Black Friday report

Yesterday was pretty fun. To start off, my family went hunting for bargains right after getting out of bed. Given that Black Friday items are usually on a first-come, first-served basis, the only way to have a chance of getting them is to arrive as early as possible. Though it was barely 6 a.m. when we left our house, the stores were already filled with shoppers.

Our first stop was Macy's at Stanford Shopping Center. Seeing that the lines weren't too long here, my mother bought a stand mixer and a miniature oven. The other stop was Fry's Electronics, although there wasn't anything we needed.

Party report

The highlight of the day was the party at Carol's house. Her family throws a big party on Black Friday every year and decided to have us over. Considering that we didn't have our own gathering this year, I'm grateful that the Liangs invited us to theirs.

Everyone brought food for the potluck dinner. Mom's homemade mashed potatoes were a favorite among the kids. I counted at least 20 dishes, not to mention desserts. There was so much stuff that I didn't get to try everything!

Around 30 guests showed up, including lots of Emily's and Stacey's friends. The kids and I played Taboo after dinner. This was easily the best part of the evening. I hope it won't be long before the Liangs have another gathering like this one. You could tell I'm a party animal. ^_^

There was a boy named Raymond who seemed bored, probably because he had nobody to play with. I decided to be nice and let him play SNES games on my laptop using an emulator while I hung out with the other young people. Speaking of which, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars looked so much fun. I really need to play that game myself.

On the whole, the evening couldn't have been better. You can see my pictures from the party at Flickr. Another guest named Clif has also posted pictures; those are available at Picasa.

Currently playing: Tetris Attack

Historical note: Clif's photos are no longer available due to Picasa shutting down. I'll update this post if I find a mirror.

Thanksgiving report

Thanksgiving was a little different this year. I'm hoping to study statistics after finishing my degree at St. Mary's College of California and have been extremely busy with graduate school applications. In other words, most of my time has been spent filling in forms and writing boring essays. It's like applying for college all over again!

This is also the first time since 2005 that we didn't have anyone over. Mom felt a party was too much work and decided to not have one. However, that's not a problem because the Liangs have invited us to their annual Black Friday party. I certainly can't complain!

We're also planning to get up early tomorrow to grab some Black Friday deals. This is something we've never done before and will be a new experience. So yeah, Friday should be fun.

The bad news is that I've been suffering from acid reflux since about a week ago. I'm guessing it has to do with the stress. The most noticeable symptom is that I often feel hungry even when full. At the risk of sounding like a hypochondriac, I hope it's not anything serious.

This year, I'm thankful for having Bonnie as my undergraduate advisor. Those five years at Berkeley would have been much tougher without her help. On the subject of which, my parents recently invited her and her husband John to dinner at Lo Coco's Restaurant as a show of gratitude. Feel free to check out the pictures from the meal.

In other news...

I recently got my first smartphone: the Samsung Rogue. The built-in browser sucks but is still useful for accessing the Internet on the go.

new MacBook Pro

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was getting a MacBook Pro. Seeing that Macs have become popular in recent years, Dad figured a MacBook Pro would be a nice addition. He also felt it would be useful if I ever needed to work across platforms.

At any rate, my new computer just arrived. The laptop has a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB of RAM and 500 GB of disk space. It makes my IBM ThinkPad T42 seem slow in comparison. The 13" screen is nice too. Thanks, Dad!

I haven't used an Apple product in ages and don't know much about the latest Macs. Looks like I'll have to start reading Mac OS X for Dummies soon. :P

Lobster Feed report

The Lobster Feed absolutely rocked. It was an epic birthday celebration!

I was in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park with my parents last weekend when a banner at the entrance caught our eye. Given that the park is one of our favorite destinations, my father immediately bought tickets. The fact that the event was on my 24th birthday was a deciding factor. :-)

Dad invited his cousin Susan and her husband Tony to join us after finding out they were visiting from China. Mom prepared some tea before we left our house. We also took the couple to Santana Row in San Jose so they could see what it's like, although there wasn't anything they needed.

The five of us then headed to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and made our way to the event venue. There was a problem: Dad didn't know about Tony and Susan's visit and had only bought three tickets. It looked like two of us would have to miss out. However, luck was on our side: my parents were about to give up their spots when a volunteer found two more tickets at the last minute - and only because two people didn't show up. That was a close call.

