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linders1025

To those of you just surfing onto this site, this is Mission 100 & it's basically a task of 100 things to do in 1000 days. It's just a project I created in order to learn more about myself & to experience life. If you would like to join me on any of these tasks or help me (like send me a postcard from wherever you are from, help me break a world record, or help me fold paper cranes) please do (: Anyhow, enjoy! If you're not interested, no worries, my daily tabs are below this entry so just scroll down (:

*note, I unstickied the original Mission 100 entry & just copied & pasted the Mission 100 tasks so that people don't have to read through the quotes part constantly*

The Mission: 100 things in 1000 days

Starting: June 6, 2005
Ending: March 3, 2008

The 100 Tasks (in no specific order):

1. Go abroad-Europe/Asia/Australia/Africa for an excursion Went to ASIA: Bangkok, Macau, Hong Kong, Beijing, Manila, Taipei, & Tokyo! (Summer 2006)
2. Watch every movie in the Harry Potter series in 1 sitting MISSION COMPLETED!, 11/17-11/18-and spend a good 2 hrs in a movie theater awaiting the midnight showing of GoF w/ my bestests and played charades! Can't get much better than that, can it?
3. Try out for a reality TV show MISSION COMPLETED--thank you Real World
4. See a show... on BROADWAY MISSION COMPLETED! 1/20/07 WICKED!!!
5. Road trip around Rhode Island-Visit EVERY city in 1 day (MISSION COMPLETED 5/26/07 w/ Albert & Duncan)
6. Surf @ at least 5 beaches (MISSION COMPLETED: Surfed Wrightsville @ Public Access #4, 6/13/2005, Surfed Wilmington Beach, 6/14/2005, Surfed Narragansett, RI 9/24/2005, Big Wave Bay, Hong Kong 6/30/2006, San Francisco! 1/26/08)
7. Complete a triathlon
8. Finish LindaKTong.com
9. Go dancing in the rain (MISSION COMPLETED: 10/4/2006-dancing in the rain w/ Travis imitating THIS video)
10. Make a wedding cake
11. Build a bar
12. Send a message in a bottle
13. Sell something on eBay for more than $10 (MISSION COMPLETED: concert tickets for Sia
14. Use only public transportation for a month (MISSION COMPLETED: Thailand/Hong Kong/Asia Summer--May 25th-July4th, until Aug 22nd)
15. Run across the TD courtyard, barefoot (MISSION COMPLETED 5/1/2007-TDDDTD DAY!)
16. Have a waterballoon fight
17. Memorize every state & its capital in the US (MISSION COMPLETED 5/29/2007)
18. Go skydiving & bungee jumping (Bungee jumping in Canada 8/13/2005 @ Great Canadian Bungee--HIGHEST jump in North America; sky diving w/ caleb/dan/ryan 7/19/08)
19. Go scuba diving/snorkeling (6/28/2008)
20. Make a wish in 30 different fountains (Southpoint Mall Fountain, 6/17/2005, DC, Georgetown Mall, Cleveland, Crabtree valley mall--all over the summer, will post the pics of each one soon + stuff in 2006: Spring Break--Dallas malls, Summer in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Cali, Rhode Island Fountain (RI Mall)-5/26/07)--a couple in Boracay)
21. Go camping (MISSION COMPLETED Aug 3-8, 2005 in Moab, Utah--Canyonlands National Park & Arches National Park)
22. Collect every state quarter that's been released (I'm working on my collection now... I have all but 1 of the quarters currently released... still awaiting, I believe they'll all be out in 2008)
23. Write a song & perform at an open mic night MISSION COMPLETED: Performed at Vanila 8/19/2006, Performed "CDO's: what are those?"
24. Road trip to a White Castle MISSION COMPLETED: w/ Samarth & Joel in WISCONSIN! 6/3/2007 pic is in THIS post
25. Get a postcard from every state in the United States (Utah-Brian Hill, 6/17/2005 & California-MikeyMike, 6/18/2005, Idaho-Brian Hill, 7/18/2005, Washington-Bert, 7/23/2005, Illinois-Julie, 7/24/2005, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee 8/2/2005-8/9/2005 (during Utah Roadtrip), New Hampshire-8/15/2005, Louisiana-11/16/2005-from Catherine!! Hawaii-11/24/2005-from Bert!!!, Nevada/Las Vegas-11/29/2005--from Catherine!! Washington, New Jersey, Kentucky, Ohio, New York, Colorado--Will, North Carolina-Craig, and although these aren't US States, I still want to thank: Caroline (carecare)for her BEAUT postcard, Joel for the postcard from Spain, and Laura for the 3 postcards from various places during her summer travels in Belize!) Thanks to Catherine for a beaut. postcard from Oklahoma--1/13/2007!, got postcards from Pennsylvania, Ohio, & Washington D.C. during winter break while flying to interviews!) and I have a bunch at home I never updated on--oops--will do that soon... here's the official list
