Delirium

Website on Moving Scams

2008-03-04T22:45:00.000-08:00

Came across this website earlier. It includes valuable information and links to resources to avoid ending up with a mover from hell, and what to do when you encounter one.

http://www.movingscam.com

Musical Thoughts

2007-11-26T00:49:00.000-08:00

I've been listening to a lot of music lately.... Some random thoughts:

1. I would love to attend a concert with Rachmaninoff's 3rd piano concerto and Tchaikovsky's 1st piano concerto in the program.

2. I was listening to the "Horowitz at Home" CD, where they literally recorded Vladimir Horowitz playing on his piano at home. The CD contains only Mozart and Schubert pieces. It seems like he mellowed out a bit over the the years, which is a bit of a contrast with his fiery renditions of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody #2 from back when.

3. In the above CD, Horowitz plays the Liszt transcription of Schubert's Staendchen (Serenade). It seriously sounds like it was played on 3 different pianos. I'm just jealous that he's able to do this at age 85!

4. Seriously, do pianists not get arthritis? Liszt? At 85?

Huckabee and Chuck Norris

2007-11-18T23:10:00.000-08:00

I don't think I can take Mike Huckabee seriously after watching his new ad with Chuck Norris. Gotta give it to the man for trying to win some votes with humor and creativity. Maybe that's what this country needs.

Inspired by Chuck Norris facts: http://smarmycarny.com/archives/2006/01/12/chuck-norris-facts/

New England Foliage Trip

2007-11-06T23:51:00.000-08:00

Hmm... I guess my blog is turning into more of a travel journal. Anyhoo...

10/14/2007

Burlington, VT

It was convenient that Jet Blue has direct flight from San Jose to Boston. After single-handedly covering 1000+ miles during our 3-day trip to Northern California, I thought that we should take it easy on the driving this time, so I decided to fly into Burlington and end the trip in Boston. This beats flying into and out of Boston, and having to drive that loop to cover all the places.

Burlington was our first stop after picking up the rental car from the airport. It helped that I knew my way around -- having spent a summer here 6 years ago. The weather wasn't that great. It had been raining the entire week, and today was the tail end of the string of bad weather days.

View of Lake Champlain from Waterfront Park.

Waterfront Park.

Scene on Church Street. Some crazy kid running after the train. He looks happier than the kid on the train.

Postcard shot at Church Street.

Scene from a local park.

Stowe, VT

After Burlington, we had some time to kill before dinner, so I made a "quick" detour up to Stowe.

The famed church steeple from all those Stowe postcards. Too bad it was drizzling, and the foliage was past peak.

Got lost in the back roads. Good colors.

From a vista point in the general area.

Montpelier, VT

We stopped in Montpelier for dinner and took a quick tour of the state house before dinner at the Main Street Grill, run by NECI.

The Vermont State House.

Ceres (Demeter), the goddess of agriculture.

10/15/2007

The weather started to clear up today, and Vermont felt less gloomy.

Covered bridge in Taftsville.

I guess this kid didn't have school.

Quechee, VT

We started off with some cheese and maple syrup tasting at Sugarbush Farm. They have this great horseradish-flavored cheddar.

Horse at Sugarbush Farm.

Chapel in the woods near Sugarbush Farm.

Woodstock, VT

Woodstock is the quintessential village of New England. The only downside is that the traffic and parking was terrible. If you can somehow ignore the 18-wheelers and Camrys on the road, this place really takes you back in time.

The public library.

Middle Bridge.

Inside the Middle Bridge.

Funny store.

After Woodstock, we kind of drifted along Route 4 back to Quechee.

Some store had all kinds of animals on display. Great marketing. Great tourist trap. Since we were tourists, we just had to stop.

More animals.

Good weather today. Trying out the new circular polarizer in this shot.

Quechee, VT

Shot from the bridge at Quechee Gorge.

At the bottom of the gorge after a short hike.

Scenery during the hike.

Another shot of Quechee Gorge.

