My job doesn't get any more exciting than this.

On Wednesday I spent half the day baking in the sun in the middle of nowhere (technically, it was somewhere east of Gilroy and Hollister, but it really felt like nowhere). I was there to serve as a staff photographer. This is probably as professional as my photography career will ever be.

A marching band and dancing girls on a freeway overpass – now that's something you don't see everyday. Poor band guys were sweatin' like pigs in those outfits.

Ahh, I remember the days when I used to be young and nimble.

They had some sweet moves.

Hmm, not sure what's going on here... I think this was the part of the song that goes, "Drop the pedal and go! Go! Go!! I'm going riding on the freeway of love..." (Aretha Franklin, 1985)

Shh. The GM is speaking. Everyone else on that stage got to speak too. Did I mention how hot the air was that day?

Actually, I expected it to be even hotter. But it was only 90 degrees (at 10:30 a.m.).

The big wigs of Silicon Valley. They're not used to listening to directions – um, look at the camera will ya? I had them all lined up with the short guys on the end, and then at the last second this humongous dude (who is some sorta VIP I guess) runs in, stands on the wrong side, blocks the little guy, and casts this enormous shadow... Honestly, I have better luck lining up children.

I don't know how people can wear dark colors and long-sleeved shirts on a day like that. Kind of reminds me of those greasy gansta teens you see at Great America. I was dressed in cool white cotton, but my evil boss forced me to wear a tie. Cruel I say.

Places to go, people to see

My one criteria for vacationing is, we must visit someone. Anyone. And even better if we can stay with them! The last time we traveled anywhere alone was our honeymoon. Since then, all our trips have always been with other friends. In fact, I don't even think we've been to Great America alone!

Having friends with you just makes the trip more enjoyable. You can help each other watch the kids, pick up food, or just spend time catching up on stuff – there's never a boring moment. I can't imagine going anywhere with just our family and living in a hotel – we would drive each other nuts! Fact is, I would always rather spend time with people than just sightseeing. Having friends along is like an added entertainment value.

In between the theme parks, we were able to hook up with five families. The first was the Tang family. Andrew was among my closest friends when I was living in L.A. He works as a music sales rep with Provident-SonyBMG and have provided me literally hundreds of free Christian CD/DVD/songbooks/VeggieTale paraphernalia throughout the last 20 years. And this trip was no different. I came home with a huge stash after rummaging through his home office/warehouse.

All of his children are home-schooled by his amazingly talented wife. Hmm, I wonder if they are accepting students for summer school next year... If you notice, his youngest has blond hair. He says he often gets stopped by people because they don't think the child belongs to him. Haha.

The next friend was Dianne. We were graphic design classmates throughout college. I was her only Chinese friend (her mom loved me!). She attended our wedding and visited us a couple times in San Leandro, but we lost contact for 9 years (maybe she was mad at me because I didn't attend her wedding). Anyway, I found her on Facebook last month and after some arm-twisting, she agreed to meet up for dinner with her two girls. Now she's having some regrets letting me back into her life.

The last college friend was Mr. TW (I'm not allowed to use his real name because he's a secret government operative). He cooked dinner for us and I finally met his wonderful wife and three daughters.

Other than being a great chef, TW is first and foremost my Mac guru. He normally visits me every year during Macworld. You thought I knew Macs... this guy is my master! Back in 1990 he helped me set up my first Mac IIsi, and forever directed me onto the righteous path. Now that's what you call a true friend! I can only hope I can do the same to all of you.

Along with his tech knowledge, he is also a true craftsman in woodworking. His 3-car garage was filled with every machinery imaginable with every router bit encased in custom drawers... Quite a nice setup. He plans to single-handedly remodel his entire house in time for our next visit!

TW's talents don't just stop there. He is a NRA-certified pistol instructor that teaches on weekends. He has this safe – bigger than my fridge – filled with over a hundred guns and rifles. He even let Dustin handle a few of his "Dirty Harry" guns. I think he was sending Dustin a subliminal message, "If you touch my daughters, you die!" Afterwards I told my boys to keep their hands to themselves.

And of course you know we stayed with Karen. We also met up with Diana and Cary for lunch, who are vacationing in Hawaii right now. The week just seemed to go by so fast. Hopefully it won't be another seven years before we visit again. But in the meantime, we'll look forward to meeting up again during the holidays.

Final Destination: Legoland

Legoland is a great place to take photos. The sights and creativity are absolutely amazing!
It's hard to lug around an SLR to all these parks, so I used our Canon Powershot S2is.

Even when made with Legos, SF Chinatown still looks filthy.

