another amazing Lab126 party

So this is my 300th post. There's no better way to use it than to tell you about the awesome party I just got back from!

As you've probably noticed, Lab126 puts on an amazing post-holiday celebration every January. This year's event took place at Club Auto Sport in San Jose and was just as awesome as the previous ones. Club Auto Sport is kind of like an automotive museum with lots of high-end cars, so it's definitely great for gearheads.

Like at our previous events, there were lots of food and desserts. I would definitely have eaten more had I not gotten full so quickly. There was also a dance floor as usual, and especially many people got up to dance this time. The DJs were the same guys that played at Levi's Stadium last year, and they certainly did not disappoint.

One thing I've noticed is that dances aren't very common once you're out of school. This was definitely my favorite Lab126 post-holiday event to date; I don't think I've been to a dance this fun since college. :-)

an amazing but busy holiday

This Christmas break was one of the best ever - even though it was stressful at times and that my family didn't go anywhere.

As we had already gone on three vacations last summer, the three of us decided to stay home and take a break from traveling. However, that doesn't mean the break wasn't fun. For starters, my parents and I got to eat at several different restaurants. Out of the restaurants we visited, Portobello Grill in Redwood City was my favorite, although the other ones also pretty nice. We also watched several movies as well as went shopping quite a few times.

New Year's Eve was somewhat eventful as we didn't have a party this year, nor did anyone invite us to theirs. On the other hand, the following day wasn't too bad as we went to the New Year's Day Fun Run in downtown Los Altos. This was our first time participating in this event, and not only was it lots of fun, but it was also a great workout. We then visited the Tangs on January 2nd.

The rest of the break was somewhat stressful as I had lots of assignments for two online courses. Considering that we decided not to go on any vacations this time, my parents figured this would be a good time to gain new knowledge. Other than that, I got to play lots of RuneScape in my free time, in which case I got over six million total XP over the course of two weeks. I'd say that's pretty impressive. :-)

Currently listening to: "Best Song Ever" by One Direction

Happy 2016!

It's hard to believe 2015 has already passed. Oh hai, 2016!

I'll cut to the chase and say that New Year's Eve was pretty uneventful: my family didn't feel like throwing a party this year, and nobody invited us either. I had hoped to check out downtown Mountain View for special events but changed my mind finding out it was cold as hell outside. We also had plans for a board game night of sorts - after all, just because we're not having a party doesn't mean we can't have fun - but that didn't come to fruition as Mom was super tired and sleeping the whole time. Blah.

I've also been extremely busy as I had a shitload of assignments for two online machine learning classes. The good news is that I managed to finish all of this week's assignments, so I spent the rest of the evening playing RuneScape until the countdown. Gotta love good ol' RuneScape.

On the bright side, my parents and I will be visiting the Tangs on the 2nd, and as well as our family friend Grace on the 8th. So at least that's something to look forward to.

2015 in review

I'd say 2015 was overall a good year. The highlight was definitely our trip to New Zealand in September. It was no doubt a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the memories from that trip will certainly last a long time.

The past year was mostly positive, except when I got a bad case of hives in June. The good news is that the hospital costs were covered by insurance, but it was sure as hell an unpleasant experience. Let's hope that doesn't happen again.

As for my New Year's resolutions, my goals are to become familiar with machine learning and hopefully get a promotion. I'm also hoping to get at least two 99's in RuneScape. Challenge accepted!

Currently listening to: "We Own the Night" by the Wanted

2,200 skill total in RuneScape

Because I'll be home for the rest of the year, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get RuneScape membership again. Speaking of which, I actually just reached 2,200 skill total. Here is a screenshot of me leveling up!

Though I'm taking several online classes, there is still plenty of time for RuneScape during breaks, especially considering that we don't have any vacations planned. :-)

Currently playing: RuneScape

a long-awaited holiday break

I'm taking the rest of the year off as I've hit my vacation cap. Though I had planned to take my PTO the week before, my boss had asked me to stay due to a project deadline. The good news is that the current phase of the project has been completed. I still have some vacation time that won't roll over, but manager says I can get comp time. Thanks, Stephen!

The other thing is that we probably won't go on any vacations. Because we already went on three trips this summer, my family decided to take a break from traveling and stay in the Bay Area. Of course, there are always other things to do. :-)

Currently listening to: "Pompeii" by Bastille

another awesome Thanksgiving break

"I don't want to eat too much at once. That would be... irrational." -- me, on pumpkin pie

I hope everyone a great long weekend. At least my family did, considering that the Changs invited us to their annual Thanksgiving party again!

Thursday

It was a busy day as there were many things that needed to be done. I listened to online lectures and helped Dad unclog the drains while Mom prepared food. The three of us then headed to Henry's house.

The party was pretty fun. Sophie and the girls made several dishes while the Tings brought a turkey and five other items, including desserts. Ruth's boyfriend Steven brought some whiskey as well as cheese, crackers and chocolates. There was so much food that I was quickly full.

Everyone had such a great time that we didn't leave until 1:15 a.m. The only reason we didn't stay longer is that Henry had to teach an 8 a.m. class. I definitely hope the Changs will invite us again next year. In the meantime, feel free to check out my pictures from the party on Flickr.

Of course, Thanksgiving is about gratitude. You may recall that we visited New Zealand this summer. I'm thankful to my aunts Jill and Yu-Hua for paying for the trip, especially considering the costs. One thing for sure is that the memories will last a lifetime.

Friday and Saturday

The next two days were uneventful. Because the stores are often crowded this time of the year, my family decided to stay home. On the other hand, this was the perfect opportunity to finish my assignments for an online class. It was certainly nice to get them out of the way before the holidays.

Sunday

Our neighbor Bob is generously allowing us to pick persimmons from their tree. This took me and Dad the whole morning as the fruits are plentiful. Mom is planning to use them to make dried persimmons. :-)

The three of us walked to BevMo! and Cost Plus World Market in the afternoon to look at wines. This was our first time visiting BevMo! in a while. I couldn't believe how expensive some of the items were.

We also watched the 2013 remake of Oldboy after dinner for Henry's film club. Though they picked the original 2003 film, Mom suggested watching both to better understand the story. To tell you the truth, some scenes were pretty gross. I'm going to need some eye bleach. On the whole, the break wasn't too bad.

Currently watching: Oldboy (2013)

my thirty years on their shoulders

I just turned 30 years old. It's hard to believe I've spent three decades on Earth. Where did all that time go?

Of note is that we didn't have a fancy celebration this year. Instead, I had a quiet dinner with my parents at a small Japanese restaurant called Joy Sushi. Though the food was pretty average, there are few things better than sharing a meal with two of the most wonderful people in my life.

I also received some birthday rewards: a cinnamon roll from Le Boulanger, some Baskin-Robbins ice cream and an item from Starbucks - my choice being a sandwich as it was the best deal. The nice thing is that all three stores were within walking distance. Freebies aren't quite the same as presents from friends, but I can't complain.

In other news...

1. Amazon just announced the second-generation Fire TV earlier this month. To celebrate the launch, Lab126 had an event at Campo di Bocce in Los Gatos. It was definitely lots of fun. Click here the pictures.

2. Dad recently got some dash cameras for our family cars. These cameras are useful for investigations in the event of an accident or other incidents. They'll also allow us to record road trips. :-)

3. Congratulations to my LAHS classmate Derek on getting married!

Currently playing: Angry Birds Friends