Saturday, July 29, 2017

Berkeley Kite Festival report

Today was fun as we went to the Berkeley Kite Festival and had dinner in Berkeley with several family friends. The day was kind of exhausting but also lots of fun!

Our first stop was Milpitas Square, where Jim and Yeng-Feng picked us up. Our party then headed to the Berkeley Marina for the festival. There was some traffic along the way due to an accident, but we were the first to get there. Seeing that event venue was quite a long ways from the parking lot, we decided to take the bus there. Given the small number of buses, we had to wait almost an hour for our ride. The only reason we didn't walk there is that Yeng-Fong couldn't walk very far at a time.

Dad and the Chiangs bought similar kites on Amazon after seeing they had good reviews. However, both of our kites kept flying erratically before falling to the ground like a North Korea missile. Even though our kites didn't work very well, I enjoyed going around to see what other people had.

Because it was getting really hot outside, the five of us decided to head out. The Changs got caught up in traffic and didn't arrive until just before we arrive about to leave. We stayed with them for a bit before agreeing to meet at the restaurant. It was defintiely great to see their girls and Ruth's boyfriend Steven again. We and Jim walked back to the parking lot while the others took the shuttle. It was definitely a good workout!

Our group went to a restaurant in Berkeley called Great China. There were lots of people - mainly because the restaurant is famous for its Peking duck - but we were the first in line to get in. All of the good was really good. However, it was soon time to head out as there was a long drive ahead of us. After the Chiangs dropped us off at Milpitas Square, my family made a quick stop at Ranch 99 Market for groceries before heading home.

The only downside is that we didn't stay long after dinner. I had barely talked to Connie, Ruth and Steven when my parents and the Chiangs wanted to leave. It would have been selfish to keep them waiting just so I could stay for a few more finutes. On the other hand, the event was so fun that some of us are hoping to fly kites together again later this summer. I definitely hope we can work something out!

Currently listening to: "Holo" by Ampyx

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

an eventful 4th of July

I had a pretty good 4th of July weekend, considering that we went to Pescadero and watched several movies!

Saturday

So my father took us to Pescadero on Saturday. Though we went there around 16 years ago, we didn't really explore the town. Because it was noon when we arrived, the three of us had lunch at a local tavern. The food was expensive but really good.

We then browsed the local stores before heading to Arcangeli Grocery Co. to buy some of their famous garlic artichoke bread. All of us were pretty full at the time, but the bread was too good to resist. This wasn't a bad choice because we saw many other people buy the bread as well.

This was followed by a short stop at Pigeon Point Lighthouse. We also walked around the trail but didn't stay long as it was a little cold outside. On the whole, the day trip was the best part of the long weekend.

Sunday

Having done so much the day before, my family didn't do much else except go on a hike in Los Altos Hills. However, I did watch Abraham Vampire: Vampire Hunter on DVD and two episodes of Jackie Chan Adventures online. Abraham Vampire: Vampire Hunter was a weird movie but otherwise entertaining. Jackie Chan Adventures was one of the shows I really like when I was in high school, but I only saw the first season before we lost cable access. I'm so glad it's so easy to find TV shows online these days!

Monday

Seeing the weather was nice, we went hiking in Los Altos Hills again. We then watched Manchester by the Sea for Henry's film club and Doctor Strange for fun. The special effects in Doctor Strange were really awesome. I've never seen a movie so visually impressive.

Tuesday

One thing I wanted to do was to check out the 4th of July event in Shoup Park in Los Altos, but we changed our minds as the weather was kind of warm. Dad wanted to go a German restaurant for lunch, but we stayed home after it turned out the place was closed on the 4th.

We then watched Inferno in the afternoon. Despite the critical reviews, I really enjoyed the movie. On the whole, my long weekend was pretty awesome.

Currently listening to: "Reflections" by Kasger