Just some personal updates I want to share. I didn't feel like making a separate post for each of those events, so here they are:
Level 120 Herblore in RuneScape
I'll start by saying I got level 120 Herblore in RuneScape on the 4th. I now only have three more 120's left before I have all the skill levels needed for the completionist cape. Jagex does plan to increase the other skills to 120 in the future, but that is expected to take several years.
I'm planning to get 120 Archaeology next as I have less than one million XP to go. However, that will have to wait because the membership on this account expires in like an hour or so. It'll probably be a while before I resubscribe as I'm going to be busy preparing for graduate school in the next one or two months.
A literal trip down the memory lane
Dad decided to take us to Sanborn County Park on the 7th as we realized we had never been there in all the years we've lived in the Bay Area. Even though we didn't stay here for long as it was a bit hot outside, this was nice for a change. It's always fun to explore new places. However, one highlight of this day trip is it brought back childhood memories.
For one, our route took us through the area in Cupertino where my late maternal grandparents used to live. Mom and I would always stop by their house after my horseback riding lessons on Saturdays, and I'd spend the afternoon watching cartoons. I certainly still miss my grandparents from time to time. It's hard to believe they've been gone for over 15 years.
I should mention our old family friends, the Liangs, lived fairly close to my grandparents in Cupertino. It's been a long time since our families have gotten together as we had gradually lost contact over the years. I don't think I've seen Stacey in person since 2010, and Emily since the year before. It's apparently quite common for adults to grow apart from childhood friends. :-(
Of note is Sanborn County Park is located close to Walden West and and Via West — the latter formerly known as Camp Costonoan. Walden West was very popular among my old classmates at Springer. I didn't attend Walden West but did go to Camp Costonoan in sixth grade. On the whole, this day definitely brought back some childhood memories.
A few shots
I mentioned a few times that I'll be taking courses at UC Santa Cruz later this year. Due to the university's immunization requirements, there were a few shots I needed to get before I could register for classes. I first got the updated COVID-19 vaccine on the 14th. The side effects didn't become apparent until the evening and lasted all of Sunday. However, everything was back to normal by the 16th.
The university also requires two doses of the MMR vaccine. We looked through all my medical records and could only find evidence of one dose, so I had to get the second dose on the 17th. It wasn't without side effects as my arm became pretty sore afterwards. However, that went away after a few hours. I still have to get two chickenpox shots — one for July and another in August — so hopefully those go without issues.
On a related note, I'll be moving to Santa Cruz in less than two weeks. It's both exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time!
Currently listening to: "War" by Edwin Starr
Monday, June 23, 2025
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
a nice Memorial Day "staycation"
It's hard to believe Memorial Day has come and gone. For a while, I actually thought it was still mid-May or so. It's often said that time goes by faster as you get older. So true. In any case, our long weekend wasn't too bad.
Friday
I was pretty busy even before the long weekend started. So my father has been building an enclosure in our backyard to protect our fruit trees from birds and rodents, and he needed my help for certain jobs that require two people. However, the nature of this type of work means that times can be unpredictable. What my dad estimated to be a 30-minute job ended up taking up all morning and then some. I could swear I had barely finished breakfast and sat down when it was already 1 p.m.
Gardening can be rewarding but also demanding at times. I was helping my dad put up a wooden beam when it fell and hit me square on the head. Ouch. Good thing it wasn't serious because I've had worse before.
Mom was also busy as she had to prepare a picnic lunch for Saturday's day trip. I also had to help put some cabbage leaves out to dry later in the afternoon as Mom wanted to try out some new recipes for cabbage dishes. We were all a little tired and decided to forgo our daily stroll around the neighborhood. However, that wasn't an issue as I made sure to get plenty of exercise on my own time.
Saturday
Dad decided to take us to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park as we hadn't been there in a while. We encountered some traffic along the way but still managed to get there on time. I should mention we didn't hike as far as we did last time because we were all a little tired. It's probably because of all the yard work we did the day before.
