1997 California State Science Fair. I'm in the middle. My partners Tom and Brian are to my left. (We won third place.)
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Throughout my early grade school years, I was a reading enthusiast--no, a reading fanatic. Have you heard of any other three-year-olds marching straight to the books section of Toys-R-Us? Aren't kids supposed to be just forming their three-word sentences at three years of age? ;) It went on and I was reading War and Peace by the summer after fifth grade. I remember getting called out of class in the sixth grade. Walking to the office, I thought, "What could I have done wrong so early in middle school to be wanted by the principal?" It turns out he just wanted to present me this reading certificate from the library program that I signed up for--and he wanted to take a picture with me!
My passion for reading also brought me into the world of computers and technology. I read my first technical computer manual in fifth grade (one of those hefty Que books) and went on to build several computers for myself throughout middle school, high school, and college (it wasn't a popular thing to do back when I first started!). All through my college years, I religiously followed all the new advances in technology and helped many of my friends design and put together their own computer systems. I even dabbled in servers and the Internet for a bit as "Vice President" of a startup company.
Then there is the personal finance stuff, which I am perennially looking into. Not that I have any money to invest on my own now, but it's interesting to know about what my options will be after the creditors have had their fun with me!
Over the past few years, I have also been doing more and more cooking so that's an interest of sorts (along with eating good food of course!). Here are some of my other favorites:
Autumn: my favorite season in the Midwest. Mild temperatures, fall colors, and blooming flowers.
(Click on the picture for the full photo or go to the "Photos" section of this site for more.)
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Favorite Seasons
- In California: spring
- In the Midwest and Northeast: autumn
- In Hawaii: what seasons?
Favorite View: Ida Sproul, room 811. This was my old dorm room at Berkeley, corner room on the top floor, overlooking the San Francisco Bay. The best times would be right after it rained, and the sun would set behind the Golden Gate Bridge, lighting the clouds pink all the way to the horizon, with a breeze of fresh air coming in from the bay. Better than the Grand Canyon. Better than the top of Half Dome. Better than sunsets at Waikiki.
Favorite Bay Area Hike: Tomales Point Trail, Point Reyes National Seashore. The Pacific Ocean on both sides and a large herd of elk to keep you company, all within an hour-and-a-half driving from Berkeley and San Francisco. What more could one ask for? :)
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Favorite Berkeley Restaurants
- El Sombrero Taqueria
Their grilled meat (beef, pork, or chicken) burritos are good.
- Vic's Chaat House
Indian snacks--and I like everything on the menu!
- Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers
Fried mushrooms and the North Beach Burger (with cheddar cheese, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts).
- Zachary's Chicago Pizza and Cheeseboard Pizza
Every pizza place in Berkeley is different (and good!). The two above are among the more notable. I like Zachary's deep dish pizzas more than any pizza I've tried in Chicago. The Cheeseboard Pizza has a different specialty pizza every day, and you can go cheese-tasting next door.
Some say the car you drive reflects your personality. What does my Toyota ECHO say about mine?
(Click on the picture for the full photo.)
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Favorite Foods
- Cheese: L'Edel de Cleron (a brie-like cheese)
- Nut: macadamian (the best are produced by Mauna Loa)
- Breakfast dish: "salty" soybean soup (xian dou jiang)
- Lunch meats: proscuitto, smoked salmon (cold-smoked)
- Chinese dishes: Dungeness crab, roast duck, seafood chow mein
- American dish: New York strip steak
- Hawaiian dishes: saimin, lau lau
- Desserts: ice cream, tiramisu, baklava
- Candy: Almond Roca
- Chocolate: Lindt Swiss Classic Milk Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts
Favorite Chicagoland Restaurants
- Chicago-style pizza:
Lou Malnati's Pizzaria, 439 N Wells St
Pizzas in Chicago differ widely by the taste of their crust. I liked this one the most.
- Chicago-style hot dogs:
Superdawg Drive-In, 6363 N Milwaukee Ave
To me a hot dog is a hot dog, but this place is a good stop if you're in the area and don't want to get out of your car.
- Chinese:
Ken Kee Restaurant, 2129 S China Pl Ste A (in the Chinatown square)
Chicago seems to have a dearth of good Chinese restaurants (in comparison to San Francisco and Los Angeles), but this one is pretty good.
- Vietnamese:
All those Vietnamese restaurants on Argyle St between N Broadway St and N Sheridan Rd seem to be about the same.
- Pakistani:
Sabri Nehari, 2511 W Devon Ave
Usmania, 2253 W Devon Ave
Pakistani curries are really good!
- Mediterranean:
Cedars, 1206 E 53rd St
For groups (4 or more), they have a great set menu so you can taste several dishes.
- Greek:
Mr. Pita, in Greektown (Halstead between Madison and Van Buren)
The gyros actually taste like the lamb they're supposed to be made of!
- Italian:
Pasta Bowl, 2434 N Clark St
Their pasta with pesto sauce tastes fresh, unlike any other that I've had.
- Puerto Rican:
Borinquen, 1720 N California Ave
The jibaritos (fried plantain sandwiches) are good.
- Mexican:
Tacos Del Norte, in Waukegan
- Sandwiches:
Potbelly Sandwich Works, 2264 N Lincoln Ave
Not that special, but fairly cheap and good when you're on the run
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