It is the same distance, same street, and same building;
It is the same time, same traffic, and same weather;
It is the same person, same pocket, but different feeling.

How come everything is the same but my feeling?
What makes my heart bumping up so quickly?

ONE check of $20,000 vs. TEN checks of $20 each.

How come one $20,000 check increase my heart beat 100 times faster than ten $20 checks?
Aren’t ten $20 checks thicker and heavier than one $20,000 check?
But why I get more nervous when I carry only one $20,000 check?

Is it because I am afraid that one $20,000 check would be robbed unexpected?
Is it because I know what one $20,000 check could do for the client?
Or is it just simply because one $20,000 check means quality?

What IS New York?

Is it 抽象具体 the Big Apple?

Is it 象征意义 the Statue of Liberty?

Is it 鼎鼎有名 the Time Square?

Is it 满期飘扬 the United Nation?

Is it 变成废墟 the World Trade Center?

Is it 紧张忙碌 the New York Stock Exchange?

Is it 群龙聚守 the Wall Street?

Is it 金光闪闪 the Golden Bull?

Is it 高耸无比 the Empire State Building?

Is it 购物天堂 the Soho?

Is it 地下心脏 the Grand Central Terminal?

Is it 美丽清静 the Columbia University?

OR

Is it 花花绿绿 the advertisements?

Is it 人山人海 the crowds?

Is it 五步一停 the traffic lights?

Is it 乱停霸道 the taxis?

Is it 无处不见 the messiness?

Is it 街上堆积 the garbage bags?

I guess what really makes New York New York is the FREEDOM of everything.

I UNDERSTAND You

I LIKE You

I WANT You

I MISS You

I LOVE You

I HATE You

Those are the most common THREE magic words for the relationship.

How do they connect?

Meet you at first,

Get to talk to you,

Seem like everything you say makes sense,

Feel like I totally understand every word from you, even the non-sense ones.

The more you talk, the more I understand you.

By understanding you little by little, I like you more and more.

To a level of liking you, I want you to share my life for every second of it.

If I haven’t heard from you for awhile, I miss you painfully.

After missing you day after day, I realize how much I love you.

Because I fell in love with you so deep, “I hate you” is not in my dictionary.

I always focus on the result more, because that is THE most important thing.
So the process before that, I usually pay less attention.

For example, I only concern the most if you graduate from university at the end,
for the questions of how you graduated, what grade you got, which major you chose, etc.
I care less because I know they cannot be answered in one short sentence;
there are so many details that are unique and different for the past four years.

Up till now, I realized how WRONG I was.
Even though the result is important, the process is even MORE important,
because that made you who you are, and that affected the result enormously.

Recently, I heard one big news from other people instead of YOU.
I was completely shock.
Not so much about the news, but more about why YOU didn’t tell me.
I gave YOU so many opportunities, times, and chances,
but YOU always ignore them purposely.
I don’t know if YOU were concerned about me or didn’t want me to hurt,
so YOU never mentioned one word about it.
But do YOU know by doing so, it can hurt even MORE?

If YOU don’t want me to know,
YOU had better cover it well and never let me find out about it.
But if YOU cannot, YOU should tell me directly.
It might be hard for YOU to say, especially say it in front of me,
but sooner or later, one way or the other, I will know it.
I rather hear it from YOU than from other people,
because that shows YOU are brave, honest, and trustworthy.

If this is the punishment for me of being realistic,
I think this cost is so crude, harsh, and painful.

When you are standing on the 33rd floor at the First Hill Plaza:

-          Everything becomes so small that you feel like big, enormous, giant and powerful;

-          Everything turns into insignificance, like the distance, the size, and the height;

-          Everything shortens up which feels like a movie condensing a lifetime into a 90 minutes;

-          Everything blows away: no more stress, depression, upset, sadness, and confusion.

When you come down to the 1^st floor on the street:

-          Everything becomes tall: the building, the tree, the sign, and the people;

-          Everything turns into reality: you can touch the ground, hear the car horn, and see the leaves on the tree;

-          Everything stretches up that you need three minutes to walk one block;

-          Everything knocks on your door: the future, the job, the relationship, the bills, and the tiredness.

I KNOW I KNOW

I know I should update my space long time ago, BUT
 

YESTERDAY

I have been cooking a lot due to signing up Costco membership via my employer account.

I have been playing games all evenings recovering from my first practice GMAT exam.

I have been helping a friend of my boss for a fundraising party in and out.

I have been searching different places for an awesome mountain bike.
 

TODAY

I have been practicing driving for my first driving exam, which coming up on August 4^th.

I have been browsing various types of cars for my future use after getting my driver’s license.

I have been working several clients for their second quarter tax forms: L&I, SUTA, FICA, FUTA, and 941s.
 

