For the first time in a long time, I decided to wake up and work out. Thirty minutes in, I remembered why I hadn't done it in so long; I get nauseous when I work out on an empty stomach.

Running on the otherhand is no problem as long as I keep myself hydrated. It's been an hour since I stopped and the nausea has subsided, but I still feel like crap. I already had my post-workout shake, but I still can't shake off the weakness I feel, as if there's an overdose of lactic acid build up in my muscles. This is going to be a long morning.

Do you ever work out in the morning? Am I the only one who feels like crap afterwards?

I've received about about 10 resumes this weekend from a bunch of people—whether it’s their own, or someone they know who might be interested in the job that was posted by another friend. While I didn’t really expect people right out of college to have great looking resumes, I was surprised by the look of these resumes from people who have at least 1-3 years worth of work experience. So I decided to post this as a reference for anyone who is looking to improve their resume.

I wouldn't call myself a pro at this, but after reviewing so many resumes in the past couple of years, there are many mistakes that are repeated.

In no particular order of importance-

A. Spelling/grammatical mistakes. As obvious as this may sound, you'd be surprised how many people submit their resume without proofreading.  As soon as you are drafting your resume, you should proofread your resume and then have at least two other people proofread it before you submit it for anything. If you assume that someone is hooking you up with a job, they are then assuming that whatever you provide them is the end product of your resume. If there are spelling and/or grammatical mistakes in there, they would automatically think that you are either careless or didn’t put in the effort. If your friend thinks that, what do you think HR or Hiring Manager would think?

B. Aesthetically pleasing. It’s important that before reading anything, your resume is formatted properly and that there’s not a disproportionate amount of white space (lots of white space on the left, but none on the right or lots of white space at the bottom, but not balanced from the top). I have seen many resumes where there are words on it, but it looks empty. I’ve seen resumes where the formats are not consistent and the spacing is weird. It cannot look like you spent 2 hours working on it. It’s a reflection of who you are as a candidate.

C. Education does not come first. If you have been out of school already and have at least 1 year worth of work experience, do not put Education above Work Experience. A resume should be looked at top to bottom. Your education plays second to your work experience. Emphasize that first.

D. Do not put your GPA unless it’s an A- (or above). If you think anything between a 3.0 and a 3.5 is considered a “high GPA,” just think about it in terms of letters. If you changed it to a letter grade, it would be something along the lines of a B+. Do you really want to say that you’re only a B+ student?

E. Bullet points should be responsibilities and impact. Virtually every resume I received has a long list of responsibilities. That’s not what a resume is, a list of things you do. First of all, there should be no more than 5-6 different things. If it's more than six, then choose the 5-6 most important things you do and put those on. You want to tell the person reading it, what exactly you do and what kind of impact do you have with that responsibility. Provide examples of those "achievements" you have.  The format should always be something along the lines of [a responsibility] + [impact or affect of your work].

F. Keep it one page. Rule of thumb is that if you don’t have about 10 years of work experience, you shouldn’t have two pages. Most people are interested in only your current jobs and what you do. I rarely get asked about my time right out of college. It’s just not that important. 

G. Tailor resume to fit job description. Read the job description carefully and see how you can incorporate your experiences to fit the need of the person hiring. For example, many of the resumes submitted did not demonstrate finance or accounting experience. If you do in fact have some, at least highlight/illustrate that in your resume. If someone has to search your resume to see how it applies to what they're looking for, it's going to raise some red flags.

H.  Use a decent email address.  As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, there is definitely email address bias.  There are people who look down on "hotmail" or "yahoo" email addresses.  But more importantly, try to use a professional email address like yourname@email.com.  "AznCutie@gmail.com" for example should NOT be used.

Anything else I missed?

I decided to try and qualify for the 2013 NYC Marathon. In order to do so, you have to run 9 races and volunteer for one, the previous calendar year.

