虎年大吉

祝大家虎年虎虎生威!

龍精虎掹 橫財就手
心想事成 開開心心
青春常駐 順順利利

『虎』盡『金』來!!

happy burfday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADDI!

check out what this little princess has been up to this past 2 years
at her blog!

p.s. i normally don't steal pictures from others, but this one's a special case!

mother's day

to celebrate mother's day, we took mom to her favorite french restaurant.

actually, we celebrated a few days earlier because on the real day, she would be in hk celebrating with her own mother.

it was a nice meal, and to top it off...

grand marnier and chocolate souffle ♥

hope she is enjoying her vacation~

牛年大吉

恭喜發財!

祝大家牛年開開心心

步步高陞 萬事如意
一帆風順 身體健康
家肥屋潤 笑口常開

my 2008

2008

a year of change for me.

a year of "early retirement" and lots of exploring.

a year that ended in not the way i had intended.

there were happy times and sad times.
nonetheless, there were more happy times than sad times.

there were no regrets.

i wouldn't have remembered all the tidbits that happened in 2008, if it wasn't for what i've recorded on this blog.

2009

nobody knows what is ahead.
but we should all take it like an adventure.
because my 2008 was one unforgettable adventure.


wishing everyone a healthy and adventurous new year.

merry christmas

may everyone's wishes come true this christmas

woof woof!

dear mochi jie jie:

work hard on your pinyin! hehe~

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~

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

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...

happy birthday C!

i want to wish my friend C a wonderful birthday!

hope life in SD is good!
i can't wait to see you ne~
(i'll call you when i'm back in the states)

お誕生日おめでとう！

to all moms

kachow!!

happy birthday to my friend AC

恭喜發財!

年初一

祝大家鼠年行大運

心想事成 身體健康 一本萬利
步步高陞 青春常駐 龍馬精神

HAPPY YEAR OF THE RAT!


first thing today was to go to grandma's to 拜年 (give our greetings).


當然o吾少得"運吉"啦！哈哈！


grandma's famous dishes



red and gold at the mall