Kim Unplugged: Randomness

Discovering London by Foot

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:16:00 +0000

Out of pure fear, I forced myself to get my butt into gear for the San Diego Marathon after realizing that the race was only 3 months away!

I thought it would be a fun idea to see London via a nice sloooow jog today, so I used MapMyRun.com to create a scenic route and calculated the distance traveled (6.76 miles/10.89km).

I snapped some photos throughout my run to showcase some of London's attractions and gorgeous weather, which is a rarity in London.

I started in Clapham and headed to Battersea Park. After crossing Chelsea Bridge, I came across Tate Britain (pictured above), which is currently exhibiting 150 pieces of Henry Moore's stone sculptures, wood carvings, bronzes and drawings. And to top it off, Chris Ofili's paintings are also being showcased at Tate Britain until May 16 - this is definitely something on my to-do list! His multi-layered paintings are best known their innovative use of media, including lumps of elephant dung, glitter, resin, map pins and magazine cut-outs - Yes, I said elephant dung (feces - poop)!!! He used to bring elephant dung from his trips to Zimbabwe, but now he gets it from the London Zoo. Ofili also won the £20,000 Turner Prize in 1998.

Description captured from the display caption at Tate Britain: No Woman No Cry is a tribute to the London teenager Stephen Lawrence. The Metropolitan police investigation into his racially motivated murder was mishandled, and a subsequent inquiry described the police force as institutionally racist. In each of the tears shed by the woman in the painting is a collaged image of Stephen Lawrence’s face, while the words ‘R.I.P. Stephen Lawrence’ are just discernible beneath the layers of paint. Despite these specific references, the artist also intended the painting to be read in more general terms, as a universal portrayal of melancholy and grief.

Next on my route was the Houses of Parliament, home to Big Ben and Victoria Tower.

Big Ben doesn't actually refer to the clock-tower itself, but rather to the thirteen ton bell hung within. The bell was named after the first commissioner of works, Sir Benjamin Hall.

Last, but not least, I snapped a photo of the London Eye, the largest Ferris wheel in Europe. As you can imagine, it was packed with tourists. I managed to dodge most of the tourists, but won't make that mistake again in the future.

I highly recommend this route for runners in London, but suggest leaving early in the morning to avoid the high tourist traffic.

Once my calves fully recover, I'll map my next route to include Hamstead Heath or Richmond Park, two of my favorite parks in London!

Chinese New Year in London - Year of the Tiger

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:11:00 +0000

I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of this Lion Dance in Chinatown (London) today. Many festive performances took place throughout London within the last two weeks to celebrate Chinese New Year ("Year of the Tiger").

The Chinese believe that if business owners "feed" the lion with red envelopes (Ang Pao) filled with lucky money, the lion will chase away evil spirits and bring good fortune and prosperity to the business the upcoming year. My parents were always superstitious people, so when they opened up their first business, they made sure to invite the Lion Dancers to bring prosperity to the business.

There's just something about the drum beats during the dance that brings me back to (somewhat) fond childhood memories. I was always excited to watch Lion Dance performances at local Chinese/Vietnamese supermarkets during Chinese New Year, but as soon as the Lion's long lashes fluttered near me, I suddenly became frightened and quickly hid behind my father. There's just something really creepy about the Lion's eyelashes...

Chinatown is filled with lanterns.

Trafalgar Square hosted many traditional Chinese performances.

I'm suddenly in the mood for Dim Sum, but to be completely honest, the Chinese food in London doesn't compare to the Chinatowns in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

My best friend thought it was a clever idea to send me bags of my favorite chips from the States, Cheetos, in honor of it being the "Year of the Tiger". Unfortunately, Chester is not a tiger, he's a cheetah! Nevertheless, I managed to enjoy the Cheetos and undoubtedly appreciated the kind gesture. Thanks Juan! xx

Chester the Cheetah

How to say "Happy New Year" in Chinese:

Mandarin: Xin Nian Kuai Le (The most widely used Chinese dialect)

Cantonese: Gong Hei Fat Choy (Hong Kong and Macau)

Teochew/Hokkien: Xing Ni Ju Yi (Mainly in South East Asia and Taiwan)

Since I am Teochew, I'd like to say "Xing Ni Ju Yi!"

My Very First Pancake Day in England - Nom Nom Nom!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 03:25:00 +0000

Pancake Man makes his first appearance in London on Pancake Day 2010!

Thanks to one of my lovely clients, Lyle's Golden Syrup, I received all the mixings to help me prepare for my very first Pancake Day in England! Since Pancake Day tends to sneak up on most Brits, Tate and Lyle decided to unleash Pancake Man to help remind Londoners to pick up pancake ingredients and toppings at their local supermarket so that they can properly celebrate their final day of indulgence.

