Alvin415's Xanga

Lost but not Found

Tue, 22 May 2007 20:48:22 GMT

I lost my cell phone last week. I was devastated. The downloaded chess game, personalized ring tones, private photos and videos (yes, very private indeed)... are now lost. Just like most people, I went through the stages of denial, anger, sadness, ... and finally accepted the fact that my beloved black Motorola Pebl is gone forever. But no tears. Just a little heartbreak. I got over the grief cycle pretty fast. After all, it's just a phone and some memories that go with it, right? Luciky I always set up password protection so nobody can gain access to my phone without the correct access code. Plus my contract is up in two months. So I'll just go get myself a better phone and be more careful next time. Life goes on. Very often, when something or someone is being taken away for you, we all whisper a prayer to God (or a Higher Power) in the attemp to get it back. But most of the time, a second chance is out of the question. Whether it be a cell phone, or your health, your youth, or the love for someone, or even a friend. I've learnt to deal with it. Whatever doesnt kill you, will hopefully make you stronger. Right? I think I'll be fine once I get my hands on that new Sony Ericsson W810 - the really, really cool radio camera phone, after my birthday!!! DamniT!

A series of unfortunate events...

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 17:30:26 GMT

All happened within the past two weeks...

One umbrella went missing;

Another one was stolen;

Lost my March Muni Pass on 3/02;

Spilled water on my desk at work;

Airline ticket - paid more than I should have;

Roommate pulled a voo on me;

Locked myself out of the car on Friday night;

Car got towed at 1.35am on the same night;

Spent $276.00 to get my car back at 2.30am;

Bumped and bleed on my head the next morning, right before I headed out for my teeth cleaning appointment;

Oh, and it was quite a painful experience when you have inflamed gum tissues during the visit;

So, to top it off...

Last night I dreamed of Apocalypse, aka "end of the world".

Yep, I saw a beast-like angle (creature with wings) riding on a horse, holding a sword that breathed green fire and lightning.

Everyone is evacuating the earth.

Somehow, I find myself stumbled down a dark passage into an underground mansion. In the middle of the sunken living room, X was suddenly there with me.

I saw a black piano so I sat down and started playing "beauty and the beast". I played it twice, and repeated the ending of the song a few more times before I stopped playing. I was just trying to figure out the correct way to end the song.

"In case I die" I turned around and said, "I want you to bury me with this book."

As I showed X this old classical song book, belonged to my mom but now in my possession, and hid my diploma certificate (of piano performance) in between the pages.

Then one of the horsemen found us. He was looking down from the top of the staircase. I saw myself, now appeared to be a kid, no older than six or seven, looking up at him while he drew his sword.

Suddenly, there was another kid appeared out of nowhere and drew out his sword too. He was swinging his weapon at the horseman trying to fight him off or something. But the horseman pointed his sword at the boy and green light emitted from the tip and the boy was killed by the lightning instantly.

I watched the little boy die. Then I skipped the hell outta there.

Next thing I know, I was on a big spaceship with my family and we left the planet earth. I found myself in an isolated room. There was some turbulence. Then I opened the door and walked toward the living room area where everyone was.

I saw my dad and my mom. I think I talked to them but can't remember any part of the conversation.

Then I saw a black piano, so once again, I sat down and started playing "beauty and the beast". My mom came to sit right next to me. It reminded me of when I was little, my mom would sing sitting right next to me while I played the piano.

Suddenly, the spaceship landed. There was a knocking at the door. With fear, I went to answer it. And sure enough, it was the horseman!!....

I awoke, with a stiff neck. Feeling exhausted, confused & stressed. It's almost 9am. Then I remembered that I still need to work on my final paper that is due this week and I haven't even started yet. Sigh… not a good year for me so far. Seriously. :(

The meaning of Alvin...

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 03:44:04 GMT

Alvin means noble friend or "elf friend" from the Old English name Ælfwine, which was formed of the elements ælf "elf" and wine "friend".

Can a name really make you who you are and what you will become? Did Clinton become a President simply because his name is Bill Clinton, and not Sebastian Clinton instead? What would have happened to Madonna if her name is actually Maggie? Some say that the hidden meaning of a name is more akin to astrology or fortune telling than true etymological science. Can we change our destiny (if you believe in that sort of thing) by simple changing our names? Well, lots of immigrants have certainly tried. As a matter of fact, I just did it last year. I went to the Court, paid them $400 and got a decree for name change. And I did it because first of all, nobody can really pronounce my Chinese name without me raising my left eyebrow and saying "who?". Second of all, some companies (especially the credit card company!) would sometimes send me my brother’s bills/letters by mistake since we used to live together and both shared the same first and last name. See, traditional Chinese family uses Last name, follows by a generation name, then ends with a unique given name. So my cousins from my dad's side all have the same first name (which is our generation name) and last names. And last but not least, my friends had been calling me "Alvin" since I was in high school. That was my “Christian Name” given by my Auntie Annie but unfortunately not published on my birth certificate. Anyway, the main reason is that everyone seems to know and love "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and because of that, my name is always quite easy to be remembered.

In my opinion, a name does not define who you are, or what you will become. However, it does have some meanings attached to it. Your last name, for example, tells people a little bit about your family history and who you might be associated with. Sometimes it’s a good thing, sometimes it’s not. You first name is the one that gets most of the attention. Face it, kids get teased in school because of their unusual or odd names. Yes, children can be cruel. So if you believe in destiny, then there’s really nothing you can do about it since your whole future has already been planned out for you before you were even born. Changing your name now is not going to help. You might as well face it and make the best of it. Or, if you think changing your name will somehow change your luck and give you happiness in life, then by all means do it and find out for yourself if it actually will. But if you are like me, someone who possess the power to change the universe, then I believe that you will somehow make a name for yourself someday regardless what others think of your name or how they might try to make fun of it. And at the end, you will have the last laugh. J

Here's a link for you if you're interested in finding out the meaning of YOUR name: http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/baby-names-main.htm