Here Comes Dr. Tran!

My Post-Obama Thoughts on Race

2008-11-07T09:50:00.000-08:00

I admit, I voted for Obama, and when I heard his opening speech, I actually was overcome with emotion not only of the historical impact of the first black man being elected, but how inspirational of seeing the culmination of reincarnation of the American dream. Over the past few weeks, race in the US in particular has taken center stage, so I really took a good glance of my perception of race outside of my own.

I don't deem myself as a racist, but I being introspective I have definitely noticed things that go on in my thoughts when I approach others whether I treat them different. The answer is that I do. Sometimes I look at other races and don't necessarily treat them as if I'm talking to my asian friend.... and I look at that as being wrong. My goal for finishing this year and next is to take a real look at my own perception of race and harshly critique it, and I hope others with this new season of change view it the same way.

Either way, I woke up post election feeling a sense of relief... a sense that a new day has dawn, and that hope is still alive. Rather than revile the American arrogance for the "American Dream", I embraced it for the hope it brings to the world.

One more thing!

2008-11-03T14:54:00.001-08:00

Nothing like some good old self promotion!

But I am the chair for the Lunar New Year Festival in Balboa Park in 2008, so if you'll be going for sure on January 23-25, 2009, be sure to buy tickets early since we're having a deal. If you buy 2 or more tickets, they'll go for 3 bucks instead of 5. Check out our website too at http://www.sdtet.com !

Go Vote People!

2008-11-03T14:52:00.001-08:00

I did, and I am proud to say I am a Barack Obama voter! Either way, hope people go out to vote... not just to get their voice heard, but if you're an Asian American, its important to be viewed on the same page as the whites, blacks, and hispanics votes. We matter too!

Anyhow, this weekend was a blast, went to the Jason Mraz concert with my bro on Friday and then hit up a friend's halloween party... Thuy Anh came as an 80's diva and I came as Taz. It's awesome how the picture looks like Taz is just eating her up :)

Oh yeah, one last thing.... for those who are Terry Tate fans, check out Terry Tate takes on Sarah Palin :)

Busy Busy Busy Bee!

2008-10-30T09:50:00.001-07:00

Boy has I have been swamped with stuff! Lack of updates as I've been trying to catch up with my brain, but just this week I've been stuck with calls to Italy for support for my product for 4 days... that means I have to wake up for an 8am call... (I am not a morning person). Addition to that with a crap load of deadlines looming its been a real fun time :)

Other than that, same old same old... 2 things that do excite me are going to the Jason Mraz concert on Friday night and the new Snow Patrol CD out! At least there's some light at the end of the tunnel....

Chicago Airport sucks ass...

2008-09-04T12:03:00.001-07:00

Man, one piece of advice for all travellers.... DON'T GO THROUGH CHICAGO AIRPORT! I'm stuck in here in good ol' Dayton, OH, not fun at all...

Out and about again!

2008-09-03T05:08:00.001-07:00

As if I didn't travel enough in August, as we speak I am over in Mason, Ohio (yeah, I know... where the hell is this place...) for work. Oh the joys of traveling!

Just when I thought life was going to get easier, things get busier! Somehow I had the energy to decide to do chair of the Tet Festival again this year (yah! January 23-25th, 2009). Year of the ox baby! More updates to come of course of how things are going with it.

Mammoth Fishing 08/2008

2008-08-29T14:23:00.001-07:00

Another fishing trip at Mammoth! Woohoo! This time my Bro went with me, and we had a total blast! He caught his first fish, then proceeded to kick my ass and fished almost 2-1 ratio to me! We finished with a total of 9 fish the first day, and 6 fish the second day. Not bad for a couple of Tran chumps!

Other than the fishing, got to do a little mountain biking... and overall... good friends, good laughs, good fishing, and good beer!

Adventures in Seattle/Vancouver/Victoria!

2008-08-27T17:26:00.001-07:00

Hey! Its been a LONG time since I've updated, but its just been absolutely insane! We started out in Seattle and we hit some totally cool spots: Seattle Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Seattle Aquarium, and Tillicum Village Tour. Phew... and all that in a day!

On Saturday, we headed out to Tracy and Adam's wedding on Vashon Island outside of Seattle. Despite a little rain (actually a lot) it was still a total blast... and I have to say one of the funnest weddings I've been too (despite not knowing a lot of people). Congrats to Adam and Tracy! The cheesecake wedding cake was awesome!

We finished up in Vancouver, which we were able to explore the main city - including China Town, Granville Island, and some great restaurants around town. We were in Victoria, which was hella expensive! But we got to see Butchart Gardens. Totally awesome!

Once piece of advice though for those thinking of driving from Seattle to Vancouver... don't do it, try to fly there! Remember that the Vancouver public transportation totally rocks so you definitely don't need a car. Check out http://www.frommers.com for great places to check out. We used it and it rocks! While in Seattle, check out http://www.yelp.com for some great places to go and eat.

