Jeffie's Wedding

My friends "Jeffie" got married last week. This nickname is a contraction of both of their first names. We invented the name within the first few weeks of their dating history. Sorry, their actual names and pictures are being witheld.

They had a lovely reception on Saturday that we all attended. The reception was held, interestingly enough, at Viognier Restaurant, located above the gourmet grocery store, Draegers. This is very much in keeping with the bride's style, who is passionate about good produce. This was perhaps the only time I will ever be as dressed up again in the vegetable produce aisle.

The bride looked elegant and beautiful in a champagne yellow "cheong-sam" and a bubble-gum pink pashmina shawl. Champagne yellow is one of my favorite colors for Chinese silk garments because it looks so classic and elegant. Admirably enough, she got her hair done at the "Hair Clippers" across the street at a short notice before hand. I don't know too many women who are as carefree about their appearance on their important day. I wish I could have seen her in her wedding gown, though.

One last word on the food: the food was the best I've ever had at a wedding. I had some of the best salmon I've ever had. A piece of buttery soft salmon fillet sat over an intensely flavored mashed cauliflower (veloute, whatever that means), which must have had truffle infused oil in it, because every mouthful was popping with flavor. Also, there was a piquant zucchini sauerkraut side dish, which doesn't sound very appetizing, but take my word for it, it was amazing. The hors-douevres were incredible as well. We couldn't have snatched up the miniature wild mushroom cups any faster.

It was also very nice being seated at a table of non-work related friends, where we touched base with old acquaintances, and met new acquaintances. We also got to see "Jeffie" amidst their families, and it was wonderful to see the families support their Jeffie in that way. All in all a very happy day. We are all very happy for this great couple. I couldn't have thought of a simpler and more successful wedding reception.

Year 2007 in Summary, Part 2

(Santa Cruz Wharf to Wharf Race)

I am following up the first half of my year's summary by saying that this past year wasn't all bad. If there was crushing disappointment, it was also a year of good relationships, and also a year of great physical fitness, maybe even the best of my life. The previous year, 2006, I had lost a few friends because of arguments, or because we had simply grown apart. This past year, however, I made some close, new friendships, and found myself surrounded by positive people. Strangely, I find myself to be well-known, and in the center of groups - something I rarely experience.


That is not to say I don't have things to work on when it comes to relationships. I am still working on having more tact for instance, and refraining from talking before I think (New Year's Resolution #1). Also, I need to work on communicating things that are unpleasant to others, and to stop compromising things internally before I even negotiate (New Year's Resolution #2), which is hugely frustrating for me, and had even in some ways lead to my financial problems.


Financially, there was an unusually large amount of cash flowing out of the M. & M. household due to home renovation, toys, and unfortunately, financial irresponsibility:
(1) Bamboo wood floors
(2) Popcorn ceilings removed
(3) American Clay walls - in other words fancy pants plastered walls
(4) Interior decorating costs
(5) Repainting costs
(6) Custom, exotic hardwood coffeetable
(7) M. and M.'s brand spanking new DUI drysuits
(8) Cozumel and Alaska vacation
(9) Late fees applied to HOA


Yes, you got that right: I lost thousands of dollars in late fees, and debt to the HOA. Which leads to attempting to be more financially responsible and organized (New Year's Resolution #3), even though it may mean a few less hours of enjoyment, and a few more hours of pain.


Physically speaking, it has been an excellent year.
(1) I ran the Wharf to Wharf in Santa Cruz and had a blast. I had never run 6 miles straight before. (See picture above).
(2) I work out at the gym at least twice a week.
(3) I can swim up to 1 mile at a time.
(4) And I will run up to 3 miles at a time regularly.
If I could continue the focus on having a buff bod this coming year, than I will have achieved my wishes (New Year's Resolution #4).


As far as work is concerned, I have less concrete goals, and more state-of-mind goals. If I can be less hateful and angry, and try to catch myself before I think these distracting thoughts (New Year's Resolution #5) than I think I could perform at work even better, and also be a happier person. This also combines with my work goals of learning the value of time better (New Year's Resolution #6), and finishing off what I start (New Year's Resolution #7).



Finally, my ultimate goals of travel and adventure have been temporarily placed on hold. I am evaluating whether I need to give up these goals or not, and whether or not these goals are contradictory to my financial goals. I am sure I will keep you all posted.

Year 2007 in Summary, Part 1

I've been thinking a little about why I blog and what I'm trying to get out of it. I think that by blogging, I'm trying to prove that my life existed in the world, no matter how insignificant or small my life is. Also, it has been a fun and creative outlet. Now that it is a new year, I want to lay down my thoughts about 2007. This past year has certainly gone by like a flash, and I wanted to memorialize how I've grown and the events that have taken place.

First of all, this year was set apart by the ABSENCE of bad things. I didn't crash any cars, or have any mid-life crises. Nor did I hate my job, or hate my boss, or hate my fiance etc. We didn't move, nor did we change jobs. All in all, life was very stable.

My friends, however, were a whole different story. I felt like I was the eye of a hurricane, the calm amidst a storm. Without naming names, my friends experienced major break-ups as well as marriages. There were multiple pregnancies and births. There was even marital intervention that took place at the San Francisco Zoo (the giraffe exhibit, to be precise).

If there was an absence of spectacularly bad things, that is not say that there wasn't grinding disappointment either, especially in my career. If you had talked to a younger Mina, she would have thought that I had truly succeeded. I have released not just medical devices, but these past couple of years, I have released, not one, but two high-volume, popular, mass-produced products. Seeing my accomplishments in this light, I can genuinely say I'm proud. So, where does the disappointment come from?

I am very disappointed at where I am in my career. I did not get promoted after the products I helped design and launch, but instead saw people all around me get promoted for accomplishing less. I felt crushed, and thought the world was out to get me. I got so angry thinking that people were out to crush my spirit. Why was I always the person who got the brunt of all of the punishment when everyone else got rewarded? What's worse, I had withheld several materialistic rewards for myself for when I did get promoted. For instance, I really wanted a drysuit for several years, but wouldn't get one until after the promotion. Also, I promised I'd celebrate the impending promotion with a dinner reservation at Chez Panisse. Finally, I had set up a deadline for myself. If no promotion occurred, I would definitely ship out and move out.

So what happened, and how did I justify it all to myself? First of all, after many evenings crying to myself, I began to see it from the point of view of my bosses. There WERE things that I could improve in myself. There were certain lapses in skills that I needed to fill. My struggle this year, is to work on those lapses in skills before I get so bitter and disenchanted with life that I don't snap peoples' heads off. More on this later, perhaps in a New Year's Resolutions blog.

Blog to be continued...