So I haven't posted anything for a while. 

Christmas day was beautiful in Beijing.  Sunny with blue skies (rare).  I went to Bei Hai with three other coworkers yesterday on our day off from work.  We were planning to go ice skating on the lake there, but unfortunately it had snowed and workers were clearing off the snow from the lake.  So we were unable to go skating... I'm salivating at the thought of having THAT much ice to skate on........

So, we took a stroll through Bei Hai Park.  It was beautiful as the entire lake was frozen over and everything else snow-covered. 

There was a temple in the park, and people were burning incense and praying.  Very sad for me to see because the gods they pray too are made of wood and stone and gold...

So I visited Austin this past weekend with two of my co-workers.  We visited the Texas state capitol, saw the UT Austin campus, then went to Zilker Park.  After going to Zilker Park, we drove to Mt. Bonnel, which overlooks Austin.  The Colorado River is in the backdrop of the picture.  Here is a picture of the three of us at Mt. Bonnel:

After that, we met up with another co-worker in Austin to have dinner at a restaurant called Oasis.  Apparently they're known to have nice sunsets there.  Here is a picture from our table (we were sitting outside) at around 7:15.

This next picture is taken a few minutes later:

A conversation with my sister...

I called my sister today to say hi.  The first words out of her mouth: "Oh, it's you.  I didn't finish your questionaire, dork."

Then she said: "You know what's the saddest part?  I actually started to do it.  It was late!  Then I was like, 'What am i doing?  I'm staying up to answer this stupid questionaire?' "

Anyways, aside from her calling my questions 'stupid,' I was fairly happy to hear that she did in fact answer half the questions already.  To which she said, "you know what I did?  I went to the glossary to cut and paste."  She got a big laugh out of that one. 

So I asked her to verbally answer a question.  She said, "I didn't get to that one."  I said, "but that's the first question."  To which she responded, "i couldn't find that one in the glossary."

Another reponse: "a megapixel is 'a very big pixel' "

Have you ever pondered questions such as:

• "What is amylin?"
• "What are the psychological actions of amylin?" (especially this one ;)
• "Is amylin produced in the brain?"
• "Why haven't I heard about amylin before?"

...

...

For answers to these fascinating questions and more, see:

http://www.amylin.org/information/index.html

My sister wants a new camera.  Except that she doesn't want to do the research, comparisons, and shopping for it.  So one day she suggests that I give her my old digital camera and buy a new one for myself.  Ok I thought, that sounds good, plus I can get a new camera. 

We were chatting on AIM about a week and a half ago, and I told her that if she wanted my camera (very nice), she would have to know how to use it and learn more about digital photography.  So I send her a link over AIM (we were chatting online) to a website with a very indepth review.  I told her to read up on the camera and on photography terms in general; and subsequently told her that I would email her questions to make sure she read it ;)

I didn't have time to send an email to her until yesterday.  So last night she calls me on the phone and I ask her, "did you get my email?"  To which she replied, "you're so lame, I can't believe you actually sent me questions." 

Then she adds, "when I got the email, i was like 'oh crap, he actually remembered.  i was actually supposed to read that stupid page?' "