Camping at Clear Lake

Howard's annual camping trip (and the last we'll have with him) for the year.

Clear Lake is not as "clear" as it looks from the road, as we discovered. Algae-ridden and muddy.

But that didn't ruin a great weekend. My sister, Patty, came with us and after attending Christina's funeral, I was more than happy to spend it with some of my closest friends and family. Probably one of the most relaxing camping trips I've been on, where everyone is comfortable with everyone else and just kicking back and having a great time.

I can not ask for a better group of people to have shared the weekend with. With each day I am grateful for what I have!

Developing Standards

I think it's so ironic that we spend most of our childhood trying to make new friends and feel "accepted" to only grow up being picky about whom we choose to spend time with.

Honestly, I don't think I ever had a lot of friends when I was younger. I had a select group of people I hung out with grade school, middle school and then high school. Granted, the quality of the friends changed over time, but I was never the popular kid or the girl who always had people around her. One thing is for sure though - I never went to the "wrong" crowds and when my friends started going in that direction, I like to think I was good at course correcting.

As I grow older that has changed. There are so many people around that we now have the luxury to actually choose whom we befriend. Ok, so they have to like me, too, I get it. But I realized now that just because someone likes me or wants to be my friend, doesn't necessarily mean I have to like them back. Sounds simple right?

The problem with a lot of people that may have potentially had similar childhood experiences as me (ie: small, caucasian centric town, living as a minority, trying to fit in) is that they grow up looking for friends and then when they have the luxury of selecting, they don't filter. Which brings me to my topic of standards.

At some point in your life, you just have to develop standards in terms of what you appreciate, what you don't appreciate, how you want to live your life and who you choose to be in your company because their characters coincide with your set of standards. And course correction is likely guaranteed. As you grow into certain sets of standards, you will likely grow out of certain friendships.

I like to think I've done this all my life. Even when I was in high school - I started to observe that my parents had certain friends that I didn't really approve of. Funny that a high school kid could say that about her parent's friends right? I just thought they were not of the exact character I respected and if it weren't for the fact that there was only 5 chinese families to befriend in my hometown, they wouldn't have to be friends with them. I don't remember what they had to say to that. Probably that they had good traits, too. My opinion was - not enough of them. So it's easy to make judgments when you dont' have to deal with those people. Or you just self-select yourself out of a certain crowd. But it's hard when social circles entertwine and you just don't prefer certain people and are sometimes forced to be around them even if you disapprove.

These thoughts also come at the same time I realize that life is short (with the passing of my good friend Christina). We should be picky about who we choose to be in our company, because life is about growing to be the best person you can be and making sure you surround yourself with the best people that will enable you to become that. Spend more time with those you love. And be selective about those you don't love yet.

Selection criteria you ask? Ask yourself what your standards are. For me: I want good role models at my maturity level or higher. Always strive to be greater!

Remembering Christina Yu

One of my close friends from Folsom, Christina Yu, passed away last Friday with a very rare type of cancer.

Tracy and I had meant to visit her on our way back from Tahoe - but instead were hit by this devastating news when I called Chris on Sunday morning. I didn't know what to say or do. My head was spinning, like everything in the room was surreal. I kept thinking, we were one week too late. And that I should've went earlier. I should've listened to Sharon when she advised me of her timeline. All these things I should've done...

And then regret turned into some sort of anger. She didn't deserve to die so young. She was perfect in every sense. The most endearing type of person you could meet. Beauty and brains and no attitude even though she was perfect.

I'm still hearing her voice in my head of all the limited conversations we've had since she got sick. She was so happy and positive. Always looking at the bright side of everything. Always feeling obligated to please others - from her work to her friends to her music. Chris was one lucky guy.

I miss her. I know she is up there smiling down, though. May you rest in peace, dear friend.

My 30th B-day

Another decade older! Tracy came up with this great idea of having a Hawaiian-themed joint b-day party so that's what we did! We had people dress in island garb and bring Hawaiian-themed food.

Details on the food:

We provided:

1. Teriyaki Chicken

2. Kalbi short ribs

3. Mashed Taro

4. Banana-macadamia nut bread

5. Mai-tai's.

People brought:

More teriyaki chicken (Quinn's infamous recipe)

More short ribs (apparently CP and Wilson bought 12lbs for 2 parties that day??)

Salmon poke (hooray Yeelo and Howard)

Ahi poke (hooray Sophie and Mike)

Pineapple upside down cake (Irene)
Chicken adobo (Arlene)
Chicken Katsu (Kerry)

Saimin (Eugene and Amanda)

Mango salsa (Amy)

Pineapples (lots of peeps)

Lychee martinis (Liz and Mark)

Pina Coladas (Seila and Alix)

...and of course plenty of wine and beer and other drinks.

