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Holiday Weekend
The holiday weekend found Farrah and I not doing much out of the ordinary. On Saturday, we decided to drive up to Tiburon for a quick look around town. We then went to Salsulito for lunch at the Winship restaurant. The weather in the North Bay was very cold and wet, compared to the partly sunny - yet still cold - South Bay.
I’d never been to //Sausalito before but Farrah had been with Yen. It’s a nice quite town, reminding me of downtown Campbell but closer to the ocean. We first ate lunch because we (1) were hungry, and (2) wanted to get out of the cold and wet weather. The //Winship restaurant was the second place we saw that looked like a decent place to eat.
The restaurant had a sea theme, with a faux ship in the middle of the place and turtle shell like lighting fixtures. The menu both had seafood as well as burgers and other sandwiches. We had to try the ‘Crispy Fried Calamari" as we make it a point to try fried calamari if restaurant serves it. I was crispy, but lacked any special flavor.
I had the BBQ pork sandwich which was listed as an open face sandwich, but it didn’t come as such. They had a variety of onions on it, both chopped, diced and sliced, which I thought was strange. The sandwich tasted fine, though the BBQ sauce was neither tangy or sweet as if not to offend the taste buds. Farrah had the Waldorf Chicken Salad Sandwich which she enjoyed.
After lunch, we walked around downtown. We stopped by a candy store called Munchies, which offered a variety of salt water taffy. The owner of the place was very friendly, offering customers the option of trying anything in the store. We proceeded to load up a small bucket with a variety of flavors, choosing not to try anything beforehand. We then headed to the local Starbucks for some coffee and conversation.
The Starbucks there has a nice view of one of the major intersections in town. Farrah and I sat in tall barstool like chairs facing the window looking outside. We watched the rain come down on people passing by, some coming in for a cup of coffee, others trying to make it to other stores on the strip. We tried to come up with places to go to next, but decided to head back home as the weather appeared to be getting worse, and Farrah’s migraine, which started before lunchtime, was also becoming more discomforting.
Later that evening we went to Farrah’s parents’ house for dinner. We had chicken, steak (ummm…steak) and leftover sushi rice Farrah had made the night before. Afterward, we called it a day and headed home to watch some TV.
On Sunday, we decided to stay in and catch up on TV and movies. We watched Elizabethtown (review forthcoming) and Farrah watched her other TV shows that I have a passing knowledge of (such as McCleod’s Daughters and Footballers Wive$)
Today we had lunch at the Boardwalk in Mountain View. Farrah said the place was similar to St. John’s in Sunnyvale, a dark pub-like atmosphere where burgers, cheesesteaks, sausages, and beers are served. I had the Louisiana Hot Sausage which was very very good. The spiciness of the links didn’t registered until well after you started chewing on it. Very nice. We also had a basket of spicy curly fries which makes for a nice side order. Farrah had the “Lo C” meal which consisted of two hamburger patties, cheese, salad and dressing. She’s had this dish the few times she’s been there. Afterward, we headed to the mall for a couple of hours of window shopping.
Relapse 2.0
I’ve injured my left eye again. It seems the scratch I endured //last October did not fully heal. I had felt some discomfort earlier this week, which resulted in a nice two-day headache. On Wednesday I thought the pain had passed, but Thursday night I was in discomfort slash complaining mode. By Friday morning my left eye had swollen.
I made an appointed to be seen that morning. I had an appointment with an Ophthalmologist. This first Ophthalmologist confirmed there was a new scratch, but needed to refer me to someone of more experience on treatment. The treatment was to patch my left eye, but first she needed to scrap a layer of skin away from the eye. Doing this would hopefully yield even healing on the eye. She numbed my eye during the procedure, but after the medication wore off, my eye felt beat up. I needed to take Tylenol for the next two days.
Farrah took me to see the Ophthalmologist on Sunday morning for a follow-up. Good news! She said the eye healed a 100%, meaning the layer she scraped away has grown back to cover they eye. But treatment needs to continue in order to ensure the layer stays intact. So it looks like I’ll be using certain eye drops and lubricants for the next several months so this does not happen again. And believe me, I don’t want it to happen again.
What's Public is Public
When I post my photos online, my main goal is to share them with family and friends. Most of the photos are private, but some that I truly like and think are very nice shots, I leave for public viewing and comment. I would never think that they would be used for anything.
When I was trying //Zoto.com, I posted several photos that I had public in my //Flickr account. I then forgot about Zoto.com. Well, yesterday I logged into my account on Zoto.com and I looked at the featured photos page and there was one of my photos! It’s a photo of Tiana, which I like very much, and thought it was cool. Then today I go to Zoto.com’s home page and see:
It’s cool and unsettling to see a photo you took on the front page. They do give me photo credit (my username in the lower left-hand corner) and the photo is used within all legal guidelines according to their Terms of Service (TOS). So I just need to be fine with it, since I did sign up for their service.
The lesson here? Just know that any photo you post on the Internet, whether public or private, has the potential of being used. You should know your rights if someone is using your photos elsewhere. And last but not least, read the TOS before signing up with a service.
Believe me, I like the photo. I like it being used - in a way. I just feel a little awkward about it all.
The First Saturday in February
I’m sitting outside Express in //Bay Street shops in Emeryville. Farrah is in one of the many shops, and I just got out of the Apple store. I’m sitting on a bench, and it is a pretty chilly late afternoon (around 5:30 PM). I’m not sure if I will be able to post this entry to the website from here. I’m getting a weak WiFi signal from the Apple store, but I don’t think I’ll be out here long. The day has been pretty much uneventful, though I the week holds promise.
Last week was pretty rough, and seemingly long. An uncle in Hawaii passed away. His death, almost any death, still reminds me of my father. I’m not sure why, even after all these years, but it still does. My uncle, someone as a kid I would call my rich uncle, had become ill in September. From what I understand he was up and around in the beginning of last year, showing no signs of disability, save his age. He was tending his garden still, going out when need be. But I suppose time catches up with everyone. He was 93 when he died.
I saw Uncle Teofilo after our wedding. I visited his home with my mom, where I saw my aunt and cousins. Uncle was bedridden, talking incoherently as we walked into his room. It took about 15 minutes to recognize my mom, 20 minutes to recognize me. When he did recognize me, it was as if a light switch had been turned on. He wished Farrah and I a happy honeymoon, as if we were in the middle of a conversation. His words brought tears to my eyes. After those words, I had to leave. I didn’t want to see him fade away. It’s something about seeing someone who you remember being so strong, now not being able to care for themselves. It hits hard. From what I understand, my uncle was pretty stubborn when he was lucid, wanting to move around and go when the urge took him over.
My mom went to the funeral, and stayed with relatives for a few days. I just contemplated life, thinking of what was, what is, and what will be. Yes, I’m getting a little reflective in my downtime. I need to find a job and keep busy.
So this week is almost over and a new one is about to begin. Let’s hope this week is a little better.
Are You Pissed?
Apple today announced some new products. The Mac Intel versions were announced, as expected, with particular attention paid to the new laptop offered. It’s called the //MacBook Pro
After hearing about it, a friend contacted me on IM and said, “Dude, don’t you feel cheated? Are you pissed [for recently buying a PowerBook]?”
The quick answer is no.
The MacBook Pro has a lot going for it:
- It's stated to be four times faster than the current PowerBook.
- It has a built-in iSight camera.
- It includes Front Row with Remote.
- And it's thinner than current PowerBooks.
I’m sure there are a lot more positives about it. The way I see it, I am still happy with my current purchase because:
- It's a 12" laptop whereas 15" seems to be the smallest MacBook Pro offered. You can't believe how much 3" makes a difference.
- It's a first generation MacIntel collaboration. There might be some kinks to still workout.
- I got my PowerBook on a slight discount. With it, my PowerBook was considerably less in price than the least expensive MacBook Pro.
I’m sure I’ll upgrade some time in the future, depending on reviews. (You know how much I like reviews). But for now, I’m still a very happy Mac user.
PS: Want to see //photos of the MacBook Pro?
Mac or Windows?
Heard of the latest //Windows flaw? From what I understand of it, and I may not understand all of it, but the only thing a user needs to do is visit a malicious website to get infected. It doesn’t matter if they are using Internet Explorer or Mozilla, just as long as they are on Windows!!! The websites given as //examples seem innocent. So now viewing a seemingly simple photo can get your computer into virus issues!!!
My Reasons?
I’ve been looking at moving to a Mac for some time. I must admit part of it started with the iPod, a very cool product by Apple. I find the iPod to be a solid piece of hardware that has been very useful in the two years that I have had it. It’s been a great gift that I truly appreciate.
Other input has come from radio shows I listen to, mainly //Leo Laporte’s show, who touts Macs and Unix. Leo continually has end users calling in with a lot of Windows problems. Granted, 80% or more of the home users out their user Windows. But listening to these callers has just convinced me that their must be something better out there. One of Leo’s main reasons for moving is he feels that non-power users shouldn’t need to be security experts in order to use their computer. I mean, you need to know to run spyware protection, to run virus protection, to know what to disable and enable in your browser. I know all of this, but haven’t realized that I really don’t need to know all of this. After all, there are no known viruses or spyware for the Mac (at least not now).
