I liked the Maker Faire last year, but this year was even better! The faire is sponsored by Make Magazine, and it encourages do-it-yourself-ers to come and display their best – everything from steam powered machines, to homemade robots, to alternative bikes and cars. What’s fun is being able to talk to the inventor and ask questions. There were also various shows and demonstrations – some entertaining, some explaining the science behind the magic. I loved it. Then again it’s very me – quite curious, and super-geeky.

This year’s theme is “Re-Make America”:

Following on President Obama’s call to “begin again the work of remaking America”, Maker Faire 2009 will be organized around the theme of Re-Make America. Held in the San Francisco Bay Area on May 30-31, Maker Faire celebrates what President Obama called “the risk takers, the doers, and the makers of things.” The fourth annual Maker Faire will showcase individual creativity and grassroots innovation in the largest festival devoted to DIY culture and technology in the country.

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Maker Faire Website >

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Vegas is the perfect weekend getaway. It just happened to be the weekend after my company’s layoffs, so it was great way to unwind after such a stressful week. It was only a three day trip (Sun-Mon), but we were able to cram in a lot of activities into that time! We were able to see Le Reve, our first Cirque du Soleil show, which was mind-blowing. (The stage was made out of water!) And best of all, our trip was a sweet, sweet deal – it came to $300 which included one Cirque show, round trip airfare (SFO to Vegas), and 2 nights at the Excalibur hotel. There is an upside to a recession.

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My goal: to eat my way from one end of the Greek Festival to the other. I love Greek food. I love it so much, I put this festival on my calendar a year ago, and I’ve been anticipating the dolmas, gyros, and baklavas since then.

Maybe the ancient Greeks invented the Olympics to work off all that Baklava.

Greeks know how to party. I went to Greece some years ago, and I remember how happy and relaxed everyone was – eating late, chatting to neighbors, lounging by the ocean – and it was only Tuesday. Sigh – I could use that anyday now. I was hoping I could relive some of that experience by going to the festival. While there’s no stunning view of the Aegean Sea, the sound of Greek polka and the smell of lamb roasting brought me back.

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Oakland Greek Festival Website | Follow them on Twitter

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I went on a safari! Not in Africa…but right here in Northern California. I was ecstatic when Mike surprised me with a trip to Safari West for my birthday. It’s a drive-through wildlife park – you sign up for a tour, and a guide takes you in an open-air Jeep ride through the entire property, stopping to talk about animals that are seen along the way.

It is MUCH better than a zoo. Seems to me that zoo animals are either sleeping most of the time, or look depressed. Here, the animals are on acres of open space, and are free to roam around with the other animals. It’s also nice to see animals not behind bars, and behaving as they normally would in the wild. There were a few times where we had to wait for animals to cross the road, or had to drive around looking for animals because the guide didn’t know where they wandered off to…I loved how the tour was unpredictable like that. It made it more of an “adventure”.

The space is owned by a couple, Peter and Nancy Lang, who actually live on the land – and not in a huge mansion either, just a modest little house tucked in the corner of the property. I would be so happy if there were that many animals in my backyard. MTV Cribs needs to come over and check it out.

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Safari West website >

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I volunteered at a great event this weekend – the “Wii Build Event”. About 130 people showed up at a local church to unpackage, assemble, and organize 70 Wii stations–each going into a room at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, CA and at the children’s wing at the UCSF hospital in San Francisco.

The idea was inspired by my nephew, Matthew. He was a great kid (really, really was!) but was unfortunately diagnosed with Leukemia, and after a few tough years battling with cancer, he passed away at 9. (I still miss him.)

My cousin Gigi, and her husband Ely set up the Matthew Tsern Foundation shortly after, to help families of kids with cancer. And with the support of KidsSTRONG, they managed to get all of these Wii stations! Matthew had a Wii station in his hospital room and they felt all kids with cancer should have one too – as a way to forget about their pain. And because the kids can’t leave their room, all the Wii stations will be set up on the same network so they can still interact with each other. Gigi and Ely are absolutely incredible – some of the most loving and dedicated people I know.

Video of the event »
Photos from event »

The event was a great success, and I had a lot of fun while I was there. Here are some of the photos from the event.

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