First V8

九個月前，當我第一次在Harriman State Park抱石時，就被Mr. Ed巨大的懸岩給吸引，當時嚐試了幾次，一直無法突破翻出懸岩的摩擦點難關。

這條經典的V8是紐約上州最熱門的抱石問題之ㄧ，也是我認為最有可能爬完的V8。九個月過去了，我一直沒能再次拜訪Harriman State Park，心裡卻不時惦記著Mr. Ed。週五在Nikki的邀約下，約了Jesse周日去看看艾德先生，同行的還有KK、YShai、Joey跟Mega。

終於，在嚐試了四次之後，爬完了艾德先生。

可惜的是，沒有帶相機，所以沒圖沒真相，不過還是擺一下九個月前Nikki幫我拍的照片:










基本上天花板的爬法都相同，只有在翻出天花板那邊，我選擇用右手搭住一個摩擦點直上，再把身體重心盡量撐到左腳上，左手去扶一個小小的直裂隙，再一股作氣搭到高一點的三角凸點，然後，關鍵步是用我的右腳膝蓋稱到摩擦點上(被形容為詭異的技巧)，右手就有機會去搭到三角凸點，完攀！

下面是岩館的朋友爬這條路線的影片，破解方式不太一樣，他們往右偏到一個好抓的口袋點，然後做了一個我認為相當變態的heel hook。


後來又繼續嘗試了V10跟V12的路線，每一個單步都卯足了勁還不一定做的出來，更別提本區的大魔王：V14的Nuclear War，只能說，Master Bedroom真是變態路線大集合呀！

Difference between SAX and DOM?

在我為數不多的面試經驗裡，這個問題出現的比率高的嚇人。

轉錄一下來自W3C官方的解答:

What is the relationship between the DOM and SAX?

DOM and SAX are currently the two most popular APIs for manipulating XML documents. They differ significantly in provenance, in scope, and in programming style. They are not in direct competition with each other; each has strengths and weaknesses.

Provenance:Unlike the DOM, SAX ("Simple API for XML") is not being developed by the World Wide Web Consortium. Instead, it was developed by an informal group of participants of the XML-DEV mailing list. SAX 1 has been fairly widely supported by providers of XML processing software. SAX 2, now being developed, is not yet widely supported, and at this writing diverges significantly from SAX 1, though it includes the SAX 1 APIs for backward-compatibility purposes.

Scope:SAX was originally designed specifically as an API for XML parsers. As such, it includes functions which won't be supported in the DOM until DOM Level 3's Load/Save module is released. On the other hand, SAX 1 discarded some information (such as comments) that the DOM retains. As with the DOM, later versions of SAX are working to improve their coverage of the XML Information Set.

Style:The most important difference between SAX and DOM is that SAX presents the document as a serialized "event stream" (a sequence of calls to a handler function as each chunk of XML syntax is recognized) rather than the DOM's tree. A major disadvantage of this approach is that SAX does not support random-access manipulation of the document -- you see the tokens once, in document order, and that's it. If you might want to refer back to anything you saw earlier, it's your code's responsibility to store that information so you can retrieve it. But this requirement that you invent your own document model means you can decide to discard information that will not be needed, which can result in reduced memory overhead versus retaining a complete model such as the DOM.

However, depending on the task you're trying to perform, SAX may not always have a storage-size advantage. And one should remember that DOM implementations vary in their memory requirements, just as they do in code size and performance. Some are more compact than others, and some do not keep the whole document in main memory at once.

So how should you decide between SAX events and DOM trees? If you intend to allow other code, such as utility routines, middleware, applications, and scripts within the document, to explore and possibly alter the document's contents, the DOM is almost certainly the way to go; it provides a W3C-standardized, complete, and editable view of the document's contents. Conversely, if your task processes the document on a straight-line flow-through basis, without permitting users to write "scripts" against it and without needing much contextual information at each stage -- for example, if you're parsing the XML document directly into a database for storage -- SAX may provide a more direct interface to the parser. Between these extremes, it's a judgement call; you have to think about how much trouble it will be to implement your own document model versus using the DOM, and about how you expect your application to grow in the future.

