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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 all enjoyed simply sitting around…
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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. Nyirady and I presented the…
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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.
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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 lead a Pilates class on…
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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. The afternoon wedding was absolutely…
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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 in Philadelphia, which neatly integrated…
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Bridge and Gazebo
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 some thinking and planning, but…
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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 calmer the next day, and…
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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.
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Mount Rubidoux
We had a great time hiking up Mount Rubidoux. I got to bring our new puppy Durian out for an excursion.
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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 started with my REI Half…
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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. […]
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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 豪油芥蘭 Chinese Broccoli with Oyster…
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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 be winter. Nevertheless, I had…
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The Mission Inn
We went as a family to enjoy the lights and decorations and for a post-Christmas dinner at The Mission Inn.
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Christmas Eve Dinner
We just had Christmas Eve dinner on the top floor overlooking the city. It’s a good way to end the week and to start the weekend. We had fun cooking and eating. Here’s the menu: APPETIZERS Brie Topped with Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce Caprese Salad in Extra Virgin Olive Oil Infusd with Roasted Garlic Aged…
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Winter Storm
In all the years that we’ve lived in this area, we have never had such torrential rains as this. Mountain View became like a roaring river, and I almost slid into it because of the slick mud along Allen Way. Mud flowed into many homes, most of which were on Huron and Lawton, and the…
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Black Canyon Paddle
We had a really good trip this past weekend. It’s my sixth time to the Black Canyon below Hoover Dam, and some people’s first time. We arrived late Friday night after leaving from work. Brad arrived at the campsite first, and there were several more cars that came afterwards. Corey’s car pulled in around 2…
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Joshua Tree
This was a nice day trip, mainly to have a good time with friends while enjoying nature. While it was really hot during the day, it cooled off relatively quickly once the sun went down. Then, we had beautiful lighting from a full moon.
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New England
The trip to Boston was for the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. After the meetings, I took an excursion with Hasan to New Hampshire through the White Mountains for a view of the fall color change. This weekend was basically peak season for some parts. Then, we traveled east through Portland, Maine, before…
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Hong Kong and China
So it’s been almost three weeks of traveling. I left home Wednesday night, traveled through Hong Kong and China, came back home for a day’s layover, and then it was off to Boston on a red-eye. There was only enough time to get jet lagged, recover, and get jet lagged again. For this past week,…
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In China
This trip to China has been mainly about people, places and food. I got some instruction on guqin playing from Liang Qiu while I was in Foshan. Then, I have been meeting up with mainly relatives that I have not seen for more than ten years. Most everyone remain the same, except for the then…
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Hong Kong
The days are all blurred together because of the time change and the jet lag on this trip to Hong Kong and China. Yesterday morning, which seemed like so long ago, I landed in Hong Kong. I haven’t been back since before the takeover in 1997. A lot has changed, obviously, but some parts are…
