san diego

my first time to san diego was in 2005. that time, my main goal was to visit the newly born panda at the san diego zoo. yes, i was obsessed with pandas. of course, i stopped by la jolla and coronado island too.

this past weekend i was there again, not to visit the pandas nor shamu, but to see my friends who have recently moved there. we didn't try to pack in a lot of activities, but we had a great time just hanging out and chatting with each other. oh, by the way, i also got to spend my weekend with another very special friend! (you'll see who it is at the end...)

lovely beach along the city of del mar


oishii sushi!! (the best uni i've had)


roberto's is a famous mexican joint


i've heard A LOT about their burrito - which has french fries in it! - and finally had a chance to see one. i didn't taste it, but the person who ordered it gave his thumbs up.


extraordinary desserts - another popular local hang out


their cakes and pastries are decorated with fresh flowers and tiny gold flakes




and now, here's my special friend...


lilo!!!! i'm missing her already!





our fun time at the park

a day with mj

mj = ......



mahjong?



michael jackson?



marc jacobs!?



NOPE!!



it stands for my good friends marie and james!!
they tied the knot this past weekend!


CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN GUYS!!


what a lovely wedding~

why so serious?

"why so serious?" said the joker, from the new batman movie the dark knight.

everyone would love to live a not-so-serious life, but can we really do that? it's even ironic that the late heath ledger, who played an indelible joker, took the role so seriously that he lived alone in a hotel room for a month, formulating the character. his seriousness paid off.

i was never a big fan of superhero movies... i mean, i would never have the urge to watch them in theaters as soon as they're released. however, the dark knight was different. i had seen the movie trailer and wanted to watch it pretty badly. i think a big part of that had to do with heath ledger playing his final complete movie before his tragic death. it's like the hk star, leslie cheung, where everyone fled to watch his final performance in the movie (異度空間) which was rumored to have aggravated his depression and triggered his suicide.

heath ledger's performance as the joker has been highly acclaimed by movie critics, and i trully wasn't disappointed. logically, i should be hating his role as an evil villain, but i was just captivated by how well he's played the character that i actually liked the character. he had so much potential as an actor, and what a pity to have died young.

other casts like christian bale, morgan freeman, and aaron eckhart, all did an equally amazing job in the movie. it's also a nicely crafted superhero film made with sophisticated taste. it's worth my $11.25 and twisting my neck sitting on the second row. i also realized (once again) how pretty hong kong is.

i would recommend this movie, but you will come out of the theater with a serious mood.

message from james dean

to my best friend Y...
hope you'll have an awesome and memorable birthday!
love ya~

birthday present for my sis

today is my little sister's birthday...

she really digs the iPood onesies...

and this is the best i can do to get her one that fits!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS!!
xoxo

the pinkberry effect

i can't believe that i was only away from the bay area for 2 months, and at least 5 new frozen yogurt shops opened within a 10-mile vicinity. there's yogurberry, red mango, froyo?, yogurtland, and tartini. possibly more. i only got to try tartini with a friend last week and we shared the lychee flavored fro-yo with blueberries, strawberries, and whole lychees. not bad. (sorry, the one pictured isn't what we had, but that's what you can expect.) most of these places have a self-serve bar and are charged by weight, so you get to decide how much you want (and can eat) at the time of purchase.

this boom in fro-yo shops in the bay area is probably a result of the highly successful pinkberry, founded in los angeles by two korean americans in 2005, and now has close to 60 stores across southern california and new york. people have been raving about it, and a lot are willing to wait 30-45 minutes at times for just a cup of pinkberry. i can't tell if pinkberry is worth the wait since i still haven't tried it, but according to reviews, a lot of the new brands mentioned above are comparable and some even better. i also read an article on pinkberry, saying that it's not uncommon to find a pinkberry next to a starbucks. well, pinkberry did receive funding from the starbucks foundation to start their stores in new york city.

