Seeking hire grounds (Jan 24th)

o Las Vegas' unemployment rate has fallen to 3.5%.  Driving around the city and leafing through the classifieds, nobody should need government surveys to know the job market is steaming hot right now.

I remember when I first arrived from California last summer and applied for a technical position at Harrah's.  They directed me to a job recruiting center next to Bally's where H/R people were also recruiting for 4-5 other casinos.  I swear, it seemed they hired everyone on-the-spot who bothered showing up.  Unfortunately, I was vying for a technical position, not a casino job, and didn't receive an offer.

Which brings me to my next point.  The 3.5% figure reveals only part of the employment picture.  Las Vegas is still a city that lacks a strong financial, technical and professional base as jobs here are clustered around tourism and construction.  So, yes, jobs are plentiful, but only the types that doesn't pay all that well and doesn't require a college degree.

Still, today's unemployment figure is good news.  It shows there is no reason why anyone cannot land a job to sustain him/herself until something better comes along.  Well, I guess this city does attract its share of unemployables (the 3.5%) who may have trouble finding work in any economy.  Perhaps some other day, I can comment on some of the strange people I've come across since moving to this strange city.

Hanging out in Vegas (Jan 22nd)

think most Vegas residents have a favorite casino to eat and play, casinos far from The Strip and its traffic nightmare.  Unless you work there, few Vegas locals want to go remotely near The Strip.

My favorite hang-out casino is Nevada Palace, a rinky-dink joint on 5255 Boulder Highway.  As you can see, their website sucks as much as their location.  This is the type of casino you'd find in Carson City or Winnemucca or some other forsaken Nevada town.  At Nevada Palace, there are 6-7 table games, maybe 400 gaming machines, a keno area, a bar and two restaurants.  No exploding volcanos or white tigers but a guy playing cheesy tunes with his electric guitar in the longue.  Still, despite the absence of luxury, there is something quaint and cozy about the place.

Nevada Palace is my favorite for two reasons.  First, their two restaurants offer (almost) instant seating and cheap food.  In Vegas, there aren't places like Norms or Sizzlers where you can quickly grab a cheap steak dinner.  At Nevada Palace, and many casinos catering to locals, there also aren't exhusting walks from parking complexes or long queues for a decent budget meal.

The second reason Nevada Palace is my favorite is their $1 blackjack table (even $2 tables are difficult to find these days).  On an average session, if I start with $20, I would still have $17.50 after two hours of play (playing $1 per hand and using "book" strategy).  This is cheaper entertainment than watching a movie at matinee prices.  Being a cheap-o gambler, I'm probably not their ideal customer.  However, there are plenty of people betting more than table minimums including many who wager on the sucker side bet called "Lucky Ladies".

Oftentimes, I would find conversations across the table more interesting than the game itself.  Many patrons have developed friendships with the dealers and each other over the years.  From the chatter, you can learn a lot about Las Vegas' working class, some of whom have interesting stories to share working in the gaming industry or those who've seen the city sprout from its humble and outlaw beginnings.

Happy employees onboard Station Casinos (Jan 20th)

ow, I'm surprised to see the Station Casinos listed by Fortune Magazine as the 55th best company to work for in America!  They're also ranked #14 when compared only to other large companies.  From their 5-year stock chart, happy shareholders also seem aboard the Station enterprise.

For those who do not live in Las Vegas, there are 13 Station Casinos scattered throughout the city (see map below) with the 14th being built just two miles from where I live.  Notice none of them are located on the Strip or near tourist areas.  And I bet most tourists have never heard of them.  That's because I've read somewhere that Station Casinos cater primarily to local residents.  Even without reading it, you can tell by their weird locations.  There's probably a huge internal market since locals also enjoy recreational gambling and a good buffet without having to venture onto the Strip and endure all its inconveniences.  Heck, other than casinos, there's not much happening in Vegas anyway!  Some Station Casinos also have movie theatres, bowling alleys and other entertainment venues.

According to Fortune magazine, their 100 Best Companies to Work For compliation is based on an evaluation of company policies and employee surveys.  Of course, Station Casinos' rankings weren't hurt by average table dealer salaries of over $50,000 per year.  That's pretty sweet considering Las Vegas' lower cost of living and for positions that do not require a college degree.  I've noticed many casino employees are recent immigrants, particulary older Asians.  Working there and being able to afford a home and a comfortable lifetyle is probably a dream come true for many of them.

