a somewhat relaxing Thanksgiving

I've been busy lately but still got to enjoy the long weekend. :-)

We invited the Hsuehs over for dinner on Thursday as we hadn't seen them in over five months. Mom decided not to cook a turkey this year, but did make a lot of other dishes. Everything she made was delicious. Lily's signature braised oxtail was pretty good too. It was great to catch up with Alan up even though we were on our phones the whole time. I guess that says a lot about our generation.

One of Alan's other friends had also invited the Hsuehs over, so the Hsuehs didn't stay at our house for too long after dinner. However, that wasn't a problem because Mom had asked the Hsuehs to arrive a bit earlier. On a related note, one thing I noticed is that Thanksgiving parties have gotten smaller in recent years. It's been a while since we hosted or attended one with three or four other families. It seems people aren't so interested in "Friendsgiving" anymore. I can't blame them because food is expensive these days.

Mom's friend Hong-Yeh had been wanting to see her for a while, so we asked her to come over on Friday afternoon. Her son really enjoys cooking and made the entire Thanksgiving dinner for their family. Hong-Yeh decided to share the turkey and cornbread with us. It's kind of funny that we ended up with some turkey after all. The meat was a bit salty but made for some excellent porridge.

We decided to hike to downtown Los Altos on Sunday as Mom wanted to see the Festival of Lights parade. Of note is that the streets were lined with people. I had no idea the event was so popular. However, the parade wouldn't start even though it was getting late. We eventually got bored and decided to head home. Even though we didn't see the parade, this was a fun experience.

I spent the rest of the weekend listening to lectures and working on assignments for my online machine learning courses. Some modules are very long and have videos totalling more than 10 hours, but they are quite informative. It's always nice to learn during the holidays!

Currently listening to: "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran

ordered a snack box for the first time

So the Universal Yums snack box I ordered on Amazon just arrived. I've always wanted to try one, but have been reluctant to do so because food is pretty expensive these days. However, you may recall that I recently completed my AI and machine learning certification program from MIT with a perfect score. I figured this would be a good way to celebrate. It also seemed like a nice birthday present for myself as I turned 38 not long ago.

There were lots of snack boxes for sale, but I settled on Universal Yums because it had excellent reviews and a good weight-to-price ratio. I definitely can't wait to try all the snacks. Seeing them definitely made me feel like a kid on Christmas. I haven't felt this way in probably almost 30 years!

Currently playing: Angry Birds Friends

got my AI certificate from MIT

I'm happy to say I've received my certificate for the Data Science and Machine Learning program from MIT. You can see it here or on my LinkedIn profile. Of note is I was the only one who completed the program with 600 out of 600 marks. Guess this makes me a valedictorian!

It's worth a mention that I also completed a capstone course in September and got the certificate for it a few days ago. I definitely learned a lot in the past three months. One thing for sure is that the knowledge I gained will be useful in my future career. On the whole, this was an incredible journey.

However, the hard work is far from over as I'm currently enrolled in three other programs. I'm about a third of the way through Berkeley's Professional Certificate in Machine Learning and Artificial program and just started Wharton's AI for Decision Making course. Because I now have a good understanding of the technical aspects of artificial intelligence, this seemed like a good time to get on the business side. I'm also starting a natural language processing course offered by CMU in November.

Even though I'm going to be very busy for a while, I'm quite confident I can handle all these classes. Here's to the new challenges!

Currently watching: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

a quick 38th birthday post

Just a quick post to mention my 38th birthday. I didn't really do much today because I've been rather busy lately. However, my mom made me an delicious cake as she usually does. It's too bad we didn't have anyone else to share it with. I must admit I miss the feeling of celebrating birthdays with friends. Hopefully I'll at least get to see my cousin Cathy and her husband Andrew during the holidays.

On a side note, the number 38 is considered lucky in our culture because it sounds like "triple prosperity" in Chinese. I don't consider myself overly superstitious, but maybe this is a sign of good things to come. Perhaps it means I'll get a cool new job soon. :-)

In other news...

I reached 2,600 skill total and 99 Herblore in RuneScape on my alt account Ixfd64 Rs2 in recent days. Go me!