After the gorge, our final stop of the day was the Simon Pearce store.

View from the Mill, right outside Simon Pearce.

A wine glass in the making at Simon Pearce. Glassblowing is very fascinating to watch. It's something that I might enjoy doing.

The tools of the trade are on display outside the restrooms. They remind me of medieval torture equipment.

Along the Ottaquechee River.

Almost sunset.

The sun was starting to set as we left the area for New Hampshire for dinner and lodging. A bit of improv driving led us to some houses and a golf course by a small lake. Peak foliage colors are absolutely stunning right before sunset.

10/16/2007

Franconia, NH

We began the day at Franconia Notch State Park. We only had enough time to hit the 2 main attractions -- The Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway and the Flume Gorge. Sadly, we didn't get a chance to stop by the Basin.

Spectacular view from the parking lot for the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway.

Man, I would hate to go on a tour in one of these buses.

View of Echo Lake on the way up.

Even though the elevation at the top Cannon Mountain was only around 4000ft. It was so cold up there that everything was frozen. I guess no one will be using this for a while.

View from the top of Cannon Mountain.

Observatory.

I'm not sure if it's even possible to start a fire up there.

As I mentioned earlier, the entire place was pretty much encased in ice. We went up these stairs to the top of the observatory.

The rails at the top of the observatory.

Looks like something out of an Antarctic expedition.

View on the way down the mountain.

The Franconia Notch area was displaying full colors.

After Cannon Mountain, we went on to the Flume Gorge for some lower-altitude scenery.

The boulder looks like a human head.

New England is full of covered bridges. There's even one here!

Typical scene during hike in Flume Gorge.

I couldn't resist taking waterfall shots.

The pathway along the gorge.

Make that 2 covered bridges.

We were attacked by a giant snail.

Reflection off of the window of our rental car.

10/17/2007

North Conway, NH

The agenda today was not ambitious. We started off by exploring some attractions around North Conway. My plan was to follow Route 16 to 302, then do some exploring of the Crawford Notch area. Maybe do a little shopping at the outlets in North Conway, then driving the Kancamagus Highway to get to our hotel for the night.
Vantage point from Cathedral Ledge, near North Conway.

Shot during hike in Diana's Baths area.

More from Diana's Baths.

At scenic point along Crawford Notch Road. Mt. Washington in the distance.

New England roads are beautiful during foliage season. Kids, don't try this at home.

Random shot.

Rocky Gorge area, along the Kancamagus Highway.

Also from Rocky Gorge.

Sabbaday Falls.

Different angle.

10/18/2007

Portsmouth, RI

From Green Animals Topiary Garden.

Frankly, I think Green Animals is overrated. It might be worth your time if they don't charge admission, but if you have other things you want to see, then go see them first. Really, even kids would only be entertained for 15 minutes at the most. Don't waste your money here.

Newport, RI

During Cliff Walk.

Forty Steps.

Visit to Marble House. The weather started to get ugly again. The fog rolled in and everything looked gray and hazy.

Shot of the Trinity Episcopal Church in the dense fog after dinner.

10/20/2007

Boston, MA

Not sure what this is. It's near Tremont and School Street.

In Beacon Hill.

Somewhere along Mount Vernon Street.

Fake pumpkins on display in Louisburg Square.

Along Acorn Street.

Yes, because you can get trampled to death by hordes of Japanese teenage tourists.

Giant bust of Arthur Fiedler, long-time conductor of Boston Pops.

A shot of the alma mater.

At the Esplanade.

Hancock building.

Somehow, I really like the blue color of the Hancock building.

Artist at Faneuil Hall.

Government Center turned into some sort of pumpkin mecca.

The horrors.

It's the attack of the killer pumpkins.

Northern California Trip

2007-07-25T21:51:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial Day weekend, we took a trip up to NORTHERN California. It's been a while, and I just finished going through all the pictures. =P

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Near Sulfur Works.

Smells nice!

I love driving out here.