My lovely housemate, Gareth, graciously offered to make us pancakes in honour of this special occasion - what a generous mate! But then again, now that I've given it some more thought, I'm starting to think it was his clever plan to keep me away from the kitchen! Doh, I'm so naïve! But then on the other hand, I don't blame him though...I did almost burn down Nick's flat last year...*sigh*

Gareth was kind enough to let me film him flip a pancake so that I could participate in CafeBebe's Flip-tastic Pancake Day Carnival.

So here is our Flip-tastic Pancake Day video! Check it out and let me know if his technique is any good. By the way, although I wasn't involved in any of the actual cooking, guess how I burned my bloody fingers! I'm starting to feel like I'm prone to accidents.

We made both American pancakes and traditional English pancakes, which look more like crepes to me. What a day full of #pancakefun!

It's almost midnight and I've managed to eat three pancakes covered with butter and Lyle's Golden Syrup....SWEET STUFF! Nom Nom Nom...

Have you seen Pancake Man lately?

Mobi Headphonies: Perfect Speakers for My iPod!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:21:00 +0000

My dear friend, Chris, who is a product designer at Spin Master Toys, sent me a cute little speaker - designed by his mates at Mobi Technologies - for my iPod! It's such a simple, yet clever gadget that I simply fell in love with immediately. The quality of the speakers is brilliant!

Thanks to headphonies, now I can now easily hook up Koko to my iPod and listen to some groovy beats from Jack Johnson, Paul Anka and Michael Buble during my relaxing bubble baths.

And better yet, you don't need to buy batteries. Simply connect headphonies to your laptop for recharge and you're ready to go!

You'll find that in most (if not all) London bathrooms, electrical outlets are nowhere to be seen, which can be annoying when you want to use a blow dryer or curling iron. I suppose it' for my own safety, but you'll find plenty of electrical outlets in bathrooms in America. Go figure!

Here's a quick demo of the quality. Click below to listen.

Mobi headphonies come in several different characters to suit your style!

Koko

STARGIRL

SKULLY

SINISTER

$24.95

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
- Loudspeaker output: 2W
- Sensitivity: 82±3db
- Loudspeaker impedance: 4O±15%
- Distortion: 0.5%
- Lithium ion battery output: 3.6V
- Lithium ion battery input: 4.2V±0.05V
- Suitable ambient: 0C±4C
- Weight: 113g (including packaging)

Thank for the lovely gift Chris! My housemates absolutely love Koko :)

My First Meme: Shiny Happy People

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:40:00 +0000

I must admit, I'm not the biggest fan of memes, but every once in a while I come across one that doesn't require me to be funny or witty (Thank God). For those of you not familiar with the phrase, a meme describes a concept that spreads quickly from person to person via the Internet. Many of you may have been tagged on Facebook to complete a meme before, i.e. "25 Things About Me" meme.

However, I was pleased when I was recently tagged with the Shiny Happy People meme by Karin at CafeBebe. It seemed harmless and fun!

The challenge: Name a song that makes you happy – a song you would listen to if you needed a sudden injection of happiness. Post an image that makes you smile, it can be anything – a silly photo, an image taken from the internet, anything at all that puts a smile on your face (and isn’t too rude!)

So here goes nothing...

My song choice would have to be none other than Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." For those of you who have had the opportunity to join me for cocktails at a bar/club, you know that I light up whenever this song is played, almost as if I was possessed. Although, I may not have the best singing voice, I find myself singing along giving it everything I've got, as if I should have been the one Journey asked to join the band as the new lead singer. Move over Arnel Pineda!

"Don't Stop Believing" by Journey simply puts me in a good mood and I always have a HUGE smile on my face whenever I hear it.

The above photo makes me smile for several reasons: 1) These two trendsetters featured above are MY parents 2) This matching couples outfit was completely my father's idea 3) The trend actually picked up three decades later - Couple Matching Outfits by International Designer Clothing and Fashion Blog.

Oh bless them.

Thanks for making me smile Karin! So it looks like it's my turn to tag someone and that lucky person is my dear gal pal in New York, Melissa at Single Gal in the City. Looking forward to your post MB!

It's Official! Time to Start My Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Training (San Diego)

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:02:00 +0000

I'm not sure if I should be thrilled or nervous about the above letter. When I first entered the lottery for the New York marathon two years ago, I didn't think I'd actually get selected to run it, but I did. So I ran the marathon with only one goal in mind - to FINISH the marathon!

I suppose my goal for the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is to beat my previous time of 4 hours 30 minutes. Although my fitness level isn't what it used to be, I'm definitely going to give it my best shot. Looks like I'll be saying goodbye to chicken tikka massala and cocktails. On second thought, let me rephrase that. Looks like I'll be cutting down on chicken tikka massala and cocktails - much better!

This is an old course map from a previous SD Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. Apparently, this year's course is BRAND new and designed to include a variety of signature attractions in San Diego, my hometown.

Pancake Day....is just around the corner!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:27:00 +0000

Growing up in America, we didn't celebrate Pancake Day like they do here in the UK. The idea behind Pancake Day (also known as Shrove Tuesday) is for people to indulge in things they would have to forgo during lent, such as fat, butter and eggs - all the ingredients you need for pancakes!

To help prepare parents for next month's celebration, my colleagues (Fleishman Hillard) and I invited parent bloggers and their little ones to join us for a Pancake cookery class with TV and radio presenter, Emma Forbes.

Here is a little preview of how the event went today...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

(Disclosure: I currently work for Fleishman Hillard and Tate & Lyle is currently a client. Fleishman Hillard collaborated with Tate & Lyle to host the blogger cookery event in London)

A special thanks to Tim Atkinson, Karin Joyce, Hannah Gray, and Emma Forbes for schlepping all the way to London in such awful weather.

Thanks to those of you who tuned in to our first Live Webcast @rosiescribble @caroljs @clareybabble @makedomum @jumblymummy @clairelancaster @bestem @SarahJLCooper @Georgeous1 @7david7 @genevievevarela @muertemaria

It's all about #PancakeFun with Lyle's Golden Syrup!!!

BTW - The fire alarm actually did go off for five seconds...but this time it wasn't my fault! :)

A New Mommy!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:31:00 +0000

After 19 long hours of arduous labor, a 7.14 lb baby boy was born in San Diego on January 2, 2010. Meet my first nephew, Chase, along with proud parents, Rosario and David.

Congratulations David and Rosario! Chase is a lucky child to have been born to such loving and caring parents who love him unconditionally. May he be strong and handsome like his father, and filled with compassion and talent like his mother.

It is a momentous occasion for my entire family. Chase is the first child to be born "second generation" after my parents immigrated to America almost 30 years ago. My parents are officially grandparents! (Perhaps now they will get off my back for a while - only one can hope!)

Video: 50 People, One Question: (London & New York)

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:28:00 +0000

Fifty People, One Question: New York from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.

Fifty People, One Question: London from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.

My response to the question is....a warm cabin in Alaska with a perfect view of the aurora borealis.

How about you?

Google Releases New Mobile App for iPhone, with Voice Search

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:38:00 +0000

Google released a new version of the Google Mobile App for iPhone. It lets you speak your queries without pushing any buttons, and also lets you do local searches without specifying your location.

Google Goggles: Search Taken to the Next Level

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Just when you think Google has done it all, they go and introduce another innovation that leaves you in utter amazement. Google has taken its search to the visual mode with its Google Goggles mobile app for Android! Simply snap a photo on your phone and the app will give you relevant information associated to the items or landmarks photographed. It will be Android-only for now, and it's available in the Android market.

I've given it a go a couple of times on my T-Mobile G1 phone, but it took too long to "analyze" the photo and I simply don't have the patience. It's certainly a cool idea with lots of potential, but there are a few kinks that need to be worked out before I try it again. I'll stick to using Google search the old-fashioned way for now!

You can find out more here.

Is Sinterklaas racist?

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:07:00 +0000

During a delightful Thanksgiving dinner in London with a few Americans, an interesting conversation about "Sinterklaas" emerged from the host's recent trip to the Netherlands. As you can probably conclude, Sinterklaas is the basis for the North American figure of Santa Claus. There are some differences between Sinterklaas and Santa Claus (you can read about them here), but the one difference that piqued my interest was Sinterklaas' helpers, they're definitely not elves!

I was astounded to learn about Sinterklaass' helping hands, Black Petes. Black Petes are the men with black-painted faces wearing joker costumes that accompany Sinterklaas. According to Wikipedia, three small Moorish boys were sentenced to death for a crime they did not commit, and Sinterklaas intervened to help save them. To show their gratitude, the boys stayed with Sinterklaas to help him, tumbling and jumping on rooftops on Sinterklaas night to deliver presents. Their black skin may refer either to their Moorish background, or to the job of chimneysweep, an option is corroborated by their clothes, reminiscent of an Italian chimneysweep's costume and Pete's rooftop occupation. Another background story for Pete is that he is the devil who was enslaved by Sinterklaas. (Wikipedia)

Are Americans obsessed with being politically correct, or is this just flat out racist?

Black Dutch nationals have in recent years frequently criticized as racist the practice of having a white person in blackface portray a caricature of a 17th-century African slave. But, so far, the Dutch have vehemently rejected this and refused to change any aspect of the celebration, arguing that Black Pete is black simply because he climbs through chimneys.

