With several upcoming expenditures – including a hefty downpayment, a new car, and summer vacation – I traveled to SFO on a budget for my oral board exam this weekend. We booked our first AirBnB stay in a small Nob Hill studio which was conveniently located just a few blocks from the hotel where the exam was held, and an even shorter walk to Chinatown. So even though it was nearly midnight by the time we converged in San Francisco, we were still able to enjoy sizzling wok hay at Yuet Lee that night. The apartment itself was peppered with Android paraphernalia and a Noogler beanie, which hinted at the owner’s occupation, but was detracted by a strange stench, the source of which we could not localize despite Melody’s valiant efforts. We awoke on Saturday to pricey dim sum at Yank Sing with my friend Yao, who passed me more study material that I desperately craved. Having forgotten to bring black shoes for the exam, we went shoe-shopping afterwards in Union Square, followed by a study break at Starbucks before pre-registering for the exam. Hoping to stave off food poisoning, we passed on ghetto Kam Po Kitchen for fancier HK-style seafood at Great Eastern for dinner. The exam itself was not far from expectations, and it felt good walking back after the 3-hour pimp session. We munched on egg tarts while packing our luggage, then joined my high school friend Brenda in Japantown for ramen and unagi. In the afternoon, we immersed in myriad interactive exhibits at the Exploratorium followed by dinner at swanky SPQR, where our favorites included a sea urchin panna cotta and a squid ink pasta with more urchin. We rested our feet with a dessert sampler at Candybar before my red-eye back home. It was much easier saying goodbye this time, knowing that I’ll be seeing my wife again next week.