two holiday gatherings!

Today was pretty exciting as we invited my cousin Cathy and her husband Andrew over for lunch. I had hoped to have them over for Thanksgiving as they were also in the Bay Area at the time, but we already had something else lined up. At any rate, this mini family reunion was something we had all looked forward to.

Mom made lots of great food as she always does. At first we were worried that Andrew wouldn't like the food due to cultural differences, but that turned out not to be the case. Our original plan was to play Spikeball afterwards as it was really fun when we did it at Cathy's wedding this summer. However, that wasn't an option because it was raining outside. On the other hand, the three of us had a great time playing the card game Sushi Go! instead. I had never played it before, but it was quite easy to learn.

Of note is that the couple gave us a gift basket from Harry & David. This was quite nice, especially considering that we don't often get gift baskets. On the whole, this get-together was quite enjoyable. I definitely can't wait to see them again when they visit the Bay Area next summer.

The fun didn't end here as we also had our family friend Lily over for dinner. She wanted someone to cook for her as her husband was out on business, and we were more than happy to oblige. Although we probably won't be celebrating New Year's Eve as my father has had back pain for a while, I certainly can't complain about two holiday gatherings!

another great book club party

Today was my book club's annual holiday party and book exchange. It's hard to believe I've been with them for over two years. Time certainly flies.

The event took place at Dane's house again as Elizabeth was in Hawaii. Because it was a potluck dinner, everyone brought something to share. I really liked the quiches and meatballs. There was no shortage of snacks and candies.

It was then time for the white elephant book exchange. Although things weren't as heated this time, the party still had a lively atmosphere. I gave away Good People by Marcus Sakey and received Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. I've always liked her books and look forward to reading it soon.

Like last year, all of us then played Left Center Right afterwards. I had the most cash at first but soon lost it all after a few rounds. Although I later ended up being one of the last remaining players, the pot eventually went to someone else. Which is a shame because I was so close being $60 richer.

The party ended earlier than expected as most people decided to leave after the game was over. I took the time to chat with Dane and Che's friends while waiting for my parents to pick me up. On the whole, everyone definitely had a great time. A huge thank-you to Dane and Che for making this event possible.

In other news...

I got level 99 Herblore in RuneScape on Tuesday and 99 Dungeoneering two days later. Hopefully it won't be long until I get my max cape. :-)

Currently watching: American Sniper

Thanksgiving weekend report

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break because I certainly did!

So we invited the Hsueh family over to our house for dinner. Mom baked a turkey as well as many other tasty dishes. The nice thing is that Aaron and Lily's sons Albert and Alan also came. Although it seems most young people don't want anything to do with their parents these days, Alan loves glutinous rice and had heard that Mom had made some.

Of note is that Albert is a criminal defense attorney working as a public defender. It was quite interesting to hear his stories. Albert and Alan left early because they had other plans, but we definitely enjoyed having them over.

The rest of the break was less eventful, although I did watch a few movies with my parents. There is also an event in RuneScape where you can get up to double XP until the end of the week - for up to a total of 36 hours. So yeah, the break was pretty nice.

Currently watching: The Kid (2019)

first time volunteering in 16 years!

One great thing about Intel is that the company encourages people to do community service. Although this is something I've wanted to do for a while, there was never much of an opportunity due to time constraints. It's great to know that Intel not only allows, but actually encourages people to take time out to volunteer.

So my boss organized a volunteer event at a local church. I was pretty busy due to a work deadline but figured it wouldn't hurt to give up a few hours. Good thing I did because everyone else in my team showed up. Even my second-level manager joined us!

We arrived at the Cathedral of Faith in San José around 9 a.m. The pastor gave a brief speech before we went to our assigned areas. Our team performed two main tasks: filling the carts with food and loading them onto vehicles that will deliver them to families in need. It was physically exerting but certainly beats sitting in the office. :-)

Our plan was to have coffee at the church's café afterwards, but we decided to head back to the office after finding out the café was closed. On the whole, this was a wholesome experience. I think we definitely need to do this again in the future!

