Day 1 The first leg of our EVA flight landed bright and early in Taiwan, where we enjoyed a very nice lounge and ate a full day’s worth of calories. I didn’t even like tea eggs! And ate two! Another flight later, we arrived at Bangkok just before noon. Despite it being hours early, we
SEA 2023 (4/17) – Bangkok: Grand Hyatt Erawan
Park Hyatt Bangkok had been one of our favorite hotels in the world. It wasn’t an option for this trip because its standard room could accommodate at most one child. Looking into the next best option down the street, we realized that perhaps Grand Hyatt Erawan was even better. Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok was located
SEA 2023 (3/17) – Modes of Transportation
A neat thing about this trip was that we took many modes of transportation. They weren’t merely means to get around, either. They were a lens into the local way of life, a cultural experience, and often incredibly fun. Airplanes Couldn’t have crossed the Pacific otherwise. But from the bare-bone AirAsia flight to 15.5 hours
SEA 2023 (2/17) – Attempting the Thai Language
I was so excited about this trip, that I decided to learn some Thai. The Initiative Since I started traveling, one of my favorite things about being in a foreign place was precisely not knowing the local language. I fondly remember our honeymoon in Japan, where conversations of the masses were just white noise to
SEA 2023 (1/17) – Kicking Off 15 Intensely Fun Days in Thailand and Singapore
Summer vacation of 2023 took place in Southeast Asia and it went well. In fact, if there was an objective way to compare vacations, this was possibly the best trip our family has ever taken. Trip Overview We flew into Bangkok and stayed there for four days. Then we took an overnight train to Chiang
Project Vibrant Sword – A Homemade Lightsaber Experiment
Since Ramnant Sword‘s success, I’ve been itching to make more swords. Because I couldn’t quite figure out how to mold a Fei Xue, the female companion to Can Jian, I pivoted to forge a Lightsaber instead. I have never been much of a Star Wars fan, and am barely knowledgeable of its lore, but Lightsaber
Project Remnant Sword – 殘劍 Can Jian
Last winter break, I joined the kids in making the Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos from God of War. It was incredibly fun and we enjoyed the end result. I kept a few photos on my phone to show people. I have enjoyed crafts all my life, but there’s something special about doing it
Obsessing Over That Half Marathon
Since my last actuarial exam 15 years ago, I hadn’t worked so hard toward a single event until signing up for the Bay Bridge Half Marathon. I’m still feeling the runner’s high a week later. The Eve Although Oakland was only 25 miles from home, the thought of having to cross a whole bay to
Bay Bridge Half Marathon
I just ran the Bay Bridge Half Marathon. As my very first race at age 41, this was a total midlife crisis. To understand how big of a deal it was, though, we gotta go way back… The Hou Family Legend My family’s lack of athletic inclination and ability is legendary, something we joke about
PF 2023 (10/10) – Bora Bora: The Ocean
I don’t care much for vacationing in Hawaii, and destinations such as Cancun are lower on my bucket list than many people’s. And yet, I much looked forward to Bora Bora. What’s the difference? A coworker asked when I mentioned our spring break plans. I thought it should’ve been obvious, but started second guessing when