Guest bedroom (before):
Guest bedroom (after):
Master bedroom (before):
Master bedroom (after):
Painting
It's been a LONG while since I have updated the blog. Man, it has been busy like crazy. Well, so what I have been up to? I have just got a condo and have been painting the place. It's a lot of work man. Anyway, I thought I should share some pictures.
Guest bedroom (before):
Guest bedroom (after):
Master bedroom (before):
Master bedroom (after):
Guest bedroom (before):
Guest bedroom (after):
Master bedroom (before):
Master bedroom (after):
Campaign Ads
For those who don't watch TV like me (well, I don't have a TV have home). I thought these campaign ads are funny.
John McCain came out with this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFGjBzXxcVs
Then someone came out with this funny one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwHk3g173Fg
I thought the second one is super funny. Actually, I think the energy policy does make some senses. haha...
John McCain came out with this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFGjBzXxcVs
Then someone came out with this funny one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwHk3g173Fg
I thought the second one is super funny. Actually, I think the energy policy does make some senses. haha...
Hike #7 - Crystal Lakes
I went hiking again yesterday. This time I went to Crystal Lakes in Mount Rainier National Park. It's 6.3 miles round-trip with 2300 feet elevation. It's a tough trail - it was pretty much an uphill battle from the get-go and it just kept going up and up and up. No flat land in between. Very bad. After 90mins of battle, we finally got to the top and it was beautiful. It was very quiet and peaceful (we only saw two other groups of people) and the lake was nice. I thought the weather would be bad but it's actually pretty nice. Mostly cloudy and breezy. The only issue is the mosquitoes. I got bitten alot even though I had put on insect repellents. Gotta use more next time. I also tried out some new gears this time - new hiking socks, new gloves (for trekking poles), and a new hiking shirts. Pretty nice :). Anyway, it was a nice hike. I don't have the pictures yet. Will see if i can post them tonight.
Next week will probably be some summit. Will see.
Next week will probably be some summit. Will see.
Hiking
I have been doing quite a lot of hiking recently. Well, I have only done three but it was like one hike per week. That's my goal for this summer - 3 hikes per month from June to October. I will see if I can accomplished. Anyway, so this past weekend, I went hiking by myself for the first time. I was a little scared at first but since I couldn't find anyone to go with me and the trail I planned to go is usually crowded (so there will be a lot of ppl) so I decided I would try hiking by myself.
This is the trail I went to - 6 miles roundtrip, 2000 feet elevation. Seriously, it was a bit tough for me - slope going up throughout the hike. I was pretty much cursing the whole time. haha... I finally reached the top after 80 mins of hike. The view was nice and I think the tough hike made it even better. I am glad that I had a pair of trekking poles to help me hike up and down; or else, I don't think I would have made it that fast. Will see if I can do another hike this weekend.
by the way, I have finally started working on the pictures I took a while ago. Hopefully, I can share some photos I took when I was in Hawaii, Japan, HK, etc etc.
This is the trail I went to - 6 miles roundtrip, 2000 feet elevation. Seriously, it was a bit tough for me - slope going up throughout the hike. I was pretty much cursing the whole time. haha... I finally reached the top after 80 mins of hike. The view was nice and I think the tough hike made it even better. I am glad that I had a pair of trekking poles to help me hike up and down; or else, I don't think I would have made it that fast. Will see if I can do another hike this weekend.
by the way, I have finally started working on the pictures I took a while ago. Hopefully, I can share some photos I took when I was in Hawaii, Japan, HK, etc etc.
Update
It's been more than 2 months since I last updated my blog. I am still alive; just been very lazy... what am i up to? well, i went on a vacation to Hawaii, am in the process of changing job (inside my company), and am looking for a condo in Seattle. I have also been doing hiking and learning tennis. All these things keep me busy all the time. I will try to update some more next time. Just a short one for now.
Later.
Later.
Taxes
I am finally done with my taxes and got one big monkey off my back. I didn't get money back this time and I have to pay! sigh... but I guess I got it done and can move on to another thing.
Alright. back to work...
Alright. back to work...
