Mega Update: January 2006

That’s it. I am going to write this update. Yes, right now! No more wimping out! (“But Kenneth, I’m soooo sleepy!”) Nope, naptime is over! Update your blog!

Sooo… picking up where another very excellent monster Xanga update left off…

Near the end of October, I did site visits of Santa Clara University and Berkeley’s computer facilities. Now, this is not intended to be a SCU or Berkeley bashing session, but I have to say I found myself really glad and fortunate to be working at (and scurrying back to) Stanford. I had a renewed appreciation for all of the cool toys that we get to play with in the Multimedia Studio on my floor. I was incredulous that other schools do not have any of the basic facilities for undergrads to experiment with multimedia applications, such as Final Cut Pro, iLife, or even Adobe Creative Suite in some cases. “What? You can’t run Photoshop from just any cluster machine? Whoa…” (Or more like “WTF?” Yes, I feel that strongly about Photoshop.)

Kenneth: Do you allow food and drink in the clusters?”
Host: Ha ha! Yeah right.
K: 44-Inch Wide Format Poster Printing?
H: Uh, that would be Kinko’s.
K: Do you offer miniDV camcorders and DVD burners for checkout?
H: Um, does money grow on trees in your neighborhood?

Even Cal State East Bay (Hayward), which has a Multimedia *major* for undergrads, and for which I am applying for a Master’s in Multimedia, doesn’t have this kind of resource floating around for every boy and girl who is a student there. Shocking. All I have to say is, if you’re at Stanford and you’re complaining about the lack of multimedia facilities, you… you… must come from a school that’s AMAZING.

[Okay, I basically have no photos to show you from these three trips, because they all make me kind of sad.]

Oh, I did mention I’m applying for the Master’s in Multimedia in Hayward for Fall 2006, right? http://www.csueastbay.edu/ecat/20042005/g-mm.html In fact, I just turned in a large chunk of my application today (including the part that costs $$). Now I just have to wait for the letters of recommendation to be finished, and also prepare my portfolio, which is the most intimidating part. I’ve never been involved with a creative arts program. What’s supposed to go in the portfolio? My latest idea is to gather my best digital photography, Photoshop-manipulated images, iMovie and Final Cut videos, iDVD productions, Garage Band loops, posters and flyers designed in PPT or Publisher, and website creations, and present them in a 10-minute video delivered on DVD. Yay or nay?

Other quick summaries:

The Baylight San Francisco Life Transformation Group (LTG, or “small group” for the acronym-phobics) has been awesome! I’ve been going nearly every Friday after work since October. When they first invited me (who, little ol’ me?), I wasn’t so sure. When I thought about how that might enable Steph to join me for small group, I was then very sure. However, after she thought about it, she decided she was already committed to her own Berkeley Mosaic Community Group (CG, or “small group” for the folks who aren’t clued in), at least for the rest of this year. Surprisingly, even after the disappointing news, I remained very sure that I wanted to join this group, even if it killed me. So far, apart from a few slight GPS-related mishaps, the Friday post-work commute has been just fine, and I’ve been making great time between Stanford and San Francisco (near USF). Basically, all of the regulars rock: Jason, Marcia, Terry, Gina, Sinclair, Su. You all rock! =] Jason and Marcia are the gracious hosts who let me crash overnight every Friday instead of driving home in the dead of night. Terry’s presence is always a blessing to me personally, and he has never ceased to surprise me ever since the first LTG night when I thought he was the pizza delivery guy who just decided to stay for Bible study (cuz, well, he was!). Gina and Su bake delicious treats for us all the time. And Sinclair is cool just by being Canadian. I know that when the winter rains continue to pour down on those lonely Friday post-work drives, I’ll probably need some major reminders about how great a group God has blessed me with in SF. But for now, I’m lovin’ it!

[Tater tots in a pizza box and Bible study, AT THE SAME TIME?  OMG!!!  And, look, it’s a guest appearance by Steph!  Hi!]

I never thought I was allergic to anything. After going to Debora’s baptism at the Mosaic, and visiting her apartment with a bunch of friends, I discovered I was allergic to cats. Or at least, her cats!! That’ll teach me to rub my eyes! The best part was when all these future optometrists were freaking out over my eye, and they wanted me to flush my eye out using a double shot glass! (“Now, now, you can’t turn to alcohol for all of life’s problems…”) Or maybe the best part was how I still ended up going to the 2-hour lunch party at TGI’s Sushi, and I felt itchy and pretty self-conscious about my freakish eye and the Halloween jokes, and the pastor’s wife took pity on me and gave me some Children’s Benadryl, which then served to make me rather drowsy, but significantly less itchy and self-conscious…

[Wow, Sam looks like he’s really having a good time at this baptism service.]

[Aw, wook, it’s a widdle kiddy kat!]

[Hmm… maybe that wasn’t such a good idea…]

Steph and I can finally say we’ve been dating over a year! (Actually for anyone who’s counting, we just passed 14 months.) Sometimes I think it’s crazy how much of the details of marriage we’ve already talked about, between the two of us, with our friends, with our parents, with my coworkers… ack! What are we going to talk about *after* we get engaged? =P  Engaged people, what do you guys talk about?

[Umm, they’re not ours.]

Okay, this is getting way too long. Fast forward! My Prius got rear-ended soon after its first birthday. I was just driving onto campus, one fine drizzly Tuesday. I had to slow down for this crazy biker who darted across the two-lane street, when suddenly, I heard the screech of tires behind me and, BOOM! The guy behind me needed about an inch more of braking distance. Anyway, it wasn’t that bad. The guy was pretty cooperative, but he did ask to pay cash to keep his insurance record clear. Being a big softie, I agreed to accept $850 for the vampire fang marks his Z3 bit into my Prius. Of course, now that it’s cash we’re talking about, I decided to take the money and not get it repaired for now, in the anticipation that I’m probably going to get a few more dings in the back before the winter is over. Out of the whole experience, I think the thing that miffs me most is that stupid biker not even stopping to act as a witness for us, since he was part of the reason this all happened in the first place.