On the way home, my mom wanted to stop at Nob Hill Foods for groceries. We took the opportunity to get some ice cream as it was a little warm outside. I could hardly believe how much the prices had gone up. For example, Ben & Jerry's was over $7 a pint at the original price. However, there was some Dreyer's ice cream on sale. :-)
Sunday
Some time ago, I received a $25 gift card for Target for attending my health insurer's orientation session. Dad figured this would be a good time to use it up and took us to the new Target store in Sunnyvale. I wanted some snacks but ultimately decided that frozen meals were healthier. It turns out $25 was barely enough for a small pizza and three other items, and all the portions were smaller than the pictures indicate. Food prices are insane these days!
We then went to Costco afterwards. Of note is there is usually a lot of samples around this time of day. This was nice for a change as it's been a while since I went to Costco. It was again past 1 p.m. when we finally had lunch.
Monday
Having done so much in the past few days, I spent much of the time studying for the classes I'll be taking at UC Santa Cruz later this year. There is so much to learn about AI and neural networks. However, I did find some time to play RuneScape and managed to complete the "It Still Should Have Been Called Aetherium" and "Work on Your Artisan II" achievements. It was quite a grind to smith all that armor after mining the required ores.
On the whole, this "staycation" was quite enjoyable. The only downside is I started getting a toothache a few days ago. I certainly hope it's nothing serious. Pretty sure a root canal operation would be unpleasant and expensive.
Currently listening to: "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz
Friday
I was pretty busy even before the long weekend started. So my father has been building an enclosure in our backyard to protect our fruit trees from birds and rodents, and he needed my help for certain jobs that require two people. However, the nature of this type of work means that times can be unpredictable. What my dad estimated to be a 30-minute job ended up taking up all morning and then some. I could swear I had barely finished breakfast and sat down when it was already 1 p.m.
Gardening can be rewarding but also demanding at times. I was helping my dad put up a wooden beam when it fell and hit me square on the head. Ouch. Good thing it wasn't serious because I've had worse before.
Mom was also busy as she had to prepare a picnic lunch for Saturday's day trip. I also had to help put some cabbage leaves out to dry later in the afternoon as Mom wanted to try out some new recipes for cabbage dishes. We were all a little tired and decided to forgo our daily stroll around the neighborhood. However, that wasn't an issue as I made sure to get plenty of exercise on my own time.
Saturday
Dad decided to take us to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park as we hadn't been there in a while. We encountered some traffic along the way but still managed to get there on time. I should mention we didn't hike as far as we did last time because we were all a little tired. It's probably because of all the yard work we did the day before.
On the way home, my mom wanted to stop at Nob Hill Foods for groceries. We took the opportunity to get some ice cream as it was a little warm outside. I could hardly believe how much the prices had gone up. For example, Ben & Jerry's was over $7 a pint at the original price. However, there was some Dreyer's ice cream on sale. :-)
Sunday
Some time ago, I received a $25 gift card for Target for attending my health insurer's orientation session. Dad figured this would be a good time to use it up and took us to the new Target store in Sunnyvale. I wanted some snacks but ultimately decided that frozen meals were healthier. It turns out $25 was barely enough for a small pizza and three other items, and all the portions were smaller than the pictures indicate. Food prices are insane these days!
We then went to Costco afterwards. Of note is there is usually a lot of samples around this time of day. This was nice for a change as it's been a while since I went to Costco. It was again past 1 p.m. when we finally had lunch.
Monday
Having done so much in the past few days, I spent much of the time studying for the classes I'll be taking at UC Santa Cruz later this year. There is so much to learn about AI and neural networks. However, I did find some time to play RuneScape and managed to complete the "It Still Should Have Been Called Aetherium" and "Work on Your Artisan II" achievements. It was quite a grind to smith all that armor after mining the required ores.
On the whole, this "staycation" was quite enjoyable. The only downside is I started getting a toothache a few days ago. I certainly hope it's nothing serious. Pretty sure a root canal operation would be unpleasant and expensive.