Currently listening to: Prelude and Fugue in A-flat major, BWV 862 by J. S. Bach

a whirlwind summer

So a lot happened in the past three months. It's definitely been a crazy summer. We went through ups and downs, but that's just how life goes.

As you're probably aware, things had a bad start as I was laid off from Energous in June. Given the current economic climate, the job search looks to be harder than I expected. Of course, finding a job that fits is far more important than getting on as soon as possible.

We also had to deal with a water leak that caused a lot of damage. Mom wanted to replace our dishwasher and stove as they had started to show signs of age. As a team from Costco was helping us install the new dishwasher, they discovered a huge leak from some broken pipes. We might have never found out otherwise. Heaven knows what would have happened in that case. Getting the pipes fixed cost about $2,500 alone. Replacing the damaged hardwood would have cost even more had we not decided to do it ourselves.

Some time later, my mom received news that her old classmate Lin-Yao from college had passed away in July. Details are unclear, but word from her husband is that she died from complications of diabetes. Even though she and my mom have had disagreements, this was a huge shock to us. Our thoughts are with Lin-Yao's family during this difficult time.

However, there have been some good things too. For one, the recession that was predicted to start in July hasn't happened so far. Yet this has not made the job search easier because the tech industry is still in a bad state. But hopefully it means the job search won't get any harder than it already is.

I've also been focusing more on my studies because this seemed like a good time for a career change. Dad suggested taking online classes because I've been considering an AI-related job. I'm currently enrolled in two machine learning certificate programs, one offered by MIT and the other by Berkeley. Both programs have been very helpful even though the work can be demanding at times. I'm pretty sure a certificate would look good on my resume. :-)

Our street also had its first block party in about 28 years this summer. We don't have many opportunities to attend gatherings nowadays, so that was quite awesome. It's been way too long since we've been to a good party. Let's hope there will be similar events in the future!

Oh yeah... the new Necromancy skill in RuneScape is pretty fun. Even though I've been quite busy this summer, I was able to find some free time for games. Hopefully I get 99 Necromancy so that I could use the Max Guild again.

Currently listening to: "Touch the Sky" by Julie Fowlis

first block party since 1995

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend. I definitely had an exciting one because our street had its first block party in almost 30 years!

Something I've noticed people in our area tend to be reclusive. People don't often talk to their neighbors except to say hello, ask them to look after their mail before going on a trip, or tell their house is on fire. Unlike in school — where everyone was eager to make friends — people in our neighborhood mostly kept to themselves. I guess we weren't the only ones who felt this way because the Foudeh family decided to host a block party so that people "can get to know each other."

Far more people showed up at the party anticipated. Because this was a potluck dinner, there were all kinds of dishes. I really enjoyed meeting our neighbors and their kids. It's a little funny that we've lived on the same street for ages, yet never had the chance for a proper introduction. Some people had a great time that stayed well past the designed end time.

Given that we itrarely ever had to chance to really get to know our neighbors, this was quite nice for a change. I'd like to thank the Foudehs for making this event possible. Saeed — who planned the event with his wife Mariam and daughter Ava — says he wants to make this an annual thing and promises we won't have to wait another 25 years for the next one. I'm looking forward to it for sure. :-)

Currently listening to: "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge

a bittersweet departure from Energous

Today is a little bittersweet as I was laid off from Energous. I can't say I didn't see this coming because the tech industry has been hit hard by layoffs in the past several months. However, losing a job sucks no matter the cirumstance. Even though we are a unique company and don't have many competitors, the market is the deciding factor. Innovation does not always translate to success.

Despite the unfortunate turn of events, my two years at Energous couldn't have been better. I got to work with an awesome team and learned many useful things. Another great thing about Energous was the catered lunches. Food always brings people together, and the best part is we had a different menu each time. I'm aware that a free lunch is very small in the grand scheme of things, but can't say I'm not bummed.

One thing for sure is that I'll miss my co-workers. Tomas was a really cool guy and certainly knew how to keep everyone in high spirits. I'm also going to miss Allison as we had so many common interests, and that she was someone I really enjoyed talking to. She was very supportive when she found out I was losing my job. I made sure to give her a big hug before we parted ways.