Another Day... more rain..

2008-07-14T03:44:00.001-07:00

Waking up to more rain... I took the train to Berchtesgaden, Germany/Salzburg, Austria to go on my Eagle's Nest tour, the (now) 100 million dollar home on the mountains built for Hitler in 1938. Of course I didn't find out until I was on the tour that he had only gone there once, and was extremely claustrophobic... go figure... Despite the rain, the clouds cleared enough for me to get a nice view of the town and Salzburg (note the evil retarded smile I have... that occurs when you don't see sunshine for 3 days) =P

After suffering through a total 4 hour train ride I got back and after a beer and some sausage, I called it a night. Just got back from the Deutsche Museum, and I have to say for a nerd like me its one of the cooler museums out there. Its like the Smithsonian Museum for Germany! A WW2 nut myself, I got to check out the old German air force aircraft, including the ME-262 (the first operational jet aircraft). Definitely a cool museum.

Hopefully the rain subsides, I still want to hang out at a biergarden for a Weisswurst and a Weizzbier!

Dr Tran's Adventure in Europe continues...

2008-07-12T13:39:00.001-07:00

After finishing work early on Thursday afternoon (and leaving the beautiful hotel to the left), I headed out on the Autobahn at a leisurely average speed of 200 km/hr (which is about 125 mph) I got to the city I started at, Munich!

After checking into the Hilton Munich City, I walked about a mile to the Glockenspiel, and luckily even hit it at 11am. Just enough time to see the huge crowd surrounding it .... tourist trap!

Walking further, I walked by a T-Mobile store, which had a huge line just for the new 3G IPhone. Man, apparently there are Apple fanboys even in Munich...

After walking around Munich (estimated about 12 miles of just walking) I got some rest, and the next day I decided to start the day exploring and found myself in the Olympic Park, the home of the 1972 Munich Olympic games.

Gonna get some rest, then tommorow I head to Salzburg to check out the Eagle's Nest Tour in Austria! Woohoo! Hope the weather holds up...

Update from Teisnach Germany!

2008-07-09T06:18:00.001-07:00

What a week... luckily I am going to finish work early tommorow... so that means I get an extra day of hanging out in Germany! I decided to book the Eagle's Nest tour, which if you don't know is where Hitler's hideout was on the top the Alps. Here it's an amazing view!

So after about an average of 3 beers in the great region of Bavaria and whole lot of meat and potatoes, going to finish up here and head back to Munich. By then there should be more pictures to be taken!

Writing from Prague/Germany!

2008-07-06T13:46:00.001-07:00

What a trip... after an early flight at 630am from SD to Chicago, I then hopped on the flight to Munich for 10 hours. It is nice to be flying in business class! After landing, headed out to Prague, which turned out to be a 3.5 hour drive. Yikes!

After getting lost for a while in Prague trying to find a hotel, I ended up booking one that I knew was on my GPS (which happens to be retarded, since it doesn't have a map, so I have to trust the voice to let me know where I was going). I then embarked on my journey around Prague! I grabbed lunch at a local restaurant, which happened to have the best chicken club sandwich I ever had... weird that it had to be in Prague... The short of it was I walked about 12+ miles around the city, which I recommend as the best way of getting around the city. I got to see all the nooks and crannies of the city... walked through the old town square, towards the Prague castle, and underlying areas.

Currently I am in a small village area named Teisnach, Germany which is where I'll be doing work in from Monday-Friday. More pictures to come, trying to survive on stealing WIFI from hotel to hotel =P After I finish my work here, I'll be spending the rest of my trip in Munich. Woohoo!

Sad day... :(

2008-06-23T14:30:00.001-07:00

My dog Tina which I've had since 1992 is on her last days. She's about 18 years old (translates to about 85 in human years). It's one of the things that sucks about having a dog... they won't outlive you and when they pass away, its really like losing a part of your family....

Busy Busy Times....

2008-06-20T14:21:00.003-07:00

Since Ms. Catherine Cheng has pleaded that I continue updating my blog, I shall :)

Came back from Boston last weekend for Thuy Anh's friend Suru's wedding in which she was the maid of honor. It was my first time in Boston, and it was a total blast! Flight got in hella late, and we rolled in to Boston around 1AM, and got to the hotel around 2:30am (eeks!). We slept, and had to wake up at around 5:30am so that we could meet Suru to help her get ready. Despite all that, it was a blast, and the wedding was beautiful!

After the wedding was over, we planned on roaming around Boston, which we stayed near the Chinatown.

Only minus was I decided to contract a unique case of a single dilated eye. I seriously looked like a one eyed monster.... I came back to SD and went to the hospital... in which I saw a doctor at 11pm who didn't have a clue what I had. She even popped the medical book out in front of me. At the end, my eye actually got better by the end of the week.

Travel Travel Travel!

2008-06-20T14:21:00.001-07:00

Just to update, my travel schedule for the next few weeks is going to be crazy!

