I recently checked my tread depth on my tires using the coin test and to my chagrin learned that I need to purchase new tires again. The Fuzion ZRi’s that I purchased in early 2008 for my WRX lasted just 2 years (i should’ve heeded the one review that warned about the tread life). This time around I’m shopping for all-season tires instead of summer tires.

Most consumers aren’t aware that the age or shelf-life of the tires matter. Tires six years old (from when it was manufactured) and older supposedly have a greater chance of the tread pealing off, which can lead to accidents, as detailed in this 20/20 news segment. Tire manufacturers do not list expiration dates on the tires, but you can tell the age of the tires from reading the cryptic codes on the tires.

Assuming there is some validity to this, how should you shop for tires? First, do your research online by reading consumer reviews, test results, and shop around for prices. If you prefer to buy at a tire shop, before you purchase make sure to check the age of the tires.

Purchasing tires online could save you a lot, but also could be tricky since there’s no way to tell the age of the tires that will be shipped to you. Your best bet is to buy a newer model tire (e.g., google “new tire product launch”) and note the product launch date. If the product launch date was less than two years ago and assuming that I’ll keep the tires for 3-4 years, it’d be a tire that I’d consider purchasing.

I composed a new music piece last week which i’ve tentatively titled, “Prelude”. It’s inspired by J.S. Bach’s Preludes and Fugues.

Here’s the audio file. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thx.

(that’s me grilling a turkey patty on my new George Foreman grill)

A couple weeks ago, I bought a new George Foreman GRP72CTTS G-Broil Grill Supreme Electric Nonstick Countertop Grill with Digital Timer, Silver. As a grad student who’s also working, I don’t have much time to cook during the weekdays, and plus I figured I needed to start eating healthier–at least that’s my rationalization for spending $75 to get this. The nice thing about this particular Foreman grill is that it has a digital timer and auto-shutoff feature when the timer hits zero. Actually, it’s not auto-shutoff, but it switches to “ON”, which just keeps the grill warm.

I’ve not actually used a Foreman Grill before this. Since I started using it though, I’ve been grilling mostly turkey breast cutlets, turkey patties, salmon, shrimp, and veggies. Yes, that’s right. Grilled VEGGIES! Zucchinis and yellow squash with some pepper, garlic powder, and seasoned light are actually quite tasty. Someday when I’m in better shape, I’ll grill up some paninis, brats, grilled cheese melts, even kalbi and bulgogi. Mmm.

Cleanup is pretty easy, as long as you clean the grilling plates not long after you’re done grilling. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with my latest purchase (and will be even more satisfied if I can see results).

Some friends and I went hiking yesterday at Winter Creek - Mount Zion near Los Angeles, CA. This marked only the second time hiking I’ve hiked around L.A. The pic on the right is me posing as a bear running out of the cave.

The hike will be memorable for a number of things: 1) It was a great hike with friends as we saw parts of California that we hadn’t seen before and the majority of our hike was in the shade, and 2) we had a close brush with death afterwards, while driving down the mountain.

The road up the mountain to the hiking trail was two-way, but one lane each way (separated by two solid yellow lines). This was a winding road with guard rails overlooking the cliff on one side and the mountain forming the other side. There were various points where the road was winding up the mountain that you couldn’t see ahead. It was presumed that as long as you were going slow enough (< 25 mph) and staying in your lane, then everything should be fine. Usually, when I have people in the car, I drive slower than usual to offset the attention deficit that can occur while driving and talking/listening at the same time. Well, this genius of a driver in an early 90’s Mustang GT somehow thought it was good idea to take up part of our lane while the road was winding. When we saw him, he was maybe a foot in our lane and we had just missed a head-on collision by perhaps a foot. I’m not sure if I was able to brake as there likely was not enough time to react. The stunned silence in the car afterwards couldn’t do justice to what we had just experienced.

Last night when I reflected back on the hiking trip and the close encounter, I wondered what would’ve happened if certain things had been different. We were driving 20-25 mph and he had to be driving 35-40 mph. If there had a been a head-on collision (55-65 mph impact), the impact would’ve flipped at least one of the cars over and down the cliff (the term “guard rails” is a misnomer). Although I’m no expert, I’d put the odds of no fatalities in that situation at probably less than 20%. You start playing the “what-if” game: What if I had been driving 1 mph faster (or he had been driving faster)? What if he had been more than 1 foot in our lane? It was a stark reminder that so many things are out of our control. And our habit of marking successes and disappointments as landmarks–in hopes of deriving meaning–is folly.

