Just finished my full 10-hour work for the day…working on this thing called “CCReconciler”, a web application that checks to see if there is any duplicated charges for any customer’s trasnaction. I spent almost the entire day today and couple hours yesterday (Sunday) just to figure this thing out…it’s a monster, consider that I’ve never been a really good SQL programmer, and I was trying to figure out this rather crazy looking stored procedure. Here is about 50% of it(not posting it all for security reasons, also removed passwords):

CREATE procedure sp_Reconcile_To_FlexLeagues
@start_date as datetime
, @end_date as datetime
, @import_temp_data as bit
AS

IF @import_temp_data = 1
BEGIN
IF EXISTS (SELECT * FROM dbo.sysobjects WHERE id = object_id(N’[dbo].[TEMP_FL_TRANSACTIONS]‘) and OBJECTPROPERTY(id, N’IsUserTable’) = 1)
DROP TABLE [dbo].[TEMP_FL_TRANSACTIONS]

SELECT * INTO TEMP_FL_TRANSACTIONS FROM
OPENDATASOURCE(’SQLOLEDB’,'Extended Properties=”DRIVER=SQL Server;SERVER=BURUSTA-DB05;DATABASE=FlexLeagues;UID=CrystalReports;PWD=”‘).FlexLeagues.dbo.FL_CCTransaction
WHERE CreatedDateStamp >= DATEADD(Hour,-1,@start_date) and CreatedDateStamp <= DATEADD(Hour,1,@end_date)
END

IF exists (SELECT * FROM dbo.sysobjects where id = object_id(N’[dbo].[TEMP_FL_CORRECTIVE_ACTION]‘) and OBJECTPROPERTY(id, N’IsUserTable’) = 1)
DROP TABLE [dbo].[TEMP_FL_CORRECTIVE_ACTION]

SELECT * INTO TEMP_FL_CORRECTIVE_ACTION FROM
(
SELECT
‘Corrective_Action’ = CASE
WHEN FL.PaymentID is null THEN ‘Reverse’
ELSE ‘None’
END
, CCP.*
, ISNULL(CCP.datestamp,FL.CreatedDateStamp) FLccp_datestamp
, FL.TransactionResultID, FL.AMSAccountID
, FL.CardHolderName
FROM
AMS_TRANSACTION_LOOKUP as CCP
LEFT JOIN TEMP_FL_TRANSACTIONS as FL
ON
CONVERT(varchar(60), FL.PaymentID) = CCP.invoice_number AND FL.AMSTransactionID = ccp.ams_transaction_id
–left join TEMP_FL_TRANSACTIONS as FL2 ON FL2.PaymentID = CCP.invoice_number –to get the credit card name
WHERE
CCP.application_merchant = ‘USTA FLEXLGS’
AND
(    ((FL.CreatedDateStamp > DATEADD(Hour,-1,@start_date) and FL.CreatedDateStamp < DATEADD(Hour,1,@end_date)) and FL.TransactionResultID = 1) — ‘1′ = Approved
OR
((CCP.datestamp > DATEADD(Hour,-1,@start_date) and CCP.datestamp < DATEADD(Hour,1,@end_date)) and CCP.web_auth_result_code in (’AA’))
)

