Weird Fishes

Wedding Anniversary

2011-02-06T10:27:00.006-06:00

To celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary, Jeff surprised me with a day of spa, massage and an awesome meal at Chicago Cut steak house! He sent a romantic invitation to my office on Friday with the schedule and activities we will be doing on Saturday, which totally made my day!

We started at Urban Oasis in Gold Coast, where Jeff booked a therapeutic massage for me, and he got a relaxation massage. It was our first time to Urban Oasis, but it was one of the best massages I've had! Jeff researched and found many good reviews!

We then went to Chicago Cut by the river and had an amazing meal with a great view. For appetizer, I ordered their seared foie gras, which was unbelievable and the flavor and texture was head to head with the ones I had at River Cafe in NY. Jeff had a iceberg salad to start with. For our steaks, I had their prime fillet cooked perfectly medium rare. Jeff had their juicy bone-in rib eye. We also had their famous mac n cheese with crab meat, as well as their sauteed shiitake and oyster mushrooms. Jeff had been to Chicago Cut a couple months ago with the boys, and he thought I'd love it as much as he did. And he is right!

I felt so spoiled all day and very lucky to have such a thoughtful husband.

Thunder Snowstorm!

2011-02-06T10:18:00.005-06:00

The biggest snow storm in decades in Chicago! The powdery snow storm came with thunder and lightening. We were able to get home early before the storm and be in the comfort of our home during the storm. We ended up with over 2 feet of snow! While Jeff was working hard shoveling, Scraps was having a lot of fun in our back yard!

Happy New Year of 2011!

2011-02-06T10:12:00.002-06:00

We celebrated the New Year's Eve at Andy and Jessie's again this year! We brought some potstickers as appetizers. We celebrated over sparkling wine, champagne and toasts. We also played shiraz at the end of the night. Alcohol definitely made the game more fun and interesting :)

New Dishes

2011-02-06T10:00:00.004-06:00

Jeff and I love Italian food. Though we frequent several of our favorite Italian restaurants in town, we love to cook and try new recipes together. It was our first try making Lasagna, and it was a success! I've always known it's not very hard to make lasagna, but I couldn't believe how easy this one is that Jeff found online. The finished dish was hearty, creamy and had the perfect ratio of pasta, cheese, meat and sauce. We loved it!

Scallops is one of our favorite shell fish. We found some really good ones in Whole Foods. This dish is basically Jeff's improvised creation. He marinated the scallops in salt and pepper and cooked them in olive oil with some white wine and mixed in with some linguine. I couldn't get enough of it!

Weekend morning indulgence

2010-12-19T10:04:00.003-06:00

Fion and Eric's wedding present to us is a fancy espresso maker. Though we just started using it this year, we've been making yummy espresso drinks every weekend! Jeff loves strong coffee, so he usually makes 2-3 shots of espressos. Lattes, especially soy lattes, are my favorite drinks to make.

We got freshly ground espresso from a local cafe around the corner. Making our own espresso drinks has been our weekend indulgence. It's the simple kind of joy that makes me look forward to getting up earlier on the weekends!

Thanks, Fion and Eric! Every time we make a drink, we think of you!

Holiday Party

2010-12-06T21:00:00.004-06:00

Jeff and I are blessed to have several groups of friends. For one of the groups of friends that we don't get to see very often, we take turns to host a holiday party every year. This group of friends are pretty much all Jeff's fraternity brothers and their wives who live in the Chicago suburbs (there are only 2 couples in addition to us that also live in the city).

This year, we were so excited to host the holiday party last Saturday! Since there were a total of 16 of us, we added another table in our dinning area, so everyone can enjoy a nice sit-down dinner. This Friday night was our first snow this winter, and it continued snowing throughout Saturday. I was worried it'd be such a hassle for everyone to come into the city Saturday evening, but we were so glad that everyone made it to our house!

I cooked a number of our favorite Chinese dishes, including beef chow mein with bok choy and shitaka mushroom, lettuce wraps, butterfly shrimp with garlic and peppers, sliced beef sirloin with home-made black pepper sauce, as well as string beans sauteed in diced garlic. We also prepared a couple of appetizers, including a cheese plate with crackers and salami, and also chicken and pork pot-stickers.

Before our dinner, Jeff asked me to elaborate on the menu. As I was describing the dishes, our friends commented that they sound like top chef dishes! As hosts, Jeff and I also toasted to a great holiday season and new year, as well as to the importance of our families and our friendship.

I was so flattered that everyone loved my cooking, and all of the dishes were wiped clean! It was such a prefect evening with great friends, and there really is nothing like catching up with friends over dinner and wine.

Busy Saturday Afternoon

2010-11-28T20:10:00.006-06:00

After a delicious lunch at Lao Sze-Chuan in Chinatown, we did a couple seasonal projects, if you will, around our house.

Since we have several large trees in our backyard, at the end of autumn, there are always millions of leaves covering the entire yard. They are beautiful to look at, and I love the sound of stepping on them, but we've got to clean them before the snow comes. We had already filled 6 large bags of leaves a few weeks ago, and now it seems all of the leaves had fallen from all of the trees, we filled another 6!!!

The holiday season is coming up, so we put up our wreath and little Christmas lights around the railings of our stairs leading to our front door. Scraps was being a good boy sitting at the porch watching daddy put up the lights.

Jenny and Brian's Wedding

2010-11-28T19:54:00.006-06:00

Jeff's cousin Jenny's wedding in mid October was a beautiful event!

The location for both their ceremony and reception was very unique - the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk, VA. Since Jeff's dad has many siblings, cousin weddings always feel like a family reunion!

We had so much fun spending time with many aunts, uncles and cousins during the weekend that we are looking forward to the next reunion!

Jeff's Birthday Party

2010-11-28T19:29:00.010-06:00

We celebrated Jeff's 35th birthday by having an end-of-summer BBQ at our house and backyard. It was a really large party - we had 33 friends join us!

We prepared burgers, hot dogs, chicken, brats, as well as a few side dishes and desserts.

Everyone also brought an appetizer or drinks. I made lettuce wraps (生菜鸡松) for the first time based on a recipe from Jeff's mom. At first, I was quite nervous that it won't turn out as good, but it was surprisingly a success and was actually a huge hit at the party!

It was a rather chilly September day, so there were not a lot of people hanging out in our backyard.

Though the party was mostly to celebrate Jeff's birthday, he was helping me preparing for the party all day. He cleaned the house and tidied up the backyard, but also was in charge of grilling!

A Little Jazz and a Trip to the Forest

2010-09-06T14:56:00.016-05:00

After a few trips this summer, Jeff and I decided to stay in town for Labor Day weekend for a little rest and relaxation.

On our date night on Friday night, we tried a new restaurant in our neighborhood, Rios D'Sudamerica, where we tasted authentic Peruvian cuisine. I've always wanted to find some unique ingredients to try, and for appetizer, we tried their grilled beef heart! It was pretty delicious, but there definitely is a certain gamy after-taste. For entrees, Jeff ordered the parrillada of marinated chicken, Argentinian sausage, lamb chops, fillet mignon and blood sausage. You can probably guess that Jeff gladly gave the blood sausage to me. I really enjoyed my Arroz con Mariscos, which we think is the better version of paella.

After my Yoga class on Saturday morning, we decided to check out the Jazz Festival in Grand Park. It's an annual event sponsored by the City. We relaxed with a glass of wine and beer and enjoyed the Chuchito Valdés Afro-Cuban Ensemble and Rene Marie Quarte. For dinner, Jeff took me to a dive, Miller's Pub, a couple of blocks away from the Grand Park. Though the decor may seem a little touristy, their food was very good, and I had a Sprecher root beer float that was extremely yummy!

We've been planning to take Scraps to trails outside of the city, so we went to the Wright Woods Forest Preserve on Sunday morning. It's about 30 miles north of the City. We "hiked" a few of the trails for a total of 2.5 miles. The air was fresher in the forest, and Scraps was so excited to be in the woods. Since there are quite a few runners and bikers, we had to leash him. There's also a little creek and a pond where you can fish. It was just a beautiful day that we spent in nature!

One Sari, Two Weddings and a Full Party Bus

2010-08-22T15:03:00.009-05:00

Raj and Amanda's wedding festivity was a three-day event in Michigan! We attended the traditional Indian wedding on Friday, as well as the "American wedding" on Saturday. It was our first Indian wedding experience, so we wanted to really be part of it. A few days before the wedding, a group of us went to Devon street to shop for saris and accessories before dinner at an Indian restaurant. Jenn, Jessica and I all got a sari, bangles and some head jewelries. Jeff and the guys borrowed kurtas from the groom's family as well.

The Indian wedding was beautifully set by a lake house. The groom arrived by the boat, and the entire ceremony was about 2 hours long with a lot of different rituals and prayers, which as very interesting to see.