[I know, I know, some of you are saying you can barely even make out the puncture marks.]

Okay, this is really enough for now. For all those modem users out there, this probably took an hour to load.  Sadly, I didn’t even blog about what I was supposed to blog about, namely, my ten day trip to Hong Kong. Oh well! I’m sure the suspense is killing all two of you who still read this. Until next time!

[Yes, they have Prii/Priuses in Hong Kong.]

Mega Update: October 2005

[From waaay back] Steph and I took an East Coast Tour near the end of August, just before she needed to start her 2nd year.  We managed to travel through most major parts of Boston, New York, and Philadelphia in a grueling 7 day trip to visit friends and see the sights:

More at http://niftyken.stanford.edu/gallery/v/KennethSteph/KS_EastCoast/

The kids at Baylight Church Community are so cute.  Here’s my favorite picture from working in the nursery last week:

More Baylight Pics at http://niftyken.stanford.edu/gallery/v/Baylight2005/

I’ve been trying to reconnect with my roots.  That is, I’ve started getting in touch with my friends from Hillsdale High again.  Ah, the memories… Last week, I went all out and looked up the email addresses of all the high school teachers still left at Hillsdale according to the website, and wrote to them to see if they were interested in doing lunch some time.  If you recognize any of these people, you must be either Daisy or Kenneth:

I’m doing Freshmen Academic Advising this year for the 3rd time.  Basically, I meet with them regularly so they can tell me what classes they’re taking, and I tell them they need to learn to relax and enjoy life and prevent their brain from exploding.  Also, I get to take them out for ice cream and tell them stories about what a miserable Stanford student I was, but how “I’m still okay”.  Or something like that.  Here’s the bunch after I took them out for Cold Stone ice cream.  Yeah, they had too much sugar again.  Except Jenn and Henry, who are both trying hard to not be weird over on the right.

More wacky pics of freshmen at http://niftyken.stanford.edu/gallery/v/Stanford/Advising2005/

Speaking of ice cream, a bunch of people you’ll possibly recognize went out for Baskin-Robbins ice cream two nights ago.  Having planned and trained for this night for weeks, we went all out and ordered all 42 flavors that they offer there.  It was simultaneously yummy and gross.  I’ll be surprised if we don’t all get sick in the next week.

More Baskin-Robbins madness at  http://niftyken.stanford.edu/gallery/v/BainesHouse/Baskin-Robbins42/

Prius Recall, Translated

I was trying to get more details about the recent Toyota Prius recall. This is what Google translated from the Japanese site http://toyota.jp/recall/campaign/051013.html

1. Phenomenon of vehicle

(1) There are times when the inhalation air quantity at the time of engine starting transitory decreases, as fail-safe function working with engine rpm decrease, the alarm lamp lights up, there are times when it becomes motor traveling.

… umm… huh?  I don’t like the thought of the motor traveling anywhere

(2) There are times when the moisture comes in contact with the terminal of the rotary sensor connector for the generator inside the trance axle, as fail-safe function working with resistance change, the alarm lamp lights up, there are times when it becomes motor traveling.

… wow, that sounds bad, I think…

2. Contents of improvement
(1) The program of all vehicle and the engine control computer is corrected.
(2) The grease for waterproofing is applied to all vehicle and the particular connector.

… they’re going to grease all vehicle?! 0_o

I also like this line at the bottom:

We apologize to everyone of regular use from thing and the heart which very much applied annoyance.

Contact Lens Conundrums

Ahh! I just accidentally washed LCL #3 down the drain (having neglected Contact Lens Rule #3: Always plug the sink when inserting contact lenses)!  So stupid!!!  >_<   I thought it was in my eye already when it was really still stuck to my finger, and it was too late when I noticed the little blue tinge floating down, down, down in slow motion.  Has it even been two weeks yet?! Well, by some strange twist of fate, RCL #4 (which is still good!) is now joined by LCL #4.  Ironically, I’m also having my contact lens exam in Berkeley this morning so I can update my prescription and get new contacts.  (Shhhh, it’s a secret!!  Don’t tell LCL and RCL #5!)  And no, Steph is not conducting the exam today, though I think she’s going to ask to observe the nervous 3rd year who’s probably going to be doing it.

Goodbye, Canon G2

I think my faithful Canon Powershot G2 digital camera of 2.5 years, courtesy of Academic Computing, has finally bit the dust.  =[  It wouldn’t turn on this morning.  The LEDs and LCD don’t respond at all when I turn the ring to Camera or Play mode.  I wrote to Canon in my distress and asked them what to do.  Since it was out of the one-year warranty, the only two options they offered were: 1) Send in the camera to IL (they only have one repair center?) and have them attempt to repair it for $175-$400 (plus parts and possible additional repair costs to be evaluated only after they receive the camera). Okay, forget this option.  2) Apply for the “Canon Powershot Upgrade Program” and pay $299 for a refurbished Powershot G6, which will only come with a 6 month warranty.  I guess given the circumstances, this is not a bad deal, but hmm, why can’t they stand behind this refurb with a full one-year warranty?

Sigh, I think I got 15,000-20,000 shots off of this Powershot G2 in its short life.  Truly, I have so many fond memories that persist in digital form all thanks to this trusty friend. Ah well, if it doesn’t magically work again tomorrow, I guess I’ll just have to have fun dissecting it.