What do you think?

How to Get Buy-in from the Head Honchos on Social Media

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:18:00 +0000

Olivier Blanchard Basics Of Social Media Roi

View more presentations from Olivier Blanchard.

This is a great (and entertaining) presentation on how to convince your boss/organization that social media will further the company's marketing goals.

And if that's still not enough to win them over, below are some practical tips to help you effectively communicate to the CEO/CFO/CIO about the importance of social media, courtesy of the PR Princess.

TOP TEN ways to get buy-in from C-Suite on Social Media:

Introduce social media in a "non-techie," non-threatening way. This might include sending links and screen shots of comments on Twitter or blogs that involve the company. Be sure to provide context in your message so they will know what they're looking at.
Talk individually with execs or board members before you put it on the agenda at board meetings. Know who the supporters and detractors are ahead of time. Have answers for some of the detractors' stumbling blocks before you bring it up.
Keep your passion for social media to a low flame. If you go into a meeting with demands and failure predictions, you will get shut down quickly.
Offer to do a "Lunch and Learn" presentation for your leadership team. Keep it focused on results and not too technical.
Point out successful social media programs in a "case study" format, showing that social media is measurable and generates results.
Showcase how other companies in the same industry are already using social media. Chances are someone is already using it well, which may spur a call to action or a competitive response.
Start listening to the brand in social media as part of your normal duties. You should never need permission to do this. Report any good things you're hearing, and alert your boss if there is a crisis brewing somewhere.
Get a third-party expert to present to your board. Sometimes you will not be seen as an expert in your own organization (and that's too bad, but don't let it trip you up).
Ask your current agency or public relations professional to bring it up as part of a strategic planning session or brainstorm.
Anyone who's spent time around executives knows that "allowing" them to take credit for concepts and ideas is a way for things to get implemented quicker. Play the game and you'll eventually get credit for the ideas.

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:05:00 +0000

I was reminded of this beautiful poem (thanks to Miss Cherry Red) I once recited in front of classmates at university. Some days when I need a little pick me up, I refer back to this inspirational poem written by one of America's most famous poets and autobiographers, Maya Angelou. I'm sure you will all appreciate this divine piece of literary art!

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

By Maya Angelou.

The poem is narrated by Maya Angelou herself.

VIDEO: How Does a Successful Social Media Campaign Look Like?

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:33:00 +0000

This newest video Socialnomics showcases how companies have successfully used social media for customer service, sales, marketing and creating brand awareness.

Here are some examples from the video below:

Over 300,000 businesses have a presence on Facebook and roughly a 1/3 of these are small businesses.
Gary Vaynerchuk grew his family business from $4 million to $50 million using social media. Gary’s eccentric personality and offbeat oenophile knowledge have proven a natural path to success with his Wine TV Library. Vaynerchuk found first hand that $15,000 in Direct Mail = 200 new customers, $7,500 Billboard = 300 new customers, $0 Twitter = 1,800 new customers.
Wetpaint/Altimeter Study found companies that are both deeply and widely engaged in social media significantly surpass their peers in both revenue$ and profit$. The study also found the company sales with the highest levels of social media activity grew on average by +18%, while those companies with the least amount of social activity saw their sales decline -6%.
Lenovo was able to achieve cost savings by a 20% reduction in call center activity as customers go to community website for answers.
Burger King’s Whopper Sacrifice Facebook program incented users to give up ten of their Facebook friends in return for a free Whopper. The estimated investment forwhopper-sacrifice this program was less than $50,000 yet they received 32 million media impressions which roughly estimated equals greater than $400,000 in press/media value. Which to put in context is somewhat like reaching the entire populations of 19 states (understanding this doesn’t account for unique vs. repeat visitors, etc.)
BlendTec increased its sales 5x by running the often humorous “Will it Blend” Videos on YouTube blending everything from an iPhone to a sneaker.
Dell sold $3,000,000 worth of computers on Twitter.
To put things into perspective, only 18% of traditional TV campaigns generate a positive return on investment. This is where the majority of media dollars reside today. I don’t believe the majority of media dollars will reside there tomorrow.
“You can’t just say it. You have to get the people to say it to each other,” says James Farley, CMO Ford. Ford seems to know what they are doing, especially with Scott Monty leading the social media charge. By giving away 100 Ford Fiestas to influential bloggers, 37% of Generation Y were aware of the Ford Fiesta before its launch in the United States. Is it any wonder why 25% of Ford’s marketing ford-fiesta-social-mediaspend has been shifted to digital/social media initiatives? Ford is the only US auto company that didn’t take a government loan.
Naked Pizza, a New Orleans Pizzeria that specializes in healthy pies, set a one day sales record using social media. In fact 68% of their sales came from people “calling in from Twitter.” On top of that (no pun intended) 85% of their new customers were from Twitter.
Volkswagen goes 100% Mobile for launch of GTI. The reason that I mention this is that mobile drives social media usage and social media usage drives mobile. More and more we will see most social media usage on the phone.
Tweets for a Cause sent out a tweet from Atlanta to encourage support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. As a result of retweets from such notables as @mashable, @G_man, @zaibatsu and others, the Atlanta Chapter site received 11,000 visitors in 24 hours as a result of this initiative by ResponseMine Interactive.
Intuit introduced “Live Community” into their TurboTax® products 2 years ago. Due in part to the resulting word-of-mouth, they have seen unit sales increase +30% each year and have now integrated “Live Community” into their other products like QuickBooks, Quicken, etc. “Live Community” allows customers to ask other customers questions which has proved both beneficial to the customer and to Intuit. In some instances, the customer can answer questions that Intuit isn’t allowed to answer because of regulatory restrictions.
Software company Genius.com reports that 24% of its social media leads convert to sales opportunities
During Barack Obama’s rise to the White House, he garnered 5 million fans on social media and 5.4 million clicked on an “I voted for Obama” Facebook button. Most importantly this resulted in three million online shepard-fairey-obama-hope-imagedonors contributing $500 million in fundraising. An astounding 92% of the donations were in increments of less than $100.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center witnessed a 9.5% increase in registrations by using social media.
Web host provider Moonfruit more than recouped its $15,000 social media investment as their Website Traffic soared +300% while correspondingly sales increased +20%. They also saw a huge lift in their organic search engine rankings getting on the first page for the term “free website builder.”
eBay found participants in online communities spend 54% more money.
71% of companies plan to increase investments in social media by an average of 40% because: a) Low Cost Marketing b) Getting Traction c) We Have To Do It

