Three day Memorial Day weekend, Vivian and I didn't have trip plans, mostly due to the fact that we really don't know where to go. LA, San Diego, Vegas, Napa, Monterey, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone... all have been there and done that, plus, three days really isn't that long, and no fun in a rushed trip.

I was browsing my site, and saw the trip photos we took two years ago picking cherries in 2003. It looked like just the right thing to do, again, for this weekend. Last time we went with Bruce, but this time, almost 20 others joined us!

Brentwood was the pick of choice, and Wolfe Ranch was the destination of choice. I picked Wolfe Ranch since it had White Rainer cherries which I liked, and they offer U-Pick peaches! I got the maps, lined up the carpools, set the time, and off we went in our 5-car motorcade.

The weather was impeccable; the sun was warm but not blazing and the gentle breezes helped bring in the earthy aroma to our senses to remind us that... More...

Just a random post, really like this picture of Vivian, very cute -- watching TV on the sofa while shopping online or writing hate-mails to me. :-P

I've been played around with the new T7 Vivian got me (Thanks BB!!), this is one tiny camera!! Have to get used to holding it without worrying that I might break it if I squeeze it too hard.

Actually the camera feels pretty sturdy. The entire case is constructed out of aluminum or some kind of metal with a solid feel. Here are some Pros and Cons I gathered. Of course as I use it more, my feeling for the camera will change, hopefully for the better.

Pros:
+ Tiny! Even slimmer than I thought, it is about the size of a deck of cards, but only half of the thickness!
+ LCD is amazing! Picture quality previews
+ Speedy! The camera turns on instantly and ready to shoot, and I don’t need to wait between pictures like I had to with my old DSC-P10
+ The menu has been improved, easier to work with, it even has Simplified and Traditional Chinese support!
+ Pictures were sharp, much less noise than I expected from such compact camera
+ Color capturing is fantastic, balance/saturation/contrast are right on
+ Manual operation offers more control than my DSC-P10 (ISO, EV, AF...)
+ Magnifying mode allows you to magnify up to 3X without losing image quality, and focus in on an object 1cm away from the lens!!

Cons:
- The lens is too close to the corner, very easy to touch it when holding the camera
- No built in interface ports (USB, DC, A/V), you have to use an interface adaptor (supplied)
- Battery life is very poor, barely lasted 3 hours (mixed shooting/previewing/flashes)
- I am having trouble charging the battery (while inside the camera) with the AC-LS5 charger, contacting Sony on this

Having a good time with the camera so far. Overall, comparing to my DSC-P10, it seems the T7 is outputting better images and less noise, very surprised considering the size of the camera!

We will be out picking cherries this Saturday and touring the Bay on a boat this Sunday, so plenty of photo opportunities coming up!

Package slip

Close up

Magnified (1cm from lens)

Macro outdoor setting

MaoMao

MaoMao details

Who said money can't buy everything? In America, money can buy you a dinner with the president!

Here is an invitation I received in the mail yesterday. For $500, I can have dinner with Mr. Bush, for $1000 I can even keep the plate! and for $25000, I can have my own table and bring 9 other friends with me!! :-)

A friend of mine, with vision of 20/50, told me that he is wearing contact lenses!! 20/50 is almost perfect vision, and doesn’t require glasses. He told me that the cornea in his eyes were getting irritated from the rubbing by the eye lids, and hence, the contact lens will help to protect his cornea... okay... that sounded like a good reason.

I am spending my hard earned money again, this time on the latest ultra-compact camera -- Sony DSC-T7 -- the thinnest digital camera today. I have the habit of carrying a camera everywhere I go, literally (usually the camera is in my laptop bag), I'd love to have a camera that doesn't take up much room.

You might wonder what I will do with my old DSC-P10 digital camera. Well, you see, when Vivian's purse got stolen in Xi'an few days ago, it happened that my old P10 camera was in that purse. I am sure the thief is having a good time snapping pictures with it right now. Although I am upset about the misfortunate, it did provide me with the justifiable excuse to get the T7. :-)

Pretty huh? Just love the design!!

"Hello", a photo sharing software from backed by Google, works with Picasa and Blogger, just trying it out...

Here showing what Vivian and Jiaying wrote on the wall of a restaurant on Taiwan's Green island during our 2004 Taiwan and Okinawa trip.

Yes, Star Wars Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith, the last final installment of the Star Wars is opening today!! The whole Star Wars shebang started on the year I was born -- 1977, that was 28 years ago! The other day, over lunch, my boss was reminiscing how it was when the very first Star Wars came out, hard to believe, almost three decades later, the saga draws more crowd than ever. Phenomenal! Must be the power of the“Force”. :-P

As much as I want to see it right away, there is just no way I am going to get a ticket. I would consider myself lucky if I can get the tickets next weekend! Those tickets are worth more than gold right now...

