the stuff of legends

Two of my uncle Yeh-Wei's friends came over today. However, George and Andy are no ordinary guests: the duo are doing a 6,000 km bike ride across the continental United States, all the way from the West Coast to the East Coast!

Of note is that their entire three-month trek to New York City will be improvised. For example, they prefer get directions from locals and book hotels directly instead of making reservations. Yeh-Wei knew we lived near their starting point and asked us to give them a send-off. George and Andy also accompanied us to San Francisco in the evening to meet my classmates. :-)

This was a neat experience as we usually only hear about these people in the news. In any case, all of us are incredibly honored to know these guys!

In other news...

I went to the Cloud Connect expo with Dad yesterday afternoon. This event was much smaller than the RSA Conference two weeks ago, but the swag was nice. :D

RSA Conference report

"But... can it run Crysis at maximum settings?" -- me to IBM representative

I went to the RSA Conference in San Francisco with my parents yesterday afternoon. That was lots of fun even though we only attended the Security Expo.

The event was reminiscent of our trip to Las Vegas for the CES two years ago. While the RSA Conference was smaller, the lower number of attendees allowed us to breeze through registration. The vendors were also much more generous when it came to promotional items.

The expo had a greater focus on software and services than gadgets. I imagine it's because security is an intangible concept. There were nonetheless some hardware products, such as mainframes and video cards. I jokingly asked the IBM representative if the System z10 mainframe could run Crysis at maximum settings, to which she said it probably couldn't. :P

I saw only a couple of booth babes at the expo, and they weren't as hot as the ladies at the CES. On the other hand, the ones I talked to were far nicer than the bitch that turned me down for a photo in Vegas. Go figure.

The three of us didn't stay too long as I had to go class. However, that's not a problem as we're planning to go back to the conference tomorrow. In the meantime, feel free to check out the pictures I took at the expo so far.

March 4 update: Dad took us to the RSA Conference again. He thought it would be a good idea to come back on the last day as many exhibitors prefer to get rid of their promotional crap. This was a good call because we bagged a ton of loot this time, including several T-shirts and tote bags. Score!

Despite the shorter hours, I got to spend more time at the expo today as we arrived in San Francisco a few hours earlier than usual. After the conference ended, my family had a short break and an early dinner at Mel's Drive-In before I headed to class.

The Flickr album has also been updated.

Currently playing: Narcolyxii

Holy rabbits, Batman!

So my we went hiking in Rancho San Antonio County Park this afternoon. Seeing that it was raining heavily when we arrived, there was little choice but to leave. But after the weather cleared up, the three of us changed our minds and decided to go hiking after all.

The good news is that the trails were mostly dry as the rain stopped after just a few minutes. However, the cool thing is that there were many rabbits out of their burrows. While it's rare to see rabbits here, my family counted around 50 of them!

Although we frequently visit Rancho San Antonio, I've never seen more than one or two rabbits at a time. This was certainly an unusual occurrence. I hope they're not planning to take over the world. ^_^

The bad news is that I don't have any pictures. It was definitely a sight you had to see to believe. I'll definitely remember to bring my camera next time!

In other news...

1. We went to Half Moon Bay on the 17th and had dinner at Sam's Chowder House because Mom wanted to try their famous lobster roll. The day trip was lots of fun. I've posted some pictures here.

2. The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority sent us a notice saying that we missed three tolls, each of which came with a $20 fine. That's not good. :\

While we did use several toll roads during our recent visit to Chicago, the tolls should have been paid automatically as my cousin Jennifer lent us her I-PASS transponder. I'll check with her to see what's going on.

Update: Jennifer says she's taken care of the toll violations. Thanks, cousin!

Currently watching: Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Presidents Day long weekend report

So there are three holidays this weekend: today is Presidents Day while yesterday was Valentine's Day and Lunar New Year. It's not often that this happens!

The long weekend was pretty good. The three of us went to the Gate of Heaven Catholic Cemetery on Friday morning to pay respects to my late maternal grandmother Pi-Tan before heading to the nearby Rancho San Antonio County Park for a hike. Mom's new friend Ren later invited us and our family friend Carol to the Los Gatos Brewing Company for dinner. Everything we ordered was delicious. You can check out the pictures here.

We went for another hike on Saturday morning - this time in Stevens Creek County Park - as the weather was still nice. However, the rest of the weekend was uneventful as I was busy preparing for the first FAIM 605 midterm. Speaking of which, I should probably get back to studying as the exam is tomorrow. Peace.

