Jeff went to his first yoga class with me on Saturday morning! I know yoga is good for the spine and great for different muscles in the body, and I believe it will be great for Jeff, since he's had spine injuries before. I was, however, a little worried that Jeff might not like it.
But I was so impressed! He was so flexible and was even able to do positions that I was not able to do during my first yoga class! It was a beginner's yoga class and a small class, so the instructor was able give much attention to all of the the students. After the class, Jeff said he felt relaxed and his body felt great. I know we will be going to more yoga classes together!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Blue Fin
On our date night, Jeff and I tried a new Japanese restaurant near our house, Blue Fin. We are especially picky when it comes to Japanese cuisine and sushi, so we always go to either Marai or Matsuya, where we can get the freshest fish and most unique and delicious dishes you can ever have.
However, since Matsuya is currently closed under remodeling, and Marai typically needs reservation after 6:30 pm on a Friday night, we decided to give Blue Fin a try. Almost a decade ago when I first moved to Chicago, I actually went to Blue Fin a couple times with friends. I thought it was pretty good at that time, but I did think it was a little pricey for the quality of food.
We ordered a lobster roll for appetizer, a golden dragon maki (softshell crab, salmon, tobico), the grilled scallops with rice, as well as a few pieces of sushi and sashimi. My Uni sushi was great, and the hamachi sashimi was very fresh. However, the lobster roll was definitely not worth the price. I like the maki, but Jeff was not crazy about the sauce on the maki that was not mentioned in the menu. We also thought the scrallops was too well done.
All and all, we thought the meal was a little over-priced for what we had. But I'm glad we gave it a try, so now we know!
However, since Matsuya is currently closed under remodeling, and Marai typically needs reservation after 6:30 pm on a Friday night, we decided to give Blue Fin a try. Almost a decade ago when I first moved to Chicago, I actually went to Blue Fin a couple times with friends. I thought it was pretty good at that time, but I did think it was a little pricey for the quality of food.
We ordered a lobster roll for appetizer, a golden dragon maki (softshell crab, salmon, tobico), the grilled scallops with rice, as well as a few pieces of sushi and sashimi. My Uni sushi was great, and the hamachi sashimi was very fresh. However, the lobster roll was definitely not worth the price. I like the maki, but Jeff was not crazy about the sauce on the maki that was not mentioned in the menu. We also thought the scrallops was too well done.
All and all, we thought the meal was a little over-priced for what we had. But I'm glad we gave it a try, so now we know!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Clarity and Relaxation
I went to a yoga class for the first time after a few years this Saturday, and I've felt like a changed person since.
I've never been a person who loves to work out. In fact, I really dislike working out. I used to do a lot of pilates, which is great for stretching, muscle elongation and is definitely a great form of work-out. But, maybe I didn't have the best instructor, and I felt I always had to spend extra time driving to the gym and find parking everytime I wanted to go to a class. Before my wedding, I also used to work with a personal trainer to tone my body, and actually I continued the training a few more months after the wedding. However, I finally decide to stop when I realized I lost my motivation to squat 30 times while carrying a 60 pound bar on my shoulder, and the worst came when I drag everytime I was getting ready to go.
For the past couple of years, my excuse of not working out has been that I walk a lot on my way to the office and back. I'm a fast walker, and the long walks do feel like light cardio work-out. Recently however, I've been feeling extremely stressed out at work. It might be due to the nature of any sales jobs, but for a few weeks I was feeling very burnt out, and I would wake up in the middle of the night contemplating my strategy to close certain contracts. I've had a great first quarter and a successful April, but I'm always thinking about my next contract.
The mental stress has put a toll on my body as well, so I thought I need some form of exercise besides walking that will help me relax. It might be a message from God that made me discover a yoga studio in the alternative health organization 2 blocks from our house! And they are currently running a promotion. How perfect! I've always wanted to be able to walk (rather than driving) to a gym or exercise class!
The class I went to on Saturday morning was a beginner's yoga class. It focused on breathing and a lot of the basic postures and flow. After the 1.5 hour class, I felt unbelievably relaxed physically and got so much clarity mentally. I got home and couldn't stop smiling! It's hard to explain, but I was really in a nirvana state. I felt all of the knots in my body have been opened, and all of my thoughts have been crystallized.
In the late afternoon and evening, however, I started to have really bad headache. For some reason, I felt the headache was happening in a good way. I felt like my body was releasing all of the bad stuff out! After a good night sleep, I was like a brand new person. I have great energy all day on Sunday and no aches and pains at all. After a day of running errands, being at a birthday party, and an hour long walk with Scraps, I still feel like I can run for miles.
I've never been a person who loves to work out. In fact, I really dislike working out. I used to do a lot of pilates, which is great for stretching, muscle elongation and is definitely a great form of work-out. But, maybe I didn't have the best instructor, and I felt I always had to spend extra time driving to the gym and find parking everytime I wanted to go to a class. Before my wedding, I also used to work with a personal trainer to tone my body, and actually I continued the training a few more months after the wedding. However, I finally decide to stop when I realized I lost my motivation to squat 30 times while carrying a 60 pound bar on my shoulder, and the worst came when I drag everytime I was getting ready to go.
For the past couple of years, my excuse of not working out has been that I walk a lot on my way to the office and back. I'm a fast walker, and the long walks do feel like light cardio work-out. Recently however, I've been feeling extremely stressed out at work. It might be due to the nature of any sales jobs, but for a few weeks I was feeling very burnt out, and I would wake up in the middle of the night contemplating my strategy to close certain contracts. I've had a great first quarter and a successful April, but I'm always thinking about my next contract.
The mental stress has put a toll on my body as well, so I thought I need some form of exercise besides walking that will help me relax. It might be a message from God that made me discover a yoga studio in the alternative health organization 2 blocks from our house! And they are currently running a promotion. How perfect! I've always wanted to be able to walk (rather than driving) to a gym or exercise class!
The class I went to on Saturday morning was a beginner's yoga class. It focused on breathing and a lot of the basic postures and flow. After the 1.5 hour class, I felt unbelievably relaxed physically and got so much clarity mentally. I got home and couldn't stop smiling! It's hard to explain, but I was really in a nirvana state. I felt all of the knots in my body have been opened, and all of my thoughts have been crystallized.
In the late afternoon and evening, however, I started to have really bad headache. For some reason, I felt the headache was happening in a good way. I felt like my body was releasing all of the bad stuff out! After a good night sleep, I was like a brand new person. I have great energy all day on Sunday and no aches and pains at all. After a day of running errands, being at a birthday party, and an hour long walk with Scraps, I still feel like I can run for miles.
What the Dog Saw
After reading Outliers, I was eager to read the next book by Malcolm Gladwell. I was really looking forward to being surprised again.What the Dog Saw did not disappoint me, and Malcolm once again opened my eyes and captured my attention throughout the book. What's so great about Malcolm's writings is that they have the ability to engage you and make you think.
If you're in a mood for an insightful non-fiction, I highly recommend this book. It will worth your time!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
My Bro
My brother, Kuo-Hsun, works for a well-known ad agency in Taipei. Because of his fun personality and good looks, sometimes he is asked to be in their clients' ads!
Take a look, and click on his character!
http://www.pureyogurt.com.tw/
Take a look, and click on his character!
http://www.pureyogurt.com.tw/
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Spoiled Rotten
Saturday morning, Jeff, in his "Scraps' voice" (yes, we have a common voice for Scraps, so we can pretend to be like him in conversations....Don't judge!) said, "Ma, we are going to get you a Mother's Day present today!"
So with that, Jeff took me to Scoop NYC and Barney's to shop for jeans and drove me to Nordstrom and bought me a pair of Tory Burch flats!
While we were on our way to Nordstrom...
Me: Oh babe, you don't need to buy me anything! I have everything!
Jeff: I haven't got you any presents in a while, and you're such a great mom to Scraps! You deserve it.
On Sunday, Jeff's parents and sister visited us from Florida and San Francisco and stayed with us for a couple days. As usual, they brought a lot of food and treats for us, and we all went to a new Taiwanese restaurant in Chinatown for lunch. For dinner, we went to our favorite seafood restaurant, Half Shell, for oysters and crab legs.
Scraps was spending every minute he could with grandpa and grandma, too! He snuggled with them on the couch like a lap dog, and sneaked into their room and onto their bed at night.
It was a very nice weekend, and yes, I'm spoiled rotten by my sweet husband and his wonderful family.
So with that, Jeff took me to Scoop NYC and Barney's to shop for jeans and drove me to Nordstrom and bought me a pair of Tory Burch flats!
While we were on our way to Nordstrom...
Me: Oh babe, you don't need to buy me anything! I have everything!
Jeff: I haven't got you any presents in a while, and you're such a great mom to Scraps! You deserve it.
On Sunday, Jeff's parents and sister visited us from Florida and San Francisco and stayed with us for a couple days. As usual, they brought a lot of food and treats for us, and we all went to a new Taiwanese restaurant in Chinatown for lunch. For dinner, we went to our favorite seafood restaurant, Half Shell, for oysters and crab legs.
Scraps was spending every minute he could with grandpa and grandma, too! He snuggled with them on the couch like a lap dog, and sneaked into their room and onto their bed at night.
It was a very nice weekend, and yes, I'm spoiled rotten by my sweet husband and his wonderful family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
)
