Inna's Birthday Dinner at North

For Inna's birthday, I originally intended to treat her to a Japanese barbecue at Gyu-Kaku. However, as I developed a headache, I canceled the reservation. Later on, after taking some Tylenol, I felt much better, so we decided to drive to Los Gatos and find a nice restaurant with outdoor seating.

 

At first, I thought about the recently opened Pastaria  & Market restaurant (where we have eaten relatively recently), but it was closed on Tuesday. Across the street, however, we noticed a new restaurant - The Lexington House. The menu looked promising, so we decided to eat there - but there was a 45-minute to 1-hour wait (on Tuesday at 6:15pm, no less!). Nevertheless, we added ourselves to the waiting list and proceeded down N. Santa Cruz Avenue.

We stopped by North - a Vietnamese Restaurant - that we have walked by often but never stopped. Although it was busy, it had a few open tables, so we tried it. We had a lovely heat lamp to keep us warm, and the beautiful weather made it enjoyable to eat outdoors.

 

Inna and I decided to share the following items:

• Mango Papaya Salad
• Seafood Potstickers
• Wonton Soup
• Garlic Noodles

Inna also ordered Premium Jasmine Tea while I sipped on the Vietnamese Iced Coffee.

Alex decided to try the Beef Pho and received a large bowl that filled him up.

We liked all of the items, but I especially enjoyed the Mango Papaya Salad (it was outstanding) and the Wonton Soup. The Garlic Noodles were also quite delicious!

We really liked our entrees and hope to be back again!

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Review: Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

For Inna's birthday, I surprised her with an iPhone 12 Pro Max. She used her iPhone 8 Plus a lot and wanted a larger screen and a better camera with more zoom options.

Since my intended cellular provider was Google Fi, I ordered a sim-unlocked version directly from Apple, as Costco and Amazon only sold carrier-locked versions.

I scheduled a Enjoy delivery from 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, February 21, 2021. I was surprised that the expected delivery would take much longer.

After trying out the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max at Costco, Inna preferred the larger screen size and the multiple cameras of the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

 The iPhone 12 Pro Max has the following features:

• Super Retina XDR display
• 6.7‑inch (diagonal) all‑screen OLED display
• 2778‑by‑1284-pixel resolution at 458 ppi
• HDR display
• True Tone
• Wide color (P3)
• Haptic Touch
• 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical)
• 800 nits max brightness (typical); 1200 nits max brightness (HDR)
• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
• Support for the display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

I really liked Judd - the delivery person from Enjoy. Judd showed up at 8:30 a.m. Sunday morning and explained all the new iPhone 12 Pro Max settings. I wasn't aware of being able to use the Apple Watch to take photos and some of the cool features of IOS 14.

Getting Google Fi transferred from Inna's iPhone 8 Plus to iPhone 12 Pro Max took some work.

First, I needed to extract the micro-sim card from the iPhone 8 Plus and insert it into the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Although Google Fi supports sims, it only does so for new subscribers. Switching from one phone to another requires swapping out the sims.

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Specialized Rear Brake Problems

Thursday, February 10,  2021

My rear brake stopped working on my recent mountain bike ride at Almaden Quicksilver County Park. I was shocked, as I had my rear brake pads replaced by Michael at Silva Cycles recently. I thought my rear brake cable had broken, but that was not the case.

When I brought my bike to Silva Cycles, Michael found that my new rear brake pad was missing (last replaced in November). How and why did it fall off? Michael promised to repair it quickly and only charge me for the actual brake pad, not the labor. 

Friday, February 11, 2021

Michael replaced the rear brake for $38. I picked up the bike. However, when I returned home and started cleaning and lubricating the bike, I found that my rear-wheel brake was dragging on the rotor. My rear wheel no longer spun freely (as it did before).

I returned the bike to Silva Cycles, and Michael promised to look into it. He found that my brake rotor was slightly bent and needed to be true. I suggested replacing the rotor, and he recommended doing this next time.

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

I picked up my bike from Silva Cycles and hope the brake issue has been fixed.

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Valentine's Day at Evvia

For Valentine's Day, I made a reservation (via OpenTable) for 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, February 14th, at our favorite Palo Alto restaurant, Evvia. 

Evvia serves authentic Greek entrees, and we really like the high-quality dishes.

When we arrived at 17:20, I was surprised by how easy it was to find parking. Usually, Palo Alto downtown is quite busy (especially on Valentine's Day). After parking, we waited a few minutes before being seated at an outdoor table. Evvia has built an excellent outdoor seating facility with some rain protection.

After sitting, we ordered two glasses of Mosel Riesling (a delicious wine from the Mosel region of Germany). Having visited the Mosel many years ago, we have come to appreciate the wines there.