Currently playing: Enigmata

back from Chicago and the Atlantic Northeast

"So we have a lawyer in our car... does that mean I can get out of speeding tickets?" -- Dad

I just got back from an 11-day trip to the Lake Michigan area and the Atlantic Northeast with my parents. That was awesome as we saw many sights and reconnected with family and friends. It was one heck of an adventure!

You may recall that we stayed a night in Chicago during our trip to Spain last summer. I had hoped to hang out with my cousins and see neighboring states, but there was no time for either. I've suggested we should revisit the Great Lakes area ever since. Dad apparently liked the idea. :-)

Yet this trip was a bit different: the main purpose of going to Chicago and the Atlantic Northeast was to look at universities to which I've applied. However, that doesn't mean we didn't have fun. Here is the trip report for your reading pleasure!

Day 1

It was a hectic morning as there was a lot of packing to do. We had barely finished breakfast when our family friend Karen whisked us off to the airport. Despite the increased security due to the Northwest Airlines incident two days ago, the check-in process was quick - aside from me getting a TSA pat down.

The flight to Chicago was fairly smooth. The long lines at the car rentals made the wait in the cold seem like forever. Dad took us to my great-aunt Shu-Ying's warm and cozy house after getting a car. I saw my cousins Eric, William, Frank and Jennifer, and uncles Da-Wei and Peter. This was my first time seeing Frank in years as he was out of town last time.

Once everything was unpacked, all of us went to Royal Buffet for dinner. This is the same restaurant we ate at on our trip to Spain. The food was delicious and quickly filled me up. Jennifer had to work but still met with us later.

Da-Wei took me to his place in Darien after a short break at Shu-Ying's house. Dad knew I wanted to spend more time with my cousins and had arranged for me to stay at their home for the next three nights. As embarrassing as it sounds, this was my first real sleepover!

Eric and William were watching their favorite football team, the Chicago Bears, play against the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears won the game, much to our delight. I generally don't follow American football but enjoyed rooting for the Bears with my cousins.

The boys and I played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the Xbox 360 afterwards. Though I prefer classic shooters like Doom and Quake over modern ones, Call of Duty turned out to be lots of fun. Of course, "everything in moderation" applies to gaming too: because it was getting late, all of us soon headed to bed.

Day 2

Da-Wei brought me back to Shu-Ying's house after breakfast. Everyone then gathered to pay respects to my late great-uncle Chi-Ming at a nearby cemetery. Those who follow my blog may notice this trip is starting to sound familiar!

It was then time to hit the road. The first stop was Northwestern University in Evanston. There was a homely feel to the place. Some offices were open, and we were lucky enough to run into two statistics professors who provided lots of useful information. The meeting ended around noon, but because there were no nearby restaurants, lunch consisted of whatever we could find in the car.

The next destination was the University of Chicago. Dad found a lounge with Wi-Fi and decided to reply to his e-mails. This took a while given the sheer number of messages. There was time to explore the campus, although we only took a few pictures because it was super chilly outside.

One thing I wanted to do was to visit nearby states. To that end, Dad took us to Indiana and Michigan later in the afternoon. Things didn't go without a hitch: at one rest area, I accidentally spilled some water while handing it to my father and got an earful. Thanks, Dad.

Our itinerary originally included Ohio University and Toledo, but we realized the overhead was too high and turned back after crossing the Indiana-Michigan border. On the other hand, my family had a great dinner in Chicago's Chinatown before returning to Shu-Ying's house. I'd love to visit Ohio University in the future as it was my late uncle Harrison's graduate alma mater.

Da-Wei brought me to his place after we got back to Chicago. I got to play Ninja Gaiden II on the Xbox 360 for the first time. That game really looked fun when I saw my old suitemate Bryan play it last April. It certainly didn't disappoint.

Day 3

Peter joined us on our trip to Madison. Because it was around noon when we arrived, the four of us went to McDonald's for lunch and coffee first. Funnily enough, Dad spilled his coffee while getting in the car. Oops. Can anyone say karma?

The University of Wisconsin–Madison campus was beautiful, especially in winter. I got some great pictures even though the school was closed for the holidays. The others needed something to keep them warm, so we went to Burger King for more coffee.

