tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61353752024-09-08T23:33:43.572-07:00Leo Chen's first blog. It's a personal blog, no specific topic, just random walk of his inner space. His idea, his appreciation, his review, his critic, his love, his life ...Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.comBlogger265125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-36179068710174157032012-11-17T23:58:00.004-08:002012-11-17T23:59:19.347-08:00

Kindle Fire HD is a hiker's tablet. Why?  Because of the loud speakers with it. I hiked in Mission Peak today, carrying my Fire HD device as a music player. There are several reasons that Kindle Fire HD is the hiker's best tablet. * The Dolby-enabled stereo speakers output great music.  It is clear and can be heard with couple of meters. * The music playing can last as long as 60

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-38602854544784395322012-10-26T21:51:00.001-07:002012-10-26T21:53:04.268-07:00

How to become a Dropbox Guru? I just become a Dropbox guru. Don't ask me what is a dropbox guru. Pls google it. I just know that they give me 48GB space for free for 24 months. Let me tell you how-to based on my own experience.  After my dropbox account registered, I installed the client on my pc, mac, ipod, and android platforms. I liked their facebook page, twittered, and registered the

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-13347716791229734262012-03-09T13:34:00.000-08:002012-03-09T13:34:27.755-08:00

I've been a hotwire customer for couple of years, booked many hotels, and cars via the hotwire website. It works like priceline if you want to get a deal. You are guaranteed a price and they will provide the hotel/car info only after you paid.  So, basically, you have no way to know  in advance for the hot rate product. Sometimes, you are surprised with the final product they booked

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-16874219920572752382012-02-03T23:31:00.003-08:002012-10-26T21:53:23.835-07:00

I moved to Silicon Valley from last September.  Almost 5 months till today. Life in Silicon Valley is very different from my life in Vancouver, Canada. 1. living. There is no life without a car in the US. The public transit is not comparable to Metro Vancouver, where we had skytrain and many bus services. Unless you are living and working close to BART, I heard that the public transit is

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-33607248865615898692011-12-04T16:09:00.001-08:002011-12-04T16:14:17.583-08:00

I went to the shoreline baytrail to watch bird today. It's my first official birding experience and I enjoyed it. We've found: willet, pintail, american avcocet, coot, sandpiper, red tail hawk, seagull, northern shoveler, cavanasback, blackneck xx, A lot of birds were found today, a unique and unprecedented experience.

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-76671026818998300082011-12-01T21:39:00.001-08:002011-12-01T21:42:03.165-08:00

99个宋词常用语 密码在手三秒作诗赋词 网友制作的宋词高频词汇和数字代码1 空 21 一笑 41 深处 61 一片 81 不是2 东风 22 黄昏 42 时节 62 桃李 82 时候3 何处 23 当年 43 平生 63 人生 83 肠断4 人间 24 天涯 44 凄凉 64 十分 84 富贵5 风流 25 相逢 45 春色 65 心事 85 蓬莱6 归去 26 芳草 46 匆匆 66 黄花 86 昨夜7 春风 27 尊前 47 功名 67 一声 87 行人8 西风 28 一枝 48 一点 68 佳人 88 今夜9 归来 29 风雨 49 无限 69 长安 89 谁知10 江南 30 流水 50 今日 70 东君 90 不似11 相思 31 依旧 51 天上 71 断肠 91 江上12 梅花 32 风吹 52 杨柳 72 而今 92 悠悠13 千里 33 风月 53 西湖 73 鸳鸯

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-41632176878498696602011-11-10T14:21:00.001-08:002011-11-10T14:49:54.172-08:00

I just came to the US from Canada since Sept. 2011 and I bought my first new car at the end of Oct. with 36 months 0.9% car loan. It's an Acura TSX 2011 model with technology package. It's not an easy process to get a new car in the US without a credit history, even though I have a good credit history in Canada. I did a lot of research myself and my friend had recommended a company to me for

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0San Jose, CA 95129, USA37.3052272 -121.987121737.279966699999996 -122.02660370000001 37.3304877 -121.9476397tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-58582281128681861782011-08-04T22:28:00.001-07:002011-08-04T22:28:56.615-07:00

