WordsWithoutASound's Xanga

eggs

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:16:06 GMT

I told Wayne that even though we had to leave Boston and move to Hartford, I was glad that I got to move with him. That sounds dumb, but I'm really grateful to have him around. Exploring new places (or adjusting to new places) is a thousand times better when it's with your best bud.

He is quite entertaining. For example:

Today we went to A Dong (enter stifled giggling now), our Asian grocery store, and just as we were about to check out we saw a case of duck eggs.

(Duck egg on left, chicken egg on right, photo stolen from http://onehungrychef.blogspot.com/2009/08/breakfast-of-champignons.html)

Me: "Look! They're so big!"
Wayne: "Wait, that's weird. Aren't chickens bigger than ducks?"
-thinks for a second-
Wayne: "Turducken...oh, nevermind. Ducks are bigger."

He's logical. I like that.

adventures in the rising star

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:31:37 GMT

We finally spent a weekend in Hartford (cuz I agreed to work on Sunday for a coworker) and started off the weekend with an adventure. Not the good kind.

Friday night:
7:30pm- I'm miraculously done with all my paperwork and have given report. If you know me this is no small feat. I'm usually out by 8 if I'm lucky. I call Wayne and ask him to pick me up (we only have one car now).

7:45pm- After finding a disposable spoon at Au Bon Pain, I settle down in a corner of the main lobby to eat my yogurt.

7:50pm- I hear a commotion and realize that someone just fell down the stairs. I grab my stuff and run up to see if they need any help.

7:55pm- After standing around and doing next to nothing (someone had already called the ER paramedic to get a stretcher and stuff) I realize that I'm only holding my lunch bag, not my purse.

7:56pm- I run down to the place where I was sitting and find nothing. I ask people who are nearby, go to Au Bon Pain to see if I left it there, check the stairway, check the area again, and still nothing.

7:58pm- Wayne comes and I tell him what happens. I tell a security guard my situation and then run over to the ER to see if someone picked it up with the patient's belongings by accident.

8:00pm- Took me awhile to figure out how to get IN to the ER, but when I did they didn't find anything.

8:05pm- Wayne takes me home and we start canceling credit cards, figuring out if we can change the locks, put The Club on the car.

8:30pm- Credit cards canceled, phone service suspended. Wayne texts my phone with his contact info just in case someone responds.

10:30pm- I'm exhausted from working and from worrying, so we go to bed. I say a quick prayer that somehow things will be found.

We were glad I was safe, but worried because my purse had my keys, ID, phone, and wallet. I felt awful- usually I'm so responsible! This actually is the second time I've run to an emergency and left my purse, but the first time I was sitting with Wayne so I knew he'd get it. Is it lame that I'm also sad because I had bought Tropical Punch Now'n'Laters and they were in my stolen purse? I know it's lame. But they're so good. Anyway...

Saturday morning:
6:00am- Wayne and I are camping out in the living room to deter any breaking and entering, and he get a phone call from a woman who had spent a good portion of the night in the ED with her mother. She said she had my purse with my keys and phone and she'd meet us in the morning to give it to us. YAY!

10:45am- The woman calls and says she'll meet us in the main lobby. She was a lot later than she said she'd be so we were nervous that we were being set up, but she came in and handed me my phone, my keys, and some of the contents of my wallet. She said it looked like someone tried to break into her car last night (she has a Honda Odyssey) and then left all the stuff under her car. I'm so glad she was honest and brought everything back.

I'm so bummed that something like that would happen...especially in my workplace! I don't know what someone would do with my driver's license (really aren't that many Asian people in Hartford, so it'd be hard to pass it off as a fake ID) but I hope nothing else comes of this. *sigh*

To get my mind off the whole thing we went hiking up to this tower where you can see, like, all of Hartford. One of the views:

Thank you, Joy and autostitch!

And a flexible tree:

And we got to celebrate Wayne's birthday on Monday at the ever-so-famous-and-elusive Red Lobster:

Oh Cheddar Bay Biscuits. You got the best of me. Wayne said he doesn't want to eat any shrimp for awhile.

So anyway, that's our first full weekend in Hartford. Crime and crustaceans.

never a dull moment

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:38:30 GMT

I've never had so many weekends off! I used to work every third weekend and technically I was hired for that here, too, but there are so many weekend-only people that I haven't had to work a full weekend. And I won't have to for the rest of the year! Who wants to play? (granted, I'm working both Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I'll take what I can get.)

Anyway, my weekends recently:
Chicago- Nenshiya's bridal shower

AND bachelorette party!