The American wedding was at a farm house, which was very quaint and intimate. Taking us back and forth from the hotel to the weddings was a British double-decker! Most people brought drinks on the bus for the ride. After the American ceremony, cheering, singing and dancing filled the party bus!

Work and Pleasure in the Bay Area

2010-08-22T14:30:00.006-05:00

After Banff, Jeff and I flew directly to San Francisco for a few days. I was there to attend our team conference for work, and Jeff was there for a few more days of vacation before he starts his new job.

During the short 3 day stay, we visited family and friends while making sure we tried a few local hot spots! Jeff stopped by his sister, Kien's acupuncture clinic that she recently took over in Mission area. While I was on a fishing trip with my co-workers, Jeff took the ferry across the bay and spent the afternoon in Salsalito. We also met up with my friend, Mimi and her boyfriend, Eric, in Chinatown for some yummy Sze-Chuan food. Jeff's good friend from junior high, Carm and his girlfriend, Andrea, now live in Russian Hill. We checked out their beautiful and spacious two-bedroom apartment before going to dinner at Farmer Brown, a characteristic restaurant that serves delicious southern cuisine. Kien also joined us for dinner that night!

To indulge Jeff and my love for fresh oysters, we went to the well-known Hog Island Oyster Co. by the bay for 3-dozen oysters and local beers and wine! It's always a treat to visit San Francisco. For some reason, it feels more like home to me than Chicago...

Oh Canada!

2010-08-22T13:36:00.011-05:00

Baff might just have to be my new favorite place in Canada! Set in the heart of the Canadian Rockies in the province of Alberta, Banff is not only a perfect place for outdoor adventures, it also has an irresistible historic small town charm.

We were lucky to be able to spend a long weekend in Banff celebrating the wedding of our good friends, Andy and Jessica. We stayed at the famous Fairmont Banff Springs, and it was one of a kind experience. The majestic hotel was styled after a Scottish Baronial Castle and was first built in 1887. Actually, some of the interior actually reminds us of the hotel in the movie, "The Shinning"!

We arrived on Thursday with a group of friends. Thursday night was a fun get-together at the St. James Gate Irish Pub hosted by the bride and groom's families. Friday was the white water rafting trip! It was my first time white water rafting, and I was mortified at the beginning! I'm so glad that I did it though. We did a 2-hour upper canyon rafting through up to class 4+ rapids, finishing 20km downstream. Jeff was in heaven, as he really enjoyed rafting! He actually did class 5 in California several years ago.

The outdoor wedding ceremony on Saturday was beautiful. Andy got everyone teary-eyed when he choked up seeing his bride, Jessica, walking down the isle! It was an intimate wedding with about 60 family and close friends. The reception was at a smaller ball room in the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. The dance floor got crowded from the very beginning till the very last song! We had an unbelievable time, and it was one of the best trips we've taken this year so far.

July 4th Weekend

2010-07-05T20:10:00.008-05:00

The weather was amazing! We had a lot of fun during the long weekend! We started the weekend by enjoying a nice dinner at Half Shell on Friday. As the night progressed, I met up with Katie and Jessica for some wine on Katie's new deck. Saturday was a full and incredible day -- We watched Germany defeated Argentina at a local bar, Tavern, at 9 am and had breakfast there as well. After the game, we walked around Bucktown and Wicker Park area with Scraps. We dropped off Scraps then stopped at a fun joint a few blocks from us, Northside, to watch the Spain/Paraguay game while having some lunch and a couple of frosty beverages. It was really a treat to be enjoying the soccer games, since we haven't been able to watch them during the day at work.

We then met up with Leyla and Charlie at Motel Bar near downtown to celebrate their engagement! In the evening, we went to a surprise birthday party for our friend, Raj. After I got home, the night continued on for Jeff, whose good high school friend, Darren, came to town from D.C. They went to Piece and Bar Louie by our house for a couple drinks.

On Sunday, we invited a few friends over to celebrate the 4th! Every couple brought a side dish, and we grilled marinated chicken breast, corn and assorted vegetables. Jen brought Fletch, who loved our kiddie pool. Marie and John also brought their son's kiddie pool, but Scraps and Fletch ended up taking that over as well...

New Kitchen Additions

2010-07-05T14:01:00.008-05:00

Our new bar cabinetry was completed in mid May which gives us more storage space especially for glass wares. We selected the granite countertop that are very identical to the rest of our kitchen countertops. Since we couldn't bring our wine fridge from our old condo, we decided to install one here as well.

The beautiful antique mirror backsplash around our kitchen counter was finished a few weeks ago. It has unique "sunset" antique patterns. We love it because it's very rare (as oppose to granite/tile backsplashes), and I attribute this incredible idea to my designer!

BBQ in our back yard

2010-06-27T10:35:00.005-05:00

This Saturday, we invited some friends over to our house for a casual BBQ. Chrissy, Mike, Ben and Nathen, as well as Scott and Jack came in from one of Chicago suburbs, Naperville. Since we live in the city, we don't see them as often as we'd like to. So we try to make time to get together with them as much as we can.

Megan and Kevin just had their son, Jax, also joined us before they headed to the Cubs-Sox game last night. They are in the process of selling their condo in the city and moving to the suburbs. Tony and Michele are also our good friends whom we'd like to see more often. They have a beautiful 3.5-year-old daughter, Shea, and the cutest 16-month-old twin boys, Blake and Britton. Britton was hanging out with me. Since he just started walking, he wanted to go upstairs and downstairs, in and out of the house, so I was following him around to make sure he was okay. For a moment, I felt like he was my own! But it really is hard to be a parent. I'm amazed at how Tony and Michele are such great parents to their 3 young children while joggling work and school!

Fun Girls' Trip

2010-06-27T10:27:00.002-05:00

For Jessica's Bachelorette party, we spent a weekend at our friend's lake house in Michigan. We arrived on Friday and visited 3 wineries for wine tasting before dinner at a local Italian restaurant, Tosi. During the day on Saturday, we hung out at the beach in St. Joe's and shopped around town. Saturday night was Bachelorette fun and fajitas/margaritas night. I love girls trips, and we had such a fun time. I'm blessed to have a fun group of friends here in Chicago!

Arlington 2010

2010-06-27T10:17:00.004-05:00

It is our second Arlington Race Track event. Since we had so much fun last year, we extended the invitation to more friends this year. It was a Saturday in early June, and the day started out raining like cats and dogs. As the day went on, the sun came out and it turned out to be a beautiful day!

Just like last year, we reserved a room with food and drinks. We girls also ordered champagne. Many betting and goofing around!

Jeff's first Yoga class

2010-05-23T18:09:00.003-05:00

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!

Blue Fin

2010-05-23T17:51:00.002-05:00

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!

Clarity and Relaxation

2010-05-16T20:56:00.005-05:00

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.

What the Dog Saw

2010-05-16T19:44:00.007-05:00

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!

My Bro

2010-05-13T10:42:00.007-05:00

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/

Spoiled Rotten

2010-05-11T16:07:00.002-05:00

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.

Anxiety High

2010-04-27T12:57:00.003-05:00

Our friend, Jason (aka Knife Jones), plays in a punk rock band, Anxiety High. Jeff and I have been wanting to see his concert, and we finally did last Saturday!

Anxiety High was playing at a local dive bar, Munity, along with 2 other bands to raise money for breast cancer. We met up with Jason's wife, Katie, as well as our friends, Melissa, Kris and Tony at around 10:30 pm. Jason's band didn't come on till 11:30 pm, but I had a such a great time! All of the proceeds of drinks, raffle tickets, etc. went to the charity.

Bar scene at this late at night is now pretty rare for me, considering I usually pass out at around 10 pm at night, yes, even on the weekends!

A Day in Naperville

2010-04-26T14:03:00.002-05:00

Some of our friends live in the suburbs of Chicago, and since pretty much all of them have young children now, it can be really challenging trying to schedule time to get together.

A couple of our good friends live in Naperville, so Jeff and I spent a Saturday a week ago in Naperville visiting them. Mike and Chrissy now have 2 boys, Ben 3 1/2, Nathen 7 months. We stopped by their house and grilled out on their deck. Ben is such a big boy now who loves toys and going to the zoo. Little Nathen is a cutie. Chrissy said he's been having digestion issues and has been suffering from gas pain. The poor little guy also had H1N1 flu when he was just several months old. Jeff and Mike catch up on the phone periodically, but it definitely is wonderful seeing them and spending some time together.

We left Mike and Chrissy's after lunch and met up with Scott and his little boy Jack at Blackfinn in downtown Naperville. Though we see Scott a few times a year, the last time we saw Jack was when he was just a couple months old. He is almost 3 now and is such a handsom boy! He is also a very special little guy I thought. It was past his nap time, and we can tell he was really tired, but he was still smiley pretty much the entire time.

We are planning a bbq next month, so we can have everyone over at our house.