Currently listening to: "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel

a very happy 34th birthday

I just turned 34 years old. It was certainly one of my best birthdays ever!

One great thing is that our team at Intel regularly celebrates birthdays. They got me a pineapple cream cake and asked me to share my best birthday memory — which was my 20th for those curious. It's been a long time since I've celebrated a birthday with so many people. I definitely have the best co-workers. :-)

Although we didn't go to any restaurants this year, my mother made us a nice meal after I got home. Because we weren't sure whether the PG&E outages would affect us, she also made a delicious dinner for me yesterday as an early celebration. I'm blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.

Currently listening to: "Together Forever" by Rick Astley

Intel Sports family picnic

I just got back from the Intel Sports family picnic. Considering that we didn't have one at my last job, this was my first time attending such an event in over two years. All of us definitely had a great time!

The event took place at Saratoga Springs. It's apparently a popular venue because Amazon Lab126 had events here too. Even my college friends Danny and Caitlin got married at Saratoga Springs last year.

Although we're a fairly small group, many people from my team showed up. I was afraid my parents would feel awkward as the event was geared towards families with kids, but they enjoyed meeting my boss and co-workers. It definitely helps that Dad's first job was at Intel. Of note is that a few other people were also ex-Intel employees. Dad says it felt like a company reunion.

Like at similar events, there were games for both kids and adults. It was fun to watch the water balloon toss and the water relay race. Afterwards, there was a big water fight with squirt guns and more water balloons. I think I was wise to stay out of the crossfire!

On the whole, the picnic was quite enjoyable. It's certainly one of the best company picnics to date. I'm looking forward to next year's event for sure.


Currently reading: The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley

level 99 Hunter in RuneScape

I got level 99 Hunter in RuneScape today after putting it off for a while. Here is the obligatory picture. Now that I've maxed 14 skills, I have less than half to go before getting my max cape. :-)

Of note is that I just had the completed the "Imping Around" achievement just moments ago. It's actually the XP lamp from Daffyd that made me level up. I'm really glad I didn't have to spend hours hunting for crystal implings. I love how things work out perfectly!

Currently listening to: "Poison" by Groove Coverage

finally got my own car

I recently bought a 2013 BMW 328i sedan. It's a used car, but the price was really good for its mileage. No doubt this is a major milestone in my life.

We actually first went to a used car dealer in Hayward last Friday Dad saw an ad for another car with an attractive price. Let me tell you that used car salesmen really are as bad as people say they are. The folks at the dealership were cordial at first but were very reluctant to let us take it to an inspector that we had known for years. They actually started insulting my father when he became suspicious. He wisely decided that we didn't want to do business with those jerks.

Dad later found a guy on Craiglist selling a much newer car for a similarly low price. I had my reservations about using Craigslist after hearing so many horror stories, but the fact that the seller suggested meeting at a police station suggested he wasn't a scammer. He turned out to be a really nice guy when we met in person. Although we didn't do a test drive, the car looked and felt really nice. It wasn't long before we decided to make the purchase.

I still have to complete some paperwork and get a smog check done, but I'm definitely looking forward to taking it out for a drive.

Currently listening to: "Gas Gas Gas" by Manuel

a very productive RuneScape double XP weekend

The recent RuneScape double XP weekend was pretty productive as I got the following achievements:

• 2,600 skill total
• level 99 Smithing
• level 99 Farming
• unlocked Invention on my alternate account Traductus

You can click to links for screenshots. I'm pretty busy in real life and don't have much time for video games these days, so this was quite nice for a change!

Currently listening to: "Starchild" by Wintersun

another great summer road trip

This past weekend was also nice as we took my aunts and uncle on another road trip, this time to Reno and Yosemite!