It was great fun. We started out with eating, of course. Guests helped with the grilling in the backyard. Good thing we bought that 4 person outdoor dining set because we didnt' have space for people to sit and plus it was 90 degrees that day (scorching in the house). Drinks were consumed, of course. We had a scavenger hunt with THINGS and PEOPLE inside and outside the house. People who completed the hunt with all answers correct got a 2nd entry into our raffle. People played the ukulele (Arlene!) and the Wii Fit. Of course, there were people playing poker as well. We cut cake and had the raffle towards the end of the night. Many guests (15 or so) stayed until the very end. Of course this is not before having multiple drinks and shots (nasty dark rum ones) and making Seila's watermelon-mint blend and dumping some alcohol in there! Just mingling and meeting new people is always fun, too. :)

We closed up shop at around 1:30AM and Ed and I quickly cleaned up. Thank God for paper plates. I used every paper and plastic utensil I had ever owned.

Thanks for a birthday I will ALWAYS remember. :)

LA and Seattle

LA - June

We finally got to get a taste of our friend Ket's restaurant in Burbank! We fly to LA the last weekend in June and stayed with him in Pasadena. I actually really loved his neighborhood. A steep hill next to his house that I could run up and down, and best of all - discovered the Rose Bowl jogging trail. Who knew LA could have such beautiful jogging trails with no sound or sight of traffic in view? Now, getting back to the restaurant. It's called Urban Eats and seriously (totally unbiased) had the BEST roast beef sandwich and watermelon "water" I have ever had. Other dishes were just ok, but for his prices you really can't find unique dishes like his anywhere else. They also serve, get this: Panna Cotta. And Creme Brulee. At a salad and sandwich place?! Had a great time with Ket and Linda. You could say we get along well (and Linda jogs at my pace). I realized that weekend that LA definitely has a lot to offer. It's still hard to imagine living with the 2 things I can't stand about that city, though: 1) unpredictable, eternal traffic, 2) smog!

Love to visit, can't see ever living there. Also got to meet up with Neddy for the first time in about 2-3 yrs. Thanks Ket and Linda for showing us your beautiful town!

SEATTLE JULY 4th

We arrived in Seattle to a welcome of thunder and lightning in the sky. I was rudely awakened at 6AM the next morning by booms of thunder outside. Regardless of the crazy weather, I think I still miss the clean, wet air smell after a rainfall. The next morning I went jogging on the trail/park next to Frank and Lynn's house and I was loving the cool air and dew I was breathing in (vs sawdust and pollen in the bay). I do miss that about the Pacific NW. Frank's house was a mansion, of course, for the same price we paid in the bay for 1/3 the size. I got lost in it. I went back to "the Ave" and had some nice reminiscing at Tokyo Garden. Hasn't changed! The Ave has certainly been chain-commercialized, though. There's an American Apparel and Urban Outfitters there now! That would've seriously put me in debt if it was there during '96-00! Don't like American Apparel, though. T-shirts and solid colored shorts for $20? Seriously. Kristena and Tim took us biking, of course. William and I drew blood in the first 30 min. Those clip-ins are seriously dangerous, not to mention the rail road tracks! The fireworks, as usual, were fantastic at Gasworks. Had the best non-MSG laden Pho of my life at Tim's parents house. Yum. Kristena's got some serious skillz with the American food. Gave me some new inspiration with couscous and better methods of cooking that rosemary chicken.

I was telling Kristena and Ed how much I enjoyed hanging out with the Phams and Huyhns. It's very comfortable and we all have similar personalities and interests. We would be a trio of happy married couples if only we lived in the same city! Flashbacks of talks to 4AM with Kristena on the last night. And then she wakes up at 8AM to drop us off at the airport and go bike 30 miles. That's dedication.

I miss them already! Hope to see you all very, very soon.

Tips on Curbing Everyday Spending

extracted from the San Jose Mercury News, Fri June 20th (it's the first day of Summer!) by Candice Choi

Tips on how to find savings in everyday spending habits:
1. Use cash instead of credit cards. You'll be more aware of how much you're spending.
2. Don't be afraid to buy second-hand goods. Used books, clothes and accessories can often be found online in good condition at a fraction of the retail price.
3. Check cable, cell phone and bandking statements for any services you may not need or even know you have.
4. Shop around for better rates when your cell phone contract is up
5. Go online to comparison sites before making any big purchases
6. Learn to cook and rely less on eating out. Eating just a few extra meals a week at home can add up to significant savings over time
7. Try activities that don't cost money: hiking, card game nights, borrowing movies from the library, etc.
8. Take your own snack/lunch to work.

