So today's my 37th birthday. It's hard to believe I'm turning 40 in three years. I guess I'll no longer be considered "young" soon. Hope rejuvenation becomes possible before I get too old. :P
I didn't have much of a celebration — which has been pretty standard — but Mom made me a lovely birthday cake. It was absolutely beautiful and tasted really good too. I'm sure people would beat down our door if she ever decides to start her own bakery business.
We also invited two couples to our house for lunch on Saturday. Mom's friend Suzie is a foodie like me and also loves to take food pictures. Her husband Kim is from Denmark and brought us some delicious homemade Danish pancakes. This wasn't a birthday party per se because it had been planned for a while, but it's always nice to have people over.
Another nice thing is my cousin Cathy said she sent me a package. She says it should arrive in a week or so. Can't wait to see what's inside. :-)
October 17 update: I just received the package that Cathy and her husband Andrew sent me. Inside was a heart puzzle containing all kinds of sweet messages. Love you two. <3
Currently listening to: Piano Sonata No. 10 by Wolfgang
Monday, October 10, 2022
Saturday, September 10, 2022
maxed my RuneScape account
I finally achieved my childhood dream of getting level 99 in all skills on my RuneScape character. It only took me 21 years. :-)
In the early days, level 99 skills were all the rage. Even a single 99 was a monumental milestone. People considered it a big deal when Zezima became the first person to get level 99 in all skills. I remember looking up to the other top players like Yogosun and being in awe of their dedication and perseverance.
But it's no secret RuneScape has gotten easier over the years. For one, the best training methods can give up to one million XP per hour. Double XP weeks, daily challenges and microtransactions have made things even easier. One could argue that having all 99's is no longer as "cool" as it used to be. However, this is still a big deal to me because it's been something I've dreamed about for a long time. I'm also proud to say I've never spent any extra money on Treasure Hunter.
Here is a screenshot of me getting 99 Invention. I've also posted a second screenshot that shows my current stats. In any case, my next goal is to take a break from skilling and work on the other requirements for the completionist cape. I also want to get into PvM and take on the harder bosses. Hope I don't die too often. :P
Currently listening to: "The Final Countdown" by Europe
In the early days, level 99 skills were all the rage. Even a single 99 was a monumental milestone. People considered it a big deal when Zezima became the first person to get level 99 in all skills. I remember looking up to the other top players like Yogosun and being in awe of their dedication and perseverance.
But it's no secret RuneScape has gotten easier over the years. For one, the best training methods can give up to one million XP per hour. Double XP weeks, daily challenges and microtransactions have made things even easier. One could argue that having all 99's is no longer as "cool" as it used to be. However, this is still a big deal to me because it's been something I've dreamed about for a long time. I'm also proud to say I've never spent any extra money on Treasure Hunter.
Here is a screenshot of me getting 99 Invention. I've also posted a second screenshot that shows my current stats. In any case, my next goal is to take a break from skilling and work on the other requirements for the completionist cape. I also want to get into PvM and take on the harder bosses. Hope I don't die too often. :P
Currently listening to: "The Final Countdown" by Europe
Monday, May 30, 2022
not a bad Memorial Day
Hope everyone had a great long weekend. For me, the highlight is we invited the Hsuehs to our house for lunch on Sunday. Our last time seeing them was about a year ago. I didn't get to see their son Alan this time as he already had plans, but this is normal for our generation these days. In any case, Mom made lots of great food as always. :-)
We didn't do much on Saturday and Monday because we were still a little tired. As you might remember, my mom's friend Rong-Rong and her husband David stayed with us for three days about two weeks ago. Hosting guests can be very stressful at times. On the whole, the Memorial Day long weekend wasn't too bad.
In other news...
I finally got my car back from the repair shop on the 20th. It now looks even better than it did before. :-)
Currently listening to: Trumpet Concerto by Joseph Haydn
We didn't do much on Saturday and Monday because we were still a little tired. As you might remember, my mom's friend Rong-Rong and her husband David stayed with us for three days about two weeks ago. Hosting guests can be very stressful at times. On the whole, the Memorial Day long weekend wasn't too bad.
