South Lake to North Lake: Pretrip

On and before August 31 The sliding glass door at Clark’s once again opens and closes. I feel as if the checkers are looking at me, wondering why I am back. I had gotten the wrong package; there is no reason that Pad Thai should have fish sauce in it.…

South Lake to North Lake: Plans

Getting ready to leave on what should be an epic backpacking trip through the high Sierras out of Bishop, California. Here are the itinerary and menu (vegetarian, except for other choices for lunch). Wednesday, August 31 Breakfast at Rainbow Outfitters Car shuttle to North Lake Take in from South Lake…

San Gorgonio Peak

This trip took me and our group of residents and medical students from the Vivian Creek trailhead to San Gorgonio Peak. […]

Alice’s Birthday Party

On the weekend before Alice’s actual birthday, we had a group of friends over for an evening celebration. The menu, of course, was Thai food.

Seared ahi

I had been wanting to try making seared ahi. From the looks of it, it shouldn’t be that difficult. Anyways, I decided to try two recipes. Trader Joe’s had nice ahi steaks, and the first recipe was ahi encrusted in five spice powder served with a salad drizzled with wasabi…

Minnesota

The Musculoskeletal Infection Society meetings took place August 4 to 6 in Rochester. I took a driving tour up to the Boundary Waters for the weekend, spending Saturday night in the little town of Ely, exploring the many lakes of the area.

Joshua Tree Stargazing

The purpose of this trip was to gaze at the Delta Aquarid and the beginning of the Perseid showers in what was supposed to be a celestial traffic jam. After we arrived, clouds rolled in to obscure much of the sky. A few of us saw some meteors, but we…

Leoni Meadows Honor Science Camp

Going to Leoni Meadows was a great way to get out of town and find some peace and quiet among nature. I flew up on Thursday, and after trying to find my way from Sacramento to Grizzly Flats after dark, I made it to the lodge. The next morning, Dr.…

La Sierra Graduation

My cousins Ariana Anugerah and Rachel Hechanova graduated from La Sierra University. Walking around on campus brought back memories of my alma mater. The entire campus mall area looked very familiar, but so much has changed throughout. Somehow, all the buildings seems smaller than what I remembered them to be.

Barbeque by the Pond

We had a group of friends over for a simple barbeque by the pond. The main course was vegetarian burgers, and the sides were grilled zucchini and corn on the cob. I also grilled top sirloin steak seasoned with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette marinade. Afterwards, some people suggested that I…

Mandy and Lawrence’s Wedding

For Mandy and Lawrence’s wedding, I traveled to Oakland International Airport, rented a car, and drove north. On the way, I had a chance to take night shots of the Golden Gate Bridge. The next day, I visited Muir Woods and had other excursions along various points on the coast.…

May 25

Today was special. This morning, Stuart Green came over from Irvine to give us Grand Rounds. The talk was very enlightening, shedding light on such things as the placebo effect and how the mind perceives treatment. Then, I had all the students who matched into Orthopaedic Surgery over for tea…

Reunion with Ariana

This weekend was Ariana’s big senior cello recital, and it became a big reunion as well. It was good to see everyone again.

Central Europe

I just got back from a whirlwind tour of Central Europe, which was my first time in that continent. Starting about a week before my trip, I started a time adjustment schedule, moving sleeping and waking time by an hour earlier each day. During that week, I attended a meeting…

Spring Landscaping

There was a lot of work this year. First, we decided to extend the bridge to the other side, and that involved draining the pond somewhat. Also, for the platform above the vault, I finally got around to drafting the plans and getting the framing underway. Constructing the gazebo took…

Channel Islands

Leaving early Saturday morning, a group of us took the ferry out to the Channel Islands. Kayaking around Santa Cruz Island was fun, especially with the excitement of immense swells. I brought my homemade tent out for the first time, and it withstood gale-force winds that night. The seas were…

My Birthday

My family took me out for dinner at Happy Family Restaurant for my birthday. Then, we also had a dinner at Orchid Thai Restaurant. I got to try out my new 50mm F/1.4 prime lens, which is quite nice for low light shooting.

Mount Rubidoux

We had a great time hiking up Mount Rubidoux. I got to bring our new puppy Durian out for an excursion.

Tentmaking

Today is the official day that I finished making this tent. Actually, I finished it several weeks ago, but then there was the bag for the pole and also the sack for the tent itself. Those are done now, and after testing it in a storm, it’s officially done. It…

Sonya and Ramiz’s Wedding

It was a joy to take part in Sonya and Ramiz’s wedding. The ceremony was beautiful, and we all had a good time at the reception. The entire event was like a big reunion, with so many friendships renewed. […]

Dim Sum Party

We had a group of friends over to make Dim Sum to celebrate Chinese New Year. Menu   薑汁皮蛋 Thousand Year-Old Eggs with Ginger 豬肉燒賣 Pork Shumai with Minced Mushrooms 羊肉白菜餃子 Lamb and Cabbage Potstickers 紅燒烤麩 Braised Gluten with Daylily Knots 蝦餃 Shrimp Dumplings 雙菇腸粉 Stuffed Flat Rice Noodle Rolls…

Thailand

My first meal in Thailand was Pad Thai from a street vendor, and my last meal was also Pad Thai, but this time, it was at the airport. The street version was better. Thailand proved to be as hot and humid as I remembered it, even though it’s supposed to…

China

Almost a week ago, I arrived in Hangzhou, China, where the thermometer was hovering around freezing. The sun was out, so at least, it felt sort of warm. It was a good day to arrive and see the city. My friends Dr. Shi Peihua and Feng Jine came to the…

Rack of Lamb

To celebrate the New Year, I decided to try making rack of lamb. For this occasion, I seasoned the lamb with salt and pepper and seared all sides. Then, I coated the meat with Dijon mustard followed by a light coating of Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. In the meantime, I…