Pachi's compliancy assessment to these tips:
1. i try with food during the week. failed with everything else
2. failed
3. failed. that cable bill sucks.
4. done this year with switch to AT&T
5. ed is good about doing this one
6. we try. but we still end up spending pretty pennies on the weekend
7. we try. rollerblading is a good one, too. anyone have recommendations on a good library to check out movies? i can't say what we "usually" do to work around this one in public.
8. yes! Ed, however...

2 Year Anniversary

Time flies! I ALMOST forgot about our anniversary! Ed reminded me on the 9th during our little evening stroll around the block. I hope that he knows that the only reason it almost didn't cross my mind is because I am HAPPY! This year is Year #6 since we first started dating - and everytime I see him I still feel like I did the first month we met.

I feel guilty right now. I was going to surprise him at the Fairmont tonight, but now it's too late. That's what happens when you blog too much.

Mallo, see you in my dreams! I love you!

Roger and Amy's wedding

It's June and you know what that means! The huge parade of weddings is about to start.

Roger and Amy picked the best date in this century: June 7, 2008: 6/7/08.

We knew we would have a blast since almost every single one of our closest friends were attending. Minus Peter (again), sadly. The good news is that we got to see some Folsom people we haven't seen in literally 2 years (since our wedding), ie: Chris Loental.

And Roger CRIED!! Not as badly as Frank (sorry Frank), but he was still out of control. It was so touching and it was hard not to break down myself. It's really sweet how obviously much he loves her! Witness his gmail status for the last year:"6/7/08: the best day of my life.". I love Roger and Amy as a couple, and am thrilled they found each other. I haven't seen Roger as happy as he does now that he's with her.

I'm looking forward to spending more time with them in the bay! And to steal Roger's recipes..ha ha. I think he's the only guy I know who: 1. knows what Saffron is, 2. actually purchased it before.

Mike & Sophie's Wedding

It was in beautiful Sonoma! We went with Jackson and Li and stayed overnight in Napa and went to some wineries that next day. They played this game where they had their backs to each other and had one each of each other's shoes. The DJ asked questions and they had to answer(by holding up the shoe) of who they believed fit the answer best. For example, "who watches the most TV?" One question was: "Who is always right"? And they held up each other's shoe! I teared up because it was so sweet! I don't think most couples would answer the same. :)

Puerto Vallarta

A much needed mini-vacation! Check out the awesome view from our hotel room!

PV was so much more than I expected. For one thing, it was relatively CLEAN (except the ocean). There was also, surprisingly, a lot of the mexican culture that was definitely not evident in the only other Mexican city I've been to (Cancun). Puerto, from that perspective, was much more enriching. Since it was a "real" city, lots of historic buildings, churches, and even art (which was shockingly modern!) lining the streets of downtown. Plus the locals were extremely pleasant, friendly and helpful (much more so than in Cancun or even Costa Rica). And the weather was perfect. Not too humid with a nice ocean breeze. Ed and I really enjoyed our time there. It's always nice to get away by ourselves for some time, with nothing to really worry about. We didn't have any tours or appointments lined up, which made it even nicer. :) The food was incredible compared to anything you could ever get in the states for mexican, of course. We did get inspired by some special mexican recipes, with I am likely going to try out. Funny how we ate 4 days of mexican and are still craving it. They had this really neat lime-ade drink at this one restaurant. And some yummy seafood quesadillas.

We did almost get lost in the depths of PV one day on the bus, but you can ask me about that story another time. :) I guess Ed got me back for our incident in Venice. :) Good thing the people are friendly. I was reminded how much fun the water is though. Always looking for a way to get in some exercise, of course. I really want a pool someday.

Yosemite Falls and Relationships

Conquered again!

http://picasaweb.google.com/pachi.chen/YosemiteSpring08

This time it was with a whole different crew. Minus Peter, which doesn't happen often, but we had him in our hearts as the person who challenged Ed/Fan and I initially and introduced us to this wonderful park (I think there was a toast to Peter at one point).

Crew: Howard, Yeelo, Jing, Alex, Tracy, Fan, Ed and I.