“Think of Twitter as the canary in the coal mine.”

– Morgan Johnston, JetBlue

“Our head of Social Media is the customer”

– McDonald’s

Co-Chairman Alex Bogusky of Crispin Porter & Bogusky puts it best when he states:

“You can’t buy attention anymore. Having a huge budget doesn’t mean anything in social media…The old media paradigm was PAY to play. Now you get back what you authentically put in. You’ve got to be willing to PLAY to play.”

There are other successful social media campaigns not listed on here (some that I've had the privilege to work on), but these are just a few to help get you up to speed with what other companies have already done.

Twitter Cheat Sheet

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:51:00 +0000

For those of you who are new to Twitter - here is a GREAT cheat sheet you might want to check out! Courtesy of Matthew Tomassi from The Social Media Guide.

Twitter Cheat Sheet -

Thanks @matthewtommasi!

WARNING: Do Not Enter Login Info for Twitter!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:04:00 +0000

I received a DM this morning that almost fooled me into giving away my login information for Twitter. Here's what happened...

After clicking to view my direct messages, I noticed a new DM (below) from @scheinerinc who is a trusted follower and fellow digital media professional.

The message enticed me to click on the link and after a few moments of staring at the rotating sand glass, I was redirected to this site (pictured below), which looks EXACTLY like the official Twitter login page.

The only difference? The web address was not familiar http://sjkiowq.com/

I presume the hacker who created this web page gained access to Twitter accounts by getting users to enter their username and password into this bogus Twitter page and sent DM's to followers in an effort to hack into more accounts.

After contacting Mike via email, he confirmed it was a hacker who had spammed his followers and told me that he fixed the problem by changing his Twitter login details.

Moral of the story? Always check the URL to ensure it's from a trusted source!!! And think twice before entering your username and password!

VIDEO: More Patients Searching the Internet for Health Information Rather than Seeking Doctors

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:49:00 +0000

This 2-minute video reveals some interesting stats about how the Internet has made an impact on patients/health consumers.

For the first time in history, more people are searching the Internet for health information than asking doctors. Health consumers are now empowered, equipped, engaged, educated and connected to others electronically.

I definitely fall under the 83% who search online for health information! How about you?

Weddings Galore! Traditional Vietnamese Wedding with a Western Twist!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:31:00 +0000

This must be THE year of weddings and engagements for my family and friends, which is wonderful because what that means is that people dearest to me have found love once and for all.

Earlier this year, when I received the call from my cousin T announcing her engagement, the hairs on my arms rose followed by a million questions streaming out of my mouth! How did he propose? Did you know he was going to propose? What did your parents say? When is the wedding? Where is the wedding? Will it be a traditional Vietnamese wedding? Do my parents know? Can I tell them? I don't think I even gave her the opportunity to respond before bombarding her with all these questions.

