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Eric Lai Online last updated 29 January 2008 |
airlai.com ericlai.com |
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Résumé January 2008 UCSF PhD '10 UCLA MPH '05 Stanford B.A. '03 Laguna Hills High '99 Travel Bahamas Jan08 Shanghai Dec06/Jan07 Peru Aug06 London Mar06 US Road Trip Sep05 Thailand Dec04/Jan05 Cancún Mar04 Midwest Road Trip Sep03 Oahu Mar03 Fooding Bay Area HoF 2007 2006 2005 Writing Columns Essays Music 2007: - The Game - Live at the Fillmore CDs: - 2006 - 2005 Photos FB Email me email (at) airlai (dot) com |
11-13 December 2007 NYC  26-30 November 2007 Melbourne, FL  11-12 November 2007 Shenandoah National Park  Wednesday, 31 October 2007 Halloween on Embassy Row  5-7 October 2007 Ishaan in DC  Saturday, 29 September 2007 National Book Festival  Saturday afternoon, Victoria and I headed out to the National Book Festival in DC. Several familiar names were presenting, including NBA Cares and Iron Chef Cat Cora. Al Harrington of the Golden State Warriors and WNBA All-Star Ruth Riley were on hand to represent the NBA and WNBA in a community outreach event, and we had the opportunity to meet both of the players. Cat Cora encouraged her audience to branch out and try new things with cooking at home. Of course, this is much easier if you're an Iron Chef. One woman asked her for ideas for easy kids' meals that could be prepared without cooking, and Cora's off-the-cuff suggestion was making vegetable-and-chicken pancakes -- from scratch. During the session, it was hinted that Cora's position as the sole female Iron Chef will remain intact following the Next Iron Chef, which begins airing this weekend. I'll be rooting for local chef Morou Ouattara, whose Alexandria restaurant will incidentally play host to my birthday dinner this week. I'm looking forward to the tasty goodness. Tuesday, 18 September 2007 Barack Obama's Countdown to Change Rally  In my second brush with presidential eminence in under a week, Democratic candidate Barack Obama stopped in downtown DC for a rally with nearly 5,000 supporters. I benefited from some fortuitous timing; upon my arrival -- half an hour before the rally was set to begin -- at least a couple thousand people were already waiting in line. Thinking that I would have no shot of getting close to the stage, I walked into a lucky break: right by my part of the crowd, an organizer opened a gate and told us we could get a better view by walking through and standing behind the stage where Obama would be speaking. Boy, was he right. I ended up standing about 10-15 feet from the senator during his speech -- which, by the way, featured all the hallmarks of his renowned eloquence -- and, on top of that, got the opportunity to meet him in person immediately afterward. We shook hands, I wished him good luck, and he thanked me before heading down to greet the rest of the horde. Wednesday, 12 September 2007 President Clinton in Arlington  Bill Clinton stopped by our neighborhood Costco today to sign copies of his new book Giving. Assembling hours prior to Mr. Clinton's arrival, hundreds of people waited outside the store for their chance at a five-second meet-and-greet with the president (who has apparently developed a rather efficient system for these events; he shakes hands with his right while signing books with his left). Inside, the store managers -- true to Costco's spartan form -- walled off the produce section using twelve-foot-tall towers of Pepsi and Mountain Dew boxes, eschewing all the frills customarily associated with a presidential reception area. Upon his (fashionably late) arrival, Mr. Clinton -- undistracted by his high-fructose surroundings -- stepped out of the makeshift enclosure to greet a small group of onlookers (giving me the opportunity to snap the above photo). After a brief ten seconds, he retired back behind the drinks and out of sight to begin his task for the afternoon: meeting the thousand people diligently waiting in line with copies of his book. However momentarily, it was great to see the president in person. Next up: a downtown rally with Barack Obama. Tuesday, 31 July 2007 A New Apartment The following exchange just about sums things up: Eric: my feet hurt from standing at the computer :( Srini: get a chair! Eric: they're all in SF@! Srini: get a cheap one at the store! Eric: but then we will have too many chairs! Victoria: LOL Alex: hahahahhahaha that's great 27 May - 5 June 2007 DC  V and I just returned from a very productive week in the DC area, where we found a new apartment in Arlington, ran into a lot of old friends (including Connell, who drove up from Charlotte to see us), and had a very unexpected encounter with V's cousin. With an end-of-July move-in date, the countdown is on -- and we've definitely got plenty of business to wrap up before we go. Sunday, 6 May 2007 Why We Need Universal Health Care In perhaps the clearest sign yet that I'm somehow rubbing off on Vicki, her latest blog post deals with an issue far removed from her home domain of auditing. As she demonstrates, you don't need a public health background to understand that having a massive uninsured population is a huge problem. Props to V for venturing into new terrain (I'm biased in my distribution of props, of course). 