Viral begot me a Virus...

For the last few weeks, I've put on my Marketing hat and have been working on user acquisition with a combination of viral and WoM (word of mouth) shoe-string plan. I've been testing the waters with text (IRC), pic (Flickr) and video (YouTube) viral marketing (using existing social networks to spread the word about a service) along with Google Analytics (thank God for GA). For the last week, I've been going to sleep dreaming about traffic and conversion numbers so much so that Friday night my throat started to scratch. As of this post, I have some sort of a VIRAL respiratory throat infection.

Sunday and Monday nights were hell. Every time I swallowed it felt like i was swallowing broken glass (to give you an idea). Tylenol PM, Theraflu, even good 'ol trusted NyQuil (which would knock me out into a bliss) didn't do any good. toss and turn toss and turn. Plus fever, plus chills, etc. Tonight, its less fever, less soar throat but more classical runny nose and sporadic deep coughing. I took NyQuil and an hour into it, nada - i am not knocked out - i am writing this blog entry. Sigh!

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Pride...

For the first time in life as a parent, I got to experience the joy of accomplishment with my eldest son Aram. Today, we received letters from two of the high schools that he had applied to. He has been accepted to both: Serra High School in San Mateo, and Saint Ignatius Preparatory in San Francisco both with distinction.

We're very proud and happy.

Next Step: Aram has to decide which one to attend.

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Unintended consequences (the law of)

I usually look forward to daylight savings. It usually signals the start of spring, warmer weather, etc. This year, of course, daylight savings came early on March 11 instead of the first week of April and since then, I've had a mini private IT disaster going on. I heard stories on the radio about Y2K-type preparations and thought "ya right". Was I wrong!

At first, I thought the worse part of this new daylight savings was that I had to change the clock on my laptop manually. That turned out to be the least of my headaches. For the last 5 days, the time on my Outlook calendar invites are reaching other people all messed-up though they look fine on my calendar. The people that I am sending the invites too are using Google Calendar (probably time for me to chuck Outlook as well). A couple of times, the clock on my laptop has revered back mysteriously and I had to reset it. Apparently, there is patch to Windows XP. However, for the last year, Windows Update has been causing me headaches with some Office update s that it has tried repeatedly to download and update. Finally, I turned Windows Update off and I don't even want to think about turning it back on to fix this daylight savings issue.

My fancy Windows Mobile Samsung Blackjack smartphone clock has been off as well. Yesterday, March 14 (3 days after daylight savings too effect) I got an SMS from Cingular about a patch that I need to download to fix the problem on my PDA. Whatever happened to notifying people AHEAD of the problem? Whatever happened to pushing such important updates onto these "smart" devices?

As of this post, both of these issues remain unresolved -- I've got much bigger fish to fry for now...

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I love this tune...

From the Bill Kill soundtrack...

I love the lyrics sung in Japanese...

Artist: Meiko Kaji Lyrics
Song: The Flower of Carnage Lyrics

Shindeita
Asa ni
Tomorai no
Yuki ga furu

Hagure inu no
Touboe
Geta no
Otokishimu

Iin na naomosa
Mitsumete aruku
Yami wo dakishimeru
Janomeno kasa hitotsu

Inochi no michi wo
Yuku onna
Namida wa tooni
Sutemashita

Furimuita
Kawa ni
Toozakaru
Tabinohima

Itteta tsuru wa
Ugokasu
Naita
Ame to kaze

Kieta mizu mo ni
Hotsure ga miutsushi
Namida sae misenai
Janomeno kasa hitotsu

Urami no michi wo
Yuku onna
Kokoro wa tooni
Sutemashita

Giri mo nasake mo
Namida mo yume no
Kinou mo ashita mo
Henno nai kotoba

Urami no kawa ni
Mi wo yudanete
Honma wa tooni
Sutemashita

Translation: The Flower of Carnage

Begrieving snow falls in the dead morning
Stray dog's howls and the footsteops of Geta pierce the air
I walk with the weight of the Milky Way on my shoulders
But an umbrella that holds onto the darkness is all there is.
I'm a woman who walks at the brink of life and death
Who's emptied my tears many moons ago.
All the compassion tears and dreams
The snowy nights and tomorrow hold no meaning
I've immersed my body in the river of venegance
And thrown away my womanhood many moons ago
On the behalf of heaven, they're our soldiers, the loyal, invincible and brave.
Now it's time for them to leave the country of their
Parents their hearts buoyed by encouraging voices.
They are solemnly resolved not to return alive, without victory.
Here at home, the citizens wait for you.
In foreign lands, the brave troops
Instead of kindness from someone
I do not care about
I rather prefer selifshness from you my beloved.
Oh, it the world a dream or an illusion?
I am all alone in jail.

[Thanks to dracir@rocketmail.com for lyrics]

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