Sunday, December 30, 2001

check out my new forum — no registration required

You may remember that I started a website last year. For those unaware, this is a math website where you can download my software. I'm thrilled to announce that I've added a forum to the site. Check it out here and tell me what you think — any comments and suggestions are welcome. :-)

Discussion is not limited to math — feel free to talk about anything as long as it's within the rules. Just be nice and use common sense. Although you don't need an account to participate, registered users have access to additional features. For example, they can edit their posts, send private messages and vote in polls. Have fun!

Please note that the server is owned by ProBoards. I don't have control over things like software upgrades and maintenance. However, this is a small price for a great service. If anyone is interested in a forum like this one, simply go to the ProBoards website to sign up for free.

I should get back to studying as finals are coming up. But don't worry because I'll still drop in from time to time. :-)

Currently playing: Alchemy

Thursday, December 27, 2001

wisdom teeth removed

I just got back from the surgeon's office and am now in recovery mode. Despite my reservations, the procedure went smoothly — more so than I expected.

An anesthesiologist put me to sleep to spare me the gory details. I must admit I felt like a condemned man about to die. It's probably because I was worried about complications. Luckily nothing happened to me, but that must be some powerful stuff as I was knocked out in seconds.

Everything was done when I woke up. Although my mouth is still numb, that should go away in a few hours. However, the hard part is that I can't eat any solid foods for two weeks. Looks like I'm going to miss out on our New Year's Eve dinner. :\

Currently listening to: "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

Tuesday, December 25, 2001

back from Tahoe: a return to the slopes

Hope everyone had an amazing Christmas. Or at least I did as Dad took us to Tahoe. Because we hadn't been there in three years, this was nice for a change.

Day 1

Tahoe is about 230 miles from our house, but the scenery alone made the trip worthwhile. One moment that stood out to me was having rice noodles for dinner at a rest area near Donner Pass. It smelled so good that people were turning their heads. On cold winter days, there's nothing better than a hot bowl of soup.

Our hotel was located in South Lake Tahoe. We checked in and watched the news for a bit before going to sleep.

Day 2

I spent the morning playing games on my laptop. Mom thought it was silly to bring a computer on such a short trip. To be fair, there wasn't much else to do when it's so cold outside.

Dad took us on a drive around Lake Tahoe in the afternoon as the weather cleared up. I enjoyed browsing the stores and seeing what's for sale. However, my favorite place was Donner Lake. During the winter months, ice forms on the surface near the shore. As weird as it sounds, there's something satisfying about breaking the ice with a hammer. It's like popping bubble wrap.

Mom wanted to go for a soak in the hot tub after dinner. Someone had the bright idea to put it outside, so we had to endure the cold to get there. I didn't mind at first as the hot tub was quite nice. But the walk back to our room was almost unbearable because we were wet and chilled to the bone. Let's not do that again.

Day 3

Although most stores were closed on Christmas, the ski resorts were open for business. Mom suggested going to Soda Springs as we had never been there before. I had to brush up on my skills but was able to get up to speed in no time. Compared to other ski areas, Soda Springs is our favorite so far.

We stopped for dinner at a Chinese restaurant on the way home. One thing I always get at a Chinese restaurant is fried rice. However, the waiter brought us beef chow fun due to a wrong order. In his defense, the two things sound similar in Chinese. I figured it's Christmas and decided to let it go.

Epilogue

On the whole, this was an amazing trip. Dad is making plans for another one in January as we have Martin Luther King Jr. Day coming up. Less than a month to go!

In other news...

I'm scheduled for a wisdom tooth extraction in two days and am a little nervous. Let's hope everything will be fine. *crosses fingers*

Currently listening to: "Whenever, Wherever" by Shakira

Friday, December 21, 2001

Christmas break is here

School's out for the holidays. I can finally relax now that the semester is over. Hell yeah!

In any case, my family is heading to Tahoe in a few days. All of us are excited about the trip as we haven't skied in a while. Another highlight is that my grandfather Bien-Chuan and his partner Ms. Chen are visiting from Taiwan afterwards. I can't wait to catch up as they haven't been here in years.

But one thing I'm not looking forward to is a wisdom tooth extraction right after Christmas. From what the surgeon told us, recovery can take up to two weeks. Hopefully it won't be that long because I won't be able to eat most foods during this time. *shrugs*

Currently playing: Bejeweled

Friday, December 14, 2001

a great holiday dance

Tonight's dance at LAHS was pretty awesome. Admission was $5 for students with an ASB card and $7 for all others. I didn't buy one this year and had to pay the full price, but that didn't make a huge difference. For those curious, this year's theme was Mardi Gras.

I've been to several dances but enjoyed this one the most so far. It helps that Christmas is coming up. In my experience, events are more fun during the holiday season. Everyone certainly had a great time.

Also worth mentioning is that I saw my crush but didn't have the courage to invite her to dance. Social anxiety sucks. :-(

Currently listening to: "A Puro Dolor" by Son by Four