A nearby point of interest was Lake Monona. Mom suddenly realized she had left her hat and Dad's gloves at Burger King as we pulled into the parking lot. Oh crap. After hurrying back there, my parents had everything accounted for. That was a close call.

At any rate, it was neat to walk on the thick ice on Lake Monona and watch people fish for bluegill. One could hardly imagine anything would be alive under all that ice. I've seen ice fishing in pictures but had never witnessed it in person. I'd say this was - pardon the pun - the coolest part of the trip.

The plan was to stay a night in Madison and drive along the Mississippi River to Minnesota and Iowa, but we figured this would also take too much time. I guess that's something to consider for the future. The last stop in Madison was Starbucks as Dad needed to reply to more e-mails. The café was a nice place to relax and escape from the cold. I took the opportunity to treat Mom to a cup of latte. :-)

We had another nice dinner on the way back to Chicago. Though it was late when we arrived at Da-Wei's house, I got to play Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on the PlayStation 2 with Eric and William. This was another great game.

Day 4

Dad picked me up around noon and took me back to Shu-Ying's house for lunch, after which we headed to downtown Chicago with Peter accompanying us again. The John Hancock Center and Water Tower Place were huge and filled with stores. This easily took up the entire afternoon.

For New Year's Eve, my father invited his extended family to dinner at the Lee Wing Wah Restaurant in Chicago's Chinatown. Our party arrived early with the intention of exploring the area, but the freezing weather made us change our minds. Therefore, the four of us decided to chill out (or rather, warm up) at the restaurant instead.

On the subject of which, the food was pretty good. After everyone was done, Dad asked for the bill and was told that it was already paid for. It turned out my aunt Sue secretly picked up the tab. That made us feel guilty for sure. ^_^

All of us then went to Da-Wei's place. I played some more Ninja Gaiden II before counting down to 2010 with our relatives. The party was another highlight of our vacation. As much as we hated to leave, my family went back to Shu-Ying's house shortly after midnight as we had an early flight to catch.

Be sure to read my New Year's Day post for more details.

Day 5

Happy New Year!

The 8:30 a.m. flight meant we had to get up no later than 6 a.m. To say I was sleepy would be an understatement. The three of us had a quick breakfast and bid farewell to our relatives before going to O'Hare to return the car and check in.

I got stopped by the TSA again on way to the terminal. Lucky me. The flight wasn't too bad as we got some rest on the plane. The not-so-fun part is that Mom spilled her coffee all over my lap. Holy crap. Is this some kind of curse?

The plane landed at JFK three hours later. Dad rented another car and took us to his friend JJ's house in Morganville. This was our first time getting together with the Yen family in over 13 years. They came to California in the spring of 1996 and stayed at our house for several days. That was so much fun that they decided to come back in August.

But some things aren't meant to be: the Yens canceled that trip after Sing-Long found a job and haven't visited since. As you could imagine, our families were thrilled to touch base again. JJ's kids have all grown up: Gary is now pursuing his J.D. at the University of Pennsylvania while Greg and Michelle are undergraduates at Rutgers.

Gary was busy with law school, but the others were home. The Yens treated us to a hot pot dinner, during which we had lots of catching up to do. Greg later invited me to play Contra: Shattered Soldier on the PlayStation 2 with him. It was both fun and challenging at the same time. The rest of the evening was uneventful as we were all tired.

Day 6

JJ gave us a ride to the nearest NJ Transit station, from which we took the bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal and then the subway to the Grand Central Terminal. I had no idea the Grand Central Terminal was so large. It was like a city in itself.

Our first stop in New York City was the Columbia University campus. This was another school I had applied for, although we didn't spend more than 15 minutes here as the weather was even colder than in Chicago. All of us started getting hungry and went to a restaurant in Manhattan's Chinatown for lunch. The servings were large and delicious, especially the fried fish.

Up next was the World Trade Center site. It's hard to believe over eight years have passed since the 9/11 attacks. The skyline just doesn't seem complete without the Twin Towers. Our next point of interest was the nearby New York University as Dad wanted to see what it looked like.

We then took the subway to Times Square. The plaza was bustling with activity and full of confetti from New Year's Eve. I had hoped to come here for the ball drop - which would have been quite an experience - but the prospect of standing on a crowded street for hours changed my mind. It would also have made bathroom trips a nightmare - not my idea of a good time.

