A 2021 Pic Of Me

I needed a pic of me in 2021. The idea entered my mind while I performed car maintenance. I never stood up inside my car going through the sun roof. I did it for the first time in Nov 2021. My 2005 Toyota Camry drives well.

My Home Mini Gym

The pic was taken on Mar 17, 2020. It was the first day of shelter in-place. The COVID-19 virus shut down the San Francisco Bay Area. Gyms are on the list of non-essential businesses which must close. I purchased a 45-pound plate and a 25-pound plate at a specialty fitness store on Mar 16, 2020. I purchased the exercise mat at Sports Basement on Mar 16, 2020. I have been working out following weight plate plans to maintain strength. I have been exercising on the stationary cycle for cardio.

Hiking Mission Peak Dec 2019

I ended the four hikes in four months between Sep and Dec at Mission Peak in Fremont, CA. I hiked the longer and easier trail along the back of the hill for the first time. It was also the first time I hiked the trail in the month of Dec. I said to myself when I saw the tree on the Mission Peeker pole, "There's a Christmas tree on the pole!"

Ending 2019 With Monthly Hikes

I devoted one day per month between Sep and Dec to hike four trails. One of the four trails is new. I hiked the Montara Mountain Trail in Pacifica, CA on Labor Day weekend for the first time. Great view of the Pacific Ocean. Great view along the Bay Area coast to San Francisco.

Oakland A's Vs. St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Game

The second year in a row my brother got Oakland A's tickets. The family and I watched a baseball game on a Sat night in Aug 2019. The A's won 8-3. Chad Pinder hit a pinch-hit three-run homer. I'm a San Francisco Giants fan supporting the Oakland A's.

I Find Time For Day Hikes

Hiking is still a favorite hobby. A friend recommended Joaquin Miller in the Oakland Hills. I took a Sat in Oct 2018 to prioritize an outdoor hiking activity. It felt good spending a day outdoors instead of working to strengthen my job skills and job searching.

Oakland A's Vs. Seattle Mariners Baseball Game

My brother got Oakland A's tickets. The family and I watched a baseball game on a Sat night in Sep 2018. The A's were down the entire game. The A's rallied falling short. Khris Davis hit a home run. The family watched the postgame fireworks show on the field.

Another Cousin Wedding

Two cousin weddings in the last two years. The July 1, 2018 wedding was my cousin on my mom's side. The service and dinner took place at an office park. Interesting. Here is a picture my nephew took on my phone. I have maintained my 170 pound weight minimizing eating processed foods and working out at the gym four days a week.

Japanese Mahjong or Riichi

One of my favorite table top games is Mahjong. I play Hong Kong and Japanese styles. I assure everyone I play for fun. Points are tracked. Wins are tracked. There is no gambling. Money is not exchanged.

My Mom's Cousin Wedding

My Mom's cousin son was married in Jun 3, 2017. The service and dinner took place at the Marriott Hotel in San Mateo, CA. Here is a dual picture of myself two months after my surgeries. The left side one can see how big the mirror in front of the hotel lobby. The right side is a close up. I lost eight pounds one month before my surgeries. I lost an additional 12 pounds after my surgeries.

My First Time An Inpatient In A Hospital

There were medical firsts in Apr 2017. I went to the emergency room at O'Connor Hospital with stomach pains. I thought I had the stomach flu. The pains were sharp like pins pinning my stomach. The doctors diagnosed me with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis. I underwent Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography (ERCP) to remove stones in my pancreatic duct and Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy to remove my gallbladder surgeries. My hospital stay was five days and four nights.

Hiking Mission Peak Feb 2017

One of my SoCal cousins visited NorCal for his celebration graduation vacation from college. My sister and I hiked on Mission Peak with him. The pic is me on the Hidden Valley trail ascending to the 2,517 feet elevation peak. It was the first time I saw green grass in years on the hills because of historic record rainfall in California.

Zion National Park At The Narrows Bottom Up

My cousin won a lottery permit to hike The Subway at Zion National Park on Sep 16-17, 2016. Day 1 of 2 we hiked The Narrows Bottom Up along the North Fork Virgin River for the second time. The pic is me at the entrance to Wall Street. The first time we visited The Narrows we backpacked Top Down.

Quail Creek State Park, Hurricane, UT

Zion National Park campgrounds were full. One of us searched for a campsite while the rest hiked The Narrows Bottom Up. He was lucky a campsite opened due to a cancellation. He hiked short Zion trails afterwards. He backpacked The Narrows in 2015. The selfie is me in front of my tent. We spent the morning breaking camp and preparing for The Subway hike.