She's not sure if she likes beer or liquor better:

Hitting the Big E (similar to the Orange County Fair except it represents all of New England):

Eating the Craz-E burger (bacon cheeseburger on a grilled glazed donut)

Baby chicks!

Trying to make height to go on the rides:

Is anyone else offended by this? Why is the Asian girl always the shortest?

Apple picking and wine tasting at Nashoba Valley for Gloria's last weekend in Boston!

(btw, totally cute date idea. They have a restaurant there, too.)

The apples were good- honey crisp are the best! The rest of them became a rather large pie.

wedding season

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:34:41 GMT

I love weddings. I'm pretty sure that's obvious because I pretty much love all girly things (weddings, babies, puppies, flowers). I love the ceremony and vows, but I especially love seeing a couple's personality expressed through the little details. And I love traveling to places where people met, grew up, etc. It's an adventure! With friends, food, and dancing!

Summer weddings of 2009:
Joe and Jess (Ithaca, NY)
June 27

Ithaca IS Gorges! J&J did a great job planning a "destination" wedding, and everything was really beautiful. My favorite part (besides the settings- Sage Chapel on Cornell's campus for the ceremony and Lamoreaux Landing for the reception) were the homemade details. Instead of cake they made a stand for tarts, and in lieu of favors they made a donation to ACCESS, a program for school-age children in Chinatown which they both know and love. Above are some of my favorite pictures from the day: Joe and Jess getting pelted with birdseed, one of five jumping pictures (not because they didn't turn out but because SOMEONE wanted to be the highest jumper), the beautiful setting, a picture of J&S by J&S, the tart stand, Wayne and me by the gorges, Cheungs and Chuangs, and the awkward-looking tart tasting. Yay J&J!

Jenn and Rafael (St. Louis, MO)
August 14

J&R's wedding was on a Friday afternoon, so I flew into St. Louis early that morning, had lunch with my cousins, and then drove off to the Botanical Gardens. The entire time I was in St. Louis I had never been to the Botanical Gardens, and now I'm super sad that I missed out! Thankfully the ceremony was indoors (it was hot!) and it was in a beautiful little pavilion right next to the water lily pond. Jenn is the only girl I know who has the finesse to wear a hat instead of a veil. So stylish! Their wedding incorporated a lot of different symbolic gestures at the wedding (like having Rafael give Jenn a flower each year of their marriage) and the wedding party included a lot of their family (Jenn's mom was her matron of honor.) The reception was at an art gallery (perfect for two artsy people) and the band they chose was great! I had to leave a little early since I had an early flight the next day, but I'm so glad I went.

Brian and Katie (Anaheim, CA)
August 15

The next day I found myself in California for B&K's wedding. Unfortunately my camera died right after the ceremony! It was sort of surreal being in the same church almost exactly a year later- except this time I was a guest, not the bride. =) B&K really emphasized the gospel a lot in the ceremony and the reception, but they did it in a very inviting way. When they were honoring their parents during the ceremony they had a voiceover of either Brian or Katie reading a letter to their parents, which I thought was really sweet. They had a photo booth with props at the reception (so much fun!) and it was great seeing old friends.

On a separate note, I felt more far away from California friends after visiting this wedding. I don't know if I was just tired or what, but it felt like there was less to say...or it's been so long since I've hung out with people that I don't feel like I know them anymore. It's almost been a decade since I lived in California. I'm thankful that when I'm with family I always feel at home, but I'm not sure how I feel about everything else. Maybe it's just a phase.

Livia and Jeff (Boston, MA)
August 22

Hands down, the nerdiest wedding I've attended thus far. And nerdy ON PURPOSE. I loved how they incorporated their inside joke (flying pigs) into the program, the centerpieces (the ridiculously adorable centerpieces that had a crank that made the pig fly when you turned it), and the favors. I love the Hyatt Harborside (my favorite Boston hotel location-wise) and I liked how the ceremony's music selections reflected their individual tastes. In order to get them to kiss you had to write a haiku that made fun of Jeff or complimented Livia. Man, the combination of the two (neuroscience PhD candidate and astrophysicist PhD) is gonna make for some smart, mischievous kids! The last picture is the "Thriller" crew. It's exactly what it sounds like.

Still lots more weddings to come- unfortunately we won't be able to attend all the weddings we're invited to, but we'll still make a valiant effort. Too bad there are so few direct flights from Hartford. Thanks for letting us share in your joy!

hartford?

