Author: Farook Khan

Tuesday, 7 August 2007, 2:08am 

Hot August Nights just got HOTTER!  I am going to make this short and simple.  I bought a new Toyota Tacoma.

Basic Stats:

– Six cylinder

– Double cab- 4×4- 6” inch lift kit- Monster Chrome Wheels- Sport Package- Mean sounding exhaust- Black color

There are a ton of other things that it has, like a power outlet in the truck bed if I wanted to plug in a power tool or maybe even a television while I am out roughing it in the back country.

Just take a look at the pictures… The truck speaks for itself.  Basically, it is sex on wheels.

Short story… I flew home for the weekend.  Arrived in San Francisco on Friday and I was supposed to fly back to Utah on Sunday.  I got the truck and had to cancel my flight.  But, what is $50 bucks compared to a new truck.  I wasn’t expecting to drive home with a new truck, but it happened..

It is sooooooooo pretty.  I am in love.

 

Farook

 

 

Sunday, 8 July 2007, 9:58pm

 

Happy Fourth of July!  The last couple of weeks have been really exciting.  I guess I will keep it short, but between barbecuing anything and everything, going to gym, traveling around and working my typical 70 plus hours a week, I managed to get my hands on the sexiest thing on the planet… the iPhone!

 

The iPhone is so amazing and fun to use.  Apple definitely is setting the standard once again.  The touch screen interface and the overall performance of the device is heavenly.  Hopefully you’ll be able to play with one for yourself soon.

 

Last weekend was spent up in Park City enjoying the cooler temperatures and the beauty of the mountains.  I got to go to the farmer’s market and walk around Main street.  We also got to eat at the Stein Erikson Resort and a way nice Italian restaurant called Ghidotti’s.

 

The weekend before we went to the Utah Arts Festival and there was some great music, dancing and arts.  I am excited to go to the Park City Arts Festival in a few weeks.

 

Here are some quick pictures:

 

iPhone – This is me with my brand new iPhone.  Sexy… sexy.

 

 

Park City – The mountains are still green and it was a great weekend.   During the summer you can take your mountain bike up the ski lift and ride your bike down the mountain.

 

 

Salmon – The barbecue has replaced the dog as mans best friend.  Food is so good!

 

 

The summer is still young and there is many things to do!  Hope the week goes well and we’ll talk soon.

 

Farook

 

Sunday, 17 June 2007, 7:53pm

 

This week has been amazing.  I worked about 80 hours this week and should be well compensated for the hours that I put in.  On top of working a ton of hours I was given the opportunity to work with many engineers and just expand my knowledge on countless engineering principles.

 

Starting Wednesday morning at 4 am when I arrived at work, I was assigned to work with Berkel and Company to monitor and observe what is called a load test.  We are testing the foundation of this massive complex that is being built.  We installed what are know as Auger Cast Piles which are 24” inches in diameter and go about 85’ feet into the ground.  What we want to know is if the piles can support the load that will be placed on it.

 

To perform the test we will load the pile and monitor how it responds.  We tested it with many different loads.  We started with no load and went all the way up to 1200 Tons, 2400 Kips or 2.4 million pounds.  It might not sound that impressive, but we broke a record.  We held 2400 Kips for over 12 hours.  I was there for each (or every) minute of that record.  I actually worked 37 hours that day. (or two days)

 

On top of breaking this record, the Regional Manager for the testing company came to the project and monitored the test.  After getting to know each other, he told me that he wanted me to work for him and his company.   He offered me a job working in San Francisco and making much more than I am making now.  Since I am currently working for PSI, I told him that I would give him a call for next summer.  On top of offering me job, they wrote me a check for a few hundred dollars thanking me for the help that I provided.

 

Aside from working countless hours I have managed to fill my few minutes of free time with healthy and productive activities.  I got a Gold’s Gym membership and have started to get super  buff and you can’t get buff without eating healthy.  My weekend has been filled with working out and eating some great food like marinated chicken grilled on a barbeque and homemade salads with vegetables right out of the garden.

