My New Passion

Just wanted to say that Krav Maga is absolutely kick-ass awesome.

Of course, I can barely MOVE today, and my back and legs are screaming in protest, but it was absolutely worth any discomfort I may feel.

Something tells me I have found my new passion.

This Ain't No Bubbling Creek

This past weekend, to celebrate our friend Mike's birthday, a clan of friends and family members headed out to Lotus, CA for a most excellent white-water rafting experience. The course was down the South Fork of the American River, through some awesome rapids, beautiful scenery, and plenty of "chill" spots in between for cruising.

Here is the birthday boy, after being shoved from his raft in the very first set of rapids, with the obligatory laughing and pointing at his drenched plight:



(Rather poor quality because I used one of those disposable water cameras.)

One of our many splash fights:



Danny hanging off a rope that was suspended off a bridge, swinging to and fro:

And our descent into a most awesome Class III rapid with 10-foot high waves and craziness abound:





This will most definitely be a yearly event from now on, possibly including some camping and other such activities. Although next time, I think I want an even tougher course. That's the daredevil in me. :)

Link: [ARTA River Trips]

Lovely.

Another Bundle of Joy

Baby Juliana was born to Cristina (Danny's sister) and Jon yesterday. Such a beautiful face (and looks identical to her mother when she was born, from what I've been told !)

3-Alarm Blaze at Apple HQ

Last night, firefighters from all over the region were called to assist in extinguishing a fire at the Apple headquarters, less than a mile from my old apartment.

Story here.

According to Rakesh, it appears that Apple was attempting to recreate one of their classic commercials, seen here:



Burn, baby, BURN !!!!!

Bundle of Joy

On Friday, August 8th at 5:29pm, my sister Diana and her husband Brad were blessed with a beautiful baby girl, Ava.



Of course she is the cutest baby ever, but maybe I'm biased a little. :)

08/08/2008 is the luckiest day in the Chinese culture. We all agree with that statement wholeheartedly.

Changes

With a heavy heart, I have just completed a task that I have been dreading for the past several weeks: Emailing my most awesome Karate instructors, who have taught and mentored me for 3+ years, to notify them that I will not be back to class, as I have chosen to change direction and pursue a different fighting art called Krav Maga.

I know that I am free to study whichever art best suits my interests... so why, then, do I feel so guilty about it ?

Lack of Planning on Your Part Does Not Constitute an Emergency on My Part

Last week Tuesday, our group at work was asked to help out with a project. They wanted our approval of their design, and I, after opening my big mouth (gosh, I really need to learn to keep it SHUT), was asked to assist them.

I sent them an email that same day, asking what I could do to help.

The next time I heard from them was yesterday -- exactly one week after their initial contact -- at 12:08pm demanding a conference call with extreme urgency and drop-everything-OMG-the-world-is-falling-down overtones. Of course, my entire department was at lunch. Sorry guys, but you'll just have to wait till they get back.

If this was so incredibly important and urgent, why did they wait an entire week to respond to my request ?

This, I do not understand.

Mean Prank

AMEN !!