24-27 March 2007 Vicki in SoCal; Rahul's BDay  With Rahul set for a permanent return to India in mid-April -- not to mention his birthday this past Sunday -- it was a natural opportunity to fly Vicki in for her first-ever SoCal trip. We kept our slate full and enjoyed every minute of it: - Saturday, we rolled through the streets of Fountain Valley and LA, including Sunset Blvd. and Hollywood; visited Griffith Observatory for the first time; and headed over to Staples Center to watch Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards take on the Clippers. Foodwise, we hit up Ambala Dhaba and the always-great BCD Tofu House. - Sunday, we joined up with Vin for a day trip down to San Diego, where we paid a visit to the aquatic denizens of Sea World. On the way back to LA, we stopped at Fountain Valley's 8 Courses of Fish, a Vietnamese restaurant with a massive menu and -- as its name suggests -- a delicious eight-course special. - Monday, we lunched at Cafe Brasil; walked around Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade, Ocean Ave., and Pier; had dinner at Versailles, a Rahul favorite; and -- along with Avi and Vin -- caught a late showing of the (overhyped) film 300. Tuesday morning, Vicki made her way back to the Bay, and Vin and I returned home, concluding an epic weekend. We all had an absolute blast. Not a bad way to recharge for my last quarter of classes ever. Wednesday, 7 March 2007 Nuggets at Warriors  When things go poorly for a perimeter-oriented team, they go really poorly, and when things go well, they go really well. Coming off their surprising season sweep of the Pistons, the Warriors hosted the middling Denver Nuggets, who were without league scoring leader -- and brand-new father -- Carmelo Anthony. Ishaan, Srini, Sameer, Victoria, and I were on hand as Golden State rode its hot three-point shooting to a double-digit advantage in the second half. While Iverson and the Nuggets were able to close the gap to nine with just under 3:00 to play, they never got any closer, as Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, and company put the game away. Despite the victory, the Warriors remain in the Pacific Division's cellar; for the time being, however, they have at least strung together consecutive wins, keeping their dim playoff hopes alive. Sunday, 4 February 2007 "America's Sport" In honor of the Super Bowl, here are some links about football: Dark days follow hard-hitting career in NFL NFL players dying young at an alarming rate NFL pension plan: Ex-players neglected Most pro football players face a future of disability and pain A lethal game for the fans, too Wednesday, 31 January 2007 The Game Tonight, Victoria and I headed to the Fillmore for a rousing show by the best West Coast rapper alive: The Game. He put on a great set -- including songs from both The Documentary and Doctor's Advocate -- and he really got the crowd going, tossing out various paraphernalia, spraying them with bubbly, and even inviting a ton of people on stage (he invited up all the guys dressed in red for "One Blood" and all the girls for "Wouldn't Get Far"). You can download the entire audio of the show (18.5 MB, 1:19:08) here. 20 December 2006 - 2 January 2007 Shanghai  Twelve days in Shanghai. A new all-time most expensive meal. The most epic aquarium on the continent. Christmas Day in the canal town of Zhujiajiao. Two museums, one mosque, and countless malls. The insanity of Chengfang Park. The grand opening of China's first Best Buy. A posh lounge with a secret entrance. Visits to the fabric market and antique market. And one crazy New Year's Eve bash. It all adds up to the best holiday trip ever. |
Archives 2006 2005 2004: Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun AirLai.com Museum Oct03 - Jan05 Links Victoria's Sites Photos Blog Friends' Sites Aditya Alex Chris Diane Gloria Irene Ishaan Rahul Valerie Vivian News The New York Times The L.A. Times The Washington Post Humor Achewood The Daily Show The Colbert Report NBA NBA (ESPN) TrueHoop Yaysports |
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