NCAA Final 4 Get-together

2010-04-11T16:37:00.004-05:00

We invited a dozen friends over to our house to watch the NCAA Final 4 last weekend. I made a few appetizers, such as stuffed mushrooms, chili cheese dip, pretzel dogs. Marie brought guacamole/chips, and Jenn brought Sweet Mandy B's cupcakes! We then ordered pizza at dinner time.

For a few hours, our house was filled with a different kind of energy. In additional to beers and adults, there were toddlers stumbling around chased by their parents; babies crying for food and giggling after getting a lick by Scraps; their strollers, toys, diapers are on our couch and in our bed. It was a fun and interesting few hours with a dash of chaos. At times, Jeff and I looked at each other and smiled.

All of the "not-yet-parent" friends stayed later and played 80s. I was already looking forward to our next event after sending off our friends!

Great News!

2010-03-29T16:21:00.003-05:00

Our condo is sold! The closing of the sale was earlier today.

Thank you, God, for answering my prayers!

Guest Bathroom Remodel

2010-03-20T20:03:00.015-05:00

Our remodeling of our guest bathroom includes:
- Wall covering on the white walls
- Glass shower door
- Marble floor (white carrera marble with gray veins)

The Southern

2010-03-14T09:31:00.002-05:00

A newly opened bar/restaurant in Bucktown, The Southern is about 2 blocks away from our house. Its menu has everything to do with its name -- bourbons, micro-brews, whiskeys, hush puppies, shrimp and grits, gumbo, fried green tomatoes, etc.

Since Southern comfort food has been one of our favorites, Jeff and I stopped in last Friday to give it a try as our date night! Friday's drink special is $3 shot of Maker's Mark, so we each had a shot before dinner. It also took the edge off after a long week of work. We then ordered their hush puppies for appetizer, which were made of smoked trout. It was really yummy! The dipping sauce was unbelievable. We had the gumbo and the Duck Orleans as entrees, and we were especially impressed with the gumbo. The portions were not too big, which was perfect.

During our meal, the executive chef, Cary Taylor, stopped by and asked how we liked the food. We told him about our love for the gumbo, but the duck was little too salty. He was very appreciative of our feedback and told us they will make the improvement. At the end of our meal, he sent us a complimentary dessert on the house. We choose the carrot cake, and honestly it might be the best carrot cake I've ever had -- not too sweet, very nice texture, with toasted pistachio and rum raisin.

Co-hosting Jenn's Babyshower

2010-02-28T19:57:00.003-06:00

Marie, Jessica, Jen and I threw a babyshower for Jenn on Saturday. We had fun planning it, prepare for it and hosting it! Jenn decided to have the shower at her house, and it worked out perfectly!

We prepared a couple of salads, quiche, creme brulee french toast, fruit platter, croissants, cupcakes, as well as mimosa and white wine for drinks. We saw quite a few friends that we haven't seen in a long time. It was a lot of fun catching up with the girls, and the babyshower was a success!

Our Second Wedding Anniversary

2010-02-14T14:22:00.009-06:00

Time flies! I can't believe we are celebrating our second anniversary already! This past Tuesday, I was hoping we would be allowed to work from home due to the snow storms. But I was glad that I went into the office because there were beautiful flowers delivered to me :) I really didn't think Jeff would send me flowers, since I knew we were celebrating our anniversary with a nice dinner on Friday night. I was really pleasantly surprised, and it made my day!

Our dinner reservation was at Charlie Trotters. Since neither of us have been, we thought it would be a great place to celebrate a special occasion! It was a three-hour dining experience, and we were very impressed with the food, as well as the wine we paired. There were 5 courses with 3 desserts. Many of the dishes were unlike anything I've tasted. Jeff and I especially loved the Hamachi dish, but we thought all of the dishes were very delicious and original.
We also selected their wines to accompany each course, and that made the food even better. The service was unbelievable as well. It was really an enjoyable evening with the best food, wine, great service and I had a wonderful time with my man!

Dinner Party & Super Bowl Gathering

2010-02-11T14:49:00.003-06:00

It was a busy weekend! On Saturday night, our friends, Katie and Jason, invited us to their beautiful home for dinner. There were about 10 guests in total, and Katie made a really delicious meal. She made a few appetizers in addition to dinner, which entails salads, grilled vegetables and prime rib! Dessert was home-made cheese cake!

Katie and Jason's home is a historic building built in 1906. They pretty much completely renovated the interior, but the exterior must be reserved and unchanged, since the building is one of the national register of historic places in Chicago. Inside of their home, you can tell they have put a lot of thought to it and is definitely full of characters and originality.

Sunday was the 2010 Super Bowl, and we had a casual gathering at John and Marie's home. We had chips and dips, appetizers, pot stickers and ordered pizza. We played squares and cheered for the Saints (at least I was...haha). Jeff thought I had special luck to win sports games, so he asked me to pick all the squares. And he was right! We had the biggest win out of all couples. It was also our first time seeing Katie and Bret with their 2 babies since they moved to the suburbs a few months ago, so it was great time catching up as well.

Scraps recently...

2010-01-30T14:21:00.013-06:00

Scraps turned 6 years old on Monday! We took him to Petco last weekend to get a bunch of his favorite treats. We sang "Happy Birthday" to him on Monday morning, and he seems to know it's his special day!

He loves the cold and enjoys playing in the snow in our backyard. After a walk and play in the nearby dog park this morning, he gets sleepy on the couch.

Of course, one of his favorite things to do is hanging out with daddy for some boys time!

New house projects

2010-01-30T13:25:00.005-06:00

December was a more fruitful sales month for me, so I decided to use my commission to start an interior design project for our house!

In mid January, I hired a well-known interior designer referred by a friend of ours. Before I met the designer, I wasn't sure if she would take on this work, since her projects are mostly in the bigger scale that includes architecture design and construction management. After I met her, I really liked her personality, her professionalism, and most of all, what sold me was her pragmatic suggestions/ideas after seeing our house. With her decades of experience, she constantly finds ways to help us safe money and make sure that we are getting the biggest bang for our buck.

We started the paint job last week, and it was done in 2 days. Though we did not paint too much of our house, I still thought her team was extremely efficient. Some of the main projects include an uplift of our guest bathroom with new tiles and unique wall covering, a contemporary build-in hutch for our kitchen, the "dress-up" of our dining area with a gorgeous mirror, sideboard and a rug, as well as painting of our master bedroom. We will also put a styled rug and some art paintings in the living area. Her vision is so that we can bring everything together, especially in the main floor, with colors, accents and arts.

The completion of everything will probably take a few months because I want to add things little by little, and not all at once. But I can't wait to see the results and will post before/after pictures when available!

Diversey Rock 'n Bowl

2010-01-30T12:59:00.003-06:00

It's that time of the year again when Chicago's winter hits the single digits with windchill in the negatives. When you'd rather be indoor most of the time, what would be an alternative to house parties, movies or dinners at restaurants? Bowling! Yes, since Jeff and I enjoy bowling, we organized a bowling night with our friends. There were 8 of us (4 couples), and we had a great time at Diversey Rock 'n Bowl on a Saturday night.

Diversey Rock 'n Bowl is a popular local bowling ally, and its appeals are rock and roll music and fun sound-activated light show after 8:30 pm Thursday through Sunday nights. We reserved 2 lanes, one for the ladies, and one for the boys. It's been awhile since we bowled together. We sang along with the music, cheering for those strikes and spares and goofed around like kids. It was such a great time!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-06T09:36:00.007-06:00

A fun New Year's Eve party at Andy and Jessica's new condo! Good friends, yummy food, many laughs and goofing out.
2010 will be a great year! Wishing everyone a healthy and happy new year.

Fiorentino's Cucina

2010-01-01T13:17:00.005-06:00

This is my new favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago!

Our friends Carm and Andrea were in town from San Francisco, and we got together with them for dinner along with our friends Tony and Michele whom we haven't seen in a while. Tony and Michele are now proud parents of three little ones, but as always, they enjoy great food, fine wine and a fun night out. They know a lot of good restaurants in Chicago, so when they recommended Fiorentino's Cucina for our get-together, I was really excited to try it! While it was snowing out, the six of us shares a couple bottles of wine, delicious food, a couple desserts and lots of laugh at this cozy family style Italian restaurant, which is not far from our house.

The owner of Fiorentino's is originally from Sicily, and the dishes are definitely "not art food, but rather comfort food". My entree was their special that night. It was fettucini with Alaskan crab tenderloin and arugula in creamy vodka sauce. Yes, it tasted as great as it sounds. I've had many Italian dishes in my life, and this is probably one of the best ones I've ever had! Everyone really enjoyed their food, and I know that Jeff and I will be going back to Fiorentino's Cucina soon!

My Parents-in-Law

2009-12-29T13:33:00.008-06:00

Our Florida trip every Christmas is like our annual retreat. After a year of hard work, we are so blessed to be in the warmer weather, indulge in authentic Chinese food, relax by the pool, open gifts, open more gifts, play ma-jiang, and simply enjoy the best family time.