In fact, it is possible to combine SAX and DOM within a single system. Many parsers can produce both SAX and DOM output, and some have borrowed SAX's parser-control calls as a stopgap while they wait for the DOM 3 Load/Save API to be defined. Despite the slight "impedance mismatch" between them, it is not uncommon to use a SAX stream as input to a DOM builder, or to use a DOM's contents to generate SAX events; code for both these operations is widely available. There are also some new APIs being developed which combine SAX and DOM in interesting ways, for example returning DOM nodes from SAX operations.

Prohibit subclassing without using final

這是今天phone interview被問到的問題。

我當時也沒想出正確答案，後來查了一下Effective Java，赫然發現這個方法我老早就已經知道：把所有的contrsuctors設成private。如此一來，由於所有的子類別的constructors必須先呼叫其父類別的constructors，所以沒有提供public constructors的父類別就無法被繼承。

Joshua Bloch有特別提到這個方法的好處是提供了額外的彈性讓無法被繼承的類別仍然可以在內部subclassing。

每一次的面試，事實上都是認清自己盲點與不足的好機會，即使沒錄取，也還是有收穫囉！

美國萬萬稅 - 續集

正值報稅季節，之前曾花了一些時間了解報稅的程序。
但直到真的收到W-2後，開始認真研究這些稅表的填法，這才發現真是令人頭疼！

基本上，我的W2被預扣了三個稅：
聯邦稅、紐約州稅、紐約市稅。

網路上比較多人討論的是聯邦稅的報法，學校也有提供CINTAX報稅軟體給國際學生使用，基本上一個小時就可以完成聯邦稅的填表。

真正教人困惑的是州稅跟紐約市稅。

首先，紐約州對於"居民"(Resident)的認定似乎與聯邦的認定不同。我光為了確定我到底屬不屬於紐約居民，就查了老半天資料。

我嘗試Google了一下紐約州稅的申報,發現大部分紐約學校(比如Cornell及NYU)對於國際學生的稅務申報建議是填寫非居民的IT-203,但另外查到了一份說法不同的簡報檔:

RIT對於紐約州稅的申報介紹

RIT這份簡報非常詳細,而且看起來很像是紐約州稅務部門的官方簡報,裡頭第五頁提到了今年(2008)紐約州稅法對於居民(Resident)與非居民(Nonresident)認定上做了更動,第11頁更有一個簡易表格來判斷你是不是紐約州居民:

在這個表格的判斷下,我應該是被認定為紐約稅法上的居民(Resident),所以該申報IT-150.

我決定查查紐約州政府的官方說法,在Publication 88中提到:

Generally, if your domicile is not New York State you are considered a New York state nonresident. However, you are a New York State resident for income tax purposes if your domicile is not New York State, but you maintain a permanent place of abode in New York State for more than 11 months of the year and spend 184 days or more (any part of a day is a day for this purpose) in New York State during the tax year.

基本上，我去年幾乎一整年都住在紐約市，因此符合超過184天的條件，所以只要我maintain a permanent place of abode超過11個月，我就被視為紐約居民。

但是，到底什麼是permanent place of abode?

In general, a permanent place of abode is a residence (a building or structure where a person can live) you permanently maintain, whether you own it or not, and usually includes a residence your husband or wife owns or leases.

最教人困惑的就是"permanent"這個字。我的permanent address基本上應該是台灣的家，所以我就此認定我不是紐約居民，應該遞交IT-203。

可是，IT-203第74欄問到

Nonresidents: Did you or your spouse maintain living quarters in NYS in 2008?

而IT203的instruction對於這個問題的解釋如下：

These living quarters would include a house, apartment, co-op or any other living quarters maintained or paid for by you or your spouse, or any New York State living quarters maintained for your primary use by another person, family member or employer.

我租的地方應該就是所謂的living quarter，所以這個問題我應該填"YES"囉？

但instruction有個大大的NOTE寫著:

Note: If you marked the Yes box, and you spend 184 days or more (any part of a day is a day for this purpose) in New York State, you may be considered a resident for New York State income tax purposes. See the definition of Resident, nonresident
and part-year resident on page 57 of these instructions.

In addition, if you marked the Yes box and the living quarters were located in New York City or Yonkers, you may also be considered a resident of New York City or Yonkers for income tax purposes.

If you meet the definition of a resident of New York State, New York City, or Yonkers, you may not file Form IT-203. You must file using either Form IT-150, Resident Income Tax Return (short form), or Form IT-201, Resident Income Tax Return (long form).

看完這段，我跟鬼打牆一樣又繞回原點：我到底是不是居民呀?