Zion National Park The Subway Left Fork Bottom Up

Day 2 of 2 we hiked The Subway Left Fork of North Creek upstream. All of us were shocked the nine mile hike was strenuous. The hike was the most strenuous I ever hiked. We started late. We were the last party to arrive at the trail end and to arrive at the trailhead during the night. All of us brought headlamps. The pic is me at the entrance to The Subway.

Zion National Park Backpacking The Narrows Top Down

My cousin won a lottery to backpack The Narrows Top Down for two days at Zion National Park in UT. It was the first time I backpacked. I want to thank my cousin's co-worker and his son for lending me equipment and giving me a crash course in backpacking. They are experienced.

Zion National Park Stop At Las Vegas

Las Vegas was our rest stop. We stayed at The Flamingo. My flight departed tomorrow afternoon. I took advantage of the rest stop to walk The Strip. The last time I visited Las Vegas was Dec 2006. Little has changed. Here is my traditional selfie at the Bellagio with Paris Las Vegas as the background.

49ers 2015-16 Opening Season Game

My cousin couldn't attend the opening game to the 2015-16 NFL season. He gave my dad and I tickets. It was my first time attending Levi's Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Vikings on a Mon night anomaly win. The stadium is great for the most part. I feel sorry for those sitting on the east side during hot game day afternoons.

Hiking Mission Peak

Two friends and I hiked Mission Peak during Labor Day 2015 weekend in Fremont, CA. The 6.2 mile hike ascent and descent over 2,000 feet is strenuous. The pic is me at the summit with the "Mission Peeker" pole. The pole promotes environmental awareness. There are great views of Silicon Valley.

San Jose Earthquakes

A friend who's a season ticket holder acquired tickets near the goal for a game on May 16, 2015. He invited me and four other friends. It was my first time watching a live soccer game and visiting Avaya Stadium. The stadium is known for the Largest Outdoor Bar In North America (LOBINA). The Quakes defeated the Columbus Crew 2-0. I saw Chris Wondolowski scored his 99 career goal.

My First Time On The Golden Gate Bridge

Take my pen and check off another item on my life wish list. I walked the entire span of the Golden Gate Bridge round trip in Aug 2011. The weather was perfect. It was cold and foggy. I didn't worry about getting sunburn and sweating. We parked at Crissy Field and walked to the bridge and back. The total hike was 7.7 miles, my longest hike.

My First Cable Car Ride

I went on my first ride on a San Francisco Cable Car in Dec 2010. We took the cable car from Powell and Market to Hyde and Beach in Fisherman's Wharf. Everyone who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area must ride the cable car once in their life.

What Is Big Sur?

I never visited Big Sur before. The last time my uncle and aunt went to Big Sur was a long time ago. We drove south on Highway 1 to Big Sur. Big Sur is actually a small town. We stopped off a few scenic spots to take pictures. We also stopped at Pfeiffer State Park. Pfeiffer has trails from easy to hard and has a hotel for weekend trips. Pfeiffer State Park was where we turned around and drove back to Monterey's Cannery Row for dinner.

Back In The San Francisco Bay

The highlight of my summer vacation was going to a Paul McCartney concert in Jul 2010. His Up And Coming Tour included San Francisco at AT&T Park. The last time McCartney played in San Francisco was the last Beatles live concert. At 68 years old, McCartney was absolutely fantastic. He played popular Beatles songs Hey Jude, Let It Be, All You Need Is Love, Something, All My Loving, A Day In The Life, Get Back, The Long and Winding Road, Yesterday, and Paperback Writer.

The Coolest Place To Hike On A Summer Day

I found another place to escape the hot summer days. I hiked at Point Lobos State Park minutes south from Carmel along the California coast concluding my 2010 spring vacation. Point Lobos is a family friendly, easy trail to hike. The trail has everything including wildlife, sea animals, ocean, and deer.

Ice Skating Is Fun

I ice skated for the first time. I used to rollerbladed in 1996-1997 and again in 2000. I had a great time! I fell down once. I plan to take ice skating lessons and ice skate more often in the summer. It a great way to beat the heat. Pic taken from my cell phone.

Washington Canada 2009: Downtown Seattle

I visited my friend who lives in Washington in Dec 2009. On our way to Kinokuniya Bookstore, a Japanese bookstore, I took a picture of Downtown Seattle on the background. I like rainy days. The rain continued throughout the day.

Washington Canada 2009: The Gates of Harmonious Interest

Every time I visit Washington we make an effort to visit Victoria. It's an opportunity to visit a foreign country. The prices were very expensive. I still see no potholes and I see cars stopping when people cross the street.

