Saturday, July 12, 2008

follow-up on Anne's wedding + pictures!

So my mother was in Taiwan for Anne's wedding and to see other relatives. Dad took me to SFO to pick her up after she came back last night. It was great to have her home again, especially considering that she hardly ever goes out of town alone!

The downer is that Dad and I were unable to be there in person. Because it's customary to send a gift when invited to a wedding, my mother gave Lawrence and Anne a red envelope containing $1,000 in our name. Of note is that I was the only one who wrote them a card. As you could imagine, the couple was pleasantly surprised.

Mom was also kind enough to take pictures for me. She didn't want to bring her camera at first but later changed her mind, for which I'm truly grateful. Though many pictures didn't come out too well, there were a few that were good enough to share. Head on over to my Flickr account to see them.

The other thing is that Mom bought me lots of Taiwanese snacks. She also brought back a large box of cookies that was given out to the guests. They're actually quite delicious. Thanks, Mom!

In other news...

A plumber fixed the leak under the sink this morning. So hopefully no more messes on the kitchen floor. *crosses fingers*

Currently playing: The Second Reality Project Reloaded

Sunday, July 6, 2008

4th of July weekend report + Anne's wedding

Mom is currently in Taiwan for my cousin Anne's nuptials and to see my grandfather and uncle. Despite her absence, the 4th of July long weekend wasn't too bad.

Independence day weekend

The good news is that I got to set off fireworks twice - on the 4th and again tonight for Anne's wedding. Dad took me to Newark as TNT Fireworks has locations there. This was a pleasant surprise, although we only bought small items because fireworks aren't cheap in California.

The two of us also went hiking in Stevens Creek County Park yesterday afternoon. Our neighbor Gen's home alarm started going haywire just as we were leaving. The alarm was loud and driving us nuts. To our relief, my father managed to fix it after a few minutes. I'm glad nobody made a noise complaint or anything.

I was helping Dad unclog the kitchen sink earlier today when it started leaking. Upon further inspection, he determined the welds had cracked. Cleaning up the mess wasn't exactly fun.

Other than that, I was busy studying for a Physics 7C midterm that was scheduled for the 10th. However, Prof. Huang later informed us the midterm was postponed. I guess he wanted us to enjoy the long weekend. :-)

Anne gets hitched!

As mentioned earlier, my cousin Anne got married last night. For those wondering, the lucky young man is Lawrence. I'd like to congratulate the couple and wish them all the best for the future.

The downer is that I couldn't attend the wedding because of Physics 7C. Taking even just a few days off would have been risky given the pace of the class. Overseas flights are also ridiculously expensive at the moment. I couldn't justify the costs, especially for a short trip.

I'm super happy for Anne but also a little sad that I couldn't congratulate her in person. That said, I was definitely there in spirit. Just because I had to miss the wedding doesn't mean I can't celebrate - which I did with fireworks. :-)

Perhaps the most important thing is that the wedding was a huge success. From what Mom tells me, there were close to 380 people in attendance. Last but not least, Anne says she'll send us pictures from the reception. I'll post them as soon as they arrive. Watch this space!

Currently listening to: "Turn Me On" by Kevin Lyttle

Thursday, July 3, 2008

an awesome summer dance

There was a Summer Love Prom at Unit 2 last night. While the dances at Berkeley tend to be lame, this one was quite fun. You can read my review of it here. I e-mailed a copy of the review to one of the organizers, to which he informed me that similar events are being planned. Sweet!

Of course, I just had to show off my 35+ mW laser at the dance. The cool thing is that there was another guy who had a green laser. Though mine was more powerful, meeting a fellow laser enthusiast is always exciting. :-)

Currently watching: Alexander