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:01:51 GMT

It doesn't seem like we moved because we're back in Boston every weekend, but I found proof to show you that we actually live here! My favorite place in West Hartford (besides Pho Boston!) is Elizabeth Park. It has a beautiful rose garden, running paths, tennis courts, a cafe, a pond, live music during the summer, and it's super close to our apartment. Recently I was running though and found out that the Connecticut Dahlia society also has a garden that gets displayed at the end of the summer.

I've never spent so much time with flowers. I shot with my point and shoot (who is seeing its last days) and with my film SLR just so I'd have dozens of photos to remember how beautiful they are. Wayne suggested I create a "garden" in our apartment with my prints to help me get through winter. He's brilliant.

Anyway, just thought you'd like a peek at life in Hartford. I feel so blessed by God's creation.

Goodbye Summer

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:10:20 GMT

I think this summer has been really fun but it's also been really weird. We've moved to Hartford, but we're pretty much only here on the week days cuz there's always something going on in Boston.

A glimpse of our summer:

Last full men's group (plus significant others...three of us upgraded from dating to married within the last 5 years)

A&K's quick stop in Boston (had to get ice cream at Toscanini after lunch at Basta Pasta)

Wine tasting in Ithaca

Dinner at the ever-so-famous John Thomas...the boys are being dainty with their creme brulee.

The BEAUTIFUL spread at our surprise farewell party: fruit salad, sangria, veggies, pineapple, freshly made guacamole, lobsters, ribs, barbecued chicken wings, bacon wrapped scallops, and lobster bacon appetizers.

A tasty basket'o'treats- lots of spicy stuff!

Our Boston friends (minus Terry, who had to leave early)

July 4 on the Esplanade- fruling's first time seeing the fireworks from the Charles

Showing J&G around Boston

Representing WashU at Princeton

Visiting with H&C pre-baby

Too cute!

Shake Shack with the newest NYC residents

And B&K pre-wedding!

Of course, since I took those photos B&K got married AND H&C's baby arrived- this summer totally flew by! And the summer wouldn't be complete without weddings, so I'll post on that next.

Hawaii Part 2: Oahu

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:34:02 GMT

How can you not love Oahu? Great food, great beaches, and fabulous friends? Trifecta.

Kyle was the perfect tour guide, of course. Knew all the best places to go, loves food as much as we do (if not more), had neoprene car seat covers so we could sit in his car with our wet swimsuits, came with a cooler full of drinks and snacks for us...such a wonderful host.

Please note the stark contrast of skin colors.

Spear-throwing at the Paradise Cove Luau

Gourmet breakfast by Kyle

Me and my spiky friend, the pineapple.

Turtle nap.

Rumble on the rocks

Kyle in shock and despair because we beat him to the punch and paid for dinner.

Mochi ice cream goodness at Bubbie's. I don't go out of my way to eat mochi but these were INCREDIBLE. Flavors included dark chocolate strawberry, passionfruit, wasabi, chocolate peanut butter, chocolate mint, green tea, mango...aiyo, they were so good. Erica and Ryan were like, "We should definitely get a dozen" and I was like "Can we finish that?" The answer is yes.

We went to the state fair...which...wasn't very big. But neither is Hawaii. So it's okay.

Watched pigs race (my pigs totally rocked)

And celebrated Ryan's birthday! I like how Ryan and Erica are much happier than the logo. They're so cute. =)

Our last meal- lunch at Longhi's for eggs benedict. Wayne had crab cakes benedict. SO good.

I think that's only, like, half of the trip in photos. We did a lot more, ate a lot more, saw a lot more...and that was just three days. I love Oahu. We're so gonna go back. Someday.

I MISS YOU GUYS! Thanks for hanging out with us.

countdown to 1

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:14:05 GMT

A break from picture posts- with some pictures.

10: pounds I've gained since getting married. NO JOKE.
9: kinds of dairy products in our fridge. I'm hitting the calcium hard.
8:8 Taiwanese Father's day. So clever! That was the only Father's Day we were present for this year
7: participants in Ohana now
6: mosquito bites received while picking blueberries last weekend
5: other Hartford transplants that we'll be meeting for dinner in the next month
4: recipes I've tried from smittenkitchen that were fantastic (it'll hopefully be 5 after tomorrow)
3: stops for our week off in November- Las Vegas, Orange County, and Chicago
2: weddings I'll be attending this weekend (J&R in STL on Friday and B&K in OC on Saturday!)
1: container of mint chip ice cream made by our ice cream maker- our first homemade ice cream to celebrate our first year of wedded bliss.