fro-yo could just be another fad or trend in the bay area - like how tapioca milk tea attacked us about 10 years ago. the groupies have swarmed over to fro-yo shops from their usual tapioca cafes, but let's see how long it'll take before another trend invades.

reunion

one of the highlights from attending joanne and chris' wedding was that we got to have a big family reunion in a long time. i have relatives living in hk and australia which i don't get to meet in many years. this wedding was definitely a chance for all of us to have a much-needed gathering.

group photo right after the ceremony
(sorry one of my cousins was cut off by the photographer...)

the last complete family gathering was 18 years ago! since then, 4 more cousins were born. and grandpa is no longer with us... (can you tell who's who?)

"cousins eleven"

hope our next reunion won't have to wait another 18 years...

east meets west

on joanne and chris' wedding day, they incorporated a solemn ceremony at the church and a western reception for their guests, as well as a very traditional chinese tea ceremony for the immediately family.

for those of you who're not familiar with the tea ceremony:
it is an opportunity for the bride and groom to express gratitude towards their parents and elder relatives for looking after them until the wedding day. in chinese families, one is considered an adult and independent when one gets married.

snap shots from the tea ceremony...

joanne and her aunts

father and mother of the bride waiting with a big grin


“爹地飲茶”


in return, the couple is showered with gifts like lai see (red envelopes) and jewelry


by the end of the ceremony, the bride will get two armfuls of these gold bracelets


they must also listen to the elders' "lecture of life"


her arms (and knees) should be tired by now?


the bride and groom probably served over 50 cups of tea that day


finally her turn to be served tea from the little brother and sister


ceremony completed!

the wedding reception was held at a beautiful ballroom at the sutton place hotel. their theme was "travel" - appropriately for their 5-year long distance relationship based on meeting at various cities around the world.

guests find their place cards before entering the ballroom


cocktail at the foyer


their engagement portrait


we must be having an interesting conversation... i don't remember


more interesting conversations happening elsewhere


my table - london


during the dinner reception, both fathers of the bride and groom gave their funny yet touching speeches


they definitely cracked a few jokes that made the couple laugh


the newlywed's speech


cutting of the wedding cake - which was handmade by the groom's mother and aunt (and shipped from the uk!)


all single ladies get ready for the bouquet toss!


chris working hard on the garter (he did some warm ups right before)


the first dance


showing us some smooth moves


dance floor is now open


catch the kisses!


everyone is having a great time


gilbert and his angels


it was truly a fun and unforgettable day!

more from vancouver to come...

joanne & chris' wedding

on july 1st, i attended my dear cousin's wedding in vancouver, canada.

joanne is 3 years younger than i and the same age as my little sister, so the three of us spent the most time together when we were little. i'm really happy for her to be the first to get married among our generation! her husband, chris, is a wonderful man and i have no doubt that he can make joanne the happiest woman on earth!

JOANNE & CHRIS
Wishing two wonderful people a happy life together, Congratulations!

highlights from the wedding ceremony

to be continued...

ryan's ride 2008 - the event

for the past 4 years, i have been an active volunteer at the Ryan Phua Memorial Kids' Ride (aka ryan's ride). the first ryan's ride was held in june 2004, just less than a year after ryan's sudden passing in 2003. ryan was the older of the twin boys of my dear friends john and michele, and brother of matthew. john and michele established the ride to raise funds for bay area cancer-related programs, and more importantly, to carry on ryan's spirit in this wonderful event for kids. i was afraid that i'd be unable to attend this year's event, but fortunately i made it!

the crowd started to gather around the race track

the phua family (2nd and 3rd from right) accepting a donation check from the title sponsor


3... 2... 1... GO!
i think we've got a future tour de france rider here


little champions race down the streets of burlingame


baby alana (ryan and matthew's cousin) participates in her first ryan's ride - royal carriage style


the kids' ride is actually a part of the annual adult professional race - burlingame criterium. it's always cool to watch the racers speed past you



www.ryansride.org