Day 1: racing to Reno

We left around 8:30 a.m. so there would be plenty of time when we arrived in Reno. It was very hot when we arrived due to a heat wave, so the afternoon was eventful aside for a stop at Costco for dinner. The best thing about Costco's food court is that everything is cheap. I also got some ice cream bites at our hotel. It was a little expensive but quite refreshing in the hot weather.

Dad later took us to Atlantis Casino Resort Spa to play the slots. One thing I noticed is that the slots at Atlantis seem to be "looser" - that is, they have a higher payout percentage and allow you to play longer. I think we spent around three hours at the casino. This was the best part of the trip even though we didn't hit any jackpots. As the saying goes: the house always wins.

Day 2: cars and more casinos

Having had so much fun at Atlantis the day before, Jill and Yu-Hua wanted to check out more local casinos. Therefore, Dad took us to Harrah's Reno after checking out of the hotel. The slots here were "tighter" than those at Atlantis, but we still had a good time.

We also made a stop at Carson City to let my aunts see the Nevada State Capitol. It turned out the building is closed on weekends, but that wasn't a problem as we still got some pictures. We also went to check out the Carson City Downtown Revival Car Show in the downtown. Some of the classic cars were really cool.

It was then time to head to our hotel in Bridgeport. Because it wasn't a very long drive, Dad made another stop at a small casino in Gardnerville. We decided to stay here for a while as it was quite hot outside. Although we didn't win anything here either, this was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

Our hotel in Bridgeport was a nice lodge in the mountains. Though it didn't have the same amenities of our suite in Reno, the lodge was located right next to East Walker River and had great views. The plan was to visit Mono Lake after checking in, but we decided to save that for the next day as we were all a little tired.

Day 3: a hectic drive home

The day began with a stop at the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area Visitor Center. But because the car rental agency had a policy that returning the car after 10 p.m. would incur an extra day's charge, the plan was to get home before 9 p.m. Therefore, the six of us decided to skip Mono Lake and take pictures from a distance before heading directly to Yosemite.

Of note is that Yosemite National Park was very crowded this year. Because my aunt Yu-Hua and uncle Yeh-Wei had not been here before, Dad made sure to stop at the essential stops, such as Glacier Point and Bridalveil Fall. I had hoped to visit Soda Springs and Yosemite Village, but we decided to skip them due to time constraints. This was a bit disappointing that as I was really looking forward to seeing Soda Springs.

The trip home was uneventful besides a stop at Costco for gas and food. Dad then went to the airport to return the rental car. I helped with the unpacking before accompanying Mom to the airport to pick him up.

Conclusions

Vacations are always fun, but traveling with relatives makes them even better. Although my favorite part of the trip was playing the slots at Reno, I really enjoyed revisiting Yosemite as well. It's one of those places that never gets old. The only downside is that we we didn't get to go to all the places we wanted to see, particularly Soda Springs. As much as I want to go back to Yosemite, two trips there in such a short time is probably a bit excessive. :-)

Feel free check out the pictures from our trip.

Currently listening to: "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" by Lou Christie

Los Angeles trip report + congratulations to Andrew and Catherine!

"I'm not responsible if someone gets hurt." ⁠— me, after my cousins dragged me onto the dance floor

I had an awesome weekend as we went to Los Angeles for my cousin Cathy's wedding with my aunt Jill. Considering that we don't often get to see the Shiehs anymore, the family reunion was something I had been looking forward to for a long time. This was no doubt one of our best trips ever.

Day 1: a long-awaited family reunion

Dad wanted to start out early as the venue is over 360 miles from our house. Because there weren't many attractions along the route, our only stop along the way was Lost Hills for gas. The plan was to find a restaurant afterwards, but we decided to have a simple lunch in the car as there would so much food at the reception.

Due to the relatively light traffic ⁠— and our decision to not go to a restaurant ⁠— we arrived at our hotel much earlier than expected. Dad and I went to the front desk and were told that we could only check in after 3 p.m. However, management made an exception for us after hearing we had been on the road since 7 a.m. I truly appreciate their accommodation.

