First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Wong, Tuan Ze and Stanley for making the trip to California (May 14 – 24, 2010, Spring, Avg Temp: 15°C) possible and fun. Although there are many unexpected occasions. Nevertheless, its all these events that makes the trip more complete, fruitful and unforgettable.
I would say its a challenge and art to travel in a team, because we need to look out for one another, and at the same time, compromising one another’s feelings and actions along the way. However, I believe we have all done well and I’m sure everyone from the trip has learn something from it, and will carry it with them to the next stage in life.
The credit really goes off to Ms Wong for opening the Western gate for us, by bringing us around the city and teaches us a lot on the western culture. It will certainly benefit me at least, if I have the opportunity to return to the country again.
On our 12 hours flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco
Starting off with the ‘American Standard’ and Custom
When I first got off the airplane and went to the restroom, I was surprised to see the ‘American Standard’ brand printed right on the toilet bowl, it gives me a feeling that Amercian are really determined to ensure that their country meet a certain standard of hygienic and cleanliness, and I was pretty right when I move around California. The streets, buildings, roads, lights and etc., they are all very clean and well maintained.
Straight after the toilet break, I was kind of turned off by the long waiting queue to clear the custom, it has taken us nearly 2 hours to clear it. I guess its just because of the security concern for the US government and people. First of all, they will ask you a few questions like where are you going, and what will you be doing there and etc. Then they will ask to scan your right fingers, left fingers and eyes, before asking a few more questions. And then finally, willing to stamp the passport.
An expensive lesson to learn @ Fisherman’s Wharf
Out of the many unexpected events, during our 2nd day trip (between 1230 – 1430), my backpack and Tuan Ze’s one were stolen @ the Fisherman’s Wharf, is probably the most memorable one for me. We actually left the backpacks behind the car seats, and expecting no one will see it, and before we left, we also checked to make sure the car doors are locked, and the windscreen are kept wind up. However, little did we know that the thief can still managed to do a clean job, its only in the evening time then we discovered that the backpacks were lost. The backpack includes my Apple Macbook 13″, Sony In-ear headphone, Google Nexus One phone and a book.
The area where our backpacks were stolen from the rental car
The event has taught me to be more vigilant, and not to take things for granted. Furthermore, the incident has reminded me that although things can be replace easily once its lost, however, if its about people, once its gone it will be gone forever. What left behind will only be the memory. Therefore, its important for us to treasure the things and people around us, even if one day we have to part away, there will be no regret, and the nice memories will accompany us for the rest of our lives.
Fisherman’s Wharf main street
Fisherman’s Wharf Pier 39
San Francisco’s Skyline
Every time when I visit a city, if there is a chance, I would want to view its skyline. From the skyline, I can see that every single building plays an important role, without the individual building, there will be no skyline.
The tallest and most iconic building of all is known as the Transamerica Pyramid. Designed by architect William Pereira, at 260 m (850 ft), upon completion it was among the 5 tallest buildings in the world.
San Francisco skyline
Another noteworthy tower is known as the Coit Tower, it was built in Pioneer Park atop Telegraph Hill in 1933 at the bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the City of San Francisco.
Coit Tower
A Man-made marvel of Golden Gate Bridge
Its definitely a breathe taking moment to stand in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, and watch it blend into the natural surrounding. I felt touched and amazed by the effort made by human beings, it’s like a dream finally comes true. The engineers and workers must have gone through alot of hardship to make this marvel possible. And since its completion, it has well benefited millions and millions of people traveling through it. This show us that, if we work hard and preservers, it will definitely pays off.
Golden Gate Bridge (Starting from left: Ms Wong, Tuan Ze, Stanley and Me)
Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge (Starting from left: Me, Ms Wong and Tuan Ze)
Golden Gate Bridge (Outskirt)
The Natural Beauty of Yosemite and Lake Tahoe
Out of so many sight-seeings we had during the trip, the most memorable one for me will be the Bridal Veil Fall @ Yosemite, I can still remember clearly seeing the snow before reaching Yosemite, its very cold but very quickly overcome by the beautiful scenery of seeing snow flakes from the sky.
Talking about Yosemite, there are tons of water falls in it, but the one I have the most impression is Bridal Veil Fall, I can’t wait to go near the water fall, when I see the excitement in Ms Wong’s face, I have never seen her so excited and anticipating before. And true enough, despite the cold and rain, as we climb up the hill, seeing the Bridal Veil Fall in real is definitely worth the time and effort. Mother nature has got its own magical power, strength and spirit. I don’t know how to express them in words, you got to experience it yourself to know it better.
Bridal Veil Fall @ Yosemite
Cliffs @ Yosemite
And talking about the places we stayed at Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, its my first time staying in a man-made concrete tent @ Yosemite, and a lodge @ Lake Tahoe the following day. The night we spent in the man-made concrete tent is probably the coldest night I had throughout the trip.