Still alive
It's been a while. Sorry; been very busy with various things in life. A lot of things happened in the past few weeks. First of all, a friend of mine will become a father soon! Congratulations! Happy for you man. Two of my friends in bay area will get married later this month (about 3 weeks away) and I am very excited to see them getting married finally! And, I'll be in Hawaii - Big Island later this month! Yeah, finally a vacation. I need one.
I have also been looking for a house/townhouse/condo. It's very difficult to find a perfect place you like. I have checked out about 15 places so far and I only liked one but it's off the market. The market is definitely on the slow side. A lot of supply but not a lot of demand. Of all the houses I looked at, only one is gone. My quest to find a place will keep going. Okay, need to get some work done. Later.
Before leaving, I want to share this clip.
I have also been looking for a house/townhouse/condo. It's very difficult to find a perfect place you like. I have checked out about 15 places so far and I only liked one but it's off the market. The market is definitely on the slow side. A lot of supply but not a lot of demand. Of all the houses I looked at, only one is gone. My quest to find a place will keep going. Okay, need to get some work done. Later.
Before leaving, I want to share this clip.
Snowboarding
Lately, under the influence of my friend, I have started snowboarding. Actually, I have only done twice, one in Jan and one today - there was new snow on the mountains so my friends and I went to one of them - Stevens Pass Ski Resort. It was only my second time snowboarding and I have to say, it's fun! but... a lot of pain.
I went on the green (beginner) slope four times today. The first time I came down, I fell.... over 25 times! The second time, I fell about 15 times; the third time, I fell about 5 times; and the last time, I only fell once! Yeah. And the reason I fell was that I had a cramp in my quad. so after a whole day of snowboarding, I am in pain now. My wrist, my butt, my quad, my thigh, my eyes, my face are all hurting (basically the whole body). When I get up tomorrow, I think I'll be in serious pain. Crap.
so one of the falls I had really hurt. I fell face down and my stomach hurt like crazy (it's like jumping into a swimming from a diving platform). The worst thing was that i just had lunch about 25mins before i fell so i felt even worse.
anyway, getting very sleepy and i start not making sense. will write more later. it's probably the last time i would go snowboarding this season. will wait till next season to try it again. okay, sleep.
I went on the green (beginner) slope four times today. The first time I came down, I fell.... over 25 times! The second time, I fell about 15 times; the third time, I fell about 5 times; and the last time, I only fell once! Yeah. And the reason I fell was that I had a cramp in my quad. so after a whole day of snowboarding, I am in pain now. My wrist, my butt, my quad, my thigh, my eyes, my face are all hurting (basically the whole body). When I get up tomorrow, I think I'll be in serious pain. Crap.
so one of the falls I had really hurt. I fell face down and my stomach hurt like crazy (it's like jumping into a swimming from a diving platform). The worst thing was that i just had lunch about 25mins before i fell so i felt even worse.
anyway, getting very sleepy and i start not making sense. will write more later. it's probably the last time i would go snowboarding this season. will wait till next season to try it again. okay, sleep.
Window Fixed
My window is fixed and I can finally drive my car again! Yeah. Total lost:
- GPS: $300
- Cassette Adaptor: $15
- Window replacement: $150
- Time: Priceless....
Lost an hour
We are back to summer time in the US. Crap, we lost an hour. Oh well, life as usual...
Someone called me just now; he knows me. However, I have no idea who he was! I couldn't even catch his name so I pretended that I just got up. Now that I have his number, I'll see if I can find out who he is.
Someone called me just now; he knows me. However, I have no idea who he was! I couldn't even catch his name so I pretended that I just got up. Now that I have his number, I'll see if I can find out who he is.
Don't leave anything behind!
It finally happened... it finally happened after 6 years... My 6-year-old Honda CR-V finally got broken into! The side window (front passenger side) was completely broken and my GPS (yeah, I bought one when my parents were here a month ago) was stolen - my GPS was inside a compartment but the GPS holder was attached to the windshield.
