Vocabularies

Playing with AJ, Sola seemed to learn more vocabularies.
His sentences got longer as well.

Christmas

We left Macomb last Friday to avoid the snow storm and had a wonderful time with family and friends in Saint Louis.
We came back to Macomb yesterday.

Snow storm again

Sola is happy to visit his grandparents in Saint Louis for Christmas.

100,000 miles

Cobalt recorded 100,000 miles.  Good job!

Ramen noodle

Ramen noodle is redundant such as PIN number.
I found this interesting article.

Amazon Prime

We signed up a 30 day free trial for Amazon Prime.
The service includes free two day shipping and 41,000 movies and TV episodes.

Snow

It has snowed over night. About 7.5 inches (19 cm) of accumulation.

 

Christmas party

Geography department hosted a party today.
Since it was the last day of this semester, only few students joined.
Faculty members brought all kinds of dishes, and we also enjoyed gift exchange.
Sola got very excited and did not take a nap.
Well, he went to sleep quickly tonight.

Cold

It has been cold and windy in Macomb.
There are not many things I can do outside, but I still go to YMCA three days a week.
We are looking forward to Department of Geography Christmas Party tomorrow.

Priority Snow Removal Routes

I have been updating a priority snow route map for Facility Management at Western Illinois University.
It is a simple map, but I would like to share with my family and friends since it is available to the public.

ILGISA Treasurer

As a second year of the board member, I was appointed to be a treasurer of Illinois GIS Association.
I was nervous with limited experience but remembered something.
My undergraduate minor was math/statistics.
I should be fine :)

Special Census

The GIS Center contributed this project which brings the city more money.
Mcdonough Voice

Mayo

Mayo we bought at Aldi looked spoiled.
I complained and exchanged the item today.
It would be a matter time for us until we stop buying at Aldi.

Yellow Onion

Walmart has a good deal with yellow onions.
We would be excited to cook them with turkey beacon.
They look fresh unlike ones in Aldi.

Chop Suey

I usually get chicken chop suey at Lin's Garden.
It is similar to Chinese dish I like in Japan.
My stomache can handle a large size :)

Turkey Beacon

It is healthier and cheaper than pork bacon.
Walmart sells  Butterball brand for only $1.48!

Sick

I am having sinus headache and sore throat.
I missed 2 days and hope to feel better tomorrow.

Kitchen Faucet

We have installed a new kitchen faucet.
It works great!

Hotel

I stayed at Holiday Inn Express to attend a board meeting.
I could not sleep well due to the soft and thick pilliow.
Since it did not happen at Fairfield Inn or Hampton Inn, I may avoid this chain hotel.
Hot breakfast was not as good as expected.
Egg omelet and bacon looked low quality.
Staff were friendly.

After Hyvee fuel saver program (15 cents discount)

Gas price dropped to $2.90 per gallon at Caseys :)

Parking

Who could park a car like this?
Should I report DMV?

World Airports

Interesting.

Red Lobster

I forgot to mention that we had a poor service at Red Lobster in Decatur.
After I sent complain letter, I got a response from the customer service.
The will mail us a gift card for their apology.
We may not go restaurants in Decatur in the future.

Cultural Cafe

There was cultural cafe during lunch time.
Topic was Japan, and I attended the event with Ryan.
Meal included tempura with rice and miso soup.
Presentation was basic, but exchange students from Japan did a good job.
There were over 200 people in the room.

Dragon Buffet

Our favorite restaurant in Decatur was closed.
We decided to try a new restaurant called Dragon Buffet.
But it was a mistake.
Even though seasoning was decent, meals were not fresh and rarely refilled.
They also increased a price without updating their website.
I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Hy-Vee Fuel Saver 2

When visiting Abby's friends in Decatur, I tried to get gas from Casey's which honors this program.
However, the pump machine did not ask me to swipe the fuel saver card.
Later, I asked Hyvee by e-mail and received an incredible response.

"Only Casey's within 25 miles from Hyvee is participating this program."
It was not stated on the website and I told Hyvee "This program is misleading. Not satisfied".

Discontinued items

Hyvee had discontinued frozen food only for $1.
We got waffles,  french toasts, vegi burgers, and juice.
They were gone after couple days.

Sola's words 1

Inai Inai Bah (TV show)

• Wan Wan
• Utan

Miyazaki Anime

• Totoro
• Kiki
• Ponyo
• Panda

Family

• J-ma = Grandma Nozaki
• Oitan = Uncle Yuma

Others

• Sakana = Fish
• Sinkansen = Bullet Train
• Densha = Train
• Itadakimasu = Begin eating
• Ohayou = Good Morning
• Oyasumi = Good Night
• Moshi-Moshi = Hello on the phone
• Itte Rasshai = See you later when a person leaving

To be continued...

MicroSD Card

I found 32GB MicroSD Card for $14.24.
Abby can store many videos and watch with her Android tablet.
This is a product I bought.

ILGISA Fall Conference

I attended a conference on Monday and Tuesday.
It was held at the new confrence hotel in Lisle.
Ryan and Rich had an opportunity to learn a variety of GIS applications and meet potential employers.
I presented "Working with ArcGIS Viewer for Flex Part 2" and attended couple meetings as a board member.
I was elected for a treasurer for the second term.