 

Here are some new pictures:

 

Cubes – These are my babies.  Whenever there is concrete or grout used, I have to take a sample.  I have these molds that I use to make these perfect cubes.  These cubes are taken to our lab where we get to smash them with cool machines to make sure the concrete is strong.  These are designed to support over 4000 psi.

 

 

Garden – This is the garden where all my healthy food is grown.  There are tomatoes, lettuce, onions, peppers, spices, beans and anything else you could imagine.  Cooking is so much more enjoyable when you know your ingredients come right out of your garden. 

 

Load Test – I should have stood in the picture, but the bottom of the beam is about 6 feet above the ground.  The big machine at the bottom is a hydraulic pump that was designed for a nuclear power plant.  Above the hydraulic pump you can see a smaller cylinder with a wire coming out of it.  This is the load cell.  It weighs about 350 pounds and can measure a load up to 3 million pounds or 3000 Kips.  So if any of you need to check your weight, this might do the job… Unfortunately it only measures to the nearest kip which is a 1000 pounds.  I could spend hours telling you about all the physics and engineering that are going on in this picture, but I will have to save that for another time.  Yeah… (I want to say more… But you probably wouldn’t understand me very well.)

 

 

Work – This is probably one of the BEST pictures I have ever taken.  And I didn’t even take it… The concrete wall took it for me, lol.  This is my ATV or a Yamaha Rhino.  In the picture I was using a 10 foot trailer to move some things.  This is me with my fancy greenish yellow vest and hardhat.  I have also resumed growing my beard.  I spend all day in the sun and have a fantastic “farmers” tan.

 

 

So that is a brief update on what is going on.  I am very excited to be an engineer and work on projects like this all over the world.  The people and companies that I am meeting are definitely going places that I would like to go.

 

Have a fantastic week and hopefully we will be able to talk soon.

 

Farook

 

Wednesday, 6 June 2007, 10:47 pm

 

I just wanted to send a quick email with some more pictures of what I am doing in Salt Lake.  I found a way nice condo and moved in some time last week and managed to find some cheap furniture on Craig’s List.  I have been working like crazy and learning everything I can about engineering, construction and inspection.

 

The pictures and their descriptions: 

 

Chris – Chris and I have been friends since we were way young, like in kindergarten and did scouting together and everything.  We last saw each other after high school graduation four years ago.  He went to the Air Force Academy and just graduated.  He stopped in Provo on his way home to California.

 

 

Condo – This is my bedroom.  The big dresser is hidden in the closet and that is my room.  I was going to send pictures of the rest of the place but will have to do that another time.  We have marble counter tops and all new appliances.  My roommate is from Washington DC and is doing his medical residency here in Utah.  The condo is only two years old and my roommate owns it.  I also have my own private bathroom!  I have NEVER had my own private bathroom.  Since Richard and I are never home, the place stays ridiculously clean.

 

 

Demolition – This is a picture taken from the 18th floor of the Key Bank Tower looking down at the south side of Block 76 and the demolition of what was know as the Crossroads Mall.  The two buildings in the upper left corner will NOT be demolished.

 

 

Desk – My company just bought an brand new office and laboratory a block away from the construction site.  The desk to the left is mine.  This is before we moved all our things into the office but it very nice.  We also have another table (not shown) that we keep all our blueprints on.

 

 

Key Bank Tower – This is the Key Bank Tower and I took many pictures from the 18th floor where I have been doing some work.  This building will be imploded on August 18th.  Rooms at the Marriott Hotel next door are going fast!  It should be spectacular to watch this building come down.

 

 

Plan – In our office on the 8th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, we have a huge model of the future City Creek Center.  To the left you can see the existing temple square.  The tall tower to the right will be 32 stories tall and you can’t really see the majority of what is going to be built, and because this model is not yet complete.

 

 

Raining – Today it was raining really hard in Salt Lake and I had to be in the rain for four hours observing and inspecting the installation of some micro-piles.  A little before noon we finished and I made my way back to our Regent Street Office. You can see my nice and new ATV with my yellow rain suit.  It snowed in the mountains today… It was cold.  I was wearing two shirts, two coats, my yellow rain suit and then my safety vest.