I stayed at work till 8pm last night helping another team on an issue (the guy didn't seem to appreciate what I did; oh well). I missed the last shuttle back home so I had to walk and it was raining. Crappy day... Anyway, I got home and changed to go to the gym (since I hadn't been there for about 4 days). While I was walking to my car, I talked to a friend on the phone about Hawaii. I got into my car and the first thing I noticed was that my GPS holder was detached from the windshield (at that point I still don't know the car was broken into. dumb... lol...) and I thought, it was such a useless holder - it couldn't even stick to the windshield. So I was gonna put the holder into the compartment; I moved that holder to the compartment and saw that the compartment was open. I was thinking, hmm... did I open it? After a few seconds, I remember I had a GPS in the compartment and it was gone. I was like, shit, what happened. Then, I turned my head a little more to the right and I saw the broken window!!! Hahaha... Man, now that I think about it, I was so dumb. How could I not even see it when I got into the car. lol.... Anyway, that's when I found out my car was broken into.
Well, my gym plan was canceled and my plan to go to my friend's surprise birthday at night was canceled... A even crappier day. Anyway, I called the police, took my camera to take pictures, and reported it to the parking lot attendants and the guard. After getting a police report done, I cleaned my car, called insurance company, and called my visa card (see if they could replace my GPS I bought about a month ago). I was dealing with it till 11:30pm. Luckily my friend came to pick me up to the birthday party; I was able to forget about it for a few hours (I stayed till 3am).
Actually, I wasn't too upset about the loss of my GPS. I am more pissed about the time I need to spend to get the car fixed. It's so annoying. Come on, couldn't the thief be smarter? Just disable the alarm, open the damn car lock, and take my stuff that way so that I don't have to go get my window fix. Anyway, thanks to my friends in NY, I got a good discount on the windows (30% off) and they will come to fix it on Monday.
Lesson learned... Don't leave anything in your car! I have lived in this apartment complex for more than 3 years and nothing has happened to my car until now. Maybe it was the GPS :). Not sure if I still want to get a GPS. I haven't really used it that much...
Alright, a long entry. Back to "work".
I stayed at work till 8pm last night helping another team on an issue (the guy didn't seem to appreciate what I did; oh well). I missed the last shuttle back home so I had to walk and it was raining. Crappy day... Anyway, I got home and changed to go to the gym (since I hadn't been there for about 4 days). While I was walking to my car, I talked to a friend on the phone about Hawaii. I got into my car and the first thing I noticed was that my GPS holder was detached from the windshield (at that point I still don't know the car was broken into. dumb... lol...) and I thought, it was such a useless holder - it couldn't even stick to the windshield. So I was gonna put the holder into the compartment; I moved that holder to the compartment and saw that the compartment was open. I was thinking, hmm... did I open it? After a few seconds, I remember I had a GPS in the compartment and it was gone. I was like, shit, what happened. Then, I turned my head a little more to the right and I saw the broken window!!! Hahaha... Man, now that I think about it, I was so dumb. How could I not even see it when I got into the car. lol.... Anyway, that's when I found out my car was broken into.
Well, my gym plan was canceled and my plan to go to my friend's surprise birthday at night was canceled... A even crappier day. Anyway, I called the police, took my camera to take pictures, and reported it to the parking lot attendants and the guard. After getting a police report done, I cleaned my car, called insurance company, and called my visa card (see if they could replace my GPS I bought about a month ago). I was dealing with it till 11:30pm. Luckily my friend came to pick me up to the birthday party; I was able to forget about it for a few hours (I stayed till 3am).
Actually, I wasn't too upset about the loss of my GPS. I am more pissed about the time I need to spend to get the car fixed. It's so annoying. Come on, couldn't the thief be smarter? Just disable the alarm, open the damn car lock, and take my stuff that way so that I don't have to go get my window fix. Anyway, thanks to my friends in NY, I got a good discount on the windows (30% off) and they will come to fix it on Monday.
Lesson learned... Don't leave anything in your car! I have lived in this apartment complex for more than 3 years and nothing has happened to my car until now. Maybe it was the GPS :). Not sure if I still want to get a GPS. I haven't really used it that much...
Alright, a long entry. Back to "work".
