The days, months, and years go by faster with age. It doesn’t seem that long ago when we were ringing in the Year of the Horse at Petrice’s house in Berkeley, and now the Year of the Sheep/Goat is here.
The New Year didn’t get started off very well, of course. I woke up around 6:14 am (according to my Alarm Clock) feeling very restless. I wasn’t able to pinpoint the exact reason, but an hour or so later, I think I know why. I was IM’ing with Cynthia when she informed me of the Columbia disaster. Not again, I said to myself as the memories of the Challenger explosion 17 years ago were reawakened once again. During this time of mourning, I do take solace in the thought that they died advancing and pushing the boundaries of the human race. Theirs was not a senseless death of the kind the domestic and international media constantly report on. My prayers go out to the family and friends of the seven astronauts who perished 30 miles above Earth yesterday morning.
Moving onto happier news…
The picture above and to the right pretty much sums up what I’ve been doing for the past month. The passion and drive that I thought was lost years ago is now back. Mr. Perrotti, I’m taking no prisoners once again. People have been asking me (or have been wondering on their web sites) what I’ve been working on, and I say that I’m working on a project. When they ask, “What kind of project?” I reply, “An NDA kind of project.” Though my enthusiasm is boundless, the lip stays zipped for the moment. Stay tuned for more details in the next month or two.
I’m in search of a four-leaf clover in my back yard. I haven’t found one in several years, and it’s time for that to change. I wasn’t able to locate one the other day, but I’m confident that one exists within my clover path.
Rae performed at her wushu school’s open house performance yesterday. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see the first portion of the demo due to my inability to find the school, even though I knew exactly where it was. That goes to show that you should never allow MapQuest or Yahoo! Maps to override what you already know. I thought I was discovering a shortcut to the location, but no, no, no!
Chinese New Year at Koi Palace
Wasn’t this entry supposed to talk about Chinese New Year at Koi Palace?
Last night, I joined Rae, Randy, Chung, Kristina, and their friends, Dale and Grace, Sam and Hiroko, Nori, Yukimi, Ming Tam, Mike, Tina, and Dave at Koi Palace for dinner. The place was packed full of Asians, young and old, who were too lazy (like us) to cook a Chinese New Year’s dinner on their own! A wedding reception for Lenny and Teddy also contributed to the bustling atmosphere at the popular Daly City Restaurant. I hadn’t seen Chung or Kristina in several months, and it was nice to meet their circle of friends.
The food was not bad, considering how much work those cooks probably had to go through last night, though it was a bit pricey. I have a good feeling that Koi Palace makes like bank robbers this time of year.
And now for some photos from the dinner itself.
No Look Shooting
Tried my hand at some no look shooting with the camera last night. It’s easier when your lens has a focal scale with a few more marks than 0.5 meters, 1 meter, 3 meters, and infinity (i.e. a good rangefinder like the Leica M-series), but I was able to get a few interesting keepers.
tow.com 