I Am Back...

It has been a while, perhaps a long while since last time I wrote my last blog since July, when I left Siemens and tried another sting at the same company I worked for back in 2002-2003. This time, I quit after only 2 months, because the company kept me busy - very busy since the first week after I joined them. Well, too much work that sometime I spent 16-20 hours a day! Yes, I made a lot of money as contractor, but losing a lot of sleep as well. The reason that I left that company - again - after just 2 months, because I am not the "Superman" that they think their money can buy. Then a friend of mine - a former DBA at WAMU called me one day, asked whether I wanted to take over his position at a large health care insurance company, because he got a full-time position at another company. His phone call was like my prayer's answer from God, because I already started looking after I realized that  I am not going to get any help soon, even though I already told my Director one month into the job that I won't be here more than two months if he didn't hire at least one more person to help me.

 

The building where I spent 2 "relaxing" months as compared to previous one.

Anyway, after a couple phone interviews, I got the job, which I replaced my friend at the insurance company. Unfortunately, two months into the contract, one Friday afternoon, I was surprised to hear that my manager has been let go and left the building without a good-bye word, which I knew soon or later, the project I am supported will be cut as well. Sure enough, one week after that I was back on "vacation" again. Oh well, quickly I booked for a trip to Houston, Texas for relax and scouting for a possible place that we'll moving eventually in the near future, as Kathy and I had planned for this trip early this year, and this event provided us a chance to get away.

We landed in Houston, Texas on a sunny day and a toasting temperature at 87F, compared to a wet and cold weather with 40s degree in Seattle. We stayed at my sister's house in Woodland area, a new town just created only a couple years ago and it was the reason why my Garmin GPS didn't recognize the address, so my brother-in-law told me just go to the Woodlands Mall nearby and I followed him home.

Woodlands Mall's water tax,which for $5 ticket, you can have a ride along the water
way for a sightseeing around the new town.

I had been in Texas before, it was back in 2006 when I attended a week long conference in Dallas, but since it was a work related, I didn't have a chance to go out much during the day, only at night - so I didn't realize how big Texas is, up until this time. How big was it? Well, from one town to another is almost an hour drive each way - compares to 30-40 min in Washington state. We went out for dinner at the Woodland Mall restaurant, looking out a small public park with family and children gather, playing around. The atmosphere reminded me the peaceful area of the 1975-76 when we lived in Salt Lake city, Utah. The Texans also very polite and straight talk with their no-nonsense principle. It's a culture with principle that I was looking for. Recently, the governor of Washington state "declined to sign an agreement that would allow the fingerprints of every person booked into local jails to be checked against a national immigration database."  That and the latest news about the Governor also agreed to pay 85% of the medical insurance for state workers, given me more reason to get out of WA state, because I know for sure, by not sharing the illegal immigrant, who committed crimes, information to the Federal agency, this state will become a magnet for other illegal immigrants from all other states to come here, and continuing give-in to the powerful Union boss, the tax payers in this state will pay for it for decades to come and I don't want to be a part of it.

Every Election cycle, one particular party always bring out the slogan "The gap between rich and poor getting wider and wider" as their battle cry to stir up angry among the Have-not in order to get their votes. It reminded me of the game I played on my younger brothers when we were kid. As a oldest than two other brothers, I had a task to cut and divide a large piece of watermelon between three of us, which normally I cut myself a bigger slice, then cut in half the remain for my younger brothers. Anyway, one brother complained about why his piece smaller than the other, which I was gladly to be the "fair" judge by cut a thin slide of the others' portion (and I ate it) so to make my other brother happy. Well, this time the one that had a "bigger" slide just a moment ago now whined about his piece seems smaller than his younger brother! I did the same routine, which I ate the portion I cut off from my youngest brother to make the other happy. It didn't take long for my younger brothers to realize that I was the one benefit from their complain, and I didn't bring any justice whatsoever to them, but only rob them their foods.
Well, the political parties use the same "technique" that I "invented" long ago without paying any royalty! LOL.
They used the gap between rich and poor ploy to fool the naive, who didn't even know the elephant /government is getting bigger and bigger, stand in between. If one just Google or search the information on how big and how fast the government sector has been growing since 1990s, they shouldn't be surprised to see the rate between few hundred percent to thousand or more percent. The rich and filthy rich will continuing making and keep more money, thanks to their wise investment and savings (or worse, benefit from the crook politician that they bought with their money). The poor are easy being con by the "middle-man", blaming the rich for all of their problem, not realize that the big elephant in between slowly eating away, ruin their country.

Anyway, after more than 4 months without writing any new blog, I am just glad that I have a few moment to post a new one so family & friends - except for the part about I lost my job since mid-November and the  funny stories about Job Interview process that I just went through, but that will be the next blog, which I hope if any hiring manager should read, and basically it's one "never" can perfectly prepare for a a interview, regardless how good we are, sometime just 5% of luck will decide the whole thing.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, May God bless you all with love & wisdom till the end.

Cheers,
Sam