I often feel I'm the luckiest girl on earth because of my parents-in-law. Their love for me is so unconditional that they never expect anything in return. I truly enjoy spending time with them, and I feel they have given me a family that I've always wanted. Honestly, I think they have adopted me as their own daughter --
I fell asleep on the couch, and they gently put a blanket on me. I wanted to help cook dinner, but they told me everything was taken care of and ask me to go relax. They know I love beef noodle soup, so that's what's waiting for me on the dining table when we arrived. I wanted to get a new handbag for myself, but they insist to buy it for me. Before we were leaving, they packed as much food as possible for us to bring back to Chicago.

These are just a few things they do. How lucky I am.

How lucky I am to have my health, a loving husband, the best dog anyone can ever have, and the in-laws who love me as much as their own children.

陶然亭 Peking Duck

2009-12-13T15:42:00.006-06:00

During our stay in Taipei, my good friend, Fion, and her husband Eric (and their 5-year son, Aiden) treated us to a very nice dinner at 陶然亭. It serves the best peking duck in Taiwan! The peking duck was cooked in three rounds. First, the crispy skin and meat were sliced off to go with flour wrap, green onion and plum sauce. Then the rest of the meat were used to cook as a stir-fry with vegetables. Lastly, the bones were cooked in a delicious soup!

In addition to the duck, we also ordered their famous 涼拌白菜心, as well as 炒豆苗 and Crab and Tofu Stew (can't find the Chinese name). Thank you, Fion and Eric for such a great meal! I know we will definitely visit this restaurant again when we go back to Taiwan!

Baked Macaroni

2009-12-13T15:26:00.006-06:00

Jeff is a big fan of macaroni and cheese. Unless we go to a restaurant, we typically just cook instant mac 'n cheese at home when he has cravings. Sometimes we would add chili in there to make chili mac.

I was flipping through channels the other day and found Giada De Laurentiis making a yummy and seemingly simple baked macaroni. So I decided to give it a try!

After a night of partying and drinking at Suzi's, I know Jeff would want some comfort food. I got the ingredients in the morning, and while he was watching football, baked macaroni was being completed. Added in the macaroni were assorted mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, and Jeff also added the leftover bacon from last night! According to the recipe, I added Parmesan, Romano and mozzarella cheeses. We also covered it with bread crumbs and butter on top and bottom of the dish.

Jeff really liked it, but I think I should put more cheese in there next time, so they would all stick together better.

New Appetizer Trial

2009-12-13T15:08:00.003-06:00

A friend of ours, Suzi, invited us to her fab house for a holiday party this weekend. It was a chill party with about 10 friends. Suzi's kitchen is my dream kitchen! Her contemporary kitchen is huge with beautiful counter-tops, large island, a lot of storage space and double-set of stove top and oven. Her modern fridge is blended in with her cabinets. Before Jeff and I got married, Suzi also hosted a couple's shower for us.

For this holiday party, every person/couple would bring an appetizer or dessert. I wanted to try something new this time and found a easy recipe on www.foodnetwork.com! It is Rachel Ray's bacon wrapped shrimp (and/or scallops). We have some prawn left in our freezer, and I've been wanting to put them into good use.

This appetizer really is simple! First, you marinate the shrimp in sesame oil, lime juice, red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt. Then wrap a piece (about 1/3 of a bacon strip) of bacon around the shrimp. Put them in the oven for about 15 -16 minutes at 425 degrees. After it's done, sprinkle chopped green onion on top. It was quite a hit at the party!

Thanksgiving Day

2009-12-01T11:16:00.008-06:00

Jeff and I hosted this year's Thanksgiving at our new house! Jeff's parents flew in from Florida and Jeff's sister, Kien, came in from San Francisco to stay with us for a few days. At the last minute, we also had Jenn and John join us for Thanksgiving dinner. We had such a great time cooking together, watching football, playing Ma-Jiang and simply having a wonderful family time together!

Jeff used our fryer to deep fry some marinated turkey legs and wings, and it was a success -- crispy outside, juicy inside! Kien cooked her famous yummy garlic mashed potato. Jeff's mom sauteed green beans with minced garlic. I cooked corn with chopped red bell peppers and onions. We also had stuffing and corn bread as other side dishes. Before dinner, we opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate all of the good things happened to us this year! As always, we are grateful for everything we have.

My Uncle Allen

2009-11-20T15:56:00.007-06:00

I have a lot of respect for my uncle Allen. Growing up, he has been a male role model for me, in addition to my father. He is my mother's youngest brother and have been spoiling my brother and I since we were toddlers. Uncle Allen doesn't have any children of his own, but I know my brother and I will take care of him when he gets old. To me, uncle Allen is a fun, witty yet hardworking and practical man. He is extremely street-smart and has a lot of friends in different walks of life. Though life has been throwing him some hardship throughout the years, he still holds an incredibly positive attitude.

Everytime I go back to Taiwan, he always makes time from his busy schedule to spend with me for at least a few times. He often treats us to nice meals, and takes us to visit my mother. This time he took us to a nice Japanese restaurant, where we had an amazing 10-course meal. I have to say it's the best Japanese meal I've had so far!

辣子雞丁 & 螞蟻上樹

2009-11-13T16:01:00.003-06:00

My new dish~

Re-Visiting Taipei's Beauty

2009-11-11T19:09:00.011-06:00

We rented a car service and spent one full day visiting some of the places on the outskirts of Taipei. I haven't been to a couple of these places since elementary school, so it was exciting for me. After visiting the graves of Jeff's grandparents and cousin, we went from Yangming Mountain to Jing-Shan to Yeh-Liu to Shan-Chi to Dan-Shui. I also got a chance to have some fresh coconut water and traditional local Taiwan dishes.

It was such a treat to re-visit the beauty of Taipei county. One of the reasons why Taiwan attracts so many tourists every year is its variety of natural scenery. There are beautiful mountains, amazing coastlines, lovely rivers and lakes, beautiful tea plantations. It's a small island, but Taiwan has it all!

The Be All and End All

2009-11-10T18:07:00.002-06:00

This year's Chicago International Film Festival was on October 8-22. Along with Jenn and John, we had a chance to enjoy a very good film. It was a UK film directed by Bruce Webb -- The Be All and End All.

It's a story about two teen-age best mates. After Robbie was diagnosed with a fatal heart disease, Ziggy was doing everything he can to fulfill Robbie's final wish -- "you've got to get a girl to shag me!" Just like any great film, The Be All and End All made me laugh out loud and dissolve in tears. In its own humorous and heartfelt way, this film also reminded me what it means to be a friend.

Taipei's Hottest Buffet

2009-11-09T13:45:00.007-06:00

My friend, Gina, took us to Taipei's hottest buffet, Brasserie in the Grand Formosa Regent, for lunch. I was amazed at the variety of food and cuisine available at this stylish restaurant. From sashimi to roast beef, from traditional Taiwanese to Italian, from seafood to hotpot, they have everything you can think of. The dessert bar must have more than 20 different pastries, cakes, cookies, ice creams.

I was not surprised this is one of the most popular spots in Taipei right now. While we were walking out at 2:45 pm on a weekday, the length of the line waiting to get in for the afternoon tea time was unbelievable!

Gina became a good friend of mine while I was working in Taipei after college. We live close by and met when waiting for the community bus one morning. Jeff asked who started talking first, and I said it was Gina, but now as I think harder, it might be me asking her whether the bus will take us down to the train station..ha. I remember we chatted during our entire bus and train ride that day.

I'm so glad that we stayed in touch even after I left Taiwan. Gina has always been my role model - energetic, keeps learning new things, optimistic during life's most difficult times, and overcome obsticles with faith and great personal strength. I know I just saw you in Taipei, Gina, but I can't wait to lunch with you again already!

大山無價

2009-11-07T08:31:00.009-06:00

I've heard great things about this restaurant, so we decided to have a family meal there on Sunday night.

Located in the beautiful mountains of Taipei county, 大山無價 is famous for its heavenly scenery and surroundings (we could see it better if we went during the day), the rare ingredients used in the dishes, the creative courses, the exquisite presentation, and the enjoyment of "slow dining".

There were a total of 13 courses over a 2.5 hour dining experience. There's no menu, and all of courses were prepared by the famous chef that are primarily influenced by Japanese cuisine. I was impressed by the presentation and the interesting combination of ingredients in each dish.

The truth is I'm glad that I tried this place, but honestly, I didn't love it. I was also surprised that the service was not as good as I've heard. It is questionable whether I'd go back.

No Place Compares to...

2009-11-07T08:03:00.008-06:00

Taiwan!

It was a perfect 10-day visit to my hometown, one of the most beautiful places on earth! The air was dewy sweet, the people were warm and passionate, the food is everything I've been dreaming about, and the family that always holds the special place in my heart.

