Sunday, April 10, 2011

my first corporate party!

Last night was The Armada Group's staff appreciation party at The Tech Museum in San Jose. This was my first time attending an office party as an employee. It was so much fun!

The museum had changed a lot since my last visit 12 years ago. Though we only had the second floor, that was more than enough space for everyone. The exhibits were fascinating and brought back memories of going to the Exploratorium as a kid.

I got to meet the other contractors and the team at Armada. It was great to see the Jaus again as Kitty had recently left Cisco. However, the best part was connecting with other young people. Among them were three interns and two of their girlfriends - all UC Santa Cruz students. I was only at UCSC for a quarter, but we still found common ground.

Of course, no party is complete without lots of delicious food. There was also a DJ and a dance floor, although everyone seemed more interested in socializing rather than busting a move. On the whole, the event was quite enjoyable. I definitely can't wait for the family picnic in October. In the meantime, feel free to check out my pictures from the party on Flickr.

Currently listening to: "Red Red Wine" by UB40

Thursday, April 7, 2011

RuneScape account hacked again :-(

I had trouble logging into RuneScape today and went to reset my password. It turned out my main account somehow got hacked. The person must have guessed the answers to my security questions because a virus scan came up negative.

The good news is that the bank PIN did its job. This was a close call because the PIN was just seven hours from being deleted. On the downside, the hacker wiped my friends list as well. It'll be a pain in the ass to re-add everyone. >:(

I searched some RuneScape hacking forums but didn't find any mention of my name. Back when I got hacked eight years ago, being the 36th person to get 99 Cooking made me somewhat famous. Though 99's are very common these days, I'm also one of the first 2,000 players to sign up as well as a former player moderator. From what I've heard, these accounts are often targeted.

Of note is that my AIM account was also recently hacked, although I have no idea if that was related. At any rate, I should probably be more careful.

In other news...

1. There is an upcoming five-day furlough at Cisco, but my supervisor said it doesn't apply to me because I'm on the core team. So that means no spring break for me. On the other hand, being exempt from a furlough is usually a good sign. :-)

2. I recently mentioned that we were removing our swimming pool. The demolition has been completed and took about a month. You can see a few pictures on Flickr. I'll have to admit that I'm a little sad as the pool was a part of my childhood. Oh well, that's life.

Currently playing: RuneScape

Sunday, April 3, 2011

back from Yosemite

I just got back from Yosemite National Park with my parents. Dad realized we hadn't been there in over five years and decided to take us there over the weekend. It was a refreshing trip!

Day 1

The traffic was light and allowed us to arrive earlier than expected. Our only stop along the way was Merced Fruit Barn. The place had a homely feel, especially the café. I wouldn't mind having lunch here in the future.

Dad had originally booked the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls. The lodge is located inside the park and supposed to be quite beautiful. But because it was closed for repairs, management gave us a room at the Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp instead. This was actually a better deal because the latter was more expensive. I'm not complaining about the free breakfast either. :-)

Though it was raining when we arrived in Fish Camp, the weather cleared up shortly afterwards. The timing couldn't have been better. From our experience, the alpine air is always fresh after a shower. This made for a great hike.

The afternoon ended with a visit to Yosemite Village, one of my favorite stops. Seeing that it would take an hour to get back to the lodge, my parents bought dinner at the Yosemite Village store. The chicken drumstick was slightly overcooked, but the carnitas was delicious.

Day 2

The breakfast at Tenaya was wholesome. We decided to explore the park some more as the weather was even better. Hiking on the Yosemite Falls Trail was the best part of the trip. Of course, all good things must end: my parents didn't want to stay too late because tomorrow is Monday and they didn't want me to go to work tired. The drive home was mostly uneventful, although we had dinner at Applebee's in Tracy before heading to the nearby WinCo Foods for groceries.

On the whole, this was an awesome trip. Feel free to check out the pictures on Flickr.

Currently listening to: "Oh My Darling, Clementine"