Currently listening to: "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
level 99 Necromancy in RuneScape
Just a short post to share that I've reached level 99 Necromancy in RuneScape and can now enter the Max Guild again. Given the Necromancy skill just came out less than a year and a half ago, this was my fastest 99 to date. Of course, all that bonus XP from the recent Christmas event definitely helped. In any case, the free alteration glyph from the Necromancy cape is quite useful when it comes to rituals. :D
Currently listening to: Pachelbel's Canon
Currently listening to: Pachelbel's Canon
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
a quarter century into the millennium
One of my most vivid memories was counting down to the year 2000 at our family friend Carol's house. At the time, the biggest concern was that the Y2K problem would cause worldwide chaos. I remember switching on my Windows 95 laptop right after midnight to make sure it could still start up. It's hard to believe it's been 25 years. We are now actually closer to 2030 than 2020. How time flies.
A bittersweet holiday season
So the holidays were a bit of a bummer. We had invited my cousin Cathy and her husband Andrew over for lunch on the 29th and were really looking forward to seeing them for the first time in two years. However, the couple both got sick during the holidays, as did my cousin Connie and her kids. I've been told this flu season has been especially bad. We decided to be safe and reluctantly canceled the get-together. I did get to catch up with Andrew and Cathy over FaceTime instead — which was nice but just wasn't quite the same as meeting in person.
But the holiday season had its highlights. One of my mom's friends in New Jersey sent us some high-quality candied cashews and mixed nuts. Mom did some research and found out those weren't cheap. Our neighbor Bob also gave us a box of See's Candies. We certainly appreciate all the love.
I also reached level 120 Dungeoneering in RuneScape on the 28th. I didn't actually have that much time for RuneScape as I was busy studying for cybersecurity certificates, but the XP rewards from the Christmas event definitely helped. Only four more 120's to go!
New Year's Eve report
Like the past several years, my family didn't host or attend any New Year's Eve parties. People just don't seem interested in celebrating the New Year anymore. It also doesn't help that food is pretty expensive these days. I mean... parties just aren't that fun when there's no food to share!
However, my New Year's Eve wasn't that bad otherwise as I got to watch Shazam! Fury of the Gods with my parents. I personally liked the first movie more, but the sequel definitely had its highlights. We also have a few other movies checked out from the library — those should keep us entertained for a while. :-)
2024 in review
Some say 2024 was a tough year. For one, the economy hasn't really gotten better. Food prices are still increasing and are expected to continue to rise. It also doesn't help that there are major conflicts all over the world.
We also somehow managed to elect Donald Trump again. I tend to avoid political topics, but Trump has certainly done many questionable things during his first presidency. I'm not at all confident that things will be better this time around. It's probably going to be even worse based on what I read about Project 2025. :\
Of course, there have also been personal challenges. For me, the worst thing that happened is that I was rejected in October by a company I had greatly looked up to. I felt I aced the interview and was fairly confident I'd get the job. It's no secret that the job market is extremely competitive, but that stung for a while.
I was also looking forward to a few events that ultimately didn't pan out for one reason or another. As mentioned above, my cousin Cathy and her husband Andrew had planned to come over for lunch. But that didn't happen because they both got sick after catching the virus from my second cousin Desiree. I was also eagerly anticipating the 20-year LAHS class of 2004 reunion. However, that event never progressed beyond the planning stage. It seems people in my generation don't want to meet in person anymore.
Another unfortunate thing that happened is my MSI gaming laptop suddenly died after the PSU went bad and apparently fried the motherboard. I was not immediately able to recover my data because I didn't realize the laptop also had an SSD in addition to a hard drive. It turned out the SSD had survived the power surge. I didn't have to spend a few hundred dollars on a data recovery service, but having to re-install everything on my new laptop set me back several weeks. That was a stressful month for sure.
However, that is not to say 2024 didn't have its good moments. For me, the best part was getting to see the northern lights. It's nice to not have to travel all the way to Alaska or Iceland. I also got some very nice presents for my 39th birthday in October. That was certainly one of my best birthdays in ages!
On towards 2025
A common prediction is 2025 is going to be a bad year as well. It definitely seems like the case so far, especially given what happened this morning in New Orleans. We're also less than three weeks away from Trump's second term. But as John Connor famously said: the future has not been written. We can certainly do our best make 2025 as good of a year as possible.
I'm also going to try something a little different this year. Instead of making a New Year's resolution — which I know I'm going to fail — I've decided to share my predictions for 2025. Here's what I think will happen in the near future:
Currently watching: Shazam! Fury of the Gods
A bittersweet holiday season
So the holidays were a bit of a bummer. We had invited my cousin Cathy and her husband Andrew over for lunch on the 29th and were really looking forward to seeing them for the first time in two years. However, the couple both got sick during the holidays, as did my cousin Connie and her kids. I've been told this flu season has been especially bad. We decided to be safe and reluctantly canceled the get-together. I did get to catch up with Andrew and Cathy over FaceTime instead — which was nice but just wasn't quite the same as meeting in person.
But the holiday season had its highlights. One of my mom's friends in New Jersey sent us some high-quality candied cashews and mixed nuts. Mom did some research and found out those weren't cheap. Our neighbor Bob also gave us a box of See's Candies. We certainly appreciate all the love.
I also reached level 120 Dungeoneering in RuneScape on the 28th. I didn't actually have that much time for RuneScape as I was busy studying for cybersecurity certificates, but the XP rewards from the Christmas event definitely helped. Only four more 120's to go!
New Year's Eve report
Like the past several years, my family didn't host or attend any New Year's Eve parties. People just don't seem interested in celebrating the New Year anymore. It also doesn't help that food is pretty expensive these days. I mean... parties just aren't that fun when there's no food to share!
However, my New Year's Eve wasn't that bad otherwise as I got to watch Shazam! Fury of the Gods with my parents. I personally liked the first movie more, but the sequel definitely had its highlights. We also have a few other movies checked out from the library — those should keep us entertained for a while. :-)
2024 in review
Some say 2024 was a tough year. For one, the economy hasn't really gotten better. Food prices are still increasing and are expected to continue to rise. It also doesn't help that there are major conflicts all over the world.
We also somehow managed to elect Donald Trump again. I tend to avoid political topics, but Trump has certainly done many questionable things during his first presidency. I'm not at all confident that things will be better this time around. It's probably going to be even worse based on what I read about Project 2025. :\
Of course, there have also been personal challenges. For me, the worst thing that happened is that I was rejected in October by a company I had greatly looked up to. I felt I aced the interview and was fairly confident I'd get the job. It's no secret that the job market is extremely competitive, but that stung for a while.
I was also looking forward to a few events that ultimately didn't pan out for one reason or another. As mentioned above, my cousin Cathy and her husband Andrew had planned to come over for lunch. But that didn't happen because they both got sick after catching the virus from my second cousin Desiree. I was also eagerly anticipating the 20-year LAHS class of 2004 reunion. However, that event never progressed beyond the planning stage. It seems people in my generation don't want to meet in person anymore.
Another unfortunate thing that happened is my MSI gaming laptop suddenly died after the PSU went bad and apparently fried the motherboard. I was not immediately able to recover my data because I didn't realize the laptop also had an SSD in addition to a hard drive. It turned out the SSD had survived the power surge. I didn't have to spend a few hundred dollars on a data recovery service, but having to re-install everything on my new laptop set me back several weeks. That was a stressful month for sure.
However, that is not to say 2024 didn't have its good moments. For me, the best part was getting to see the northern lights. It's nice to not have to travel all the way to Alaska or Iceland. I also got some very nice presents for my 39th birthday in October. That was certainly one of my best birthdays in ages!
On towards 2025
A common prediction is 2025 is going to be a bad year as well. It definitely seems like the case so far, especially given what happened this morning in New Orleans. We're also less than three weeks away from Trump's second term. But as John Connor famously said: the future has not been written. We can certainly do our best make 2025 as good of a year as possible.
I'm also going to try something a little different this year. Instead of making a New Year's resolution — which I know I'm going to fail — I've decided to share my predictions for 2025. Here's what I think will happen in the near future:
- We will see an improvement in the U.S. job market
- I will get the opportunity to catch up with childhood friends
- Donald Trump will be removed from office. He has already been impeached twice, so maybe the third time's the charm
- I am not going to win a million dollars from the lottery
Currently watching: Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Sunday, December 1, 2024
a productive Thanksgiving break + two major RuneScape achievements
Just wanted I had a pretty good Thanksgiving long weekend.