於是我嘗試著用IT150也申報看看，發覺稅額的差別是一百多塊美金。差距雖然不大，但重點是我想要"正確"的報稅呀！！！

最後決定是：致電紐約州稅務人員以便釐清我的身分認定！

<待續>

後來沒致電，問了許多人之後得到的回答是"我是居民"！所以我直接用IT150申報周稅及地方稅，在3/18把該寄的文件都寄出去。希望能找點拿到退稅！

Bond prices and interest rates

原文轉錄

Bond prices and interest rates
an LBO supplement, September 1996

When interest rates rise, the prices of outstanding bonds fall; when rates fall, prices rise. Though this relation might not seem obvious at first, the reasons are fairly simple.

Take this example. Say the U.S. government sells Treasury bonds when prevailing market interest rates are 8%. So, a bond with a face value of $1,000 on issue would pay $80 a year in interest - usually in two half-yearly installments of $40. But if market interest rates were to rise to 10%, then who would want to buy such a bond? So, the market price of the bond would have to fall to a level where that fixed $80 annual payment were the equivalent of a 10% annual yield - in this case, the price would have to fall to $800, so that the annual $80 payment would equal 10% of the purchase price of the bond. (Obviously, this matters only if the holder of the bond wants to sell it in the open market; if he or she wants to keep the bond to maturity, the price fluctuations exist only on paper.) Since bond prices are usually expressed at a percent of face (or "par") value, the price of the bond would be quoted at 80.

Conversely, if market interest rates were to fall to 6%, the price of the bond would rise to $1,333.33 - or 133 11/32 in market jargon. U.S. stock and bond markets don't use decimal pricing. Stock prices are usually quoted in eighths of a point, though sixteenths and even thirty-seconds are used for some low-priced shares; bond prices are usually quoted in thirty-seconds.

Things are actually a bit more complicated than this. A buyer who paid $800 or $1,333 for a bond and held it to maturity would get a return of $1,000 in principal. The buyer who paid a premium would have a capital loss, and the one who bought the bond at a discount from its face value would have a capital gain. So that deviation of market value from face value would have to enter into any calculations of ultimate yield ("yield to maturity," in the jargon). But these simplified examples are enough to illustrate the basic principle of why bond prices move in the opposite direction of interest rates.

When combined, price changes and interest payments are referred to as total return. Someone who bought a bond when interest rates were 8% and held it for a year as they fell to 6% would get not only the 8% interest yield, but a 33% capital gain, for a total return of 41% - not bad for a year's "work." But someone who bought a bond at 6% and held it as rates rose to 8% would suffer a sharp capital loss. Since interest rates rose for most of the period from the early 1950s through the early 1970s, the capital losses far outweighed the interest payments - and that's before adjusting for the corrosive effects of inflation. It's no wonder that rentiers, poor dears, christened bonds "certificates of confiscation" in the late 1970s. But since rates peaked in the early 1980s, bondholders have done marvelously well, enjoying one of the greatest long-term bull markets in the modern history of credit.

Most bond market players do not hold bonds to maturity; in fact, the average holding period of a thirty-year U.S. Treasury bond is only about thirty days. Most bond traders are trying to make money on changes in bond prices; they like the interest payments, of course, but what they're really after is the speculative changes in prices. Despite the stodgy reputation of bond markets, a holdover from the old days when they really were sleepy, they're now among the most vigorous speculative markets in the world.

OK Go rocks the Internet!

最近在網路上發現到一個很特別的樂團:OK Go.他們放在YouTube上面的影片都蠢到不行，可是卻又創意十足。

比如說下面這支Here It Goes Again. 能配合跑步機編出一堆爆笑到不行的舞步，還真讓人不得不佩服編舞者的想像力。

後來wiki了一下，才知道這首歌可是得過2007 Grammy Award的"Best Short-Form Music Video"，嗯，我有說過OK Go的本業是樂團嗎？

下面這支"A Million Ways"，則是他們另一首有名的單曲。

OK Go的蠢舞有多紅呢？網路上已經出現為數不少的模仿，還有人把這些模仿集結成一支影片，並稱為"OK Go現象"。


Do What You Want，這是另一支OK Go有趣的MV，下面是桌布版本，聽說還有另外一個版本。


這是頭暈版本，建議容易暈眩的人就直接跳過，前奏部分就會讓人快暈了！


Invincible則是他們稍微像"樂團"的MV：

MPHC Bouldering Competition "The Crush"