Stalking on the telephone (Jan 16th)

hen I first arrived in Las Vegas and searched the want ads, I noticed there were tons of jobs in telephone debt collections (not surprising in a town like this).  Some ads were pretty upfront about the job description (see image below).  Others would hide it by calling it "Call Center" or "Customer Service".  Whatever the title, the positions pretty much involve the same thing: chasing deadbeats on the phone.

I thought about phone collections recently because of my training class.  Although I'm not doing anything of the sort, HSBC provides training on debtor rights and the law (something they take very seriously) since I work in the credit card division.  During this portion of the training, several colleagues shared interesting stories on being a collector and given free reign (and encouraged) by ex-employers to curse, harass, threaten and scream at debtors.  Some of the methods they shared were as funny as they were illegal.  Although it can be ugly and stressful work, most spoke of their experiences with a sense of nostalgia and enthusiasm.

Personally, I wouldn't do it as a career, but can see how, like working in a casino, it can be an interesting Vegas experience.  I'm not impugning this line of work since it serves a vital function in our credit driven economy.  But as a career, it's something for aggressive people who enjoys a good brawl and may lack (or can suspend) a humanly sense of empathy or ethics.  I heard gifted collectors can earn six-figures (no college degree needed!) doing nothing but dialing a phone and unleashing a flood of threats and profanity.

Chow time at China Chef Express (Jan 14th)

ne of the things I miss most about Los Angeles is China Chef Express in Long Beach.  Located on 1222 Obisbo Avenue (Long Beach) just three blocks from my former apartment, it was where I bought takeout once or twice a week.  I was in the area the other day and swung by for a nostalgic lunch.  This place always had a constant line of customers.  And when I was there, it was no exception.

Consider their $3.50 combo ($3.68 after tax):

• Chow mein
• Fried rice
• Egg roll
• Any 1 item (I usually get kung pao chicken or BBQ pork)
• Small soda

This is an unbeatable deal!  Most of the time, I couldn't finish it.  So the next day, I'd make rice or congee and mix in the leftovers.  Fine, I probably gained a few pounds from years of eating there.  But where can you get two tasty meals for $3.68?

Year-round comforts in Summerlin (Jan 9th)

really enjoy where I live!  My apartment sits just outside Summerlin, a community beginning eight miles west of the Las Vegas Strip (map below).  In the 36 square mile jurisdiction, Summerlin bills itself as a "master-planned self-contained" community where each homeowner pays about $400 per year to one of America's largest homeowner's association.  For paying into this mega-fund, a nonprofit corporation performs landscaping, maintains golf courses, builds roads, funds libraries, organizes community activities, etc -- everything to enrich the lives of its 92,000 residents and boost home prices.  There are also great desert scenery with towering mountains and nature preserves nearby.

I stumbled onto the area at random while planning my Vegas relocation last June.  Fast-forward six-months, I still haven't grown sick of living here.  Everything is new, clean and orderly with little traffic on the road.  And since I will live just outside Summerlin, I don't pay into the fund but still reap its benefits.  Comparing with Los Angeles suburbs, Summerlin reminds me of a mix between Rancho Cucumonga (with its endless track of new homes and semi-rural setting) and Irvine (with its extensive corporate presense and upscale stores).  My workplace is also located in the community as well as a handful of large corporations.

I can see how some would find this place boring and conformist, especially younger folks.  Those who don't drive and cannot access The Strip, it can be a bottomless suburban hell.  But when choosing a place to live, boring is good.  I prefer immediate surroundings to be uneventful, safe, clean -- as long as something exciting is within a short drive away (and there is!).

Counting cards, not calories (Jan 7th)

'm surprised to see Las Vegas, the city of skin and showgirls, listed as the second fattest city in America (graphic below).  As a new Vegas resident from Los Angeles, I don't see much difference in weight between those living here and those living in Southern California.  Then again, maybe it's because Los Angeles is listed as the third fattest and Long Beach the seventh.

I bet many suspect Las Vegas' fat ranking has something to do with cheap buffets floating about on the Strip.  But as locals will tell you, few native Las Vegans venture into tourist areas often, except those who work there. So it's hard to explain this city's ranking.  Perhaps it's because most who live here migrated recently from California where many of its cities are already high on the list (San Diego, Fresno, San Jose and the two mentioned earlier).  Or perhaps Vegas is so sprawed out that driving is necessary (and walking and exercise isn't).