In other news...
I finally got my car back from the repair shop on the 20th. It now looks even better than it did before. :-)
Currently listening to: Trumpet Concerto by Joseph Haydn
Friday, May 13, 2022
a visit from afar
It has been pretty exciting this week as we invited my mom's friend Rong-Rong and her husband David to stay at our house for two nights. For those unaware, my mom is a member of a women writers association and became acquainted with Rong-Rong through the group. Although they kept in touch on Line, this was their first time meeting in person because Rong-Rong lives in Spokane.
Because the Lovelesses are passing through the Bay Area while en route to a wedding in Los Angeles, the couple asked to crash at our place. Mom had been looking forward to meeting Rong-Rong and was thrilled to host them.
I had to sleep in the master bedroom because we let the Lovelesses use my room. Giving them the master bedroom would have been the most convenient for everyone, but this is said to bring bad luck in some traditions. On the bright side, Rong-Rong gave me three bags of chocolate for my troubles. :-)
An impromptu party — our first in almost three years
We also treated the Lovelesses to a nice dinner yesterday. Rong-Rong also wanted to invite her friend Hong-Yeh over because they had known each other for some time. Mom was more than happy to oblige. Both the Lovelesses and Hong-Yeh also brought food to share. It's been a while since we had a party like this!
Another highlight is that my aunt Cynthia also stopped by our house. She had come to drop off a gift as Rong-Rong had done a big favor for her a while ago. Cynthia had other errands and couldn't stay for more than a few minutes, but at least I enjoyed hearing about her and Cathy's recent trip to Europe. Given that the pandemic has limited our opportunities to get together, this was nice for a change.
I was admittedly a little nervous because the pandemic isn't really over. COVID-19 numbers have actually gone up in the past several days. However, the "good" news is that Omicron and BA.2 have shorter incubation periods. I should be fine as long as I don't get sick after a few days or so.
In any case, let's hope the pandemic will finally end this year. I'd definitely love to have some "proper" gatherings without fear of catching the virus!
Currently listening to: "American Pie" by Don McLean
Because the Lovelesses are passing through the Bay Area while en route to a wedding in Los Angeles, the couple asked to crash at our place. Mom had been looking forward to meeting Rong-Rong and was thrilled to host them.
I had to sleep in the master bedroom because we let the Lovelesses use my room. Giving them the master bedroom would have been the most convenient for everyone, but this is said to bring bad luck in some traditions. On the bright side, Rong-Rong gave me three bags of chocolate for my troubles. :-)
An impromptu party — our first in almost three years
We also treated the Lovelesses to a nice dinner yesterday. Rong-Rong also wanted to invite her friend Hong-Yeh over because they had known each other for some time. Mom was more than happy to oblige. Both the Lovelesses and Hong-Yeh also brought food to share. It's been a while since we had a party like this!
Another highlight is that my aunt Cynthia also stopped by our house. She had come to drop off a gift as Rong-Rong had done a big favor for her a while ago. Cynthia had other errands and couldn't stay for more than a few minutes, but at least I enjoyed hearing about her and Cathy's recent trip to Europe. Given that the pandemic has limited our opportunities to get together, this was nice for a change.
I was admittedly a little nervous because the pandemic isn't really over. COVID-19 numbers have actually gone up in the past several days. However, the "good" news is that Omicron and BA.2 have shorter incubation periods. I should be fine as long as I don't get sick after a few days or so.
In any case, let's hope the pandemic will finally end this year. I'd definitely love to have some "proper" gatherings without fear of catching the virus!
Currently listening to: "American Pie" by Don McLean
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
level 99 Archaeology in RuneScape
I'm excited to share that I just reached 99 Archaeology just two years after the skill was released. You can go here to see me level up. It's not the best screenshot because I didn't realize the tooltip was in the way and obstructed the view of my stats. In any case, this one of my fastest 99's ever, especially considering that I've mostly had an on-and-off membership. I only have to get two Invention before I finally get the max cape after all those years. :-)
It should be noted that there is a lot of content associated with the Archaeology skill. Let's hope it doesn't take me too long to get level 120 and the Professor and Guildmaster qualifications!