在紐約的第一場比賽，比賽形態類似LZS的鳥蛋杯，總計120條路線隨你爬，但你的總積分取決於你爬過的五條最困難路線的分數加總，所以不是量大就會贏，而是看爬過路線的品質。

當天雖然是情人節，小小的岩館卻擠進了104個參賽選手，相當的擁擠，爬路線是要用搶的。爬一些大橫渡的路線，還要請人幫忙清場，免得完攀前卻發現有人擋在你的手點上。

由於人多，很難充分熱身，結果傷到右肩膀。花了25大洋，又因為太晚到，連紀念T恤也沒拿到。比賽名次是第六，但只有前三名有獎，反正就是空手而回，怎麼看都不是划算的一場比賽呀！

可是呢...參加比賽最有意思的，還是一群人狂試路線的那個氣氛，尤其還有機會看到莫名強壯的高手。也算是一點小小的收穫吧！

Shawangunks Bouldering

在來到美國求學之前，Gunks是我美東少數聽過的天然岩場。然而過去這一年半，去天然岩場爬了數次，卻一直未曾有機會前往拜訪這號稱美東攀岩啟蒙的地方，而這個願望，終於在今天實現了！

嚴格說來，二月份根本算不上是戶外攀岩的季節，今年冬天又特別寒冷，加上前天美東才又下了場大雪。氣象預告說今天的氣溫是介於攝氏8度到攝氏2度。早上七點當我從被窩中醒來，窗外的溫度計顯示攝氏零下二度。本來還一度懷疑約我的岩伴會不會打來跟我說取消，結果Jesse很準時的在七點半傳訊息說他已經出發在路上了！Wow...what a hard-core climber!

兩個多小時，當我們歷經Subway，Metro-North，及朋友的便車後，我們來到的Gunks是以下這個模樣：

請原諒我這是我今天唯二拍的兩張照片之ㄧ，實在是太冷了，我根本就沒有興致拿起相機拍照。

冷歸冷，我們今天還是在Trapps這區爬了幾條經典的抱石路線。

Lynn Hill's Traverse(V8)
在匆匆利用一條路邊不太起眼的crimpy路線熱身之後，我們就來到了Lynn Hill's Traverse所在的大石頭。一開始，沒有人注意到這條經典的橫渡路線，Jesse對於一條莫名難的Project情有獨鍾；Dylan則相中一條無敵大點路線；我則在一旁靠杯石頭太冰。在跟Jesse試了幾次他的Project之後，我注意到這一條相當漂亮的橫渡路線：有著還不算太差的岩點，可是腳點看起來不太好處理。嚐試了兩個動作，馬上就卡關。後來我們開始群起圍攻這條路線，嚐試了各種奇技淫巧跟beta，奮戰了一個小時，終於在最後被我突破了難關，接到了後面較為簡單的部份，可惜肩膀這時實在是沒力了，只能殘念告終，下回再戰。後來看了一下Guide Book，這條路線首攀者是大名鼎鼎的Lynn Hill，難度高達V8，難怪眾人試的人仰馬翻。不過，這條非常有可能成為我人生中第一條爬完的V8。

Buddha(V7) Flash!
當我遠遠看到Buddha，馬上就被它誇張的懸岩地形給吸引住。這是Trapps區最經典的路線之ㄧ，總共有三個版本：分別是V7、V8跟V9。一位跟我們差不多時間抵達的大叔(沒錯，冰天雪地下會來抱石的不是只有我們三個笨蛋)，放好了抱石墊，當熱身般的就爬完了V7的版本，這位大叔，你會不會太猛了一點？眾人接著又是一陣圍攻，我則因為剛剛拼Lynn's Traverse，肩膀有點不舒服，就龜在一旁偷偷記取他們嘗試的爬法。這種賤招對於我這種沒有耐力的人還滿有用的，第一次嘗試就把V7的版本給解決掉，人生中的第一條戶外V7，好爽呀！後來又繼續奮鬥V8，可是中間一個動作實在做不出來，只能無奈收工。後來上了Toutube，看到了某位強壯的岩友相當豪邁的爬法：

亞洲浩克，好Man呀!