This following is the letter I wrote my branch manager recently.  I have to say CIBC sucks!! It's so stupid to be a loyal customer of CIBC.  Let me escape from it. ------------- Hi, xxx, This is Hao Chen.  I want to check the status of my refinance mortgage application for my property of  xXx. I came to you on March and April for this mortgage refinance.  You guys

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-63944198837530624412011-07-27T16:25:00.004-07:002011-08-04T22:31:34.613-07:00

CIBC is so greedy! They are gouging you! If you have a mortgage with CIBC, and while the mortgage is expired, CIBC will automatically renew your mortgage with a 6 months fixed rate open mortgage, if you forgot to respond their renew letter for whatever reason. The interest on this mortgage is almost the highest among most of the open mortgage.  It usually prime + 4%. Other financial

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-83168150787364477902011-06-03T22:57:00.000-07:002011-06-03T22:57:19.974-07:00

We have rented out our condo on Burnaby mountain for another year from July. There was a dispute pending resolution.  A FIC student signed the lease with us, but she didn't want to rent just one week after.  That left us only two weeks to rent the condo for June and we had a loss of one month rent. We had to apply for a resolution from BC Tenant Court. The student has to pay at least

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-2570346834528616522011-06-03T22:46:00.000-07:002011-06-03T22:46:47.032-07:00

We have successfully defended our home from the invasion of a family of raccoon this week. The invasion might have started in the winter time. The door of the small secondary shed on the side yard was accidentally opened in the summer/fall time. The raccoon mother found this cozy and warm place in the winter time and decided to occupy it. This Monday, my father happened to find the raccoon mother

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-60025008798793211012011-01-21T16:00:00.000-08:002011-01-21T16:00:39.089-08:00

I don't believe the Traditional Chinese Medicine.  This article just provides me some evidence. http://xys.org/xys/ebooks/others/science/dajia12/zhongyi2942.txt

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-75974952685387103462011-01-17T14:40:00.000-08:002011-01-17T14:40:06.651-08:00

Found this poem online. When you have kids, you start to love your parents more.当我老了，不再是原来的我。 请理解我，对我有一点耐心。 当我把菜汤洒到自己的衣服上时，当我忘记怎样系鞋带时， 请想一想当初我是如何手把手地教你。 当我一遍又一遍地重复你早已听腻的话语， 请耐心地听我说，不要打断我。 你小的时候，我不得不重复那个讲过千百遍的故事，直到你进入梦乡。 当我需要你帮我洗澡时， 请不要责备我。 还记得小时候我千方百计哄你洗澡的情形吗？ 当我对新科技和新事物不知所措时， 请不要嘲笑我。 想一想当初我怎样耐心地回答你的每一个「为什么」。 当我老了因疲劳而无法行走时， 请伸出你年轻有力的手搀扶我。 就像你小时候学习走路时，我扶你那样。 当我忽然忘记我们谈话的主题， 请给我一些时间让我回想。 其实对我来说，谈论

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-60915476431455522872011-01-06T21:56:00.000-08:002011-01-06T21:56:25.029-08:00

1.今天是____年__月__日，农历_______，距离______还有_____天。今天节目的主要内容有：_____、_____、______。下面请听详细内容。 2.____在钓鱼台国宾馆亲切会见了____，双方进行了亲切友好的会谈。____高度赞赏了____,并对____一贯坚持“一个中国”的原则表示感谢。 3.____出访____，会见了____，_______高度赞扬中__两国关系，对____表示欢迎，并强烈谴责了___国家____的做法。 4.______会议在北京隆重召开。_____致开幕词。____以____票支持、0票反对、1票弃权通过一项____决议。 5.外交部发言人____就____发表声明，对____表示遗憾，提出**，并将继续关注。 6.______就____向______致慰问电，对_____表达诚挚哀悼. 7.“__五”期间，我国____重点工程，突破

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-79581843592285503262011-01-05T20:50:00.000-08:002011-01-05T20:50:18.537-08:00

I read the following report about high end restaurant using iPad to display interactive menu system for ordering.  I had exactly the same business idea last year when iPad was released. Seemed not a bad idea as restaurants are already utilizing the power of multimedia menu system. http://mitbbs.com/news_wenzhang/ScitechNews/31194429.html It could be good niche market for iPad app

