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All you have to decide is what to do
06/08/07 - For future journal entries, please visit my Blog. 03/05/07 - Gosh, how time flies when you are busy working, going to school, and planning a wedding! Well, what has happened since my last journal entry? Personal turmoil a few days after the new year, but I will not get into the details on that matter. However, congrats to me for beaingt Gears of War! It took me nearly 100 attempts before I finally defeated General Raam. This game ROCK! I am now playing Call of Duty 3, which I got through Ebay for half the price of what I would have had to pay had I bought it in the store. It is an awesome game! What after COD3? Well, I am thinking about going back and finishing Halo 2. Now that I have gotten the hang of playing first-person shooting games (Call of Duty 2, Gears of War, and Call of Duty 3) and the patience (i.e., General Raam), I think I will do much better in Halo than I did before. Come to think of it, I never finished the mission in Halo either! I can not wait until Halo 3 comes out for the Xbox360. Well, that is all for now. Next time, I will recap my and Thuy's visit with Jim and Cathy, whom we have not seen in over two years. I will also recap our experience at The Lion King musical, a part of Disney on Broadway. One final note, mark your calendar (because I know I marked mine): March 31st - UT Longhorn Football Spring Jamboree! Hook'em Horns! 12/18/06 - On Dec. 9th, Theresa and I went to her school's Christmas party and we both had a blast. There was caroling, food, great company (Deanne, Kurt, Linda, Corleen, Mike, etc.), and, of course, wonderful door prizes - with the main attraction being a 20" flat screen t.v. Unfortunately, neither Theresa nor I won the t.v., but we did win a couple of great prizes. Theresa won a smoked turkey from The Pit and $25.00 cash. I won a suede leather UT letterman jacket - HOOK'EM HORNS! In the end, Theresa and I swapped prizes because I already have a UT jacket (and she does not) and I needed something for my firm's Attorney Appreciation Luncheon (12/18) so the smoked turkey worked out perfectly. Gobble! Gobble! I have not been to a Christmas party like that in a while and it was so much fun! I am looking forward to next year's party. This past weekend, Theresa and I went to Houston. The original plan was to take my cousin out for dinner for her graduation from U of H, but she had other graduation plans. So, Theresa and I got to spend a lot of time with our friends (in between spending time at each of our parents' houses). We arrived in Houston on Friday night and spent the night at Jenny's and Josh's. Saturday night, "Med" Chanh and Quyen (his g/f), "Karate" Chanh, Hung, David, Phu, Jenny & Josh, and Theresa and I had dinner at a Korean restaurant, called "Asiana," at Gessner and I-10. The food was great and the company was even better. According to the words of wisdom from "George Costanza" (Seinfeld), it was the "merging of worlds" for it marked the first time my friends from Austin (mainly Jenny and Josh) hung out with my Houston friends (most of whom I have known since our days at Stovall Middle School). It was a lot of fun! The next morning, I went to LaVang Catholic Church with Theresa and her parents (my soon-to-be in-laws whom I am already calling "ba" and "ma"). Unfortunately, Christie could not join us but we did get to see her briefly before church. Afterwards, we had lunch with Jenny & Josh at Pappadeaux, in The Woodlands, before Jenny had to head off to work. We then had dinner with my parents, and before we headed back to Austin, I helped Josh put up his outdoor Xmas lights and played one mission in Gears of War for the XBox360. 12/13/06 - Reflection on Fall Semester '06 - This past semester I took a Finance class and a Marketing Management class, both of which were very challenging. My Finance class was on Monday nights and the professor was Mr. Jesus Gonzales. After taking an Introduction to Accounting class this past summer (w/ Steve Rosner), I thought Finance would not be as bad as everyone who has taken it said it was. In the end, I must say, I found the class to be quite challenging, but also rewarding. Fortunately for me, it was a reunion of sort for my friends - Jimmy, John, and Melonie - and I as we were all in the same accounting class the semester before. We met outside of class in study groups to work on problem sets and study for the mid-term and final. I find it really helpful to discuss problems and learn how others approach a problem - which for the most part is different from how I would approach the problem. This was my first exposure to Finance and I believe the class has laid a sound foundation for which I can build on. Furthermore, learning how to use a finance calculator will be beneficial later on - both professionally and personally. My Marketing class was on Wednesday nights and the professor was Dr. Michaelle Cameron. Now, this was a fun class for we worked in groups to "play" the Marketing Game and prepare a Marketing Plan for a locally-owned business. I was truly blessed with the opportunity to work with three great gals (Angel, Erin, and Carmela), who were driven, determined and accepted nothing but the best results possible. For the Marketing Game, we launched a voice recognition device (VRD) called PACE. Our strategy from the get go was to produce the highest quality product and sell it at a reasonably high price to set ourselves from the other groups and their products. Our goal was to be the leader in the industry in technology and innovation. To this end, when it came to launching a second product, we did not hesitate to proceed. Our second product was a digital voice communicator (DVC) we called PACER. Long story short, when the game ended eight weeks later, we came out on top with the highest profit (nearly $15 million) - besting the "runner up" but nearly $4 million.