26. Walk a mile backwards (MISSION COMPLETED: Thailand trip--1/23/2008)
27. Break a world record/Create a world record MISSION COMPLETED (but still going to keep going... yeah IN know)--Part of the largest simultaneous READ for JumpStart)
28. Knit a scarf (MISSION COMPLETED Started 11/21/2005, Finished 12/23/2005)
29. Learn the lyrics to REM's It's the End of the World as we Know it.. & be able to sing along
30. Go clubbing in NYC (so much cooler in HK) MISSION COMPLETED! HK summer of 06, NYC fall of 06 w/ Novantas peeps--in Bar
31. Carry groceries for an old lady (MISSION COMPLETED: 1/17/2008--she bought me a soda haha
32. Learn how to golf & go 18 holes
33. Throw a party & bartend MISSION COMPLETED 10/27/2007--Birthday/Housewarming/Halloween FANTASTIC--we also featured Peppermint Patty shots, Apple Pie shots, & body shots... along with fantastic drinks courtesy of yours truly
34. Get a pen pal in another country & write him/her (MISSIONCOMPLETED 10/14/2006--Michelle in Malaysia is my pen pal!!!)
35. Donate hair to Locks of Love MISSION COMPLETED 6/20/2007 my new short do? check it out in my Asia photos soon to be put up
36. Go running along the beach (MISSION COMPLETED-Wilmington Beach 6/16/2005)
37. Do graffiti art somewhere (legal)
38. Play mission impossible in a Walmart
39. Make a pizza & spin the dough on my hand like a pizza dude
40. Do something nice for 3 people & tell them to pass it on--Pay if Forward (MISSION COMPLETED Took care of stranger's baby on airplane flight-2.5 hrs!!! 8/15/2005, Paid for a strangers tank of gas 8/15/2005, Paid for a stranger--Red Ford Focus--$2.00 toll on Garden State pkwy on the drive up to Yale, 11/25/2005)
41. Go stargazing & find 10 different constellations
42. Build a 3D puzzle
43. Make a Build-a-Bear (MISSION COMPLETED--in Canada @ the Tremblant Ski Trip 2006 w/ the Yale Ski Team. I made a moose called: Oozing Sores & he has a pink star inside him!--completed 1/7/2006)
44. Learn the names of all 206 bones in the human body
45. Play croquet (@ Michael Mina dinner)
46. Make a pinata & bust it open w/ friends (going away party @ work )
47. Go to a costume party MISSION COMPLETED 10/26//2007 & 10/31/2007---holllla Redwood City & GoooG
48. Read DaVinci Code MISSION COMPLETED 7/5/2005
49. Throw a football the length of the Timothy Dwight courtyard (MISSION COMPLETED 5/22/07 w/ Sherm/James/Charlie)
50. Go to the Frick museam (MISSION COMPLETED: 4/21/2007; post JPM trip)
51. Read every Calvin & Hobbes book (Went through: Lazy Sunday Book, Calvin & Hobbes, & There's Treasure Everywhere on 6/13/2005 Revenge of the Babysat 7/25/2005, The Authoritative Calvin & Hobbes 12/23/2005)
52. Build a tower of playing cards
53. Learn how to play the drums I've begun--thank you Rock Band
54. Go to a dealership & (pretend to be interested in buying cars) & test drive cars (MISSION COMPLETED: although, I wasn't pretending to be interested... considering: civic hybrid, prius, escape hybrid, or just a mazda 3)
55. Go to Vegas & beat the dealer (MISSION COMPLETED 2/22/08-2/24/08 won @ Poker, Pai Gow, Black Jack, and CRAPS!!!)
56. Have a sleepover... like when I was little (MISSION COMPLETED 3/30/2007 w/ Alison & Illana)
57. Go to a wine tasting (MISSION COMPLETED 2/16/08-2/17/08--went to Napa w/ Nate & Family & Friends--LOVED the Malvasia @ sterling & EVERYTHING @ Hanna!)
58. Make 30 free throws in a row (made 21 in a row, 6/7/05, MISSION COMPLETED 6/10/05)
59. Play a game of monopoly all the way through following all the rules (Did this over Thanksgiving w/ Bert, Kenny, & Jenny--who killed all of us with a Red monopoly on Indiana, Illinois, & Kentucky, MISSION COMPLETED 11/23/2005)
60. Watch the sunrise & sunset in 1 day (MISSION COMPLETED 8/4/2005, 8/5/2005, 8/6/2005, & 8/7/2005 & 8/8/2005-in Moab, Utah, Vail, CO, & St. Louis, MO)
61. Attempt every song on DDR (dance dance revolution on PS2) (MISSION COMPLETED 12/27/2008--although I failed @ most--this is from DDR2)
62. Build a snowman (MISSION COMPLETED 2/12/2006, Timothy Dwight Courtyard--picture in 2/13/2006 posting)