The beautiful Central Park awaited us after dinner. I'd have loved to stay longer if the crime rate wasn't so high. The holiday lights at the Time Warner Center then beckoned us in. I enjoyed visiting Whole Foods Market and Borders despite the high prices. The three of us made a brief stop for pictures at Wall Street before heading back to the Grand Central Terminal.

Sing-Long picked us up at the NJ Transit station and drove us to JJ's friend Joe's house. It turned out Joe was having a big party that Sing-Long didn't want us to miss out on. The karaoke made for a lively atmosphere. I was a little bored as there was nobody else my age, but Joe was kind enough to let me browse the web on his laptop. The other adults enjoyed the party so much that we didn't leave until 11 p.m.

It was nice to be back at JJ's house after a busy day. Greg had left for a nine-day road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains with his girlfriend Glorian, leaving only Michelle and her parents at home. Because I didn't get to say goodbye to him in person, I guess a Facebook post will have to do.

Day 7

The main stop of the day was Cornell University in Ithaca. The route took us past Rutgers, but we skipped it due to the freezing temperatures. I spotted a cute roadside restaurant that turned out to be the perfect place for lunch. Everything we ordered was delicious!

The three of us arrived in Ithaca after a five-hour drive. Aside from a trip to the supermarket for dinner, the evening was uneventful as we were all exhausted.

Day 8

The weather wasn't too cold despite the snow outside. Luck was on our side again: my family met a professor at Cornell who gave us all the information we needed. The afternoon ended with a visit to the Department of Astronomy - where Carl Sagan worked until his death. I've always been one of his fans, and considering that I'll never get to meet him, this was the least I could do. On the whole, Cornell was my favorite school.

The plan was to head back to Morganville after lunch. However, my father extended our stay in Ithaca by a day after another professor said he could meet with us. Dad had hoped to go to Syracuse in the meantime but later changed his mind after the weather turned bad. The evening was much like the previous one: all we did was buy food at the supermarket.

Day 9

The appointment with Prof. Lewis went extremely well. I truly appreciate him taking the time to meet with us during the holidays. Our last stop in Ithaca was the Sagan Planet Walk - which consists of 10 monuments representing the Solar System. They were a nice touch, although we only went to the first four as it had gotten unbearably cold.

Philadelphia awaited us in the afternoon. The reason for coming to the City of Brotherly Love was to see the University of Pennsylvania. Gary is studying here to become a lawyer (an honest one, he says) and was more than happy to show us around. I could tell UPenn was a prestigious school. After the tour, we thanked Gary for his time and took him to dinner at a restaurant of his choice before dropping him off at his apartment.

I was getting ready for bed when I realized I had lost one of my mittens. Chances are it's somewhere in Philadelphia. Shit happens. It really does.

Day 10

JJ recommended Monmouth Battlefield State Park after we asked him about hiking spots. The trails were nice, but the scenery wasn't that impressive. On the other hand, Dad found an abandoned baseball in good condition near a frozen pond. He says it compensates for the mitten I lost the day before.

The next stop was Princeton University as my father wanted to see what it looked like too. This was followed by a hike along the partially frozen Delaware River. The place was beautiful, but we eventually had to turn back after reaching a fallen tree that blocked the path.

The plan was to go to a nearby beach that we heard had a great view of the Atlantic Ocean. Just then, our GPS gave us wrong directions and sent us on a wild goose chase for about 30 minutes. Seeing that we were getting nowhere, my parents gave up and went back to JJ's place. Don't you love technology sometimes?

The Yens invited us to an Asian buffet restaurant for dinner. Though I loved the food, this was a bittersweet moment as we soon had to part ways. Michelle actually needed to go back to Rutgers to prepare for a job fair. I hugged her goodbye before we returned to JJ's house for the night.

Mom noticed several hundred dollars in cash were missing as we were packing up. I'm guessing some random New Yorker must have took them. Fuck those bastards. >:(

Day 11

We thanked JJ and Sing-Long for their hospitality and said our farewells before heading back to the airport. On the way through Staten Island, my family stopped at a restaurant called Jimmy Max for lunch. The atmosphere was nice, although the tight schedule made it hard to enjoy the meal.

The good news is that we were able to board our flight on time despite the heavy traffic. The plane landed in San Francisco five hours later. Karen picked us up and gave us a ride home, during which we treated her to dinner for her troubles.