For our Marketing Plan project, we chose a local dog kennel called DogBoy's Dog Ranch, Inc. as our business. DogBoy's was founded in 1995 by Bart "DogBoy" Emken and his wife Courtney "DogGirl" Emken. DogBoy's is a very unique company for so many reasons and I am glad that Erin pushed this idea on the rest of the group. Courtney was very helpful and provided us all the information we needed and answered all our questions. One December 12, 2006, two weeks after we presented our marketing plan to our professor and class, we presented a modified version to the Emkens. Our hope is that they found our research and plan helpful and that they use some of our ideas.
It was a great semester, with many long nights of studying and working on marketing plans and financial problems, but it was all worth it. I am looking forward to next semester when I will be taking the second part of Finance and Government Accounting. It should be an interesting semester as Angel, Melonie, Jimmy, and John will be in my same Finance class. Unfortunately, I will be on my own in Accounting.
12/07/06 - Reflection on Engagement (11/25) - This past Thanksgiving marked a milestone in my life as Theresa and I formally announced our engagement to our families and closest friends. It was a traditional Vietnamese ceremony in which my parents had to ask her parents for their permission for me to marry her. My gift-bearing entourage included Phong & Phu (my two brothers), Josh and Josiah (Josh's brother), David, Chanh ("Karate"), Dien (my cousin), and Joe (my nephew). Theresa's gift-receiving entourage included Christie (her sister), Jenny and Ria, and her aunts and cousins. I fought back tears a few times during the ceremony: (1) while I was waiting for Theresa to make her grand entrance and when she actually did, and (2) when we offered our parents tea. It was a beautiful ceremony and Theresa looked absolutely gorgeous that day! After the ceremony was over, everyone enjoyed great food at the reception as Theresa and I made our rounds to thank our families and guests and everyone who made that day so special.
Also, Theresa and I did something that we do not usually get to do when we are in Houston, which is to spend time with Christie (she works the graveyard shift at the hospital). On 11/22 (my b-day), we had dinner together as one big family. Afterwards, Phong, Christie, Theresa, and I met up with David and Morgan and Alex (Christie's friends) for bowling and then drinks at 221B Baker St. Pub & Grill. We had a blast! We went out Christie again the night of the engagement to Buffalo Wild Wings. This time is was Christie, Theresa and I, Phong, Phu, Ria and Josiah, Josh, Alex, and Jeremy. Phong and Phu went out some more with Christie later that night; I could not because I had to return to Austin early the next morning.
12/06/06 - When you stop keeping a journal for two years, you miss out on recording a lot of events. Let's see - Memorial Day weekend in '05, Theresa and I went to Dallas, TX to visit a good friend of ours (and her accupuncturist), Eric V., that recently moved from Austin to Big D. Although I have lived in Texas for neary 16 years, that was my first visit to Big D. It was a very nice visit. One of the places he took us to was a German pub where I downed a couple of really good German beers. That same year, my brothers, Theresa, and I also visited Fredericksburg, TX to catch a WWII Battle of the Pacific re-enactment and tour the National Museum of the Pacific War. We then had lunch at the Der Lindenbaum, which serves authentic German food. The food was delish! One our way back to Austin, we stopped at Becker Vineyard. We went on a tour of the vineyard and tasted great wine. How fun! Oh, yeah, I also dragged my entire family (parents, brothers, and Theresa) to the reenactment of the Battle of San Jacinto (Texas history). It was great to spend time with the family, but the reenactment was not exciting at all (compared to the WWII one). Also, it was hot and humid that day and very little shaded areas available.
