Monday, January 3, 2000

last semester at Egan

Christmas break has ended and school has started for me. It's hard to believe this is my last semester before I graduate.

So things were a little different this year. We're in the middle of a remodeling project and didn't have the chance to go anywhere during the holidays. On the bright side, the house already looks a lot better. I also had an awesome time celebrating the New Year at our family friend Carol's house. For me, that alone was a worthwhile experience.

One thing I'll miss for sure is Mrs. Andersen's cooking class. Too bad it's not longer. However, the good news is that Mr. Grijalva's industrial technology class looks fun too. I'm excited to see what it has to offer.

Saturday, January 1, 2000

on the Year 2000 problem

Dad told me his company's security system went haywire. I guess the transition to the year 2000 wasn't exactly seamless. However, he says this was quickly fixed and didn't cause any damage. As far as I'm aware, there have been no major disruptions. So no power failures, plane crashes, nuclear meltdowns or accidental missile launches. Of course, the world didn't end either.

On the whole, this has been an uneventful day so far. Some argue that the money spent on Y2K — estimated at a few hundred billion dollars — was a waste. But there are many others who disagree. You can't take chances when it comes to critical infrastructure.

Currently playing: Duke Nukem

the party of a lifetime

Hope you guys had a great New Year's Eve. Or at least I did because the Liangs invited us to a big party at their house. :-)

We arrived at our family friend Carol's house in the evening and caught up with her. Carol ordered so much food that there was barely enough room on the table. After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room to watch the Times Square ball drop. Imagine our anticipation as we counted down the seconds. One thing for sure is that this is a defining moment for our generation.

Some of us decided to watch The Matrix on video later. I enjoyed the special effects even though I didn't quite understand the movie. It ended pretty late — just before midnight Pacific time. Soon the year 2000 was upon us. Everyone was having so much fun that no one wanted to leave. We stayed for another hour or so before finally heading home.

One problem is that I'm socially awkward and don't have many close friends. I didn't know anyone except the Liangs and decided to take out my laptop. However, there were still opportunities to socialize. A guy saw me playing Quake and also wanted to give it a go. He turned out to be an expert at the game and even showed me some neat tricks. It's always nice to meet people with similar interests.

On the whole, the transition to the year 2000 couldn't have been better. It's hard to believe something like this only happens once every 1,000 years. Such an event is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Perhaps science will one day allow us to live forever. But I digress.

Some predicted computers would crash and cause chaos. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. To my knowledge, there have been no incidents so far. At least my computers are working fine. Let's hope nothing too crazy happens. *crosses fingers*

1999 in review

Last year certainly had its ups and downs. I really enjoyed our Alaska cruise in the summer. Spending time with the Lins and the Shiehs made it even better. Our trip to Japan was pretty fun too.

Of course, there were also bad days. Dad wanted to take us to Tahoe in February but had to back out due to work commitments. Having the cancel the trip was a bummer. Although we invited the Liangs over for dinner — as a compensation of sorts — the mood was ruined when my dad and I got into an argument over trivial matters. I guess life doesn't always work out according to plan.

Currently playing: Quake