Cat LIsOmi Adventures

Comic-Con 2012 Highlights: Seeing the Game of Thrones, Total Recall, Walking Dead panel Getting fun things for friends: Princess Mononoke poster & Penny Arcade stuff Watching someone win a trip to outer space at the Big Bang Theory panel Seeing all the fantastic costumes Photo Album Day 1 - Wednesday Met up with Comic-Con roomies, Alison & Melinda (Paul & Karen's friends), at the airport Sauntered over to the convention hall to pick-up my badges Ate BBQ at the "sleazy" bar in the movie Top Gun (during the great balls of fire scene) Walked around & bumped into the San Diego Symphony practicing for their Legend of Zelda concert the following night Day 2 - Thursday Spent the day treasure hunting for friends Got a signature, sketch and orange juicer figurine for Henry from the Penny Arcade folks Purchased a limited edition Princess Mononoke poster for Sam (waiting 2.5 hours in line & met lots of interesting people) ...

We just got back from a couple weeks in Dublin and a week in the English Lake District. Here's a summary of our trip & photos ( Dublin & Lake District ). Dublin Apartment We rented an apartment via Airbnb near the Google office and commuted on bikes along the canal, often in drizzling rain. We were surprised that it was quite cold. Work We both met several people on our teams. Li gave a couple tech talks and Cat worked on a few projects. We had a few "mandatory fun" team outings, like seeing "The Avengers", playing badminton, and gathering at some nearby pubs. Weekends We went on some great tours in Dublin. A free walking tour of the city itself, a tour of Trinity College, the Jameson Whiskey Distillery tour, and the Guinness Factory tour. The tour guides were passionate and all-around excellent. The Trinity College tour ended with a viewing of the centuries-old Book of Kelles and the beautiful Long Room. The Guinness Factory to...

Li and I just got back from a couple weeks in Morocco: Marrakesh, the desert, and Essaouira (a coastal town). Photo highlights . Flight Do not fly Royal Air Maroc if you can help it. We flew this airline from New York to Marrakesh via Casablanca and we will never fly it again. The toilets had no toilet paper on an 8-hour flight. In fact, the first flight's toilet was clogged with two rolls. Some time during the flight, someone removed the two soaked rolls and put them next to the sink. Also, a passenger was so incensed at the rudeness of service that she threatened to punch a flight attendant. Marrakesh Riad: We stayed in Riad Aguaviva in the medina (old town), near Bab El Khemis (which isn't touristy). The owners, David & Manel, are amazing. They made us feel like they were entertaining friends: great personalized advice, walked us to the main square on the first day to ensure that we didn't get lost, free laundry and drinks. David gave us two good piec...

We've been back at Google in Mountain View for the past several weeks. Catherine and I put together a "honeymoon highlights" album .

My sister got to see Cate Blanchett in "A Streetcar Named Desire" last night. The show is sold out but I stood outside in a 23-degree blizzard with a "Need Ticket" sign for 90 minutes and managed to get two tickets at near face value ($45 and $60 for $40-face-value tickets). What a snowstorm! It dumped a foot of snow while we were in the show. We emerged into a whiteout. I'm glad we weren't driving. Picture of Kweilin in snowstorm Photo album http://picasaweb.google.com/limoore/NewYork#

Hugh Jackman at the Metropolitan Museum of Art I saw someone who looked like Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) walking around the museum with a male friend. I asked my mom if it was really him, since she saw him in "A Steady Rain" on Broadway from the front row just a week ago. "No, Hugh Jackman is much bigger and more handsome. That guy is scruffy." Then a couple girls went up to him and my mom heard Hugh Jackman say, "No autographs. I'm with a friend." My mom followed the girls as they walked away and asked whether it was Hugh Jackman. "Yes, oh my god!" sighed the starry-eyed girl. Alec Baldwin at Streetcar Named Desire I was waiting for returned tickets to the sold-out show "A Streetcar Named Desire," starring Cate Blanchett, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). A black SUV pulled up to the curb where I was standing with a "Need Ticket" sign in front of the theater, and out stepped Alec Baldwin and a few friends. A g...

I was disappointed with the Nutcracker. I saw it for the first time in 20 years. I was expecting more adult dancing, but most of the first act seemed to be little kids running around. The second act had adult dancing, and I liked it, but I thought I'd like it more, especially since I'd taken a beginner ballet class last week. Maybe I need to see it again, knowing what to expect and what I want to focus on.