12/05/06 - Theresa and I recently signed up for a Family Plan/MyFaves with T-Mobile and each of us got a Motorola RAZR V3 phone and Bluetooth headset. I just have one thing to say: "How in the world did I do without a Bluetooth headset for so long!?" I mean, this thing is incredible! I highly recommend it. In other news, the Democrats regained control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate after the 2006 Mid-Term Election. My guess is that voters are upset with the Iraq War (that is now in its fourth year with nearly 3,000 U.S. casualties). Experts say that the country is blunging into a civil war and that Iraq is worse off now than when it was under Saddam Hussein. Anyhow, hopefully, the new Congress will be able to end this war sooner - rather than later - so that our troops may return home to their families. Spring Break of '05, I made my long awaited return trip to Connecticut - the Nutmeg State where my family and I lived for 5 years after arriving in the U.S. from Vietnam. (I actually flew to White Plains, NY and then drove to Ridgefield, CT for work.) Wallingford, CT will always have a special place in my heart. Although it was a business trip, I had the opportunity to visit my childhood home at 43 Wharton Brook Drive, in Wallingford. Amazingly enough, after having lived in Texas for over 16 years - where everything is so much bigger (Texas-size) - the small town feeling was very much welcome. I felt nostalgic as I not only saw my old house, but I also saw the elementary school I attend for grades 3 - 5: E.C. Stevens. I hope to actually visit Wallingford, CT eventually.
12/04/06 - It has been 2 years since my last journal entry. Long story short, I started the Evening MBA Program at St. Edward's University (Austin, TX) in fall of 2005; closed on a house in Manor, TX with Theresa on October 31, 2005; proposed to Theresa on December 24/25, 2005; got offically engaged on November 25, 2006; will get married on May 26, 2007; and plan to complete my MBA - Business Management degree in May of 2008. Silly me, I nearly forgot to mention that the University of Texas Longhorns won the National Championship - HOOK 'EM HORNS! It was an amazing 41-38 victory of the USC Trojans - take that Matt Leinhart and Reggie Bush! Whatcha gonna do when Vince Young and the Horns run wild on you?!?!?!
Picture of Phong, Theresa, and I with the Sears' National Championship trophy.
After Vince Young left for the NFL (3rd Selection, Tennessee Titans), the Horns were left with two freshmen QBs, Colt McCoy and Jevan Snead. McCoy beat out Snead for the starting job (I saw McCoy in action on Fan Appreciation Day and he is good) and led the Horns to a 9-1 record. UT's only lost up to that point was to Ohio State, the #1 team in the nation. However, he pinched a nerve in his neck on a TD dive against Kansas State and has not been the same since. The Horns lost to Kansas State and the hated Aggies to finish the season with a 9-3 record. Out of title contention, the Horns are now waiting to play the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Alamo Bowl. The QB situation is still in limbo for the bowl game, because McCoy is still injured and Snead decided to transfer. Check back in '07 for the conclusion of this story.
