Partners for Life

After a few glasses of wine...

me: You never told me why you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me...
Jeff: Well, it's because you're goofy.
me: Haha, very funny. No, seriously, tell me.
Jeff: I feel we connect in so many ways.
me: I know, but what made you say, "I want to spend the rest of my life with this person, and not anybody else?
Jeff: You really make me think about things that I normally don't think about.

Thanks for indulging me, bud. And thank you for being patient with me, and for standing by me through thick and thin. You make me realize what really is important in life.

The Best Prime Rib Restaurant

and yes, it is Lawry's!

We decided to walk around downtown and run a few errands Saturday afternoon. We window-shopped in the gold coast, where we haven't been in a couple years, and then back to Michigan Avenue. After strolling for a couple hours, we were wondering what to have for dinner. Since Lawry's was just a few blocks away, we decided to go and see if they have any tables available. Luckily, the wait was only like 15-20 minutes!

The last time we were at Lawry's was when Kuo-Hsun visited us about 1.5 years ago. We had a great meal there and headed to the Red Head Piano Bar. This time we were actually sitting at the same table as last time! We ordered our usual dishes, prime rib, baked potatoes, sauteed mushrooms. The meal comes with their famous and delicious spinning salad and Yorkshire pudding. We also shared a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

What a great impromptu prime rib dinner to treat ourselves :)

Remembering Dixin Kitchen

It was a sad day in the early summer. When we called to make sure Dixie Kitchen was open, we were told it is closed PERMANENTLY! Jeff and I looked at each other and were stunned, "Oh, no!" Dixie Kitchen is our favorite restaurant for Southern cuisine in Chicago. Their fried oysters with special dipping sauce might be one of the best things I've tasted. We also loved their gumbo, jambalaya and red beans and rice. Though we realized many of these most ordered dishes will be available at their sister restaurant, Calypso Cafe, right across the street, we were too skeptical to try it.

This Saturday, we just really crave the fried oysters, so we decided to pay a visit to Calypso Cafe. While Dixie Kitchen was full of character with its southern interior design, walking into Calypso Cafe is like visiting a tropical restaurant in Key West or Hawaii. It was a pleasant surprise that we found "shrimp and conch fritter" in the menu, and they are really tasty and authentic! That definitely is a plus because we fell in love with conch fritters in Key West, but haven't been able to find them in Chicago. The gumbo and jambalaya were the same as those in Dixie Kitchen, but I thought the breading on the fried oysters was a little thicker.

Oh well, the whole Calypso experience was actually pretty good. The addition of the shrimp and conch fritter definitely helps!

Thinking in Relative Terms

"The Informant!" is a new movie that both Jeff and I really enjoyed this Saturday. It is based on a true story about Mark Whitacre, the high-level executive at ADM turned whistle-blower in the early 1990s. Being an extremely intelligent and knowledgeable individual, we think Whitacre's biggest downfall might lie in his always thinking in relative terms.

It is a very funny and quirky film, and Matt Damon was incredible in portraying the main character. It might not be a movie that everyone loves, but it will definitely leave you thinking after watching it!

Stumbling on Happiness

This book piqued my interest not only because of the title, but also because I wanted to get more insights on how human mind works from a renowned Harvard psychologist, Daniel Gilbert. "Stumbling on Happiness" discussed how the shortcomings of our imagination and foresight cause us to misconceive our future and misestimate our satisfactions.

According to Gilbert, human being is the only animal that thinks about the future. When we think about the future, our emotion is being affected by our imagination of the future, whether it's happiness or anxiety. Gilbert discussed the results of many latest scientific research in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, philosophy and behavioral economics. Though some of the research results are not surprising to me at all, his conclusions in discussing how human mind works can be quite intriguing.

"And when I go there, I go there with you..."

It was a perfect Saturday night, and we shared it with a few good friends and 68,000 other people. U2 kicked off its North America tour in Chicago's Soldier Field (where Chicago Bears play), and it was amazing!

We met up with the Vlahavas' and the Massucci's at Opera for dinner before the show. It was, to me, a French-fusion Chinese restaurant. Many of the traditional Chinese dishes were transformed into a more decorative entree with creative ingredients and a obvious Western twist in the flavor. We shared a few appetizers before the entree, and I was actually very pleased with my sea scallop with Thai chili corn, hoisin sause and crispy pork belly. Since Opera was conveniently located in the South Loop, many diners were also going to the show.

U2 shows have always been our favorite, and we actually went to 3 or 4 of them in 2005. Their stage design always captures me, and it's no exception this time. The center stage turns 360-degrees, and the island and bridge structure allowed the band more interaction with the fans. Our seats were to the left side of the stage (closer to where The Edge stands), which was perfect! They played a few of their new songs, but also a bunch of their greatest hits throughout the years. "Bad" was a surprise for Jeff, and I was always excited to hear "One", "With or Without You", "Where the Streets Have no Name", "Walk On" and "Elevation". Soldier Field is a great place for concerts, and I'm glad I saw U2 there!