Blackbook
For some reasons, I have been feeling very sluggish lately - fatigue, lazy, not motivated in anything (including keeping in touch with friends - sorry for not getting back to you; once I feel better, I will :). I think it's the crud that has been bothering me for the past few weeks and I need to figure out a way to get it out of my system. By the way, I am still coughing. It's so annoying!!!
Anyway, so what's new? Well, I have got a Macbook! A black one! I think I am such an Apple fanboy now. I am pretty much all Mac at home and I'll be getting a Mac at work too! You may call me crazy but seriously, I love Leopard so much that I just need to get the Mac hardware (and I am getting rid of everything PC now). Why do I like Leopard? It just works the way I want it to (and I don't play computer games). Granted it took me about a few months to get used to the Mac OS and a year or so to actually appreciate it and love it but I think the time was worth it. Anyway, I'll stop all these talks on Mac :).
Why did I buy a Macbook? Well, it was a rather spontaneous purchase. Apple updated Macbook and Macbook Pro on Tuesday (2/26/08) and at the same time, a lot of the previous generation's laptops were on sale (the refurbished ones but they are pretty much the same as the new one except the box itself). The previous generation of Macbook was released in November 2007, that was only 3 months ago, and then the price for the black one was only $1049 from $1499, that's $450 difference! Since I have already planned to get a Macbook (actually, I wanted a 13" Macbook Pro but Apple refused to make one so I settled to the cheaper one) and the price was right, so I just bought it. I got it on Thursday and I am happy about it so far.
Okay, enough about Mac for now. Will write about something else next time.
Anyway, so what's new? Well, I have got a Macbook! A black one! I think I am such an Apple fanboy now. I am pretty much all Mac at home and I'll be getting a Mac at work too! You may call me crazy but seriously, I love Leopard so much that I just need to get the Mac hardware (and I am getting rid of everything PC now). Why do I like Leopard? It just works the way I want it to (and I don't play computer games). Granted it took me about a few months to get used to the Mac OS and a year or so to actually appreciate it and love it but I think the time was worth it. Anyway, I'll stop all these talks on Mac :).
Why did I buy a Macbook? Well, it was a rather spontaneous purchase. Apple updated Macbook and Macbook Pro on Tuesday (2/26/08) and at the same time, a lot of the previous generation's laptops were on sale (the refurbished ones but they are pretty much the same as the new one except the box itself). The previous generation of Macbook was released in November 2007, that was only 3 months ago, and then the price for the black one was only $1049 from $1499, that's $450 difference! Since I have already planned to get a Macbook (actually, I wanted a 13" Macbook Pro but Apple refused to make one so I settled to the cheaper one) and the price was right, so I just bought it. I got it on Thursday and I am happy about it so far.
Okay, enough about Mac for now. Will write about something else next time.
How Asian am I?
I have been having lunch/dinner with different people lately (to catch up with people) and someone asked me a question: how Asian are you? I always thought I am pretty Asian but then when I think more about it, I have been in US for almost 11 years and I probably have been influenced a lot of the surroundings (e.g. American cultures and Indian cultures - yeah, I hang out with Indians a lot). How should I start to answer this question? Hmm... Let's start with, what's considered as an Asian thing to do:
- Only like/eat Asian food (I am, for the most part - I don't like pizza and burgers)
Trip to Mexico
I have never been to Mexico so I have been doing a lot of research on this country. Man, most of the tourist resources I found talk about Mexico as a beach paradise. It's not a bad thing but I want something a little more than just beaches - I am also looking for some nature wonders or culture and want to do everything in a week. Not sure if it's possible but I am looking...
Somehow I came across this nice nature wonder in Mexico, Copper Canyon. The total area is bigger than Grand Canyon and you can do a lot of outdoor activities. Also, there is a rail running through the Canyon. Based on what I have read, it's a REALLY nice ride. Granted, it's a 14-hour train ride but I guess I can stop half-way to visit some towns/villages in between. Let's see if I could add a beach destination to this trip. Copper Canyon + Beach is good enough for the first trip to Mexico. Another I need to think about is whether I would like to join a tour or not. I usually don't like joining a tour but then if I am going a country I have never been to, maybe it's good to have a tour guide. Will see if my friends know anything.
