Week of Bliss

It is our annual treat to visit Jeff's parents in Florida during Christmas. We usually stay at least a week to enjoy the warmer weather and fun family activities. As usual, we gorged on my mother-in-law's amazing cooking, played golf with my father-in-law, went shopping, played poker while drinking Johnny Walker Blue and watched Scraps fetching along our swimming pool. Since Jeff's sister is in Chinese Medicine School in San Francisco, I also indulged in an acupuncture treatment from her!

This year, I learned how to make 粽子 and 韭菜盒子 from my mother-in-law!!! To my surprise, they are not that difficult to make. I'll try to practice more this year! Another new thing for me is playing Mahjong, which I have been missing since we got back in Chicago ;)

Our annual Florida trip of course is also Scraps' favorite time of the year! He gets plenty of walks from grandpa, lots of exercise running around on the golf course and many many treats. This year we took him to the nearby "Dog Wood Park" where there are acres of fields, trails and a lake for dogs to play in. He had the best time!

I'm already looking forward to the next trip!

Taco Night

It's America's Football night, and also the "Taco Night" in the Chou house. While I was being a couch potato, my sweet hubby went to the store to get the ingredients and made us delicious tacos. We put a lot of garlic and onions in the ground beef topped with fresh cheese and veggies. It's such an easy and tasty dinner choice! Give it a try!

Merry Little Christmas

Decoration still in progress....

After the Parties

It's a busy time of the year with many holiday parties. This weekend is especially packed for us. My company holiday party was at Bar Louie in the West Loop on Thursday night, while Jeff had a "guys holiday night-out" at Ditka's.
Friday night, we went to Itasca, IL to Nicole and Danny Franks' for the annual Christmas party with our "conservative" group of friends. This group of friends have been living in the suburbs pretty much immediately after college, and some are already celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary.
Saturday night was Amanda's birthday party at Raj's in downtown. With three consecutive nights of partying, I'm running out of gas and decided to go home early after Raj's. Jeff put me in a cab, and I got home to enjoy some "me time". One of my favorite things to do after the parties is cuddling with Scraps on our couch.

麻油雞!

Yay! I made my first 麻油雞 today, and it's delicious :)
It's snowing out, so I was thinking about "winter 進補"~ It's Jeff's first time trying it. Though he doesn't like ginger, he really enjoys this authentic Taiwanese cuisine.

Deceiving Beauty

It's extremely cold today in Chicago. It can be very deceiving when it's a sunny and seemingly beautiful day. With low in the teens, it might be appropriate to use the word "bitter".

Here is a shot from my office window this afternoon.

Visiting Julia Rose

Matt and Kristen's second child, Julia Rose, was conceived in Maui while they were attending our wedding. I like to call her the Maui baby! Jeff and I finally got a chance to visit her this evening. Unlike her big brother, Nick, Julia has a full head of dark hair. I love seeing Nick and Charlie (their 4-year old dog) hanging out and being best buds, though I feel bad seeing Charlie feeling a little jealous with now 2 children in the house. Before going to bed, Nick, performed a little table dance for us. Humm...his dance moves reminds me of Matt's dancing. Ha~

'Tis the Season to Give

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Jeff and I donated 2 huge bags and 15 racks of clothes to the Salvation Army. These clothes are in great condition, but we haven't worn them in years. They will definitely be useful for the needy in this cold season.

Every year, Jeff and I also join a charity program to be a "City Santa" and buy Christmas presents to children in the Chicago Public Schools. Since there are thousands of children in Chicago watch the holiday season come and go, never opening a gift, this program helps children experience the simple joy in the holiday season.

"No one has ever become poor by giving."

Jen's House Party

Let's just say, this is a long-expected party, and we are all very happy that Jen is living a new life now! It was a fun night with home-made O'dourves, lots of wine, catching-up, karaoke, dancing, and of course my second favorite yellow lab, Fletch.

Ruth Chris 大口吃肉

A group of us good friends had a little pre-holiday get-together on Friday at our favorite steakhouse, Ruth Chris. Andy and Jess picked us up in a cab, and there were 12 of us at dinner. While waiting for our table, pretty much everyone had a glass of martini, pear twist or dirty. Their signature pear twist martini is my all time fav. After we got to our table, we shared 4 bottles of wine and many yummy appetizers, such as oysters, seared ahi, salads, etc. Jeff and I also shared a iceberg salad and sauteed spinach. I had my typical petite fillet cooked perfectly medium-rare :)
The after-party was at Raj's condo where there were lots of music and dancing. To me, it was a perfect Friday night!

