2007/12/28

Sleepless in Athens

I am having some difficulty to sleep over the past two days, possibly because of my dad's death. There is this strange feeling that creeps up when I am lying on the bed that just makes me space out but not fall asleep. It is not exactly sadness, like what I've experienced when my grandma died (which is the saddest event in my life so far). The feeling is more like some kind of emptiness and loneliness.

2007/12/26

Dad passed away

Dad just passed away after a two-year long battle with his liver cancer. Although we all see this coming for a very long time, it's still difficult to deal with the feelings.

Looking at the bright side, we are fortunate enough to be able to visit him twice and to spend some time with him when his health is still not too bad. We should be grateful for that.

2007/12/25

Good things come in pairs

Ann told me to pick something that is motorcycle-related for my Christmas and here's what I got:


  • Oxtar Matrix 2 Gore-Tex Boots

  • Sidi Coolmax Monza Socks

  • FirstGear Mesh Sport Gloves



Initially I couldn't decide between Oxtar Matrix 2 and TCS Evo RX Boots, since the Oxtar will be better for my commute and the TCX will be better for weekend fun rides. Ann was really nice and told me to get both (the price on newenough.com was really good). In the end I figured that's too much and decided to go with the Oxtar.

The new boots are very comfortable and look really nice. They arrived just in time to replace my old ones (Tour Master Response, worn out after about a year of daily use). Hopefully this new pair will last longer.

2007/12/23

Alyssa "23-teeth" Kuo

Alyssa has another molar came out today and she couldn't be happier about that.

2007/12/19

Annoying commercials

"This holiday season, what do you give to people who have everything?"

How about NOTHING? You idiots!

Those stupid radio commercials really get to me, particularly when I am struggling with my physical therapy.

2007/12/17

A ride around town

This afternoon I met with a fellow Ninja 250 rider Brad (purestfeeling) in Athens and went for a ride in the area.



We first went north to Jefferson, back to Athens, then south to Watkinsville, and back to Athens again. The ride was very enjoyable although the weather was not so nice. The temperature was about 40F and wind was 20mph+ with 30mph+ of gust. At the end of our 2hr ride, my fingers were really cold. Fortunately a hot shower quickly fixed that.

Taking the little Ninja through the back roads was really a lot of fun, much more enjoyable than blasting along the interstates. This ride reminds me what I really like about this bike and provides some relieve to my itching for another bike.

2007/12/16

Horrible uncle David

Alyssa and Vivian were playing the "baby game" with their baby dolls again today. When they invited "uncle" David to visit the babies, David instantly grabs the baby dolls and throws them all the way across the room so that he can sit on the occupied high chair. We all have a good laugh when we see this. Hopefully he will learn not to do this when he becomes a "real" uncle.

Alyssa "22-teeth" Kuo

Alyssa has another permanent tooth came out today, this time a central incisor in the bottom. The problem was that all her baby teeth are still in place so the new tooth is coming out behind the baby ones. Don't really look forward to the dental appointment next week.

2007/12/10

Alyssa's violin recital

Alyssa had her end of the year recital today. Because David is still struggling with the jet lag, I took the girls to the recital while Ann stayed at home. The girls dressed up really nicely. Too bad that David and Ann couldn't come, otherwise we'd have a really picture for greeting cards.



Initially I was worried that Alyssa would have trouble with jet lag too, surprisingly she did quite well.


We stopped by briefly at Dave's house for the Promislow/Hall lab party afterwards. But at that time the girls were too tired so we only stayed for about 5 minutes.

2007/12/06

Nice to be back to home

After a very very long trip, we finally made it back to Athens from Taiwan. It's REALLY good to be home.

This trip to Taiwan is really exhausting, both physically and mentally. On one hand I am really glad that we made this trip and somehow accomplished something. For one the kids are really happy to see their grandparents and vice versa. On the other hand there are also some very strong emotions that I found really difficult to deal with.

2007/12/05

Advancement in communication technology

Not satisfied with calling her friends on the phone, Alyssa started email her friends this week. I mean, they are a bunch of 5-year old kids. I wonder what this generation will do by the time they turn 20.