It boggles my mind why some people are willing to shell out $40 plus shipping to get a horizontal stand for the iPhone. When you can make a stand yourself with materials you already have. Some have made a stand out of pencils, others have used paper clips. While those are nice considerations, those have pointed edges that would make a $40 purchase seem like a brilliant move, if you were to puncture yourself somehow with it (e.g., it’s not hard to imagine stepping on the paperclip stand…) and land yourself in the ER. The stand that I made is pretty safe and is probably easier to make. You just need about 10 index cards and a couple strips of tape. Here’s how to make it:

1. Get 5 index cards and make two small creases on one horizontal edge. Then tape that edge and also tape the top horizontal edge, using separate strips of tape.

2. Take another 5 index cards and fold it in three equal parts, vertically. You an then make a triangle/pyramid pattern and tape the ends together. Next, tape one side of the pyramid to the back of the 5 index cards so that it props the original 5 cards to make a stand. Here’s a side view of the stand in case i’m not making any sense.

You can also thread your iPhone USB cable through the hole that we’ve created with the pyramid prop. Another plus of this stand is that it’s very portable. In fact, it’s foldable! Save yourself some cash and unnecessary injuries. This has replaced my hacked 1st gen iPhone dock (to fit the 3G S iPhone).

A new Yogurtland just opened up next door to my gym. Talk about great timing. Just when I’m about to start exercising regularly again. So now the purpose of my exercising is so that I don’t feel too guilty about eating at Yogurtland and other places afterwards, instead of trying to get more fit and eating right.

What makes Yogurtland different from the other FroYo places out here is that everything is self-serve. You start out getting whichever flavors of yogurt you want and you decide the quantities. Today, I got Pomegranate Raspberry tart, Pineapple Tart, Pistachio, Taro, Toasted Coconut. Too bad they didn’t have Lychee tart, which is my favorite. Once you fill up your paper bowl with yogurt, you then get to add fruit toppings. They have chopped kiwi, watermelon, mango, strawberries, blackberries, canned lychees, etc. You can also get coconut flakes, walnuts, almonds, chopped peanuts, chocolate chips, granola, etc. Then they weigh what you’ve collected on a scale and you pay by the ounce (or pounds, if that applies to you).

new update: piano journal

I went to the DMV on Wednesday to pick up my vehicle tag. Guess how long that took? Over two hours. The place was packed and had to stand and wait for most of it. It would’ve been nice had they told me a few weeks back, when I applied for a new driver’s license and vehicle tag, that I would need an appointment to pick up my vehicle tag and avoid the long lines. I now know why going to the DMV is such an ordeal for many (I haven’t been to the DMV since I was 16) and I look around and everyone there just looks pissed at the world for being there. Even though I reserved an appointment online for a new driver’ license, taking a written driving test, applying for a new vehicle tag/registration, these took around three to four hours to complete a few weeks back. And then picking up my vehicle tag took another two hours for a total of 6 hours.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the DMV had an express checkout line for people who don’t have much paperwork to fill out or to pick up their tags? Perhaps that’s wishful thinking, given that it’s not a for-profit business that would see the benefit of providing better customer service. Hopefully, it’ll be awhile before I need to make another trip to the DMV…by then, everything can be completed online?

Last Friday, I got to see one of my favorite pianists, Martha Argerich, perform Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major with the L.A. Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. It’s a concert that I’ve been anticipating for some time now considering that Martha Argerich rarely gives public performances and is sixty-seven years old and has been known to cancel concerts.

Ms. Argerich’s interpretation of the Ravel Piano Concerto was spot-on. Her playing was very crisp as she didn’t overindulge in pedaling. The piano was a newer Steinway and sounded bright, which I thought was perfect for an Impressionist piece such as this one. The second movement (Adagio assai) was particularly satisfying. At some point during the concert, I came to realize that Ravel really suits Ms. Argerich as she is widely known for her agility (see octave passsage in Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto-third movement, or listen to her Liszt Sonata in B minor from her debut recital CD) without sounding the least bit tense. She made playing the fast and difficult third movement seem so effortless. The audience gave her a standing ovation and she performed two encores (one’s a four-hand arrangement of Ravel’s “Mother Goose” and another one’s a solo piece that I believe is a Schumann piece?). All in all, it was an awesome concert.