We had some rest before going to the nearby Longo Seafood Restaurant for the celebration. This was our first time seeing the Shiehs again since Connie's wedding five years ago. The reception began with a cocktail hour with appetizers and drinks. It was great to meet Cathy's husband Andrew and Connie's kids Dean and Desiree. I also got to meet Andrew's relatives and many of the couple's friends. The Frangos were especially friendly to us.

The MC invited the couple to perform their first dance before Andrew's and Cathy's relatives gave their toasts. They must have choreographed their dance because it was quite impressive. This was followed by a 10-course family-style dinner. Everything was absolutely delicious. The couple decided not to have a wedding cake, but that didn't make a difference because everyone was already full. There were actually enough leftovers to last us a few days!

The MC later asked everyone to gather together for a group picture before turning up the music and inviting people to dance. There were also games at each table, but people were more interested in dancing and socializing and barely touched the games. Connie and Cathy later insisted that I join them on the dance floor. Although I was very reluctant at first because I can't dance to save my life ⁠— especially when my RuneScape character is a better dancer than me ⁠— I eventually had to acquiesce. There was no way I was going to say no to my cousins. This turned out to be really fun and was the best part of our trip.

The only downside is that the dance ended early. Because many people have started leaving and the only ones on the dance floor were strangers, the couple decided to call it a day and suggested that we leave. This is unfortunate because there aren't many opportunities to dance outside of clubs, but the last thing we wanted was to make things difficult for the newlyweds.

Days 2 and 3: a sentimental farewell

All of us had trouble sleeping and ended up getting up around 6 a.m. There was more than enough time to get rest in our room. The breakfast at the hotel sucked as there were only pastries, but that wasn't an issue as we had leftovers from the night before.

We later headed to Griffith Park for the farewell picnic. I was pretty full from the leftovers and only had a single tamale and some drinks. However, there was more than enough time to chat with Andrew's and Cathy's friends. Even my parents had a great time talking to the Frangos. I also played Spikeball with the other young people. That was pretty fun.

As much as I wanted to spend more time with my cousins, all good things must come to an end. I'm not going to lie ⁠— three hours just weren't enough. Saying goodbye to the Shiehs and Frangos was the saddest part of the trip, especially knowing that it might be a long time before we see them again. I definitely hope they can visit the Bay Area in the not-too-distant future.

There was one place I wanted to visit before heading home: the nearby Griffith Observatory. Only Mom and I went in as Dad wasn't able to find a parking spot and Jill want to rest in the car. Therefore, I didn't want to stay too long and mainly focused on taking pictures. Of note is that the observatory is extremely popular during the summer. Getting from place to place was difficult due to the huge crowds. Where's Thanos when you need him? :-)

It was then time to head home after a busy trip. Because we left the observatory earlier than planned, Dad decided to use the extra time to take us to Costco after stopping for gas. I was getting a little hungry because I didn't eat much at the picnic, so we had some samples before continuing up north. The bad news is that there was much more traffic than we expected. The fact that there were no less than six accidents on I-5 didn't help the issue. On the bright side, we saw a colorful sunset on the way home. That was quite nice.

Mom and I went to In-N-Out Burger to get food after we stopped in Kettleman City for gas. The crazy thing is that both In-N-Out Burger and the nearby McDonald's were so crowded that people were sitting on the floor. This was like a scene straight out of a disaster movie. The good news is that there was little traffic for the last 100 miles, but it was still past midnight when we finally got home.

Conclusions

One thing that's hard to deny is that weddings are really fun. In addition to celebrating the love between two people, there's always great food and opportunities to socialize. Seeing my best friend get married was a most surreal experience. I'm so glad I got to celebrate Cathy's big day with her. On behalf of all of us, I'd like to congratulate the two and wish them all the best as they begin their life together.

Of note is that traveling to SoCal can be a pain in the ass. It would have been more relaxing to spend an extra day in Los Angeles, but we decided against it for several reasons. For one, Mom was concerned about the high crime rate and didn't want to stay longer than we needed to. She also needed to water our plants as our sprinkler system has been broken for a while. Perhaps the most important reason is that my current project's beta release is today and I wanted to be available in case any issues came up.

