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Hangin' With the Pangs - Monday, April 21, 2008
Since Priscilla left her job at Unitone for a better, less-dramatic one at National Technical Systems, she gave herself a well-deserved week of rehab-- err, vacation-- and decided to visit me with her parents from Friday to Tuesday of last week.
On Saturday we drove up to San Francisco to check out Pier 39 and Coit Tower. The scenery at Pier 39 was not as unique as any of us remembered. The place looked like a section of Universal Studios with its chain restaurants, a bungee harness you could bounce around in for $10, and even an NFL shop. Seems like it's become just another tourist trap without any semblance of real culture. Fortunately we found some folks selling 30 minute motorboat tours for $5 and got to see a good deal of the Fisherman's Wharf area.
After that we drove up nearby Telegraph Hill, atop which is Coit Tower. We spent considerably less money there (around $16 on admission for the four of us), but I enjoyed it more than Pier 39. From the top of the tower, which puts you higher than everything else except some skyscrapers, you have a great panoramic view of the city.
During the rest of the time the Pangs were up here, they were having meals with old friends, taking a ton of pictures, and washing my dishes for me. I had a lot of fun, and it was kind of them trying to serve me in any way they could.
So far Priscilla has been up here twice (the first time with Audrey). My dad and brother were up with me the first week, and my mom is flying up tomorrow and staying for a few days. Then my parents up are coming up for somebody's wedding in May, and we invited Priscilla to fill Aaron's spot since he's going to be away at a retreat. With all these people continuously visiting me, it doesn't really make sense for me to go back and visit now. I guess I'll have to wait until people stop visiting me. =)
On Saturday we drove up to San Francisco to check out Pier 39 and Coit Tower. The scenery at Pier 39 was not as unique as any of us remembered. The place looked like a section of Universal Studios with its chain restaurants, a bungee harness you could bounce around in for $10, and even an NFL shop. Seems like it's become just another tourist trap without any semblance of real culture. Fortunately we found some folks selling 30 minute motorboat tours for $5 and got to see a good deal of the Fisherman's Wharf area.
After that we drove up nearby Telegraph Hill, atop which is Coit Tower. We spent considerably less money there (around $16 on admission for the four of us), but I enjoyed it more than Pier 39. From the top of the tower, which puts you higher than everything else except some skyscrapers, you have a great panoramic view of the city.
During the rest of the time the Pangs were up here, they were having meals with old friends, taking a ton of pictures, and washing my dishes for me. I had a lot of fun, and it was kind of them trying to serve me in any way they could.
So far Priscilla has been up here twice (the first time with Audrey). My dad and brother were up with me the first week, and my mom is flying up tomorrow and staying for a few days. Then my parents up are coming up for somebody's wedding in May, and we invited Priscilla to fill Aaron's spot since he's going to be away at a retreat. With all these people continuously visiting me, it doesn't really make sense for me to go back and visit now. I guess I'll have to wait until people stop visiting me. =)
Summer Movies - Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Right now there are two summer movies I'm looking forward to seeing: Hancock and The Dark Knight.
As proof that I've been out of touch with TV and theatrical movies, I hadn't heard of Hancock until I stumbled upon a stolen whale clip from the trailer on Youtube, which led me to find a (still stolen) full trailer. I like most Will Smith movies, and this one looks like it'll be pretty funny.
As for The Dark Knight, I really enjoyed Batman Begins, and the 5-minute Joker teaser I saw when Priscilla and I went to watch I Am Legend was pretty cool. I have high expectations for The Dark Knight; I hope I'm not disappointed!
As proof that I've been out of touch with TV and theatrical movies, I hadn't heard of Hancock until I stumbled upon a stolen whale clip from the trailer on Youtube, which led me to find a (still stolen) full trailer. I like most Will Smith movies, and this one looks like it'll be pretty funny.
As for The Dark Knight, I really enjoyed Batman Begins, and the 5-minute Joker teaser I saw when Priscilla and I went to watch I Am Legend was pretty cool. I have high expectations for The Dark Knight; I hope I'm not disappointed!