Due to our early arrival, there was plenty of time for a hike. The timing couldn't have been better: all of us got back to the picnic area just as the feast started. Had we returned a few minutes later, the lines would have been much longer.

At any rate, the lobsters were delicious. I was surprised at how fresh they tasted, considering that they were shipped from Maine. Though we enjoyed the meal, the food selection was limited. Aside from the corn, garlic bread and salad, there wasn't much else except ice cream and cookies for dessert.

A local band called Highway One played bluegrass after dinner. Some people got up to dance; there was an Irish couple who knew how to bust a move. Dad also asked the band to give me a birthday shout-out, to which they obliged. That was awesome and awkward at the same time. ^_^

I also couldn't resist the opportunity to show off my new 200 mW green laser. The steam from the pots made the beam highly visible. People definitely thought it was cool.

On the whole, the Lobster Feed was awesome. Besides the small selection of food, the only downside is that the music was limited to bluegrass. Don't get me wrong - bluegrass is one of our favorite genres - but too much of the same stuff makes it repetitive. Other than that, I don't have any complaints.

While the tickets were $50 each, the proceeds go towards the park through the Mountain Parks Foundation. It's certainly nice to eat good food for a good cause. All of us were more than happy to give back to the place we love so much. I've posted some pictures from the event. Please excuse the quality as I forgot to turn on flash.

officially 24 today

I'm now officially 24 years old. Gosh, that makes me feel like an old man. ^_^

You may recall that we had an early birthday celebration to accommodate the delivery of a new refrigerator. The good news is that it came in the morning and was installed by noon, leaving the rest of the day free. As you could probably tell, the new fridge was more of a coincidence than a present. :P

Just because we already had a party doesn't mean the fun is over. Dad's cousin Susan and her husband Tony are visiting from China and coming over in the afternoon, and the plan is to take them to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park for the Lobster Feed. This is something I'm greatly looking forward to. I'll post a report of the event after getting home.

The presents are nice too: the store where we purchased the Lobster Feed tickets gave us two natural history books as part of a promotion. Dad has also ordered a MacBook Pro that is due to arrive soon. This is going to be an awesome birthday for sure.

One thing I like to do on my birthday is to share three random facts about my childhood. So here they are:

1. I sometimes pretended to be a guy named Winston when I was little.
2. Shortly after I started middle school, Mom wanted me to attend the first LAYC dance so I could see what it was like. However, she didn't have school dances back in her day and assumed they were all formal. I ended up being the only one in a tuxedo. Awkward!
3. I used to think hugs always went with kisses. There was this one time when one of my elementary school teachers gave me a hug while I was waiting for my mother. I'll leave the rest to your imagination. *blush*

birthday bash!

I'm turning 24 tomorrow. However, our new refrigerator is arriving the same day and will likely take a while to set up. Therefore, my family decided to do an early celebration!

Although I generally don't have birthday parties anymore, Mom invited the Chus and the Liangs over for lunch. The reason is that Wen-Ko and I share a birthday on the 10th as do Carol and Dad on the 16th. So we're really celebrating four birthdays at once!

Wen-Ko brought a delicious green tea cake from Sogo Bakery for the occasion. Here is a picture for those interested. She is definitely one of our more generous friends. But considering that it's her birthday too, I couldn't help but feel guilty about her buying the cake. Haha.

The gathering was overall quite enjoyable. The only downside is that there were no other young people. Emily had to work while Stacey was at school. Of course, that's not a problem because I'm sure our families will get together again. :-)

Currently listening to: "Vad Heter Du?" by Caramell

my maternal grandfather just passed away :-(

Mom just got word that my maternal grandfather Ching-Shang Yang has died. He was 98 years old. I'm not going to lie - 2009 hasn't been a good year. :\

The details are unclear, but early reports are pointing to gastrointestinal bleeding as the cause of death. Given Grandpa's age, this was surprising but not completely unexpected. The only consolation is that he probably didn't suffer too much.

Ching-Shang was the oldest of my grandparents and the last surviving one. Our dreams that he would become a centenarian will never be realized. On the bright side, I believe he has been reunited with my grandmother Pi-Tan and uncle Harrison in Heaven. Though Grandpa may no longer be with us in person, he'll remain in our hearts forever.

To those who have offered support during this difficult time, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Currently listening to: "Shine Your Light" by Robbie Robertson