Got an unexpected raise today, after working for less than four months! Although not much, but always very welcomed! :-)

I went to check out the brand new United Badminton Club in Fremont yesterday with friends. With 9 courts, it is slightly smaller than the one in Santa Clara, but the flooring is much much better. I wasn’t used to the IBF approved badminton floor mats they have at first, since it is stickier than the hardwood gym floor I am accustomed to, but once I got acquainted with it, I loved it! I was able to get to the move faster with less sliding.

They had a neat computer queuing system as well, with graphical colorful interface to keep track of on-court playing time and waiting status. A heck of a lot better than the old “racket hanging” or “clipper with name” way of line up for open court, and it is a lot easier to kick people off since the elapse time is tracked.

There were a lot of A-level players! I saw many familiar faces; there were former China national badminton team players and US junior national champion and so on. Of course, by the usual fashion, these people play on the “Showoff” challenge court nearest to the entrance. Usually the common players like me won’t dare to “challenge” them so they end up playing for a long time, rotating amongst the handful other guys on the similar skill level. They play beautifully, with fabulous control of the birdie and agile steps; it is a great pleasure just to watch.

My badminton urges are flaming again!

It has been almost 24 hours since Vivian flew away for HK. I am missing her... The house is very empty without her... I hope everything will work out for her, everything with visa, ticket to Xi’an and Buddha holiday.

网上论坛里流行好多简写，有的时候会让人看的昏头昏脑的，什么：
PPMM, PLMM, GG, LG, LP, 55, 88, 99, TMD, TNND...

一般来说都可以看懂，但有的时候，真是丈二和尚摸不着头脑。例如我以前上海同事的Blog里的”LD”，我知道他是用LD来形容他老婆，但是想破了头也不知道是什么的缩写，问后才知道是“领导”。哈！有趣！

Vivian and I had a quick bite at the airport before she boards. We had some nasty, stale Chinese food that cost $30 for the two of us, what a ripe off! Anyways, as we were sitting there, munching, we realized that this was one of very very few times I dropped her off at the airport. Usually it has always been she sends me off.

Now Vivian is off doing her family things, I am a bachelor again!! :-D humm… what should I do this week? I guess I can stay up as late as I want, and drink as many coke as I want, and listen to music as loud as I want, and... go clubbing??

Late in the afternoon today, Vivian IM-ed me and told me that she has to fly to Xi’an, China for a week to attend some family business that came up out of no where. She scrambled for a plane ticket, and six hours before take off, she realized that she doesn’t have a visa yet. Well, when you have to go, you have to go. The travel agent helped her re-routed her flight to Hong Kong, so she can get the Chinese Visa in Hong Kong over the weekend.

That’s San Francisco -- Seoul -- Hong Kong -- Xi'an -- Chengdu -- Seoul -- San Francisco in one week, take care bb!

Check out the perks employees at EDF, a French utility company receive:

- Lifetime employment
- Early retirement for 55% of the work force
- Pensions worth up to 75% of the last year's salary
- 32-hour workweeks for 25% of the work force
- 90% discounts on power bills
- Subsidized housing, meals, vacations and cultural events
- FREE health care
(Source: WSJ 05/10/2005)

I am not sure about the rest of you out there, but this package beats the hell out of the benefit I am getting!

I spoiled myself again...

My PC has been quiet ever since I blew the power regulator in my beloved Altec Lansing ADA995 speakers in Shanghai (due to the higher AC voltage and bad transformer). I have been relying on my headphones, but it is just doesn't cut it. I want to be immersed and be able to actually feel the music; I miss that room-shaking-heart-thumping sounds emitted out of a set of good speakers... I need a replacement!

I have been eyeing the Logitech Z-5500 Digital speakers for awhile. It seems to be a well rounded PC speaker with a reasonable price tag. It received excellent reviews everywhere I looked. I researched it against other respectable contenders such as Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 and Creative GigaWorks S750, the Z-5500 came ahead in both performance and design.

The Z-5500 I ordered should arrive sometime this week, can't wait to blow the roof with it!!

What is this cat doing?!? I betcha didn't know cats know how to play dead too huh? Well, our cat MaoMao is good at that...

05/05/05, interesting date, it is Cinco de Mayo with an added set of “05”! Today is a day that both Mexican and American should celebrate, as they defeated Napoleon’s army 143 years ago in 1862.

I flipped a channel, and it showing a riot in progress in downtown Oakland. Juiced up people celebrating Cinco de Mayo managed to turn the festivity into a riot! What a spirit!!

It has been eons since my routine workout days... I have gotten lazier and the barbells have gotten heavier, on top of those obstacles, I don’t have a partner to hit the gym with!!

I was a gym-o-holic back in the high school and part of the college days (result might not be obvious, hence you have the right to be dubious :-P), spent hours in the gym after class. The best outcome I got from the workout days was feeling better of myself; I knew I was doing my body a good deed, and improved physical condition also contributed to the “feel-good” result.

Went to the gym at ebay tonight with Peter and John, tensed up those aging muscles a bit, and went home with numbed torso, it felt great! Hope I will keep it up.

By the way, the ebay has a great looking complex! And the company provides free drinks for its employees!!