Thursday, October 15, 2009

new MacBook Pro

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was getting a MacBook Pro. Seeing that Macs have become popular in recent years, Dad figured a MacBook Pro would be a nice addition. He also felt it would be useful if I ever needed to work across platforms.

At any rate, my new computer just arrived. The laptop has a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB of RAM and 500 GB of disk space. It makes my IBM ThinkPad T42 seem slow in comparison. The 13" screen is nice too. Thanks, Dad!

I haven't used an Apple product in ages and don't know much about the latest Macs. Looks like I'll have to start reading Mac OS X for Dummies soon. :P

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Lobster Feed report

The Lobster Feed absolutely rocked. It was an epic birthday celebration!

I was in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park with my parents last weekend when a banner at the entrance caught our eye. Given that the park is one of our favorite destinations, my father immediately bought tickets. The fact that the event was on my 24th birthday was a deciding factor. :-)

Dad invited his cousin Susan and her husband Tony to join us after finding out they were visiting from China. Mom prepared some tea before we left our house. We also took the couple to Santana Row in San Jose so they could see what it's like, although there wasn't anything they needed.

The five of us then headed to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and made our way to the event venue. There was a problem: Dad didn't know about Tony and Susan's visit and had only bought three tickets. It looked like two of us would have to miss out. However, luck was on our side: my parents were about to give up their spots when a volunteer found two more tickets at the last minute - and only because two people didn't show up. That was a close call.

Due to our early arrival, there was plenty of time for a hike. The timing couldn't have been better: all of us got back to the picnic area just as the feast started. Had we returned a few minutes later, the lines would have been much longer.

At any rate, the lobsters were delicious. I was surprised at how fresh they tasted, considering that they were shipped from Maine. Though we enjoyed the meal, the food selection was limited. Aside from the corn, garlic bread and salad, there wasn't much else except ice cream and cookies for dessert.

A local band called Highway One played bluegrass after dinner. Some people got up to dance; there was an Irish couple who knew how to bust a move. Dad also asked the band to give me a birthday shout-out, to which they obliged. That was awesome and awkward at the same time. ^_^

I also couldn't resist the opportunity to show off my new 200 mW green laser. The steam from the pots made the beam highly visible. People definitely thought it was cool.

On the whole, the Lobster Feed was awesome. Besides the small selection of food, the only downside is that the music was limited to bluegrass. Don't get me wrong - bluegrass is one of our favorite genres - but too much of the same stuff makes it repetitive. Other than that, I don't have any complaints.

While the tickets were $50 each, the proceeds go towards the park through the Mountain Parks Foundation. It's certainly nice to eat good food for a good cause. All of us were more than happy to give back to the place we love so much. I've posted some pictures from the event. Please excuse the quality as I forgot to turn on flash.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

officially 24 today

I'm now officially 24 years old. Gosh, that makes me feel like an old man. ^_^

You may recall that we had an early birthday celebration to accommodate the delivery of a new refrigerator. The good news is that it came in the morning and was installed by noon, leaving the rest of the day free. As you could probably tell, the new fridge was more of a coincidence than a present. :P

Just because we already had a party doesn't mean the fun is over. Dad's cousin Susan and her husband Tony are visiting from China and coming over in the afternoon, and the plan is to take them to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park for the Lobster Feed. This is something I'm greatly looking forward to. I'll post a report of the event after getting home.

The presents are nice too: the store where we purchased the Lobster Feed tickets gave us two natural history books as part of a promotion. Dad has also ordered a MacBook Pro that is due to arrive soon. This is going to be an awesome birthday for sure.

One thing I like to do on my birthday is to share three random facts about my childhood. So here they are:

  1. I sometimes pretended to be a guy named Winston when I was little.
  2. Shortly after I started middle school, Mom wanted me to attend the first LAYC dance so I could see what it was like. However, she didn't have school dances back in her day and assumed they were all formal. I ended up being the only one in a tuxedo. Awkward!
  3. I used to think hugs always went with kisses. There was this one time when one of my elementary school teachers gave me a hug while I was waiting for my mother. I'll leave the rest to your imagination. *blush*

Friday, October 9, 2009

birthday bash!

I'm turning 24 tomorrow. However, our new refrigerator is arriving the same day and will likely take a while to set up. Therefore, my family decided to do an early celebration!

Although I generally don't have birthday parties anymore, Mom invited the Chus and the Liangs over for lunch. The reason is that Wen-Ko and I share a birthday on the 10th as do Carol and Dad on the 16th. So we're really celebrating four birthdays at once!

Wen-Ko brought a delicious green tea cake from Sogo Bakery for the occasion. Here is a picture for those interested. She is definitely one of our more generous friends. But considering that it's her birthday too, I couldn't help but feel guilty about her buying the cake. Haha.

The gathering was overall quite enjoyable. The only downside is that there were no other young people. Emily had to work while Stacey was at school. Of course, that's not a problem because I'm sure our families will get together again. :-)

Currently listening to: "Vad Heter Du?" by Caramell