The challenging part @ the concrete tent, is that we must be mindful of the black bears, by keeping the food away. And if we really encounter one, we must yell at it instead of chasing it away (according to the instruction in the poster).
Housekeeping Camp @ Yosemite
The bunks that we slept in @ Housekeeping Camp
As for the stay at Lake Tahoe (Franciscan Lakeside Lodge), I think its probably one of the best and coziest place to stay during the trip, although the lodge is pretty small, but it has got what we need, the bed, artificial fireplace, dining area, bathroom, and other equipments such as LCD TV, fridge, microwave, dishwasher and etc. And of course for the scenery at Lake Tahoe, its equally spectacular to watch, its one of the biggest and most beautiful lakes in the World.
Lake Tahoe
Franciscan Lakeside Lodge (outside)
Franciscan Lakeside Lodge (inside)
Lake Tahoe mountains
Treasure Island @ Lake Tahoe
Bay Bridge – on our way back from Lake Tahoe to San Francisco
Special Report: Shopping Experience @ Apple Store
Can you imagine walking into a store, look for the things you wanted, and then ask for help from one of the Apple staffs. And then what? Do you still need to queue to make payment, in Apple store you do not need to do that, the Apple staff will just take out an iPhone, scan your credit card, and then you just need to sign on the iPhone using your finger, and you are set!
Apple Store @ San Francisco, the place where I got my new MacBook Pro 13″
Apple Store @ Chestnut Street, my first visit to an Apple Store!”
San Francisco grid style streets and no “Left Turn”
One of the most interesting thing I learnt about San Francisco is that, all their streets are designed in grid-style, therefore its quite easy to navigate around. However, just remember no such thing as “Left Turn”, and because of that, we misses quite a number of our destinations and needed to have a few more attempts.
The most interesting walks I had is within the city streets itself, especially Union Square, whereby I can enjoy the unique architecture design, having close contact with the local people, and also learn about the various vehicles the people will use to travel around the city. Its probably the best place to learn about how the local people live and work there.
Central district of Union Square (San Francisco commercial area)
Close-up look of the Transamercia Pyramid (one of the most iconic structure)
San Francisco Municipal Railway
Experiencing a World Class standard from Google I/O
Throughout the Google I/O conference, the main thing that can give me a good impression is their opening keynote, really like the way they present it, in terms of the stage backdrop, lightings, widescreen display and great sound effect. Everything just seem very enjoyable to watch, while munching on the bagel.
Having a world class standard does not just depend on one area only, I can see that it involve practically everything right from the sessions, people, process and many more. The whole experience really takes off when Google decided to give off their Nexus One phone, and one more HTC Evo 4G phone when we were at the 2nd day of the conference. It really shows us that Google is determine to encourage the developers to develop with their Android platform, by providing the necessary resources. Other than the above surprise gifts, Google also gave out merchandise such as a Google T-shirt and a pair of socks.
Google I/O 2010 registration booth
Google I/O 2010 @ Moscone West, San Francisco
Google I/O 2010 Keynote
Google I/O – Afterthoughts
Current trend in software industry
From this year’s event, I can see that a lot of emphasis is being put on media integration and mobile content. People are trying to combine all the current technologies together, and make the whole media experience better. One good example, will be the Google TV, which promises to integrate the TV and Internet technologies.I wouldn’t say this is a new idea, but more like who can come out with the most seamless integration. And therefore we have yet to see it, and how the market will response to it.
And for the mobile content, I can see that Google is really pushing out the Android platform to all the developers. Its definitely the way to go in the future, whereby majority people will always be on the move, and the demand for controlling everything within a handheld device is very high. But the question now is Google has got Android, Apple has got iPhone OS, Palm has got Palm OS, all different companies will have their own technologies, and therefore when it comes to development part, which one should we choose? Hopefully, one day there will be a more integrated solutions among these companies.
With the two emphasis on media integration and mobile content, I can further strengthen my views on user experience (in term of the software flow, UI and ease-of-use), a very important area which will differentiate us from the rest of the companies, and maintain our uniqueness.
What am I missing from Google?
I have seen Google mentioning all kinds of new technologies (from Google TV, Android, GWT and etc.), but what’s missing is on their search engine technology, for examples how they could help to enhance the current search algorithms and etc., by making searches more relevant for the users. I guess that’s what most people would like to hear more, and Google should not forget that its primary role is still a search engine company. For now, I think its a good time for them to focus back on their search engines before anyone else catches up, rather than trying very hard to tap into other areas, whereby I don’t see that they are getting anywhere.
The advantages at Bay Area
The main reason why I see so many great startups or ideas coming out from the Bay Area, is probably due to the entreprenuer spirits I discovered from the people, this can be seen from the sessions I have attended, either the presenters or audience, they are all very outspoken, and willing to voice out what they think is right or wrong. The spirit of not afraid to make mistakes, is also very important when it comes to startups, the people there must have invested lots of time and effort in it, regardless of success and failures. I personally believe whether or not the products will pick up, most importantly at the end of day, we must learn something from every decisions we made.