Pretty high elevation, so there was still snow this time of the year... A lot of snow, actually.

Mini snowman.

And I suppose safaris are allowed if you don't go beyond this point?

There are quite a few lakes in the area. This is one of them. (I can't remember which one)

This is one creative tree.

This tree wants to do the Asian "Yay!" V(*_*)

Volcanic rocks around the Devastated Area. Here you get to see what happens when a volcano has an upset stomach.

The rocks have a variety of colors, age, and composition.

Some are big.

Some are small.

More volcanic rocks.

And more...

Really, there are a lot of them.

Too many rocks. Time for a breather.

Parts of the park was still closed, due to snow or other conditions, so we didn't get to check out some of the trails, waterfalls, or Bumpass Hell. I can easily spend days in this park.

Redding

After a not-so-quick drive back to Redding, and a relaxing dinner, we went to check out the Sundial Bridge.

The Sundial Bridge.

Sunset over Sacramento River.

McArthur-Burney Falls State Park

From the look-out point.

Along the trail to the bottom of the waterfall.

This is probably the most beautiful waterfall I've seen in my life. It was well worth the drive, and the highlight of the trip.

Invisible tree.

Bridge at the other end of the trail we took.

Further down the road is Lake Britton. It's a beauty! (I took this shot through my polarized sunglasses)

Modoc Volcanic Scenic Byway

After the waterfall, I wanted to go check out the Modoc Volcanic Scenic Byway. I had read somewhere that there are a bunch of volcanic activity-related points of interest to check out in this off-the-beaten-path area, such as lava tunnels and a "glass mountain". So I took an unplanned detour towards Hwy 49...

Scenic point along Hwy 49, overlooking the vast expanse of the Modoc National Forest.

The points of interest in this aren't marked well. The only thing we managed to find was this hole in the ground near a small unpaved lot.

It looks small, but the depression in the ground is big enough to hold my living room.

Inside the ice cave.

The scenic drive goes through some of the most pristine land in California (with a nicely paved road, no less). This was on Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend, and I did not see over 15 or 20 other cars during the 4 or 5 hours I spend in this area. All I saw was trees and more trees, and occasionally we came across unpaved logging roads that seem to lead to nowhere.

Took this shot on my own, with a tripod. Pretty good focus. =)

I was not able to locate any sign that pointed me to the Little Glass Mountain I wanted to find. Instead, I got lost. Shortly after we passed Medicine Lake, when I thought that we should probably begin the return trip back to the main highways, the road became unpaved. I'm not quite sure what happened in between that time, and when I got back to Hwy 15 for my return trip, except I saw signs pointing to Lava Beds National Monument, and that meant I went too far north.

I drove for miles and miles (at least 30-40 minutes) on this stuff... sometimes the road isn't even wide enough to fit 2 cars.

Dirty car. And this was before most of the driving on the unpaved roads.

I didn't get to see the glass mountain. All I got was a dirty car, and probably crappier alignment. A GPS might have been a good thing in this area, as our cell phones did not have any reception at all. My unplanned detour turned out to be quite an adventure, and I ended up not having enough time to go see the waterfalls near McCloud.

Mount Shasta

On our way back to Redding, the adventurer in me decided to take another detour, up Mount Shasta.

We stopped by an Italian restaurant in Mount Shasta city, called Strings. The food was surprisingly good, given the location.

Shasta Dam

Before we left for home, I just had to go see Shasta Dam, the only point of interest close enough for a quick visit. We found some nice picture spots.

Close-up.

Lake Shasta, with Mount Shasta in the distance.

And with that, our mini trip concluded. The weekend just went by too quickly. Even though it's a three-day weekend, there just wasn't enough time to enjoy all that the area has to offer. It's a shame.... This calls for a return trip. =)

Monterey Day Trip

2007-07-03T23:08:00.000-07:00

We took the requisite 17 Mile Drive. Even though the weather wasn't as wonderful, the sights were still exquisite. Everytime I come here, I manage to find something new to photograph.