12/19 - 12/24 - Christmas Break 2004: This Christmas, my bros, Theresa, and 5 other friends from Houston took a roadtrip to New Mexico. It was awesome!! We went skiing in Ruidoso; dune-driving in White Sands National Park (in Alamogordo); scenic-driving through Lincoln National Forest; and alien-sighting and museum-hopping in Roswell. Unfortunately, due to bad weather, we could not explore the caverns in Carlsbad. On 12/19, we departed from Austin at 5:45 a.m. We took 290 W all the way to I-10 W and head north on 285 and W on 70 to finally get to Ruidoso. It was quite a drive and the fun part was, I did all of the driving. I was cruising through big cities, rolling hills, plateaus, farmland, etc. Interestingly enough, we drove through one small town in 10 seconds, literally. It such a small town. Anyways, we arrived in Ruidoso and checked in at the Sitzmark at around 5:30 or so. We arrived at our rent house at around 6:00, ate dinner, settled in and got rested in anticipation of a full day on skiing. On 12/20, we arrived at Action Ski a little before 7:00. We checked out our skis. Interestingly enough, half of us did not fit the ski boots that we reserved. Well, after Action Ski, we arrived at Ski Apache at 8:20 or so (they didn't open until 8:45 but there was a whole bunch of people there already). The drive up the mountain was magnificent - 12 miles of the most breath-taking view I have ever seen. I signed the nine of us up for our skiing lessons and we started at 9:30 a.m. The ski instructor was great (unfortunately, I can't recall his name). Anyways, he taught us the "wedged" method for skiing and stopping and, in the afternoon session, he showed us how to turn by leaning on one side or the other. It was great! Learning to ski was like learning to ride a bike, it was tough going at first, but once you get the feel of the skis, you are off and skiing. In the morning, we mainly stayed at chair no. 5, which had a smaller slope for beginners. In the afternoon, many of us were going down the slope at chair no. 3, which was more challenging. Many of us picked up on skiing very fast, including my two bros. It was great!!
After the first day of skiing was done, we spent the night walking on the main street of Ruidoso, shopping for souveniers. The town was very quaint and wonderfully decorated for the holidays. We settled in that night with eager antipication of another fun day on the slopes. On 12/21, we were on our own with what we learned from our ski instructor the day before. Half of us stayed on the slope at chair no. 5, while the "braver" people in the group went skiing over at chairs no. 3 and 7. Theresa and I spent the morning over at chair no. 5, getting comfortable with my style and form. I gained a lot of confidence with my skiing that morning, going faster and faster down the slope, falling less, and skied without looking down at my skis. It was great! After lunch of KFC chickens, we took the gandola up to the summit of Sierra Blanca (the mountain for Ski Apache); it was 13,000 ft. up. The view was absolutely intoxicating, and we took full advantage, taking pictures, lots of it. When we decided to leave the summit and head down for some more skiing, my bros decided not to ride the gandola down, rather, they wanted to ski all the way down. I was concerned at first, but I was certain that they would be careful, and they two of them made a good team. They made it! (and they would do again later that afternoon). After spending the entire morning at the slope at chair no. 5, Theresa and I decided to conquer chair no. 7 (which our friends said the trail was longer, but easier than chair 3). They were right!! Theresa and I went down the slope at chair no. 7 twice and it was a blast! Skiing was so much fun!! Later that night, one of my brothers, two other friends, and I went to Casino Apache to gamble. I will not disclose how much we won (or lost)! *hehehe* On 12/22, we said our good byes to Ski Apache and the town of Ruidoso and headed southwest to Alamogordo and White Sands. To make the trip more interesting, a snow storm came in that night and down a lot of snow on the road. I was driving for at least 1.5 hours through a snow storm. (to be continued...)
11/25 - 11/28 - THANKSGIVING 2004: While my parents visited families in Connecticut, my brothers and I stayed in Houston. On 11/25, we went to Theresa's house and ate an Asian-style Thanksgiving lunch of BBQ chicken with sides. Later that night, the four of us chilled at David's house. We played Halo 2 and played Texas Hold'em (a poker game). Amazingly, I won $10.00!! Anyways, since we hadn't eaten since 4 that afternoon, we got hungry and had "Thanksgiving dinner" at Denny's with David and Hung. On 11/26, Theresa, my bros, and I shopped at Willowbrook Mall for over 4 hours. Theresa did most of her Christmas shopping, while my bros each bought a pair of Levi's jeans. Me? I just chilled and mostly "window shop". We chilled at David's house again that night. I bought a rostisseri chicken from Fiesta. We munched, watched a movie, and played XBox games, Halo 2 and Dungeons and Dragons. It was a blast!! On 11/27, my bros and I chilled at home most of the day. My youngest bro and I went to Theresa's later that afternoon for a late lunch of beef steak (my other bro decided not to go). After lunch, I helped Theresa wrapped some presents. We then went to Fry's and my bro picked up a PS2 game. After Fry's, we all went to Hobby to pick up my parents. From what I mom and dad told me, they had a great time in Connecticut and had many stories to tell us. So we ate a McDonald's dinner and got caught up on family news from CT. On 11/28, my family and I feasted on a delicious Thanksgiving lunch, with a 12 lbs. turkey and all the sides. It was quite a feast!! We left Houston at around 4:30, and that concluded our Thanksgiving 2004.