After she downloaded me on all the juicy details, she then asked me to be apart of her bridal squad. I was truly honoured and immediately accepted the privilege to be apart of her special day. The wedding date was set for Saturday, September 19, 2009 in Portland, Oregon.

Nine months later, upon my arrival in Portland, the bridal party put me to work the moment I set foot in Oregon. Although feeling a bit jet-lagged, I enjoyed every second spent preparing for cousin T's traditional Vietnamese wedding. It was quite intense; preparations ranged from assembly of 100 hand-crafted boutonnieres to seating arrangements for 350 guests!

After hand-crafting 100 boutonnieres,
some of us had to get our french manicures fixed.

The big day approached quickly. The night before the wedding, the bridal squad stayed up until 2am working out the seating arrangements and were awoken two hours later (4:30am) after the hair and makeup artist rang the doorbell, which set off loud repetitive barks from "Hennessy," the dog, followed by a musical chime from someone's mobile alarm. What a great way to start the day!

We were all desperate for a dose of caffeine
- understandably so!

In front of this decorated alter is where the tea ceremony took place.

Cousin T and Ut (above left), Bride wearing Khăn đống headdress (above right), and Mother-of-the-Bride (right)

It is Vietnamese tradition to host an array of ceremonies on the day of the wedding. These ceremonies include 'asking permission' to receive the bride, a 'procession and gifting' by the groom's family to receive the bride at her house (tea ceremony and ceremony to request permission from bride's ancestors occurs at the bride's home) , and 'delivering the bride to the groom's house' so that the groom's family members (including the groom's ancestors) that did not participate in the procession can celebrate.

Modern times do not require 'asking permission' to receive the bride. Originally, this activity was only done to confirm that the marriage would in fact take place. In the olden days, marriages were often forced and arranged, which funnily enough resulted in brides fleeing the scene!

After procession and gifting by the groom's family,
we headed to the groom's home.

The reception was held at Doubletree Hotel where a seven-course meal (Chinese and Vietnamese dishes) was prepared and served. Traditionally, the reception is held at a Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant, but cousin T and hubby wanted to shake things up a bit and added a Western touch with an American venue.

My favorite game! The bride had to insert a raw egg into the bottom
of groom's pant leg and carefully maneuver it to the top and across to the bottom of other pant leg.

While guests were chowing down, the wedding party and parents of the groom and bride 'walked the tables,' which was my favourite activity conducted throughout the entire day. We approached each table one-by-one so that the parents could thank the guests for coming. Guests share a few words and offered the bride and groom their wedding gift, red envelopes decorated with lucky symbols filled with money. However, some guests requested for the groom and bride to play a fun game before receiving their gift, i.e. blindfolding the bride and asking her to select which bum belonged to her husband. We had 35 tables to thank and my feet were killing me after being in heels all day, but it was definitely worth it to witness the playful activities that guests asked the newlyweds to play. If they wanted the gift, they couldn't refuse the game.

Five dresses later, the wedding came to an end! What a beautiful and spectacular day with family and friends to celebrate the union of two, young, devoted friends who share an unconditional love for one another!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Doung!!! On behalf of my family, we wish you many, many years of joy and happiness.

"The more you invest in a marriage, the more valuable it becomes."
~Amy Grant

VIDEO: Celebrating my first UK birthday at Alton Towers!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:15:00 +0000

In the video above, we're about to experience the world's first vertical drop roller coaster, Oblivion at 110kph!!!

For my "Forever 21" birthday, we went to Alton Towers, UK's largest theme park located in Staffordshire. Loads of fun, but does not hold a candle to Six Flags (Magic Mountain), California!

Thanks to everyone's warm birthday wishes via Facebook, Twitter, email and traditional birthday cards yesterday! It meant a lot to me and brought a ginormous smile on my face throughout the day. Your kind gestures have touched my heart and made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :)

My Little Brother is Going to be a Dad!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 12:37:00 +0000

Well, he's actually not so little anymore but you know what I mean. Who would have thought that my mischievous middle brother, David (pictured below), would be the first to start a family?

As you can imagine (btw - that's him in the back flexing), he was a huge fan of WWF (World Wresting Federation) - renamed WWE in 2002 - and he loved WrestleMania's Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Andre the Giant, and Hulk Hogan, among many other golden age wrestlers. Nobody dared to mess with his figurines unless they were prepared to be put in a headlock or worse, a DDT. It's pretty safe to say my Barbie dolls never got mixed up with his precious WWF figurines!