63. See every Adam Sandler movie (watched Billy Madison, 6/8/05, 50 First Dates, 6/13/05, The Longest Yard, 6/17/2005, Big Daddy, 6/19/2005, Spanglish, 6/20/2005, Happy Gilmore 6/21/2005, Punch Drunk Love 7/12/2005, Waterboy 7/12/2005 Airheads 7/25/2005 Little Nicky 10/23/2005 Mr. Deeds 12/3/2005--Yeah TBS for playing this movie 3 times in a row! Anger Management 12/24/2005) - watching as they come out. 
64. Make a music video MISSION COMPLETED 12/8/2006: Label by Travis Nelson
65. Help build a house with Habitat for Humanity (MISSION COMPLETED--3/24/07-3/25/07 New Haven chapter)
66. Have a caricature done of myself
67. Carve my initials in a treeMISSION COMPLETED 12/17/2006 at East Rock--the picture will be uploaded ASAP!! PROMISE
68. Get a hot dog from Gray's Papaya in NYC MISSION COMPLETED 2/10/2006 @ the Grays on 8th & 36th
69. Find a waterfall & shower beneath it MISSION COMPLETED 7/3/2005- @ Hanging Rock in NC
70. Ride every rollercoaster in an amusement park MISSION COMPLETED 3/9-17/2007 in Orlando (Island of Adventure, Magic Kingdom, & MGM)
71. Spend a night in a 5 star hotel MISSION COMPLETED--Shangri-La (I actually went to the SL in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Beijing, & Manila!)
72. Throw a mystery party (like clue)
73. Go on a blind date It was a disaster... not happening again. 
74. Find a 4 leaf clover MISSION COMPLETED! 7/11/2007 in Temple of Heaven, Beijing see here
75. Ride a mechanical bull MISSION COMPLETED 4/26/2006 @ Yale--Silliman Day--See 4/27 post for pictures!
76. Buy a lottery ticket & choose numbers by the first 6 people I see MISSION COMPLETED 6/7/2007 in OHIO--yyyeah lotttto tix
77. REALLY celebrate a holiday (i.e. go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, Pamplona for Fiesta de San Fermin-running of the bulls, Ireland for St. Patty's Day)
78. Go to Hooters--FOR THE WINGS MISSON COMPLETED 3/11/2007 in Orlando!!
79. Fly a kite (MISSION COMPLETED: 9/22/07-@ Fort Mason right off the water yeah SF!)
80. Eat every food on the BBC's top 50 things to eat before you die-http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/50eats_index.shtml (MISSION NEARLY COMPLETED! Ate everything except Haggis)
81. Go white water rafting (MISSION COMLPETED 8/5/2005 on the Colorado River w/ Tag-A-Long-class 3-5 rapids!)
82. Get my belly button pierced or get a tattoo... (MISSION COMPLETED 1/28/2006, at: The Edge Tattoo & Piercing parlor in New Haven, CT!!!!)
83. Go windsurfing/wakeboarding (Tahoe)
84. Go to one of those human fly places & stick to the wall in a velcro suit MISSION COMPLETED 4/26/2006 @ Yale-Silliman Day!! See 4/27 posting for pictures!!!
85. Build a time capsule, fill it & bury it
86. Make 1,000 paper cranes (362 of 1000---NOW IT'S 847 of 1000!!--Done!! as of 3/5/08)
87. Buy a meal for a homeless person (MISSION COMPLETED flower lady @ABP 5/24/07)
88. Photocopy my bum
89. Go on a cruise MISSION COMPLETED 6/24/2005--Henrietta on Cape Fear River w/ Pico vs. Island Trees (:
90. Make a sand castle (MISSION COMPLETED--Myrtle Beach! 5/16/07)
91. Sleep on the beach (6/15/2005-6/16/2005) MISSION COMPLETED @ Wrightsville Beach, NC
92. Kiss a crush under the moonlight MISSION COMPLETED 8/17/2006... can't give these details out... but yeah (:
93. Laugh so hard I cry (MISSION COMPLETED 3/30/07 w/ Alison & Illana)
94. Taste every item on the menu @ a restuarant (MISSION COMPLETED--although it was easy, thanks to In-N-Out!)
95. Jump into a body of water fully clothed (MISSION COMPLETED 8/5/2005 in the Colorado River)
96. Write & Illustrate a children's book (MISSION COMPLETED 12/1/2005, wrote a book for "Make a Book, Teach a Kid"--for Cambodian children. It's a book called A Penguin's Tale. It's about a penguin, Brian, that travels all over the world--it should be available online to download and we'll be binding it and sending it to Cambodia to help children learn to read!)
97. Learn Java
98. Make a snow angel (MISSION COMPLETED! 12/4/2005, in the middle of some strange field after the first snow of 2005 in New Haven, CT... pic soon)
99. Befriend a stranger (Tallullah (: Thanks for helping me out! MISSION COMPLETED 7/1/2005)
100. Go an entire day simply being happy (MISSION COMPLETED: sooo many times! I've realized I'm a rather happy person and I'd love to complete this one over & over again )