For appetizers, we decided to share a Greek "Horiatiki" Salad and "Tzatziki" (pita slices). 

Inna and I chose conservatively for entrees, selecting our two old-time favorites: "Lamb Shank" and "Moussaka."

The "Lam Shank" was exquisite, and Inna really enjoyed it! Since it was such a large portion, she only ate half of it (and took the other half home).

I enjoyed the spiced ground beef, eggplants, and Parmesan cheese in my "Moussaka."

Despite COVID-19 restrictions, we enjoyed ourselves at Evvia. It would be nice for things to return to normal.

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Review: Apple Watch Series 6

For Valentine's Day, I surprised Inna with the latest Apple Series 6 Watch. Inna's Series 3 Apple Watch has been flaky lately, and the newer version, with EKG and blood oxygen sensors, might provide her with more insight into her activities.

The Apple Watch Series 6 40mm was on sale at Costco for $349, so it was only about $100 over the Apple Watch SE model I currently use. I had to replace my Series 3 Apple Watch after it died during a surfing session at Laguna Beach. Even though Apple advertises the watch as waterproof, it did not appear to be after a few surfing sessions.

Inna's Apple Watch Series 3 also had developed problems with software upgrades. The software updates would keep failing due to insufficient memory. With 32GB of onboard memory, this latest watch will do better.

Apple Watch Series 6 Review

Positives

• New EKG and Oxygen sensors
• 32GB for more accessible system updates
• Always-on display

Negatives

• Higher price

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Review: AUKEY True Wireless Earbuds Sports EP-T32

After my Aukey EP-B40P Bluetooth earbuds stopped working (the battery died), I started looking for suitable replacements.

My wife purchased the Apple AirPods initially, but I did not like the sound quality, which seemed lower than my $25 Aukey EP-B40P buds. I decided to try the Apple AirPods Pro next, but they did not impress me, even though they cost $200! 

My next Bluetooth wireless earbuds attempt was the Aukey EP-T31. Although they were small and sounded nice, they were missing bass. They paired quickly to my iPhone 11 and swiftly connected when removed from the case. The missing bass, as was their tendency to fall out of the ear, was a significant fault. I decided to return them, too.

After reading rave reviews about the Aukey EP-T32 (even reviewers at wirecutter.com liked them), I decided to try them. Unlike EP-T31, they are designed for sports use, so they are entirely waterproof and have parts that wind around my ears to prevent falling out. The bass on these was much better, lasting 7 hours out of their case. 

After several weeks of trying these out, I am mostly satisfied with the sound quality.

Aukey EP-T32 Scorecard

Positives

• Excellent sound quality with sufficient bass
• Waterproof (for working out)
  
• Pair easily with iPhone 11
• Securely attach to the ear (no risk of falling out)
  
• Long-running time
• Inexpensive (relative to Apple AirPods) at $40
  

Negatives

•  The charging case is much bulkier than the AirPods charging case
  

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Cancelling Social Media

Today, January 12, 2021, I canceled many of my social media accounts. 

 

I didn't like all the censorship imposed by Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and decided I didn't need these social media accounts. They sell my personal information to advertisers in exchange for algorithm-curated news, headlines, and photos. No, thanks!

• Twitter - deleted my account on January 12, 2021
• Instagram - deleted my account on January 12, 2021
• Facebook - (downloaded data in HTML) and then disabled the account on January 12, 2021
• I am still debating whether to delete the whole account
• Google
• I am using DuckDuckGo for search and Yahoo for personal email 
• Amazon
• I am trying to purchase less from Whole Foods and Amazon and more from Costco and B&H Photo.
• Apple
• I will try to purchase alternatives to Apple products whenever possible 

I am still actively using Strava (for recording my outdoor bike rides and hikes), Quora (for reading answers to exciting questions), and LinkedIn (for professional contacts).

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Hiking Sanborn County Park

On Saturday, January 9, 2021, on a beautiful but chilly winter day, Inna and I decided to hike the trails of the nearby Sanborn County Park in Saratoga, CA. We drove to the Costanoan Group Area parking lot and parked there.

As it was a cold winter's day, we chose a shorter version of our average hike (about 2 miles) that still provided cardiovascular benefits and beautiful scenic overlooks.

While the uphill was tough for Inna, it wasn't long. The fresh air of the beautiful emerald-green forest made up for it.

We finished our short hike in less than an hour and headed to Los Gatos for fresh pastries at Fleur de Cocoa. It was an excellent start for Saturday morning!

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Review: Apple Airpods Pro

As a 2021 New Year's present, Inna surprised me with an Apple AirPods from Apple. She engraved them with "sea sloth" as a charming moniker. While they sounded clear, I realized she had overpaid for them, as Amazon was selling the Airpods Pro model for the same price.