One of my favorite childhood memories of David was watching him play with a dot sticker between his fingers before falling asleep. He would hold his bottle with one hand and play with a dot sticker between his thumb and index finger, sticking it to each finger back and forth until he dozed off. He can't remember ever doing this, but believe me, it's all true!

And now, he's all grown up and preparing to start a family with the lovely Rosario. Where did all the time go?

Rosario and David visited me in New York last year.

David appeared in a local TV spot for Frank Hyundai thanks to Juanito.

After visiting the doctor for an ultrasound, they found out the sex of the baby! It's a BOY and everything appears to be okay!

The sonogram shows the baby's head...

and hand...

I made a few suggestions for the baby's name, but my ideas were turned down for not sounding ethnic enough (*sigh*). I've always believed that a child's name had the potential to influence the development of the child's personality and future.

Attending school in America with an ethnic name was no walk in the park for me. I hated my Chinese name growing up and wondered why my parents couldn't just pick a normal name for me. My teachers and classmates could never pronounce or spell my name, leading me to pick a more "American" sounding name, hence "Kim."

After adolescence, I eventually gained confidence and pride in my family's heritage and culture, so I reverted to using my birth name. I love my Chinese name, but it's not an easy name to use in English-speaking countries. I struggled and fought to keep it for as long as I could, but after three years of missed opportunities due to senders receiving bounceback emails and error messages, mispelled accounts and certificates, and people simply not being able to easily remember my name, I decided to go with my American name once again!

Boy, did I go off on a tangent there! Now...back to what I was saying. On behalf of everyone who knows David and Rosario, we are confident that you will make exceptional parents and the children you bring into this world are lucky to have parents who will lavish them with unconditional love and dedication.

Congratulations David and Rosario! Welcome to parenthood!

"In bringing up children, spend on them half as much money and twice as much time." ~Author Unknown

My First English Wedding: To Wear a Fastenator or Not to Wear a Fastenator?

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:51:00 +0000

Photo from Hatsnstuff.co.uk

When I RSVP'd for my very first English wedding, I thought it would be fun to shop for a fastenator, (also spelled fastenater) a small headpiece usually mounted on a base, comb or headband worn jauntily to the front or side incorporating a combination of feathers, flowers, coils, curls and other trimmings.

After visiting a few couture shops in Covent Garden, I decided to give it a pass. I couldn't find one that suited me and I didn't quite feel posh enough to pull it off.

However, the lovely bride (Helen) certainly pulled it off with her simple, yet elegant fastenator. Helen's other half (Ross) also strutted around in a beautifully embroidered silk vest. The duo graced St Mary's Church in Hampton with a whole lot of class and sophistication.

Before we were seated for dinner at the Ham Polo Club, guests were pleasantly surprised to find seating placecards with each person's photo on them! I can only imagine all the effort that went into searching for photos for each guest (and their significant other), especially since not everyone has a Facebook account.

What's on the menu?

Corn-fed chicken in mushroom sauce with potatoes and veggies

Dessert trio: pavlova, lemon sorbet, and chocolate brownie

Nick and Ross: University mates

We shared the table with three other couples that had one thing in common: KIDS!!! I somehow got the feeling that Helen and Ross were trying to hint at something! :)

All in all, the wedding was truly amazing! Beautiful weather, stunning bride, good company, flowing taps, tasteful entertainment and exceptional food! What more could a girl ask for? Congratulations Ross and Helen!!!

"Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end." - Anonymous

Weekend Getaway in Weymouth

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:08:00 +0000

Taking advantage of South West Train's midsummer promotion, Nick and I ventured out to Weymouth, the perfect weekend destination for families and couples seeking a quaint seaside getaway not too overly crowded with tourists, e.g. Bournemouth's Dorset Beach (pictured below)

Note: People are pictured in the photo (above) NOT pebbles!

Bournemouth supremacy: Wave upon wave of visitors pack on to the Dorset beach,
creating an image that could be used to make the world’s trickiest jigsaw puzzle.

- Photo and caption courtesy of Metro.co.uk

As summer nears its end, I was desperate to bury my feet under a sandy beach whilst soaking in the warmth from the sun and breathing in some fresh ocean air!

Aside from fish and chips sold at every corner, my only disappointment was the lack of seafood dishes. We searched far and wide visiting several establishments in Weymouth for restaurants that had mussels on the menu. We finally came across a rinky dink pub on Westwey Road that had mussels and frites on the menu, but as expected the quality was poor and the service was rubbish.

Westwey Road - the pub that sold mussels and frites is located onthis road, across Westham Bridge.

Our big night out in Weymouth consisted of basketball and air hockey at the arcade, a couple of drinks (happy hour special - any drink for £2.50 - proceed with caution!) at Dolce Vita, five games of pool at The Rendezvous, two games of Jenga, and to top it all off, we ended up groovin' on the dance floor before calling it a night! Not bad for a small seaside town eh?