2006 Gallo Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon

Another new discovery. Smooth and has a very refreshing pure taste. Nice tang. Beautiful color. Though a little fruity, it's very easy to drink with minimum alcohol taste.

陳水扁自作孼不可活! 貪汙總統入獄!

Bowling night & Lao Sze-Chuan

Bowling is one of Jeff's favorite "winter sports" in Chicago, in addition to flag football. Since Chicago is so flat, going skiing would require a few hours of driving.
Friday night was windy, cold and rainy, so we decided to go to Seven Ten for a few throws. Jeff usually averages around 160-180, and his highest score was 250. I, on the other hand, would be happy if scoring over 100. After a couple of games and a few beers, we started betting! Ha! When money is involved, I started putting my game face on, as Jeff said. But I still lost $15 to Jeff ><"
We had so much fun as usual. Since I'm not an athletic person, this is one of the few sports we love to do together!

After a couple hours of bowling, we drove to Chinatown for some spicy Sze-Chuan cuisine. We ordered a few of our favorite dishes at Lao Sze Chuan :)

Vote for Change! Obama 2008

油飯 recipe

I have always loved 油飯, so when I found this recipe, I couldn't wait to give it a try. To my surprise, it's so easy to make and turned out to be a success! We finished it too quickly and forgot to take pictures this time...
I highly recommend this recipe from La vie de charline --
http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/charline_flutiste/article?mid=593&prev=605&next=524&l=f&fid=24

Recent Pictures -- Virginia Beach 9/26-28

Blood-suckers!

We noticed a couple of pimple-like sores on Scraps' belly and head yesterday. After looking into them more closely, I yelled out frantically to Jeff, "They are ticks!!!" Jeff was calm as always which helped me calm down as well, but my whole body still felt like there were millions of ticks crawling on me. Jeff and I worked as a team to hold down Scraps, and Jeff used a tweezer to remove those ugly insects.

This is my first time seeing ticks. We are certain they got to Scraps while we were in Michigan this past weekend, as the lake house was surrounded by woods. Before we went there for the first time in July, one of our friends reminded us to make sure Scraps didn't miss his medicine (for heart warms, ticks, etc.). I even bought whole bunch of repellents and Neosporin to bring. But it was pretty much raining the entire weekend, so we didn't have to worry too much about it.

It was rather cold this past weekend, and for some reason, my ignorance told me it's too cold for ticks. There's no such thing as too cold for ticks! These blood-suckers will always be active and everywhere!

炸醬麵

I have been craving 炸醬麵 (zhajiangmian), so I decided to make it for dinner tonight. Though I have never made it before, I found some recipes online that looks pretty authentic. It was actually very easy to make if you have all of the key ingredients. Chinese cucumbers were sold out, so I used some butter bok choy as veggies instead. Jeff once again is a big fan of it and finished a big bowl in no time!

Weekend in the lake house

Our good friends, Bret and Katie, invited us to their Michigan lake house this weekend. Jenn and John, as well as Jessica and Andy also spent the weekend there with us. It was our second time at their vacation home, and we had a great time! This time, there was only one baby (Bo), so it's not a baby weekend :)

We got there on Friday evening. We ordered pizza, drank wine/beer, and watched a scary movie, The Strangers. Saturday morning, the boys took Scraps and Re-Run to the beach. All eight of us spent the afternoon in Saugatuck/Holland, a nearby town with many cute shops and art-galleries by the lake. After lunch at The Butler hotel, we saw the Halloween parade, did wine-tasting, shopped at a variety of stores and took pictures of many black squirrels in town.
In the evening, we went to a local "haunted barn" where we went to their haunted house and took the haunted train. I haven't been to a haunted house in years, and it was actually a lot of fun. Everybody was fooling around in the barn like big kids.

After we got back to the lake house, we make tacos for dinner. All of the boys were cooking and making margaritas for the ladies. Everybody got so drunk and played an interesting dice game till 1 am. We then sang karaoke and danced. It was such a fun adult (no toddlers!) weekend with good friends. It was just what we needed -- get out of the city and enjoy the beautiful autumn color change.

Chow Mein Trial

My mother-in-law makes the best chow mein in the world. It's full of veggies and never too oily like those in the restaurants. It definitely is one of the dishes both Jeff and I stuff ourselves with when we visit them in Florida during Christmas. Since we rarely get to taste her cooking, I decided to try and make it as close as hers. I made it for the first time tonight, and Jeff had three plates!!

Spicy Salmon Miso Soup

Jeff said this is my new masterpiece :) If I add crab meat, shrimp, Enoki mushrooms, it will taste exactly like the famous Yosenabe from Mirai. Give it a try -- it's simple, tasty and nutritious!

