September 2002

Vegas Volleyball Tournament (9.20.02 - 9.22.02) - Vegas Story
I participated in another Westside Volleyball Tournament. This time, we came in 2nd by the closest of margins. It was still a fun time hanging out with everybody.

Cookies at Grace's (9.14.02)
After finding a cookie recipe that called itself the "Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie," we were curious to see if it was true. So, we bought the fine Callebaut baking chocolate as well as whatever else it called for. The result was very good cookies. Also pictured are Grace's cream puffs and her evil-looking cat, Monty.

Camping at Big Basin (9.5.02)
I went on a 1-day camping trip down to Big Basin in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Since I haven't gone camping in ages, a short trip like this was a good way to ease into it. I hiked on the 5-mile Pine Mountain Trail up to Buzzard's Roost, helped set up a tent, and at s'mores. Then I froze at night in a North Face sleeping bag that was turned inside-out.

August 2002

BBQ at the Park (8.31.02)
I went to a bbq at Vasona Park with some friends for some fun, sun, and bbq. The grass was super tall and the weather was very hot. That made me want to be lazy and not really play much grass volleyball. Before the bbq, I baked a Sacher Torte in hopes of bringing it for dessert, but it had to be refrigerated.

Tea Time (8.23.02)
My friend Daniel was visiting with his girlfriend Amy and so I met up with them at a local restaurant for a bit of dimsum.

Funnel Cake & Fireworks (8.3.02)
I attended the Santa Clara County Fair to check it out since I had never gone before. It was free admission and every night of the fair, they had a fireworks display. There were the usual fair rides and food. There was also a long line for funnel cakes, which were pretty big.

Grass Doubles Volleyball (8.3.02)
I got up early in the morning and headed off to Stevenson Park in Mountain View for a day in the sun. I entered the Catalyst tournament with Grace in women's doubles touranment organized by Shindig. Coincidentally, my friends Elbert, Willy, and Mariann were playing too. Fun in the sun and a 2nd place finish in Recreation level is how the day ended up for us.

Rainforest Cafe (8.2.02)
There was a partial team dinner with my SF Juniors team. Since we wanted a good parking space, we got there early and walked around to take some pictures.

July 2002

Vanilla Coke (7.28.02)
For a little while, I thought I was destined never to drink the new Vanilla Coke. Whenever I had a $1 bill, there would be no soda in the machine. When there were drinks the machine, I had no $1 bill. Finally, I bought one and tried it out before playing some volleyball with some friends.

Garlic and Dippin Dots (7.27.02)
I finally got around to attending the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. There were crowds of people, lines for beer, and of course, garlic. After the festival, I finally got my first taste of Dippin Dots at McDonald's.

Bonfire at the Beach (7.26.02)
The Sze Sisters were at it again, but this time, on a much smaller scale. They hosted a bonfire with marshmallows, hotdogs, and s'mores. A fairly large crowd were in attendance as I saw some faces I hadn't seen in quite some time. Before dinner, I had some dinner at the King of Thai Noodle with some friends.

Before The Big Apple (7.23.02)
I finally met up with my old co-worker Joyce for some good old Lee's Deli sandwiches. We had her usual drink of Green Tea flavored Arizona Ice Tea, and sat where the water flowed above the Yerba Beuna Gardens.

Big Beach BBQ Bash (7.20.02)
I headed down to Seacliff State Beach (in Santa Cruz County) today for some food and fun in the ocassional sun. About 30-40 people were in attendance, but I didn't manage to snag a digital photo of everybody.