TOMORROW

I have been watching Korean drama, the longest episodes – Jewel In The Palace.

I have been looking forward to my working visa anxiously for months.
 

MOST IMPORTANTLY

I have been waiting for one person to reply on my space patiently.

I have been feeling down because I could not get in touch with Terry on his birthday.
 

I AM SO SORRY…

Out of all the Medias we are using today,
the Letter,
the E-mail,
the Messenger,
the Text Message, and
the PHONE,
the most powerful tool is the PHONE.

WHY? I don’t know for sure.

I don’t understand why we can both

- calm down quietly when we are over the PHONE;

- focus fully on the conversation when we hear each other’s voice through the PHONE;

- think of something to laugh about when the PHONE is next to our ears while laying on the bed;

- keep going one after another second by second when we are in the PHONE call;

- hope we could talk a little bit longer when we see the clock on the PHONE moving so fast.

That’s why I love the PHONE more than any other tools.

I am so bored that I want to talk to someone;
I feel so lonely that I desperately need someone to chat with;
I have nothing to do right now so that I want to find some companies.

BUT WHO SHOULD I CALL?

Strangers – You don’t even know their names?
Classmates – You don’t even know what they like outside of the classroom?
Parents – You don’t even know whether they are off working or not?
Friends – You don’t even know if they have time for you?

SO WHAT SHOULD I DO?

“Do NOT think! Just give them a call.
Since you are not sure if they up for it, that’s why you call them to find out.
If they have time, they will talk to you;
If not, find someone else who has time for you.

Because at that particular time,
you have time to make the calls and talk to someone,
you need that special person to share your boredom, loneliness, and emptiness, and
you can realize who your real strangers and friends are.”

SO TAKE THE RISKS AND MAKE THAT PHONE CALL NOW!

Letter

It’s something you can hold on and read off every time you miss it;

It’s those hand written words make you feel warm and caring;

It’s a priceless value that will last forever.

It may take couple hours to think about it, organize it, and write it;

It may need to wait in line for a while at the post office;

It may travel internationally for weeks before you can open it;

And when you read it at that time, the mood may be different than when it was written.

E-mail

It’s fast, easy, and simple;

It’s easy to find, to keep, and to delete;

It’s environmentally good for the nature – save the trees.

It might be too fast to make mistakes;

It might be soon delivery to the junk mail folder accidentally or purposely;

It might be not as secure as you thought.

And when you see it everyday, the intimacy and the charm of hand writing will be lost.

Messenger (MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, QQ, Google Talk, Skype, etc.)

It’s quicker and instant;

It’s a live chat and has an interaction;

It’s a great tool to make more new friends.

It perhaps is more interesting to have false gender, age, name, laugh, meaning, and stories;

It perhaps is too addicted facing computer 24/7 and sitting all day long;

It perhaps is not very time sensitive or important when you chat because you can do it next time.

And when you use it at work, you won’t get your work done due to chatting consistently.

SMS – Text Message

It’s short, funny, and effective;

It’s cheaper than calling;

It’s voiding all the uncomfortable sentiment, shyness, and fear.

It probably is a new advertising channel;

It probably is too distracted when you receive or reply too many;

It probably is not convenient to explain complex questions or tasks.

When you type it a lot, the only exercise you can get is your thumb.

Phone

It’s an immediate reaction for the mind;

It’s an emotion checking by recognizing the voices;

It’s an awesome media to share your happy or sad moments.

It is possible that you will end up paying a big phone bill;

It is possible that you could forget what you say and hear five years ago;

It is possible that you are calling at the worst moment and bad place.

And when you are on the phone, you can only image their emotions because you cannot see.

BUT if you can meet in person, everything above is needless.

BUT the question is if you can meet all the time and whenever you want.

Taxing times

Because April 15, the traditional deadline for filing federal income-tax returns, falls on a Sunday and the following day is Emancipation Day, taxpayers across the nation will have until April 17 — next Tuesday — to get returns in. Emancipation Day is a legal holiday in the District of Columbia.

The April 17 deadline will apply for 2006 federal individual income-tax returns, whether filed electronically or on paper. It also applies for requests for an automatic six-month tax-filing extension, whether submitted electronically or on paper; for 2006 balance-due payments, whether made electronically or by check; for 2006 contributions to a Roth or traditional IRA; for individual estimated tax payments for the first quarter of 2007, whether made electronically or by check; and for individual refund claims for tax year 2003, where the regular three-year statute of limitations is expiring.

Other tax-filing and payment requirements affected by this change are outlined in IRS Publication 509, Tax Calendars for 2007, online at www.irs.gov/.

Under a federal statute enacted decades ago, holidays observed in the District of Columbia have impact nationwide on tax issues, not just in D.C.

Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company

What’s the difference between male friend and boyfriend?

How different are they?