The not-so-fun part is that I have a bad case of the holiday blues. One thing for sure is that I'm already missing my cousins and our new friends. On the bright side, Dad is planning to take us on another road trip this coming weekend. So at least there's something else to look forward to. :-)

In the meantime, feel free to check out the pictures from the wedding and the rest of the trip.

July 11 update: the pictures are up.

Currently listening to: "Down" by Jay Sean

an eventful Memorial Day long weekend

I had a pretty good long weekend even though we didn't really go anywhere.

For starters, my boss told me I could go home early on Friday. Even though I was busy with a project and still had some work left to do, working from home is always relaxing.

Saturday

One nice thing that happened is that I got a new MacBook Pro to replace my old one. It's definitely much faster and lighter than my old laptop. But because the newer Macs don't have standard USB ports, we went to Fry's Electronics on Saturday to get a USB-C hub. This was followed by a stop at Home Depot for garden supplies. The nice thing is that they were giving away free hot dogs. Score!

I later watched the animated film The Red Turtle with my parents. The story didn't make much sense to us, we really liked the animation style. It was overall a good movie.

Sunday

Mom wanted to go to Costco for groceries after breakfast. I was a little busy and decided to stay home, but my parents still saved some samples for me. The three of us later watched The Old Man & the Gun together. It was hilarious even though it's supposed to be based on a true story. The movie somehow reminded me of Woody Allen's Take the Money and Run, which we wanted for Henry's film club a few years ago.

The other highlight is that I got level 99 Mining in RuneScape in the evening. Even though the game is much easier than it used to be, getting a level 99 skill is always exciting.

Monday

Today was less eventful as we already did a lot in the last two days. Although my parents decided to watch a few more movies, romantic dramas aren't really my cup of tea. Therefore, I spent most of the day finishing A Ladder to the Sky for my book club. All things considered, the Memorial Day long weekend was really nice.

Currently listening to: "Oh Happy Day" by Edwin Hawkins

level 99 Mining in RuneScape

The long weekend has been great as I just got level 99 Mining in RuneScape. Here is the obligatory screenshot. Mining has historically been one of the slower skills, but the daily challenges and the Mining and Smithing rework has definitely made it easier. On the subject of which, I'm hoping to get 99 Smithing next. :-)

Currently reading: A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne

a new MacBook Pro to replace my old one

I mentioned in my previous post that I was having problems with my old MacBook Pro. Dad took it to the Apple Store the other day and was told it had a bad logic board. This confirms my fears that it was a hardware issue. The other problem is that Apple doesn't support products older than seven years unless they have spare parts. After finding out a repair would cost several hundred dollars, my parents convinced me it would be better in the long run to get a new computer.

At any rate, my new MacBook is so much faster than my old one. The 8 GB of memory and 256 GB solid-state drive are pretty nice too. It also weighs just a little over three pounds, considerably lighter than my old laptop. I should mention that I use the same model at my job. This means I can quickly get up to speed with iOS app development without having to bring home my other work laptop all the time. :-)

The downside is that I'll have to install my programs all over again. On the bright side, recovering the data from my old MacBook Pro shouldn't take too long as the hard drive still works.

Currently watching: The Red Turtle

Mother's Day weekend report

I had a great Mother's Day weekend as we had lunch in Half Moon Bay before going hiking in Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. This was refreshing as we hadn't done something like this in quite a while!

Dad figured most restaurants would be crowded on Mother's Day and suggested an early celebration. Therefore, my family went to Half Moon Bay on Saturday instead. I treated my parents to lunch at a seafood restaurant in Half Moon Bay called Ketch Joanne Restaurant & Harbor Bar. The food was pretty good and inexpensive compared to similar restaurants. But because everything was high in calories — especially the Louis dressing — we went for a walk around the harbor after lunch.