UNION

– BEGIN Flex Leagues Duplicate Charges to Investigate

SELECT
‘Corrective_Action’ = ‘Investigate’
, CCP.*
, isnull(CCP.datestamp,FL.CreatedDateStamp) FLccp_datestamp
, FL.TransactionResultID, FL.AMSAccountID
, FL.CardHolderName
FROM AMS_TRANSACTION_LOOKUP as CCP
RIGHT OUTER JOIN (
–get the full cc records with all columns
SELECT * FROM OPENDATASOURCE(’SQLOLEDB’,'Extended Properties=”DRIVER=SQL Server;SERVER=BURUSTA-DB05;DATABASE=FlexLeagues;UID=CrystalReports;PWD=”‘).FlexLeagues.dbo.FL_CCTransaction
where CCTransactionID IN (
–get list of CCTransationIDs that are associated with the invoice_id that we found
SELECT distinct cc.CCTransactionID FROM OPENDATASOURCE(’SQLOLEDB’,'Extended Properties=”DRIVER=SQL Server;SERVER=BURUSTA-DB05;DATABASE=FlexLeagues;UID=CrystalReports;PWD=”‘).FlexLeagues.dbo.FL_CCTransaction cc
INNER JOIN (
–find dup charges and get the PaymentID
SELECT FLPD.PaymentID, FLPD.PaymentDetailID, FLPD.Amount
FROM OPENDATASOURCE(’SQLOLEDB’,'Extended Properties=”DRIVER=SQL Server;SERVER=BURUSTA-DB05;DATABASE=FlexLeagues;UID=CrystalReports;PWD=”‘).FlexLeagues.dbo.FL_PaymentDetail FLPD

So there you go, 1x hours of work there. 1x hours of my life is gone, and I’m going to head out to replenish my HP before I die.

Didn’t really do much today despite it’s a Sunday.. That was because I said something harsh to Wendy to make her unhappy… and I’m really regretful for doing it… sorry bebe… ( ; . …

Sometimes I find it really hard for myself to control my emotion when I get frustrated…..

Frustration is a feeling of powerlessness and helplessness when something goes wrong in our lives or when we the result of a certain action does not meet our expectation.
Frustration causes people to be angry and rude. It damages relationship and harms ones health.
Frustration if left uncorrected can spiral into negative events like accidents or impulsive decisions like quitting a job. It could also damage a marriage or a relationship.

Here are some cures:

1) Set goals based on your desires and passions not what others want from you.

2) Learn to be kind to yourself

3) Identify if you are constantly feeling like a victim. When we believe that we are victims we operate from powerlessness. Heal past pain that has caused you to believe you are a victim.

We attract our reality based on our emotions and beliefs. If you want your circumstances to change you have to heal and change your emotions.

4) Visualize your goal very morning. This allows your thoughts ane emotions to remain focussed on what you want and what you can achieve. It also helps you to start the day with positive vibrations.

5) Be patient. The universe in its divine intelligence will manifest your desire. Do your best and then let go.

6) Do you want to control everything? And when things don’t go your way do you get frustrated? Release the need to control everything and enjoy life. Do your best and then surrender to the divine.

7) Need for perfection. Heal the need for perfection. The need for perfection takes away the peace from ones life.

8 ) Understand that life has challenges. The challenge seems bigger when you are overwhelmed with negative emotions. The same challenge will appear different when you approach it with a calm and trusting attitude.

9) Competition is good only when it is at a healthy level. Are you constantly comparing your work with another person? You are a unique and divine child of god, realize this and cherish your potential.

4)-7) is especially true IMO.. while other ones are pretty applicable to the other aspects of my life. I’m well aware of that I really lack patience. But that was how I grew up, and I have been a believer of that what brought me to the point where I am now was my personality, and my personality have been great since I’m semi successful on almost every aspect of my life. Thus, there is no need for altering any aspect of my personality, in this case being impatient. In fact, I have been really successful in accomplishing numerous tasks in life in a higher quality than what other people did thanks to my impatience and my perfectionist personality. However what I don’t understand is whether or not my current state is as best as I could possibly get, or there is room for refinement. I wish someone like God could give me some guidance…

I’m just going to watch some TV and eat some dinner, to make the rest of my day…

Galileo was a 10-episode drama on-air in Japan last year in October (2007). The story talks about the encounter of the genius physicist slash university professor Yukawa Manabu / ??? (Starred by the #1 ranked handsome guy in Japan Masaharu Fukuyama / ????) and the junior detective slash police officier Utsumi Kaoru / ??? (Starred by Kou Kabusaki / ????). Yukawa has a really strange personality and talks weirdly even though he is one of the smartest person around the university where he does his research - often being called “Galileo”. Most of the time he tries not to get involved with anything police-related and focuses on his studies and students. However when he met Kaoru, who was a really hot-blooded/eager-to-learn young detective, he was gradually influenced and became more interested in solving these mysterious murder cases that were presented to him by Kaoru.