• Stir fry minced garlic and hot peppers in hot oil, add Napa cabage till tender
  
• Add chicken broth and miso paste, salt, a little sugar
  
• Add fresh salmon and sliced shitaki mushrooms

"Can I Get the Contact Info of Your Boss?"

I had a day trip to Minneapolis today visiting a few clients. At the end of my meeting with Carlson Interactive, my main contact, Laurie Blum, came up to me and asked for my boss's contact information. I was like...OMG...did I do something wrong?? But she quickly explained in front of the entire group that she is nominating me as Carlson's Outstanding Vendor & Partner and wanted to share that with my boss! Whoa! This is my first :) Though I've always had good relationships with my clients, this is really a huge honor because I've only been managing them for about 8 months!!
That really made my day! And the hours delay of my flight coming home didn't seem so bad anymore:)

Kuo-Hsun 加油!

Keep your head high and stay positive! All of the great things in life you deserve will come soon, trust me. I will always be here for you.

Love,
Big sis

Valdivieso of Chile 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

My recent discovery. Very nice taste and easy to drink. I've always loved Chilean wines. They are quality with an inexpensive price tag.

Catching up with Mimi

The last time I visited my friend Mimi was when I went to Dallas for work this May. Though we have been emailing back and forth, it's really nice to get her call and chat for awhile today.

I met Mimi when she lived in Chicago in 2000. I think we actually met in the elevator of our apartment building. During her short stay in Chicago, we spent a lot of time going out to dinner, clubbing or just hanging out. We usually reminiscent about a few interesting yet unusual events we experienced together that year! When she lived in New York City, I visited her a couple of times. Now she is in Dallas getting her MA in physical therapy. We share similar tastes in movies, books, wines, view of life. And most importantly, our value of friendship keeps us in touch all these years while we are apart.

Jeff's Famous Antipasto Salad

This is a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis' Everyday Pasta. We have been serving this when having friends over or bringing it to our friends' parties. It's hearty, colorful and easy to make. Of course, it's one of our favorites! Since we stayed in on Saturday night, Jeff made it for our cravings~

Vinaigrette

• fresh basil, red wine vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper
  
• Blend all the above in a blender while drizzle in extra-virgin olive oil

Antipasto Salad

• fucilli pasta (we use tri-color rotini)
• salami, smoked turkey, pepper jack cheese, rosted red peppers, sometimes green olives
• salt, freshly ground black pepper

Back to ZED451

Rooftop drinks and dinner with 14 friends at ZED451 on Friday night. Beautiful scene, good wine, great food -- it was a lot of fun to hang out with some friends we haven't seen in a while. Rakesh's sister and her boyfriend are in town, and Raj and Amanda are there, too. Rak brought Shannon to the dinner, and it's a big step for him. Looks like the set-up was a success so far!
We got home at around 1 a.m. after a belly full of food and many drinks~

台灣民主萬歲！中華民國萬歲！

Today is the "Double Tenth Day" in Taiwan in memory of Wuchang Uprising (武昌起義) on October 10, 1911, which led to the collapse of China's Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China on January 1, 1912.

I have many feelings this day....can't help but tearing up right now.

Condo Repairs

Our condo association decided to do some repairs to our building, including our roof, exterior, etc. The whole process started this week, so they can be done before it gets cold. The building is about 6 years old, so everything is still in pretty good shape. With some necessary minor repairs, it will be easier to sell in the future.

Histiocytoma

Scraps has been having a few abnormal growth in his skin in the past weeks. There are a couple of spots on his head and some on his legs. Since he was born with beautiful fur, even small hairless spots are very obvious. We finally got an appointment with the vet and took him in for a check-up today. Dr. Kraemer said it's histiocytoma, a benign tumor. She prescribed some liquid medication for the bigger one on his leg, and some ointment for the smaller spots. It will probably take a few weeks to heal.

We boarded him at Bark Chicago during Labor Day weekend, so the doctor said that might probably be what caused it. This is just our second time boarding at Bark Chicago, and I'm never boarding Srappy at that place anymore. There seem to be poor management and sanitary issues. The first time we tried this place was during our wedding, and he got kennel cough :(

Hope my baby Scrappy feels better soon. He weights 72.8 pounds today.