Personally, I hate running. Unlike a lot of runners, I don't get the "runner's high" like they do. It's a chore and it's boring, which makes it so much more difficult. What I do like are challenges and playing other sports. These races will push me to train and get me into better shape.

I've already begun running and lifting again. Last year's Spartan Race really kicked my ass. I'm not the giving up type, but I almost have up. I'm really looking forward to do better this year.

Will Smith once said that he loved to run. It was because it's one of those things where at a certain point, there's a voice in your head that tells you to stop. You just have to push yourself and keep going. I've been at the point where I can't lift my arms anymore from working out, but so far, have never been at the point where I couldn't run anymore due to fatigue.

Running the marathon has always been on my list of things to do before I die. While I don't believe in having New Year's resolutions, this is one goal I have to cross off my list. I just hope that I don't end up like Barney, stuck on the 6 train after the race.

Do you run? Why?

Last month, Mrs. jigg and I saw a condo in Brooklyn that we really liked. It has four bedrooms, two full bathrooms and a finished basement, totalling about 2,800 square feet. It's brand new, near a very good elementary school and would cut our current commute to and from work by about an hour. Best of all, at $599k, it was affordable.

The problem was that both my wife and I don't really think its ever worth it to own. Because this is a new property, it will cost about $30k to close. Interest on a 30 year loan will be another hundred thousand. Including monthly maintenance and properly tax, we're talking about A LOT more than $599k.

I think a lot of people think property is a good investment. I think the ROI is actually very low considering how much you actually pay. The last ten years have really impacted these thoughts, but that's because of the bubble that heavily inflated the value of homes. Any reports indicate that values will continue to go down for the next year or two.

But then again, maybe these financial justifications are really what I'm telling myself. Maybe I just don't like being tied down to a mortgage, or a home that I may not want to live-in, in 5 years.

Some people may argue that renting is a waste of money because you're not preserving your wealth. But if I rented in an ideal location that won't cost too much, I can always take the leftover money I saved and put into some steady investments. If I hedge and balance correctly, I might be able to double my money in 7-9 years. These investments wouldn't be for now, but for when I retire.

Anyway, we were pretty close in buying that place, but the guy wouldn't budge on the price and we're not willing to pay so much, knowing that the value would go down. Buyer's market right?

What are you thoughts on this?

Two weeks ago, a discussion came up regarding betting on the Super Bowl. Apparently, when the Giants lost three straight during the season, the futures bet for them to win the Super Bowl at like 80 to 1. A ton of Giants fans took that bet. Those people are rich now of course. One friend who I always assumed was a die-hard Yankees fan, said the Red Sox are underrated this coming season and will be putting in his futures bet on them to win the World Series.

Wait. What? A Yankees fan, putting down money to bet on not only another team to win the World Series, but the Boston Red Sox? For those of you who don't follow baseball, the Yankees - Red Sox rivalry is arguably the greatest rivalry in sports, ever. To call yourself a Yankees supporter and then putting your money on the Red Sox to win it all, makes no sense.

He argues that money is money and it is completely separate to his support for the Yankees. It's like "hedging" his bet that "just in case the Yankees don't win, [he] won't be as sad because he might win some money back to make up for it.

No true Yankees fan would do that, just like we wouldn't wear a Red Sox cap no matter what. Being a sports fan has no rhyme or reason. Each team is like individual cults, where we invest our money, time and emotions into them. Mrs. jigg, who doesn't really follow sports, loves the Pats--like a true fan of them. He can never like the Giants and the Jets and would never be able to put money on them. It's like believing in God and betting on the devil. Just doesn't work like that.

While I have many friends who sees things like this, there are just as many who thinks its okay. I feel like if you are not a true fan, not a follower of any team, then of course you think it's okay. But for my friend who claims to be a Yankees fan, I wonder if he's an anamoly.

Thoughts?