One of the main reasons for our visit this time was to celebrate Jeff's grandma's 90th birthday. Many of Jeff's family also went back from the U.S., including his uncles, aunts, cousins. It was really great to meet some of them for the first time!

Waiting for us after we landed late on Saturday night were local foods and fruits prepared by Jeff's mom....yes, how lucky we are! And that was the beginning of our feast for the next 10 days.

Nick Vujicic

2009-10-15T12:02:00.002-05:00

There really are no excuses for the rest of us....NO Excuses!

Thank you, Grace, for sharing :)

The Hungarian Experience

2009-10-14T17:10:00.004-05:00

To celebrate our friend Chris' birthday, Chris and his wife, Suzanna, invited us to their favorite traditional Hungarian restaurant in Hillside, IL. It was my first Hungarian experience and an unforgettable one!

Chris is American-born, but he is fluent in Hungarian. It was impressive to see him communicating with the servers and ordering for the table. We ordered many traditional dishes, and they are delicious! My favorites are garlic bread (Lángos), chicken or veal paprikas, garlic sausages and fried frog legs. There are a couple dishes on the menu that I just have to try -- calf's liver and their traditional fish soup! These two dishes are very different from anything I've tasted. The calf's liver is very tender and sauteed with onions. The fish soup is salty and sour, which I really enjoyed. Another dish that made an impression on me was the Zucchini. It was shredded in a creamy dill sause.

Chris also brought a lot of champagne, wine, palinka (traditional Hungarian fruit brandy), as well as Absinthe. It was my first time trying Absinthe, and Suzanna captured a great picture after I took the shot.

It was such a fun night! Jeff was our designated driver, so he was really holding his liquor :)

Partners for Life

2009-09-27T15:34:00.006-05:00

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

2009-09-27T15:16:00.003-05:00

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

2009-09-27T14:49:00.003-05:00

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

2009-09-20T20:02:00.006-05:00

"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

2009-09-20T19:25:00.003-05:00

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..."

2009-09-13T18:50:00.003-05:00

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!

House Warming Party

2009-08-17T20:16:00.015-05:00

Though we've had a few friends over for dinner or drinks here and there, this is the first big party we've thrown since we moved to our new home. We had over 25 friends join us this Saturday for a house warming get-together.

We prepared the popular pot stickers, Chinese cold noodle, potato salad, and grilled out burgers, dogs and steaks. I'm glad that my vodka lemonade and chocolate-covered strawberries were big hits, too!

It was just so great to see friends relaxing in our yard, hanging out on our deck, watching football on our couch and simply having a great time. We also got so much compliments on our house.

I'm grateful to have such a group of good friends, and getting together with them is always so much fun.

"The Train Whistle Melody Woved Through the Trees"

2009-08-17T19:54:00.008-05:00

It was unlike any other concert I've been to. The free-spirited dancing fans, the smoke and smell of cigarettes and others filled in the air, the flying glow sticks, and the 15-minute songs. Yes, I'm talking about the Phish show. The "phish heads" amaze me. They are true fans....hard-core.

It was a Tuesday evening, and it took us 2 hours to drive to Toyota Park, where the Chicago Fire plays. I have to say, it was the perfect place for a Phish concert other than Soldier Field in the Chicago land. The music and cheering started while we were grabbing some pulled pork and tall boys. Walking into the show was an one-of-a-kind experience itself. "Phish heads" were swinging, tapping, swirling and frolicking all over the place and really enjoying themselves. To me, it was one of the few concerts that worth experiencing at least once in a lifetime.

Disappointing News...

2009-08-10T11:14:00.005-05:00

The potential buyers of our condo are pulling back on their deal. The inspection went well with no major issues; however, the buyers wanted to move the kitchen sink to a different location in the kitchen. They got an estimate from their contractor and felt it was too expensive.

In addition to that, while they were in the area to check out the neighborhood this weekend, they ran across a few folks that may have had too much to drink and were turned off by it. This type of crowd rarely appears on our street, but it can happen to any neighborhoods in an urban environment. That's the difference between living in the suburbs vs. in the city.

Anyway, as of this morning, they have pulled out their contract, and the deal is off. I'm really hoping this is a bless in disguise, and we will get another offer soon. Paying double mortgage is definitely not desirable. We are keeping our fingers-crossed, so wish us luck!

Too Much Substance

2009-08-05T14:47:00.008-05:00

Me: Who sings this song?
Jeff: Jacob Dylan, Bob Dylan's son.
Me: Oh yeah, I've heard of him. His band is The Wallflowers, right?
Jeff: Yup
Me: Do you like wallflowers?
Jeff: What exactly is a wallflower anyway?
Me: Well, I think in Chinese "a wallflower" implies that a person who is very attractive, but doesn't have much substance.
Jeff: Oh, yeah? Interesting...
Me: Do you think I'm a wallflower?
Jeff: If that's what wallflowers mean in your definition, then you're definitely not.
Me: Really? Thanks, bud!
Jeff: Well, you have too much substance.
Me: Too much? Why?
Jeff: .......
Me: Is it because I tend to argue with you?
Jeff: .......(nodding)

Getting Comfy and Settled In

2009-08-02T18:03:00.016-05:00

Scraps has gotten pretty comfy with the new home. He is now used to napping in his own bed by our couch most of the time (while we are around, of course). One Saturday morning, I woke up seeing him sleeping on Jeff's pillow like a little person!

Our outdoor space might still be his favorite. He loves not only to run around in our back yard, but also to hang out on our front porch.

This picture was taken this afternoon. He looked quite like a neighborhood watch dog!

If you like thriller novels

2009-08-01T14:59:00.009-05:00

Child 44 will definitely be one of my recommendations. The story is primarily set in Stalin's Soviet Union in the 1950s that illustrated the psychological world of a child serial killer formed 20 years earlier. Since in the Stalinist Russia, the only criminals are those who are enemies of the State, this theme made the entire process of how the MGB officer went through to solve the murder captivated my attention. In my opinion, however, the ending's very last twist didn't seem necessary, and was unfortunately a bit of a disappointment.

Ultimately, the story is all about consequences. The strong plot is filled with suspense, jaw-dropping twist and chilling horror. I have to say I really enjoyed Tom Rob Smith's writing, and especially his thorough research skills. Many details in the book showed that he had done his homework as a story-teller.

Empowering Women

2009-07-28T20:01:00.003-05:00

Giving back has always been one of the happiest and most satisfying moment for me. While Jeff and I often make donations to certain charities that touch us the most, we also try to find new means to help the needy. Recently, I've stumbled upon Women's Global Empowerment Fund, which is an non-profit organization providing women in northern Uganda with access to microcredit loans, business development training and education opportunities.

There are many ways to donate to this charity. One being the purchase of beats and jewelry made by women in Uganda. Each piece is handmade from colorful recycled paper from local newspapers or magazines. What a great way to provide structured program to empower underprivileged women with the tools necessary to alleviate poverty!

Recent Obsession

2009-07-26T17:03:00.007-05:00

What I love about these antique ceiling tin art is not only its rustic touch, but that almost every tin piece is salvaged from historic places. Therefore, I'd like to think every one has its own story.

I got the first mirror from a local antique store while shopping with my friend, Jenn, and I love how it adds a little vintage charm to the modern interior of our house. Since then, I have been obsessed with finding more pieces. This weekend I went to the monthly antique show in West Loop, and found an enchanting tin art piece and another vintage mirror.

What are your recent obsessions and good finds?

New York, New York

2009-07-24T13:16:00.012-05:00

Every time I'm in New York, I feel reborn. I feel something inside of me has awaken. My heart beats faster, my eyes open wider, my energy level rises higher. Something in the Manhattan air whispers that I belong there. Every time I'm in New York, I feel at home.

Our team's annual sales conference was in New York this week, and I got a chance to experience this interesting transformation physically and psychologically again. It was a 4-day conference in Mid Town, and we also visited Long Island one afternoon. Jeff's cousin, Burt, was in Brazil, so he was very generous to let me stay at his stylish 2-bedroom apartment in Chelsea!

I was also excited to meet up with Jeff's cousin, Michelle, as well as her husband, Peter, and their 2-year old son, Luke. Before dinner, Michelle took me to one of the hottest spots in Manhattan -- The High Line, the most recent urban renewal project in NY. The High Line was originally constructed in the 1930s to lift dangerous freight trains off Manhattan's streets. Now it is an elevated public park, owned by the City of New York.

Dinner was at a famous Chinese restaurant, Grand SiChuan, where I had the most authentic Chinese cuisine and some of the best dishes I've had in the U.S. Our after-dinner drinks were at Maritime Hotel. To me, New York is one of a kind. I can never get bored of it. Whatever I do in New York, it's always a different experience!

"I like coconut~"

2009-07-24T11:01:00.009-05:00

After driving down from Beaver Creek, we spend a day in Denver enjoying the Mile High Music Festival.