11/03 - Well, John Kerry, who I voted for, did not win the U.S. Presidency (I have my reasons for voting for John Kerry, but I do not want to discuss them). Whether then dwell on defeat, it is time, once again, for this deeply divided country to unite under the President Re-elect and move forward with the country's business. Personally, I will follow closely the war on terror, the huge national deficit (which is quickly nearing the statutory limit of $7.4 trillion), unemployment, stem cell research, issues regarding gay marriages and abortion, and the environment and global warming. The Republicans have control of both the House and Senate, for at least the next two years. "The Republican president has sought to extend tax cuts, promote pro-business policies and appoint anti-abortion judges and he may make another attempt to secure a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages." (Yahoo! News) Let's hope the country can survive this very conservative agenda until the mid-term elections in 2006.
10/19 - I exercised my right to vote today by casting my ballot in this year's Presidential Election. I must admit, it was a good feeling to make your voice heard. However, I will not reveal who I casted my vote for, in the Presidential Election, until after Nov. 2, Election Day 2004. Hopefully, my guy will win the Presidency.
10/17 - I finished Deception Point today, the last of four Dan Brown books that I have either listened to on audio or read. They were all very well researched and well-written and I enjoyed the stories very much.
For me, the signs of a good novel are: (1) do you empathize with the struggles of the characters in the story and (2) does the story flow well and has a plot that keeps you wanting to continue reading. If I were to rank the books based on these two characteristics, they would be ordered as follow:
If I were to rank the books based on the significance of the situation the heroes/heroines are involved in and the impact their failures would have on the world, they would be ordered as follow:
If I were to rank the heros, based on the significance of their role in the outcome of the story, they would be ordered as follow:
If I were to rank the heroines, based on the significance of their role in the outcome of the story, they would be ordered as follow:
NOTE: I do not intend to rank the villians, because I do not wish to spoil the suspense and ending for those who might want to read these books or listen to them on audiotape or CD. Dan Brown, according to his website, is coming with his fifth novel in the summer of 2005. His latest book will be another Robert Langdon adventure, but this time, the Harvard professor of Religious Symbology and Iconology will be closer to home in the U.S. I am looking forward to its arrival, but in the meantime, what the #%@ to I read between now and then?! Here is my 2-cents about the underlining themes in three of these novels. Angels & Demons: Religion v. Science, the neverending war between creationism and evolution. Religion won the earlier battles, because the population was ignorant, oblivious, and easily manipulated. I guess one can say that they were in the "Dark Ages". Now, as science and technology advancements continue to push the limits, longstanding religious doctrines and ideology are being questioned. Life started in the primordial soup, but what started life, the finger of God or life from somewhere in the vast blackness of space? What is so wrong with teaching evolution in the classroom? There is no religious overtones, just plain science! The Da Vinci Code: My belief is religion is spiritual, not institutional. The doctines of all the religious factions in the world, when broken down to their very fundamental ideology, teach similar things, with slight variation depending on the culture. The only significant difference is the deity that is worshipped, although three religions, Christianity, Islam, and Judiasm, share the same God. Furthermore, killing and murdering in the name of religion contradict the very basic ideas of religion and faith. One only needs to read about the Holy Inquisition, the Crusades, the Holocaust, and the continuing conflict in the Middle East to realize that religious fanaticism and persecution existed throughout history and still exist to this day. Digital Fortress: Privacy v. National Security, two difficult things to balance. However, if the citizens are blissfully oblivious to the idea that their government is invading their privacy in the name of national security, then I guess they can all go on and live a happy life, just as long as they do not break the law or speak out against their government. Everyone has skeletons in their closet and there is someone out there that knows all about them.