Cooking Dinner for Two

I usually like to cook on Sundays. Since Jeff caught a cold this weekend, I thought it's a great opportunity to cook some nutritious dinner for the both of us. I crave Chinese cuisine most of the time, so I had a few dishes in mind. Sometimes we cook pasta dishes together, as Jeff's a big fan of Italian as well. Sunday afternoon, I got the ingredients from Whole Foods (I love shopping there), and here's what's for dinner --

Sunday:

• Sauteed tilapia in wine and soy sauce
• Baby bok choy stir fried with garlic
• Chicken soup with shitaki mushrooms

Monday:

• Sauteed flank steak with green onions and hot peppers (蔥爆牛肉)
• Broccoli stir fried with garlic
• Chicken soup with shitaki mushrooms

Since Jeff is a better cook then I am, I'm always the sous chef when we cook together. So whenever I'm cooking by myself, I wanted to "try" to impress him :) The flank steak dish is one of Jeff's favorites, so I got the recipe from Jeff's mom. Honestly, I was under some pressure when cooking this dish ><... Fortunately, it was a success, and Jeff loved it! The chicken soup was also a triumph this time (taste like professional made thanks to my secret ingredients), which also helped remedy Jeff's cold.

I love cooking for the two of us.

Bucktown 5K

This is the second year I've been running the Bucktown 5K~
I'm not a runner, and I'm doing it more as a social thing. Since it's only about 3 miles, our group of girls usually run together and then go to brunch at Cafe de Luca after the race. This year, Katie, Jessica, Melissa, Jen, Shannie and I participated. Marie is 8 months pregnant, and Jenn did not even know that she needs to register to run ("oh, you mean we have to pay to run the 5K?" ><).
The star/finish spot is about 4 blocks from our house, so Jeff and Scraps went with me and cheered for me during my run. Yes! They are my biggest fans for everything :)
Though I had to walk a little, I finished in less than 38 minutes. Not bad for a person who never works out! I'm not exaggerating -- I couldn't find my gym shoes this morning, as I haven't worn them in at least 5 months! Ha!

Couples Dinner & Skinny Jeans

Scraps stayed with Jenn and John last weekend while we were in Virginia Beach. John has always wanted a dog, but Jenn thinks until they get a house, it's not a wise decision. They love Scraps, who enjoys hanging out with uncle John and auntie Jenn. If it's not for them, we would have to put Scraps in a kennel, where is definitely not as comfy as a real home!

As an appreciation, we took them to Half Shell for dinner on Friday night. All four of us had king crab legs as an entree. We also ordered oysters as an appetizer. Dinner was great as usual. We then walked over to Halsted and had some frozen yogurt.

Jenn wore a pair of cute skinny jeans with long boots....love that look! I still have a gift card to Barney's from Jeff, so I picked up a new pair on Saturday :) I've always been reluctant to wear skinny jeans, but I think I'm just older now and feel a lot more comfortable about my body!

In Virginia Beach this weekend

Jeff and I are leaving for Virginia Beach today to attend his cousin, Janel's wedding on Saturday. We are also invited to the rehearsal dinner tonight. I'm excited to see all of Jeff's family, relatives, cousins, etc. His dad has a huge family (8 brothers & sisters), and they are all very outgoing. I haven't seen many of them since my wedding in February! I look forward to spending some time with them~ It will be a fun party!

Wake Me Up When September Ends~

The Most Sensitive Dog

I swear, Scraps understands both English and Chinese. Most of all, he is the best listener and can be the best psychologist ever!

I've been under tremendous stress at the end of Q3 waiting for a couple more deals to come in. Being a sale manager can be very challenging in this economy. Since Jeff is out of town, and I wanted a listener, I had to "talk" to Scraps. He had no choice :)

As I continued talking, he looked at me very seriously. I think he was trying to understand me. At one point, he looked so intrigued that made me talk more. After letting thoughts out, I felt great of course. After I turned off our night light and was ready to go to bed. He came to me and rested his body on me while strategically placed his head next to mine. I felt like he was telling me, "It's okay mommy, I'm here for you!"

Meeting with Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis today

Met with America's largest brewer but infamously the cheapest client. Ha...wish they would buy more products, but they are always petty about a puny annual price increase. Oh well~

Eight Thousand Mile Friendship

My friend, Sunny, and I were once roommates in Wesley Girls' High in Taipei. Even though we are now 8,000 miles apart, our friendship will continue to grow partly thanks to our sharing each others' lives through blogs.
I never knew a simple message could be so powerful. Here is a page from her blog:

"好友造訪blog"

前兩天上來，看到遠在美國的vivi的留言，心裡有說不出的感動。十多年的同窗情誼，歷久彌新。縱使我們已經多年未見，分隔地球兩端，總是能在虛擬的空間裡，透過不同的文字互相關心打氣。

