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Salton Sea and Desert
It’s been so long since I’ve traveled out toward the southeast. The last time at Salton Sea was when we were all really young. The three of us went camping, and some areas were the same as I remembered, but the one thing that is now different is that the place has cleaned up amazingly…
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January Grill
Over Christmas break, we went to San Simeon and toured the Hearst Castle. There, I had picked up a brochure for their grass-fed beef, and because of the special deal, I ordered some tri-tip. Even though it’s January, the weather is perfect, and we had a barbeque. We grilled asparagus, mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini,…
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New Year and Friends
So, it’s the first Monday of the new year, and it will be nice to get back to a regular schedule. The last several weeks have been filled with a lot of activities. For one, my dad had a major birthday celebration. It started out on the Tuesday before Christmas, and we planned events that…
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Dad’s Birthday and Trip
For Dad’s birthday, we went out for dinner on the actual date. Then, we planned an extended vacation, revisiting some of the familiar places that we had toured when we were much younger. It was a big combined celebration, of birthday, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.
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Jun Jun’s Farewell
Jun Jun, also known by Jack, has been in Loma Linda for the past several months. He came from the Second Hospital of Tangshan and mainly shadowed Dr. Mudge and me. For his farewell, we got together to make pizza, one of his favorite American food.
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Thanksgiving Weekend
One of the highlights was just having a simple picnic lunch right by the pond, on the deck over the vault. Also, I had the chance to visit the aquarium, Huntington Library and the new Chinese Garden, the Getty Villa, and El Matador beach near Malibu.
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Hope Channel Opening Ceremony
Kandus and Brad Thorp invited a lot of people to the opening ceremony of the Hope Channel’s production center in Loma Linda. Brad gave a nice devotional about the satellite dish and performed symbolic footwashing as well.
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Pond Construction
After several months of work, the pond is finally done and filled to the right level. Everything seems to be working well. The only thing left to do is to perfect the level mechanism to autofill and to finish some of the edging detail where there is exposed liner.
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Angelus Oaks to San Bernardino Peak
We climbed San Bernardino Peak today. The hike started from Angelus Oaks. We left Loma Linda around 6:00 am, arriving at the 1W07 trailhead forty minutes later. It was cold, but I started out in shorts, a quick-dry t-shirt, and a beanie to prevent heat loss through the head. It turned out to be fine,…
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Pond Construction Progress
Today, the high was 106 degrees F. Anyhow, it was a day for outdoor work, wrestling boulders into place around the pond. The depression had been excavated already, and months ago, I helped my dad with a homemade water level to figure out the elevation of the entire perimeter. After filling up the pond to…
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Seattle and Olympic Penninsula
I enjoyed the Western Orthopaedic Association meetings. The lectures were good, and I had an opportunity to network with some of the exhibitors as well. The association arranged a cruise tour of Tillicum Village. The best part was the cruise to and from the island. It allowed time to relax and appreciate a skyline view…
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Rainier’s Northern Loop Trail
I arrived in Seattle. The first part of the trip will be a backpacking excursion along the Northern Loop Trail of Mount Rainier National Park before joining the Western Orthopaedic Association. Sunday morning, Brad and I drove to White River Ranger Station to pick up our permits after having breakfast at IHOP. We then parked…
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Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital Delegation
Dr. He Chao and Li Hong came with a delegation from Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital to visit Loma Linda. We had everyone over to our place for dinner. Dr. Hadley and Donna came as well. It was good to see so many friends from Hangzhou.
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Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Graduation
Like every year, the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency graduation banquet was held at the Redlands Country Club. The graduating residents are Joe Bowen, Sam Chen, Kevin Dahl, and Chad Harbour.
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Savannah
Transiting through Atlanta, I arrive at Savannah. The rental car process is interesting. Budget, where I rented from, is closed. I get help at the Avis counter. They give me the keys, I go outside, and there’s no security. I just drive off, and then in two days, I will have returned the car without…
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South Florida
Traveling filled the entire past week, making it feel much longer. The first stop is Florida. It’s Tuesday night. I check in at LAX for a red-eye flight to Orlando. After boarding, I take an Ambien and drifted off, to be awakened upon landing at MCO. The transit is painful—both because it is a long…
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School of Medicine Graduation
It was great to see so many students accomplish so much and get to the point of commencement. The hooding ceremony is always inspirational, with Henry Lamberton reading notes of appreciation from the students. This year is a special year, because my cousin Aimee is part of the graduating class. After commencement, we had a…
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Maui
Last week, on Wednesday, I arrived in Maui for the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons’ Annual Meeting. After getting the car, I picked up my parents and Alice before heading to Kapalua. We checked in at the beautiful Kapalua Villas, and our condo overlooked the golf course and ocean. That evening, it was an…
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Forest Falls
It’s springtime, and a small group of us went to Forest Falls to enjoy the scenery. Also with us was Jun Jun Zhang from the Second Hospital of Tangshan. He will be visiting for a few months.
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Hope Channel Filming
Partnering with the Loma Linda Chinese Seventh-day Adventist Church, Hope Channel began filming a health series targeted toward the Chinese population. I spoke about general bone health.
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Grand Canyon
We’ve all been looking forward to the Grand Canyon hike. Very early Saturday morning, as the mercury plummets to below 20 degrees F, Todd and I pull into Mather Campground after a very long drive from Las Vegas, post AAOS. The frozen ground crackles under our feet as we step out of the car. Brad…
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Angelus Oaks Snowshoe
This snowshoe trip was more strenuous than I had expected. Uncle Ben Vassantachart and I went up to Angelus Oaks and parked by the restaurant. We followed the trail up to the helipad and spent some time exploring. After getting to that plateau, we decided to come straight down the mountain, cross country style. Some…
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Vivian Creek to San Gorgonio Peak
Last Sunday, a group of us took an ambitious trip up San Gorgonio. The group I took consisted of Hasan (4th year orthopaedic surgery resident), Ken (senior medical student), DJ and Rob (juniors), Mark and Seth (sophomores), and Brandon (whom I ran into at the Drayson Center several days before). We left Loma Linda at…
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Epiphyllum Bloom
This plant, given to me by Dr. Wright Zheng, blooms just about once a year, and the bloom happens only at night for several hours. There is sort of a craze in Chinese culture, where the blooming symbolizes how transient everything in life can be—曇花一現, as they say. Anyhow, on this night, it decided to…
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China Trip
Last Thursday, I spend most of my afternoon packing for the trip to China. Then, I drive out to LA and take the direct flight from LAX to PEK on a very full plane. The plane lands a little ahead of schedule, and Dr. Zheng and Mgr. Sun meet me at the airport. We get…