One thing I can take away from this: Really work on finger legato instead of relying heavily on the pedal. The way to do that is to relax, pay attention to breathing (lack of oxygen causes fingers to be tense) and just play loose.

i hope I get the chance to hear Ms. Argerich perform again.

testing @paylessparking

testing http://is.gd/RMQ

Just watched (listened) to Martha Argerich perform Ravel Piano Concerto and two encore pieces. I’m speechless.

Historians believe that the “apple” that Adam ate from the book of Genesis of the Bible or Torah was actually a pomegranate. I could believe it since apples taste ok, but pomegranates are delicious. If you can look past what a pain it is to get the seeds (arils) out, it is a wonderful fruit. So wonderful that in fact, last November I saw an advertisement at a Von’s supermarket selling pomegranates for a buck each (it must be cheaper to ship here since I think many farmers grow pomegranates here). Back in Florida, I might see a deal that’s 2 for $4. So I literally bought 50 pomegranates during that span. I had read that pomegranates can be kept in the refrigerator for a month (some claimed 3 months) so I decided to stock up on. I’d knock out the seeds to 3 pomegranates and store them in tupperware. I’d eat the pomegranate seeds out of a cup, add it to ice cream, throw some on some greens, you name it. A few years ago, I made a Persian dish, pomegranate chicken stew that had pomegranate juice as one of its main ingredients. The pomegranates gave the dish a nice tartness. It’s pretty healthy too, since pomegranates have loads of antioxidants and vitamins.

As much as I liked eating the pomegranates, I couldn’t finish all 50 of them. So I put maybe 15 in the fridge. I forgot about the pomegranates for awhile and last week, decided to see if they’re still good. The outside of the pomegranates turned a bit brown but when I cut it open, I couldn’t tell from the insides that it’s been nearly 4 months! It tasted really sweet. Taste-wise, pomegranates rank up there on my short list of favorite fruits. But the fact that pomegranates don’t go bad even after nearly 4 months in the fridge, might just bump it to top of my list.

Our public school system is a complete disaster. Compared to other industrialized nations, our students’ math and reading skills are appallingly poor and people like to scapegoat things such as music programs, physical education, and sex ed, of all things! And the lack of money to fund our schools.

Is it really about not having enough money? While money is needed to fund curriculum changes, but that’s the end all, be all to solving this problem. I agree with this commentary and its stance on what it takes to fix our education system. First and foremost, we need to recruit and hire better teachers. I know this because I’ve had some really shitty teachers growing up (K-12). Some teachers believed that effective teaching meant popping a VHS title such as “Sword in the Stone”, “Mary Poppins”, or “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” on Friday afternoons, instead of teaching us something useful.

We also need to make sure that our schools have well-rounded curriculums by including sports, music, art, etc. Without a well-rounded education, students have no chance at developing their creativity. They could only think on two planes and not understand the multiplex nature of tough problems today.

A few weeks ago, a founder of charter schools in the L.A. area came to give a talk about the charter schools that he’s been involved with. What I got out of it is that the charter school model should be more widely adopted as it makes schools more accountable, can be autonomous in their decision making so that the most qualified teachers are hired and retained, and students feel like they have a purpose by attending school. He threw out some staggering figures, such as the percentage of high school students in Los Angeles who actually graduate high school. I forgot what that figure what, but it was shockingly low.

If I ever have kids some day, I don’t think I would send them to a public school the way it is right now. Parents should always want their kids to have something better, so that their kids can live a better life than they did, are smarter than them, etc. I don’t want my kids to be dumber than me I.

Just finished watching Startup.com, a documentary about an internet startup company that failed during the dot com era. One of their co-founders came to give a talk to our New Ventures class a few weeks ago, sharing some of the lessons learned from their venture. While this venture was launched nearly 10 years ago, when it was relatively easy to get venture capital funding, I feel that it is still very relevant to the current times, even when funding is difficult to come by. One of the key mistakes the team made was in overemphasizing the importance of raising funds over strategy and building the company. They viewed their investors as their customers, when their customers really were the government and those who got parking tickets. The guest speaker also noted that they should’ve brought in more experienced people earlier on, who knew how to manage and had some experience in the public/government sector. The personality dynamics as depicted in the documentary was rather interesting too and I kept thinking how difficult it is to find good partners that would function well, even when the going gets tough? How to manage the big ego’s?