More links for those interested in Mexico:
- Mazatlan, one of the resort place I am thinking about. The train from Copper Canyon will get to a neighboring town (Los Mochis) which is about 4 hours away.
- La Paz, another resort place. It's about a 5-hour ferry ride from Los Mochis. The interesting thing is that it's a ferry ride. could be fun.
I went to Japan earlier this year; it'll be cool to go to another country again. Alright, time to go to work. Will update more about this Mexico trip and will talk about an Alaska trip.
Somehow I came across this nice nature wonder in Mexico, Copper Canyon. The total area is bigger than Grand Canyon and you can do a lot of outdoor activities. Also, there is a rail running through the Canyon. Based on what I have read, it's a REALLY nice ride. Granted, it's a 14-hour train ride but I guess I can stop half-way to visit some towns/villages in between. Let's see if I could add a beach destination to this trip. Copper Canyon + Beach is good enough for the first trip to Mexico. Another I need to think about is whether I would like to join a tour or not. I usually don't like joining a tour but then if I am going a country I have never been to, maybe it's good to have a tour guide. Will see if my friends know anything.
More links for those interested in Mexico:
- Mazatlan, one of the resort place I am thinking about. The train from Copper Canyon will get to a neighboring town (Los Mochis) which is about 4 hours away.
- La Paz, another resort place. It's about a 5-hour ferry ride from Los Mochis. The interesting thing is that it's a ferry ride. could be fun.
I went to Japan earlier this year; it'll be cool to go to another country again. Alright, time to go to work. Will update more about this Mexico trip and will talk about an Alaska trip.
Labels:
Trip
Trips
I have been doing research on trips lately. The first trip I am thinking about is to Alaska in July/August for about a week and the second trip is to Mexico or Costa Rico in April/May after my friend's wedding for about a week. Well, my friends are planning to go to Tanzania in April/May for 2 weeks and I so want to go with them! It's super expensive though... $7000 for the tour and $2000 for the airfare. But... I think it'll be the ONLY chance I can visit Tanzania Safari. I know I probably won't have another chance. hmm... tough decision. Also, I need to more days off than I originally thought. hmm...
Clips
Instead of creating my own content today, I will just post links to some cool clips. Enjoy.
- http://youtube.com/watch?v=6bvns0o819I
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUUx5FdySs
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtTEGOxnq8M
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv5zWaTEVkI
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffrq6cUoE5A
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cyAqEjZ2as
- http://youtube.com/watch?v=6bvns0o819I
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUUx5FdySs
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtTEGOxnq8M
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv5zWaTEVkI
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffrq6cUoE5A
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cyAqEjZ2as
A new start
It's been almost two months since I updated my blog, my old blog. I have decided to start a new one as I want to forget about my past. It's also Chinese (or Lunar) New Year time and it's good to have new stuff :). Welcome everyone. For the old readers, I will lock my old blog by end of month; if you want to read more about my past entries, you still have two weeks :).
I have been very sick lately - got the flu/cold virus from my parents (oh yeah, they are in town for the Chinese New Year but it wasn't that fun for them; will talk about it in a bit). I just feel very crappy - running nose, stuffy nose, sneezing, ear infections, fatigue, chill, cough, and sore throat. I guess I got the whole package as my friend said. Actually, it's been pretty bad in 2008 so far. I have been sick A LOT! Hopefully, it's just a little coincidence and not the start of more serious sickness.
Okay, that's a first post of this new blog and I will update more. There are a lot of thoughts in my head right now and I really want to write it down - I will push myself to write it down.
I have been very sick lately - got the flu/cold virus from my parents (oh yeah, they are in town for the Chinese New Year but it wasn't that fun for them; will talk about it in a bit). I just feel very crappy - running nose, stuffy nose, sneezing, ear infections, fatigue, chill, cough, and sore throat. I guess I got the whole package as my friend said. Actually, it's been pretty bad in 2008 so far. I have been sick A LOT! Hopefully, it's just a little coincidence and not the start of more serious sickness.
Okay, that's a first post of this new blog and I will update more. There are a lot of thoughts in my head right now and I really want to write it down - I will push myself to write it down.
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