Is there a clear cut line between the two?

男性朋友与男朋友的区别

作者: lotang (人民群众) 发布时间: 2006-12-01 18:06:38
http://club.ppstream.com/topic/10013/233084/1.html

男的朋友:半夜会找你电话聊天到很晚
男朋友::半夜看你在网上会赶你下线

男的朋友:他会找你出去玩,叫你放弃正事或旷课
男朋友:他会催你快做作业,或者与你讨论功课

男的朋友:在你生病时,会讲好话关心你
男朋友:在你生病时,会关心你到烦,并强迫你去看医生

男的朋友:他会尽量说好话来讨好你,你也会觉得他很棒
男朋友:他所说的话,都是关心你的但通常象是在命令

男的朋友:他什么事都配合你,只要你高兴
男朋友:他会帮你辨别是非,但你会觉得他管得太多

男的朋友:他说他会给你最大的快乐
男朋友:他只能给你保证,你跟他在一起,他是最快乐的

男的朋友:他在意你的生活细节,即使你做错了什么,他也不会指出来
男朋友:他会注意你的一举一动,告诉你什么地方做错了,什么地方该如何做,该如何与别人交往

男的朋友:他会帮你买夜宵,送夜宵,载你上下班或上下课
男朋友:他会帮你买夜宵,但是会提醒你吃什么比较健康;他也会载你上下班或上下课,但通常是顺路,因为他不会为你逃课或旷工.因为他知道,他要为你们的将来作打算

男的朋友:他不在意你去做什么,与什么人交往
男朋友:他很在意你做什么,与什么人交往.他还会告戒你不要和什么人交往

男的朋友:他只想现在
男朋友:他已经预见将来,该怎么自我努力,好好给你幸福

男的朋友:他会说,我喜欢你
男朋友:他会说,我爱你

朋友们,你们分得清楚身边的男/女朋友对你们是怎样的呢?能清楚的分出来吗??

I want to add:

Male friend: Can only be male friend but not the boyfriend.
Boyfriend: Can be male friend and boyfriend at the same time.

It means 360 minutes, which equals to 21,600 seconds.
It is not a long time comparing to our lives,
but it can be a long time for other things.

It is the total for three movies’ length;
It is the period for a full day classes that are five credits each;
It is the distance for driving back and force from Seattle to Portland.

Usually, talking over the phone
With classmates to confirm the meeting time is 20 seconds;
With employer to discuss the schedule and tasks is 15 minutes;
With parents to report the daily life, current issue, and future plan is 1 hour.

SURPRISINGLY,

With someone who only knew for less than a week and had never seen before
to chat the weather, the interest and hobby, the personality, the “if statement” and so on
could last for ¼ day in an early Saturday morning with the exhausted bodies.

That was long, unbelievable, exciting, adventurous, crazy, and AWESOME!

After you graduate, besides “Congratulations!” that you will hear a lot,
it is the questions of “What’s next? Any plans after the graduation?”
My reply will be, “Emm…I don’t know!”

Maybe I just wake up couple hours later than I used to be;
Maybe I could relax a bit like watching movies comparing to struggle with homework;
Maybe I will travel somewhere for awhile since I have some time off for myself.

But even with those plans, it seems like I still didn’t answer the question:
“WHAT IS NEXT?”

They want to know if you will go back to China after the graduation;
They are trying to see if you are planning to study for the Master;
They are curious if you have a job offer already;
They would love to hear if you will have a girlfriend soon.

If so, why they couldn’t ask me before my graduation? Why NOW?
How come they want to “remind me” NOW that I don’t have time left to decision my future?
Cannot they just feel happy for me and let me think by myself for NOW before I can answer it?

What’s YOUR next?

要想去桂林旅游，住在阳桥附近是不错的选择。阳桥是桂林市中心杉湖和榕湖之间的桥，
公交车到芦笛岩、七星公园、西山公园都可直达，到象山、漓江延杉湖、正阳步行街步行即可。
晚上坐船游“两江四湖”也方便。距离火车站、长途汽车站也可直接到。

要想住在阳桥附近，立新饭店（0773-2822605）是不错的选择。其优点有三：

（1）不论住在哪一侧的房间都能看到湖景，晚上格外漂亮；
（2）设施很新，房间干净，住得舒服；
（3）房价便宜。

希望立新饭店可以让你感受到桂林的魅丽！

详情请见：http://guilinlixinhotel.spaces.live.com/ 

I am not sure if you are really my friend who I have known for years, to be honest.

Because if you are, why are you so polite to me when you know we are "dog meat"?

Because if you are, why do you need "鼓起勇气，憋足了耐心" to write me an email when you know you can write emails to me with anything even without courage and patience?

Because if you are, why do you ask me for help when you know I will do whatever you say for sure?

So let me who you really ARE, pal!