 

 

Temple – This is a view looking north at Temple Square.  Down below is the first wall I got to observe and watch be installed.  You cannot really tell, but that is a 16 foot drop down to the current level.  We still have to go down about another 60 feet.

 

 

Tunnel – Did I tell you we were also building an underground tunnel?  This is connecting the Church’s underground parking system to the ZCMI underground parking.  Once again, you would never know that we were building this huge tunnel under temple square right underneath South Temple and Main Street, but we are!  I have to observe the reinforcement and also test to make sure the concrete used in the tunnel is to the specifications on the plans.

 

 

Construction – This was taken today.  You can see that they are getting ready to build a diaphragm wall.  I would love to explain how we are going to make that wall.  Off to the left they are using some really cool saws to cut away at part of the foundation of that building.

 

 

I am really sorry about this long email.  If you made it this far, and are still interested, I have hundreds of pictures and have been learning a ton about all the different things that are going on in this project.  This internship is amazing.  I am really liking engineering and cannot wait until I get my degree.  

 

I better be getting to bed, but have a great night and hopefully I will get to talk to you guys some time soon.

 

Farook

 

Sunday, 27 May 2007, 2:56 pm

 

Hello Again!  The last time I sent out one of these emails was exactly two months ago this day.  Two months ago I was still in school, not really thinking much about finals and just enjoying life.  Many things have happened and I would like to highlight a few events.

 

My last semester went well for me.  I took all my finals and ended up doing pretty well in most of my classes and projects.  For one of my engineering classes, we designed and engineered a luxury hotel and that project was a lot of fun.  I also got involved in some different engineering societies to help further my experiences.  One group that I really like is the Institute for Transportation Engineers and another group on campus is the American Society of Civil Engineers.

 

Following finals week, I stayed in Utah working at BYU and training some new employees before I left.  I also had the opportunity to listen to Dick Cheney speak at the BYU Convocation. The lease on my apartment ended the day of graduation and so I was lucky that some friends let me stay with them for a few days.  I stayed in American Fork for the first weekend and then spent the next week in Salt Lake City.  It was very fun staying in Utah.  I was able to go up American Fork Canyon and see the beautiful valley up there, and also to enjoy the energy of downtown Salt Lake City with the large buildings, fine dining and the company of good friends.

 

After staying in Utah, I drove home to California.  The weather was fantastic and being able to spend some time with my family was great.  I was able to go into San Francisco about four times and also into the Davis / Sacramento area a few times also.  I spent most of my time fixing things around the house and applying for different jobs.  Everything was moving pretty slow until Thursday May 17th when I was offered two jobs making pretty good money and then Friday morning another company called and offered me a job.  With so many options I had to make a decision.

 

PSI a nation wide company called and offered me job working Salt Lake City.  They needed more help with one of the coolest projects I could ever imagine working on at such a young age.  They are working on the City Creek Project which is a billion dollar project in downtown Salt Lake City.  They have purchased three city blocks and they are going to build a massive mall and five high rise towers.  Well… Let me continue with the timeline.  I like the project and how much they wanted to pay me and so Sunday I drove out to Utah.

 

Monday afternoon I went into the project office which is on the 8th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in downtown Salt Lake.  I was given a tour and had some paperwork to fill out.  The next morning at 6:45 am I reported to work.  At the moment I am commuting from Provo but hopefully I will be able to find housing in Salt Lake.

 

A little more about the project.  They are currently demolishing the existing buildings and parking structures on what is known as “Block 76.”  We are digging a huge pit so we can build the foundation and also a five story parking garage that will be completely underground.  They are also preparing the Key Bank Tower for demolition.  The tower is 20 stories tall and they will be imploding it on August 18th.  If any of you want to watch, you should come.  I am functioning as a field engineering inspecting different elements of construction.  It is very cool to be working with so many cool people on a very high profile and a complex project such as this.