10/10 - [Camping Trip Day Two] We got an early start, 7:00 early. We got up and had breakfast of sausages, noodles, and hotdogs. Afterward, it was time to jet ski! Since there were only ten of us, each of us got lots of jet ski time, except for Theresa (who spent most of the morning in the tent, keeping warm). We had a blast! I "wiped out" on the jet ski a few times, while riding as a passenger, but it was all good! Solo, I was going 30-40 m.p.h. on the jet ski. It was quite a rush! This camping trip was awesome, and we were already thinking about another camping trip for next summer. However, until the weather warms up again, we are eagerly looking forward to our ski/road trip to Ruidoso, New Mexico, in December.
10/09 - [Camping Trip Day One] My brothers, Theresa, and I met up with David, Hung, "Karate" Chanh and their friends at Welch Park, Lake Somerville. We arrived at the park at around 9:00 p.m. and set up camp by the headlights of our vehichles. (This was our first camping trip (that was not sponsored by an organization) so we had to purchase a lot of camping gears. I bought a 5-6 person, 10x12 tent, sleeping bag, and an inflatable boat.) We then cooked and started eating. Unfortunately, Theresa was a little under the weather so she went to bed as soon as the tent was set up. While she slept, the rest of us ate, chatted, and played card games. We finally went to bed at around 1:00 a.m. It was cold sleeping outside, but the tent really helped blocked out the wind and the sleeping bags kept everyone warm and cozy. (On a sadder note, the UT Longhorns lost for the 5th time to the Sooners of OU, 12 - 0. The Red River Shootout was dubbed the Red River Shutout by many. SO SAD!)
09/11 - Americans and everyone around the world remember the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.
09/06 - Labor Day! My family and I joined my uncle, aunt, and their two kids at my aunt's boss' lake house to celebrate my brother's and her daughter's birthdays. We ate more BBQ, fished, jumped on the trampoline, and went for a boat ride on Lakeway. The weather was spectacular and the scenic view was amazing - million dollar homes sitting on hillside next to the lake. It was quite a drive though. I think we were in Dripping Springs or something. On another note, I finished Dan Brown's Angels & Demons. The story was great - the Vatican, the Illuminati, betrayal, science, suspense - the novel had it all. I finished the ~575 page novel in 4 days - at one time, I stayed up until 4:00 a.m. one night to read it. I highly recommend this book, as well as The Da Vinci Code, which I plan to read myself (I listened to the entire book on audio CD twice).
09/05 - My family, my aunt, and I went to Bob Wentz Park at Windy Point (Lake Travis) for Labor Day weekend. The weather was great, because there was an overcast the entire time we were there. We BBQed at home and brought the food to the lake, which was a good thing considering that all the picnic tables with BBQ pits were taken. We swam, ate, swam some more and then went home.
09/01 - Theresa and I went to see The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. We really enjoyed the movie. Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews were great and so were the rest of the cast members, many of whom returned to reprise their roles from the original movie, The Princess Diaries. We also ate a small dinner at Whole Foods Market, drank Jamba Juice, and browsed Sam's Club, where I picked up a copy of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.
08/29 - Theresa, our friends, Jenny and Josh, and I went to Bob Wentz Park at Windy Point (Lake Travis). Everyone swam except for Josh, for reasons which I will not devulge. Anyways, it was a lot of fun and the weather and scenic view were great! Afterwards, we ate at Chuy's and went back to their place and watched a movie, Time Changer. Everything was great except, I dropped my cell phone and the LCD screen cracked; looks like I will need to replace the phone. Also, my dad went back to Houston after spending his vacation in Austin. He and my brother did some landscaping in the front yard, so the house now has a tranquil and nice-looking pond, with waterfalls.