前幾個月我遇到一件大事，足以動搖我婚姻的大事，我不知該向誰訴說，只能一直壓抑自己的情緒。vivi從我msn暱稱的隻字片語透視了我的心思，跨海越洋的 陪我打開心結，誰說螢幕上的文字是冷冰冰的?我就覺得字字句句都溫暖我的心，她每打出一段文字，我就流一次淚，就算她打的是英文，還得透過我的大腦轉換成 我熟悉的語言，但感動並沒有因為這樣有分秒誤差。

我好感謝那個晚上，她在那個國度裡的白天，懂了我的黑。給我安全感，讓我能從悲傷中走出來，讓我懂得如何重新去愛。

Jeff in Southern Illionis Sunday - Wednesday

Jeff leaves this P.M. for Southern IL for client meetings from Monday to Wednesday. It's an important trip at a refinery (he can't disclose which one due to privacy agreements), as Jeff is the IL state expert and the most experienced air quality engineer/consultant.

As I guessed, he reserved a car with Sirius satellite radio, so he can listen to the NFL games while driving down today.
Drive carefully, bud.

Cafe Laguardia + Map Room

It was surprisingly a really busy Friday. It might be because I had quite a few things to follow up after my meeting, but it most likely is because it's near the end of Q3. Management likes to freak out on us sales people, pushing us to close as many deals as possible.

Anywho, after a busy day and a somewhat stressful Friday, I wanted to go somewhere for dinner with good drinks. Cafe Laguardia came to mind as one of our top choices. It has the best Cuban food and the greatest Mojitos. I normally don't drink Rum unless I'm drinking Mojitos. This one has a lot of mint leaves, a cherry and a piece of sugar cane, so after a few sips with no taste of alcohol, it took my edge off immediately :) As usual, I had Ossobuco (slow-cooked pork with bones in a spicy stew style), and Jeff, instead of his usual Picadillo, got grilled whole redsnapper. Oh~ they were as great as always.

After dinner, we stopped in the Map Room across the street. We hadn't been in there for about 2 years. It's a fun bar with cool decoration and a variety of different ales. Jeff had Bells Oktoberfest, and I had vodka club soda.

My Love Hate Relationship with the CTA

Every Chicagoan can tell you how crucial it is for the city to revamp Chicago's train system. My love hate relationship with the Blue Line in particular can be best illustrated in my experience today.

It was 7 am, and I was on my way to the Blue Line to go to O'Hare for a 8:51 a.m. flight to Kansas City for an important client meeting. I can certainly take a cab, but why not take the direct train to the airport if I have plenty of time? I'm such a frequent flier, so I was confident the Blue Line was the best option at that time. Anywho, when I get to the train station, the CTA workers were yelling there were no trains to the Loop. Thank god the train to O'Hare is still working, I think to myself. After texting Jeff, so he can be ready for this incident this morning, I boarded my train and got a good seat. I was really into my magazine, and it was a smooth ride until we got to the Belmont stop. Suddenly, the train operator told us the train would on longer be in service. Everyone was forced to get off the train and wait for another one. I couldn't believe this was happening!!!

It was already 7:35 am, and there's no way I'd catch my flight if I wasted another minute. So I left the stop, but the cab line was no where to be found (how is that possible?)! Good that I spotted a cab (the only cab!), so I started sprinting in my beautiful heels to chase it. Just when I was close, a guy got in the cab before me! I think to myself, "Can I afford to give up this cab and miss/reschedule my important meeting?" No, out of the question! I then started sprinting again and shouting, and finally got their attention. Next thing I know, I was sharing the cab with the guy. His name was Stefan, and he was going to Napa for a wedding this weekend (how nice!). I also found out that he might be looking to buy a place in our area! I described our condo to him, and he seemed very interested. I gave him my card asking him to call me when he starts looking. Hey you never know!

Fortunately, I got on my flight, and my important meeting went extremely well.

September 16, 1975

My bud was born 33 years ago today.

I often tell him I have to come all the way to the U.S. in order to meet him :) This is his first birthday that we celebrate together as husband and wife, and I look forward to celebrating every year with him for the rest of our lives.

Thank you for making me your wife, bud.

Busy September Saturday

Marie's Baby Shower
11 a.m.
Quartino's
626 N. State Street

Darnell's Birthday Party
7:30 p.m.
Angels & Mariachis
1721 W. Division Street

Taking Jeff to Half Shell

Jeff and I enjoy good chow-down and cuisines from all over the world. Chicago is definitely a city with a variety of restaurants offering incredible culinary. We will take you to one or more of the following places if you come to visit!