Of course, job hunting is always going to be a challenge. I suspect it's going to take longer this time due to the current state of the economy. However, I'm not planning to rush into things because finding a job that fits is far more important than getting one as soon as possible. But wish me luck — I'm going to need it for sure. *fingers crossed*

Currently listening to: "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses

first time at a restaurant since COVID-19

It has been another awesome weekend as we visited a "new" state park and went out to lunch for the first time in three years!

Dad took us to Mount Diablo State Park on Saturday as it is famous for its wildflowers. Mom says we've been here before, but that was so long ago that I can't even remember. Of note is that the road leading to the park is windy and doesn't have guardrails. It was quite a scary drive.

We arrived at the park to find that the area with the wildflowers was closed this season due to storm damage. It was also quite windy and chilly outside. The three of us decided not to go hiking and left after lunch in the car. As much as I hate to say this, Mount Diablo State Park wasn't as fun as we expected.

However, the highlight of the weekend was we got to eat at a restaurant for the first time in over three years. Our family friend Linda had recently moved to a gated community called Rossmoor and had invited us and the Hsuehs to visit her. Our group met at a restaurant there called Creekside Grille. The food was delicious and wasn't too expensive. Considering that we hadn't been to a restaurant since the pandemic, this was quite a refreshing experience.

All of us then headed to Linda's new home. Linda had bought a blueberry pie from Fatapple's to share. It was so good that some of us had two slices. I mostly played *RuneScape* on my laptop afterwards as there was no one else my age, but that didn't make the gathering any less enjoyable. :-)

Currently listening to: "Here and Now" by Steps

a very busy Memorial Day

I had a great long weekend even though we stayed home the whole time. For those unaware, my family has a huge organic vegetable garden in our backyard. One great thing is that we had a very successful harvest of fava beans this year. But the downside is it takes a lot of effort to shell and peel the beans. I spent all three days helping Mom as she doesn't get much rest these days. We actually still have much work to do as there are several more plants in our garden. Otherwise, I can't really complain because fava beans are delicious!

However, the weekend wasn't all work and no play as I managed to get level 99 Slayer, Firemaking and Mining in RuneScape on my alt account Traductus. Because a lot of activities are "AFK-able" these days, I was able to make some gains while helping around the house. Of course, the Double XP Live event definitely helped. So yeah... this weekend was quite productive. :-)

In other news...

Dad's old thesis advisor Dr. Trick and his wife are visiting from Illinois in a few days, and we've invited over for dinner. I'm definitely excited to see them again.

Currently listening to: "Simply the Best" by Tina Turner

three great weekends in a row

It's been a great month so far as we reconnected with people we hadn't seen in a while. We also had two parties for Mother's Day — one at Mom's friend Catherine's house, and the other at ours!

An overdue visit

You may recall we had planned to see our family friend George last year on New Year's Eve. However, he was very conscious about COVID-19 at the time and didn't want anyone over. But now that the situation has gotten a lot better, George was happy to have us visit him this time. He said he was so excited to see us that he barely had any sleep. I was just as thrilled as this was our first time seeing each other since 2019 due to the pandemic.

Mom brought some food so George didn't have to cook for us. We then had some ice cream and coffee afterwards. George also gave us some books that Eileen would have wanted us to have. On the whole, the day couldn't have been better.

Mother's Day

Another highlight is my mom's new friend Catherine invited us to her house on the 13th for a get-together. She made several great dishes, and we were full in no time. I then played RuneScape on my phone as there was no one my age, but overall enjoyed the atmosphere.

Some time later, Catherine mentioned she was having a problem setting up a new printer. Dad asked me to take a look because I'm good with computers. I was able to get the printer to work after installing a generic driver. I figure I must have saved Catherine and her husband around a hundred dollars. Or at least that's what Geek Squad charges for similar services. :P

It was our turn to host the next day. Mom invited several friends — both old and new — over for a Mother's Day lunch. She made lots of delicious food as usual. One highlight is that Jenny brought a green tea cake from her friend's bakery. Everyone loved it so "matcha." See what I did there?