Under the big hot sun, we sipped on cold beers and wines, and we danced along Mat Kearney, Robert Randolph, Matisyahu, and the main attraction, Wide Spread Panic.

Outdoor music fests are one of my favorite things to do in the summer. I think our Mile High experience will bring us back someday.

Got Oxygen?

2009-07-24T10:23:00.015-05:00

What is your limit for altitude sickness? I found out last week it is about 7,400 ft for me. As we drove up to Beaver Creek from Denver, headaches and dizziness defeated me. Interestingly however, these symptoms were accompanied by uncontrollable giggles that led to tears. Friends thought the thin air was like my laughing gas. But hey, at least I also found out altitude isn't all about sickness for me!

The main reason for our trip was to attend the wedding of Jeff's friend from Junior High, Greg. We participated in the BBQ dinner on Friday, which was out of this world. I still remember the impeccable taste of the chicken, pulled pork, jambalaya and mac and cheese. Saturday was the wedding day. Since the ceremony was not till 2 pm, a group of us decided to take the lift up to the mountains for some amazing mountain views and a quick hike. Though Beaver Creek is a famous ski resort, summer time is especially beautiful as well. Deers and groundhogs were our company in the mountains.

The intimate wedding was at a local chapel, and the reception was at a large beautiful cabin. We were fortunate to be part of this union and spent a weekend in this 7,400 ft. altitude haven.

The Finer Things Club (Chicago Chapter)

2009-07-13T21:20:00.009-05:00

The Chicago Chapter of the Finer Things Club was established in the fall of 2008. The founding fathers of the Club were inspired by the popular TV show, The Office, and set forth this prestigious club among our group of friends with invitations only. The founding philosophy of the Club is not only to enjoy the finer things in life, but most importantly, to celebrate life, friendship, love and laughter through the beauty of humour.

The Club's gatherings have been wine tasting, outdoor concert, as well as the most recent horse racing event in Arlington Park, IL. To maximize the enjoyment of finer things, we reserved a suite with a food buffet of North American delicacy, such as hot dogs, buffalo wings, spinach dip of sorts. The open bar in the suite also indulged our alcohol in-take. We bet on stalkers, closers or platers to win, place or show. We cheered on our winnings and smiled at our loses. It was a perfect afternoon for another perfect gathering of the prestigious Club.

Facing my Fears on the Ledge

2009-07-08T10:01:00.014-05:00

Being one of the most recognizable landmarks in Chicago, Sears Tower held the record for the world’s tallest building for 25 years until the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia were built in 1998. There are a total of 110 floors in the Sears Tower. When you're on the top Sky Deck, you can see over 50-mile radius on a clear day.

After Sears Tower got a new name, "Willis Tower", this year, it also got a few new "ledges". They are glass boxes jutting out from the side of the Tower on the 103rd floor. Since the debut of this new feature this week, Willis Tower has attracted many locals and visitors to experience the adventure of standing on a ledge, if you will.

Everyone working in the Willis Tower, including me, are treated complimentary visits to the ledges this week. Being a moderate acrophobic, I was hesitant. But just like all fears, I've long realized it's a bad cycle until you face it. So, I stepped onto the ledge this morning! My legs were trembling, my heart was pounding, my fingers curled into fists, but I did it! I don't think I will ever be completely over my acrophobia, but I forced myself to face my fear, which I believe is the only way to alleviate it.

"In high tide or in low tide, I'll be by your side"

2009-07-04T14:51:00.018-05:00

Bob Marley would have loved how we celebrated part of our 4th this year. It was a cool yet perfect evening to be on a boat cruise. We rocked with a live band in the tune of free-spirited reggae.

The shore of Lake Michigan was especially crowded with locals and visitors. After our boat set forth, we wowed not just at the annual fireworks ceremony at Navy Pier, but the breath-taking skylines of the beautiful Chicago.

As the lake breeze kisses my face and caresses my locks, I'm in disbelieve that I live in this amazing city.

Grandma Take me Home

2009-07-02T17:12:00.008-05:00

Jeff's mom was in town last weekend and stayed with us on Friday. As usual, she brought a lot of food for us, many of which was authentic Taiwanese cuisine and snacks. We are always so spoiled whenever Jeff's parents are in town. Scraps gets especially excited when seeing Grandpa and Grandma!

Friday afternoon, we hung out in our back yard, then went for a walk in our neighborhood. Dinner was at an Italian restaurant, Francesca's Forno, within walking distance from our house. The next day, we had breakfast on our deck and walked around with Scraps in the sunny day. I feel extremely lucky to always have a lot of fun hanging out with Jeff's parents.

Thank you, Ma, for visiting us! We look forward to seeing you and Pop soon!

Summer Festivities

2009-06-25T11:14:00.021-05:00

If you're a Chicagoan, I don't need to tell you about Chicago's summer. It is the most unbelievable time of the year, and Chicago makes it even better. It's not just about the brutal winters that makes everyone cherish the summer more. There seems to be magic in the air when it comes to June and all the way till September/October in this beautiful city.

The City offers so many different kinds of fun activities and events that Chicagoans would usually hate to miss. There are summer festivals every weekend in different neighborhoods, concert series on Wednesday nights, "Movies in the Park" on Tuesday nights, the famous "Taste of Chicago", Lollapalooza Music Fest, just to name a few. Not to mention Chicagoans' favorite Cubbie games!

Jeff and I joined a group of friends last night at Millennium Park in downtown for a Mariachi music concert and John's birthday picnic. We all brought a lot of drinks, food and everyone's favorite cupcakes. Many of us went there directly from work, and what's a better way to spend a Wednesday night?

Frisbees and fireworks concluded the evening. Since we all had so much fun, we have made plans to do this every month, celebrating July birthdays, August birthdays and September birthdays this year!

New Sod

2009-06-15T20:42:00.006-05:00

We re-sodded our yard last night, and it looks amazing. It has already become Scraps' new hangout spot! It's my first time seeing the process, so I couldn't help but took a few pictures of it. For the next couple of weeks, we need to water it twice a day. Then we will need to go get a manual lawn-mower soon!

Maybe someday we will re-design our backyard landscape. But for now, we are enjoying the way it is!

Sweet White Roses

2009-06-14T10:16:00.010-05:00

The white rose tree in our back yard has blossomed! These lovely flowers exhale sweet and alluring scent while adding a little elegance to our green space. I'm captivated by it every time I pass it by.

What Scraps doesn't like about our new home....

2009-06-11T15:29:00.007-05:00

While we were living in Jeff's condo, Scraps had "full access" to the place. We have spoiled him to a point that now he only likes to sleep either on the couches, in his bed or in our bed. Our leather couch has been badly scratched by him (his nesting routine prior to sleeping, in addition to the 3 turns). And he even had his own couch then!

We now have a new sectional in our new home, so I have been preventing Scraps from getting up there. He sure doesn't like it at all! I know he's been sneaking up there while we are gone. I've noticed dog hairs and drool on the new couch when I come home from work. He is still very much tempted to climb up while we are sitting there, but sorry Scrappy...this will have to be the only one thing mommy is firm with you about.

Moving

2009-06-04T15:52:00.006-05:00

Today's closing went very smoothly. It only took about a little over an hour. We are finishing up packing today and will be moving into our new house tomorrow!

Last Hurrah!

2009-05-31T10:00:00.015-05:00

Jeff and I are moving to our new home on Friday, so we decided to have the last party on our rooftop deck this weekend. It was a beautiful day, so we grilled out and made summer cocktails. We prepared some Chinese cold noodles, which is always a big hit at parties, marinated flank steak, grilled vegetables, burgers and hot dogs.

More than 20 of our friends joined us -- Steve and Heidi brought the cute Violet (their 2-year-old girl); John and Marie brought Jack (their 8-months-old); Jen and Andy came with marinated shrimp and cheese cakes; John and Jenn made "the skinny girl's margarita"; Andy and Jessica brought a couple bottles of white wines; Bret and Katie came directly from the Cubs game; Suzanna brought the champagne and the delicious Mandy B's cupcakes; Prow got us a juicy watermelon; Kelly and Todd shared their delicious prosciutto wrapped melons.

Jeff also surprised me with a cake from Dinkel's, which is everyone's favorite Chicago bakery. Everyone had such a great time, and the last party was a success. I got a little emotional throughout the party....We have lived in this place for 6-7 years, so it's hard to know that it was actually our last party here. We will definitely miss our private rooftop deck!

Megan's Engagement Party

2009-05-31T09:51:00.003-05:00

We are all so excited for our friend, Megan, who recently got engaged. Her sister, Alexis, threw a celebration party at the party deck of a high-rise in downtown Chicago near the lake. Quite a few of Jeff's (and Megan's) high school friends also attended, so everyone had a great time reminiscing and telling interesting stories from the old times. Surprisingly, I also bumped into an old colleague of mine from Edelman Public Relations (my first job in the U.S.), who is Megan's friend from college. What a small world!