Seafood -- Half Shell
Southern -- Dixie Kitchen
Tapas -- Mercat
Italian -- La Scarola
Cuban -- Cafe Laguardia
Mexican -- Uncle Julio's Hacienda
Brazilian -- ZED 451
Japanese -- Mirai
Korean -- Kalbi House
Chinese -- Moon Palace
Steak -- Ruth Chris
Deli -- Manny's

Jeff's birthday is next Tuesday, and I'm taking him to Half Shell tonight to celebrate! Their king crab legs are out of this world! Can't wait!!

Visiting Bo Brania

Our friends, Bret and Katie, had their new born son, Bo Joseph, about 2 weeks ago. We went to visit them last weekend. He is such a cute and good baby!

I love seeing Jeff holding Bo : )

Dinner @ ZED451

Jeff's parents are in town from Florida this weekend to attend a friend's son's wedding, which is on Sunday. They came to the city to spend Saturday with us! As usual, they brought us a lot of food, such as barbecue pork, barbecue duck, moon cakes, Taiwanese beef jerky and bean curds, etc. They love Scraps, who was so excited to see grandpa and grandma!

We then went to dinner at a new restaurant in downtown, ZED451, a Brazilian-style steakhouse in a modern upscale dining environment. I particularly love the salad bars. My favorite dishes from the salad bars are sauteed mushrooms and spiced green beans. For the main dishes, the lightly-fried Mahi Mahi and slowly-cooked spare ribs are out of this world. We enjoyed our delicious food with a bottle of 2005 Terrazas de los Andes Malbec from Argentina.

ReBAR + Redlight

Friday after work, I met up with Shannon and Jenn for drinks at ReBAR in the new Trump Tower. It was a very trendy place with a nice view. We had such a good time catching up. Shannon is now working at Google; however, she said she had to take a pay cut from her previous job. I have always heard about Google's low pay with incredible benefits, such as free breakfast and lunch, annual ski trips, lavish company outings, etc.

We each had two drinks, as the guy behind us kept bumping into us, so he bought us a round of drinks as an apology :) At the end of our drinks, Jenn and I had an interesting idea -- setting Shannon up with Rakesh! I think it's perfect, and they are going to have fun together!

After Shannon left, Jenn and I went to Redlight in the west loop for dinner. The spiced ribs (appetizer) was unbelievable. But the curries we each had were sort of mediocre. We each also had a glass of champagn at dinner to wrap up the fun Friday night!

Can't Stop Watching the National Geographic Channel

With all of the intriguing programs, I haven't been able to stop watching the National Geographic Channel for the past two nights.

Surviving Alcatraz
How it was - September 11
Secret Yellowstone
Dog Town

San Diego Zoo

It was such a fun weekend in San Diego! One of the highlights is definitely the San Diego Zoo. We are such animal lovers, and it was just like heaven for us hanging out and seeing all kinds of creatures. There were popular animals like polar bears, pandas, hippos, giraffes, monkeys, koala bears, etc. We've also seen many unique and unfortunately endangered animals.


It's been many years since I visited a zoo, not to mention one of the best zoos in the U.S. I have to say, it was exactly what I wanted. Being around nature and the animals not only brings a new aspect to our lives, but also refreshes our soul.

Couples Weekend -- San Diego!

Jeff and John had already been in the West Coast, so Jenn and I flew into San Diego to meet up with our husbands and spent a fun couples weekend getaway in San Diego. It was relaxing and fun....exactly what I needed!

Friday, August 29
11:35 a.m. Arrived in San Diego
1:15 - 2:20 p.m. Lunch at Cesar's Lounge (Mediterranean)
2:20 - 3:00 p.m. Strolled the Gaslamp district
3:30 - 6:30 p.m. San Diego Zoo
8:30 - 10:00 p.m. Dinner at Acqua Al (Italian)

Saturday, August 30
10:00 a.m. Brunch at Mission Cafe
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Nordstrom San Diego with Jenn (boys were patiently awaiting in the hotel watching Illini vs. Mizzou game)
1:30 - 3:00 p.m. La Jolla
3:30 - 5:30 p.m. Drinks and light appetizer by the Pacific Beach
5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Boys body surfing while girls reading and hanging out on the beach
8:45 p.m. Dinner at Nobu (Yum!!!)
11:00 p.m. Drinks at Basix

Sunday, August 31
12:35 p.m. Bye Bye San Diego...flying back to Chicago

"I'm kind of a big deal"

Our Executive VP, Jack, came to town from New York to spend an evening with us as our Chicago Office cMM Summer Outing. We started in Casey Moran's in Wrigleyville for drinks and dinner, then headed to the Cubs vs. Phillies game. It was such a fun evening, and I have to say Jack is definitely my favorite person in our entire cMM team. He is such a good sport to wear a bidazzeled yellow shirt and white shorts (over his pants) the entire night. And...Cubs win!

