The job search didn't take long as I've received an accepted an offer from a company called Mocana. The company produces security software for IoT devices. This job seems like the perfect fit for me because computer security has always been one of my interests. Although the office is pretty far in San Francisco, the office is located in a nice part of town. It's a long commute, but at least I can read some books and get some rest during the train ride.
If everything goes to plan, I should start at the beginning of next month. I'm pretty excited.
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
2,400 skill total in RuneScape
I just reached 2,400 skill total in RuneScape. Click here for the screenshot!
This milestone took much shorter than expected. It's nice to be not as busy in real life, but the huge amount of bonus XP stars and lamps from recent events definitely helps too. For those curious, my next goal is to get level 90 in the port-related skills. Wish me luck!
Currently listening to: "American Pie" by Don McLean
This milestone took much shorter than expected. It's nice to be not as busy in real life, but the huge amount of bonus XP stars and lamps from recent events definitely helps too. For those curious, my next goal is to get level 90 in the port-related skills. Wish me luck!
Currently listening to: "American Pie" by Don McLean
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Niles field trip report
Today was fun as we went to Niles with our family friend Henry's film club.
The day began with a ride on the Niles Canyon Railway to Sunol. The views weren't that impressive, but the company of our friends made the ride a lot more enjoyable. The train arrived in Sunol about 30 minutes later. But because there wasn't anything special about this place, our group decided to take the next train back to Niles.
This was followed by lunch at a local cafe. I was pretty hungry at this point as it was already past 1 p.m. On the other hand, the food was delicious. The lunch also doubled as a birthday celebration for CY, for which Mom made her signature persimmon cake. Sweet!
Our group then headed to the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum and bought tickets for the tour. We also got to watch some really old movies, including The First Seven Years and some Laurel and Hardy shorts. Night Owls was totally hilarious!
It was around 6 p.m. when the tour ended. A few people suggested staying for dinner, but the three of us were a little tired and decided to head home. On the whole, the day trip was a worthwhile experience.
Currently watching: The First Seven Years
The day began with a ride on the Niles Canyon Railway to Sunol. The views weren't that impressive, but the company of our friends made the ride a lot more enjoyable. The train arrived in Sunol about 30 minutes later. But because there wasn't anything special about this place, our group decided to take the next train back to Niles.
This was followed by lunch at a local cafe. I was pretty hungry at this point as it was already past 1 p.m. On the other hand, the food was delicious. The lunch also doubled as a birthday celebration for CY, for which Mom made her signature persimmon cake. Sweet!
Our group then headed to the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum and bought tickets for the tour. We also got to watch some really old movies, including The First Seven Years and some Laurel and Hardy shorts. Night Owls was totally hilarious!
It was around 6 p.m. when the tour ended. A few people suggested staying for dinner, but the three of us were a little tired and decided to head home. On the whole, the day trip was a worthwhile experience.
Currently watching: The First Seven Years
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
last day at Lab126
I got some bad news: my boss at Amazon Lab126 told me today that I was being letting me go. I don't want to disclose too much details except that my boss said I was no longer a good fit for the team. I understand that people are let go from companies all the time for various reasons, but I can help but feel a bit angry and betrayed, especially considering that I've been at Amazon for five years. To put it lightly, this really sucks.
The worst part is that I didn't get to say goodbye to most of my co-workers. Although the company was decent enough to not immediately escort me out like many other companies would do, my parents had advised me to keep quiet due to a potential legal case. Therefore, I didn't say anything to most people except a girl who seemed to guessed what happened. Oh well, time to start a job search.
Although this wasn't the way I wanted to leave Amazon, I've definitely had good memories working there. One of my favorites was the Amazon Fire TV launch. It feels great to be part of the team that made such an amazing product possible. The family picnics and post-holiday celebrations were great too. I certainly hope my next job will be just as awesome - if not better. :-)
Currently listening to: Overture No.1 in C major - Passepied by J. S. Bach
The worst part is that I didn't get to say goodbye to most of my co-workers. Although the company was decent enough to not immediately escort me out like many other companies would do, my parents had advised me to keep quiet due to a potential legal case. Therefore, I didn't say anything to most people except a girl who seemed to guessed what happened. Oh well, time to start a job search.
Although this wasn't the way I wanted to leave Amazon, I've definitely had good memories working there. One of my favorites was the Amazon Fire TV launch. It feels great to be part of the team that made such an amazing product possible. The family picnics and post-holiday celebrations were great too. I certainly hope my next job will be just as awesome - if not better. :-)
Currently listening to: Overture No.1 in C major - Passepied by J. S. Bach
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Super Bowl weekend report
I had a pretty good weekend, especially considering that we went to our family friend Grace's birthday party and watched the Super Bowl!
To start off, my company had a Super Bowl happy hour on Friday. This was our first time doing something like this. It was really fun as there was good food and karaoke. The only downside is that the food ran out pretty quickly, but I can't complain about the quality of the event.
Saturday was also nice as we celebrated Grace's 70th birthday at a Thai restaurant. With about 40 people in attendance, the party was much larger than expected. There was lots of food, and everyone had a great time. The only issue is that the limited space made it hard to socialize. Grace's husband CY invited us to hang out at their house afterwards, but we decided to leave that to another time as Grace seemed exhausted.
I watched Justice League: Gods and Monsters on DVD after getting home. It was really good for an animated movie. This was a great way to end the evening.
I spent most of Sunday evening studying Android programming. However, Dad and I watched Super Bowl LI in the afternoon. I must say that the Patriots' comeback was hella impressive. It was overall a great game.
Currently listening to: "Waterloo" by ABBA
To start off, my company had a Super Bowl happy hour on Friday. This was our first time doing something like this. It was really fun as there was good food and karaoke. The only downside is that the food ran out pretty quickly, but I can't complain about the quality of the event.
Saturday was also nice as we celebrated Grace's 70th birthday at a Thai restaurant. With about 40 people in attendance, the party was much larger than expected. There was lots of food, and everyone had a great time. The only issue is that the limited space made it hard to socialize. Grace's husband CY invited us to hang out at their house afterwards, but we decided to leave that to another time as Grace seemed exhausted.
I watched Justice League: Gods and Monsters on DVD after getting home. It was really good for an animated movie. This was a great way to end the evening.
I spent most of Sunday evening studying Android programming. However, Dad and I watched Super Bowl LI in the afternoon. I must say that the Patriots' comeback was hella impressive. It was overall a great game.
Currently listening to: "Waterloo" by ABBA
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Chinese New Year weekend report
"Don't worry, I won't bug you about reviewing my code here." -- me to Desiree"
The Lunar New Year weekend was great as we had a big party at a family friend's farm. I also got to attend the Lab126 post-holiday event. :-)
Lunar New Year party report
I'll start with some background: my mother was elected as president of a Chinese writers' association sometime last year. Mom decided to organize a celebration for Chinese New Year that our family friend Charles was kind enough to host.
The party took place at the Won family's farm in Hollister. There was lots of food as this was a potluck lunch. After the meal, the Wons gave us a tour of their farm. It definitely brought back memories of New Zealand. There was nobody else my age, but I can't complain about a good party. :P
Lab126 post-holiday celebration
Later in the evening was my company's annual post-holiday celebration. This one took place at Levi's Stadium, where we had a similar event in 2015. However, unlike the last party, we also had a live band this time. That was a pretty nice touch. I was a little tired and didn't stay until the end this time, but I don't think I missed much.
Today was mostly eventful. Having done so much the day before, I spent most of the time studying search algorithms. Other than that, I managed to get level 86 dungeoneering in RuneScape. :-)(
Currently listening to: "Starman" by David Bowie
Sunday, January 1, 2017
a quiet end to a rough year
I'm not going to lie - 2016 was a rough year. So glad 2017 is here!
Our New Year's Eve was mostly quiet. Like last time, we didn't have a party or anything. I looked for local events, but there weren't many this time - at least not those that are like $100 person. On the other hand, the evening wasn't too bad as I watched Captain America: Civil War on DVD. I felt it was more of an Avengers movie than a Captain America one, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.
It goes without saying 2016 was a pretty tough year. For a start, 2016 saw the passing of many beloved celebrities, such as Anton Yelchin, David Bowie, Prince and Carrie Fisher. Then there's the election. I usually don't write about politics, but Trump doesn't seem like a good fit for the President of the United States. On a personal level, my job has been pretty stressful in the past few months. Being a software engineer in the Silicon Valley ain't an easy thing!
But for all the bad, 2016 had its highlights. The best part was when we went to the Southwest U.S. with four of my aunt's students. The memories from that trip will last a long time. The other activities we did with them (such as going boating and the movie club field trip) were also memorable.
At any rate, it's best to not dwell on the past. Speaking of which, my New Year's resolutions for 2017 are to learn more software development skills and kick some bad health habits. Wish me luck!
Currently watching: Captain America: Civil War
Our New Year's Eve was mostly quiet. Like last time, we didn't have a party or anything. I looked for local events, but there weren't many this time - at least not those that are like $100 person. On the other hand, the evening wasn't too bad as I watched Captain America: Civil War on DVD. I felt it was more of an Avengers movie than a Captain America one, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.
It goes without saying 2016 was a pretty tough year. For a start, 2016 saw the passing of many beloved celebrities, such as Anton Yelchin, David Bowie, Prince and Carrie Fisher. Then there's the election. I usually don't write about politics, but Trump doesn't seem like a good fit for the President of the United States. On a personal level, my job has been pretty stressful in the past few months. Being a software engineer in the Silicon Valley ain't an easy thing!
But for all the bad, 2016 had its highlights. The best part was when we went to the Southwest U.S. with four of my aunt's students. The memories from that trip will last a long time. The other activities we did with them (such as going boating and the movie club field trip) were also memorable.
At any rate, it's best to not dwell on the past. Speaking of which, my New Year's resolutions for 2017 are to learn more software development skills and kick some bad health habits. Wish me luck!
Currently watching: Captain America: Civil War
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