Case study: Airline ticket expenses

Feb. 14, 2019

Introduction

It is my personal finance research. I like to analyze my expenses of airline tickets, and I like to do a case study.

Case study

Here is the expense of my airline ticket.

2006 - I went to GM for onsite interview. I need to look into the interview again and see what I learn from the experience.

2008 February - I got laidoff from H1-B. I got a ticket paid by ex-employer and then went back to China, and applied F1 visa to get back to FAU.

2008 August - I went to Microsoft Seattle for an onsite interview. This was my first official onsite interview based on algorithm and data structure. I should have prepared those algorithms from 2001 to 2008.

2009 May - I went to Charlotte for a short trip, help a friend's family road trip from Charlotte to Boca Raton.

2012 February - I made a mistake to plan a one-month vacation. I paid expensive ticket, and I also paid by US credit card.

I also made mistake to spend over three thousands dollars for the vacation. Here are blogs related to 2012 vacation.

China trip from April 12 to April 18, 2018

March 25, 2018

Introduction

It is time for me to write something for my coming China trip from April 12, 2018 to April 18, 2018. It is so difficult for me to make a decision, the get-together of Shanghai Jiaotong university applied math major class from 1984 to 1988. 70141 is the name of class for around 30 students at that time.

How to make a decision for the trip?

I had two classmates who will fly from USA and Canada to Shanghai on April 12, 2018. One of my classmate who is a PH.D. graduate from California, I have not seen her over 30 years, she asked me why I could not join the meetup.

I checked the calendar and also airline ticket by Air Canada, 12 hours direct flight, from April 12 to April 15 is $570 Canadian dollars. No matter what happens, I should be able to take April 12 Thursday off, Friday off, and then come back next Monday. Later, I decide to take two more extra days since the ticket price is same until Wednesday April 18. After April 18, the airline ticket is above $850 Canadian dollars.

How to plan for the China vacation only for 8 days? 

Yesterday once more Julia version

Dec. 5, 2017

Introduction

It is the learning experience to be a daughter back to 2014, my mom started her journey to welcome her dementia, she started to experience dementia symptom very early stage in daily life, prepared to live as a dementia senior with full time care, five daughters one son will help her to overcome the difficult time. One of my sisters was full time physician and took care my mom as a doctor does.


Related to learning experience, I had to watch my mom to memorize all her five daughters and one son's name, she said each of us name correct, and ask me if she did ok in 2014 Chinese spring festival while I was on vacation in the city of Yichun. My doctor sister gave her prescription to calm her down, otherwise she talked whole night face to ceiling lying on bed, talk all poems and songs she memorized in her 20s, 30s, I never heard before, it is correct and nice poem to document herself as very nice young person. And then she watched the TV, and told me that the character is her nephew. I recorded the video and I may post on youtube.com one day to educate how tough the dementia is as a disease.

I went back to China to celebrate Chinese new year in 2014 with my mom and my sisters and brothers and families, I planned very well for a road trip from Shanghai to Yichun, stopping by Wu Xi to visit lake of Tai, and teng wang tower in the city of Nanchang. Still remember that I learned something from the work, I bought same tennis shoes from size 6 to size 11, 5 pairs for my five siblings, and one pair for my nephew, I went to USA Bellingham sports store and got those shoes.

I like to dress red leather Jacket, so I had great pictures with my family. I had a road trip to cross the country over 1000 KM in less than 2 days. I visited the famous tower in the city of Nanchang.

Here are the pictures, all best memory are back when I revisit the pictures. My mom, my sister-in-law, my sister's granddaughter (my granddaughter).