Did you know that it takes one month for organic milk to expire?

That\’s right!

Technically, according the label on the package, \”use within 7 days of opening\”, it shouldn\’t last more than a week. Maybe this is one reason I have been feeling quesy lately.

I have been buying organic milk ever since I realized that I could keep an entire carton of milk from spoiling for weeks. It\’s not because I believe that cows should be treated better (they should be, but still I don\’t buy organic fruit) or because I am afraid of getting pesticides inside me. It\’s all because for a few extra bucks, I can keep a carton in the fridge longer.

And also, nobody else I know drinks fat-free milk. I was raised on fat-free milk and anything else is just weird.

And the reason why I get half-gallon rather than smaller pints? Because I\’ll never know when I need it. Primarily, I use milk only as a palate cleanser, an ingredient for cornbread, and smoothies.

Bears win! Cardinals lose!!!! Axe stays!

I am a bad Cal Bear, because yesterday, more than 3000 miles away and almost 2 years after graduating, I was watching my first Big Game (Cal vs. Stanford) in full along with other fellow Berkeleyeans (there is at least 8 of us in our social circle). But I have renewed my spirit.

It\’s not that I never wanted to go to a football game. I had wanted to go for awhile when at Berkeley, but my friends weren\’t that type. And so I never developed a big interest in football. So I would go home to Lafayette where my dad would prattle off the scores (he\’s a Washington Cougar). I did go to at least 3 bonfires, mostly alone.

But yesterday, it was great not only for Madhu\’s 24th but to be surrounded by diehard fans who would hit anyone within grabbing distance when there was a bad throw, when Stanford would intercept the ball… All I know after this is that I should stop eating more than a handful of chips.

When I first told people that I was going to graduate school in human computer interaction, I got a lot of puzzled looks from people. Computer? Human? Interaction? You mean computer science? Most people concluded that I was doing something in robotics. In the end, I would simply repeat the same statement – It\’s to understand how to make interfaces easier to use. Most people would shut up, thinking that it was some high-level graduate degree.

At least, it\’s not the same kind of responses I would get when I told people I studied cognitive science at Berkeley. Do you read people\’s minds? (no joke, this person was serious.)

My parents still don\’t understand what I am exactly doing all the way out here in Pittsburgh, PA. I tell them it\’s not programming, but last week my dad sent me an e-mail telling me that I should learn C#, because he met someone at a grocery store who said that was the wave of the future. But then again, my dad was the one who told me that I should get a masters degree in computer science at San Jose State.

My statement of purpose for CMU started:

“I want to be everyone, but I am only comfortable being myself,” my online autobiography began. My interest in information technology started like this—a desire to express my thoughts and ideas. I believe that computers can serve as a powerful tool for this kind of expression. Its orderliness and predictability provided a powerful medium for communication. My penchant for computing led me to pursue a computing consultant job all four years of my undergraduate career. I started as an intern and eventually attained a full consultant position, providing dormitory residents with technical support. It was here I learned about the practical human struggles with computation. Yet, my mother, an ambitious go-getter, has difficulty touching an object that offers honks for errors and complex dialog for confusion. This appreciation of computation difficulties and my love of expression solidified my interest in human computer interaction.

Now almost 2 years later, it\’s not that much different. This month, I have been applying for jobs. First dropping off my resumes in all the big tech companies like Yahoo, Ebay, Microsoft, Macromedia, Apple, Adobe. Now I am trying to consider whether I want to apply to small design firms. I want to work as an usability analyst or a user experience researcher. A position where I can interact with the user. I would hate to be a position where I can never meet the person who uses the product, but I still want a say in the design. I can say what I want to do in 30 seconds, but for some reason, writing one-page of my career plans is difficult.

Surprisingly, this interaction design test and design communicator test are rather easy. Now you understand what HCI is, right?

When watching someone in the service industry do the job, I never doubt their ability to do the job well. To me, it\’s all about how they maintain a relationship with the customer. Being social creatures, the social exchange–even if it\’s only less than a minute–is the most important thing in a service.

So today, at Yokoso! Japanese Steakhouse at the waterfront for Gary\’s birthday, I felt sorry for the Hibachi chef who couldn\’t do his fancy tricks of twirling his spatulas and shakers. He told us he was going to do an egg roll, which I assumed was a spinning of the egg on his spatula, but it ended up falling onto Thi\’s plate. Then he dropped his spatula a few times. It was just somewhat embarrassing to watch and I sat there a little uncomfortably viewing the entire show. In my deeper thoughts, all I could think was I am hungry! The guy was rather nice, but had this nervous laugh. I winced and wished I could have struck up a conversation with him to ease the tension. He said that he had been doing this for 3 years. Then that was to the extent that we asked. The food itself was not that bad although I felt there could have been more.

Speaking of which, why is it that I feel always so hungry nowadays? Why is it whenever I eat out, I end up finishing my entire plate of food and still feel…so hungry?

But on the side, we can\’t blame the chef for just…being bad. Sure, he didn\’t perform as well as he could. But there could be attributed to so many factors–overworked chefs, poor training, a family emergency happening that day. Yet, what then is good service? Isn\’t good service always meant to be good? That unhappy people are supposed to put on a happy face for their customers? The service industry establishes only one-way relationships where it\’s about the customer and not about the employee. Where\’s the humanity in that?

A few days ago, I asked my friend to described me with just three words. I had read somewhere that an interaction designer used this \”game\”–asking everyone she knew to describe her with three words–to define her identity in order to design her portfolio to fully represent herself. But with my complex personality–not always perfect and not always smart, I was slightly surprised by the responses I got.

I believe that people don\’t change. That only perspectives really do. But in some way, I have changed since I was in undergrad. I am more likely to state my emotions and opinions in the open. I learned that if I kept all of this inside, especially anger and the like, the worse it would become for me. That only talking about them openly would help me the most.

But some words were: intelligent, honest, loyal/true to yourself and what you believe in, reliable, steadfast, witty and unconventional.

Emphasis on the unconventional. On the way I deal with people, said my friend. I have always wanted to be different. A la Mike Fernando. A la 50 year old man @ 10 pm. A la meeting random guys.

Reminder to self:

Companies that I would like to work for. One day. A list from DUX2005.

MetaDesign
Gensler
fuseproject
Cheskin
ODA
frog design
Adaptive Path
Hot Studio
Pentagram
Method
Avenue A | Razorfish
Smart Design
Lunar Design
Center for the Book
Odopod

Six more months and this will be all over.

Why don\’t people cook?

Today, I went to Giant Eagle and got my usual items. Bananas. Bell peppers. Apples. Yogurt. Flavored sparkling water. Ground beef. Biscuits. Cranberries.

Then I went home and made lasagna. Until I realized that my tub of ricotta cheese was spoiled. But I decided to go use my 4 month old cottage cheese. I feel fine.