Weekend in Michigan

2009-05-25T19:09:00.005-05:00

Our friends, Bret and Katie, invited us to their lake house in Michigan this weekend. This is our third time to their vacation home, and we are excited to get out of the city for a few days. We drove up Friday evening. Our other friends, Jenn and John, also got there around the same time. Since the boys were playing golf early Saturday morning, we hit the hay a little early on Friday after a few drinks.

While the guys were out golfing, Jenn, Katie and I had some girls time. We hung out with Katie's son, Bo, had light breakfast, lounged on the couch and chatted. We then met up with our husbands in South Haven, a nearby town, for lunch. After lunch, we girls walked around town and shopped while the guys went back to the house and Bo. We stopped in a few cute shops and antique stores, but it was nice to just stroll under the sun. Before dinner, we relaxed on the deck for a few hours then went to a pizza joint at another nearby town, St. Joe's.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, so we went to the beach then grilled out afterwards. Scraps and Re-Run were following each other around pretty much the whole time, and they had a especially wonderful time at the beach. Scraps got a number of rounds of swimming and were exhausted on our way back to Chicago!

Headsucker's Ball

2009-05-17T10:26:00.008-05:00

It's that time of the year again -- crawfish boil at McGee's! It's one of our favorite events, since we never really get to enjoy crawfish in Chicago. Every year, McGee's ships about 2000 pounds of fresh crawfish from Louisiana and cooks them with good seasoning, sausages, potatoes, onions and corn. There are also side dishes like jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice. Jeff spent part of his childhood in Louisiana, so he loves any kind of southern cuisine.

We usually go with my friend Leyla, who grew up in New Orleans, to this event. This year's crawfish boil is last Saturday, May 16th. Without exception, we always have a good time!

London Fun (May 8 - 11)

2009-05-13T19:59:00.021-05:00

Scraps' Weekend Get-away

2009-05-03T21:20:00.005-05:00

Since we're doing some floor work in our condo this weekend, we had to stay at a hotel for a couple nights. We chose La Quinta in downtown, as there's no weight-limits for pets, and it's a new hotel that just opened a few months ago and is reasonably-priced.

This is Scraps' first downtown trip, and we hung out in Grant Park, walked around on Michigan Avenue, and took pictures like we were tourists!

April 28

2009-04-28T21:49:00.003-05:00

It's a day to celebrate freedom though I miss you tremendously.

Mercat

2009-04-18T08:23:00.005-05:00

Jeff's parents are in town this week, and we went to one of our favorite spots, Mercat a la planxa, in downtown for dinner. It is a Spanish tapas restaurant with catalan-inspired drinks and cuisine. A few of our typical orders include paella de mariscos, mar i muntanya, datiles con almendras, and especially their Colorado rack of lamb.

Thank you, Ma & Pop, for visiting us and treating us dinner!

"I Dreamed a Dream"

2009-04-16T22:30:00.009-05:00

This 47-year-old contestant, Susan Boyle, on the "Britains Got Talent" Show stunned everyone, not only by her incredible voice, but also her tenacity to never give up her dream. When asked what she wants to be, she said "I'm trying to be a professional singer!". And when asked the reason why it hasn't worked out so far, she responded, "I just haven't been given the chance before." At 47, she followed her desire to realize her dream. I haven't been touched by a story so deeply for a long time. As soon as she opened her mouth to sing, it brought me to tears.

Take a look at this video (click on the link below)! Hope you're moved by it as much as I am!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-KiGva9dV4

Girls' Dinner at Branch 27

2009-04-09T14:15:00.010-05:00

A few girlfriends and I got together for dinner Wednesday night at Branch 27, a new American Bistro in West Town. It has only opened for a few weeks and has already got a lot of buzz in Chicago. I really enjoyed its relaxing yet upbeat atmosphere, but its food is what grabbed me. I loved their Grilled Salmon, which was cooked perfectly medium rare at my request. Marie was extremely happy about her roasted chicken. Darnell and Kristen's tuna burger was delicious. Katie's flatbread looked very appetizing, too. We did not get any starters, but I do want to try their grilled baby octopus next time!

The owner is a friend of most of our husbands, so he came by a few times to say hello and gave us a couple of desserts on the house -- flowerless chocolate cake and apple tart. Both are very yummy!

Six of us also shared a bottle of red. It was great catching up with a couple of girls whom I haven't seen in a few months. They are both busy moms with two young children (one is due next month with the 3rd), so it was a fun time for them to get out and enjoy a night free!

Toast Two

2009-04-04T14:17:00.004-05:00

My friend, Leyla, and I went to brunch today to catch up on her recent trip to Madrid. We have a few of our favorite brunch spots, but we thought we should try a new place this time. Toast Two in Bucktown is the second outpost of Toast in Lincoln Park. My first impression was the beautiful cathedral ceiling with ceiling windows which bring in natural sunlight. After walking in, I immediately felt comfortable and uplifting in this intimate hangout.

There are many options on the menu, including various pancakes and crepes. Leyla and I shared their "crabby benedict" and the breakfast burrito. Very delicious and fresh! It's always a lot of fun catching up with Leyla, who enjoys travel and great food. I had an incredible time in this sunny Saturday morning~

Couples Dinner @ Sushi Mon

2009-04-03T22:05:00.006-05:00

Jeff and I met up with our friends, Jen and Andy, for dinner tonight. We have been planning to do a BYOB Japanese, so a few good options comes to mind in our neighborhood. However, to our surprise, pretty much all of them only had available reservations after 9:30 p.m. It might be because the weather has started to get warmer, which is always great for frolicking in Chicago. We ended up finding this lovely place, Sushi Mon, in Lincoln Park with great reviews on Yelp, so why not give it a try!

We ordered a handful of rolls, a few pieces of sashimi and nigiri, as well as their famous "press sushi", where the rice and ingredients were compressed and then topped with slices of fish and their special sauce. Everything was very delicious at this cozy joint. We had such a good time sharing the food, wine and many laughs. Just the way I like it for a Friday night!

Damages

2009-04-02T19:35:00.009-05:00

I have never loved a show this much! This show is shear genius - extreme suspense, intelligence, intriguing plots, unbelievable acting. Honestly, I never really enjoyed a TV show because I get bored at them easily...okay, I admit I get bored at things easily in general! Very rarely are there things/people that can keep me interested for too long (now this says a lot about my husband, Jeff!). And this also says a lot about this show.

I waited till now to share this on my blog because I wanted to make sure the finale is as good, if not better, as all of the previous episodes. Let me just say, I just finished this season, and I'm too eager to wait for the next season to start! I once told Jeff, if there's only one TV show I'm allowed to watch, Damages would no doubt be the one.

Damages on FX Networks
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/damages/index.php

Upcoming Girls' Trip ~ London!!

2009-04-01T20:58:00.008-05:00

I've been pretty psyched about the upcoming trip to London with my friend, Fion, in May! We will be spending a long weekend in the city and visiting our friend, Ya-Wen, who is getting her Ph.D. in Art History.

My friendship with Fion started in high school. During our 18-year friendship, we were far apart for about 15 of them. However, I always have a strong desire to stay connected with her. She's been there for me through thick and thin, and is always emotionally available. I can easily say she is one of the few people in the world that I completely trust.

We were roommates when we were freshmen (our high school is a boarding school in Taipei), and we stayed at the same host family during our short one-month studying abroad that following summer. Fion has always been one of the top students in our class while I was more of a day-dreamer with English as my only favorite subject. After high school, she got into law school and is now a successful lawyer in Taiwan. For the past year, she has been staying in Boston with her husband and their 4-year-old boy getting her LLM degree. Before she goes back to Taiwan in September, we thought we should fit in a little trip together to catch up and spend some time girl time!

I can't describe how excited I am, and I literally can't wait for our little vacation!

Jeff's Whistler Ski Trip

2009-03-22T09:10:00.006-05:00

August

2009-03-20T14:20:00.007-05:00

To celebrate the "March Birthday Madness" for three of our friends, Katie, Melissa and Jessica, we had a private group dinner at a local deli and grocery store, August. Owned by George and Angie (brother and sister) who were both chefs in their previous lives, August actually much more than just a grocery store. You can find not only the most fresh vegetables, meats and seafood, but also ingredients and seasoning from many parts of the world. But what makes August unique is the owner's generosity to share their culinary experience and special recipes with their customers while making food on the premises for customers to taste. At times, if George sees that you bought a piece of their fresh trout, for example, he would want to know how you want to prepare it and sometimes offer suggestions or alternative recipes for you to try next time.

Another offering at August is meals prepared by the two chefs. For busy professionals in the neighborhood who do not have time to cook dinner, their food is definitely an easy yet delicious alternative. The price for these meals, however, is a little high (around $10 - 15 per entree).

