2 months in san francisco turned into.. 4.  or 5. or 6. or 7.  hopefully 4 if i have any say in it.  i will miss it however because i truly enjoy the city.  not sure if it's san francisco itself, or maybe just being in a city.  i like being able to go downstairs, walk around, shop, eat, and do anything i want.  the project itself also hosts many social events.  for example, the scavenger hunt was really fun, and the dinner afterwards was even better.  i will show the chocolate castle in a moment - absolutely delicious.  but anyway i like san francisco a lot.  roger's been keeping me company visiting various tourist attractions around the city.  and i know i will be back - that is, if i get to leave in the first place...

so what have i done since the last update?  weekdays i'm in sf, and weekends are always busy.  let's start with...

unofficial at UIUC!  give a hand to the boys who carried a keg to the apt at 7am.  we had to take a picture at murphy's.  this year unfortunately there was no hulk.

homemade dinner with daniel, chiboy & theresa - yes i know, i filled the wine glasses too full...

weekend in nyc - perfect timing in that i was so sick this weekend i couldn't even talk.  but the huang brothers still took me in and let me stay with them.  we visited the metropolitan of art but there wasn't enough time to walk through the entire thing (duh!) maybe next time.  i still think it'd be a fun experience to live in nyc. 

sharon's bday - like we're back in hc times =P

the "i miss spring break" party

weekend in LA/malibu - la was a little more ghetto than i remembered, but i liked the getty museum, and the beaches and the scenery were wonderful.  pinkberry?  hm coldstone is much better.

the final visit to UIUC??  i tried a beer named purple haze... don't ever try it.

and last but not least, the chocolate castle aforementioned:

the end

movie reviews & pics

the lives of others is a must watch!  german movie.  english subtitles.  limited release.  going into the movie, i hadn't expected it to be something i'd like.  well the plot, not because it's a foreign film.  but it was excellent.  the story, the emotions, the effects.  i'd def recommend it.

"In 1984, five years before the fall of East Berlin, Captain Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe) is employed by the Stasi, East Germany's incredibly powerful secret police. He is asked to spy on a celebrated playwright and actress couple, Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck). But as his role as an observer suddenly morphs into that of a manipulator, Wiesler is stuck in a very dangerous game."

pan's labyrinth is another recommendation.  spanish movie with english subtitles.  was limited release but i think now it's out in many theaters.  some parts are kinda dark and spooky and there were gross blood scenes but overall it was a great movie. 

because i said so is a cute mother-daughter movie with mandy moore.  fantastic chick flick to watch with a bunch of girls or... when you're bored and have nothing better to do than go to the theater alone.

my first time at the chicago auto show

i found a purple car!  although i'm not sure if i realllly dig the color...

my 2 fav concept cars!

and this is my city on weekdays these 2 months... beautiful weather ... san francisco!

2007

happy new year!  first day into the new year and i already broke one of my new year's resolutions  which is to "not waste time on AIM".  the first night i blamed it on jetlag, but then after not sleeping for 36+ hours, i still couldn't fall asleep last night! 

2006 - regrets?  definitely.  a few things in particular that i wish i can undo.  but i can't do anything about it so learning experience it is.  one regret i haven't had yet though is the decision to start working instead of continuing my education right away.  it was a tough choice the week when i had ju st returned from europe and before my official start date at work.  though i still want to get my master's in a year or two, after i save some money.   

australia was great fun - probably the most amount of family time i've ever spent 12 days in a row and now my sister clings to me like no other.  but no, i didn't look if the toilet flushes in opposite direction, as adam says.  i took almost 3gb of pics - of most anything and everything.  who knows when i'll visit again.  it was really cold in melbourne, maybe like 17C? and i had a slight fever for 2 days  but then it got a bit warmer in sydney and i could wear summer clothes! 

highlights: blue mountains, the great ocean road, feeding kangaroos, petting koalas, watching dolphins, little penguin parade, walking around the beach (too cold to swim!), yarra river cruise, darling harbour  

the biscuits i searched all over melbourne for b/c 2 years ago when daniel bought them, we left them in the trunk and they were frozen

                                                                                             ada feeding kangaroos

ada and i at some lookout point - syndey tower

             in the blue mountains

ok so i was really gonna post some pics but got too frustrated...  maybe i can get some sleep tonight?

current random thoughts

• reading my cousin's xanga makes me want to play mahjong
• actually went to the theaters by myself and watched "man of the year" which was a pretty good movie except for 2 somewhat scary parts
• visiting kevin in seattle this coming weekend - elaine/priss, you should drive down!
• still in SF during the week and chicago most weekends
• finally got all the europe pics together to make my album
• hoping to go to hk (and maybe thailand or taiwan) next may
• australia for xmas
• sharon's road trip experience makes me wanna go on one too
• crossing my fingers for daniel to get into grad school of my choice

returned from SF

after 4 weeks on the HR project on michigan, i joined a new specialty within my group which basically estimates time and resources for each phase of a project - the pre-program management stage.  it's quite interesting, although sometimes this work requires a few too many assumptions for my taste.  anyhow, i engaged in my first business travel trip with this group - to my most desired location:  san francisco!  i even got to extend my stay to be with the mister in saratoga for the long weekend, visiting santa cruz and in&out!  ~

i traveled with my manager, so we arranged to meet at 7 each morning for breakfast, just enough time to board the shuttle to the office at 7:40.  so i woke up thurs morning, looked at my cell phone and it read "6:36".  i freaked out and the first thing i did was to call my manager to tell him there's no way i can meet him at 7 and that i'd have to meet him at 7:30 in the lobby.  he didn't seem confused or extraordinarily sleepy and said "hm 7:30?  okay.  see you then".  i hung up and went on to get ready for work. 

like every other morning i reached for the remote and turned on the tv.  the clock on the screen blinked and read "4:41"!  wtffff.  i mistakenly called my manager at 4:30 in the morning!  argh time difference.  i had forgotten my cell phone is retarded and does not automatically adjusts the time.  i explained to my manager the next morning and he laughed and told me he assumed i went out drinking 'til 4:30 in the morning. 

so much for making a good first impression....  time for a watch or a new cell phone!