I'm proud to report that I was victorious in Jenga, air hockey and basketball,
but won only one game of pool due to default. Nick prematurely shot the eight ball into a pocket.

Before leaving Weymouth, we stopped at a souvenir shop and bought a rock, which is a type of hard stick-shaped (cylindrical) sugar confectionary commonly sold at seaside towns in the UK. Can't say we have anything like this in my hometown - San Diego, CA. You can read everything you ever wanted to know about seaside rock here. Caution, may contain too much excitement for one person.

My only regret was not making enough time to visit Chesil Beach or Hamm Beach, which are located at the centre of the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site.

I guess that just means I have to plan another trip back to Weymouth...not a bad idea indeed!

Skyride: Cycling in Hounslow on a Beautiful Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:51:00 +0000

I couldn't have imagined a more perfect day for a 10K bike ride in Hounslow - clear blue skies, support from local residents and businesses, and the sun stayed with us throughout the entire day!

My last experience with a bike at Richmond Park left me with scrapes and bruises, but I decided to suck it up and give cycling another go! Not being too keen on cycling in the streets, the Mayor of London's Skyride Hounslow route was perfect for cyclists intimidated by busy streets (like myself) because the 10K route was open and free from traffic from 11am to 4pm. It was the second in Skyride's series of five mass participation cycling events taking place this summer, following Skyride Manchester on 2 August and ahead of the central London event on Sunday 20 September, formerly known as the London Freewheel.

It was a nice and easy route, not too difficult except for one moderately steep hill on Wood Lane. I enjoyed the route so much, I did it three times! (And then enjoyed a Kit-Kat chocolate bar of course)

Highlights of the route included:

* Osterley Park House, a wonderful Grade 1 listed mansion, with its beautiful woodland area
* Spring Grove and Riverside Conservation Areas
* Syon House, a 'four-square' mansion built around 1550
* Isleworth's historic wharf

This Skyrider (above) motivated cyclists for hours on out! He somehow managed to maintain the same level of energy throughout the day --- believe me, he was quite the entertainer!

Check it out! Even the Mayor of London is on Twitter!

Did You Know? Watch this Video - Stats That Will Guarantee to Make Your Jaw Drop!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Hong) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:23:00 +0000

If you haven't already watched this video, watch it NOW! I promise you will be shocked with the incredible and frightening statistics. It's been out since October 2008, so I'm sure some of you have already seen it...so what can I say except S-O-R-R-Y for posting it now! It's worth a replay in my opinion. I still think it's relevant and should be shared, discussed and redistributed all over again!

Did You Know?

If you're one in a million in China, there are 1,300 people just like you.
China will soon become the number one English speaking country in the world.
The 25% of India's population with the highest IQs is greater than the population of the United States.
California uses more gas than China
The top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004.
Schools are currently preparing students for jobs that don't yet exist, using technologies that haven't been invented in order to solve problems that we don't even know exist.
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that today's learner will have 10-14 jobs by the age of 38.
1 in 4 workers has been with their current employer for less than a year; 1 in 2 has been there for less than five years.
1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met online.
There are more than 200 million registered users on MySpace. So, if MySpace were a country, it would be the fifth largest in the world (behind Indonesia, ahead of Brazil).
The #1 ranked country in broadband Internet penetration is Bermuda. The U.S. ranks 19th. Japan is #22.
There are 31 billion searches on Google every month. In 2006, this number was 2.7 Billion.
The first commercial text message was sent in December 1992. Today, the number of text messages sent and received each day exceeds the total population of the planet.
Years it took to reach a market audience of 50 million: radio - 38 Years, TV - 13 Years, the Internet - 4 Years, iPod - 3 Years, Facebook - 2 Years
The number of Internet devices in 1984 was 1,000. The number of Internet devices in 1992 was 1,000,000. The number of Internet devices in 2008 was 1,000,000,000.
There are about 540,000 words in the English language, about five times as many as there were in Shakespeare's time.
Estimates say that a week's worth of the New York Times contains more information than a person was likely to come across in a lifetime in the 18th Century.
It's estimated that 4 exabytes (4.0x10^19) of unique information will be generated this year. That's more info than was produced during the previous 5,000 years.
NTT Japan has successfully tested a fiber optic cable that pushes 14 trillion bits per second down a single strand of fiber. That's 2,660 CDs or 210 million phone calls per second. Those figures are currently tripling every six months and are expected to do so for the next 20 years.
By 2013, a supercomputer will be built that exceeds the computational capabilities of the human brain. Predictions are that by 2049, a $1000 computer will exceed the computational capabilities of the entire human species.