For years, I've been waiting for Xanga to create an app. I used to use iBlogger on my iPhone to post entries, but for some reason, the app went dead a few months back. I used the Xanga mobile site (m.xanga.com), but the formats and spacing was all messed up. It became really hard for me to blog since I could never blog at home or at work (anymore). And of course, I ran out of new things to say.

Now that Xanga has an app (and it works pretty well except for a few bugs), I have no excuse to led me blog die. It took me so long to make it what it was and now, no one even checks for updates anymore.

Xanga couldn't have rolled this out at a better time. It's impossible to compete with other sites when you lack the accessibility they have with the smart phones. I think the only company I use now that doesn't have an app (yet) is HSBC. I love HSBC for their convenience with travel and doesn't have crazy charges and fees like many of the other banks. But I think they know the lack of an app will not hold onto customers for long. You have to stay competitive in all aspects.

What do you use now that you wished, had an app?

So a friend of mine (Friend A) is dating the Ex-gf of another friend of mine (Friend B). Friend B and the Ex were together for about 3 years during college and she has a lot of mutual friends. A couple of years back, she began dating another one of Friend B's friends (Friend C). Before any other thoughts go through your head, I would like to add that she's a really nice and friendly person and I don't personally think she does it on purpose to make Friend B uncomfortable.

Anyway, so what happens is that both Friend A (Ex-gf's current boyfriend) and Friend C (Ex-gf's previous boyfriend) both knew Friend A pretty well and out of respect, both notified him that they were going beyond friendship with his Ex-gf. I thought this was the right thing to do. It's not about "asking for permission," but more like giving a "head's up" out of respect. If one of my friends wanted to date any of my Exes (sp?), I would like them to let me know. I think it's weird when a friend dates anothe friends Ex, but I understand that things happen.

So what happens then is Friend B sends a text to both his Ex and Friend A and says something along the lines of, "As awkward as it is, I wish both you guys the best--my only request is that you two keep the PDA at a minimum when I'm around. Thanks."

Personally, I think that to be an extremely reasonable request. I think Friend A thought so as well. In fact, I think most guys would think so. However, his Ex-gf does not think so. She doesn't feel it's right for Friend B to make such a request. Yes, they've had a history together, but it's way in the past. Friend B reasons that he's not comfortable that his friends are dating his Ex-gf, but will not do anything to stop it since it's not his place to.

The most interesting part is that Mrs. jigg also agrees with the Ex-gf and thinks Friend B's request of "minimal PDA around him" is out of line. She doesn't think that a friend dating another friend's Ex is weird at all. I think that's crazy, but it led me to wonder, is it only a guy thing?

Ladies, can you chime in and comment on this matter? If say, your friend dates your Ex-bf, how would you feel? If you were "okay" with it, does it mean that it's not weird to you?

http://sharingblankets.com/2011/12/family-planning/

My parents were tough as nails when I was a kid. I used to be so scared of my father that I'd pretend that I was asleep so that when he got home and my grandmother reported my bad behavior to him, he wouldn't wake me up and kick my ass. I'm pretty sure he knew I wasn't asleep, especially since I was born with a sleeping disorder

I don't think my dad has ever said the words, "I love you" to me or my sister. But what's funny is that he says it to my nephew all the time! What's up with grandchildren that turn tough Asian parents into marshmallows? For years, I have been trying to get my dad to buy a dryer. They're old school, which means some clothes are still hand-washed, and all clothes are hung to dry, in the backyard if it'd warm or in the basement if it's cold. But the clothes don't feel nice because they become hard, mostly because of lint. My dad kept on saying, "my house, my rules, no dryer because it's a waste of money."

Fastforward to last week, when my nephew was here for the week. He has a blanket that he loves to hold onto, but because he needs it every couple of hours, it's almost impossible to wash. The only way is to throw it in the washer and then in a dryer, otherwise it wouldn't dry in time and he would cry nonstop until you gave it back. It had to feel the same and smell the same too. Can't even use a different detergent, softener or dryer paper on it. So we had a dilemma. What did my dad do? He told me to go out with him and buy a dryer. We just went out that day, looked at a couple of models and bought one. The whole thing from decision to purchase was like 2 hours.  For YEARS, I couldn't convince him. One needy grandson was all it took to turn this grumpy Chinese man, to a giant teddy bear. My father holds him and plays with him. I can't remember seeing my father so happy all the time.