The kids spent a LOT of time at the playground. Good time for parents to rest.

I missed Scott's photo workshop in NY. So this will have to do.

Vegas was awesome. The only thing missing was the hookers :0

The gardeners were humongous!
Hey, isn't that Martin's apartment next to the yellow building?

The wheels were not made of Legos. I was so disappointed!

You can NOT get better parking than this! Even the handicapped people had to walk farther than us. I told you traveling with the Leong's had its benefits!

Did I mention the lines were really long and slow? This guy was in front of us.

Day 2: Knott's Berry Farm

After 15 hours at Disneyland and maybe 5 hours of sleep, Knott's was a welcome destination to slow down. Since we stayed at the Knott's Resort Hotel, it was a short walk to the park.

Camp Snoopy was great for our kids. They had plenty of carnival-like rides for those under 48" and some small coasters too. But there was this big inflatable bouncer that caused Dustin to break out in an allergic reaction. Maybe it was latex? His skin got all red, bumpy and itchy. Fortunately a trip to first aid and some Benadryl cleared it all up. But still, no one wanted to touch him all day.

The rest of the park featured many death-defying roller coasters for the more daring – not me. After my second roller coaster ride, I sadly realized that I'm getting too old for this. My stomach can't handle the thrills like it used to. The speed and the spinning really forced me to make a conscious effort not to toss my cookies. Plus I was still recovering from the day before. Yeah, I'm a wimp.

The park was pretty empty and most rides we got on in less than 15 minutes and some we just walked on. And surveying our group, most of us actually preferred Knott's over Disneyland. Maybe because our boys don't really care too much about Disney characters. Or maybe because many of the Disney attractions were a bit scary. Or maybe there wasn't that pressure that we had to do everything... Knott's was quite relaxing.

Some of the rides were quite insane. Above is a video of Andy and Alicia aboard the Xcellerator (not that you can see them). Notice how fast it shoots out of the gate.

Other milder rides included several train rides and even a horse-drawn stagecoach ride, which are great if you want to take your toddler with you. The ice skating show was good too. The only downside was the clientele: more sleazy teenagers and some ghetto folks.

To me, the best part was the Mrs. Knott's fried chicken dinner! There was a long wait at the restaurant so we just took it to go. It was a huge bucket with sides for $22. More than enough to feed both families. Clearly the best meal bargain of the week.

Our first vacation

Hard to believe our vacation is over and I'm back at work. At the beginning of the trip you think you have eight long days ahead but it all seems to go by so quickly. For us, this trip was truly long-awaited. This was our first vacation in seven years! Yep, you read that right. Our last trip was a short 3-day trip to San Diego in 2001 when Dustin was one year old. That trip ended with me coming home with the stomach flu. The year before that, we were in Vegas where my pregnant wife passed out in the buffet line and I had to carry her across the restaurant among startled onlookers. So you see, vacations haven't been very good to me.

Day 1: Disneyland
Disneyland was not part of our original plan. But thanks to the generosity of the Chans and Fongs, we inherited four free passes! I think they felt sorry for our kids, being stuck at home every summer, every year, for all their lives. Hey, the way I see it, if they never go, they'll never know what they're missing. Am I right? But now they'll want to go again every year!

The last time I went to Disneyland was probably 1990. Boy have things changed! Where's Captain EO?! And how come no one told me that Space Mountain was "upgraded"?? It's a lot faster and pitch black now. I unknowingly took the boys on. I assured them it was not scary. At the end of the ride, Colby was freaked out of his skull! He wanted to cry right away but was too busy hyperventilating. As I pulled his limp body out of the car, he finally started to wail. I'm sure all the onlookers where thinking, "Bad parent, bad parent!" Hmm, maybe this will make him NOT want to go again... I can only hope.

We traveled with the Leongs, who are seasoned theme-park professionals. They do at least 10 theme parks a year, every year. They booked the hotels, booked the shuttle, got the Fast Passes, parent swaps, ordered food, reserved the seats, carried our sleepy children... practically everything to help us maximize our experience at Disneyland. It was great!

I suggest you find a friend like them. And if you're just like them, let us know, and we'll travel with you next time ;)

We're on vacation

Back next week.

Olympic Feast

Here's what you're missing in China right now. Yum!!
And my friends/family always ask me why I have zero interest in ever visiting...

Birthday pics

Sorry I've been way behind in my blogging. So before these kids turn another year older, here's a select mishmash of party pics I've taken throughout the summer. Obviously, my boys are way more popular than me. If it weren't for them, I would be sitting at home.