Fond memories include:
-trying to climb up Jing's pole prior to departure
-the really good Vietnamese restaurant in Milpitas (although slightly overpriced)
-NO snowstorm during the drive up
-new bear lockers directly outside of each tent cabin (awesome)
-Only 30 degrees (vs sub 20) overnight
-full stomachs with lots of fresh fruit and goodies before the hike
-everyone traveling pretty much the same pace (no man/woman left behind) during the hike
-rainbows!
-relatively warm hiking weather
-whole grain bread was good!
-"10 minutes away"...eventually became reality!
-no complainers or people who wanted to turn back!
-hamburger shaped cookies
-Tracy sets the pace!
-Yeelo and Howard "run" the last mile. How come they stopped already? :)
-Snow for the last 500 feet
-upper falls views
-upgraded shower hall! (hot water!!)
-decent pizza!
-hiding our beer from the yosemite cafe nazis
-Australian cheddar from Whole Foods. Yum.
-drinking outside the lodge
-chatting inside the lodge
-The Pub mix Ed didn't want me to buy (yum)
-WARM Saturday night!
-The "intense" hike up to Bridalveil.
-The "chair" tree branch that we all straddled. The boys were supposed to face each other! ha ha.
-The House of Beef is CLOSED!!! Cry, cry..
-But the mexican place is GOOD!!
-Yeelo and Howard want to go biking and running afterwards (crazies)
-But end up sleeping (that sounds better)
-Steak at Black Angus. (not too good for some though)
-Meeting up with Peggy and Casey

Lots of thoughts regarding relationships between couples as well as just people during the trip. Between the "couples" on the trip and how each of them relate and support one another. In summary, my assessment was quite positive for all the peeps on the trip. ;) For example:

1. Fan-Cy: Instead of showering after the hike, Fan knew Tracy would be hungry as expected after the hike, so went to eat cup of noodles with her while we all showered and then went to get dinner. Ended up that Fan never made it to have pizza with us, and chose to cuddle with Tracy to keep her warm in the tent (and God knows what else) while the rest of us ate dinner near the cafe. Fan sacrifices food for love, who knew? :)

2. Al-ing or Jex (need a nickname): Patience and support. Alex would always wait for Jing, regardless if it was because she was falling behind relative to us going to eat, or if she was falling behind on the hike. He was always by her side, regardless of everyone else's pace.

3. Yee-Wie: We all know they are inseparable (either that or competitive!). If Yeelo wants to run the last mile, Howard is there with her. If Yeelo hates sausage, we get canadian bacon (lucky for me!). Note Howard is the only guy who waited for Yeelo after the showers.

All the above encourages me, knowing that our friends are in happy relationships, and in the meantime, allowing Ed and I to evaluate our relationship in light of those around us. It's nice to be able to be amongst people that are in healthy relationships and can help us grow in ours.

May we continue to grow as much as we have since we've met!

Iron Chef San Jose (Spring 2008)

I decided to host an Iron Chef type of competition, and do it once a quarter for kicks! (plus we just launched these seasonal Leader Boards at work on the bikes so the philosophy behind it, which includes allowing people to improve over time and get cumulative results, appealed to me). It was a lot of fun and I can't wait for the Summer follow up! I told them they can't let me win next time...!

Here were the rules and details: The Spring '08 ingredient was Egg

What is Iron Chef San Jose?--> An excuse for fellow fans of food to get together and eat!Seriously, though, it is supposed to be a cooking competition similar to the real "Iron Chef" as seen on Food Network--> I'm thinking of doing this once a season

Why Should I Join? Two words: Fame and Glory(I'm thinking about getting winner names on a special apron and/or trophies)

Rules:

1. Each person brings a dish they have cooked using the "secret" ingredient.

2. If you choose not to bring a dish, please bring a dessert or appetizer of your choosing.

3. Each dish will be labeled (with the name of the dish) upon arrival - you can choose to reveal your name or not, but u eventually will have to at the end

4. Everyone tastes each dish

5. At the end of the tasting, everyone votes

6. Total possible score per dish will be 20. Max 10 for Taste, Max 5 for Originality, Max 5 for Presentation.
7. Pachi will tally the votes for each dish

8. The person who scores the most points overall is the winner for the season, although best of each category will also be revealed

9. In the case of a tie, a cookoff will proceed on a following date

10. Winner will be tallied on a per season basis, although at the end of each year cumulative winners will be announced.

11. Please bring enough in your dish to serve the total number of people coming to the cookoff.

Spring 2008 ICSJ Secret Ingredient: Egg

Here are pictures of the dishes!

Miami Sunrise (crossiant, egg, canadian bacon) : Ed

Imperial Fly Ly (Fan)

Sunflower (Tomato+egg): Tracy

Apple (egg) pie: Ellie

Russian Potato salad (Alex)

Unagi+fish cake Don (Pachi)

I got Crabs (crab+egg) : Ming/Emily
Smooth egg over Shrimp (Jing)

Winners:

Best Plating, Most Original (Tracy)

Best Overall (Pachi)

Best Taste (Ellie)

Winter Fun

I think Howard was right on blog consistency! (meaning, there is none)

I do have to play catch up though. I've been having too much fun with friends here that I forget to report out.