 

We proceeded to return the original Airpods and replace them with Airpods Pro. Inna ordered Airpods Pro from Amazon (they were on a 20% off sale for $199), and I received them promptly. 

Until now, I have been using my Aukey Latitude Bluetooth earbuds (EP-B40-US) and have been satisfied with the sound quality, long battery life, and low price (around $25). For 8 times the price, the Apple AirPods Pro should be better. However, to my surprise, the sound quality of the Aukey was superior to Apple AirPods Pro! 

Switching devices (from iPhone to iPad) was easier with AirPods Pro, but that was the main advantage.

Apple AirPods Pro Scorecard

Highlights

• Pairing to iPhone and iPad is very easy
• Enabling and disabling noise reduction is accessible on the iPhone/iPad
• The charging case is very nice
• Switching between iPhone and iPad is very easy

Lowlights

• High price ($200 on sale)
• Muddling sound quality
• Fall out easily
• Noise reduction is very minimal

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Review: Apple Macbook Pro 13' M1

For the New Year, I purchased a new Apple MacBook Pro 13' M1 512 GB SSD laptop for Inna, as her 2013 MacBook Pro was starting to misbehave (rebooting often).

Initially, I was leaning toward the new MacBook Air 13' M1, but the MacBook Pro M1 512 GB SSD/8 GB RAM was offered on sale at Costco.com, and the difference between the two was minimal.

The MacBook Pro has the following advantages over the MacBook Air M1:

• Longer battery life (20 hours!)A 
  
• fan to cool the processor (during heavy workloads)
• higher quality microphone and speakers
• only a minimal increase in weight over Air
  

After using Apple migration to transfer files from Inna's old MacBook Pro, I updated to the latest version, Max OS X Big Sur. It works well, and Inna loves the Touch ID (which unlocks the laptop with a fingerprint).

Since it's running Apple's M1 chip, many apps need to run under Rosetta, though many apps are being converted to natively support M1.

Apple MacBook Pro 13' M1 (512GB SSD) Review  

Positives

• Longer battery life (20 hours on one charge)!
• Very sharp and bright screen (500 nits)
• No fan noise
• Excellent performance
• The fingerprint sensor works excellently to unlock the computer (no need to type passwords)!

Negatives

• No way to upgrade RAM or SSD
• 8GB RAM may not be sufficient in the future
• Many programs built for x86 need to be recompiled for the ARM architecture.

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Riding Swelltech J.O.B. Banzai Surfskate

I decided that he needed a surf skateboard to improve Alex's surfing technique - maneuvers such as cutbacks, bottom turns, and slashes.

Alex already owns a 43" Cardboard, but it's not as maneuverable as an actual surfboard. After researching, I found that a Florida company called Swelltech specializes in manufacturing surf skates that closely mimic surfing.

On October 21, 2020, I pre-ordered the Swelltech J.O.B. Banzai model.

The board was initially planned to be shipped on November 18, and I was looking forward to riding it. On November 23, I noticed the pre-order shipping date was delayed until November 28.

I finally received the board on December 5, 2020, and decided Alex might like it as his New Year's present.

Alex finally unpacked the surfboard on Friday, January 1, 2021. He found it very responsive but challenging to get a hang of. It's a high-speed and maneuverable board. It will take some skills to become competent in riding it.

February 12, 2021

Alex broke the spring on his board. I contacted SwiftTech, and they sent out 3 replacement springs.

February 16, 2021

I received the new springs from Swelltech, which were tricky to install. The following YouTube video helped a little:

The trick to replacing the spring was taking one of the wheels off first. This really helped.

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Welcoming 2021!

Ah, 2020 be gone! 

With COVID-19 changing our lives (mainly for the worse), we are happy to move into 2021! I look forward to a time when wearing masks is no longer required, when lines to Whole Foods are a distant memory, and when I can sip my Philharmonic coffee at Philz and enjoy my freshly baked croissants at Fleur de Cocoa.

Despite COVID-19 in 2020, we have a lot to be thankful for.

Highlights

• Health (I had no Ulcerative Colitis outbreaks), and both Inna and Alex stayed healthy.
  