I like interesting rocks.

"This way to heaven."

Artsy fartsy shot.

What the hell. While we're here, I might as well take another shot of the Lone Cypress.

I believe this was Bird Rock. You don't want to be standing under those birds when they gotta go.

Deer!

I don't think he's going to make it. =T

And of course, we finished off the day with a yummy dinner at Passionfish. It was yet another stellar food experience. Too lazy to list out the stuff we had in detail. But the duck confit and the dessert with the cabernet sauce were especially good.

Fisherman's Wharf Day Trip

2007-07-01T23:51:00.000-07:00

Next stop in the Bay Area whirlwind tour...

Great, free parking here, if you're fortunate.

I'm glad they made it clear.

Star Wars mail box

Coit Tower

Cool display in one of the stores.

Boats

Napa Day Trip

2007-06-30T22:12:00.000-07:00

Y's sister came to visit her. As Bay Area locals, we felt obligated to show her around. First stop in her whirlwind tour -- Napa. Need to liquor her up a bit to leave a good impression of her vacation.

1. V. Sattui Winery

Since it was a long weekend and the weather was awesome, if not a bit on the warm side, the big-name place were PACKED! V. Sattui was named winery of the year last year, and I'm sure their wines are excellent, but we didn't stick around for any tasting. If it weren't for the crowd, I would have loved to try out the 8 wines for $10 offering they had. There were some interesting-looking wines I wanted to taste. =T I'll save it for next time....

In the cellar.

2. Opus One

Opus One is supposed to be one of THE wineries. With bottles easily costing 3 figures, and tasting is by appointment only (and costs something on the order of $30), we weren't able to go inside. Still, that didn't stop us from walking around and enjoying their beautiful grounds in this nice weather.

Y and sister.

Opus One main building.

Overlooking the front.

Looks like a spaceship!

3. Domaine Chandon

We did plan for some tasting of the bubblies and a winery tour at Domaine Chandon. They're famed for their sparkling wines. With a 2-for-1 tasting coupon, we tried out 7 different wines. They also have well-kept grounds.

Mushroom stone sculptures.

Huge steel tanks during the tour.

Barrels. What else do you see in a winery tour?

Our tour was interrupted by a bat flying around. It was too fast for me to photograph in the dim conditions, so we settled for a shot with the tanks.

In all, it was a short, fun trip to Napa. I increased my collection of wine glasses (from wine tastings) yet again.

Quick LA Trip

2007-06-25T02:28:00.000-07:00

Took a quick trip down to LA this past weekend. Here are some notable pictures from Long Beach and Rodeo Drive.

Long Beach

Weirdest thing at the Aquarium of the Pacific

Queen Mary

Rodeo Drive

Ratatouille

2007-06-19T16:27:00.000-07:00

Caught the sneak preview of Ratatouille on Saturday night. It's Pixar's newest movie. Maybe it's because the market is over-saturated with sequels upon sequels, but I haven't been that impressed with the offering of [supposedly] blockbuster movies thusfar this summer. Sure we're pulling in 9-figure ticket sales. Sure the special effects are out of this world. There's just a lack of movies with interesting/original storylines.

Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed Ratatouille. It's THE movie to see this summer, or maybe even this year. It's so I-laughed-so-hard-I-peed-in-my-pants funny that I can't wait until the DVD comes out. [Note: No, I did not actually pee in my pants. It was just a figure of speech. I would advise against drinking stuff while watching this movie, unless you really have to.]

I waited through the entire credits for some outtakes or something special, but there wasn't anything to see. So save yourself a few minutes and leave when the credits start, unless you have a thing for reading something that's pretty much the entire Pixar payroll and all their second cousins.

Tour de Cure

2007-06-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

This Sunday was the Tour de Cure ride in Palo Alto. Since I don't have a bike yet, I got to be the official photographer of Y and her coworker P. They participated in the "50K" ride.

Before the ride.