For starters, my family had a nice party at our house. We invited our family friends Jeff and Sheila over as they had hosted our last get-together. Our family friend Joseph happened to be in town and wanted to visit us, so we were more than happy to have the Tsais join us. Joseph also brought his brother Jeremy over. We didn't get to see Joseph's daughter Claire as she is currently on a trip to Europe, but I'm sure there will be future opportunities to catch up.
Mom made lots of delicious food as she usually does, and Jeff and Sheila also brought some to share. We felt like Jeff and Sheila were the ones hosting the party because they brought so much stuff over. It's been a while since I ate this much at a party. I put on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny for Jeremy because he seemed a little bored. He told us he enjoyed the movie. On the whole, everyone defintely had a great time.
The three of us watched Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on Saturday. We also rewatched Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny as we were too busy chatting to pay attention to it during the party. Both were good movies, although we liked Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny a bit more.
I also reached level 120 Slayer in RuneScape last Tuesday and 3,000 skill total on Thursday. 120 Slayer didn't take that long thanks to all the efficient training methods these days, but it was still a grind for sure. I'm level 119 in three other skills and expect to reach 120 early next year. One step closer to the completionist cape. :D
This weekend wasn't all play and no work as I also completed the Google Cybersecurity Certificate on Coursera. The program consists of a series of eight courses offered by Google. It's targeted towards people with no cybersecurity experience, but I still learned a lot from the courses. As you can see, this weekend was quite productive!
I'll end this post by saying I'm very thankful that we have been able to live fairly comfortably despite the current economic situation. This is often not the case for many families. Even though the economy has been terrible for the past year or so, I am still hopeful for the future.
Currently watching: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
For starters, my family had a nice party at our house. We invited our family friends Jeff and Sheila over as they had hosted our last get-together. Our family friend Joseph happened to be in town and wanted to visit us, so we were more than happy to have the Tsais join us. Joseph also brought his brother Jeremy over. We didn't get to see Joseph's daughter Claire as she is currently on a trip to Europe, but I'm sure there will be future opportunities to catch up.
Mom made lots of delicious food as she usually does, and Jeff and Sheila also brought some to share. We felt like Jeff and Sheila were the ones hosting the party because they brought so much stuff over. It's been a while since I ate this much at a party. I put on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny for Jeremy because he seemed a little bored. He told us he enjoyed the movie. On the whole, everyone defintely had a great time.
The three of us watched Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on Saturday. We also rewatched Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny as we were too busy chatting to pay attention to it during the party. Both were good movies, although we liked Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny a bit more.
I also reached level 120 Slayer in RuneScape last Tuesday and 3,000 skill total on Thursday. 120 Slayer didn't take that long thanks to all the efficient training methods these days, but it was still a grind for sure. I'm level 119 in three other skills and expect to reach 120 early next year. One step closer to the completionist cape. :D
This weekend wasn't all play and no work as I also completed the Google Cybersecurity Certificate on Coursera. The program consists of a series of eight courses offered by Google. It's targeted towards people with no cybersecurity experience, but I still learned a lot from the courses. As you can see, this weekend was quite productive!
I'll end this post by saying I'm very thankful that we have been able to live fairly comfortably despite the current economic situation. This is often not the case for many families. Even though the economy has been terrible for the past year or so, I am still hopeful for the future.
Currently watching: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Saturday, October 12, 2024
got a new Meade 4504 telescope!
As you may be aware, I turned 39 two days ago. We just had a nice lunch with our family friends Jeff and Sheila at their house, and they gave me a brand new Meade 4504 telescope. It's certainly one of the best birthday presents I've gotten to date!
I've always been interested in astronomy since I was a kid. Of note is I used to actually have my own telescope. However, the parts had rusted or gone missing altogether. I had actually been wanting to buy a replacement for a while, but haven't really found the time to shop for a new one. It also doesn't help that most telescopes are pretty expensive these days.