Currently listening to: "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
It should be noted that there is a lot of content associated with the Archaeology skill. Let's hope it doesn't take me too long to get level 120 and the Professor and Guildmaster qualifications!
Currently listening to: "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
some bad news about my car...
So my father got into a car accident a few hours ago. It's the other driver's fault because he was speeding and couldn't slow down in time. He tried to change lanes instead and ended up hitting my 2013 BMW 328i from behind.
First the good news: my dad wasn't hurt at all. As you can imagine, this is something I'm very grateful for. Furthermore, the other car narrowly avoid hitting the gas tank and possibly causing a fire. Someone was watching over him.
But the bad news is that there's quite a bit of damage to the car. Even though it is still drivable, the inner fender is touching the tire. There's also a loud noise when the car goes above a certain speed. It's also a little painful to see that big gaping hole. We therefore decided to stop using the car to avoid further damage.
Dad called our insurance provider, and it looks like the repair costs will be covered. However, this will likely take a while as the body shop needs to do an estimate and don't have the parts. On the bright side, the car should look as good as new once the repairs are done. :-)
Currently listening to: Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp major, BWV 848 by J. S. Bach
First the good news: my dad wasn't hurt at all. As you can imagine, this is something I'm very grateful for. Furthermore, the other car narrowly avoid hitting the gas tank and possibly causing a fire. Someone was watching over him.
But the bad news is that there's quite a bit of damage to the car. Even though it is still drivable, the inner fender is touching the tire. There's also a loud noise when the car goes above a certain speed. It's also a little painful to see that big gaping hole. We therefore decided to stop using the car to avoid further damage.
Dad called our insurance provider, and it looks like the repair costs will be covered. However, this will likely take a while as the body shop needs to do an estimate and don't have the parts. On the bright side, the car should look as good as new once the repairs are done. :-)
Currently listening to: Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp major, BWV 848 by J. S. Bach
Tuesday, February 1, 2022
got the iPhone 13 Pro Max
You may recall we got the iPhone 6 Plus almost seven years ago. However, that is much longer than the average life of a phone. Due to their age, each of our phones has started to have problems:
But switching to the new plan was a pain in the ass. Dad chatted with an agent and placed an order, but never got information on when the phones would arrive. He contacted customer support again but got disconnected due to inactivity several times. Only after some phone calls did we find out they had not processed the order. As a consequence, the phones didn't arrive until after several days.
The good news is that setting up the phones and transferring the data turned out to be a very simple matter. I was able to start using mine right away. Although the other two could not send or receive calls, the issue went away after several hours. At least we didn't have to call customer support again.
In any case, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is awesome. One cool feature is the voicemail transcription. It's nice to be able to tell when a message is spam without having to listen to that crap. Another nice thing is that the iPhone 13 Pro Max has a much longer battery life. I can also run newer apps that don't support the iPhone 6 Plus. RuneScape on the go, anyone? :-)
Currently listening to: "Infernal Galop" by Jacques Offenbach
- Mom's phone had a short battery life
- Dad's phone had a broken Home button
- my own phone had become unusable due to a "ghost touch" issue
But switching to the new plan was a pain in the ass. Dad chatted with an agent and placed an order, but never got information on when the phones would arrive. He contacted customer support again but got disconnected due to inactivity several times. Only after some phone calls did we find out they had not processed the order. As a consequence, the phones didn't arrive until after several days.
The good news is that setting up the phones and transferring the data turned out to be a very simple matter. I was able to start using mine right away. Although the other two could not send or receive calls, the issue went away after several hours. At least we didn't have to call customer support again.
In any case, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is awesome. One cool feature is the voicemail transcription. It's nice to be able to tell when a message is spam without having to listen to that crap. Another nice thing is that the iPhone 13 Pro Max has a much longer battery life. I can also run newer apps that don't support the iPhone 6 Plus. RuneScape on the go, anyone? :-)
Currently listening to: "Infernal Galop" by Jacques Offenbach
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