And they're off! (Just wanted to note that their numbers add up to 600)

Lance Armstrong never looked this good as a blur.

It's hard work laughing through "50K" of biking.

Almost there!

Alas, I was not quick enough to beat the two fast bikers back to the finish line for the money shot. Next time, I'll consider dragging my camera along for the ride.

Amaryllis Flowers

2007-05-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

So it's blooming season for the Amaryllis in my yard. Figured that I'd get some shots in before they shrivel up...

SF Day Trip

2007-05-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

Started off with a trip to the De Young Museum. It's great that they allow non-flash photos.

I liked this painting by John Singer Sargent the most.

Buck teeth?

I don't know, but these following paintings look awfully real. Even in these pictures, which don't do them any justice...

Afterwards, we drove through Golden Gate Park on our way out.

Gnarly!

And passed by Pacific Heights. I just wanted to drive up and down the steep 20+ degree hills. The mansions there have stunning architecture.

View of the Marina.

Alcatraz

Palace of Fine Arts.

And arrived at Ghirardelli Square. I dunno... Somehow, I just wasn't impressed by Ghirardelli Square at all. Maybe it's all the construction going on, but I found the place to be a boring tourist trap with overpriced food and shops. We stayed for $2 worth of parking and left for dinner elsewhere.

Monterey / Big Sur Trip - Day 2

2007-05-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

Pacific Grove was so nice yesterday that we decided to come back for more when everything was bright and sunny. Man, there were some parts of PG that are just spectacular this time of the year, when the weather is nice. It's almost as nice as the cherry blossoms in Japan. The weather was much warmer today, even a little hot.

Day 2 -- Pacific Grove, Carmel, Big Sur:

Pacific Grove, late morning.

Resting butterfly.

Beautiful tree.

Shot of the tide pools.

More scenery.

Afterwards, we ventured down Highway 1 to grab lunch in Carmel and take a stroll through streets lined with stores carrying items with out-of-this-world price tags. Reality check... Having more money IS better. I know, I know. Having more money doesn't bring more happiness. But I'd rather be rich and unhappy, than poor and unhappy. =P

We went to Big Sur in the afternoon to check out the scenery. All the reviews say it's beautiful, and they were all correct. B-E-A-utiful.

Crashing waves.

Me, at the coast.

Some bridge; not Bixby Bridge.

Bixby Bridge off in the distance. From south of the bridge.

We ended up in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. For the entrance fee you have to pay to get in here, the Pfeiffer Fall isn't really worth it. It's much more interesting to pay for the slightly higher entrance fee to the 17 Mile Drive.

Took the trail to Pfeiffer Fall. While we're here, might as well take a picture.

Another shot of the waterfall.

We ended up taking another trail (Valley View Trail), which took around an hour to climb. We kept going higher, and higher, and higher, and higher. Finally, we found a bench at the end of the trail. The view *almost* made it worth it. But it was hot, and we were tired.

View of the valley, on Valley View Trail.

"Reflection" =)

This is the bench you find at the end of the trail.

Trees. Lots of trees.

Near the beginning of the trails.

After our hike, we're just about ready to call it a day, so I headed south for a few more miles to have dinner at Nepenthe, one of the "cheaper" places in Big Sur to eat with scenery. We got there around 5:30pm, and all the outdoors seats were already taken. Didn't want to wait 30+ minutes, so we took an indoor table. The view was pretty good still, without the heat. Their cheapest entree is the $13 burger. The cheese costs extra.

Dinner view, at Nepenthe.

Big Sur coastline, in the evening.

We passed by the Bixby Bridge on the way home, so I did some off-roading to get to a better vantage point.

Bixby Bridge.

Close-up.

What I learned from this trip was: I like the ocean and vibrant colors, and I'll take a lot of pictures with them.

Monterey / Big Sur Trip - Day 1

2007-05-05T22:57:00.000-07:00

The weather has been really nice for the past 2 weeks, so Yi-Shan and I figured that it's about time to head somewhere for a mini vacation. Since we didn't plan in advance, and we didn't want to take any time off from work, our choices were limited to the places "close by".