Another part of it stems from all the computer problems I have experienced, mostly through friends and relatives, with Windows-based machines. I was at someone’s house (they shall go nameless) who was having computer problems. They said their computer was running very slow. I did a virus and spyware scan and…BAM! forty-four instances of spyware and at least four viruses! It was impossible to clean, so a reinstall will be the most likely solution. (I still need to do this).
Then on our recent trip to Hawaii, someone asked me to look at their laptop to see what was wrong. Guess what? It had viruses galore on it! The laptop wasn’t even used that much on the Internet, and when it was it was through a dial-up connection!
So I took the leap to Mac. I have used a Mac before. At my first Silicon Valley job we used Macs to answer customer questions. I took a while to get used to, and the group I was in was the only group on Macs. I slowly moved that group to Windows, as I had some problems exchanging reports with my boss who was on Windows. So that was the last time I touched a Mac.
Moving to Mac
I’ve been living with my Mac PowerBook for about a month now, about the same amount of time I’ve been out of a job! My last job had a perk where you could get a slight discount on Apple products. I decided to use it by purchasing a Mac computer. I wasn’t sure which one I would get, but I knew I wanted one.
I went with the 12" PowerBook. I knew I wanted to take a little leap, without too much cost. The Mac Mini might have been a good choice, but I didn’t need to replace my desktop. I looked toward laptops since I wanted to be portable. I was initially going with the 15" PowerBook, but the price for me turned out to be a factor. Plus I loved the size and feel of the 12" PowerBook.
How’s it Going?
What I’m finding is that the Mac is suiting most of my computer needs: surfing, emailing, and composing Word documents. I did plunk down some $$ for Microsoft Office, but other than that the PowerBook came with all that I needed. I still haven’t found a suitable photo management program, and probably won’t look for one until I get a Mac desktop computer. This PowerBook only has a 100 GB hard drive, so I’m not using it for music storage or image editing. But I am using it for everything else.
The only outstanding issue I have is my Mac is running slow on my home network. I don’t know why this is the case, as it seems to be running fine here at Starbucks. I’ll need to figure this one out. But hey, I highly recommend the Mac at this point. And with the new Intel Macs coming out soon, you should consider a Mac if you are looking for a new computer.
Things To Remember from this December
I wanted to jot down a few things to remember this month, besides the wedding. Most of these events happened in Hawaii, so I guess it still involves the wedding in some way.
Remember…
- the lady on crutches at //Sam Choy Breakfast, Lunch & Crab who offered to take our photo during breakfast? She took Farrah's camera, took a step back, and raised the camera over her head, then quickly fell to the ground. She, the camera, and her crutches came tumbling down. Ouch!
- hearing the song, "I'm N Luv (Wit a Stripper)" for the first time early one morning? //These lyrics are something to hear.
- when everyone got sick? Farrah, Alex, Yen, Fina, Dad, Roger, Jane, Tiana (when we got here), and Dad's friend. Roger had a sinus infection, Farrah was on antibiotics, and Yen was on a couple of different things.
- getting the car towed from Jane and Roger's place? I woke up at 6:00AM to go to Starbucks only to find the car had been towed. I know the sign said don't park there from 2:00 AM to 7:00 AM, but from what I understood that hadn't been enforced often. Guess the Christmas season keeps everyone on their toes.
- Khalil ordering shaved ice for everyone? He was a little worried on how to order, but did a good job. Only problem was that we asked for ice cream and beans, only to find out that there were no beans at the bottom of the cone. Disappointment for all.
- seeing stores open in Waikiki on Christmas night? We drove back to the hotel at around 10:30 PM, passing by people coming out of different shops on the strip. I guess Waikiki stores never close.
Our Wedding Mix
Below is the list of songs we had on our wedding compact disc:
- Songbird Eva Cassidy
- Pualena Vika
- You've Got a Way Shania Twain
- Sunday Morning Maroon 5
- Every Breath You Take UB40
- Banana Pancakes Jack Johnson
- Is This Love? Bob Marley and the Wailers
- In A Little While U2
- Turn Me On Norah Jones
- The Way You Look Tonight Frank Sinatra
- You Are So Beautiful Nohelani Cypriano
Merry Christmas To All!!!
We just wanted to say Merry Chirstmas to everyone!!! Hope you have a great Christmas day!!!