For our Birthday party, we had the whole place to ourselves for a cooking demo and three-course dinner and BYOB. Our appetizer was seared tuna; second course was grilled skate with brown butter; main course was tender loin with mashed potatoes and spinach. We finished up with a cup of coffee and home-made cupcakes by Marie.

Since August is about 1.5 blocks from our house, it was conveniently located for me as well :)

思鄉病

2009-03-07T12:35:00.003-06:00

I've been missing Taiwan - everything about Taiwan - very much for at least a number of months now. And I've found this desire to be especially severe lately. I crave the authentic local Taiwanese food; I miss my father, brother, aging grandma and my favorite uncle; I miss the TV shows; I miss the language, the accent; I miss taking the Taipei Rapid Transit; I miss the atmosphere and the air; I simply miss the familiarity, my home town, my native country.

Jeff was in Whistler this weekend for a ski trip, so I thought I use this low-key weekend to create a little "Taiwan" in our condo. So I went to the Chinese supermarket to get some 大腸 and instant 麵線 to make 大腸麵線! On this rainy Saturday afternoon, I enjoyed my 大腸麵線 while watching 光陰的故事 to heal my 思鄉病. I have to say, it did a little magic!

Can't Get Enough of It

2009-02-19T21:04:00.014-06:00

After finished "The Middle Place" and "Outliers" (I highly recommend "Outliers"!) a couple weeks ago, I started my journey with "轉山". This is actually the first Chinese book I have read in a while. The candid and authentic writing of a young adventurist from Taiwan grabbed my attention from the first page and kept my interest high throughout the entire book. More accurately speaking, the more I read this book, the more attached I was to this book. I couldn't get enough of it, and I found myself not wanting to finish it!

Biking from Yun-Nan province to Lhasa Tibet, the author recorded his first-hand experience in the 60-day journey. It is much more than a book about travel. It is about the courage to not choose the easier paths in life and to never compromise even in the most difficult times. To me, it is 311 pages of history, literature, exploit, culture, learning, human weaknesses and strengths, curiosity, determination, faith, and realization. I recommend this book to you!

"藏民虔誠祈福的“轉山”儀式, 被青藏高原靈性大山擁抱的西藏人相信，只要環繞神山一圈，就能洗淨過去罪惡，讓身心得到淨化。"

Surprise Weekend Trip -- New York City!

2009-02-09T19:55:00.017-06:00

To celebrate our first wedding anniversary, my sweet Jeff surprised me with a weekend trip to New York City! He planned the whole trip - bought plane tickets, booked hotel and made the dinner reservation. He had to break the surprise a week prior so I could take Friday off from work; however until we got there, I never found out where we were staying or where we were having dinner on Saturday night. Sneaky!

We arrived around 1 pm and checked into The Alex Hotel in Midtown East. It was a trendy boutique hotel within walking distance to Grand Central Station. Our room was spacious and modern with a king-size bed and a flat screen. After we got settled, we couldn't wait to go straight to one of our favorites, Joe's Shanghai (鹿鸣春) in Chinatown! We enjoyed their famous soup dumplings, beef noodle soup and scallion pancakes...Yum..

After lunch, we walked around SoHo and shopped a little before stumbling into a local dive, Nancy's Whiskey Pub. Nancy's is definitely Jeff's kind of place -- jukebox, shuffleboard table, and beer is the main alcohol served. Two Guinness and a Blue Moon later, we were heading to the Meat Packing District. "Fig and Olive" is my kind of place -- long wine list, martinis, cocktails, fresh olives and delicate cheeses. While sipping on my perfect pear martini, we got some recommendations from our bartender about a few places where the locals enjoy. "Employees Only" in The Village is full of character and was extremely packed when we got there. We were actually lucky to get a table by the bar within half an hour (thanks to my charm, as Jeff put it..Ha!). Their arugula salad with oyster mushrooms was nothing like I've tasted before. My entree, duck breast, was midiocre, but Jeff really enjoyed his orecchiette with house-made Italian sausage.

On Saturday morning, we walked around Central Park sipping coffee. Lunch was at our favorite Umbertos Clam House in Little Italy. Their linguini with white clam sauce was one of the best we've had (second to Daily Catch in Boston though!), and their New England clam chowder was authentic but a little pricey I must say.

After stuffing our faces at Umbertos, we decided to walk off our lunch in the sunny afternoon in The Village. I always felt very much at home in this area, and it reminds me of our neighborhood here in Chicago. We stopped in a few shoe stores, clothing shops and old record stores. One of my co-workers in the NYC office recommended a live Jazz place in the area, "Garage," so we stopped in since we're just around the corner. We sat by the window people-watching, enjoying the sunshine and listening to live Jazz. While we were thinking to ourselves, what could be a better way to enjoy an afternoon? when all of a sudden, "Spotted: K-Fed in a cool-guy hat walked by with a stunning blondy~ xoxo, gossip girl" Jeff was really quick to spot him, but we didn't have time to take a picture for proof...shoot.

We got back to our hotel in the early evening and got ready for our Saturday dinner reservation at The River Cafe. Honestly, I was a little puzzled when we were going over the Brooklyn Bridge. But I was pleasantly surprised when we got there! It has a famously unique location with exquisite dining, seamless service, unbelievable views (NY skyline) and live piano. We shared a bottle of 2004 Napa Valley R-Collection Cabernet Sauvignon with the standard 3-course meal. I loved my sauteed foie gras as appetizer, rack of lamb for entree and assorted sorbet for dessert. Jeff was really fond of his seafood trio (lobster ravioli, shrimp, grilled baby scallop), Canadian venison and chocolate toffee cake. It was an incredible dining experience! And I really enjoyed watching all of the
beautiful people there :)

Sunday was my chow-down day (not that I haven't been the entire trip!) of the Taiwanese cuisine in Flushing. We met with Aunt Sha-li and Uncle Darren at the Flushing Mall where I gorged on Ah-chung noodle, stinky tofu and 鹹酥雞!

What a fun weekend we had! Thank you bud! Happy 1st Anniversary and many many more to come!

Happy Chinese 牛 Year!

2009-01-27T19:25:00.008-06:00

My sister-in-law, Kien, has been studying Chinese Medicine in San Francisco, and everytime I see her, I'm surprised at her Chinese-speaking progression. Whether it's a type of Chinese herb, a body part or a section of a diagnosis, I can tell she is much more confident now to pronounce and convey them in Chinese.

Yesterday she once again surprised us by sending us a Chinese New Year's greeting card written in Chinese by her! Though she had to explain she asked her teacher to write the characters before she copied them onto the card, I love her thoughtfulness as always and am especially amazed at her Chinese penmanship!

Thank you Bib!! Love the card!

Happy 5th Birthday, Scraps!

2009-01-25T14:09:00.002-06:00

Dear ScrappyDoo,

Happy birthday, baby! Mommy can't believe you are 5 already! It seemed just yesterday when we met you. Remembering that day, I was convinced we were meant to meet you and take you home. You were actually one of the first puppies to be taken in the litter. However, you were returned back to the breeder because your first family couldn't take care of you anymore due to a death in the family. It was such a surprise and bless in disguise for us, and you completely sold yourself to us. Unlike other 11-week-old puppies, you had unbelievable energy and was really "scrappy". You ran around the room seemingly barking "pick me, pick me", and your clumsiness led you hit your head in the furniture a few times, but it never bothered you.

It has been almost 5 years since you came in to our lives, and you never cease to surprise us with your unpredictable facial expressions, your passionate licks, your jolly prance, your enormous appetite, your intent to "talk", your better-than-human sensitivity, your extremely observant nature, your patience, your optimism, your sweet companionship, your ecstasy every time you see us coming home from the window. Baby, mommy can't tell you enough how lucky I feel every single day because of your love! Everyday with you is a blessing for daddy and me! You're such an important part of our lives.

On this special day, daddy made you a birthday fruit jello cake with your favorite apples and banana. We hope you love this special treat. We want you to be healthy and happy as always, and we look forward to celebrating many many birthdays with you!

Love you more than you'll ever know,
Mommy

Food for the Soul

2009-01-19T19:41:00.000-06:00

I finally received the two books I ordered from Amazon.com today after impatiently waiting for them for almost 2 weeks. Since my The New Yorker subscription and less travel (less in-flight time) with my current company, I haven't finished any good books lately. I often miss my food for the soul and crave the contentment of being immersed in several hundreds of pages.
The Middle Place is a memoir of a woman who are "comfortably wedged between her adult duties and her parents' care". This book got my attention due to my recent argument with my father and finally speaking to him after almost 7 months. Though I've been living 8,000 miles away from home and taking care of myself since I was late in my teens, there is still a big part of me that resist to completely grow up. I find myself really lucky to be able to pick up the phone and just being a daughter to my father.

I got Outliers: The Story of Success to motivate myself a little. It has been a comfortable year, and perhaps because of aging, I found myself gradually losing the tenacious ambition I have always had. I've heard mixed reviews about this book, but I'm excited to read it and be the judge myself!