on being an uncle

I just found out my cousin Hui-Lin and his wife have recently welcomed their first child. There is nothing more precious than bringing a new life into the world. I'd like to congratulate the couple and wish them all the best for the future.

I'm aware that their little boy is technically my first cousin once removed. However, Chinese people often refer to children of cousins as nephews and nieces, hence my use of the term "uncle."

In other news...

On a similar note, my cousin Tom and his wife Sarah are also expecting a baby boy next month. I'm really happy for the them as well. Our family just keeps getting bigger.

got my master's degree

Today was the graduation ceremony at St. Mary's College of California. I can hardly believe I've completed my master's degree in financial analysis. Time certainly flies.

It was raining heavily in Moraga, but that wasn't an issue as we were mostly indoors. The commencement was held inside the St. Mary's Chapel. In a departure from tradition, the orchestra didn't play "Pomp and Circumstance" as is usually done. After we were seated, the associate dean gave a speech and congratulated us before giving us our diplomas.

All of us then headed to the nearby activity center for the reception. I got to hang out with my classmates for the last time and eat lots of food. It was also nice to meet everyone's families. There goes the afternoon!

Now that I'm done with graduate school, I should probably continue working on my CMPS 101 and CMPE 107 assignments. In the meantime, I've posted pictures and a video of the commencement on Flickr.

turned 25 today

I'm now a quarter of a century old. It's hard to believe how fast time has gone.

Given our current financial situation, I didn't plan anything for my birthday this year. On the other hand, my aunt Cynthia insisted that we have lunch at her house. Connie was away in San Diego, but Cathy was home. Things couldn't have worked out better. Be sure to check out the pictures from our lunch.

I received a few presents, starting with a $100 check from Cynthia. Dad gave me a book called What Every Body is Saying by former FBI agent Joe Navarro. Though I've only read a few chapters, the book is really interesting so far. I also got six dress shirts from my mother. There are no words to express my gratitude. I'm blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.

As per tradition, here are three random facts about my childhood:

1. I once thought babies were conceived by making out.
2. Super Mario World was one of the first video games I ever played. I was so obsessed with it that I pretended I was Mario, Dad was Yoshi and Mom was Princess Peach!
3. I had an orange toy hammer that I loved as a kid. It had a nickname: Doji.

October 11 update: One of my landlady Connie's daughters must have told her about my birthday because Connie bought me a small lemon cake. I'm guessing it was Anika as she had posted on my Facebook wall. The cake looks really good. Thanks, Connie!

In other news...

1. I attended the closing reception at St. Mary's College a week ago. It was just an awards presentation, but the lunch was delicious. Click here for the pictures.

2. Mom recently started her own blog and could use some subscribers. She mostly writes essays and articles about her art projects, although there are some recipes. The blog is in Chinese but should work through a translator.

Update: Mom has decided to shut down her blog due to people plagiarizing her articles. Sorry about that. :-(

Currently playing: Epic Battle Fantasy 3

moved to Santa Cruz

I finished moving into my rented room today with the help of my parents. This is my first time living in someone else's house. I'm glad the move didn't take long as it was unbearably hot outside.

The homeowner is a woman named Connie. She's really nice and always took the time to answer our questions. Connie had a husband named Mel who passed away seven years ago. By all accounts, he was an amazing artist and dancer. It's too bad I'll never get to know him. :-(

The couple has three daughters, all very attractive. I'm actually staying in one of their rooms. The girls are currently away at college, but I'll probably meet them soon enough. The family has two cats, Tommy and Zoe. Though I'm not a pet person, cats are so darn cute!

At any rate, the place is comfortable and has everything I need. It's like my home away from home. Transportation is convenient as a bus stop is located across the street. I imagine it's a safe neighborhood as the campus police department is just around the corner. The only downside is that there are no nearby places to get food, but that's hardly an issue. Although I'm still a little nervous, there shouldn't be a problem as long as I stay on Connie's good side.

On the whole, I'm blessed to have found such a great place to live. One of the best things about UC Santa Cruz is the beautiful campus. As a nature lover, I'll get to enjoy the great outdoors whenever I head out to class. Life is good.

In other news...

I bumped into my old FAIM 609 professor at Wal-Mart yesterday afternoon. Small world indeed.

Currently listening to: Tower of Heaven soundtrack - "Stairway to Revelation"

last day of graduate classes + farewell party

Yesterday was the last class of the MS-FAIM program. The best part is that we had a party afterwards!

We were supposed to take the FAIM 610 final on Tuesday and the FAIM 609 one on Thursday as per the original schedule. But because FAIM 609 was a tough course, everyone wanted to get that out of the way first. The professors were more than happy to accommodate our request. The other exam was indeed much easier, meaning Prof. Knapp really wanted us to pass.

A farewell party was held after the FAIM 610 final. From what I heard, the previous cohorts had a fancy dinner. However, there wasn't much for us - only light snacks and drinks - and they were quickly gone. Damn economic recession. On the other hand, the other classes were invited to join us. Katie even brought her roommate Anna to crash the party. The more the merrier!

Speaking of which, Anna kept hitting on me and Anthony the whole time. I enjoyed talking to her as she was very sociable. She and Katie even invited me to hang out at their apartment as the party concluded. That would have been an interesting experience, although I declined as it was really late.

On the whole, the party was a great way to end the program. I'm definitely looking forward to graduation. In the meantime, be sure to check out my pictures from last night.

Currently playing: My First Quantum Translocator

internship at UCSC

I recently mentioned that two UC Santa Cruz professors were interested in having me as an intern. From our discussions, they were more than happy to proceed with the plan. If everything goes well, my internship will start next week - on the 27th to be precise.

I'll be doing mobile interaction studies with the professors and their graduate students. In the meantime, I'm trying to enroll in CMPE 107 and CMPS 101 on their recommendation. I've actually already started attending the lectures. It's like being back in college!

According to Prof. Tantalo, CMPS 101 is a difficult course and many students don't pass the first time. I don't like the sound of this at all. However, considering that I already have a computer science background, this one shouldn't be too hard.

Given that Santa Cruz is pretty far, I've rented a place near campus and will be moving there in a few days. I'm a little nervous as this is my first time renting a room. But at least the landlady seems nice. *fingers crossed*

In other news...

1. I went to the Secure World Expo today with Dad. It was a very small conference.

2. Tonight is the last class at St. Mary's College of California. I'm not out of the woods yet as we still have to take the FAIM 610 final. On the other hand, I've heard there's a party afterwards. That should be fun. :-)

Currently playing: The Room Tribute

new cooking blog

I recently started a cooking blog with my mother. Every few days, I'll post a recipe that uses ingredients from our garden. Each recipe will have a background story as told by Mom. You can read our new blog here.

Our hope is that you'll enjoy the recipes. Just keep in mind that they'll be simple at first because I don't have level 99 Cooking in real life. :-)

Currently playing: Pixel Purge