• Jobs (both Inna and I adjusted to working from home. We don't miss the long commute!)
• College Visits (we could visit Southern California colleges before the COVID-19 lockdown), so Alex had a chance to visit UCLA, USC, UC San Diego, Cal Poly,  Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, and Santa Clara.
• Month-long work-cation at Laguna Beach to escape the horrible smoke from nearby fires, where we were able to surf daily and enjoy beach walks and freshly baked pastries :-) 
• Short weekend travel trips to Morro Bay and Pismo Beach to surf and enjoy the sunshine
• Surfing at Trestles and Rockpile Beach in Laguna Beach
  
• Windsurfing at Sherman Island and Waddell Creek in late July, experiencing strong and consistent winds
• Mountain biking at Almaden Quicksilver County Park and John Nicholas Trail
  
• Early admission acceptances to Santa Clara University and San Diego State University for Alex
  

 Lowlights

• Inability to meet or hang out with our friends face-to-face
• Massive restaurant closures and restrictions on dining indoors and outdoors. (Only take-out is available for those restaurants still in business.)
• Long queues and limited access to most businesses, including Whole Foods
• Inability to practice or play tennis at Sunnyvale Tennis Center (the ball machine is no longer accessible)
  
• Canceled April's trip to Four Seasons Resort at Punta Mita, Mexico
• Canceled September's Solosports windsurfing camp with Kevin Pritchard in San Carlos, Mexico
• No snowboarding at Mammoth or Lake Tahoe area ski resorts due to COVID-19 restrictions and limited snow precipitation

We made a lot of changes in 2020, including:

1. House Repairs
   
• Contracted James Snyder to repair my torn window nets, rotten wood, and exterior sliding doors with Milgard Patio doors
  
• Contracted Two Men & a Brush (Scoot Cooper) to repaint the house exterior
  
• Installed a new Schlage front door deadbolt with Ring support
• Repaired my KitchenAid Dishwasher's Top Rack Adjuster 
• Replaced the Home Master's Water Filter and fixed the poor water pressure coming from the storage tank
  
2. Patio upgrades
   
• Purchased new 6-piece Barcalounge Patio Furniture
  
• Purchased a Weber Genesis II S-345 Gas Grill and learned to grill steaks
• Bought a large outdoor umbrella from Outdoor Supply Hardware
  
3.  Family Room Upgrades
   
1. Installed an LG CX77 OLED TV to replace my 12-year-old Samsung 58' Plasma TV
   
2. Installed Denon AVR-X3700H receiver to replace my ancient Onkyo PR-SC886 preamp
3. Purchased Ring (2nd gen) Security System with an indoor camera and video doorbell to replace the old and poorly-working ADT Security system
   
4. Service Changes
1. Switched from AT&T Mobile to Google Fi for all mobile phones (to lower overall cost)
   
2. Switched from ADT Security to Ring Security and installed Ring Video Doorbell 3 outside
   
3. Switched from Comcast Internet to another account
5. Gear Changes
1. Purchased a new Keiser M3i Exercise bike so that I could exercise indoors (since Gym access is no longer possible)
   
2. Used Silva Cycles to replace rear disk brakes and install new Maxxis Minion DHF (front)/DHRII (rear) tires on my Specialized FSR mountain bike (all tires had to be pre-ordered on Amazon as there was low availability)
3. Dropped off Alex's Ripcurl wetsuit at Ripcurl Santa Cruz for seam repair. It was shipped to Ripcurl headquarters in San Clemente and took 2 months to repair!
   
4. I used Midtown Surf Shop to repair Alex's Firewire Tomo V4 surfboard, which was damaged at Rockpile Beach in Laguna Beach.
   
5. Purchased Apple Watch SE 44 mm Nike edition (to replace my dead Apple Watch Series 3, which died after surfing at Laguna Beach)
6. Purchased a lightly used F-One Madeiro 8'5" SUP from Craigslist and sold it after realizing it was too small and unstable to paddle surf.
   
6. Vehicle Repairs
1. Replaced a dead motorcycle battery in a Yamaha WR-250F off-road motorcycle with a fresh Yuasa YTZ7S from GP Sports
2. Replaced a dead auto battery in a Lexus RX-350 with a new Costco Interstate MT-24F

We prepared the following gifts for New Year's presents under our Christmas tree.

For Inna:

• MacBook Pro 13' M1 512GB SSD (to replace her ancient 2013 MacBook Pro)
• Practicing Mindfulness: 75 Essential Meditations to Reduce Stress, Improve Mental Health, and Find Peace in the Everyday 
• 4-Tube Natural Latex Sit-up Bodybuilding Expander
• Winsterich Giant Sloth Stuffed Animal Toy, 27.5 inches 

 

For Alex:

• Surf Maps World Map Surf Accessory One Size Multi  
• Swelltech J.O.B. Banzai surf trainer 
• The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results

For Boris: 

• Apple AirPods (exchanged for Apple AirPods Pro) (returned)
  
• Qi-compatible Wireless Charger (returned)
  
• Best Daddy Mug
• Shirt
  
• Apple MacBook Air 13’ M1 512GB SSD

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