 

There is so much work to be done.  Last week alone, I worked over 70 hours and that will probably be the same throughout the whole summer.  PSI wants me to work during the school year, but I think it will be too hard to manage school and commuting to Salt Lake for work.  But it has been a very exciting week and should only get better.  This project will also take about five years to complete, so I am pretty much guaranteed work for the next five years.

 

So that is what I am up to at the moment.  I have also included some pictures.

 

Canyon – We went up American Fork canyon.  It was beautiful.  Camille (center) lived at my apartment complex during the school year and her parents live near Elise (who I was staying with after school was out).

 

 

City Creek – This is a rendering of the project.  It is too hard to explain all the different buildings and things that currently there and what is going to be built, but yellow and red buildings are all going to be new.  We are building five high rises one which will be over 40 stories tall and two others that are around 30 stories tall.  It will be very fun to watch this all go up. And for those who are familiar with Salt Lake, this is happening right in front of Temple Square off of South Temple and Main Street.

 

 

Cooking – One of the last meals before school got out.  In the other picture, you will see the dessert that they made.

 

 

Friends – This is Camille and Elise again with me poking my head in the background.

 

 

Karaoke – This was also some time during the last week of school.  Some time in December we had an auction and I purchased a meal prepared by my Bishop’s wife.  So we went and had a great evening with some authentic Polynesian food and some Karaoke.  That is Jaime and myself rocking out to one of our favorite songs.

 

San Francisco – I was only in California for one Sunday.  That was mothers day.  I had a speaking assignment in church that morning and that afternoon we went into the bay area.  It was very pretty. 

 

Yummy – This is the dessert that girls made.  It was really good.

 

 

So that is a “brief” update on my life.  I guess I could go into many more details but I will spare that for the moment.  This summer will be fantastic and I am very excited to be studying Engineering and just to be going to school.

 

Oh… I also made a website during the school year.  I bought the website and loaded some attempts of webpages on to it.  I will make a public announcement of it once it is ready.

 

Have a great holiday weekend and I will chat with you later!

 

Farook

 

Tuesday, 27 March 2007, 11:47 pm

 

Welcome to Spring!  It was rather spring like in Utah until today when a cold front moved in and dumped some rain and snow.  The last three weeks have been rather exciting for me.  School work and midterms and been tossed into the mix of dating and socializing and lets not forget the many traveling adventures.

 

Three weeks ago was spent in sunny San Diego with my friends and family celebrating Carlos’ graduation from the Marine boot camp.  It was a fun four day trip to southern California.  We definitely had fun enjoying the sights and warmth of California.

 

The next week was very exciting as I spent time with friends from freshman year and going on several dates.  I saw a few movies and ate some good food.  I played water polo for about two hours on Saturday and continued to swim during the week.  

 

Last weekend was spent in eastern Utah enjoying Moab.  We camped down near the Colorado river and hiked over ten miles through Arches National Park.  We got to see some pretty amazing landscapes and was able to enjoy the break away from school.

 

I have been dating some different people and having a great time.  For some reason I keep dating girls from the University of Utah.  Other than that… I continue to be single and basically not interested in changing that.

 

Here are some pictures that I have taken over the last few weeks.  I am looking into different options to better show off my pictures and stories.  Any suggestions would be nice.  I have a few websites and a blog that I created but they are not public yet.

 

Beauty – Arches National Park, Pioneer Trail

 

 

Colorado River – Although you cannot exactly see the river in this picture, it is there behind the bushes.  This the small drive that we took along the river to make it to our camp site at Big Bend.

 

 

Delicate Arch – Utah’s famous arch.  If you have seen a Utah license plate, you have seen this arch.

 

 

Graduation – This was taken after lunch the day Carlos graduated from the Marine boot camp.

 

 

Group – Pretty un-imaginative title, but this is in Arches National Park and it was the six of us that went camping.

 

 

Landscape Arch – Another one of the world’s most famous arches.

 

 

Midway – Another exciting date.  We went to Midway and cooked hot dogs and enjoyed the fire.