linders1025

from: http://androidcommunity.com/forums/f41/first-impressions-from-a-t-mobile-employee-2000/

I have seen it, and it is good.


Had the training today, with all of about 15 minutes to mess around with it. I am now what T-Mobile considers to be an "expert" on this device lol

Impressions:

It is small. It is NOT a fat hog like it sometimes appears in photos, so it makes a Wing look bloated, if not huge. 

Although the overall in-person appearance is still relatively plain, the second it hits your hand it feels like money. Very good fit and finish. The way the screen opens is interesting, if nothing else. It hits full open and full close with a sharp snap; I had expected it to be sort of damped. It is assisted mechanically in both directions. The weight is perfect. It feels like a quality device while in your hand, as you would expect of HTC. It is JUST behind the Iphone in this touchy-feely regard. Well actually, I'll give that statement one caveat: I have NEVER felt comfortable holding an Iphone. There are no good surfaces to hold on to. Machined aluminum looks and feels upscale, but grippy it ain't. The G1 falls immediately, and comfortably, and securely, to hand. 

When open, the screen isn't parallel with the keyboard. I have noticed this since the very first spy photos were released. I figured they would fix that, but they didn't. It doesn't really matter, and we are talking a TINY amount off, but as a person who literally CAN NOT focus on anything in a room until all pictures on the walls are level, I noticed it.

The upside is even though it snaps to the open position, it has a bit of built-in give to it should the screen get mashed too far in the open direction. It did NOT feel like slop, it feels like they are protecting the device from its users. 

The keyboard is about perfect to me. The right amount of tactile feedback, and enough space between the keys. Much more useable than the Blackberry 8800 keyboard I am writing this on. 