Yosemite: - I really wanted to go check out Yosemite, but aside from roughing it in the park, there weren't too many lodging options still available in the park. Also, it was warmer this year and there wasn't as much snow -- leading to earlier melting of the snow (which determines the peak waterfall season there). Maybe Yosemite is better left for another time... in the fall/winter, or next spring. Plus it would be a long drive for a weekend trip.

Wine Country - We've already been up to Napa and Russian River this year, so it was probably better to go somewhere else for a change. Though, Calistoga is an option, since we didn't have enough time to drive all the way up there when we went to Napa in January.

Monterey: - In the end, I settled on Monterey area. The drive there is only around 100 miles, which I can easily do in 1.5 hours or less. I already have a bunch of maps for the Monterey Peninsula area, and I'm somewhat familiar with the roads there already. Plus, I also remembered that the ice plants were in full bloom around this time of the year last year, which would definitely make for a more scenic trip.

Day 1 -- Monterey, Pacific Grove:

We had errands to run, so didn't get to leave until late morning on Saturday. With some crafty driving on my part, we got to Cannery Row in time for lunch.

Yi-Shan and Giant Otter.

The water was really blue.

Gorgeous shot of the sea.

In the evening, we went to Passionfish for dinner. In the 2 times that I've been there, and the 9 different dishes I've tried so far, I have yet to find something to complain about. Ask me at any time, and I'll be able to tell you what I had each time. It's that good. =) Since I don't want to do another Passionfish entry, I'll just briefly list the stuff we had this time around:

1. Tempura soft shell crab with sauteed shiitake mushrooms and capers -- Mmmm.. I don't think I'll ever have to order spider rolls at Japanese restaurants. The cost was about the same as a spider roll, but you get the whole freaking crab here, which is pretty good for 2 people.

2. Alaskan salmon with tempura shiitake mushrooms -- The salmon was really soft (not the kind of soft you get with old seafood) and the mushrooms were not greasy at all. Can't get enough of shiitake mushrooms.

3. Braised kurobuta (translates to black pig) with pasta -- For $18, I was expecting something like 3 cubes of meat. Instead, they gave me an entire slab/chunk still on the bone. It was the size of half of my forearm. The pork smelled sooo good, especially with the dijon mustard marinade, and you can practically lift the meat off the bone with only a fork. I felt really full at one point, and thought that I was done -- only to discover that I had only finished half the meat. There was ANOTHER HALF on the underside of the bone. O_o If I have to get nitpicky and complain about something, it's that they should have warned me about how much pork there'd be. If I had a fridge and microwave in the hotel, I would have taken it back for breakfast the next day.

4. Coconut ice-cream with sauteed bananas in rum sauce -- I somehow managed to grow another stomach in time for this.

4.5 We tried a glass of some vino verde (I can't remember which winery). It's a young white wine from Portugal, with a slight effervescence. It was pretty good, but not as good as the bottle of New Age that I have sitting at home.

After dinner, it was time to check out the Pacific Grove ice plants...

Eastward shot at Pacific Grove.

Sunset at Pacific Grove.

Another shot.

The sea and ice plant in bloom.

I guess some pilot was having fun. Great effect with the clouds.

So many pretty colors.

Museum Month

2007-04-30T22:43:00.000-07:00

Apparently, Bank of America card holders get free admissions (plus 1 guest) to a lot of museums in California and the Northeast during the month of May. If you have an account, take advantage of this. =)

http://www.bankofamericapromotions.com/museums/

Business Ideas...

2007-04-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

So I have some interesting ideas for time to time... In the past few weeks, I've had 2+ ideas related to businesses. (I say 2+ because there were 3, but I forgot 1, so I only remember 2 now)

One of which is a straight-up old-school merchandising business, where I'd sell some goods, and maybe set up some e-commerce site along the way. This could have potential to make some money, if only pocket change.... Maybe I'll tackle that as a side hobby eventually, if I don't have something more important to work on.