Two more get-togethers

This weekend was also great as we went to George's house a second time. Dad had promised George we would help him clear out the overgrown bamboo in his garden. George got us some Japanese food and desserts while Mom brought a homemade salad. It was great to see get together again in just two weeks!

As we were on the way to George's house, my cousin Connie called to tell us that she was in town and wanted to meet up. Our original plan was to have a picnic near my aunt Cynthia's house in Cupertino. However, they decided to invite us inside as it was quite warm outside. Connie treated us to some ravioli and a mango custard cake. I wasn't expecting to see her and Cynthia this summer, so this was quite a pleasant surprise. :-)

However, there's also been some bad news: my aunt Yu-Hua informed us a week ago that Uncle Yeh-Wei was diagnosed with cancer. We're still not sure how far it's progressed as they are awaiting further tests. The good news is this form of cancer is generally considered treatable, but it's still no joke as my cousin Cathy's paternal grandfather-in-law died from it not too long ago. Here's to hoping Yeh-Wei beats the disease!

Currently listening to: "Rocket Man" by Elton John

two more day trips and a nice dinner

I'll start with the bad news: my BMW somehow did not pass the smog check even though we had driven it for around 200 miles the weekend before. So that meant we had to drive it around some more.

Dad decided to take us to WinCo Foods in Tracy on the 22nd as it is about a 100-mile round trip. Despite the current food crisis, some items have dropped in price. I was expecting the prices to be the same as last time, so this was nice for a change.

I should mention that the sardines we got at WinCo were delicious. We loved them so much that we bought several cases — probably enough to last us two or three years. I could tell the cashier had a surprised look on his face. He must have thought we were preparing for a zombie apocalpyse. :P

We went for another drive the next day as weren't sure 100 miles was quite enough. Dad decided to take us to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park as this was another place we hadn't been to in a while. One nice thing is our library has been loaning out state park passes. Because we got to park for free and didn't have to walk all the way from the entrance, this gave us more time to hike the trails. We actually discovered an overlook on Pipeline Trail that had great views!

Another highlight is our family friend Lily invited us to her house yesterday for dinner. She and her husband Aaron were in China for a quarter and had asked us to maintain their house. To return the favor, the Hsuehs treated us to a home-cooked dinner after their trip. I enjoyed all the food they made. So yeah... April has been a great month.

May 4 update: Good news. Dad said my car passed the smog check this time. Woohoo!

Currently playing: Angry Birds Friends

a busy but awesome weekend

It had been a busy few days as we had to replace some water pipes that had been leaking for a while. We also had to repair a fence gate. I also had to prepare a PowerPoint presentation for a work demo. However, the weekend wasn't too bad otherwise as we went to a party at my mom's friend Carol's house!

Several weeks ago, my dad noticed the water bill was much higher than normal. We did an inspection and found that some leaks in at least two pipes. I hate to think how much money and water was wasted as this had been going on for several months. However, our neighbor Bob was had kindly offered to help us with the repairs. We agreed to do this on Monday as Bob needed to get parts. In the meantime, my dad and I also repaired a gate to our backyard after it fell off its hinges.

The other thing is my BMW failed a smog check a while ago. We were told there was a problem with the oxygen sensor, and that the best way to reset it is to take the car on a drive of around 50 miles. Our plan was to go to WinCo Foods in Tracy on Sunday as that was about the right distance. But it just happened that Mom's friend Carol invited us to her house in Pleasanton for lunch. As you could imagine, the three of us were more than happy to oblige.

In any case, all the food was delicious. Everyone had such a great time that we stayed for several hours. I really enjoyed the party even though there was no one else my age. We had planned to still go to WinCo Foods afterwards. But the three of us decided to leave that to another time as it was a little late. I then had to work on a PowerPoint presentation for a demo scheduled for today at 10 a.m.