Andrew(V4)
這是一條位在Buddha另一側的經典路線，我們嘗試把它當收身操。可是我試了一次就發現已經pumped的前臂根本已經使不出力了(冰天雪地中爬了五個小時耶!)正式收工啦！

名聞遐邇的Gunks雖然素以傳統攀登著名，但事實上在Ivan Greene等人的努力下，已經開發出數量頗為可觀的抱石路線，而且質還不差。看來今年夏天又多了一個抱石的好去處囉！

美國萬萬稅

美國國民所得高，但稅也是其高無比。相當機車的是，納稅的名目上萬種，在美國工作過的人應該都領教過這個國家稅務系統的複雜，即使是學生身分的我，以及學生眷屬的傻逼齊，也必須每年按期申報我的收入狀況。

以下是利用一個早上的時間，所研究出來的今年報稅可能步驟:

申報截止期限:April 15, 2009

申報所需表格:

Form W-2 is the official record of how much tax actually was withheld. You may also need to have a 1042-S from your school to report income earned in connection with a fellowship or scholarship. Normally, employees receive the W-2 in the mail in January and the 1042-S no later than March. If you do not receive your W-2 by January 31, ask your employer for it.

據此，我應該在一月底前要收到MS的W-2。

應填寫表格:

Ordinarily, international students and scholars who had U.S. source income during a particular year must file IRS form 1040NR or IRS form 1040NR-EZ. Furthermore, as mentioned above, all nonresident aliens ("exempt individuals"), regardless of whether they earned U.S. source income, must also file IRS form 8843. You may also need to file state income tax forms.

總共有三份表格需要填寫:1040NR(1040NREZ), IRS Form 8843, 跟IT-203(State Income Tax Form).

表格填完了，然後呢?

You should staple copy B of your W-2 form(s) and/or copy C of your 1042-S form(s) to the front of page one. You should also include a check if you owe any taxes, made out to the Internal Revenue Service. Finally, be sure to make photocopies of your return and all supporting documents for your personal file. Follow the instruction CINTAX provides or within the IRS Publications for the 1040NREZ or 1040NR.

In addition, you must also file state tax forms depending on what state you reside in (e.g. New York , or New Jersey). For New York state, you need to file form IT-203. For New Jersey, you need to file NJ 1040. Check the respective state's tax Web sites for information. CINTAX does not complete state tax forms. You can also acquire the service of a qualified nonresident tax professional.

這邊看不懂了，大概是我必須把填完的表格寄出去吧？

小恐龍報到

懷孕39周半的老姐，順利在12/7產下小恐龍了！是個可愛的射手寶寶耶...！

生命真是神奇的一件事，在懷孕媽媽的肚子內，同時存在另一個生命體。今天開始，我們家又多了一個新成員了耶！

老姊的生產日記形容：

當寶貝頭一探出這世界的第一刻，我與哈尼不禁流下感動的眼淚。。。（應該說是嚎啕大哭的兩個人）

傻逼說她去醫院探望老姐時，聽了這段敘述也忍不住掉淚。

題外話，老姊希望小恐龍未來可以從事陽光一點的運動，所以要求我以後敎他攀岩，哈！

未來的繩伴，我們兩個禮拜後見囉！

Carry Trade Strategy ( for currency trading)

Trend Following System

Moving Average

Breakout System

Trading Strategy

"Trading Strategies and Systems" is a course I am taking at Stern this semester. The main topic of this class, of course, is about trading strategies. It's really interesting to see how traders utilize these strategies to make money, especially under the circumstance that financial turmoil worsens. I decide to open this new label to record what I learned in this class and also introduce some basic strategies. You will surprisingly find that the simplest strategy works better than those complicated ones.

Layoff

今天在校園巧遇暑假實習的同事T，瞧他一身便服打扮，本來以為他今天休假，沒想到一問之下，他跟我說上禮拜五被裁員了！！！感恩節後一天宣佈裁員，MS你會不會太狠?

