LEGO Architecture - Venice

This is one of three sets that LEGO debut in their Skyline series in the Architecture line. The Venice is the smallest of the three at 222 pieces. This is as miniaturized as you can get as far as LEGO bricks are concerned. They managed to fit 5 famous Venice landmarks.

Built on over 100 islands in a marshy lagoon at the edge of the Adriatic Sea, Venice has a skyline that rises from the water to create a unique architectural experience. There are no roadways or cars in the historic city; instead 177 canals crossed by over 400 bridges give access to innumerable narrow, mazelike alleys and squares.

THE BUILDINGS:

RIALTO BRIDGE

The Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) spans the Grand Canal at the heart of the historic city and was built between 1588 and 1591.

The single-span design with a 24 ft. (7.5 m) arch included three walkways: two along the outer edges and a wider central walkway between two rows of small shops. The entire structure was built on some 12,000 wooden pilings that still support the bridge over 400 years later.

BRIDGE OF SIGHS

Designed by Antonio Contino and completed in 1602, the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri) is an enclosed bridge that passes over the Rio di Palazzo and connects the old city prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace.
The bridge’s romantic name is thought to refer to the sighs of convicts as they saw their last view of Venice before being taken to their prison cells.

ST. MARK’S CAMPANILE

The 323 ft. (98.6 m) tall St. Mark’s Campanile (Campanile di San Marco) stands alone in the corner of St. Mark’s Square, near the front entrance to the basilica. The brick structure is 39 ft. (12 m) wide on each side and 160 ft. (50 m) tall, upon which sits a belfry housing five bells.

ST. MARK’S BASILICA

St. Mark’s Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) is the most famous church in Venice and the best-known example of the city’s unique Italo-Byzantine architecture.
The current structure is thought to have been constructed between 1073 and 1093. The basilica is laid out in the design of a Greek cross and the tallest of the five domes reach 141 ft. (43 m) in height.

ST. THEODORE AND THE LION OF VENICE COLUMNS

Two granite columns stand guard at the entrance to St. Mark’s Square (Piazza di San Marco). Both columns are believed to have been erected in about 1268.
On top of the western column is a statue of St. Theodore, the first patron of the city. On the eastern column stands the winged Lion of Venice, the symbol of the second patron of the city, St. Mark.

I'm done.

Why You Don't Need To Use The Oxford Comma

Apparently I'm out for blood on the internet today.

Do you ever question "facts" and "knowledge bombs" shared by your friends? Are you the type of person who just accepts them as truth? Or do you just say "interesting" or nod your head in agreement and forget about it 5 minutes later? Either way, you don't have to use the Oxford Comma.

Here are some of the pictures circulated online showing examples of why you need to use the Oxford comma.

A quote from the preface or dedication page of a book: "Among those interviewed were Merle Haggard's two ex-wives, Kris Kristofferson and Robert Duvall. This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand and God. Highlights of Peter Ustinov's global tour include encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800-year-old demigod and a dildo collector."

With the Oxford Comma: We invited the rhinoceri, Washington, and Lincoln. [Description: a picture of two rhinoceri, President Washington and President Lincoln.]

Without the Oxford Comma: We invited the rhinoceri, Washington and Lincoln [Description: a picture of both President Washington's and President Lincoln's heads superimposed on the two rhinoceri]

Why I still use the Oxford comma.

With: I had eggs, toast and orange juice [Description: a picture of two eggs + toast + orange juice.]

Without: I had eggs, toast and orange juice. [Description: a crude drawing of a person saying "I had eggs" to a toast with a face, covered in orange juice, saying "OK."]

With the Oxford comma: We invited the strippers, JFK, and Stalin. [Description: A drawing of JFK, Stalin and two strippers.]

Without the Oxford comma: We invited the strippers, JFK and Stalin. [Description: A drawing of JFK and Stalin as strippers.]



See a pattern?

It's the same example. The only different scenario is the toast and orange juice photo. Nevertheless, all of these scenarios can easily be understood given the context of the sentence.

Many have suggested that you rearrange words without using the Oxford comma.

Instead of "We invited the strippers, JFK and Stalin"

Do "We invited JFK, Stalin and the strippers."

It still does its job and it's grammatically accurate. However, if you don't want to change the word placement and your intent is to invite the two-piece wearing JFK and nipple-tassel clad Stalin, you can use a colon.

"We invited the strippers: JFK and Stalin."

Grammar is context-based. Oxford commas are still optional. You don't need it. Unless you actually think Nelson Mandela broke bread with Methuselah and appreciated phallic stimuli or you hear voices and talk to orange-juice-covered toasts. Then by all means, use the Oxford comma. No judgments.

*walking away*

I'm done.

You Have NOT Been Using Chopsticks Wrong

So people online have been raving about this new "revelation" regarding wooden chopsticks. Apparently, the tail end of regular wooden (bamboo) chopsticks that come in red or generic paper wrapper provided at many Asian restaurants can be snapped off to act as a rest or holder to keep the tip of the chopstick untouched to the table. Chopstick aficionados, young Asians, and hipsters-alike got themselves questioning their life experiences.