 

 

Sydney – She was my “date” on the camping trip.  We had a great time.

 

 

Valley – Just another shot from Arches National Park, actually looking towards Canyon Lands National Park.  If you didn’t think it was pretty, I would hope that this shot might change your mind. I was standing well over 40 feet above the ground to take this shot.

 

 

Once again I apologize for the long email and all the pictures.  But I know you like to look at them so I take back my apology.  This week I have four midterms and then we start finals in like three more weeks.  Have a great week.

 

Farook

 

Sunday, 4 March 2007, 11:25 pm

 

Hello Friends!

 

Happy March!  The last two weeks have been very busy like normal.  Last weekend I went to Boise, Idaho for a job interview I had with Kittelson & Associates and it was a fantastic meeting.  I spent over four hours with them and actually was interviewed by the CEO for over an hour.  It was very exciting to meet with the engineers and owner of the company and get a feel for what they do.  My roommate Mike and I went to his place and enjoyed the weekend in Idaho.

 

Came home and realized I was still in school and that included all the homework assignments and testing.  This week was busy.  School and work took a majority of my time but I also managed to visit with some friends and relax a little.  The BYU vs. Utah basketball game was really fun to watch.

 

This coming week will be busy. Tomorrow (Monday) I have a calculus test, Tuesday an engineering test, and Thursday I have a chemistry test.  Then Thursday night I fly to Southern California!

 

Here are some pictures:

 

Mountains – I cannot seem to get enough of the mountains that dominate our little valley.  They are very pretty and this is a shot that I took walking out of the library Saturday afternoon before the basketball game.  (For those who didn’t know, I am addicted to spending hours studying and doing homework, and that includes Saturdays and Sundays).

 

 

Resting – This was taken about 3 am after I was done cleaning the kitchen of our apartment.  We have white floors, white counter tops and white appliances!

 

 

Party – What would the week be like with out a party or two?  Umm, yes that is three girls to every guy.  I am not a player, but if you look at the two guys in the picture, Mike and Cody… The girls run after them!

  

Basketball – This was taken Saturday after BYU won the MWC Title.  It was a good game it is always exciting to watch your school destroy the rivals!

 

 

I hope that everyone is doing well and having a good time where they maybe.  Hope to talk to all very soon.  Enjoy the warming weather!

 

Farook

 

Tuesday, 20 February 2007, 11:06 pm

 

Hey Guys & Gals,

 

Happy Presidents’ Day!  Hope everyone had a great weekend.  I did.  My roommate Mike and I took a road trip to get out of the cold and dreary and get some warmth and sun in California.  It was great.  

 

We left Friday morning after an extremely busy weekend which included the typical homework assignments, mid-terms and dating.  While in California we were able to visit Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco, Stinson Beach, Sacramento and all the places in-between.  While in Oakland we visited the LDS Temple and enjoyed the stunning view of the whole Bay Area and then journeyed down to Berkeley where we ran into Heather and watched a great Cal Basketball game verses Oregon State.  Following the game we took the hour drive into San Francisco.  (Anyone familiar with the Bay Area should know that the drive normally takes a few minutes thus there was lots of traffic when we went)  

 

Sunday morning we went to an LDS Stake Conference. It was really good and then came home and went to Stinson Beach.  It was another fantastic day and the drive was really pretty.  At the beach there was a strong wind but we still had fun.  Sunday night we came home and had dinner with the Flinders and enjoyed the evening and got ready for our drive back.

 

Monday morning my dad made another amazing breakfast and we hit the road back to Utah.  It was a really pretty drive.  The closer we got to Utah, the colder it got and obvious signs of snow started covering the landscape.  Once in Utah we unloaded the car and seriously, we were not home more than a few minutes before people started coming by and chatting with us and inviting us to different activities.  We ended up hot tubing and Mike watched a movie his special female friend Elise.  (I haven’t spoken to him since last night so things might have improved… Especially since they have been together all night today also)

 

This Friday I am going up to Boise, Idaho to have my second interview with Kittelson & Associates, Inc.  who specialize in transportation engineering and I am getting very excited about my opportunities for the summer.