Friday Afternoon
I’m sitting in //Starbucks again as Farrah finishes some Christmas shopping. Last night my mom left back to California, arriving safely home early this morning. We head out on Monday, spending Christmas with those remaining behind. Doug headed out to Japan yesterday. I didn’t have a chance to talk to him before leaving.
Today Ann treated everyone to //Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch & Crab off the Nimitz. Farrah had the French Toast Platter while I had the Papa’s Beef Stew Omelet. Hmmmm….good!!! Two different people actually told me to try the Beef Stew Omelet, and the recommendations were sound. I couldn’t finish the omelet portion, but I did finish the stew.
I’ve taken quite a bit of photos, so it will take a bit of time to process and post the photos. This is what I plan to do when I get home. Check my //Flickr account for any updates.
We're Married!!!
It is official! Farrah and I our now husband and wife!
We took our wedding vows on the lagoon lawn at the //JW Marriot Ihilani yesterday afternoon. The weather was very nice, except for the gusting wind - which blew at about 15-20 mph - but that didn’t really make a dent in the day’s events. It’s only worth noting because today is such a calm day at Ihilani. But like I was telling Farrah, “That day was our day”.
Pre-ceremony photos ran a little behind, but it didn’t push our wedding start time back. We actually started on time at 4:30 PM. The wedding started with me walking my mother down the aisle to her seat. I then made my way back to the groomsmen where we walked in order behind the Pastor. We took our positions and waited for the bridal party.
//Cory Oliveros, the acoustic guitarist/singer we hired, started to sing “The Road that Never Ends”. I must admit when I heard this song and saw the bridesmaids line up in the distance, I started to tear up. The bridesmaids started about 30 yards away from the ceremony spot, walking on the lawn through the palm trees. I first saw Kayla, who made me smile so much. Then Kay, Kristel, Fina, Michelle and Yen.
Then off in the distance, from the starting point 30 yards away I saw Farrah and her parents. Cory then started to sing “The Hawaiian Wedding Song”. This really got me going. I couldn’t believe the amount of emotion I was trying to contain, not wanting to breakout in a full cry. I was very very happy.
The whole ceremony went off as planned. Pastor Curtis Fong conducted a wonderful ceremony. The only hiccup was the lei ceremony we wanted to be done. We conducted after the ceremony, at the wedding certificate signing table. So it wasn’t a big deal it didn’t take place in the main ceremony.
Farrah and I took more photos with the bridal party, and by ourselves, after the ceremony. Derek Wong was very meticulous in directing us during the photo shoot. I really liked the fact he was paying attention the everything in the shot - from items or people in the background to lighting. There were times where I wish shots could be taken quicker, but if you really want the photos to come out right you need to take some time. I really appreciate the pressure a wedding photographer must endure. I have faith that all the photos will be great!
The reception started almost on time in the Ocean Ballroom. Rodney Villanueva, our emcee, really had the crowd going. Rodney really had our guests laughing and the reception moved along smoothly with his guidance.
Wonderful dancing was provided by //Iwalani’s School of Dance and The Philippine Dance Group during dinner. Heartfelt toasts were given by Yen and Doug, and Lotte’s words about Farrah and I meeting were very touching.
After the professional looking slideshow was done by //Aloha Friday Productions was completed, we started the cake cutting and dancing. Farrah and her dad danced to “Butterfly Kisses” and Farrah and I danced to “Songbird”. I wanted to dance with my mother for a song, but time seemed to be slipping away.
The evening ended with everyone on the dance floor. We stayed for a while longer, but the full day had taken it’s toll on our energy. But it was a full and lovely day. Everyone who helped make this day happen cannot fully know how thankful we are for their support. I will post photos when I can. I just wanted to write this out while I had the chance.
I don’t think Farrah and I could have imagined a more perfect day.
Meetings
The morning found us having Kim Chee Fried Rice with two eggs over easy for breakfast. We knew today we had two important meetings, so it required a special breakfast.
The first meeting was at Ihiliani with Terri at Ihilani to work out some final details. This went by without any major concerns. We then had a lunchtime meeting with (Pastor) Curtis Fong, who will be performing the wedding ceremony. He was very informative and brought along years of experience to share with us on how we should conduct ourselves before, during and after the ceremony.
I also had a chance to post more photos from yesterday when we went to go get our Marriage License.
There were a couple of photos of us taken by the lady who took our application, but they didn’t turn out. It seems I didn’t have the Nikon on full automatic, so the photos turned out blurry. Oh well.
It Begins This Way...
When I post this blog entry, I will be in a Starbucks in Aiea, Hawaii. Farrah and I arrived in Oahu last night, earlier than we thought, since the tradewinds were kind.