This was followed by a stop at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. A family friend had told us about this place some time ago. We were there last month but decided to go there again as the views were quite nice. I'm glad we did because there happened to be an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the reserve. All of us got some food even though we were pretty full. It was definitely a pleasant surprise.

Sunday was mostly uneventful as I was busy trying to repair my old MacBook Pro. The computer would frequently freeze before restarting on its own. The lack of any error messages makes it almost impossible to debug the issue. I first noticed the problem about three years ago, but now it's happening so frequently that the computer is barely usable. Looks like I'm going to have to take it to the Apple Store. Gotta love technology sometimes.

Currently listening to: Pachelbel's Canon by Johann Pachelbel

the closest thing to spring break

Like most people with a job, I don't get a spring break anymore. However, there were so many great things going on lately that the last few weeks felt like spring break to me. It also helps that our team at Intel managed to release our latest app on time. That means we won't have to work late hours for a while. :-)

So there was an event at the San Jose Museum of Art on the 21st called Exotopia where people can explore exoplanets via a virtual reality installation. Because I've always been interested in astronomy - and my current job involves testing VR apps - this seemed like the perfect event for me. I also got to meet the Exotopia project's creator — Scott Kildall — which was a cool experience. Also worth mentioning is that my friend Claire works at the museum. It was definitely great to see her again after five and a half years.

You may recall that our family friend Eileen passed away about a year and a half ago. Because she was a highly respected community member, some people decided to dedicate a bench to her. Therefore, my family headed to Berkeley on the 24th to attend the ceremony before enjoying a potluck lunch. There was some free time, during which we went on a walk with some family friends. This was no doubt a wonderful experience.

Last week was great too, starting with a company happy hour on the 27th. Our team went to The Halford for drinks and appetizers. Everything was delicious, especially the deviled eggs and fish and chips.

We also went to a local restaurant called Pedro's on the 29th to celebrate the app launch. Although my parents say we've been there before, I honestly can't remember. In any case, the food there was delicious. I definitely need to go back there with my parents!

This week had a good start as we went to the Los Altos History Museum at my suggestion. The funny thing is that we had never thought to check out the museum despite having lived in the area for almost 25 years. I had no idea Los Altos had such a rich history. It happened that there was a closing reception at the museum, and there were food and drinks. Overall, we had a great time.

Last but not least, my boss took us to lunch at an Indian restaurant yesterday to celebrate a co-worker's promotion. I also saw several movies over the weekend with my parents, with Solo: A Star Wars Story being my favorite. So yeah, just because I don't have spring break doesn't mean I can't have fun. :D

Currently watching: Solo: A Star Wars Story

my first business trip!

I went to Oregon today to meet with a team we've been working with. This was my first business trip ever, first time flying on a private jet and also first time flying alone without my parents. It was definitely a new experience for me!

It was a little exhausting as I had to get up pretty early to catch the 7:45 a.m. shuttle to the Intel Air Shuttle terminal for the 8:30 a.m. flight to Hillsboro. I was actually supposed to arrive even earlier, but the 7:30 a.m. flight was fully booked. At any rate, check-in was very fast as we only had to show our ID and Intel badge. Not having to go through TSA was pretty nice. :-)

The plane was very small and not unlike the one we took to Sacramento during our second trip to Yellowstone. I was a little nervous about flying alone withouy my parents, but that wasn't a problem as the other passengers were all co-workers. There was Wi-Fi access, although it was very slow most of the time. I tried to get some work done but decided to get some rest instead after not being able to receive any e-mails. No wonder people say Gogo sucks.

I took the shuttle to the meeting location after we landed. The campus was located in a quiet area away from the city center. Our office was a nice place with a startup feel. I really enjoyed meeting the other team and wish we had more opportunities to work together. Though I had to leave early to catch the shuttle, I don't think I missed much as the meeting was almost over.

