Blog

7 days in Costa Rica. Driving We booked three hotels hundreds of miles away because Google Map told us it only took a few hours to drive between them. When we got there, we realized Google Map was way too optimistic in its estimates. Normally in US, you drive over the speed limit, but in Costa Rica you drive way below the speed limit. Therefor...

If you want a trip with international feel but not the extra flight time, Quebec is an option. It will bring you to Europe with a french touch. Unlike most American big cities, filthy, unfriendly to pedestrian and dangerous, Montreal and Quebec city gave us the impression of clean, safe and very walkable. Just like European cities (e.g. Vienna o...

Flow: The Psychology Of Optimal Experience is a bestseller by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Although MC himself has done TED talks on this topic, his talk is hard to digest due to his thick accent. Steven Kotler has a much better delivery of the key ideas of the book. https://youtu.be/znwUCNrjpD4 If you like this summary video, you should read...

It has been a while since the last time we were in New York city. Dropping ourselves from a suburban town into the forest of skyscrapers, we were quite overwhelmed by the filth, the smell, the noise and the hustle on the streets. But Ryan really enjoyed the city vibe and it was his first visit. The Performance The main mission of the trip was ...

Here is a great review of this book.(so I will skip writing another one)

Today we went hiking on Ice House Canyon Trail in Mt Baldy. I don’t remember how many times we have been there. The last visit was in February when it just snowed in the mountain. But today we hiked the longest: round trip 4 miles. I know, I know, it’s not impressive at all. But considering it’s up the hill in one way with a nine year old kid...

We went hiking on the Aliso Summit Trail today. This is one of our go-to places when we really want to go hiking on a sunny summer day but want to avoid the heat. Because the trail is on the top of the hill, you will not only get great view of the pacific ocean but also the cool air. Lucy definitely appreciates that because she can get overheat...

Last Saturday we went hiking in Santiago Oaks Regional Park. Last time we tried to hike there but failed to enter. It was during the Pandemic, we were blocked in a very long line of cars in front of the gate. It was said that the Park had rules to limit the number of people in the park. Therefore it seemed hopeless to wait. We returned without a...