Bob came over this afternoon to help us replace the pipes. Even with his help, this was a huge job and took several hours. I was also quite busy today due to some work-related deadlines. However, the good news is I found some free time after dinner and managed to hit 2,600 skill total in RuneScape on my alt account Traductus. Didn't think that would happen so soon. :-)

Currently listening to: "Now We Are Free" by Lisa Gerrard

obligatory first post of 2023

Hope everyone had a great holiday break because mine was pretty awesome. :-)

Prelude

For starters, there was a nice holiday lunch at Energous on the Wednesday before Christmas. We had lots of great Mediterranean food. One cool thing is we had a raffle this year. You had to dress up or otherwise show "Christmas spirit" to be elegible. I wore a Christmas-themed sweater a knit cap, and ended up winning a $100 gift card for Amazon. So that was nice.

Shutdown week

The break had a good start as we watched the new Batman movie on the 23rd. It was somewhat darker than most other Batman films. I didn't like it much as Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight series, but it wasn't a bad movie by any means.

Mom invited my cousin Connie and her kids Dean and Desiree to our house for lunch on Christmas Eve. She gave them her old art supplies after finding out Desiree was into watercolors. She and Connie both love art and immediately started to paint after lunch. Everyone definitely had a great time. Connie had to leave soon afterwards, but it was so nice to see her again so soon.

One nice thing about Energous is we shut down during the holidays. I forgot about this and still went to the office. Imagine my surprise when I found no one there. Oops. On the bright side, I can't complain about having three "extra" days. :-)

Mom wanted to go to WinCo Foods for groceries as everything there is usually cheap. Dad took us to the store in Tracy as that is the closest one to our home. Due to the recent food crisis, the stuff at WinCo had also gone up in price. I can't say I'm too surprised. Otherwise, this was an enjoyable day trip as we hadn't gone too many places lately due to the pandemic.

We later saw Terminator: Dark Fate on Blu-ray Disc after dinner. It was defintely one of the better Terminator films. We didn't do much on the 29th but did get to see Eternals the next day. Despite the critical reviews, I don't think Eternals was that bad at all.

New Year's eve

Our original plan for New Year's Eve was to visit our family friend George in El Cerrito as we hadn't seen him in at least three years. However, he's very conscious about COVID-19 and prefers not to have visitors. We of course respected his wishes. I also hoped to check out some New Year's Eve events, but decided against it due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases.

Otherwise, things weren't too bad as we got to see Thor: Love and Thunder after dinner. I paused the movie about five minutes before 9 p.m. so we could watch the Times Square ball drop. We then continued the movie after the fireworks. I then played RuneScape and watched the countdown in San Francisco before going to bed. It's hard to believe 2022 was over.

I must admit I miss celebrating the New Year's Eve with friends. Our last New Year's Eve party — whether at our house or elsewhere — was eight years ago. Counting down the seconds in a chat room just isn't the same as doing it in person. :-(

A fresh start to 2023

New Year's Day started out with a nice morning hike. It's not often that we get such nice weather at this time. We later saw Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on Blu-ray Disc. I definitely loved the special effects. Continuing the multiverse theme, the three of us watched Everything Everywhere All at Once the next day. Although everyone says Everything Everywhere was better, I personally liked Multiverse of Madness more. But that's just me.

2022 in review

On the whole, this wasn't too bad of a year. For me, the highlight is we got to see my aunt Cynthia and cousin Connie several times. It was great to see Cathy and her husband Andrew as well. As you can imagine, these reunions were long overdue.

However, the worst thing about 2022 is the current economic situation. Dad and I bought a bunch of stocks, and most have dropped in value. Of course, the war in Ukraine doesn't help either. Can you believe we still don't have world peace?

Another consequence of the current crisis is the increase in food prices. For example, even a modest meal can cost up to $20 or more. It's expected that prices will continue to go up throughout this year. Let's hope this isn't the case. Even without the pandemic, this puts a damper on things.

But the New Year brings new opportunities. On that note, my goal for 2023 is to improve my time management skills. I also plan to get my first skill to level 120 in RuneScape this year. Hope it's not too ambitious. :P

January 9 update: Didn't feel like making a separate post about this, but I just hit level 99 Herblore in RuneScape on my alt account Traductus. :-)

Currently watching: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness