I've moved back to Berkeley for my spring classes. You're probably expecting another rant about how the break wasn't long enough, but I'm actually glad to be back this time!
Holiday break in review
Things started out great as I did well last semester. Hard work certainly pays off. Just after the semester ended, my family went to Tahoe to see the Nutcracker ballet. This was followed by an amazing Christmas Eve gathering at Carol's house.
Our own New Year's Eve party was canceled because most people couldn't come. But I probably shouldn't complain as we had dinner with the Shiehs instead. Though our New Year's Day party was also nice, there was nobody my age. Damn generation gap. ^_^
Aunt Cynthia and my cousins came over the next day to make bread with Mom. That was also pretty fun. However, they left shortly after lunch because Cathy was feeling stressed about her SATs. Speaking of which, I was pretty busy studying for the GRE myself - not exactly the most exciting thing in the world.
In any case, I'm thrilled to be back at school. It's so nice to see my suitemates Bryan, Danny and Tyler again. I'm also looking forward to tomorrow's dance. :-)
Currently listening to: Pure Disco
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year's Day party report
You may recall that our New Year's Eve party was canceled due to the lack of guests. However, Mom felt we should have a gathering after all and invited the Liangs, Chus and Guans over for dinner. I'm definitely not complaining. :-)
A cool thing is that our family friend Fennah is a travel editor for a well-known Chinese newspaper. I enjoyed hearing about the places she's visited. That's my dream job for sure. ^_^
Speaking of Fennah, she gave me a box of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory truffles. I've always wanted to try their confections but could never bring myself to buy them. It's definitely nice to have generous friends. Thanks, Fennah!
The downside is that Emily and Stacey didn't come. This was a little disappointing as there were no other young people. On the other hand, my aunt Cynthia and cousins Connie and Cathy are coming over tomorrow to learn how to make bread. I can't wait to see them again!
Currently listening to: '80s Gold
A cool thing is that our family friend Fennah is a travel editor for a well-known Chinese newspaper. I enjoyed hearing about the places she's visited. That's my dream job for sure. ^_^
Speaking of Fennah, she gave me a box of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory truffles. I've always wanted to try their confections but could never bring myself to buy them. It's definitely nice to have generous friends. Thanks, Fennah!
The downside is that Emily and Stacey didn't come. This was a little disappointing as there were no other young people. On the other hand, my aunt Cynthia and cousins Connie and Cathy are coming over tomorrow to learn how to make bread. I can't wait to see them again!
Currently listening to: '80s Gold
a quiet entrance into 2009
Just a while ago, I was writing about how awesome our last New Year's Eve was. It's hard to believe a whole year has passed. Where does time go?
New Year's Eve report
Yesterday was a mixed bag. The plan was to have a party at our house. But because only two people said they could come, Mom decided it wasn't worth the trouble and called off the party altogether. This was a let-down as I had been looking forward to it for several weeks.
To make matters worse, my laptop got infected with viruses again. Getting rid of that shit was a major pain in the ass. That is definitely not how I wanted to spend New Year's Eve. Fuck the losers that write these things. >:(
On the other hand, canceling the party made New Year's Eve much less stressful. For those who have never hosted a party before, cooking all that food and cleaning up the house can be daunting. It was nice to get some rest before the New Year. They say every cloud has a silver lining. So true.
But what really made our day is that the Shieh family had us over for dinner. There was lots of good food as Aunt Cynthia is a great cook just like Mom. Though it was just our two families at first, Connie's friend Michelle later came over. The more the merrier!
I saw Saving Private Ryan on TV while the girls made chocolate toffee cookies. All of us then gathered to watch the Times Square ball drop. The cookies were soon ready - and they were absolutely delicious. Just because this was a quiet gathering doesn't mean it wasn't fun.
However, Cynthia and Uncle Dong are both early sleepers. Therefore, my family left around 10 p.m. so they could get some rest. Considering that our own party was canceled, I'm grateful that the Shiehs invited us to theirs.
The other good news is that my mother has planned a New Year's Day dinner and invited three couples over. In addition, my aunt and cousins are coming over tomorrow to make bread and will be staying for lunch. I guess the New Year won't be so bad after all. :-)
2008 in review
The past year certainly had its highlights. For me, the best part of 2008 was when we we went to Yellowstone and the Upper Midwest during the summer. That was extremely exciting as I had always wanted to visit Yellowstone a second time. The trip to Southern California was enjoyable as well.
The downer is that I had to miss out on Anne's wedding in Taiwan because of my summer physics class. The wedding was a big deal as Anne was my first cousin on Mom's side to get married. At least there are the anniversary parties to look forward to. ^_^
I'm proud to say that my New Year's resolutions for 2008 were overall a success. Aside from getting my driver's license just two weeks into the new year, I also did rather well last semester. Considering that Berkeley isn't exactly known for easy classes, receiving an "A" in Stat 157 gave me a huge confidence boost. Two out of three ain't bad.
For those curious, my goals for 2009 are to not stay up too late, kick a few bad habits, be more independent, be more confident around girls and make more "offline" friends. Yeah, maybe five is a bit ambitious. Haha.
Currently watching: Saving Private Ryan
New Year's Eve report
Yesterday was a mixed bag. The plan was to have a party at our house. But because only two people said they could come, Mom decided it wasn't worth the trouble and called off the party altogether. This was a let-down as I had been looking forward to it for several weeks.
To make matters worse, my laptop got infected with viruses again. Getting rid of that shit was a major pain in the ass. That is definitely not how I wanted to spend New Year's Eve. Fuck the losers that write these things. >:(
On the other hand, canceling the party made New Year's Eve much less stressful. For those who have never hosted a party before, cooking all that food and cleaning up the house can be daunting. It was nice to get some rest before the New Year. They say every cloud has a silver lining. So true.
But what really made our day is that the Shieh family had us over for dinner. There was lots of good food as Aunt Cynthia is a great cook just like Mom. Though it was just our two families at first, Connie's friend Michelle later came over. The more the merrier!
I saw Saving Private Ryan on TV while the girls made chocolate toffee cookies. All of us then gathered to watch the Times Square ball drop. The cookies were soon ready - and they were absolutely delicious. Just because this was a quiet gathering doesn't mean it wasn't fun.
However, Cynthia and Uncle Dong are both early sleepers. Therefore, my family left around 10 p.m. so they could get some rest. Considering that our own party was canceled, I'm grateful that the Shiehs invited us to theirs.
The other good news is that my mother has planned a New Year's Day dinner and invited three couples over. In addition, my aunt and cousins are coming over tomorrow to make bread and will be staying for lunch. I guess the New Year won't be so bad after all. :-)
2008 in review
The past year certainly had its highlights. For me, the best part of 2008 was when we we went to Yellowstone and the Upper Midwest during the summer. That was extremely exciting as I had always wanted to visit Yellowstone a second time. The trip to Southern California was enjoyable as well.
The downer is that I had to miss out on Anne's wedding in Taiwan because of my summer physics class. The wedding was a big deal as Anne was my first cousin on Mom's side to get married. At least there are the anniversary parties to look forward to. ^_^
I'm proud to say that my New Year's resolutions for 2008 were overall a success. Aside from getting my driver's license just two weeks into the new year, I also did rather well last semester. Considering that Berkeley isn't exactly known for easy classes, receiving an "A" in Stat 157 gave me a huge confidence boost. Two out of three ain't bad.
For those curious, my goals for 2009 are to not stay up too late, kick a few bad habits, be more independent, be more confident around girls and make more "offline" friends. Yeah, maybe five is a bit ambitious. Haha.
Currently watching: Saving Private Ryan
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Christmas Eve party report
I just got back from the Liang family's Christmas Eve party with my parents. Because we already had a party planned for last night, Mom moved it back to New Year's Eve. That means we'll have a proper New Year celebration after all. Sweet!
At any rate, Carol's party was a blast. I got to meet her nieces Ariel and Stephanie for the first time. Emily and Stacey were obviously there too. The girls were playing Scrabble as we arrived; I teamed up with Stacey and almost helped her win. That was the highlight of the evening. :-)
Several other families showed up before it was time for dinner. All of the food was delicious; no wonder it was quickly gone. The girls decorated cookies and watched Friends afterwards; because that wasn't really my thing, I mostly played Super Mario World hacks on my laptop. Until Emily's boyfriend Daniel arrived, I was the only guy at the party aside from the dads. :P
Mom had suggested leaving early as the Liangs are leaving for Tahoe in the morning. However, Carol insisted that we stay until midnight, to which we obliged. Everyone then opened their presents as it was technically Christmas. To our surprise, there were some for us as well: Carol gave me a battery-powered pottery fountain while my parents got coupons for discounted flights. This was definitely a wonderful experience.
The memories from this party will certainly last a long time. It was nice to see the Liangs again after almost a year. Speaking of which, they're coming over on New Year's Day as well. I'm so excited!
Currently listening to: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time soundtrack - Gerudo Valley theme
At any rate, Carol's party was a blast. I got to meet her nieces Ariel and Stephanie for the first time. Emily and Stacey were obviously there too. The girls were playing Scrabble as we arrived; I teamed up with Stacey and almost helped her win. That was the highlight of the evening. :-)
Several other families showed up before it was time for dinner. All of the food was delicious; no wonder it was quickly gone. The girls decorated cookies and watched Friends afterwards; because that wasn't really my thing, I mostly played Super Mario World hacks on my laptop. Until Emily's boyfriend Daniel arrived, I was the only guy at the party aside from the dads. :P
Mom had suggested leaving early as the Liangs are leaving for Tahoe in the morning. However, Carol insisted that we stay until midnight, to which we obliged. Everyone then opened their presents as it was technically Christmas. To our surprise, there were some for us as well: Carol gave me a battery-powered pottery fountain while my parents got coupons for discounted flights. This was definitely a wonderful experience.
The memories from this party will certainly last a long time. It was nice to see the Liangs again after almost a year. Speaking of which, they're coming over on New Year's Day as well. I'm so excited!
Currently listening to: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time soundtrack - Gerudo Valley theme
Monday, December 22, 2008
Tahoe trip report
Christmas break is off to a good start as we went to Tahoe over the weekend. The reason for going there was to see The Nutcracker at MontBleu. The trip was lots of fun!
Day 1
We left around 9 a.m. to catch the 3 p.m. show in Stateline. Dad wanted to leave earlier, but the preparations took longer than expected. I also needed to stop at Berkeley to check out of the dorms for the holidays. However, the process was quick as most people had already left. There was also some traffic, although we managed to get to MontBleu with about half an hour to spare. Thank heavens for small favors.
The show began shortly after we arrived. This was our first time attending a ballet in over 10 years. While I'm not a huge ballet fan, the performance was incredible. The only downside is that we weren't allowed to take pictures.
The package included a night at MontBleu and admission to the Opal Ultra Lounge. After some cup noodles and vegetables for dinner, my family went to the ultra lounge for drinks. There was a DJ and a dance floor. I did my best to not look like a fool. Despite my inability to dance, this was my favorite of the trip.
Mom also wanted to see the art show at the convention center. The event had a live jazz band and complimentary wine. However, our stay was short as we were all tired. The day ended on a positive note: I found out I got an "A" in Stat 157 after checking my grades. Sweet!
Day 2
The three of us headed to Incline Village and checked into Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino. Our plan was to go to Soda Springs as we hadn't skied in over four years, but the weather changed our minds. On the other hand, Dad took us for a drive around Lake Tahoe. The scenery made for some great pictures.
Back at the hotel, my mother and I watched The Bucket List on our portable DVD player. The movie wasn't that bad despite the critical reviews. Mom then watched A Good Year while I played Super Star Wars on my laptop.
It was then time for dinner. I wanted to try the buffet downstairs, but the price was exorbitant. The food at other restaurants wasn't any cheaper. Greedy bastards. In the end, dinner consisted of smoked salmon and more cup noodles. The evening ended with a stroll around the hotel and a workout in the fitness room.
Day 3
The plan was to go to Soda Springs as the weather had cleared up. However, my family went to Truckee instead as the storm picked up again. But the weather in Truckee started getting even worse, so we high-tailed it out of town and began our drive home.
The fun didn't end there as we stopped at WinCo Foods in Vacaville. The best thing about WinCo is that everything is so cheap. The last stop on the way home was the Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant in San Jose for dinner. The food was absolutely delicious.
Conclusions
This trip wasn't just about the Nutcracker ballet. Even though we didn't ski this time, all of us had a great time. I've posted some pictures from our adventure. They were taken with our new digital camera. :-)
In other news...
The Liang family has invited us over for Christmas Eve. Because we can't be in two places at once, Mom is moving our party back to New Year's Eve. Two parties to look forward to - I'm definitely not complaining!
Update: The pictures are now online.
Currently watching: The Bucket List
Day 1
We left around 9 a.m. to catch the 3 p.m. show in Stateline. Dad wanted to leave earlier, but the preparations took longer than expected. I also needed to stop at Berkeley to check out of the dorms for the holidays. However, the process was quick as most people had already left. There was also some traffic, although we managed to get to MontBleu with about half an hour to spare. Thank heavens for small favors.
The show began shortly after we arrived. This was our first time attending a ballet in over 10 years. While I'm not a huge ballet fan, the performance was incredible. The only downside is that we weren't allowed to take pictures.
The package included a night at MontBleu and admission to the Opal Ultra Lounge. After some cup noodles and vegetables for dinner, my family went to the ultra lounge for drinks. There was a DJ and a dance floor. I did my best to not look like a fool. Despite my inability to dance, this was my favorite of the trip.
Mom also wanted to see the art show at the convention center. The event had a live jazz band and complimentary wine. However, our stay was short as we were all tired. The day ended on a positive note: I found out I got an "A" in Stat 157 after checking my grades. Sweet!
Day 2
The three of us headed to Incline Village and checked into Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino. Our plan was to go to Soda Springs as we hadn't skied in over four years, but the weather changed our minds. On the other hand, Dad took us for a drive around Lake Tahoe. The scenery made for some great pictures.
Back at the hotel, my mother and I watched The Bucket List on our portable DVD player. The movie wasn't that bad despite the critical reviews. Mom then watched A Good Year while I played Super Star Wars on my laptop.
It was then time for dinner. I wanted to try the buffet downstairs, but the price was exorbitant. The food at other restaurants wasn't any cheaper. Greedy bastards. In the end, dinner consisted of smoked salmon and more cup noodles. The evening ended with a stroll around the hotel and a workout in the fitness room.
Day 3
The plan was to go to Soda Springs as the weather had cleared up. However, my family went to Truckee instead as the storm picked up again. But the weather in Truckee started getting even worse, so we high-tailed it out of town and began our drive home.
The fun didn't end there as we stopped at WinCo Foods in Vacaville. The best thing about WinCo is that everything is so cheap. The last stop on the way home was the Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant in San Jose for dinner. The food was absolutely delicious.
Conclusions
This trip wasn't just about the Nutcracker ballet. Even though we didn't ski this time, all of us had a great time. I've posted some pictures from our adventure. They were taken with our new digital camera. :-)
In other news...
The Liang family has invited us over for Christmas Eve. Because we can't be in two places at once, Mom is moving our party back to New Year's Eve. Two parties to look forward to - I'm definitely not complaining!
Update: The pictures are now online.
Currently watching: The Bucket List
Sunday, December 14, 2008
done with the fall semester + holiday break plans
Friday was my last final of the semester. It's hard to believe Christmas break is already here!
One awesome thing is that the Stat 152 professor made the final exam optional. I'm fairly satisfied with my grade and decided to opt out. I certainly wish more professors would do something like this. Well, I can dream, right?
As for our plans, my family is heading to Tahoe this weekend to see the Nutcracker ballet at Montbleu. Though ballet isn't exactly my cup of tea, I'm super excited about the vacation. It's not often that we attend these events!
Mom also had a party planned for New Year's Eve. However, one of the couples will be out of town on that date. Therefore, my mother moved the gathering to New Year's Day after conferring with the other guests. Of course, that means the ball drop will have passed. Celebrating the New Year just isn't the same without the countdown. I guess we'll see how things go.
Other than that, I'll likely spend the rest of the break preparing for the GRE and my spring classes.
Update: It looks like the party will be on Christmas Eve. I'm not sure of our New Year's Eve plans, but this is definitely better than no party at all. :-)
Currently watching: Blade: Trinity
One awesome thing is that the Stat 152 professor made the final exam optional. I'm fairly satisfied with my grade and decided to opt out. I certainly wish more professors would do something like this. Well, I can dream, right?
As for our plans, my family is heading to Tahoe this weekend to see the Nutcracker ballet at Montbleu. Though ballet isn't exactly my cup of tea, I'm super excited about the vacation. It's not often that we attend these events!
Mom also had a party planned for New Year's Eve. However, one of the couples will be out of town on that date. Therefore, my mother moved the gathering to New Year's Day after conferring with the other guests. Of course, that means the ball drop will have passed. Celebrating the New Year just isn't the same without the countdown. I guess we'll see how things go.
Other than that, I'll likely spend the rest of the break preparing for the GRE and my spring classes.
Update: It looks like the party will be on Christmas Eve. I'm not sure of our New Year's Eve plans, but this is definitely better than no party at all. :-)
Currently watching: Blade: Trinity
Friday, December 5, 2008
early Christmas presents :-)
Just because Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over doesn't mean the deals are. Case in point, I came home today to find that my father had picked up various goodies while I was at school. The things he got were:
Getting early Christmas presents is always nice. Thanks, Dad!
- Two LaCie external hard drives with 1 TB of storage each. Considering that one of my hard drives failed last month, Dad figured we needed something to back up our files.
- Some Eneloop batteries and a charger. These will go well with my green lasers.
- Several Eco-i-Lite Home LED flashlight from Capstone Industries. They're intended for emergency lighting but should still be useful.
- A Nikon Coolpix S550 digital camera. This means Mom and I won't have to fight over the Coolpix 5200 anymore. :-)
- An Acer Aspire One netbook for himself.
- A 22" AOC Envision LCD HDTV monitor. It will allow us to continue watching TV when the digital TV transition comes.
Getting early Christmas presents is always nice. Thanks, Dad!
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