Why on earth don't all touch screen devices have a trackball? I didn't realize it, but between the touch and trackball, navigation is delicious. One of the few things I liked about the Sidekick LX I had was it had 2 D pads. Let's you drive around with double the control because each pad did slightly different things. It is the same net effect on the G1 with the trackball and the touch screen. 

The buttons along the bottom of the phone are well-placed and extremely well integrated into how the phone works as you choose and use different items or apps. Point of order: the home key always takes you home, and the back key always takes you back! Makes it easy to learn to use because the keys aren't constantly changing functions. One very different thing is that if you hit the End button, it locks the screen, it doesn't take you home. That's what the home button is for, dummy!

And so we come to the interface. Very, very good. As a person who has about equal time using a G1 and an Iphone, the G1 is more immediately obvious in how to operate it. (After we finished, it occurred to me that Google sort of stole all the best parts of WM and the Iphone OS and combined them. If there are many really new ideas as far as how to simply select and move and use things on the phone, I didn't find them.) But again, I don't really have a lot of experience with an Iphone.

As far as the software and such, there is just no lag anywhere that we could find in the short amount of time we had. You select, you get. None of this WM waiting pinwheel bullshit, no Blackberry hourglass bullshit. It just goes. 

The Android Market is neat, and already has a ton of apps of all flavors, the vast majority of which are free at the moment, but the device hasn't launched yet and so I'd expect this to change. We scanned the barcode on a bottle of Lysol wipes and discovered Wal-Mart had the best price. It even goes "beep" like a real barcode scanner when you are at a checkout stand.

I saw my house on Google Maps street view. It was a bit odd thinking someone drove down my street with some kind of photographic equipment for the sole purpose of having this on a map program, because it might be neat. It also occurred to me that if I actually look up an address before I go somewhere, it would probably be impossible to drive past it; you've already BEEN there, man!

As expected, integration with Youtube and all Google services was flawless. Just gorgeous.

I wish I had more info about it to share with you guys. It was running on Edge, not 3G, so downloads were not amazing, but you could tell the phone was waiting on the data and not the data waiting on the phone like on phones with slow processors. We had a race and opened Passatworld.com on it and it smoked this Blackberry. 3G should cause rapturous joy for all users.

Keep in mind that while this stuff interests me greatly, I am not the tech junkie that vuvision and many others on PW are. Maybe I am easily impressed, and I am also probably biased in favor of T-Mobile for obvious reasons. But then you guys also know I won't refrain from burning a house down just because I live in it.


That said, my overall, hands-on, Sharkified no bullshit initial evaluation is:

This device kicks serious, serious ass.

linders1025

I came back to Cary this week for Heather's wedding - which was awesome! It was so nice seeing the girls again (Leslie/Kaitlin/Lindsey/Kate/Michelle/Amy & I were bridesmaids) & Britt and Lauren were at the wedding. It was an amazing wedding (especially considering how awesome Heather is ). John did a great job, too. As Heather walked down the aisle, I was able to sneak a peek at John & I've never seen a boy smile so wide. The two of them are absolutely adorable and I'm so happy for them! 

The rest of my time in Cary was also awesome. I got to see Craig & Ryan (two of my faves ever) as well as Alex, Shane (Courgar Magnum Rocks!), Pete, Kristen, Chelsea, Lizzy, Chris, & Mike. It was bizarre seein everyone again, but always a nice feeling. Cary has changed so much since I was last here - there are now 3 Starbucks... I used to brag about how Cary had no Starbucks and was thus the only cool place around hah I also got lost trying to get off of I-440 due to some new roads & exits. 

Of course, even with all the changes, I still got to enjoy some staples... Bojangles! Chick-Fil-A! Panera! Heather's mom's cooking! (ok, so I gained like 50 pounds, whatever). 

This was such a nice visit, but I'll also admit, it was a little strange. I feel like I'm in such a different place in life. Also, being back in my house felt so strange. I ran across a few things... like an old diary, so I had to read it... man, I was angsty. I feel like whenever I'm back home, I fall back into my old routine & my old habits. There's something about NC that just pulls me back to the old Linda. I'm more social. I'm more proper. I'm just the old Linda... it's weird, because I can feel the old vs. new battle and it's quite strange. 

Oh life...

Back to SF tomorrow morning... sigh. 

linders1025

i was just brushing my teeth. 

and in the middle of it, i sneezed. 

just try & imagine what that has to be like... foamy mouth due to all the toothpaste (& vigorous brushing activity) only to be rudely interrupted by a disastrous sneeze. 

took me ~15 min to clean up the bathroom. 

le sigh. 

----

in other news, I'm in NC - heather's getting married on friday & i'm one of her bridesmaids - 27 dresses anyone? i'm excited for this wedding though, i love this girl & john (her fiance) is an awesome guy. i'm so happy for them & wish them all the best

then it's back to SF on sunday morning. 

CRAZY!

linders1025

Check it out: www.android.com & www.t-mobileg1.com

This is launch #2 in the past month for me. I'm looking forward to the slowdown whenever that is supposed to happen

Got more sleep last night than I have from Friday-Tuesday combined. (6hours!)

Wooooot!

linders1025

I'm in NYC, after a crazy awesome weekend in Vegas (craps, Ka, randomness)

I have slept ~4 hours since Friday & am going strong. 

I'm still at the office (yes... the NY office...) and apparently the lights go out in some of the rooms @ 1am, so we had to move to a new office. 

life is crazy. 

launch tomorrow

just want to lay down. 

linders1025

i.love.it. 

off to NYC for the week & then back to SF for 2 days, then off to NC for Heather's wedding!

so much traveling. so incredibly tired. so immensely happy. 

linders1025

For some odd reason, I have found (through a smart observation a friend made a few years back) that as the seasons change, I tend to find myself in a rut. There's no particular reason for this aside from the intensity of change, the inevitability of the passing of time, and of course, the physical feel of seasons coming and going. Even in SF, where you can experience all 4 seasons in 24 hours, I still am on he quarterly 'rut' schedule. I suppose the fall is beginning right about now. I've found myself in this strange rut... partly due to my huge project having launched (thus slowing down) and my upcoming rotation (to Android!) and just the events of late.

I'm incredibly excited for October... I'll be working on Android, wearing a pretty dress in Heather's (read: most awesome chic ever) wedding, & entering my 'mid-20s' GASP! So I'm not excited about that last thing, but overall, I'm excited. I know I still have 2-3 weeks of September (and lord it feels like it's dragging), and I think that is the cause for this rut I'm in. Things have slowed down... but only an artificial 'slow' and in reality, I feel I am just falling behind (significantly behind) in work. Of course relationships come and go... or in my case, get started and never quite get there

Either way, in 1 week I'm off to Vegas (a ticket I bought on a whim in the midst of the Chrome craziness) and I plan on taking all my feelings/emotions/worries/stresses/anxieties/etc and leaving them on the craps table... (possibly w/ a G as well... but hopefully not). Luxor, prepare yourself, Lil Tong approacheth.

linders1025

I very rarely feel the need to blog/tab about how terrible a service is, but I'm at a point where I am just completely fed up with Comcast. I'm in the market to find a new provider as Comcast seriously sucks. 

Not only did my monthly bill just go up to $150/month for their 'triple play' option (internet, phone, television) but my TV service sucks (every few months it goes to crap and we can't see like 15-20 channels) and our internet service is pretty crap as well. 

I just called to cancel the phone service because we don't use it... I don't think we even have a telephone in the apartment... & the woman kept pushing phone service on me, after I said "no, I don't want phone service, I have 3 cell phones & my roommates each have 1-2 cell phones. we don't need it. we don't use it. we don't even have a telephone to hook up to the wall. we will never need it" and we replies "what if you need to dial 911, a land line is always good for that" - and I said 'NO' and she continued to push.. I've never been this frustrated with someone on the phone before... I nearly hung up until I realized then she'd probably end up putting me back on the stupid phone plan, so I had to see this through. 

Now, with just internet & television, our service plan comes out to $132 a month. ABSURD. 

Please, someone in the bay area, tell me you've found a better provider?