Monday, January 3, 2011

a short but exciting Christmas break

I'm now back in the office as the holidays are over. One thing about having a regular job is that vacation days are scarce. That said, the break was nice.

For starters, the Shiehs invited us over for lunch on Christmas. Aunt Cynthia and my cousin Connie both made lots of delicious food. Everyone had such a good time that we stayed for dinner. You can go here for the pictures.

This was followed by a day trip to Monterey on the 27th. I enjoyed checking out the restaurants on Fisherman's Wharf and trying the clam chowder samples. The food on display looked appetizing - the only reason we didn't eat here is that we had leftovers at home. Monterey is definitely a place I'd like to revisit in the future. I've posted pictures from the day trip on Flickr.

Continuing on, Dad took us to Tahoe three days later. The trip was short but really fun. After getting home, the three of us went to Cynthia's house again to celebrate New Year's Eve with the Shiehs. So yeah, the break was awesome.

Currently listening to: "Auld Lang Syne"

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy 2011, y'all

It feels like 2010 has just started. Can you believe 2011 is already here?

I'll start by saying that we didn't have anyone over for New Year's Eve as neither of the families we invited could come. On the other hand, my family had dinner with the Shiehs at my aunt Cynthia's house. I definitely can't complain!

Connie had recently left for San Diego, but Cathy was home. It was nice to watch the Times Square ball drop with my cousin after dinner. Cathy's friend Christina later came over and seemed like a cool person. Though I wanted to stay and get to know her better, Dad was tired and wished to go home. I felt it would be selfish to keep my parents waiting just to talk to a girl. Oh well, there are probably other chances to get acquainted.

Considering that our own New Year's Eve party was canceled, I'm thankful that we got to spend time with the Shiehs.

2010 in review

Last year was pretty tough. The worst part was when my father lost his job. It didn't help that our car was burglarized six days later. Another unpleasant memory was when an "FBI agent" accused me of aiming my laser at aircraft during the Moonlight Train Dinner Party at Roaring Camp. Though we figured he was an impostor, our evening was ruined. I had looked forward to the event for years and was pretty pissed off. Dad had paid $135 for the tickets and understandably wasn't too happy either.

On a more positive note, the best part of 2010 was finishing graduate school. It took a huge financial burden off our shoulders, not to mention we had an awesome party on the last day of class. Thanksgiving break was also lots of fun. The dinner with the Panns and the day trip to Willits were both enjoyable.

All that having been said, it's best not to dwell on the past. Speaking of which, my New Year's resolutions for 2011 are to make more "offline" friends, improve my job performance and be nicer to my parents. Haha.

Currently playing: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons