level 99 Farming and 2,500 skill total in RuneScape on an alt

I hit level 99 Farming as well as 2,500 skill total RuneScape today on my alternate account Traductus. It's hard to believe I actually got a 99 on a second character. :D

I originally created this account around May 2001 as a mage pure for PvP. Although I made quite a few kills, the fun came to an end when Jagex nerfed magic. To be specific, players could no longer cast more than one spell a second. I therefore decided to quit PvP and use this account to experience the game as a "new" player again. As you can see, he is catching up to my main. :-)

Currently watching: The Lost City (2002)

our first "normal" Thanksgiving since 2019

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. I certainly did because we hadn't had a "normal" Thanksgiving in three years. It also helps that my company had a great Thanksgiving lunch the day before. :-)

Thursday

Our original idea was to invite my aunt Cynthia and cousin Connie to dinner at our house. But life sometimes has different plans. Connie had signed up for a turkey trot and couldn't come, and Cynthia had already accepted an invitation to a potluck at someone else's house. I figured we would be spending Thanksgiving alone.

However, the good news is that Connie later called and said she still wanted to see us. We were more than happy to oblige and invited her over to our house on Friday for lunch. Another highlight is we got to see Cynthia after all. Even though she couldn't stay for dinner, she still came to visit us twice — once in the afternoon and once after the event ended. So that was nice.

Friday

I was thrilled to catch up with Connie as we hadn't seen each other since Cathy's wedding three summers ago. Mom made us lots of good food as she always does. Even though it was just the four of us, everyone had a great time. We also wanted to invite Cynthia over, but she was in Carmel for a day hike. However, she did want to see us again and invited us to go over to her house the next day for dinner. As you could imagine, this was a pleasant surprise.

Saturday

We took a stroll to World Market after breakfast as we hadn't been there in a while. I got some potato crisps from the UK as well as several chocolate bars. Despite the food prices these days, the items weren't too expensive.

I also helped my dad pick the apples and persimmons from our trees. He wanted to harvest the fruit before the birds got to them. One great thing is that two people working together can get things done in half the time.

All of us then headed to Cynthia's place. It was certainly a pleasure to see her and Connie again. Cynthia made us a nice hot pot dinner, complete with cod and lobster. I wasn't hungry at first because dinner started around 5 p.m. or so, but that didn't matter because everything was really good. She also brought out a Basque cheesecake for dessert — which was absolutely delicious. We then had a great time talking about music and the arts. Although my uncle Dong didn't join us for reasons I'd rather not discuss, that didn't make the evening any less enjoyable.

Dad wanted to leave shortly after 7 p.m. as Cynthia also goes to bed early nowadays. As much as I wanted to stay longer, Cynthia looked a little tired. Of course, that's not a problem because we have plans to get together again around Christmas. :-)

Sunday

We didn't do a lot on Sunday as we had already done so much in the past three days. However, my family did go for a stroll in our neighhborhood twice. I also completed some quests on an alt account in RuneScape as well as studied some Python.

On the whole, our Thanksgiving break was much better than expected. I definitely can't wait to see my cousin Cathy and her husband Andrew in December. Less than two weeks to go!

Currently listening to: "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by the Beach Boys

obligatory 37th birthday post

So today's my 37th birthday. It's hard to believe I'm turning 40 in three years. I guess I'll no longer be considered "young" soon. Hope rejuvenation becomes possible before I get too old. :P

I didn't have much of a celebration — which has been pretty standard — but Mom made me a lovely birthday cake. It was absolutely beautiful and tasted really good too. I'm sure people would beat down our door if she ever decides to start her own bakery business.

We also invited two couples to our house for lunch on Saturday. Mom's friend Suzie is a foodie like me and also loves to take food pictures. Her husband Kim is from Denmark and brought us some delicious homemade Danish pancakes. This wasn't a birthday party per se because it had been planned for a while, but it's always nice to have people over.

Another nice thing is my cousin Cathy said she sent me a package. She says it should arrive in a week or so. Can't wait to see what's inside. :-)

October 17 update: I just received the package that Cathy and her husband Andrew sent me. Inside was a heart puzzle containing all kinds of sweet messages. Love you two. <3

Currently listening to: Piano Sonata No. 10 by Wolfgang

maxed my RuneScape account

I finally achieved my childhood dream of getting level 99 in all skills on my RuneScape character. It only took me 21 years. :-)

In the early days, level 99 skills were all the rage. Even a single 99 was a monumental milestone. People considered it a big deal when Zezima became the first person to get level 99 in all skills. I remember looking up to the other top players like Yogosun and being in awe of their dedication and perseverance.

But it's no secret RuneScape has gotten easier over the years. For one, the best training methods can give up to one million XP per hour. Double XP weeks, daily challenges and microtransactions have made things even easier. One could argue that having all 99's is no longer as "cool" as it used to be. However, this is still a big deal to me because it's been something I've dreamed about for a long time. I'm also proud to say I've never spent any extra money on Treasure Hunter.