A Month's Recap - Monday, March 17, 2008
Wow, I haven't written anything here in almost a month. This past month has been busy, exciting and tiring. Here's a recap of what's happened:
Priscilla and Audrey drove up at the end of February to visit. They slept over Friday night and Sunday night and I made food for them that they didn't really like (cough, ingrates!). While Audrey was down in Monterey visiting a friend, Priscilla and I explored the Sunnyvale City Center, visited CCIC Mountain View, and stayed at home making food and listening to online broadcasts about relationships.
Work at AST is going well. I'm definitely keeping busy. Last week I even got to interview an applicant over the phone.
My replacement officemate is a guy named Dave. He's pretty chill, and we're always making fun of each other. Unfortunately the higher ups have seen fit to relocate him as well, which will make him the second officemate who's left me. I guess I have a knack at scaring people away...
AST has already started my application for a government security clearance, which is interesting because a lot of people don't have theirs started until they've been here several months. As part of the process I got my fingerprints taken. I guess I won't be robbing banks any time soon.
I've also visited a few churches but at this point I like Great Exchange (GrX) the best because the messages have really spoken to me. They have a dozen young adult small groups so I should be able to find one that fits me. This Sunday I had lunch with one of those groups at this Korean tofu house, and they paid for me (despite my protests). I'll check them out this Thursday; they meet at 7pm at one of the guys' apartment in Sunnyvale. I've also been going to Transformers, the young adult group that Steve and Shirley host at their place every other Sunday.
Other than that, I've been doing a smorgasbord routine of shopping for home furnishings and groceries, cooking, reading, web surfing, working out and eating with people. I've been pretty tired lately, but I think the main reason is that I still haven't gotten out of the college mentality of going to bed late. Once I force myself to get over that, I'll be in good shape.
Priscilla and Audrey drove up at the end of February to visit. They slept over Friday night and Sunday night and I made food for them that they didn't really like (cough, ingrates!). While Audrey was down in Monterey visiting a friend, Priscilla and I explored the Sunnyvale City Center, visited CCIC Mountain View, and stayed at home making food and listening to online broadcasts about relationships.
Work at AST is going well. I'm definitely keeping busy. Last week I even got to interview an applicant over the phone.
My replacement officemate is a guy named Dave. He's pretty chill, and we're always making fun of each other. Unfortunately the higher ups have seen fit to relocate him as well, which will make him the second officemate who's left me. I guess I have a knack at scaring people away...
AST has already started my application for a government security clearance, which is interesting because a lot of people don't have theirs started until they've been here several months. As part of the process I got my fingerprints taken. I guess I won't be robbing banks any time soon.
I've also visited a few churches but at this point I like Great Exchange (GrX) the best because the messages have really spoken to me. They have a dozen young adult small groups so I should be able to find one that fits me. This Sunday I had lunch with one of those groups at this Korean tofu house, and they paid for me (despite my protests). I'll check them out this Thursday; they meet at 7pm at one of the guys' apartment in Sunnyvale. I've also been going to Transformers, the young adult group that Steve and Shirley host at their place every other Sunday.
Other than that, I've been doing a smorgasbord routine of shopping for home furnishings and groceries, cooking, reading, web surfing, working out and eating with people. I've been pretty tired lately, but I think the main reason is that I still haven't gotten out of the college mentality of going to bed late. Once I force myself to get over that, I'll be in good shape.
SmarterChild - Not So Smart - Thursday, February 21, 2008
Yeah, we know he... or it, rather.. is a hack job built on simple pattern matching. But could it have been written any sloppier?
Frequently when I'm taking a break at work, I'll play the "word jumble" game with SmarterChild to keep my unscrambling skills honed. SC does a decent job. Most of the time. Unfortunately it seems like the game is programmed with only one accepted answer, as I found out when it rejected "mutagen" in favor of "augment."
Also, the engine has a filter for "bad words" that takes precedence over everything else, including games. Note the following transcript from a session of word jumble, and emphasis mine:
SC: Here's a good one: IKINLLG.
Me: killing
SC: That's way uncool.
Me: ok (I'm sorry, apparently I have an obsession for killing)
SC: Well think about it then. (Thanks for the lecture)
Me: word jumble (Restarting the game)
SC: You still haven't answered this one: IKINLLG.