T是我實習時專案的Power User，做事能力相當強，工作也相當認真，聽到他被裁員的消息，我一時震驚的說不出話來，但是T看起來卻相當淡然，說整個部門被裁掉40%的人力。相當諷刺的是，MS在第三季才靠著PB創下的歷史利潤新高擊敗分析師預期，這一季就很現實的裁掉近半的人力，我心裡馬上浮現"狡兔死，走狗烹"的中國俗諺。

事實上，我對於PB會被裁員已經有心理準備了，咱的CEO約翰先生在MS轉型為Bank Holding Company就已經不只一次提到PB的業務在轉型之後需要調整。上個月跟NYU的校友查理先生吃早餐，他也提到公司要度過這波危機，人力精簡、降低成本是必要的程序。再加上某兄弟投行宣告破產之後，PB的客戶走了據說2/3，第三季結束之後的這兩個多月，實在發生太多的利空消息，縮減PB的營運規模勢在必行，但在聽到認識的人被裁員之後，我心裡還是相當難過。而像我這種畢業之後預計要進去MS的"準"員工，也只能祈禱這波風暴能在我畢業前順利渡過。

祝福T先生，能順利找到下一份工作。而我，下學期還是繼續乖乖多找幾份工作以防萬一吧。

PS.拿到Return Offer卻在畢業前被Revoke的事情不是沒有發生過，趁畢業前好好充實自己的實力比較重要。

給傻逼

有妳真好。

感謝妳在繁忙的工作之中，特地挪出一個禮拜的假期來陪我。

未來的一個月又回到一個人的生活，在妳面前總想要裝作若無其事，故作堅強，可是一個人坐在AirTrain上，卻一直想要追尋我們一個小時前一起踏過的足跡、一起看過的景色、思念著過去七天我們共同生活的點點滴滴。

回到房間後，看著空蕩蕩的床，感覺實在很不真實。

躺在妳睡過的床上，想感受妳殘留的體溫，卻只有冰冷以對，眼淚忍不住撲簌的落下。

我是個羞於誠實表達自己情感的人，對妳又很沒耐心，總是喜歡虧妳，但是當妳的身影隱沒在機場時，就開始後悔曾經帶給妳的不開心。

未來一個月請一切保重，明年一月，我們再一起去AIT辦簽證，然後把妳接過來一起生活。

KC in NYC

2008/11/22
下午六點的飛機抵達紐約JFK，近20小時的飛行無損KC初抵NY的興奮。
花了USD22從JFK坐Taxi回到Forest Hills的住處。當晚弄了偽牛丼飯當晚餐。

2008/11/23
有時差的KC夜晚不斷詢問CC醒了沒，但CC堅持睡覺而不回應。白天CC持續忙作業，KC只能在一旁補眠或看書，龍媽媽晚上邀請我們一同晚餐，吃了還不賴的魚肉跟有點鹹的湯。

2008/11/24
一早出門去Radio City看秀-Christmas Spectacular，整齊壯觀的歌舞秀搭配3D動畫，很適合帶小朋友一同欣賞，華麗有餘但沒啥內涵，感覺還是Broadway的秀比較精彩。

參觀了Rockefeller Center、St. Patrick Cathedral、曾經的Lehman Brother(現在的Barclays) HQ、Morgan Stanley HQ，午餐在Saigon享用。

餐後決定去Time Square晃晃，小小的廣場不知為何知名度這麼高？看到很多人在TKTS排對買便宜的Broadway Show；ToysRus裡讓我想起被恩恩嫌我送她的衣服"好醜哦!"的慘痛回憶。Yankees的專賣店可惜沒找到KC朋友要的ID Tag。老婆決定去New York Public Library參觀，華麗的宮殿式建案，在電影裡才會出現的圖書館場景，可惜閱覽室有股腐味。喝了杯Dunkins Donuts的咖啡後，兩人又打起精神前進Grand Central Terminal跟UN，很無聊的在UN寫了兩張明信片寄回台灣的家，並歡迎Taiwan加入UN。回家後先去Trader Joe's採買水果，晚餐享用洲式自製咖哩。CC繼續寫作業寫到凌晨6:00。

2008/11/25
前晚CC作業寫太晚，今天決定睡到11:30才起床。中餐後才出門去NYU，先去OISS拿KC的I20，再帶KC去Courant、Stern、Bobst、Washington Square及附近的SOHO晃晃，KC買了AE性感內褲8條。晚餐跑去Gray's Papaya享用Recession Special-兩份熱狗加一杯Papaya，USD$4.45!CC跑去Stern上課、KC留守Courant 13F陪小老鼠。下課後去吃了Ben's Pizzeria，然後回家。CC繼續趕作業感到凌晨兩點。