Conclusions

The purpose of traveling to Chicago and the Atlantic Northeast was to get a closer look at several universities to which I've applied. Cornell was my favorite, although I loved UPenn and Northwestern as well. Here's to hoping I get accepted into at least one of them!

Spanning 11 days, this was one of our longest trips ever. Of note is that never stayed at a hotel except when we visited Ithaca. The generosity of our friends and family saved us a lot in accommodation costs. Though the cold weather limited our outdoor time, that generally wasn't an issue.

The highlight of the trip was watching people ice fish on Lake Monona. The party at Da-Wei's house was also awesome; there are few things better than celebrating the New Year with relatives. It was also nice to get together with the Yen family again after over 13 years. But perhaps the most important thing is that I have a better understanding of the schools I've applied to.

Speaking of which, I ought to be studying as the winter quarter at St. Mary's College of California is starting in a few days. In the meantime, you can see the pictures from the trip here.

Update: The pictures are up.

Currently listening to: "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley

Happy 2010

Time certainly flies. It was 10 years ago when we celebrated the year 2000 with the Liangs. I remember checking to make sure my Asus laptop was still working afterwards. Has it really been a whole decade?

Speaking of which, 2010 sounds so futuristic. I can't believe we still don't have force fields, anti-gravity drives or plasma guns!

New Year's Eve report

I'm currently in Chicago on a trip to see relatives and visit some schools. This was our first time spending New Year's Eve away from home. After taking us and my uncle Peter to downtown Chicago, Dad invited his extended family to dinner at the Lee Wing Wah Restaurant in Chinatown. The plan was to take a walk around the area after making the reservation, but the freezing weather quickly changed our minds. So we headed straight to the restaurant to wait for our guests.

There was so much food that I was full in no time. Just as we were getting ready to leave, my parents noticed that my aunt Sue had secretly picked up the tab. That made us feel guilty because we were supposed to pay for dinner. *blush*

Da-Wei invited us to his house in Darien after the meal. I got to play Ninja Gaiden II on the Xbox 360 and hang out with my cousins Eric and William - things I wanted to do on our last visit but didn't get the chance to. Everyone then gathered to watch the countdown as midnight approached. The evening couldn't have been better.

It's too bad we couldn't stay long afterwards as we have to catch a flight to New York City in a few hours. I'm actually a little sad about leaving Chicago so soon.

2009 in review

I'll start by saying that 2009 wasn't a good year. The economic recession definitely affected all of us. The fact that Dad took a pay cut in January didn't help the issue. It also sucks that we lost Michael Jackson - he was one of my favorite celebrities. On a more personal level, my uncle Harrison died in April as did my grandfather Ching-Shang in September.

But the past year had its merits. The best part was getting a 200 mW green laser for free. That was a dream come true as I've always wanted a high-powered laser. Another highlight was finishing college last summer. Graduating from Berkeley was no easy job!

I'm extremely excited about what the future has to offer. On the subject of which, my New Year's resolutions for 2010 are to do well in graduate school and improve my patience. At any rate, I should probably get going as we have to get up around 6 a.m. to catch our plane.

I'll post a full trip report when we get home. In the meantime, click here to see what we ate for dinner. I was preoccupied with Ninja Gaiden II and forgot to take pictures at Da-Wei's house. Oh well. *facepalm*

Update: The complete trip report has been posted.

Currently playing: Ninja Gaiden II

an exciting holiday season

I've been rather busy even after the semester ended. Because I'm hoping to continue my graduate studies after finishing my degree at St. Mary's College of California, I recently started applying to schools again. This was hard work because I've applied to around 18 of them. The good news is that I'm mostly done with the applications. I'm so glad the holidays are here. :-)

Christmas is a time for people to come together. To that end, my parents are inviting some family friends over for dinner in the next few days. However, the best part is that we'll be going to the Great Lakes area and the Atlantic Northeast for 11 days shortly after Christmas. The main purpose of the trip is to look at schools to which I've applied, although we'll visit relatives in Chicago and the Yen family in New Jersey as well. I'm so excited!

In other news...

1. We had Bonnie and her husband John over for dinner on the 20th. Click here to see what we ate!

2. In an effort to learn more about finance, I accompanied my parents to their refinancing appointment this afternoon. While the process wasn't that complicated, there was a shitload of paperwork they had to sign. Gotta love bureaucracy.

Currently watching: The Bridge at Remagen