936 Days Later

On Mon Aug 17, 2009, my braces were removed. Wow! I'm so happy. My smile is fantastic. No more bubble lips. Smiling is a key to happiness in life. Unfortunately, my smiles before I wore braces made me look ugly :(

Castle Rock State Park

I hiked at a second park located in Los Gatos. Castle Rock is much closer to Uvas County such that I have been hiking at Castle Rock. I'm looking forward to hike at new parks. And I want to hike more than once a month.

Visiting The Charles M. Schultz Museum

Everyone was free one Saturday and we were choosing what we wanted to do. Three of us including myself went to the Charles M. Schultz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA on Jul 2009. Schultz's comics remain timeless art and the laughs always happen.

Rainforests Of The World Dome at CA Academy of Sciences

My Dad, Uncle, Aunt, and I went to the California Academy of Sciences at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA on Mon Dec 22, 2008. The crowd was big and the line was long for tickets and entry. Well worth your time to visit with family and/or friends. Go early to get tickets for the planetarium. We couldn't get planetarium tickets. We were lucky to get tickets for the 3D bug show.

Below the Rainforests Of The World Dome

I can stay below the dome for hours, and I can ignore the crowds and people. The best part of the dome IMO. The Amazonian Rainforest at the dome's basement. Just look up and gaze in awe O__O

Washington Canada 2008: Victoria, BC Chinatown

Day 4 we visited Canada. I'm in front of the entrance to Chinatown. The Chinatown was clean no stinky smell compared to Chinatowns in the United States. I didn't find the red Chinese house I sworn I saw in '05.

Washington Canada 2008: Legislative Buildings

Another picture of me in front of the British Columbia Legislative Buildings in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. I took a picture in front of the building when I visited Victoria in 2005.

Washington Canada 2008: It's Raining In Seattle Area

Finally, rain in Seattle on day 6. I experienced rain in the Washington Canada 2005, but not in Seattle. I take Port Orchard as Seattle, LOL. Washington rain is clean, crisp, and drinkable. The rain happened in the morning only. We went to the rock 'n roll and science fiction museum.

Vancouver 2007

On March 19, 2007, I started working as a contractor at Cisco. On my second week, my department held a four day off-site meeting in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The off-site included meeting everyone in the department around the world, games, training, overviews of last year, goals, sharing ideas, and having fun. The last day of the off-site was half day. Many people went home on the last day. Few went home the day after including me. I walked around downtown after the off-site ended. The picture is me standing next to the 2010 Vancouver Olympic clock in Downtown Vancouver.

My First Day Wearing Braces

The picture was taken on Jan 24, 2007. I took the day off from work for braces to be installed. OMG!!! Look at my teeth and smile *sniff, sniff* Horrible ;__; I'm patient my braces give me a better smile. It's worth the wait. The first 2 weeks I ate soft food including kiwi, oatmeal, and yogurt. My lunch and dinner must be blended. The orthodontist is Dr. Kenneth Kai on the right. Funny and professional :D I want to whiten my teeth after my braces are removed :{}

Mini Las Vegas Trip 2006

Here is another familiar picture. Steve and I went on a three day, two night trip to Las Vegas, the same as our Las Vegas trip 2004. We had fun in 2004 we choose to take another mini trip in December 2006. Here is my traditional picture of me at the Bellagio with Paris Las Vegas as the background. The Bellagio is my favorite casino.

Washington Canada Trip Canada Photo

My first visit outside the United States was Canada in August 2005. My friend and I stayed in British Columbia for two days. The first day was in Victoria. The second day was in Vancouver. It rained on both days. The picture is me in front of the Legislative Buildings in Victoria.

Washington Canada Trip Seattle Photo

After visiting Canada, we drove back to Washington. My friend took me to visit Seattle. It was my first visit in Seattle. The picture is me in front of the world famous Pike Place Fish Market. The workers didn't throw fish around at the time of visit. Pike Place was really busy with lots of customers and vendors. Earlier in the day, we visited the Space Needle.

Binion's Horseshoe Along Fremont Street

My friend and I took some time to visit Binion's Horseshoe casino in Downtown Las Vegas along Fremont Street. The old fashion casino hosted the World Series of Poker. I started watching the World Series of Poker on ESPN last year and wanted to visit the casino. I played low limit Texas Hold 'Em.

San Diego Vacation 2001

My cousin got married in San Diego on August 2001. While in San Diego, my family made the wedding trip a family vacation. We visited the San Diego Zoo and Sea World. The picture shows myself in front of the giraffes eating their afternoon snack at the San Diego Zoo.

I Made it to the Top

Another Summer 1995 vacation spot was Yosemite National Park in California. My family hiked Vernal Falls and another mountain seeing Half Dome. We did many things at Yosemite including exploring and watching featured films. We stayed in a cabin. The daytime temperatures reached the high 90s all the stores were short on ice everyday.

The picture is me on top of a big rock and Half Dome is the background.