The storyline is pretty simple, each episode presents a murder case which is left for Yukawa and Kaoru to solve. What makes this story really worthwhile watching is Yukawa’s extremely weird personality (which actually makes things 10x funnier sometimes, like how he uses physics terms to define “love”…etc), and how Kaoru sort of transform him into a character that has more “human” thoughts rather than his otherwise extremely theoretical personality. I really like how Yukawa (Masaharu) dressed it really makes him look pro. Actually I didn’t really think Masaharu could perform that well in dramas since the first time I saw him in a drama was in Hitotsu Yane no Shita / ?????? (a 1997 drama I think) and his performance was just so-so. In this drama he looks really good and the way he acts is perfect for the character. Kaoru (Kou) is really pretty and professional looking. I like how she acts in a really natural way which is rather different from most of the other Japanese actresses. Haven’t seen a lot of her shows, but then I actually learnt that she’s actually a singer that had debuted quite a few years ago. She sings just okay but she’s got a pretty face so who cares.

Another thing I like about the drama are the special guests for each episodes. There were a couple guests that were actors/actresses I really like - Katori Shingo / ???? (funniest guy in SMAP), Kyoko Fukada / ???? (really surprised that she showed up, haven’t seen her performance for soooo long since the 1999 drama Oni no Sumika / ???? ), Maki Horikita / ???? (one of the hottest actresses in Japan, love her performance in Nobuta o Produce). I didn’t really like Ryoko Hirosue though, who appeared in one of the episodes (sorry Ryoko fans). I think she looks really weird…lol.. anyway, love the guests.

Here’s an excerpt from drama Wki:

Kaoru Utsumi, a rookie detective who has just been reassigned to the criminal division, finds her investigation of her first murder case stalled by the seemingly supernatural phenomenons surrounding the event. She seeks help from Shunpei Kusanagi, a senior detective at the police headquarter, who introduces her to his college buddy and an associate professor at Teito University, Manabu Yukawa. Yukawa is a tall, handsome, and brilliant man who is interested in nothing but physical science, while Utsumi is a hot-blooded girl with a strong sense of justice. Together, the odd pair solves many difficult and seemingly impossible crimes with their individual talents.

This is a highly recommended detective drama, coupled with really funny comedy style monologues and performances (plus handsome guys and girls!) It has a really nice ending theme song sung by KOH+ too, which is a group formed by the two main characters Masaharu and Kou. Here’s the music video of the song “Kiss Shite / KISS??”:

Thimble cookies…not even sure what thimble means nor how it tasts like, when I came across it at t Safeway supermarket yesterday. The texture/size/color combination of these cookies looked like something that I would go crazy eating it (i.e. looked tasty) so I bought them despite the relatively high price ($5.49….lol)

I’m glad that I picked it up! It was some of the best tasting cookies I’ve ever had. It’s soft, not too sweet, dense and smooth in texture, not too dry (I hate dry/crunchy biscuits)…and it’s got tasty strawberry jam in the center and it’s the type of jam that I like (there are some strawberry jams that taste really fake and artificial)….I ate them up in no time…I think there were around 10 of them and now there is only one and a half left! I’ll have to drive all the way there just to get more of these amazing cookies tomorrow~

Finally finished assembling my Spacewarp 5000 interior coaster….(here’s a post of the unpackaging)… took longer than I thought to complete, just because I underestimated how challenging it was to build it… There were limited amount of railings provided and therefore had to be really careful when cutting them otherwise there wouldn’t be enough material to complete the thing. Also it’s fairly difficult to make sure the metal balls don’t “fly” off the tracks, had to make sure the curves are tilted, had to properly adjust the angles of the railings to keep the ball at the optimal speed….etc. I almost failed it when I realized (after finishing the whole thing) that the balls wouldn’t get back onto the swirly “elevator” properly - the speed was too fast and the ball would just hit the elevator and bounce off. I had to remove all the pins that hold the rails near the end of the track and realign them to create more curves in order to slow down the ball near where it gets onto the elevator.

