SMOKES! He’s done it. He’s decided to take the plunge tie the knot with Fiona! An equally shocking development was to find out that she was moving to the Bay Area within a month! Woah.

It took me a couple of weeks of agony in going through the “how I know if she’s the one….” stage. I went through some counseling with a few people on that one.

And of course, this blog entry wouldn’t be complete without my reply to this great news…

Congrats! OH MY GOD! HOLY COW!

You sure fricking kept your cool when I was taking you to the airport, JERK!

Grace’s so happy that she can’t even take a shower…

Fiona, Grace is looking forward to your moving here… Chee-hoi, welcome to the married-men’s club (almost). I will show you the secret hand-shake when you tie the knot.

Chu

Congrats! 🙂