Here is a screenshot of me getting 99 Invention. I've also posted a second screenshot that shows my current stats. In any case, my next goal is to take a break from skilling and work on the other requirements for the completionist cape. I also want to get into PvM and take on the harder bosses. Hope I don't die too often. :P

Currently listening to: "The Final Countdown" by Europe

not a bad Memorial Day

Hope everyone had a great long weekend. For me, the highlight is we invited the Hsuehs to our house for lunch on Sunday. Our last time seeing them was about a year ago. I didn't get to see their son Alan this time as he already had plans, but this is normal for our generation these days. In any case, Mom made lots of great food as always. :-)

We didn't do much on Saturday and Monday because we were still a little tired. As you might remember, my mom's friend Rong-Rong and her husband David stayed with us for three days about two weeks ago. Hosting guests can be very stressful at times. On the whole, the Memorial Day long weekend wasn't too bad.

In other news...

I finally got my car back from the repair shop on the 20th. It now looks even better than it did before. :-)

Currently listening to: Trumpet Concerto by Joseph Haydn

a visit from afar

It has been pretty exciting this week as we invited my mom's friend Rong-Rong and her husband David to stay at our house for two nights. For those unaware, my mom is a member of a women writers association and became acquainted with Rong-Rong through the group. Although they kept in touch on Line, this was their first time meeting in person because Rong-Rong lives in Spokane.

Because the Lovelesses are passing through the Bay Area while en route to a wedding in Los Angeles, the couple asked to crash at our place. Mom had been looking forward to meeting Rong-Rong and was thrilled to host them.

I had to sleep in the master bedroom because we let the Lovelesses use my room. Giving them the master bedroom would have been the most convenient for everyone, but this is said to bring bad luck in some traditions. On the bright side, Rong-Rong gave me three bags of chocolate for my troubles. :-)

An impromptu party — our first in almost three years

We also treated the Lovelesses to a nice dinner yesterday. Rong-Rong also wanted to invite her friend Hong-Yeh over because they had known each other for some time. Mom was more than happy to oblige. Both the Lovelesses and Hong-Yeh also brought food to share. It's been a while since we had a party like this!

Another highlight is that my aunt Cynthia also stopped by our house. She had come to drop off a gift as Rong-Rong had done a big favor for her a while ago. Cynthia had other errands and couldn't stay for more than a few minutes, but at least I enjoyed hearing about her and Cathy's recent trip to Europe. Given that the pandemic has limited our opportunities to get together, this was nice for a change.

I was admittedly a little nervous because the pandemic isn't really over. COVID-19 numbers have actually gone up in the past several days. However, the "good" news is that Omicron and BA.2 have shorter incubation periods. I should be fine as long as I don't get sick after a few days or so.

In any case, let's hope the pandemic will finally end this year. I'd definitely love to have some "proper" gatherings without fear of catching the virus!

Currently listening to: "American Pie" by Don McLean

level 99 Archaeology in RuneScape

I'm excited to share that I just reached 99 Archaeology just two years after the skill was released. You can go here to see me level up. It's not the best screenshot because I didn't realize the tooltip was in the way and obstructed the view of my stats. In any case, this one of my fastest 99's ever, especially considering that I've mostly had an on-and-off membership. I only have to get two Invention before I finally get the max cape after all those years. :-)

It should be noted that there is a lot of content associated with the Archaeology skill. Let's hope it doesn't take me too long to get level 120 and the Professor and Guildmaster qualifications!

Currently listening to: "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi

some bad news about my car...

So my father got into a car accident a few hours ago. It's the other driver's fault because he was speeding and couldn't slow down in time. He tried to change lanes instead and ended up hitting my 2013 BMW 328i from behind.

First the good news: my dad wasn't hurt at all. As you can imagine, this is something I'm very grateful for. Furthermore, the other car narrowly avoid hitting the gas tank and possibly causing a fire. Someone was watching over him.

But the bad news is that there's quite a bit of damage to the car. Even though it is still drivable, the inner fender is touching the tire. There's also a loud noise when the car goes above a certain speed. It's also a little pain to see that big gaping hole. We therefore decided to stop using the car to avoid further damage.

Dad called our insurance provider, and it looks like the repair costs will be covered. However, this will likely take a while as the body shop needs to do an estimate and don't have the parts. On the bright side, the car should look as good as new once the repairs are done. :-)

Currently listening to: Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp major, BWV 848 by J. S. Bach

got the iPhone 13 Pro Max

You may recall we got the iPhone 6 Plus almost seven years ago. However, that is much longer than the average life of a phone. Due to their age, each of our phones has started to have problems:

• Mom's phone had a short battery life
• Dad's phone had a broken Home button
• my own phone had become unusable due to a "ghost touch" issue

After careful consideration of our options, all of us agreed it was time for an upgrade. Dad decided to get us the iPhone 13 Pro Max due to the high ratings. Verizon also lets you trade in an iPhone 6 Plus to get up to $350 or more in bill credits.

But switching to the new plan was a pain in the ass. Dad chatted with an agent and placed an order, but never got information on when the phones would arrive. He contacted customer support again but got disconnected due to inactivity several times. Only after some phone calls did we find out they had not processed the order. As a consequence, the phones didn't arrive until after several days.