Ponderosa

We decided to have early dinner at Ponderosa on Friday.
Lunch buffet was only $5.99 with a coupon.
Additionally, dinner menu including shrimp cocktail came soon after we started eating.

Food and service were decent, but we may want to keep a secret what time we arrived at the restaurant.

Rumble Tumble ended

Sola finished his second term of Rumble Tumble at YMCA today.
Since the program remains same, we decided not to register the next term.
Instead, we plan to take him to Veteran's Park more often.

Too late

I saw ads for Hibachi Grill Buffet on the newspaper.
The restaurant lowered a price (lunch $6.99, dinner $9.99) and offered 20% off coupon.
However, we have no intention to go there.
They should have improved their food quality right after the reopening.

Great Clips

Great Clips came to Macomb several weeks ago.
Promotion includes $4.99 for hair cut.
Abby and I were satisfied their service and price.
It is located near Walmart.

Hy-Vee Fuel Saver is misleading

This program makes people to believe they saved lots of money.
However, it is not true.
Hyvee tends to apply this discount for selected items which are more expensive than other stores.
For example, 2 lb of Creamette pasta was sold for $2 while $1.39 at Country Market.
2 cents per gallon discount would not save money for those who purchased 10 gallons of gas.
Despite of food freshness, I disagree their marketing strategy.

Asian Buffet

This restaurant was remodeled last month and renamed to Hibachi Grill Buffet.
We saw positive reviews on the website and had lunch there today.
Although it added hibachi grill, food quality was slightly improved.
We may still go to Galesburg for better Chinese meals.
I would rate this restaurant C+.

2.7 miles (4.3 km), 30 minutes

This is a distance and time I usually spend on the treadmill.
It is important for me not to rest for the period.
If I feel better, I would increase speed up to 6.5 to 7.0 mph (10.5 to 11.3km/h) in the end.

Recovered from jet lag

We had a wonderful trip to Japan and recovered from jet lag.
Sola was able to celebrate his 2nd birthday in the resort hotel by the ocean.
Abby and I enjoyed more sightseeings around Tokyo this time.
Even though Sola slept only couple hours, we liked the direct flight from Chicago to Tokyo by ANA.

American Chinese cuisine

Wikipedia says the following dishes are NOT traditional Chiense cuisine.

• Almond chicken
• General Tso's chicken
• Sesame chicken
• Chinese chicken salad
• Chop suey
• Crab rangoon
• Fortune cookie
• Royal beef
• Pepper steak
• Mongolian beef
• Fried wontons

It also states that a difference is that American Chinese food typically treats vegetables as a side dish or garnish, while traditional cuisines of China emphasize vegetables.

Master Buffet

On the way back from the wedding, we stopped by the restaurant in Peru.
Andy and I have been there couple years ago.
It is called Master Buffet, and we enjoyed Chinese dishes and Sushi.
I would rate B+ :)

Eric's Wedding

We attended Eric's wedding on August 31.
A wedding ceremony was held at the church in Mendota, and approximately 300 people joined a reception at Grizzly Jack's Resort in Utica.
Congratulations, Eric and Cassy!

Anpanman

Sola loves this video clip.
He learned many Japanese words from this show.

Check a receipt

Hyvee is famous for a good customer service.
But their employees in Macomb are not well trained.
A casher forgot to honor my coupon, apply discounts, and categorize the items.
I start checking a receipt every time shopping there.
Surprisingly, Walmart tends to make fewer mistakes than Hyvee.
I guess their computer system is well developed.

Hokkaido

We are vitising our family in Saint Louis.
On the first day, we had dinner at the Japanese restaurant called Hokkaido.
Even though the restaurant servers many Chinese dishes, Abby and I love tuna and salmon sushi.
We had almost coule dozens of sushi in addtion to hibachi grill.
It seems less crowded on weekdays.

Sola's favorite movies

These are good resources for him to learn Japanese language.
My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service.

World Buffet

We had a wonderful lunch at World Buffet on Saturday.
It is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Midwest and worth driving to Galesburg.
Many selections including sushi for reasonable price!
I definitely recommend this restaurant.

YMCA

Abby and I became a member in the beginning of July and have been working out three days a week.
There is a nursery for Sola, and he seems to enjoy playing with other children.
However, we have been sick last week and guess Sola may have got some germs from them.
Anyway, we all feel fine today :)

Hiking

We went to Argyle Lake State Park today.
It was Sola's first hike, and he enjoyed a lot.
Here are some photos.

Softball Game

My team won the game for the first time last night!
Macomb Vinyard defeated Advocare by 6 to 1.
We had a good defense.
I enjoyed playing the third baseman.
Here is the league website.

Rumble Tumble

Our family joined YMCA last Thursday.
Not only being eligible for a free membership, Sola registered for a class called Rumble Tumble.
He seems to be little confused but definetely enjoyed running around the gym.

New Blog

Once I liked Microsoft OneNote, but I realized the application is not designed for blog.
Goo is not as well known as Blogger owned by Google.
I hope this application will be more appealing to readers.

Blog created by OneNote may be viewed from here.