Even though the Meade 4504 was manufactured over 20 years ago, this particular unit has barely been used. Sheila's late husband had bought it for her as she was also interested in space. However, she says the telescope was too complex for her, and her husband got sick and passed away before he had the chance to help her set it up. Sheila figured I might like it and decided to give it to us. I'll do my best to carry on his legacy and put the telescope to good use.
Of note is that this telescope has a lot more features than my old one. I guess I need to find some to study the manual. :D
Currently listening to: "Telescope" by Dan Eriksson
I've always been interested in astronomy since I was a kid. Of note is I used to actually have my own telescope. However, the parts had rusted or gone missing altogether. I had actually been wanting to buy a replacement for a while, but haven't really found the time to shop for a new one. It also doesn't help that most telescopes are pretty expensive these days.
Even though the Meade 4504 was manufactured over 20 years ago, this particular unit has barely been used. Sheila's late husband had bought it for her as she was also interested in space. However, she says the telescope was too complex for her, and her husband got sick and passed away before he had the chance to help her set it up. Sheila figured I might like it and decided to give it to us. I'll do my best to carry on his legacy and put the telescope to good use.
Of note is that this telescope has a lot more features than my old one. I guess I need to find some to study the manual. :D
Currently listening to: "Telescope" by Dan Eriksson
Thursday, October 10, 2024
a busy 39th birthday
So this is the final year of my thirties. It's hard to believe how fast time goes. I guess it won't be too long before I'm considered "old."
In any case, things were a little different this year. I didn't do much for my birthday as I had a job interview lasting a total of almost four hours. However, that's not a problem because we had an impromptu early birthday celebration with our family friends Jeff and Sheila in September. We had invited them over for lunch at our house, and Sheila said it felt we were celebrating someone's birthday because they had brought a nice cake from Satura Cakes. Mom replied that my birthday is in October and that we might as well celebrate. It's funny how things work out after all.
On a related note, we're having lunch again with Jeff and Sheila in two days. It's going to be at their house this time. I should mention that Jeff also makes really good food. Looks like Mom has competition. :-)
Another highlight is we got to see the northern lights again. Although the aurora wasn't as intense as last time, this was my mom's first time seeing it in person. At least we won't have to spend thousands on a trip to Alaska or Iceland.
On the whole, this was a nice birthday even though I didn't do much otherwise.
October 11 update: I just received a copy of the official RuneScape cookbook from my cousin Cathy and her husband Andrew. It's something I truly appreciate. All I need to do now is to grind level 99 Cooking in real life. Haha.
October 12 update: We had a great lunch at Jeff and Sheila's house. To my surprise, they decided to give me a brand new Meade 4504 telescope. I truly didn't expect to receive a present like this. See the next post for details!
Currently reading: RuneScape: The Official Cookbook by Jarrett Melendez and Sandra Rosner
In any case, things were a little different this year. I didn't do much for my birthday as I had a job interview lasting a total of almost four hours. However, that's not a problem because we had an impromptu early birthday celebration with our family friends Jeff and Sheila in September. We had invited them over for lunch at our house, and Sheila said it felt we were celebrating someone's birthday because they had brought a nice cake from Satura Cakes. Mom replied that my birthday is in October and that we might as well celebrate. It's funny how things work out after all.
On a related note, we're having lunch again with Jeff and Sheila in two days. It's going to be at their house this time. I should mention that Jeff also makes really good food. Looks like Mom has competition. :-)
Another highlight is we got to see the northern lights again. Although the aurora wasn't as intense as last time, this was my mom's first time seeing it in person. At least we won't have to spend thousands on a trip to Alaska or Iceland.
On the whole, this was a nice birthday even though I didn't do much otherwise.
October 11 update: I just received a copy of the official RuneScape cookbook from my cousin Cathy and her husband Andrew. It's something I truly appreciate. All I need to do now is to grind level 99 Cooking in real life. Haha.
October 12 update: We had a great lunch at Jeff and Sheila's house. To my surprise, they decided to give me a brand new Meade 4504 telescope. I truly didn't expect to receive a present like this. See the next post for details!
Currently reading: RuneScape: The Official Cookbook by Jarrett Melendez and Sandra Rosner
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