The Three Teas

I ended up eating out a lot in San Francisco while I was there and I thought it'd be nice to recollect some of the amazing food I had :D 1) Uzen Japanese Cuisine, Oakland - In the not-so-shady part of Oakland there's this amazingly delicious Japanese restaurant with the most fresh sashimi I've ever had in my life! The price really rather hurts a bit but it's really worth going to and trying. The kaki, tako, bluefin tuna are by far my favorite! The sake is also really good; I think I had a lychee flavored one. By far, my biggest regret is not having come back here for another meal before I left. This is beating out not being able to go to the Google museum...thing! and the Lawrence Hall of Science (which was ... read more

They say, once you fall in love for the first time, you never forget it. Even when a second love comes around, it's not quite as pure as that initial one. They also say if you love something, you should let it go. If it's meant to be, it'll come back to you. But if you love something so deeply, even if you let it go, it's impossible to completely release your heart from it. Even if the thing has long since disappeared into the distance, hidden in the setting sun, you can still feel it, just waiting for you to catch up to it. So, this is me here in China, sitting down with my first and my second passions in life and wondering which one I should really dedicate myself towards. With the first, ... read more

It was upon watching a movie with my dear friends about a young man trying to prove he was responsible enough to expand on his family's business by going to rural China that I suddenly realized that was the very place I wanted to go. After much talk and consideration, and nearly ultimately deciding against it (for my initial experiences in Korea weren't good), I changed my mind and signed the contract. The university was persistent and my curiosity wasn't subsiding so off I went. First, of course, I went to Korea. After that first night, the rest of the trip was actually amazing. I realized a whole other side to the country that I'd either let or made myself didn't exist in my lifetime there. Seoul though, and this visit I had the privilege of ... read more

This weekend was a bit of a happy accident I suppose. I went out with my coworkers to San Francisco expenting to spend the day at the Golden Gate Bridge then to go to the Chinese New Years Parade with them. Well, through a series of events, it ended up being more informative on the working of some persons minds than I could have imagined. We started the day off arriving at the Embarcadero which was great! I got my Korean Tacos and had a great time. So, we were going to catch a bus to the Golden Gate Bridge. Well, one of the girls didn't want to switch buses 2 or 3 times to get there. Taking a taxi was only $15 and there were 4 of us, so about $3.75 a person. Well, she ... read more

Hard to imagine that one day can find you in one location, living a certain way of life, and the very next can find you 4,000 miles across the world, just making a pitstop before going the other 2,000 and starting a whole new way of life. That's why we have planes, Skype, and all that wonderful technology. And that's where I'm at now, in life, in the world. For the time being, I can enjoy myself (and try to let go of bits of the past while I'm at it) here in Korea. I need to remember how to be adventurous and spontaneous and all of that fun stuff again. That's why I have China though. It'll be the new experience I need. It's also why I have good friends though. Gosh, so many people ... read more

I was having a really busy work week last week. I was rushing some AutoCAD and was running to meetings that took long shuttle rides to get to. But Thursday made up for it when I got to go to a laser conference. It was held at Moscone Center, which is easily one of the most confusing places I've been to since there's all these wings. However, after getting inside, I'm pretty sure the sales area surpasses all the other ones I've been to. Ok, so I'm a huge fan of free stuff. I got so much stuff from a SWE conference one year, the bag almost drowned me (it was like 3x my girth and longer than my torso). But this time, I got a few things, enough to fit into one small bag but ... read more

So, I've recently returned from visiting friends and family over in Western Washington. It's a bit ironic, since usually I'd say that about Eastern Washington. However, as I've recently made my home over here, I can't really say I'm visiting anymore. That, of course, will all change in just a few weeks. During my trip, I got to see some amazing people in my life. For the most part, everything was really fabulous. How could it not be, after all, when you're surrounded by love, comfort, and happiness? These things all infiltrate even the coolest of exteriors and warm them up, much like the sun with the insane amount of snow we got a week ago. With all of the good company, food, games, and travels - not to mention a lovely electric blanket and little ... read more

Wow, I am so tired and I'm thinking the view might be worth it. I started working at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBL) and wow am I exhausted. It might be because I'm trying to change my sleep schedule from 1:00 PM to 6:30 AM but there are other factors :) Before I started working, I already knew I'd love my mentor. Through his funny emails and messages, I knew he would be great. The one thing I didn't know what that he is an early bird, my opposite. I started working Wednesday and I was a very relaxed day where I just met people and learned where my mentor's office and mine. He also showed me a project that I'll be involved in - I still have no idea how - called Berkeley Laboratory Laser ... read more

I landed in San Francisco just in time for Chinese New Year and I got some amazing food and saw some crazy things over the course of a few days. First, my cousin went to pick me and my mom up from the airport. We ended up at the departures part of the terminal and after thoroughly confusing each other, we went down to the arrivals and got picked up by my cousin. Then, I went with my family to a nice dinner out. Well rather...the ambiance was killed by a group of older persons singing karaoke. However, my cousin and I got a great laugh out of it. I don't have anything against karaoke but I think that a really bad “wish I was an opera singer” can really kill one’s appetite. After that, it’s ... read more