"How did I not know this?"

"Why was I so stupid not to realize it?"

"Why didn't my parents, aunts, and uncles tell me this is how wooden chopsticks work?"

"Did I just bring dishonor to my ancestors and family?"

It's not a thing. You're not stupid. There is no secret. You didn't bring dishonor to your family.

So that everyone will stop sharing these pictures or sites that promote misinformation like they found the holy grail, here's the actual source of the photos: https://www.behance.net/gallery/15793783/Slow-Chopstick-Utensil-Design

Slow Chopstick is a design concept for wooden chopsticks that incorporates the fluted design of the tail part of a toothpick (a very old Japanese traditional design), so it can be easily snapped off. The separated end is used to keep the front end of the toothpick (and with this specially designed chopstick) untouched to the table.

So no. The tail end of regular wooden chopsticks is never meant to function as a rest or holder. This is a specialty product with easily "snappable" ends. You're not "doing it wrong."

Now you're a little bit smarter in an ocean still full of misinformation.

I'm done.

WTF Fridays - 孔明の罠 - Kaizo Trap

A Kaizo trap is a type of video game Hope Spot: You have just finished a difficult challenge, such as defeating a boss, completing a level, or even winning the whole game. The battle is over and you breathe a sigh of relief. Then the game kills you during the victory cutscene, and you have to do it all over again.

The player has to find a way to defuse the trap before completing their actual goal, as their fate is otherwise unavoidable after triggering the cutscene and losing control of their character.

This is what happens in the video. A courageous girl fights 8-bit hell to rescue her man in Guy Collins' animated dubstep adventure.

I'm done.

People at Work Think I'm A Smartass

So we had a meeting on Thursday last week. Usually we start by going over our agendas. This time, our managers decided to let everyone else discuss their projects instead of them talking.

So our guest in the meeting talked about this Sharepoint best practices meeting and to respond and vote for their preferred date for the meeting. One of my co-workers mentioned how she couldn't find the vote button in the email. I'm not expert on Microsoft Outlook 2010 myself, but when you use these programs daily, you tend to pick up how it works or do your own research. Being sincerely helpful, I replied to my co-worker and said "you have to open the email."

The voting option in Outlook desktop client emails is only visible if you (1) right-click on the email itself or (2) open the email in its own window. If you right-click the email, you'll see the word "vote" as one of the options if that email has voting enabled. To open the email, you either double-click it or press "Enter" while the email is highlighted. The "Vote" button will be at the top menu options. It will NOT be present if you view the email in the preview window.

After my comment, my co-worker gave me that look as if I was mocking her. Everybody else laughed. My manager thought I was being a smartass. One of the few times I speak up at work and that's what I said. I didn't realize it until a few minutes later how it all seemed to everyone else. I already knew that most of my co-workers are not as tech-savvy as me. It was at that moment that I realize most people in that room probably didn't know what I was talking about. (There are several other moments from last week when co-workers didn't know what Excel VLOOKUP is, but I digress)

After the meeting, I explained to my co-worker that I wasn't being a smartass. That I LITERALLY meant to OPEN the email. I talked to another co-worker and she didn't see the voting button either until I showed her. It's not really technical. Then again, I'm operating on a highly-technical level compared to them. I guess that makes me seem smarter (not that I'm not). Not a smartass.

I'm done.

Jon Batiste Performs 'Blackbird'

In honor of the release of The Late Show EP and the 52nd Anniversary of The Beatles' performance at the Ed Sullivan Theater, Jon Batiste performs "Blackbird."

Thirty-Two

• In math, thirty-two (32) is the 5th power of two. 32 is the ninth happy number. 32 = 1¹ + 2² + 3^3.
• In science, 32 is the atomic number of germanium. It is the freezing point of water at sea level in degrees Fahrenheit.
• In music, 32 is the number of completed, numbered piano sonatas by Beethoven. It's in the title of They Might Be Giant's "32 Footsteps," Genesis' "The Chamber of 32 Doors," Mr. Mister's "32," and Sum41's "32 Ways To Die."
• There are 32 Kabbalistic Paths of Wisdom. The Hindu deity Ganesh has 32 forms.
• The total number of black squares, white squares and pieces on a chessboard at the beginning of the game.
• There are currently 32 teams in the NFL.
• The number of teeth of a full set of teeth in a human adult, including the wisdom teeth. I only have 28 right now. They took out 5 wisdom teeth when I was 17. Too much wisdom.
• Also, 32 will be me in a few days.

Job

It's been a whirlwind these past few years. Time just went by real quick. My 4th job after college was the longest job I held at 2.5 years. I was 28 when I started. I was a contractor and hoped that it would become permanent. The client company wanted to hire me, but my subcontractor didn't want to lose the spot. I reached the maximum number of hours for contractors. So they had to let me go. They intended on hiring me after 6 months has passed. I wasn't going to wait that long.