Anyway it’s all done and working well, here are some “making of” pics, followed by a video:

Last Friends/???????? is a 2008 drama that was shown in April. I wanted to watch more of Ueno Juri(????)’s dramas after watching her phenomenal performance in Nodame Cantabile. I then watched the movie Swing Girls which was one of her earlier movies, in which she acted pretty good. So I downloaded this latest movie of hers (Last Friends) and was in high hopes. She acted pretty good in fact, even though I didn’t like her boy-ish look in the drama (she is a lesbian in the drama and she is the “guy” side of it) One thing though, it proves that she CAN act - a really cute and talkative/outgoing girl in Swing Girls, then a really idiotic/messy/weird piano genius in Nodame Cantabile, now this really mature/quiet/thoughtful role in Last Friends….she can basically play any role without a problem. Nagasawa Manami(?????)’s role as the protagonist was pretty good, even though she is really young (I think she’s 21), she played the character really well being an innocent/weak/helpless girl that gets beaten up by boyfriend…and all that, but nevertheless, Ueno Juri’s performace is way above her’s. The other actors/actresses are okay, pretty average performance. I don’t like the main guy though, which is performed by Eita(??). The way he smiles was so fake, kinda gay… he acted okay in Nodame Cantabile thouh. The other (bad) guy that is acted by Ryo Nishikido(???) was pretty good good though. He looked kinda too young for the role (even though he’s not) but anyway I like his performance in the drama. I first saw him in the drama “One Litre of Tears / ???????“, he was pretty good in it… apparently he has improved a lot since then.

The drama talks about lesbian love (one-sided love), how the lesbian Ruka (by Juri Ueno) was in love with Michiru (Nagasawa Manami), how she is unable to express her love or it’ll scare Michiru off, how she tries to protect Michiru from being abused by her boyfriend, risking her life. There’s also the 3rd person Takeru (by Eita) involved in this love triangle, who loves Ruka but is unable to be with her since she is a lesbian. There is a similarity of the way how Ruka protects Michiru, and how Takeru protects Ruka, while both of them aren’t able to be with their love ones.

Here is a synopsis from Wiki:

Last Friends tackles issues that afflict the current generation. Michiru’s mother has brought a man back to their home and she is bullied at her workplace where she works as a beauty parlour assistant. She starts cohabiting with her boyfriend, a good young man who works at the Child Welfare Division and the only person who can give her emotional support, but ends up the victim of domestic violence and becomes fearful of love. The boyishly charming Ruka was a classmate of Michiru’s in junior high school. She has performed brilliantly as a motocross racer and aims to win the national championship, but as the story progresses, a deep worry that she can neither confide in her parents or close friends grows evident. Takeru is a hair and makeup artist acquainted with Ruka. He is a good confidant to females due to his kindness and perceptiveness, and finds himself attracted to Ruka but has a phobia of sex as a result of a past trauma. The three of them become house mates and through their associations with others, gain the capacity to be positive about life.

I like this drama, but it’s not a highly recommend. I like its suspense, the great performance of some actors like Juri and Ryo, and the topic (lesbian love, which is a rare find in Japanese drama). However the storyline wasn’t developed perfectly and I had trouble understanding some of the plot, like I’m still not sure about the problem between Takeru and his sister, what made him scared of women’s bodies. Also some episodes was boring kind of like space fillers, although some of the other ones were really suspenseful that would keep you on the edge. Overall a not bad drama, consider the social issue that it’s trying to address, but I don’t think it’s a must watch unless you’re a fan of any of the actors.

Last but not least, I LOVE the theme song “Prisoner of Love” sung by Utada Hikaru(??? ???) (I love all of her songs anyway).