08/28 - NAMC ER was an interesting place today, partly because they had a disaster drill, which I had the opportunity take part in. Aside from the disaster drill, I also trained two new volunteers, one is getting ready to take the board exam for nursing and the other is going for a sonograph certificate. After NAMC, I went to Half Price Books and bought two books, Philosophy of Law and Holy Blood, Holy Grail. I am looking forward to reading Holy Blood, Holy Grail, which Dan Brown used as one of his sources to write The Da Vinci Code. I then met up with my dad, my aunt, and my bros for lunch at Pho Hoang.
08/22 - Feliz cumpleanos, papa! Usted tiene cincuenta y cinco anos! My family and I visited two temples today, Chua Linh Son and Chua Vietnam (or the Vietnamese Buddhist Center). It was a very spiritual day for all of us. We returned to Austin that afternoon and was stuck in traffic for half an hour while authorities cleared a bad wreck, some three miles outside of the town of Giddings, TX.
08/21 - My brothers, Theresa, and I went to Houston for my dad's birthday. My family and I took my dad to Saigon Restaurant for an early birthday dinner. The food was great and it was fun to go out and have dinner as a family.
08/15 - My family, my aunt, Theresa, and I went to Bob Wentz Park at Windy Point (Lake Travis) for a fun day in the sun. Actually, my parents were in town and, usually, they stay at the house and never want to go out. I was glad we finally were able to convince to do something fun during their visit. Anyways, Theresa and I were not expecting to swim - like my brothers - but when we got there, the water and weather was too perfect to pass up. It was great and we all had a blast!
08/14 - My brothers, Theresa, and I went to the theatres and watched the movie, Aliens v. Predator. The fight scenes were awesome and the special effects and customes were great; however, the movie, I think, ended to soon. Interesting concept: ancient Aztecs were taught to build pyramids by Predators in exchange for Aztec people sacrificing their bodies, and life, to spawn aliens so Predators can can hunt and destroy - as a rites of passage. So that's where the Indians got the whole idea about rites of passage into manhood! Too cool!
08/08 - My brothers, Theresa, and I met up with David and Hung and their families at Welch Park, Lake Somerville, for a day of fun in the sun and jet skiing. Theresa and I rode on the same jet ski together. I was tentative at first, but once my nerves settled, she and I were going 30 mph. However, like all the other riders, including my brothers and friends, we flipped, not once, not twice, but three times. We spent the rest of the time swimming and eating. All I know is, I am either going to get a great tan, or a red face from being sunburned. We all had a great time and we plan to do it again soon, maybe as early as next month.
08/06 - My friends, Jenny and Josh, Theresa and I went to San Marcos today for Tax Free Weekend. We went to stores in both the Tanger and Prime Outlet Malls. I bought a nice pair of Sketchers sneakers and three t-shirts from the Nike Outlet. We did not leave San Marcos until 1:00 in the morning and I did not hit the sack until 3. Imagine how tired I'll be when I have to get up in 5 hours to volunteer at NAMC.
08/04 - Tonight, my MedTerm class met for the last time this summer. We reviewed for the final and, shortly afterwards, we took the final over the urinary system and male and female reproductive systems. After the exam, we had a little party! It was a very fun and informative class. I really enjoyed Ms. Huss' antedotes and her enthusiasm has been contagious. Good luck to all my classmates! Good luck to you, Ms. Huss! (Click here to view one of my three reports for the class.)
07/31 - I returned to NAMC this morning and was suprised to find no patients in any of the examination rooms. One of the nurses told me not to say anything about it or I might jinx the situation.
07/27 - Tonight, my Genetics class met for the last time this summer. It was a very informative class and I got a lot out of it and really enjoyed it. Prof. H. Deiderick was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Good luck to you, Dr. H!
07/25 - I ate at Pho Danh 3 with David and his sister, Elizabeth. After lunch, David, Hung, and I chilled at Hung's place and discussed our upcoming, possible trip to Lake Somerville the second weekend of August, as well as various business ventures. Later that afternoon, Theresa and I returned to Austin.
07/24 - Theresa and I went to Houston for the weekend to visit families and friends. We had lunch at Johnny Carino's with her sister, Christie, for Christie's birthday. Later in the day, I attended a birthday party for Theresa's two cousins.
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