From May to October of last year, I was unemployed. I didn't have to wake up early. I didn't have to dress up. As liberating as it sounds, I still had to keep looking. I had money saved up, but I wasn't going to use that. I qualified for unemployment benefits. They deposit an estimated amount to my bank account based on my tax return the previous year. I'd keep getting money each week, provided that I report at least two job contacts each week. I had at least 2-3, maxing at 6 contacts on some weeks. I fielded calls, recruiters, numerous phone interviews, in person interviews, skype interviews... unemployment is busy work.

One job in DC is too good to be true. I was 2nd place and they chose the other person. They opened up a position just so they could hire me sometime in August, but they took too long and did not respond. A was really eyeing this web development job in Baltimore City. They brought me in twice after the initial phone screen and phone interview. They decided on not opening the position and rethinking their plan on the upcoming projects they have. Not sure if they were letting me down easy (bullshit) or they had a change of heart.

I interviewed for a job near the worst company I ever worked for 4 years ago. Turns out they support the same client, but on different projects. I started working back in November. It's a 6 month contract with a possible full-time offer. Out of all my past jobs after college, this is the least technical compared to my last job. I knew this prior to signing the papers. I was hoping there was some leeway with getting into program, but it's not that type of project. We create tickets based on customer/user inquiries about the websites we support. We use pre-approved answers that relate to the specific inquiry. If it's a unique case or something that we don't have access to, we escalate it to the support team or the program team. So when I get free time, I look for ways to optimize certain processes using actual scripts (Excel VBA, batch script, etc). Basically, I'm not challenged enough and I look for ways to challenge myself so I don't get bored.

On top of that, the job in DC opened up. The recruiter texted me a week after I started work. I declined. In January, he texted back saying the job is opening up again and that this time it's direct hire (no contract). I hate it when this happens. Just when I'm settling in my new job with new co-workers who actually understand me and I can hang with outside of work, they spring up an offer that's too good to be true. At the same time, my manager from my last job said they have two openings. And since six months have passed, I'm eligible for becoming a contractor or a full hire. All this from last month. I stopped entertaining the thought of leaving my current job. I just want to do well here. In 3 months, I'll know whether they hire me full time or I'll start looking for another job. I don't think I can do another 6 months of contract work. I'm not getting any younger. I need a full time job with 401k company matching, medical, dental and life insurance and paid time off.

Personal

Outside of work, I'm like a hermit. Other than my friends at work, I don't really hang out much. I go out on Friday nights alone, play at the local Dave n Busters. Sometimes I run into friends and have drinks with them. I watch a movie alone or with my parents if they're watching the same movie as me. Most of the time, I just stay home. I'm content.. sort of. I put a tough face out there, but I'm profoundly sad. There are days where I get sad or feel the existential dread creeping that, instead of curling into the fetal position or cry, it's too much effort that I'm just overcome with apathy.

About 5 years ago, my father's health got worse. Drug use and excessive living has caught up with his diabetes. Any news from the Philippines was mixed with good and bad news. The distance helped in a way. I could consciously block the thought. When I couldn't, I kept myself busy. I was angry when my last relationship ended. That anger helped. It kept the thoughts about my sick father at bay. Over the years, he got worse and worse. His situation was too grave to ignore early in 2013. But I was stubborn. I held a grudge on what he said about my mom and my youngest sister. I used that anger. I was a coward. I had the feeling that his time was coming to an end. I really should have made peace with everything. For over a year, he would call me for various reasons (money or just to talk). I didn't reply. I didn't call back. I let the voicemail pile up. I let the text messages pile up. My sister told me that even though he asks about money a lot, my father just really wants to talk to me. He was lonely. Then didn't call anymore. When he went to my grandma early September 2014, he fell in his room and hit his head. They took him to the hospital. They determined he suffered a stroke. He must have hit his head hard cause his brain was swelling. He was in a coma for a week. Then he died. I cried for two days. Us four (me, my mom and my two sisters) went back to the Philippines 4 days later. We got there at 12 midnight on Sunday. We stayed at the wake the whole day on Sunday. We buried him on Monday. I felt like crying, but I couldn't.

I've cried on several occasions since then. Sometimes it's completely unexpected. When I hear a song. When I see something in a movie. When I see something in the mall. Maybe me being a semi-recluse has something to do with denying the hurt and the regret I feel about my father. I wish I was more forgiving. I wish I have better voicemails of him on my phone. I wish I remember better conversations with him. I wish I have videos and more pictures of him. I wish I had a better relationship with him. I wish I don't have to feel this way. (I don't really know where I'm going with this. I'm diving into my feelings. I'm in it right now.)

...

On the bright side, I try to find happiness in the little things. I do need to take better care of my health. I appreciate what I have. Helping others. Giving back. I'm grown up enough already. I'm the only thing I can be. Me.

*becoming*

I'm done.