I'm glad that my nephew is around often enough that my parents don't give me any pressure to have my own.

My father with my nephew at around 6 months.  He's 2 now.

I've lost many things in my 30 years of existence... keys, money, friends, love... basically all the things normal people would lose one time or another.  I have this defensive mechanism where I just shut off and rationalize why I shouldn't be upset.  Lost my keys?  Well, I doubt whoever finds it will know where I live.  Lost money?  I can always make more of it.  Lost a friend?  Not worth my time to dwell on a lost friendship since there are plenty of friends that I should focus on.  Breakup?  It was meant for the best--she wasn't the one for me anyway.  Someone passed away?  Celebrate their life, not their death.

Anytime there's some kind of loss, I would deal with it that way and I'd feel better right away.  However, recently, I found out that I cannot deal with all losses this way.  I was literally depressed throughout an entire weekend--didn't want to eat, couldn't sleep well... the works.

During most of last year's snowboarding season, I wanted to get a helmet cam to film all the snowboarding runs.  I did a lot of research and the Contour+ had everything I wanted--great look, awesome HD clarity, GPS, Bluetooth, the works.  Unfortunately, the price tag was like $500 and way out of my affordability range.  Since I was saving for my wedding, huge purchases weren't allowed and I figured that by the time the wedding was over, the price will probably have went down and I could get it in time for this year's snowboarding season.  But before I was finally able to pull the trigger, a bunch of my closest friends chipped in and got it for me as a wedding present.  The surprise I had when I opened the gift was probably one of the top 5 moments in my life where I could say that it was truly nirvana.

I put the camera back back in it's box and next to my bed--just to keep it close to me.  As I was going through all my things to try and gather all my gear in preparation for this season's snowboarding trip.  It was then when I realized that I could not find the camera.  I didn't panic as I figured I could have misplaced it somewhere.  It was strange because people who know me, know that I'm OCD and I usually do not misplace things.  But as Saturday was coming to a close and I still had no idea where the camera was, it dawned on me that someone must have taken it.  I knew where I left it.  I kept it as close to me as possible.  I asked all my family members and no one saw it.  At that moment, depression really hit.  It wasn't so much that I couldn't just buy another one... sure it would be $500, but it was a gift and I the thought of telling my friends who got it for me, that I had lost it without even using it once, was killing me.

All night, I felt like I had lost a piece of myself.  I suffer from bouts of depression every now and then, but it's never because of any one thing.  It just a random feeling of sadness.  This was different--I knew why I was sad and I couldn't shake it off.  I came to the conclusion that it must still be in the house.  The only person who could have taken it is my two-year old nephew and he must have hid it somewhere.  He occasionally comes into my room and just makes a mess of things.  I think holding onto this hope was what really got me to look everywhere again.  Finally, I found it--it was in a bag, hanging behind some of my clothes.  I'm pretty sure what happened was that my nephew put it in there and then when my parents were vacuuming my room, they hung the bag up.  Since it was behind my clothes, I didn't see it during my first two days of going through virtually everything else.

Surprisingly, when I found it, I was really happy, but it was Mrs. jigg who was thrilled.  She was ready to burst into tears!  Literally!  I think she was able to see how sad I was going through this "loss", but couldn't think of anyway to get me out of the funk.  She even suggested buying me a new one.

It was interesting that such a simple thing could get me to feel this way.  I have never lost anything that for long moments, I felt hopeless.  I somehow got myself to believe that it was still in the house and that my nephew didn't accidentally throw it away in the garbage!

Anyway, have you lost something that made you feel like it was the end of the world?