My Pledge

I pledge to count my blessings everyday;
I pledge to constantly remind myself what really is important in life;
I pledge to start focusing on our hopes instead of our fears;
I pledge to stop doubting and start dreaming;
I pledge to focus on the positives and never stop believing;
I pledge to concentrate on visualizing the life I want to have with Jeff and our future family.

Recurring Dreams

These scenarios came up again in my dreams last night and the night before!! I have been having these recurring dreams since I was a teenager!

"I'm taking an important exam, but somehow I'm so distracted that I can't finish it on time."

"I'm getting ready to go somewhere very important, but for some reason, I'm interrupted and deterred, so I ended up being extremely late."

Anxiety issues?

Summer Sluggishness

Oh you know want I mean! It's summer, and it's hard to have motivation for anything except for play. Now it's passed mid August, and I can't help but feeling a little depressed that we're moving towards the end of my favorite season.

In addition to fooling around, what have been keeping me more upbeat is re-connecting with old friends. I've been missing some of my good friends from college, and I feel really lucky to finally got in touch with them after over 10 years. I'm so glad that everyone is doing well. Kairat is running his own business and has 2 boys. Aigul is also working back home in Kazakhstan and has a cute 4-year old son. Denis and Suzi have been living in Portland, and they are 5-month pregnant now!

I'm such a nostalgic and sentimental person, and I really hope one day we can all meet up and catch up on everything over drinks.

Napa Wine Tasting

As part of our 2008 comScore Media Metrix National Sales Meeting (August 11 - 14), we visited Napa for wine tasting today. Two wineries visited were V Sattui and Merryvale. While in Merryvale, we had a very informative wine component tasting seminar led by a sommelier in their largest cellar. It was an amazing experience.

I have been drinking a lot wine in the past few years, and I do have a few favorites. I thought I was more of a Merlot girl, but I found out Cabernet is really my true love. I particularly love Merryvale's 2005 Cabernet, as well as the 2006 Pinot Noir Carneros. Chilean wines are also impeccable. Try Casillero del Diablo 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon -- it's delicious and surprisingly affordable.

Everytime I come to the San Francisco area, I have the urge to move here. Everytime I visit the wine country, I am more and more convinced it is the place I'd like to retire in.

Swedo Golf Outing 2008

Swedo Golf Outing is probably the largest charity event among U of I alumni every year. Since Jeff and pretty much all of his friends play golf, I have also been volunteering with the girls to help raise money for the Swedo Foundation.

The Swedo Foundation was formed in 2002 to create a lasting tribute to R. Gregory Swedo, an U of I alumni who was tragically killed in a hit and run accident in November 2001. The annual golf outing is a great way to get friends/family together, play golf and enjoy a beautiful summer day. It's $120 per golfer, and all money raised will go to the Foundation.

Jenn, Marie, Jen and I are participating this year again (we have been volunteering to raise money since 2003). It's awesome that Jessica and Suzanna also joined us this year. We are sponsoring Par 3 -- "Hole in One for $10,000".

As always, we provide food and drinks out of our own pockets and sell them to raise money. This year we have home-made cookies, home-made lemonade (with vodka), snacks, fruits, water, etc.

Since my "Asian massage" has been so popular over the years (many golfers have been asking about it prior to the outing), we decided to raise the price to $15 from $10 last year for a 5-minute shoulder/neck massage. Many have complimented my skills and techniques; some even mistaken me as a real masseuse! Ha! We raised over $1,000 this year for hole in total. Everybody is having fun, and it's all for a good cause. What can be better than that?

Don't Mess with China

The Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony is absolutely top notch! It is perfect in representing China as a highly-populated country with disciplined and intelligent people. I'm impressed with the country's seriousness on extreme precision while taking center-stage in this event. I have to admit the performances not only gave me goose-bumps and brought me to tears, but also made me proud to be a Chinese (from Taiwan).

Retro Marriage

Obviously, "stay-at-home wives" has became a growing phenomenon in the 21-st Century....Whoa! Where did this come from? No kids and no job? I admit it's not that I haven't thought about it (I often say that I'd like to be a say-home-mom with no kids but 4 dogs when I grow up), but the fear of feeling guilty, useless and even boredom drove me away from it.

In this economy, honestly, money is more attractive than anything to me. I often think about retirement, world-traveling, or just the definite next step -- selling our condo and purchase a single family home. I have to admit I love making my own money. It's a sense of independence having a career and a sense of accomplishment every time I close a sales deal.

Maybe not now, but at some point, I'd love to be a stay-home-wife for my dear husband and be a home-maker (so what exactly is it?), of course, after I've done everything I want to do in my life.