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-20650702062508035762010-10-06T14:48:00.000-07:002010-10-06T14:48:36.505-07:00

I went out for an easy run this noon. As I was a bit lightheaded this morning, I still felt a bit of disoriented when I set out. I was adjusting my Garmin 305 and suddenly I hit the road, BANG! I had some bruise on both of my knees and the chin. I had to stop running and went back to the office. This is a good lesson.  Listen to your body.  If you didn't feel well, then you have to

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-58014028741956406862010-10-06T13:34:00.000-07:002010-10-06T13:34:49.050-07:00

I went to San Jose two weeks ago for a business trip. I stayed there for two nights. Some interesting things in this trip. First of all, I almost missed the departure flight because of the traffic on 99N to airport. I left home at 6:30am for the 8:00am flight. With the unexpected traffic jam on the Massey tunnel, I choose the 99->91 route. As I have to park my car in the long term parking and

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-1133352759421507012010-09-23T22:50:00.000-07:002010-09-23T22:50:06.006-07:00

I decided to start Alrisha's sleep training tonight. She fell asleep shortly after the feeding. However, She woke up in about ten minutes. No matter how I cuddle and walking, she didn't seem to Sleep and want to play. I put her down on the bed. After a few minute, she start to cry. I was sitting besides her, but won't be seen by her. She was crying and coughing. I comforted her after a few minute

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-16877397279555091982010-09-14T11:17:00.000-07:002010-09-14T11:17:49.601-07:00

I read an interesting article about scientist adding new twist to traditional chess game. The twist is to change the role of the piece unpredictably. You won't know the role of the piece only until you touch it. It's an interesting idea. This idea may be used as a mechanism in designing board game. Sign, I really should start designing my own board game.

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-15433407608057703082010-08-30T10:59:00.000-07:002010-08-30T10:59:24.210-07:00

The past weekend was a super busy and rewarding weekend for me. I did a lot of yard work, a lot, really. It is the first milestone of my backyard renovation project. Every big project starts with a small step. I started to trim a few branches out of the trees just outside of my backyard fence, as the trees were growing rampantly blocked a lot of sunshine and wind to my yard. You know, once you

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-33804797171503009232010-08-12T23:09:00.000-07:002010-08-12T23:09:32.586-07:00

Read an article today discussing the cure of stress by science. It starts with a story about a professor in Stanford to inspect the stress of baboon in Africa. The professor found that the ranking of baboon in their highly hierarchical society can great affect the level of stress. The result is also confirmed by other studies of rat, civil servants in England. Some interesting findings say that

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-2913415506744189592010-08-12T12:01:00.001-07:002010-08-12T22:43:18.010-07:00

I plan to upgrade to my cell phone to iPhone 4, but it is hard to get one right now in Canada. The hungry marketing of Apple is so successful.  Everyone has to be patient to get the latest model. I come up with a Haiku for iPhone 4 on the bus this morning. ---------------------- slim sharp stylish retina display has more hold with fingers

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-14404913684739022582010-08-12T11:57:00.000-07:002010-08-12T11:57:51.124-07:00

I've done quite a lot of reading recently during commute. I was reading Runner's World, Business Week, and The Economist. One article on the August's Runner's World about the life of two running coaches with the background of new illegal immigrant law in Arizona did touch me. The life of the illegal immigrates in the states are really miserable.  The poor kids from Mexico were brought to

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-49002713290557097622010-08-05T13:01:00.000-07:002010-08-05T13:01:52.549-07:00

The story about Tang Jun's fake education has been populated on the Internet for a while.  I had no interests in this liar, and no need to add some fuel to this fire. However, when I was reading "The Economist" yesterday.  This cheater's name was mentioned in one article about the corruption in education and publish in China.  He was depicted as a celebrity executive got less

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6135375.post-22606893995869435612010-08-04T15:58:00.000-07:002010-08-04T15:58:51.092-07:00

I had read some posts recently about the 7 habits again. So, maybe its a good time to refresh my memory about the 7 good habits. be proactive begin with the end in mind put first thing first think win/win seek to understand, then be understood synergize sharpen the saw The first 3 is to get yourself independent and the next 3 is to get interdependent.  The last one is the way to keep

Leo Chenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04022076992281022573noreply@blogger.com0