My last post was kind of depressing, so I suppose it's time for looking on the bright side - I'm walking almost normally again! After doing my own physiotherapy as regularly as possible, I'm very close to achieving full range of motion although I still feel a bit less stable than before my accident. Even if I'm harbouring a slight limp, I'm pretty happy with the progress I've made within this past month.
With everything going so well, I figured I was strong enough to travel to California for my friend's birthday. Since they had come to visit me a couple of weeks after my surgery, I thought it would be nice to pay them a visit before the end of the term.
I was one of three people who flew down to California for the birthday celebration, so it was quite a crowd for the small apartment. In the end, two of us stayed at a nearby hotel to alleviate some of the space. Otherwise, the whole group stayed together for most of the weekend.
On Friday night, after initial hellos and chatting, we headed to bed to rest up for the coming day.
In the morning on Saturday, we drove to San Francisco and walked around the market downtown. It reminded me a bit of a farmer's market since there were so many different things being sold - fruits, cheese, knick-knacks, etc. We didn't stay for too long though, because our stomachs constantly reminded us that lunch was desperately needed. Our search for a restaurant took us to the financial district, and amidst the towering buildings, we finally found some Thai cuisine to whet our appetites.
After chowing down on Pad Thai, Pineapple Fried Rice, and Duck Curry, we headed to Golden Gate Park. It turned out to be quite the misnomer because after we arrived, no view of the Golden Gate Bridge could be found! (Looking at the map afterwards, it turns out there were several parks named "Golden Gate Park", and we happened to go to a park that was second closest to the Bridge.) Despite lacking a view of the landmark bridge, we managed to find quite a few interesting things in the park - a Japanese tea house, botanical garden, and a music concourse (complete with its own parking lot). Unfortunately, time ran out sooner than expected and the road beckoned us back to Cupertino for dinner.
Before making our way to BJ's restaurant for the birthday dinner, we stopped at the Apple campus. Since one of us was on a co-op work term with Apple, we were able to get guest badges for a quick tour of the visitors building. The most interesting place we saw was probably the executive conference room - equipped with a wall of flat panel monitors and stylish furnishings. We weren't able to go in because of security, but it was still cool nonetheless!
As 6:30 drew closer, we walked over to the restaurant and proceeded to grow into a group of 11. A couple of softies, a comp sci, and a few other mutual friends joined in for the feast and merry-making. When the food and drinks had been consumed, we presented the birthday girl with her present - a pair of Juicy Couture pants! From there, we split up into a clubbing group and a movie group.
I opted to watch Flushed Away - which was a decent movie, but definitely not as good as other computer-animated films. I was expecting a bit more from the creators of Wallace & Gromit, but the British humour wasn't enough to carry the moral-filled family-friendly movie.
On Sunday morning, we said goodbye to one of the out-of-towners before driving to Castro (San Francisco) for brunch. Navigating through the steep hills, we just made it to Lime in time for our 12:30 reservation. The food was extremely yummy - especially when served with a side of Mimosa! The freshly-baked biscuits were a nice touch too - I'm sure I could have stayed there to eat more if my stomach could handle it! Walking to the restaurant and back to our car brought new meaning to "it's raining men" as we wandered along the rainbow-bannered streets.
Stuffed to the brim, we drove to Westfield Mall in Union Square and shopped for a bit until it was time for me to leave for the airport. A few hugs and goodbyes later, I found myself back on a plane bound for Vancouver!
With everything going so well, I figured I was strong enough to travel to California for my friend's birthday. Since they had come to visit me a couple of weeks after my surgery, I thought it would be nice to pay them a visit before the end of the term.
I was one of three people who flew down to California for the birthday celebration, so it was quite a crowd for the small apartment. In the end, two of us stayed at a nearby hotel to alleviate some of the space. Otherwise, the whole group stayed together for most of the weekend.
On Friday night, after initial hellos and chatting, we headed to bed to rest up for the coming day.
In the morning on Saturday, we drove to San Francisco and walked around the market downtown. It reminded me a bit of a farmer's market since there were so many different things being sold - fruits, cheese, knick-knacks, etc. We didn't stay for too long though, because our stomachs constantly reminded us that lunch was desperately needed. Our search for a restaurant took us to the financial district, and amidst the towering buildings, we finally found some Thai cuisine to whet our appetites.
After chowing down on Pad Thai, Pineapple Fried Rice, and Duck Curry, we headed to Golden Gate Park. It turned out to be quite the misnomer because after we arrived, no view of the Golden Gate Bridge could be found! (Looking at the map afterwards, it turns out there were several parks named "Golden Gate Park", and we happened to go to a park that was second closest to the Bridge.) Despite lacking a view of the landmark bridge, we managed to find quite a few interesting things in the park - a Japanese tea house, botanical garden, and a music concourse (complete with its own parking lot). Unfortunately, time ran out sooner than expected and the road beckoned us back to Cupertino for dinner.
Before making our way to BJ's restaurant for the birthday dinner, we stopped at the Apple campus. Since one of us was on a co-op work term with Apple, we were able to get guest badges for a quick tour of the visitors building. The most interesting place we saw was probably the executive conference room - equipped with a wall of flat panel monitors and stylish furnishings. We weren't able to go in because of security, but it was still cool nonetheless!
As 6:30 drew closer, we walked over to the restaurant and proceeded to grow into a group of 11. A couple of softies, a comp sci, and a few other mutual friends joined in for the feast and merry-making. When the food and drinks had been consumed, we presented the birthday girl with her present - a pair of Juicy Couture pants! From there, we split up into a clubbing group and a movie group.
I opted to watch Flushed Away - which was a decent movie, but definitely not as good as other computer-animated films. I was expecting a bit more from the creators of Wallace & Gromit, but the British humour wasn't enough to carry the moral-filled family-friendly movie.
On Sunday morning, we said goodbye to one of the out-of-towners before driving to Castro (San Francisco) for brunch. Navigating through the steep hills, we just made it to Lime in time for our 12:30 reservation. The food was extremely yummy - especially when served with a side of Mimosa! The freshly-baked biscuits were a nice touch too - I'm sure I could have stayed there to eat more if my stomach could handle it! Walking to the restaurant and back to our car brought new meaning to "it's raining men" as we wandered along the rainbow-bannered streets.
Stuffed to the brim, we drove to Westfield Mall in Union Square and shopped for a bit until it was time for me to leave for the airport. A few hugs and goodbyes later, I found myself back on a plane bound for Vancouver!
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