The other idea I had was for a travel-related start up. Sure, there'll be some competition from the likes of Yahoo and young, college-aged kids, but I think I have an idea or two about how to make things better. This one, I can't tackle alone technologically or manpower-wise. Any one interested?

Taiwan Taipei Trip - Day 3

2007-04-11T23:55:00.000-07:00

After a lot of rain, the weather finally cooperated today. We passed by CKS Memorial again, so I decided to take some nicer pictures.

The main entrance.

The National Concert Hall.

Main hall.

Changing of the gurads.

We took advantage of the subway system in Taipei (the color-coding reminds me of the Boston subway system, though the cost of the Taipei subway isn't fixed).

We wanted to stop by the Taipei 101 while it's still the world's tallest building. I think either Dubai or Shanghai has something in the works to beat the height. The first 5 floors and basement of the Taipei 101 is basically a high-end mall.

The wall decorations of a Japanese restaurant inside the Taipei 101.

Ceiling.

Outside the Taipei 101.

From the mall across the street.

Random interesting-looking building.

We bought tickets to the observation deck in the evening. Too bad it's only to the 89th floor, but the elevator ride took less than 40 seconds. They claim that it's the world's fastest elevator.

Shot of the bamboo-inspired building at night.

View of Taipei city from way up there.

This is what a 660 metric ton ball looks like.

The elevator display.

Another shot of the ceiling as we were leaving the building.

Taiwan Taipei Trip - Day 1

2007-04-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

We came up to Taipei today. Happened to pass by the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, so we decided to go inside for a look.

They had a ton of paper lanterns inside, in the exhibit area.

The CKS Memorial Hall is the Taiwanese equivalent of the Lincoln Memorial.

Ceiling of the memorial hall.

It was raining outside. Typical crappy Taipei weather.

Kaohsiung Lakes

2007-04-07T18:18:00.000-07:00

Lakeside shot of Cheng Ching Lake in Kaohsiung.

Grand Hotel in the distant background.

Another lake (Lian Ci Tan).

Taiwan East Coast - Day 3

2007-04-05T22:36:00.000-07:00

Today brought us to Taroko Gorge. Truly beautiful place. No wonder tons of tourist flock to this place.

Entrance.

Not sure what this was. I had to do some major zooming on my camera to get this shot.

Group shot in front of Ci2 Mu3 Bridge.

Another shot of the bridge.

Huuuge toad-looking rock beside the bridge.

The rocks are intruiging.

Looks like a big gorilla.

Giant fist??

Parts of the path we took went through the rocks.

Yummy Waterfall.

Mom and grandma.

Taiwan East Coast - Day 2

2007-04-04T22:11:00.000-07:00

I took a morning stroll through parts of the Jhihben National Forest. It was drizzling, so that wasn't as fun. The pictures turned out okay.

Dreamy...

Platform at Taichung Train Station.

Taiwan East Coast - Day 1

2007-04-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

Since there wasn't much to do at home, my grandparents (mom's side) decided to take us on a last minute tour to eastern Taiwan.

Arrived at Jhihben Hot Springs. The weather wasn't particularly nice. With showers from time to time.

Seems like something out of a depressing movie.

Decorations at the restaurant where we had dinner.

Fried shrimp fresh from the creek, with tons of garlic and green onions. You can eat these suckers whole without having to worry about the shell or head/tail. I waited years for this dish. Hells ya.

Back in Taiwan

2007-04-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

After a long, tiring flight to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, I'm somewhat settled in at home. The muggy/sticky weather and myriad of moped riders and funky smells quickly remind me why I prefer Californian 'burbs.

Happy April Fool's Day!
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/index
(I especially like the UFO hoax by Richard Branson)

Gone Fishing

2007-03-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

Been missing in action for quite some time now. My workload has been sucking for some time. I'll be leaving the country soon. Heh heh heh.