Farrah is still under the weather. She wasn’t feeling well last Friday night when we went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Saturday morning she had full blown flu symptoms. I couldn’t go to YEP (Yahoo!’s Year End Party) without her, so I chose not to go that night. Of course, I subsequently got sick on Monday, by my symptoms mimic a cold and not the flu.
We rested most of the week since we were flying off on Wednesday to Hawaii. Fina was kind enough to take us to SFO. We left the house around 3:00 PM with our flight scheduled for 6:00 PM. We hung out at “Just Desserts” talking about what still needs to be done.
We were almost going to go to the gate when we were surprised by Lotte!!! She had come to see us off. It was a very nice surprise seeing Lotte, who is responsible for introducing Farrah and I. We really wish should have come to Hawaii for the wedding.
The flight to Hawaii was pretty quick. We arrived forty minutes ahead of schedule! There was slight turbulence here and there, interrupting “Cinderella Man” , the in-flight movie. The weather was nice and cool when we arrived, a change from cold rainy climate currently plaguing the Bay Area.
We got the Auntie Horton’s house pretty quick. We unpacked, ate a quick dinner which included homemade chicken soup, and took our medicine before crashing for the night.
Morning time was rough for me, but Farrah was up light a bolt of lighting. We took off to Starbucks in search for a WiFi connection. The first one at Pearlridge was not working. It had me a little frustrated because I was able to connect in SFO easily. I could see the signal but wasn’t getting a login screen or full Internet connection. We went to the new Border’s about a block away in Uptown Pearlridge, I found a connection (this connection) very easily. This place is new and gets very very sunny in the morning (no shades), so I’ll probably only go there early in the morning or later in the day.
Ah, email and Internet access is so hard to do without.
Well, that catches us up to the present. What have we done so far? Well, we got our marriage license from downtown. The process was quick and easy. Farrah and I took a couple of photos, but when the clerk tried to use the camera to take our picture together it didn’t work out. Oh well, it’s ok. Not much else is planned today. There are several meeting we have tomorrow, and a few small things we need to do today. The big day is only ten days away. TEN DAYS!!!
Ah well, more later.
Thanksgiving Dinner and Surviving the Shopping Weekend
Thanksgiving was the usual affair at my sister’s house. This year was a little different with it being the first year without Bill. It reminded me of the first holiday season without my father. But life goes on. We drank a toast to Bill, had a good meal and good conversation about anything and everything.
I was so stuffed that I almost couldn’t do dessert! But I did manage to partake in the chocolate cake and pumpkin pie (yes, both for dessert). You can see the photos from Thanksgiving in the //photos section. All photos are not visible. To access all photos please log into your //Flickr account, and be on my Friends and Family list. I didn’t take too many photos, but just enough to capture the day.
The following day, Black Friday, I dropped off Farrah at Valley Fair. I did not dare enter the mall on that day. I did however go into Fry’s in San Jose. I managed to find street parking close by, only having to deal with the slight drizzle that filled the day. I didn’t buy anything, but managed to kill an hour before heading home.
Saturday we found ourselves up in the City with hundreds of other people. Union Square was packed!!! I wanted to take pictures of people around me, but I forgot the memory card for my camera. I took it out of the camera to download photos from Thanksgiving dinner and forgot to place it back in the camera. Doh!
Before starting off on our - or actually Farrah’s - shopping quest, we ate a nice lunch at the Nordstrom’s Bistro. After getting the all needed fuel to make the rounds, we headed to Forever 21 - which is one of my favorite stores (he says sarcastically). Next was //H & M which is new to the City.
I initially stepped into H & M with Farrah, after we waited in a 50-person line outside the store. Crowd control was necessary for the store - I guess - so as to not create a fire hazard. I stepped out of the store after ten minutes of waiting. I wandered around Union Square, passing by //Macy’s which had an SPCA display in one of their windows. The display had live cats and dogs playing around cartoonish cutouts. This created a small crowd along the windows. Damn, I wish I had my camera to take photos!
I made my way back to H & M where I stood outside waiting for Farrah to come out. I found it very amusing to look and listen to the crowds of people walking by H & M commenting on the store and the people waiting in line. I heard repeated remarks like: “What store is this?” “Oh, this is like the East Coast one.” “What’s the line for?” and my favorite - “I’m not standing in line just to go into a store.”
The day ended with a few more stores to stop by (Old Navy, the Apple Store) then we headed home. All in all I don’t think I bought much. I was just disappointed in forgetting my memory card to capture any moments of the day.