Me: dunno
SC: The word is KILLING.
Unfortunately I haven't found a good textual word scramble game elsewhere. (If anybody knows of one, let me know!) Maybe I'll have to write my own one of these days. ;)
Frequently when I'm taking a break at work, I'll play the "word jumble" game with SmarterChild to keep my unscrambling skills honed. SC does a decent job. Most of the time. Unfortunately it seems like the game is programmed with only one accepted answer, as I found out when it rejected "mutagen" in favor of "augment."
Also, the engine has a filter for "bad words" that takes precedence over everything else, including games. Note the following transcript from a session of word jumble, and emphasis mine:
SC: Here's a good one: IKINLLG.
Me: killing
SC: That's way uncool.
Me: ok (I'm sorry, apparently I have an obsession for killing)
SC: Well think about it then. (Thanks for the lecture)
Me: word jumble (Restarting the game)
SC: You still haven't answered this one: IKINLLG.
Me: dunno
SC: The word is KILLING.
Unfortunately I haven't found a good textual word scramble game elsewhere. (If anybody knows of one, let me know!) Maybe I'll have to write my own one of these days. ;)
New Apartment - Sunday, February 3, 2008
After a long bout of phone calls, reading good and creepy reviews online, and touring many places, my search for a new apartment ended when I decided on the Olive Garden Apartments in Sunnyvale. Now I won't be homeless when my corporate housing term is over in two weeks. ;p
I got a 672 square-foot, 1-bedroom unit that's newly remodeled. Everything is brand new and looks beautiful. It's situated on the second floor of a 2-story complex, so I won't suffer the noise of people walking above me, as is the case in the apartment I'm in now. Also, the complex is just under two miles away from my company for an easy commute, or a good jog should I decide to get in shape again!
For this fine unit I'll be paying $1455 a month on a six-month lease. My first choice was to get a studio, but most places I talked to didn't have studios, and the studios I did find seemed a little iffy.
So here's a little more info about the Olive Garden, which shares its name incidentally with the Italian restaurant chain:
The complex is semi-old, having been built in either the 60's or 70's. Some negative reviews complain that the fixtures/appliances are old, but that doesn't apply to me since I'm in a remodeled unit. The facilities are also kept up with two heated pools and a recreation room with no less than three pool tables.
Most people seem to enjoy living at Olive Garden. According to the managers, half of the residents have lived there for 20 years or more, and one person (who is 98 years old) is an original tenant from when the place opened. The place does seem very tranquil and loud music and wild parties are frowned upon. Security seems good with gated access to the parking lot, a patrol unit that comes four times a night, the Sunnyvale City Hall and a police station down the street two blocks away, and the area being on the low end of Sunnyvale PD's crime statistics (Sunnyvale being one of the safest cities in the country per capita notwithstanding).
So all that's left to do is to sign the lease this Friday and coordinate with the moving company to bring my furniture up from LA!
I got a 672 square-foot, 1-bedroom unit that's newly remodeled. Everything is brand new and looks beautiful. It's situated on the second floor of a 2-story complex, so I won't suffer the noise of people walking above me, as is the case in the apartment I'm in now. Also, the complex is just under two miles away from my company for an easy commute, or a good jog should I decide to get in shape again!
For this fine unit I'll be paying $1455 a month on a six-month lease. My first choice was to get a studio, but most places I talked to didn't have studios, and the studios I did find seemed a little iffy.
So here's a little more info about the Olive Garden, which shares its name incidentally with the Italian restaurant chain:
The complex is semi-old, having been built in either the 60's or 70's. Some negative reviews complain that the fixtures/appliances are old, but that doesn't apply to me since I'm in a remodeled unit. The facilities are also kept up with two heated pools and a recreation room with no less than three pool tables.
Most people seem to enjoy living at Olive Garden. According to the managers, half of the residents have lived there for 20 years or more, and one person (who is 98 years old) is an original tenant from when the place opened. The place does seem very tranquil and loud music and wild parties are frowned upon. Security seems good with gated access to the parking lot, a patrol unit that comes four times a night, the Sunnyvale City Hall and a police station down the street two blocks away, and the area being on the low end of Sunnyvale PD's crime statistics (Sunnyvale being one of the safest cities in the country per capita notwithstanding).