Here's the schedule so far:

July 4 - July 15th: Munich, Germany/Prague, Czech Republic (for work/fun)
July 31 - August 4: Portland, Oregon (for uNAVSA conference)
August 7 - August 13: Seattle, Washington (for Thuy Anh's friend Tracy's wedding)

I am stoked for my trip to Germany... I am still trying to figure out the best way of going around:

[PLAN A] is to fly in by Saturday July 5th, then drive from Munich to Prague (a 3 1/2 hour drive) spend a few days in Prague, then drive to Teisnach, Germany which is where I am working from Mon-Fri, then when I am done, drive back to Munich where I can spend the rest of my time there.

[PLAN B] fly in by Sat morning, spend my time in Munich until Sunday, then drive to Teisnach (a ~2 hour drive) and then after I am done, hang out in Prague from Saturday/Sunday, then drive from Prague to Munich then spend the rest of my time there.

Guess I'll just go with my gut when I get there :)

New Camera out for a spin!

2008-06-12T11:00:00.001-07:00

Just got a new camera, the Canon S5 superzoom camera, and decided to take it out for a spin!

Child abuse :)

2008-05-23T16:27:00.001-07:00

Little fun with my cousin Claire... she was fine afterwards... hehe =P (Check about half way into the video if you're lazy....)

Wallet's Bleeding!

2008-05-23T16:18:00.001-07:00

OMG! Gas prices are insane. I guess it doesn't help with the fact that I have a car that sucks in 91 octane fuel... I paid almost 65 bucks today for a full tank of gas! That's the cost of a video game... :( At some point I will definitely have to start thinking about using the trolley/coaster to get to work (*gulp* or even think about riding my bike to work from SDSU area to Mira Mesa)

Enjoying a warm weekend in San Diego

2008-05-19T18:41:00.001-07:00

Thuy Anh and I decided to go on an adventure this week, so we took the trolley out to the San Diego Convention Center and then afterwards headed out to Little Italy. After a nice pleasant hike in an albeit warm environment and getting a slight tan, we got to the Little Italy Spaghetteria. Despite some average reviews of the place, we tried it anyways (influenced by a buy 1 get one free coupon) and were pleasantly surprised by food. TA ordered a shrimp primavera pasta and I ordered something resembling a chinese hot bun with red sauce :) Not bad!

On Sunday, I got the chance to take my mountain bike out on a spin, hangin' out with my friends Trang and Andrew on the trails of Penesquitos Canyon Reserves near Mira Mesa. Was a total blast to break in the new mountain bike and get a taste of speed riding downhill.

New Bike! And other assorted updates...

2008-05-16T14:09:00.001-07:00

What a week! I think I worked like 60 hours this week, but had a project due, so had to be a trooper to get it all done so that I can at least enjoy the weekend :)

My little niece Claire came down, and had a blast... of course she decided to try my snowboarding helmet on just for kicks....

On Wednesday this week, Thuy Anh and I decided to go for a nice little hike in Balboa Park. If you haven't done so recently, I highly recommended! We had a nice time just chillin' around =P

And finally after much anticipation, I got my bike I bought online on Tuesday built it up, sent it in to get tuned up, and finally got it back today. I'm stoked! Took it out for a ride this morning and it was a blast. Can't wait to take it out this weekend (hopefully its not too hot)

Time to breathe part 2!

2008-05-07T18:32:00.001-07:00

Also this last weekend (May 3rd-4th) Thuy Anh and I went back to Arizona to hang out with her parents as well as have a house party with her friends. Was totally fun, as we bbq'd and played Ticket to Ride (here at amazon).

But a totally cool thing today was I bought a mountain bike, so I will be ready to start taking it on the mean trails of San Diego wilderness (at least what's left of it!)

Finally time to breathe! (part 1)

2008-05-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

Been so busy lately haven't even had time to update this thing!

Its been a crazy last few weeks, including a work trip to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in Las Vegas. The highlight of that was I got my parents to come out who thoroughly enjoyed it... with some gambling on the side of course!

Hot days in SD

2008-04-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

Weekend was hella hot! Did a lot of nothing for the weekend, but TA and I enjoyed a nice time at the mall and a few friends got together to play a rousing game of Mafia :)

Had some time to compile some new music, check it out!

Gettings Things Done

2008-04-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

Within the past year, I have been trying to organize the different range of information that I have to deal with, and really needed a way to organize my thoughts so that I wouldn't go crazy every day. So I took a gander at the book "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. If you have time, read up :)

[Original Post from Lifehacker]

Enjoying the fruits of San Diego...

2008-04-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! Friday night was spent hanging out with Thuy Anh's friends with a rousing board game of Ticket to Ride, and then Saturday morning was spent with the VAYA leadership seminar with hiking in mission trails (which had a great turnout). Sunday was finished with hanging out with more VAYA people at the padres game (who did lose 3-2, but it was still fun).