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!