Other thoughts:
I think it's funny when singers refer to other women as "chickens" (Fergie in "Boom Boom Pow" and Mariah in "It's Like That")
I also think it's sad how many derogatory terms there are for women.
I don't like songs about cheating.
I do like songs that are sweet and convey genuine emotion, like Colbie Caillat's "Fallin' For You" or Pink's "Who Knew"

Okay pictures cuz I can't help it:

Father's Day 8/8

Blueberry picking in Sudbury:

And the delicious mint chocolate chip ice cream that is gracing our freezer with its presence:

*happy sigh*

i love hawaii part 1

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:27:39 GMT

Kauai is beautiful.

Except there are freakin' ROOSTERS everywhere who crow all day long. I thought they were cute until they woke me up at 4am.

Other than that, we had a fabulous time in Kauai. We got to meet the newest member of the Young family:

and see the phenomenal view from their backyard:

and the fantastic view pretty much wherever we drove: (sorry for my amateur panaroma efforts)

We hiked part of this trail that goes along the Na Pali coast:

And also drove and saw it from the other side of Kauai:

Our last day in Kauai Neil and Michelle hosted a bbq for us and the Leungs:

Neil proves that he is totally still a cherished friend-
Me: Neil, pretend you're a pineapple!
Neil: Okay!

Yes, everyone. My friendship can be won/kept with food or agreement to take funny pictures for my amusement.

Thanks for hosting us!! I think as beautiful as everything was, my favorite part was getting to catch up with N&M. It's so good to see old friends.

june part 1- chowder and graduations

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:56:02 GMT

I only worked 3 days in June.

June 5 was my last day at Lahey (and besides someone looking at me and asking me if I was pregnant it wasn't terrible) and the very next day we went to Newport, RI for the Great Chowder Cook-off!

$17 for all you can eat chowder, and the chance to help pick the winner! The categories were: Best Clam Chowder, Best Seafood Chowder, and Best Creative Chowder. All of the ones I chose won first place! They also weren't from New England, surprisingly.

Can you be "happy as a clam" at a clam chowder cook-off? I say no.

The beginning of the Cliff Walk- a nice way to walk off all the chowder.

The next week we jetted off to California for graduation madness. We had a couple days to chill and see friends, and then on Friday we drove to UCLA for commencement.

To celebrate we went to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles (it was more for Wayne's sake since he hadn't been there and chicken and waffles is his new love.)

Chicken wasn't as good as the Breakfast Klub, but the waffles were really tasty.

Bright and early the next morning we went back to UCLA for Dianne's Psychology graduation:

There were, like, 700 grads for Psych, so it took us a long time to figure out where she was. Afterwards we went to eat at Ramayani, an Indonesian restaurant in Westwood. Food was yummy (I haven't had Indonesian food in, like, a decade) and it was fun seeing and experiencing my mom's culture a little more. Dianne grew up in Indonesia, so she knows it best out of all the cousins.

After driving back home and grocery shopping we drove down to Irvine for Chrissie's graduation:

Chrissie managed to graduate in 3 years, even while going abroad to Ghana!
Then we hit BCD for a celebratory dinner. Irvine is full of so many delicious things it's incredible. We got BBQ chicken (not barbecue, but "best of best quality") right after BCD because Wayne was so psyched that they had a franchise in California.

Last but not least, Philip's Communications graduation. His was the most intimate (approx 200 grads?) and they had a really talented organ player play all the processional music.

*****
Short game: Match the commencement speaker with the university.
School choices: UCLA, Babson, and UPenn
Speaker choices: A blind mountain climber who's climbed the highest peak on every continent, the lead guitarist of Linkin Park, and the CEO of Google
*****

After graduation we had tons of people over at our place for a graduation party (which included 40 lbs of kalbi. No joke.) When we were planning the party my dad's only question was whether or not he could grill something just so he could get a new grill. He now has a pretty new grill which was christened with kalbi, chicken drumsticks, shrimp, and asparagus. If you live in California how could you not have an awesome grill? And a fruit tree?

The five of us (Leong kids + Wayne) went to Pacifica to see our old freshman English teacher and then visit David's classroom. We helped him clean up his classroom and then took a multiplication quiz/race. I'll just say I wasn't the last one.

We celebrated Father's Day early with the Engs since a lot of us would be out of town. Todai, anyone? I love good Japanese buffets since Japanese food is usually so expensive...I love the variety. Mmm...Wayne hadn't been before, so he also approved.

All our California trips are jam-packed with food and friends, but I love every minute of it. And that's the first half of June, in a very large nutshell.