Furthermore, this can be due to the local culture which allow many freedom, and the government might have put in lots of effort to promote technology, and setup areas such as Silicon Valley, to provide a good ground and infrastructure for the startups.
And there are all kinds of conferences or events held throughout the year, to promote interaction between the companies, developers and consumers. This kind of interaction is very important when it comes to innovation and the continuing effort to improve the current services or products.
How Software developers in Singapore can come out with good quality software / product ?
I guess its not about how we can come out good ideas, I’m sure many Singaporeans can do that. But the main problem is how much risks they are willing to take and how much time they are willing to invest.
Other than that, I have observed that there are still many Singaporeans who are very conservative about their ideas, this is probably due to our culture that pass down from generations to generations. People here tend to keep things to themselves and afraid that once they said out, other people will steal their ideas, and whatsoever. And if that’s the case, I guess its hard for any startup to do well.
Another main reason why many young startups fail, is probably due to the education system in Singapore, we are basically groom to get good academic results, and therefore when it comes to practical stuff or even handling relationships, it will become very difficult for many people.
I guess in order for Singaporeans, like us to come up with good quality software / product, both the government and people will have to play a part, the culture of sharing has to be further worked on, by encouraging more freedom of talks. The school system has to be worked on too, to teach the young generations that, study is not just about getting good grades, but also teaching them to interact with people, handling relationships, assisting them in developing their own interests, and most importantly teaching them don’t be afraid to make mistakes, in fact the more mistakes they made, the more they will learn. I am referring to creativity and the spirit of exploration here.
Sandbox @ Google I/O 2010 (left-hand side)
Sandbox @ Google I/O 2010 (right-hand side)
Google I/O 2010 (Starting from left: Ms Wong, Me, Tuan Ze and Stanley)
Food and Tips
Throughout the trip, we had tried quite a number of cuisines like the Western, Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kong, Japanese, Vietnamese, Mexican, and other fast-food restaurants, such as Mc Donald’s, Burger King, Popeye’s, Jollibee and etc. Out of so many, I realized that the Japanese food in the US is pretty popular, as I can see quite a number of Japanese restaurants around, and there are quite a number of local westerners visiting them.
Hong Kong Dim Sum @ Chinatown
Clam Chowder @ Boundin, Fisherman’s Wharf
American style of Mc Donald’s
Sweet Potatoes Fries @ Yosemite Village (really like this one)
Japanese craze in San Francisco
Taiwanese Cuisine @ San Jose
Other than that, I have also learnt about their restaurant tipping culture, which require a minimum of 15% – 20% tip of the total bill. From the tip culture, I can really see the emphasis of service in America, when we pay for the service tips, in a way we are expecting a certain kind of service standard from the waiter/waitress, and therefore it will require the employees to work hard for it.
Remembering our roots @ Chinatown
Chinatown in San Francisco is known as one of the biggest and oldest in America, and it is one of the must visit destination in San Francisco. The main reason why I was there is to hunt for American Ginseng (Chinese: Hua Qi Shen), there are simply too many grades to choose from, and in the end I decided to go for the USD50 and USD 35 per pound grade. Altogether spent USD 135.
Chinatown Gate
Chinatown streets
Chinatown Town Street and People
Special requests to Apple HQ and other Tech Giants
Towards the end of the trip, upon special request for Ms Wong, we actually made our trip down to San Jose to Visit Apple Company Store and many other tech giants, such as Google, VMWare, Oracle and etc.
Out of so many, I would still says that I enjoyed the most @ Apple HQ, because it is the only company I visited there with an exclusive company store, showcasing their latest products, as well as selling their own in-house merchandise. I did some shopping there, and bought 2 Apple cups, 3 pens and one baby T-shirt for my unborn nephew. From the company store, I see that Apple really takes care of their branding well, and willing to invest money in it to ensure all visitors to their HQ got something back when they leave the HQ.
Apple HQ Buildings
Me with Infinite Loop 1
The Company Store, Apple HQ
What makes Stanford University one of the best?
It’s a rare occasion for me, as it is the first time I’m visiting an overseas college (former school of Ms Wong). The selling point for Stanford is not about having the latest technology and stuff, but more of its history, culture, buildings and people in it. That’s what makes it one of the best college in the World. I really admire the people who can study there, but of course its not a must to study there, but more like a dream for me to be able to study there.
Stanford University main building
Stanford University Rodin Statues
A new Laptop, a new Bag, a new earpiece = new beginning?
It’s definitely a high price to pay for. I still couldn’t justify if its worthwhile, especially for the carelessness. As Stanley mentioned to me, if we choose to think it another way round, we could still treat it like a new beginning, and start everything afresh. I guess sometimes, things can be better if we change our own perspective a bit. Hopefully, this particular incident will be the first and last. Let’s hope for a better tomorrow… Goodbye California… And I can’t wait for my next trip to arrive soon…
