Martin Luther King Jr Weekend

The past few days have been awesome. On Thursday night, I went out for a birthday dinner with some I-House people to The Cheesecake Factory. It is quite a famous restaurant branch near downtown San Diego. For those who know me quite well...yes, the name said all. I enjoyed what was probably the best cheesecake I've ever had: the Swiss Toblerone Almond cheesecake. It was divine. Friday night was taken care of at...TGI Fridays (where else?). It was another outing to remember...with a learnt lesson that big groups at most restaurants are charged tips. Quite oxymoronic, don't you think? Following the high calorie night, I went on the campus loop run the next morning. This is a running circuit around the UCSD campus which adds up to be 4 miles exactly (6.5 kms). It should be the perfect distance for quick cardio sessions.

Yesterday was a bittersweet day, as jubilance from a hard-fought victory in the fun soccer game between I-Housers (wow do some girls have skill here!) was subdued by the news that shocked most San Diegan football fans. The San Diego Chargers, who finished the regular season of the NFL with the best record, armed with one of the best running backs ever (LaDainian Tomlinson), narrowly lost to the New England Patriots in a playoff match.

Today was Martin Luther King Jr day, one of the public holidays of the United States, so most students bask in the freedom of the 3 day weekend. Some adventure-goers of I-House decided to go hiking. Out of many possible choices, we decided to tackle the trails of Torrey Pines State Reserve. The hike was more fun than strenuous though, as we compared the flora and fauna with that of New Zealand. Threats and warning signs of mountain lions and rattlesnakes excited us throughout the afternoon, and overall, the park gave us nice views of coastal rock formations and the calm seaside. From the summit, we could also see the world famous Torrey Pines Golf Course, where the 2007 Buick Open will be held in a few weeks time and also where the 2008 US Open will take place.