The flight back to San Jose was pretty smooth. The shuttle took me back to the Santa Clara office, where my parents picked me up. On the whole, this was an interesting experience. It's too bad there was no time for sightseeing as this was a business trip and I had a tight schedule. This reminds me - our last visit to the Pacific Northwest was over 11 years ago. Looks like we're overdue for another trip there. :-)

I got a Wii for Christmas!

I just got a Nintendo Wii as a late Christmas present. This is something I had wanted for a long time. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

It's a funny story how this came to be: my parents had gotten Wii Fit Plus for a low price at a thrift store. Due to the size of the package, they also assumed a Wii was included. I figured it was too good to be true, and sure enough, the package didn't contain a console.

Come Christmas. Because there were some kitchen supplies on eBay that my mother wanted, so I ordered them for her. Although my parents had planned to return Wii Fit Plus for store credit, they decided to keep it and order a refurbished Wii online. I'm definitely very excited.

Now I just need some more games and people to play them with. I only have Wii Fit Plus right now, so it looks like we'll have to start checking more thrift stores and garage sales soon. :-)

Currently listening to: "This Is Your Night" by Amber

level 99 Prayer in RuneScape

The year is off to a good start as I just got level 99 Prayer in RuneScape — on the game's 18th anniversary, no less!

You can see the screenshot here. Prayer used to be one of the most expensive skills in the game, but the price of ashes and bones have gone down significantly in the past few years. Yet this was not an easy task by any means. I'd definitely like to thank the players who hosted open houses as I was always too lazy to build my own gilded altar.

I'll probably get either level 99 in either Mining or Smithing next as I'm already level 98 in those skills. :D

Currently listening to: "Run Away" by Real McCoy

entering 2019 in style

It's hard to believe 2019 is already here. I can't believe how fast time goes. The good news is that I had a great holiday season even though we didn't go on any vacations.

The plan was to go skiing at Tahoe over the holidays, but we cancelled the trip due to a storm in the area. This wasn't a big deal because we had been there many times. The other thing is that I don't have any PTO saved up as I only joined Intel in December. I had to work for a few days between Christmas and the New Year, but the thing is that my boss took us to lunch at an Indian buffet on the 26th. The food was super spicy but also delicious. That was definitely a nice experience.

New Year's Eve

Although we technically have to work on New Year's Eve, my boss told me I could work from home. It was definitely relaxing to not have to commute.

One thing I noticed is that most people don't seem to celebrate New Year's Eve anymore. This year was no different as we didn't invite anyone over or vice versa. However, my mother and I did watch the Times Square countdown together. I can't believe Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve didn't show the ball drop. That was really lame.

I decided to watch Ant-Man and the Wasp on DVD afterwards. That was another great Marvel movie. I then watched the local countdown to 2019 before going to bed.

New Year's Day

Today was pretty fun as we attended the New Year's Day Rogue Run before having family friends over. I wanted to do a mock countdown to 2019 before starting lunch as I really missed the feeling of counting down to the New Year with friends. To my surprise, everyone actually agreed!

Some people brought desserts while the Chiangs brought a large platter of California rolls. Everything was delicious as always. The party also doubled as a celebration for Jim and Yeng-Feng as today is their 50th anniversary. This was definitely a very special get-together.

All of us then watched Mary Shelley together. The Chiangs and the Changs left early as they had other errands, but everyone else stayed until the late afternoon. On the whole, I had an amazing time even though there were no other young people.

2018 in review

Every year has its ups and downs. For me, the best part of 2018 was meeting The Martian author Andy Weir. Not many people get the chance to meet their favorite authors.

The worst thing that happened was when I got laid off in October. Although I had seen signs that the company was experiencing a cyclic downturn, this completely took me by surprise because I felt both my manager and our VP liked me. I did get an awesome new job a few weeks later, but this left a sour taste in my mouth for a while.

At any rate, it's best to look for the future. On that note, my New Year's resolutions for 2019 are to get a promotion and improve my social skills. Let's get serious!

Currently listening to: "Another Night" by Real McCoy