Tornados in the City

It's a crazy night with tornado's in the city of Chicago! I had a work dinner to go to, and I hated it. C'mon! It's Monday night. We are all exhausted from the weekend. If you ever lived in Chicago, you know how precious weekends are in the summer. Everyone is out and about...BBQs, Cubs games, Dog beach, Golf Outings, or just hanging out. Many companies offer summer hours on Fridays. Practically no one is in the mood to work on Fridays during these 3 months.

But we were all forced to have dinner tonight with our VP who came into town from New York for a conference tomorrow. It then became a huge group with 13 of us. I guess after dinner started, it was not as bad as I thought it would be....got a chance to meet others from our Reston office.

So glad I'm home now. Looking forward to crawling into bed anytime soon. What's next? A bright and early morning in Navy Pier for a breakfast forum at 7:30 a.m.

Catching up on The New Yorker

So I really need to catch up on my The New Yorker reading....It's already early August, and I'm still reading the mid-June issue. Looking back, the only time I read The New Yorker was when I was on the train going to work and coming home. If I took lunch, I would sit on the lawn by my office building and enjoy my reading. Sometimes before I went to bed I would catch up on some if I didn't already pass out on the couch. If I read in bed, I'd pass out even more quickly.

The thing is I'd rather read slowly than missing any articles. It's a great periodical. It makes politics a fun read. It has topics I would never acquire from any other publications. It has the best short fictions. It educates me about Science, a subject I'm fascinated about but never was good at. It has interesting views on current TV programs, theaters, books, etc.

I can go on and on about The New Yorker. It's one of my favorite subscriptions, and I can't believe I had been missing out till early this year.

Alright, it's time to leave the computer and bury myself in The New Yorker. It has calming effects on me on a Sunday night.

"I am mine"

We saw a great tatoo on a cute girl's back, which says --

"I know I was born and I know that I will die.
The in between is mine.
I am mine"

BUT...found out it was the partial lyrics of a Pearl Jam's song. Unoriginal.

MonDog Day

It's my favorite day of the week -- Saturday!!!! I know for sure it's also Scraps' favorite day...ha...he probably thinks Saturday is his day in our family. I bet he is thinking on every Saturday morning, "Daddy and Mommy are gone the whole time for 5 days doing their own stuff, and we should do things I want to do today!"

He typically waits patiently for us to wake up until about 7 a.m., then after his breakfast, he first paces around our bed and makes funny noises. He knows I love his funny noises and would then let him com up to our bed to get his morning lick and give him his morning kiss.

MonDog is Chicago's largest Dog Beach in the city. It's exhilarating and relaxing to hang out and to see Jeff fetch Yellow to Scraps in a beautiful summer morning. Seeing Jeff and Scraps play together, I often say to myself, "I wish time could just stop here."

Lollapolooza 2008

It's our second time to Lollapolooza, and it's a memorable experience. The memorable part is not just about the music, but the whole experience.

We got there at around 2:30 p.m., and it was a humid, sunny, 85-degree day in Chicago summer. Jeff, my husband made sure that we drank a lot of water to prevent heat stroke. As always, my cautious husband complements my carelessness.

It was a lot fun the first few hours after our arrival....Beers and good (but not extraordinary) music -- Electric Touch, Louis XIV, The Kills. I was looking forward to my first experience of The Black Keys, but to our disappointment, the speakers were not functioning well, and they sounded interrupted and partly delayed.

Certainly, majority of the people attended the first day of the Lollapolooza is to see Radiohead. We put our blankets down to save some spots for John, Prow, Matt, etc. But it did not work....almost 75,000 people start cramping in front of the AT&T stage, where Radiohead performs. During the whole time, I was thinking about leaving our spot and go somewhere less crowded and meet up with everyone at the end of the show. Everyone's sweaty body touches each other...humid...no air coming in...at one point, it felt like everyone around me was smoking (pot or cigarettes). An hour feels like 10 years....I was convinced I was eaten by weird fishes and slowly dying. When I can hear Radiohead's live performance of Weird Fishes?

Fortunately our friends did find us! But when Jeff went to get us dinner, he had not returned for almost 1 hour. Just 5 minutes before the show started, I had to clime on Prow's shoulder to find Jeff....I used a borrowed rainbow umbrella as a "landmark" and hoping he would see me. While impatient and sweating audience started throwing things at the umbrella wanted me to get down, I saw Jeff. What a relieve....I didn't want to see the show without my husband. I almost had a panic attack.

After the music came on....15 minutes as the starter. I yelled out, "It was all worth it!!!" And come on, it's Radiohead. I probably would do this only for them.