2008/11/26
早上CC繼續趕作業。下午兩點多才離開前往Wall Street。參觀了Trinity Church跟NYSE。KC跟著名的金牛拍照，CC則跟牛睪丸合影。暮色漸垂，步行到WTC遺址參觀。為了找廁所，又走到了World Financial Center。CC堅持不走回頭路，結果花了30分鐘坐Subway到原本走路10分鐘就會到的South Port坐渡輪去Staten Island。冬夜裏的渡輪甲板上有夠冷，但兩個笨蛋為了欣賞曼哈頓的夜景而堅持在甲板上吹寒風。晚餐到東村的Rai Rai Ken享用有點鹹的拉麵，最後又走回W4th St.吃Falafel←超讚，窮苦留學生的最佳選擇！

2008/11/27
感恩節。早上前往Columbus Circle看一年一度的Macy's Parade。擁擠的人潮讓CC相當不悅，還好後來找到還不錯的Spot。KC像小朋友一樣，看到漂浮的大型皮卡丘會很開心。中午漫步在被高樓大廈圍繞的Central Park，感覺相當特別。CC想喝Dunkin Donuts的咖啡，最後卻喝到了Starbucks的ChaiTea←不好喝，被KC老師騙了。走路走到累爆的兩人決定去吃NYC著名的H&H Bagels，結果發現只能外帶，最後站在冷爆的路邊邊吃邊看狗。本來只是想去電子情書裡的Cafe Lalo看看，最後卻進去喝了兩杯咖啡跟吃了個三明治。餐後繼續漫步Central Park，參觀為紀念John Lennon而設的Strawberry Fields。晚上坐7 Train到Flushing找Meiying阿姨，然後前往小白叔叔的家裡享用超豐盛的感恩節滿漢全席大餐。婉拒了阿姨半夜去Woodbury購物的邀請，早早就回到家休息。

2008/11/28
Black Friday。本來預計早點出門去採購，但還是睡到了九點多才起床。出門已經是十點多的事了。決定先去Queens Center逛逛，沒想到一逛就逛到晚上，買了一些禮物送給我們的爸爸媽媽，CC買了條領帶，KC又另外買了一些乳液跟Body Spray，最後跑回Forest Hills享受不用人擠人的逛街。結果Black Friday最後連曼哈頓都沒去就回家了。

2008/11/29
KC要回台灣了。吃完早餐後就送她去JFK，離情依依。

NYC Cusine

There are 19,400 restaurants in New York, that's why New Yorkers never eat their words.

French Cuisine

Balthazar
80 Spring St.(Between Broadway and Crosby St.)

Cafe Boulud
20 E 76th St.(Between 5th Ave. and Madison Ave.)

Jean Georges
1 Central Park West (Between 6oth St. and 61st St.)

Tartine
253 W 11th St.(W4th St.)

French Roast Cafe Downtown
78 W11th St. (near 6th Ave.)

Italian Cuisine
Babbo
110 Waverly Pl. (Between 6th Ave. and 7th Ave.)

Al Di La Trattoria
248 5th Ave, Brooklyn

Becco
355 W46th St. (Between 8th Ave. and 9th Ave.)

Grimaldi's Pizzeria
19 Old Fulton St, Brooklyn

John's Pizzeria
260 W44th St (Between 8th Ave. and Broadway)

Blue Ribbon Brooklyn

Union Square Cafe
21 E16th St

Peter Luger Steak House

Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant

Corner Bistro
331 W4th St.(Between Jane St. and 8th Ave.)

Burger Joint
118 W57th St.(Between 6th Ave. and 7th Ave.)
Rare
Medium Rare
Well Done

The Grey's Dog Coffee
33 Carmine St.(Between Bleecker and Bedford St.)
Portpbella
Cafe' Au Lait
Smoothies

Blue Ribbon Sushi Brooklyn

Sushi Samba

Tomoe Sushi
172 Thomopson St(Between Bleecker and Houston St.)

Rai Rai Ken
214 E10th St(Between 1st Ave. and 2nd Ave.)

Honmura An
170 Mercer St.(Between Houston St and Prince St.)

Thai Cuisine
Sea Bistro
75 2nd Ave(Between 5th St. and 6th St.)

Planet Thailand

Sripraphai Thai Restaurant
6413 39th Ave, Woodside, Queens

Kosher
Second Avenue Deli
162 E33rd St.(Between Lexington Ave. and 3rd Ave.)

Katz's Deli
205 E Houston St(Ludlow St)
Corned Beef
Pastrami Sandwich

Malaysian
Nyonya
194 Grand St(Between Motts St. and Mulberry St.)

