2013 in Review

2013 was a big year for me. I did a few things I never thought I would have done, as well as some exciting things.

Here's a list of some memorable moments:

1. I drove and visited UCSC and other places in Santa Cruz, CA and I always wanted to go there. I also had the opportunity to go to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
2. I drove to San Francisco and never thought I would
3. I visited Napa, CA
4. I went hiking a few times (including Potato Chip Rock, Lake Berryessa & Mission Peak) and didnt think I would ever have the motivation to do it
5. I was able to see Rozzi Crane, Kelly Clarkson, and Maroon 5 live in concert and very close in view as well
6. I was able to go to a Backstreet Boys concert
7. I visited UC Berkeley and visited rest of Berkeley
8. I visited San Diego and UCSD
9. Had 85 degrees bakery again :)
10. Finally biked along the American river a few times
11. Got to go race car driving
12. Had a record that I was at the mall 11 weeks in a row
13. I was able to go bowling a few times
14.  In theaters, I was able to watch Despicable Me 2, The Wolverine, Catching Fire, Monsters University, Fast and Furious 6, Iron Man 3, Oz the Great and Powerful, Prisoners, The Great Gatsby, The Croods, Olympus has Fallen, and The Hobbit 2.
15. I was able to go to the Drive in theater for the first time for free and watched Fast & Furious 6
17. Donated 3 toys for the holidays. One for a girl, one for a boy, and one for both genders.
18. Brought a cake to share when its no ones birthday
19. Paid off my student loans in full
20. I did the Color Run and had dye thrown at me and threw some dye at some strangers.
21. Finally visited Sutter's Fort
22. Went to the California State Fair
23. Did the Breast Cancer run in Downtown around the State capitol area
24. Wrote a thank you letter to everyone in the office
25. Played Mario Kart with my siblings
26. Played some new board games, as well as some I always wanted to try
27. Got addicted to Hay Day, The Simpsons Tapped Out, but not as much as my addiction to Clash of Clans
28. Finally attended Asian Pacific Culture Night at UCD and saw Legaci perform live
29. Attended this Chinese opera event for a bit, but quickly learned that it wasnt my sort of entertainment.
30. Was turned down from a job offer on my birthday

31. Finally went ice skating again and was reminded of why I enjoy the sport so much

32. Made a dish for a potluck

33. Discovered Starbread bakery from exploring yelp and how much I love their bread

2003 and 2013

Originally,  I wanted to make a very long listing when I first started this, but as I started doing this I realized it was going to take much needed research if I wanted a longer list.  Not that I didn't mind doing research and digging through all my old files, clothes, and other items to remember information from both 2003 and 2013, but rather, I lacked the time to accomplish a longer list.

As I developed the list, I realized that much has changed since 10 years ago. But, I feel that most things have changed for the better. Also, there have been new added aspects of my life that wasn't there 10 years ago.

2003                                                                         2013

President: George W. Bush                                      President: Barack Obama

I was in middle school                                              I'm not in school anymore

Depression consumed me                                         Uncertainty and roadblocks block me

Concerns: grades & college                                      Concerns: getting good job & paying off car

Blog: Xanga                                                              Blog: Blogger

Never had an all nighter                                            Had many all nighters

Never seen a movie in theaters                                 Have a list of over 100 movies watched in theaters

Roadblock: math                                                       Roadblock: interviews

Transportation: moms car &school bus                    Transportation: my car, moms or bros car

Dream Vacation: Italy                                               Dream Vacation: Austria

Siblings: 2                                                                  Siblings: 3

Mission Peak Hike

Over a month ago, me and a few friends went to Mission Peak in Fremont to hike. Mission Peak is a pretty popular spot to hike.

The hike took less than 2 hours for me. I didnt rest more than 5 minutes. Usually around 1 minute or so and kept going. I went ahead of my friends that I hike with and waited in the top for an hour for them.

I think this is the least photogenic hike I have ever had. Besides the view of the bay area, there wasnt much to see when you hiked up. Even the mountain wasnt that green, so there wasnt much flowers or plants around. Although there was cows around and supposedly snakes.

There were cows and houses on the mountain!

I think the hardest part of the hike is at the end. In which, there are 2 big hills. After those hills, you are on the top of the mountain. The top of the mountain is very cold.

That's the pole that symbolizes that you hiked Mission Peak. I took a few pictures with the pole.