Here are some highlights in the last month...

January 24th weekend in Vegas:

-Ed was at an Intel conference all week so I took Friday off and joined him for the weekend. It was also his b-day on the 27th so we figured it was a good way to celebrate.

-Since he lost his glamorous hotel room at the Venetian Thursday night, I booked the cheapest hotel on the strip: the Imperial Palace. Ends up that was a big mistake.

-Ed calls me from the hotel room Thursday, 4PM, before I left work to catch my flight. He says the room is terrible and he was going to look online for some other ones. I just blew it off, figuring, it can't be THAT bad. He was likely just feeling the downgrade from his plush Venetian room.

-Ed calls me when I'm at the SJC airport and says he found Monte Carlo for the remainder of the weekend for only $10 more than what we were paying at the Imperial. So we figured we'd check on the next morning and stay the rest of the weekend at Monte Carlo.

-I show up at the Imperial Palace that night, to pretty much the most horrible room I've stayed in (besides Naples, Italy). The bed was so old and springy that as soon as you sat on it, it sagged to the floor. And plus I could feel the springs all night.

-The next morning, we left our bags with the IP baggage check and walked to the Wynn for buffet brunch. We figured we'd pick up our bags afterwards and walk to the Monte Carlo.

-As we walked towards the Wynn, we notice that everyone was staring behind us. So we looked back as well. The Monte Carlo (hotel we are staying in for the rest of the weekend) is on fire.

-For some reason, Ed and I were quite calm. We figured they would figure it out by the time we finished eating.

-After the buffet, we go to the Monte Carlo and it had been evacuated. They tell us to go to the MGM, that there were rooms there (or at another sister property - either Treasure Island, MGM or the Mirage)

-We walk to MGM, the front desk assures us there is plenty of room in their new wing ; "The Signature", which are all suites.

-We walk toward the suites, but saw signs in the meantime to check in this other area. At that check in area, they tell us there are no rooms left at MGM, and we had to go downstairs, get on a shuttle, and they would shuttle us to another property. They had no idea which property, however.

-Before we headed down, Ed was insistent we go straight back to the "Signature" and just check whether or not they really had rooms. He was confident these other people had no idea what they were talking about.

-So we went back there and indeed, they had rooms. And it was the most beautiful room ever! Not as nice as Ed's Venetian room (so he claims), but nevertheless super nice. Brand new, flat screen TV, stocked kitchen, TV in the bathroom, jacuzzi tub with jets!

-The best part of the story was..when we checked out, they didn't have us sign anything. And after verifying, they said that it was taken care of (free). The suites were $269 per night! And they even refunded our original deposit!

Ok, so I guess MGM-Mirage has a good rep in our mind.

BTW, we found out they also own Bellagio! As there were signs there welcoming the Monte Carlo fire guests as well...

January 29 - Ed's post b-day bash at the bowling alley

My best game ever!! Ed, Mark and Howard killed Yeelo and I though. Although the other team (Roger, Amy, Jing, Alex, Ming, Emily) still owe us a meal. In the picture. D = Mark (Dimelo), E = Yeelo (forgot why), W = Howard (WieWie), BB = Ed (bday Boi), P = Pachi (peach)

February 9 - Howard's 30th bday bash

BEST German food ever at the Haufbrau House in SF! And Howard gets all emo while he's drunk. There's Milhouse, at it again (aka Brian)

Feb 14 - Valentine's day

Ed and I make chocolate covered strawberries, yum.

Feb 15-18th President's Day weekend

Girlz nite at Emily's (yum, crepes), Comedy show w/ Jing/Alex, Gilroy, hiking at Windy Hill (w/ Roger), golfing range. Could we pack more into a weekend?

Blogging Again!

Another year! One of my resolutions was to get back to blogging. I was telling Ed and Peter last year how I had a website in college and kept an online diary before blogging was even coined a term. Alas, I missed out on that potential biz venture, but still enjoy writing down my thoughts even if no one reads them. Although in college my "blogs" did draw some scaries that followed my life story. Can you believe it is 2008? It was only yesterday I was writing on my UW page and going to TSA meetings and here is Mark, my roomate, in our living room playing Guitar Hero with my husband Ed! Funny how things happen but I'm still loving every minute of it!

Snow has been falling immensely - Tahoe trips are being planned left and right. Can't wait to get some fresh powder!