Meskerem
468 W47th St(Between 9th Ave. and 10th Ave.)

Spain
Sevilla Restaurant & Bar
62 Charles St(W 4th St.)
Paella Mariscada with Green Sauce
Sangria

Gam Mee OK
43 W32nd St.(Between Broadway and 5th Ave.)
Sullongtang

Mamoun's Falafel
119 MacDougal St.(Minetta Lane)

Veselka
144 2nd Ave(9th St.)
Potato Pancake

Gray's Papaya
402 6th Ave(8th St.)

Should you have any questions

自從今年初開始申請實習開始，需要商業英文書信往來的機會增加了許多，最近常看到這種句型：
Should you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.
這個句型特別的是把Should放在句首，但其實是If you should have any questions...的變化而來，
可是這樣的句子，跟If you have any questions...(這也是我最常用在書信的方式)到底語意有何不同？

上網google了一下，發現有些老外朋友也有相同的疑問，在此節錄一些人討論的結果：

It's just another way of expressing the second (or third) conditional by the means of auxiliary-subject inversion.
More examples
If I were to find a treasure I'd buy a castle.
--> Were I to find a treasure, .....

If he hadn't been there, we would have lost the game
---> Had he not been there, we.....

In both sentences we have inverted the subject and the auxiliary (or modal). Plus we no longer need the if.

It's both more idiomatic (in the sense that this wording is specific to English) and slightly more formal.

"Should" is often used in a business context like this because to some people, it sounds more formal. In short, it replaces "if."

There is also a subtle idea about "should" in that it is supposed to express a minimal amount of doubt.

If you have any questions (I don't know if you will or not), please don't hesitate to ask.

Should you have any questions (and I rather doubt you will), please don't hesitate to ask.

Some useful commands on linux

Change the root password after ubuntu installed

sudo passwd root
先輸入自己的密碼再修改 root 的密碼

Get file from a ssh machine

In GNOME, allegedly (I've yet to get this working):
* Open a Nautilus window (e.g. click on Computer on the desktop)
* In the File menu, click on "Connect to Server"
* Set "Service type" to SSH and fill in the blanks

or user sftp in terminal

Install some software package

sudo apt-get

List of installed software packages

dpkg-query -W

Description of installed software packages

dpkg -l

List of available software packages

apt-cache pkgnames
apt-cache pkgnames | sort

Searching a software package: apt-cache search

apt-cache search flashplayer

巴里島婚禮

老姐結婚了！而且特地選在浪漫的巴里島舉辦。

為了配合我暑期實習結束的時間，老姊特地把婚期定在8/19，所以我8/15當天下班後，就衝回家打包、搭車，再趕去機場搭當晚11:45的飛機。不過因為班機延誤的關係，我一直在JFK待到凌晨五點才起飛，回到台灣已經是8/17中午12:00，隔天一大早，再搭早上9:30的飛機到巴里島。真是有夠累的！

不過累歸累，能參加到老姐的婚禮最重要，更何況我跟冠還是老姊指定的伴郎伴娘。

當天在機場集合，婚禮團親友浩浩蕩蕩一行共31人就這麼殺去巴里島。在飛機上也是熱鬧非凡，整個航程五個小時一直聽到小恩碎碎念的聲音，雖然我都窩在位子上看電影當宅男。飛機降落時，李小恩硬是吐了出來，還怪罪阿姨阿姨要她多吃的五口麵。

巴里島果然是著名的觀光勝地，整個機場出境處滿滿都是白皮膚藍眼珠的西方觀光客。我們足足排了快一個小時的隊伍才順利出境，一踏出機場，當地接待的旅行社就為我們每人掛上一串雞蛋花編成的花鏈以示歡迎。

再來女人們去做草苺Spa，男人們就是海邊散步吹風。晚上來到了未來四個晚上下塌的日航飯店。

隔天早上跟老婆悠閒的享受了日航的早餐，除了omelette外，沒有太令人驚艷的菜色。不過對於一個在紐約活了快一年，每天早上吃省錢的鮮奶+營養穀片的留學生來說，還是挺豐富的早餐啦。

下午就是此行的重頭戲─婚禮囉！身為老姊指定的伴郎伴娘，我跟冠很乖的中午就到教堂邊的新娘準備室梳洗換裝。