So all that's left to do is to sign the lease this Friday and coordinate with the moving company to bring my furniture up from LA!
My First Week of Work - Friday, January 25, 2008
Well one week has passed since I started working at Applied Signal Technology, and I'm still here, so apparently I haven't done anything too bad. :)
The week started with a full day of orientation on Monday, during which I was given a huge stack of paperwork to read and complete. I also got three free lunches in a row- Monday with my two managers, Tuesday after a welcome briefing for new hires, and Wednesday at the monthly company lunch, at which I boxed a lot of food to take to work on Thursday, so I guess that counts too!
Workwise, I've been placed on the several-person Switch Control team, the group that writes software to control network switches. The learning curve is very steep, and the first couple days were pretty tough, but oh how much more I know now compared to a week ago. One team member, Michael (and there are actually two Michaels and a Mike on the team, so maybe I should say one of the Michaels), has been my quasi-mentor and helping get up to speed. I'm getting bite-sized projects of increasing difficulty as I'm becoming more familiar with concepts and terminology (and there's LOTS of that) related to the project. I'll be a guru in no time!
I'm really enjoying the organized but relaxed environment at the company. The friendly social atmosphere and people-oriented mentality is one of the things that attracted me in the first place. Every person gets his/her own office, often shared with an officemate. My officemate is a really cool guy who started a week before I did, but unfortunately they relocated him today. Maybe they'll put in a new hire with me next week and then I'll be the one with one week's experience!
The company also tries to make sure its employees' needs are met. Relocation assistance has set me up with temporary housing and a rental car, the company offers 100% reimbursement for grad school (which I need to decide if I want to do), and free medical and dental coverage. We have a facilities request helpdesk system where we can put in a request for supplies and furniture. If I need an additional whiteboard in my office, want the desk behind me removed, or want my table adjusted, it's taken care of pretty quickly. We also have an IT department that takes care of computer issues, but unfortunately they seem to be a little slow because of understaffing.
So overall, things have been good. I'm really enjoying my job and being independent for the first time. Of course, my family (particularly my dad) has helped me immensely during this transition, and I owe them so much and am certainly going to miss them.
The week started with a full day of orientation on Monday, during which I was given a huge stack of paperwork to read and complete. I also got three free lunches in a row- Monday with my two managers, Tuesday after a welcome briefing for new hires, and Wednesday at the monthly company lunch, at which I boxed a lot of food to take to work on Thursday, so I guess that counts too!
Workwise, I've been placed on the several-person Switch Control team, the group that writes software to control network switches. The learning curve is very steep, and the first couple days were pretty tough, but oh how much more I know now compared to a week ago. One team member, Michael (and there are actually two Michaels and a Mike on the team, so maybe I should say one of the Michaels), has been my quasi-mentor and helping get up to speed. I'm getting bite-sized projects of increasing difficulty as I'm becoming more familiar with concepts and terminology (and there's LOTS of that) related to the project. I'll be a guru in no time!
I'm really enjoying the organized but relaxed environment at the company. The friendly social atmosphere and people-oriented mentality is one of the things that attracted me in the first place. Every person gets his/her own office, often shared with an officemate. My officemate is a really cool guy who started a week before I did, but unfortunately they relocated him today. Maybe they'll put in a new hire with me next week and then I'll be the one with one week's experience!
The company also tries to make sure its employees' needs are met. Relocation assistance has set me up with temporary housing and a rental car, the company offers 100% reimbursement for grad school (which I need to decide if I want to do), and free medical and dental coverage. We have a facilities request helpdesk system where we can put in a request for supplies and furniture. If I need an additional whiteboard in my office, want the desk behind me removed, or want my table adjusted, it's taken care of pretty quickly. We also have an IT department that takes care of computer issues, but unfortunately they seem to be a little slow because of understaffing.
So overall, things have been good. I'm really enjoying my job and being independent for the first time. Of course, my family (particularly my dad) has helped me immensely during this transition, and I owe them so much and am certainly going to miss them.