 

Here are some pictures:

 

Bay Area – This was taken at the LDS Oakland Temple overlooking the San Francisco bay.

 

 

Beach – This is Mike, my roommate, chilling at the beach.

 

 

Green Hills – Just a picture of the hills that surround my hometown of Fairfield.  It was really green and pretty this weekend.  All the trees and flowers were blooming and getting ready for spring.

 

 

Palm Tree – Mike loves palm trees and pretty much pointed every single one of them out to me while we were in California.

 

 

San Francisco – A great picture taken at the Sony Metreon in San Francisco.  We walked around the area and ended up eating at an Italian restaurant.

 

 

Sierras – Just a picture of the Sierras as were were driving into California.

 

 

Everything is going really well for me at the moment.  I have great friends and
a great family.  There are many things that I am working on and keeping me busy.  I hope that everyone is having a great time and hopefully enjoying life.  If you made it this far, thanks for reading and feel free to drop me a line or give me a call.

 

Farook

 

Wednesday, 14 February 2007, 10:15 am

 

Hey Guys & Gals,

 

Happy Valentines Day!  Things have warmed up here in Utah.  It is quite nice outside and I have started riding my bike to school everyday.  This week I have a few test and some interviews for internships but I am looking forward to the weekend.

 

I am coming to California!  We are leaving Thursday night or early Friday morning.  My roommate Mike and I are driving out to enjoy the weekend.  We will then come back Monday.  It will be fun.  I hope to go into Oakland and visit the Temple and then maybe get some food at Zackary’s in Berkeley and then enjoy the sights of San Francisco.

 

It will be fun.  If you want to hang out, let me know!  I should get back to paying attention to my Chemistry lecture.  Later,

 

Farook

Sunday, 4 February 2007, 9:55 pm

 

Hey Friends,

 

I have returned to good health once again.  Minus the minor “post-flu” cough that I have.  But to aid me in my recovery I have discovered “therapeutic recreation.”  This is a major offered at BYU for those of you who would like to study it further.

 

My schedule has been basically dedicated to making up homework and preparing for the many mid-terms that I have had.  Surprisingly I missed a week of school and still managed to pull an 82% on my chemistry test and I am still waiting on the results of my calculus and engineering tests.

 

The highlight of last week would definitely be the Fray concert that I took my sister to for her birthday (which happens to be tomorrow).  My roommate Mike also took his little sister and we had a big brothers and little sisters activity.

 

This weekend we had stake conference and I was able to attend several meetings with Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Quorum of the Seventy and President Lamb, the Provo Temple President.  It was a great conference.

 

Here are some pictures that I have taken.  Due to the fact that I take picture everywhere that I go, I have decided to “document” Mike’s life for him.  (Just because it is easier to take picture of other people and not so easy to include myself.)

 

Bowling – Mike’s Love-is-Blind Activity was a blast.  We went bowling.

 

 

Concert – Farook, Yasmin, Cole (my apartment-mate), Mike (my roommate), & Lana (Mike’s sister) at the Fray concert.

  

Dinner – Monday night is great.  We have Family Home Evening (FHE) and the girls made breakfast for us. The couple hugging are engaged and Scott will be leaving for Iraq in a few weeks.

 

 

Fashion – Mike’s “personal designer” preparing him for the 80’s roller skating activity.

 

 

The Fray – Just a picture from the concert.

 

 

Yasmin & Date – This is at Love-is-Blind activity.  My sister and her date. I think he plays football for the U. of Utah.

 

 

That is all I have for the moment.  The Super Bowl was good.  My roommates are doing very well and keep me well entertained and occupied.  Mike is constantly dating and always inviting me to join him, for example he went on four dates on Saturday.  Yes I said four… One in the morning then one in the early afternoon, then the later afternoon leaving one more for the later evening.

 

I have been approved to work 25 hours starting next week.  I also have some more interviews with engineering firms to see if I can work for them over the summer.  Chat with you later. 

 

Farook