The good news is that setting up the phones and transferring the data turned out to be a very simple matter. I was able to start using mine right away. Although the other two could not send or receive calls, the issue went away after several hours. At least we didn't have to call customer support again.

In any case, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is awesome. One cool feature is the voicemail transcription. It's nice to be able to tell when a message is spam without having to listen to that crap. Another nice thing is that the iPhone 13 Pro Max has a much longer battery life. I can also run newer apps that don't support the iPhone 6 Plus. RuneScape on the go, anyone? :-)

Currently listening to: "Infernal Galop" by Jacques Offenbach

third time's the charm

I just got my booster shot at our local Safeway store. Let's hope that's the last one we'll ever need for this pandemic. Although there were several people in line, the process was pretty quick compared to getting my first and second shots. Another nice thing is that Safeway gave us a 10% discount for our next purchase. It should certainly come in handy because we go to Safeway all the time. :-)

Because it's only half of a normal dose, the side effects should be less severe. However, some people have reported the opposite. For example, my boss said he didn't feel well for a few after getting his booster. Let's hope that's not the case for me!

January 6 update: I felt a bit lethargic yesterday due to the side effects. However, the good news is that I'm feeling a lot better now after a good night's sleep.

Currently listening to: Rondo alla Turca by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

an eventful holiday season

I'm heading back to the office tomorrow as Christmas break is coming to a close. One nice thing about Energous is we shut down over the holidays. I don't believe I've ever gotten more than a week off since college. Although we didn't go anywhere due to the pandemic, this was one of our best breaks ever.

Getting into stocks

You may recall that Dad suggested we make some investments during the holidays. Because stocks are often volatile, there was much research to be done. I was a little tired at times because we had to collect a lot of data to put into an Excel file. We narrowed the list down to about 40 stocks after countless hours. Here's to hoping our hard work pays off soon. *insert rocket emojis*

A new laptop and an iPad Pro

Dad wanted another computer to store old emails and decided to buy a new HP Pavilion laptop. It has a 2.9 GHz dual-core processor, 16 GB of memory and a 500 GB solid-state drive. Because my father only needs it for emails, he decided to trade it to me for one of my older devices. Although I didn't need a new computer, this was an offer I couldn't refuse. :P

I also got an iPad Pro a few days ago. Dad got it for me so that I could check stock prices in real time. Compared to our older devices, the iPad Pro is much faster. I appreciate all he's done for me. Christmas was great this year, that's for sure.

Bread machine repair

Mom has a Sunbeam bread machine that stopped working after being taken out of storage in the garage. Dad and I took it apart and found that the belt had gotten brittle and cracked. We decided to replace the belt because the machine was in good condition otherwise. Installing it took a while because the Sunbeam 5891 is hard to disassemble. However, the good news is we were able to get the machine running again. So glad we didn't have to spend money on a few one.

RuneScape gains

Of course, there was time for RuneScape too. Having almost two weeks off allowed me to gain about 35 million total XP across all my accounts. I also obtained the golden party hat on my main account and two alts. It's too bad I didn't get one on Rs2 Ixfd64 due to time constraints. However, that's not a big deal because I rolled a green Santa hat from Treasure Hunter on that account a few days ago. Guess I can't complain too much. :-)

So yeah... Christmas was nice even though we mostly stayed home. Let's hope the pandemic ends this year. It's been too long since we went on a vacation.

In other news...

I'm getting my COVID-19 booster shot tomorrow at the local Safeway store. It's often reported that the side effects are less severe because it's only half a dose. Let's hope that's the case for me!

Currently listening to: Rondo No. 1 in D major, K 485 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

a hopeful start to 2022

Hope everyone had an awesome New Year's Eve. Due to the pandemic, things had mostly remained the same. We only left the house for essential reasons and didn't have anyone over. However, the holiday season has been pretty great so far. I actually still have a few more days to relax because we don't return to the office until the 4th. :-)

2021 in review

It seems 2021 was marginally better than 2020 at first glance. Life had been returning to normal now that vaccines are widely available. One highlight is we got to meet up with the Hsuehs last summer. But all changed when the Delta variant showed up. We're currently still in the middle of another surge.

To me, the worst thing that happened was when Dad hurt himself after falling from a ladder. Gardening isn't all fun and games as some make it out to be. We insisted that he go to the hospital to make sure he was fine. The good news is that the doctor said he had no serious injuries. I was definitely a little worried for a days.

On the flip side, the best thing about 2021 was getting my current job at Energous. It's no secret that Energous is going through growing pains. However, the company and its products seem to have great potential. We're actually going to be at CES 2022 in Las Vegas. Of course, the benefits are nice too. I can't complain about all the free lunches and snacks. :D

An optimistic 2022

One thing for sure is that 2022 has much to look forward to. According to some predictions, the pandemic will finally end this year. Let's hope there won't be more variants. Life has not been normal for almost two years. It's time to put this damn pandemic behind us.

For those curious, my New Year's resolutions are to kick some bad habits and get up to speed on the piano. Here's to a happy 2022 and a bright future!

Currently listening to: Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 871 by J. S. Bach