Moving Completed! - Friday, January 18, 2008
I am typing this entry sitting in my new (temporary) apartment in Santa Clara in the Bay Area. The move was, for the most part, pretty smooth. Priscilla even made a surprise visit in the morning to see me off, and being late for work because of it. I guess she really does care me. ;p
So I'm in this 2nd-floor 1-bedroom apartment in a large community called Mansion Grove. The place is fully furnished, so I have cooking and eating equipment, a queen size bed, a dining table, and a coffee table with a couch. Right now I'm sitting on the floor with my computer hooked up to the 22" widescreen TV. If I could get a wireless keyboard and mouse, I'd be able to surf the web from the couch. And I wouldn't have wires streching across the room for me to trip over at night. ;p
Yeah so.. it's been a long and tiring but rewarding day. Right now everything is kind of crazy but I'm looking forward to getting settled in, unpacking, and starting my new job this coming Monday! And of course apartment hunting to find a permanent place to move into after my free month's lodging is up!
So I'm in this 2nd-floor 1-bedroom apartment in a large community called Mansion Grove. The place is fully furnished, so I have cooking and eating equipment, a queen size bed, a dining table, and a coffee table with a couch. Right now I'm sitting on the floor with my computer hooked up to the 22" widescreen TV. If I could get a wireless keyboard and mouse, I'd be able to surf the web from the couch. And I wouldn't have wires streching across the room for me to trip over at night. ;p
Yeah so.. it's been a long and tiring but rewarding day. Right now everything is kind of crazy but I'm looking forward to getting settled in, unpacking, and starting my new job this coming Monday! And of course apartment hunting to find a permanent place to move into after my free month's lodging is up!
Happy New Year! - Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Ok, I'm several days late with the Happy New Year, but I haven't posted anything in a while. Here are the highlights of what I've been up to these past couple weeks:
- Prayed with Priscilla and her parents on New Year's Eve.
- Started watching an anime called "Death Note" with Priscilla. The series started off on a high but unfortunately has been going downhill.
- Went bowling a few times and got pretty good (bowled 158 in one game, beating my previous best score by 40-something points).
- Been playing a Scrabble-based game on Facebook, Scrabulous, which I've gotten semi-good at.
- Went to UCLA to sit in on Sophonias' discussion section. He's a great TA (naturally) but unfortunately I didn't understand a word he said about fluid mechanics.
Course Grades - Saturday, December 22, 2007
Course grades for the Fall quarter are out. My grades are:
Database Design: B+
Ethics in Engineering: A
Morphology: A-
These are probably the best grades I've gotten in any quarter, since I tried the hardest this quarter. I'm not really thrilled about the B+, but it was a pretty challenging course, and graded on a strict curve.
Anyway, it's great to be done once and for all!
Database Design: B+
Ethics in Engineering: A
Morphology: A-
These are probably the best grades I've gotten in any quarter, since I tried the hardest this quarter. I'm not really thrilled about the B+, but it was a pretty challenging course, and graded on a strict curve.
Anyway, it's great to be done once and for all!
Shepherd's Pie - Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tonight Priscilla and I cooked for Steve and Shirley at Priscilla's house. It's our last time meeting with them before they leave for the Bay Area. It's sad to see them leave, but I'll be joining them soon. ;)
We made grilled salmon that my dad taught us how to make, and shepherd's pie that Priscilla learned somewhere. Her dad made a Chinese dish with bean threads, pork, and cucumber. I have no clue what it's called. :)
For the shepherd's pie, we stir-fried carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and ground beef and added tomato sauce. Then we poured the mix into a baking dish and covered it with mashed potatoes, cheese, and finally a sprinkle of basil. Finally we baked the pie for about half an hour. And it came out pretty well! I might try making it myself sometime. Cooking really is fun!
We made grilled salmon that my dad taught us how to make, and shepherd's pie that Priscilla learned somewhere. Her dad made a Chinese dish with bean threads, pork, and cucumber. I have no clue what it's called. :)
For the shepherd's pie, we stir-fried carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and ground beef and added tomato sauce. Then we poured the mix into a baking dish and covered it with mashed potatoes, cheese, and finally a sprinkle of basil. Finally we baked the pie for about half an hour. And it came out pretty well! I might try making it myself sometime. Cooking really is fun!