I do, however, notice Americans on the whole being fatter than those in Hong Kong.  Every time I return from one of my Hong Kong trips and walking through the airport, I notice this immediately.  Of course, Asian diet has much to do with it, as well as culture, genetics and the amount of walking needed in Hong Kong.

From Men's Fitness Magazine:

The 8 minute commute (Jan 6th)

A - My apartment
B - HSBC Las Vegas

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hile there are many benefits of my new job, one of the most notable is the daily commute (or lack of).  Ah, yes...traffic!, one of the reasons there are so many California refugees like myself living in Las Vegas.

According to Yahoo Maps, the distance from my apartment to the HSBC campus is 5.4 miles with an estimated travel time of 9 minutes (it's more like 8 minutes).  I already live in a semi-rural setting on the western edge of most maps of Las Vegas.  To go to work, I travel northwest and even further away from the city center.  Not only are there few cars on the road, but the roads themselves are new and wide and built to accomodating the city's eventual westwardly sprawl.

Along the way to work, there are also great desert scenery to admire!  In the western landscape are mountains of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (image below) named after massive red sedimentary stuff (sorry, don't know the official geological term).  They look close because they are.  Once my work schedule stabilizes, I will take up hiking again so I can shed weight and not lose my wager (see my Jan 2th entry).  It should only be a 10 minute drive to be inside the Conservation and away from civilization.

Two more minutes before arriving at the HSBC parking lot.

Painted face of geisha a dying art (Jan 3rd)

saw Memoirs of a Geisha the other day.  The movie was only so-so but it inspired me to research more into the art and mystery of the near extinct Japanese tradition.

Geishas are supposed to represent the unattainable women -- the ultimate in desirability, both in beauty and demeanor.  But what piqued my interest most were geisha standards of beauty which I fail to understand.  Perhaps this is cultural ignorance on my part, but the faces of geisha, painted in powder white and brightly colored accents, made women appear ghostly and cartoonish (image below).  Cultural ignorance or not, I think most young Japanese today would agree.  Otherwise, women in Tokyo would all walk around painted like geishas or aspiring to be one.

This is an interesting example of standards of beauty differring not only between cultures but between one or two generations within the same culture.  The art of geishaing (OK, I made up that verb -- don't use it for Scrabble) flourished only 60 years ago and numbering almost 100,000.  Today, they number in the hundreds and will likely reach extinction soon.  In just two generations, standards of beauty have changed dramatically along with demand for a dying art once so highly revered.  I'll bet some elders will blame "perverting" influence of Western culture for the demise...but that's for another discussion!

New Year's Revolutions (Jan 2nd)

Watch your character for it will become your destiny.
                     - Frank Outlaw

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o, I didn't make a typo in the title of this blog entry.  I dislike the concept "New Year's Resolutions" because, I'm sure most of you will agree, they rarely work.  Despite the motivating effects of a new calendar, I believe people tend to revert doing whatever their character dictates (hence, the quote above) and that changing of habits can only occur through a slow evolution in character.  Yep, it's not that easy, folks.

Alright, instead of babbling on and being a New Year's Grinch, I'll jot down some plans for the New Year (ahem...they're "plans", not "resolutions").  Based in part on what I wrote in my last entry, I'm certain this year will be dramatically different (and improved) from the last.  This is why these are New Years "revolutions", not "resolutions":

• Getting a new apartment (end of January)
• Buying a new car (mid May)
• Buying a condo (early July)
• Impressing my bosses at HSBC (year-round)
• Eating better/exercising (year-round)
• Becoming financially responsible and save save save (year-round, see previous entry)
• Perform volunteer public service (starting mid February, once I know my work schedule)
• Some stuff I shouldn't say because my parents may be reading this (year-round)

Right now, I feel motivated and optimistic not because of the new year, but because of the new job, the new sense of purpose and direction, and moving out of this depressing apartment in less than a month.  I consider it Part II of my new life in Las Vegas.

Well, I did make one official New Year's resolution.  We talked about resolutions at a family gathering last night and I promised to shed 15 pounds within three months (and keep that weight off) or pay my brother $100 at the end of 2006.  Yeah, this sounds more like a bet than a "resolution".  But cash is often the ultimate motivator!