This year has to be our most intensive traveling year!
Aside from our trip to Taiwan in March celebrating first wedding annivesary, between September and November we visited London, Paris, and Beijing. I definitely got enough of inter-continental traveling and am ready to take a small break now.
To see what we did on our recent trips, check out the photos. These are hosted on the new beta photo service (Photoshop.com) from my company, Adobe Systems. It has a lot of cool features, best of all, more photo editing tools than any other photo websites! Enjoy!
By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MICHAEL today!!
Videos
Paris - Eiffle Tower
Paris - Seine River Night Cruise
Beijing - Concert at the Water Cube
London - Buckingham Palace Guards
Paris - Buildings and Streets
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Parking for Cynthia and Luke's Baby Shower
At the end of Technology Drive, you will see the Sonora's club house. Before reaching the club house, look for the drive way on the left (follow the pink line).
Below is a Google Map of the location (click to enlarge). The red spot is the club house. The pink line is the route you take to the parking lot behind the building.
Please park at the open spaces around there, and then walk to the club house. You might want to drop off passengers in front of the club house first.
Below is a Google Map of the location (click to enlarge). The red spot is the club house. The pink line is the route you take to the parking lot behind the building.
Please park at the open spaces around there, and then walk to the club house. You might want to drop off passengers in front of the club house first.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Please Donate - Earthquake In China
Can you imagine what kind of damage 500 atomic bombs would do? That is the equivalent power of the magnitude 8.0 earthquake in China. As the number of victims continues to grow(over 30,000 dead as of today, estimated to reach over 50,000), so does the pain and sorrow in all of our hearts. It is heartbreaking to watch the suffering, devastated people who could have lived to enjoy all the blessings in life I am so fortunate to have right now. This reminds all of us how precious - and fragile - life is. Please help as much as you can - every little bit counts!
American Red Cross
Red Cross - Other Countries
Tsu Chi Foundation
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Wedding Anniversary Trip To Taiwan
Our first international trip together! We visited Taiwan from March 27th to April 5th to celebrate our first wedding anniversary (which was on March 25th). I grew up there and this was Michael's first time in Taiwan. Since in 2007 we visited Mississippi (where Michael grew up), we thought it would be nice to visit the place I grew up as well.
The most special event was probably the anniversary professional photo shoot. We had taken formal engagement photos in 2006 and wedding photos in 2007 in California, and we wanted something more casual this time. I had done some research and printed out sample pictures to show the photographer what we were looking for. The pictures turned out exactly what we wanted! We felt that they were realistic portraits of our relationship - simple, loving, and romantic... It was a nice snapshot as we start the second year of our marriage.
In this short 10-day trip, we ended up taking 600+ pictures! To spare everyone from picture hell, here is a summary photo album with just 96 pictures, and a short video of a few random clips. We were very busy everyday, visiting all kinds of tourist spots and meeting most of my family and friends for lunches and dinners. It was so nice to see many of my old friends, tracing back between 3rd grade and high school! Michael also got to meet my grand father on my mom's side who is 85 years old, still in excellent health! It was so good to be home and we were so terribly short on time.
Upon arriving Taipei, our first stop was of course Taipei 101! Taipei 101 is currently the tallest building in the world constructed in the new millennium! It stands 509.2 meters tall, and has the world's fastest ascending elevator at 16.83 meters per second! Our ears were slightly hurting as it rose. This was the first time for both of us to get onto the observation deck at the top - the view was breathtaking! Although I grew up in Taipei, I never figured out the geography of the city. Being on the top gave me a much deeper appreciation of the city I grew up in. We later realized that the day we went (the first day we arrived at Taipei) was the only day the weather was clear enough for us to see the whole city. What perfect timing.
Even though I loved shopping and eating at the night markets, Michael wasn't such a big fan of them, probably because he is such a neat freak! But he LOVED the hot springs and spa treatment at Orient Retreat Spa in Bei Tou. We loved the smell of sulfur and soaking in the hot spring was very relaxing. Spa treatment followed the soaking -it was the most perfect day! We also visited the old homes where my family used to live, my elementary, junior high, and high schools, and visited a couple of teachers that still teach there! Things looked a little different around the old homes since a lot of new buildings added to the neighborhood. I used to walk to and from school and the road seemed a lot wider back then. Now it feels a lot narrower and I feel like a much bigger person! How funny things always seem a little different in memory.
Michael loved anything that has to do with history, like the National Palace Museum, Dan-Shui old streets, Fort San Domingo (from Dutch occupation), 228 Peace Park, Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, Sun Yat Sen Memorial... He loved reading all the stories in the exhibit halls about the history of Taiwan. At first he really wanted to buy a piece of jade to bring back to the States. But we discovered at the Handicraft mart that the "liuli" (crystal glass) is more representative of Taiwan because it was re-developed by Taiwanese artists. We brought a beautiful dragon sculpture from Liuli Gongfang back with us and now it is being displayed in our glass cabinet.
My favorite part of the trip is of course - eating! We had things ranging from street vendor to cute cafe to fancy sit down restaurant, traditional Chinese to Japanese to French fusion. Michael's favorite was the Tea Restaurant where everything was made of some type of tea - appetizer, entree, dessert, beverage... One of our favorites is Ding Tai Fung, a famous traditional dumpling restaurant. It is so good that it has chain restaurants all over the world! We didn't have a lot of time to shop, and only spent the last day shopping. We still got quite a few things and snacks to bring back - we can't wait to go back again to eat and shop some more!
Before the trip, we were really excited to find out that the Japanese magician Cyril Takayama was going to have his first performance in Taipei - starting the last day of our trip! He is made famous by You Tube for all the street magic performances he did in Japan and Asia. My dear friend Shui bought the tickets for us in advance so we could get the front row seats. Michael loved the performance and this was the perfect end of our first international trip!
a.jpg)
The most special event was probably the anniversary professional photo shoot. We had taken formal engagement photos in 2006 and wedding photos in 2007 in California, and we wanted something more casual this time. I had done some research and printed out sample pictures to show the photographer what we were looking for. The pictures turned out exactly what we wanted! We felt that they were realistic portraits of our relationship - simple, loving, and romantic... It was a nice snapshot as we start the second year of our marriage.
In this short 10-day trip, we ended up taking 600+ pictures! To spare everyone from picture hell, here is a summary photo album with just 96 pictures, and a short video of a few random clips. We were very busy everyday, visiting all kinds of tourist spots and meeting most of my family and friends for lunches and dinners. It was so nice to see many of my old friends, tracing back between 3rd grade and high school! Michael also got to meet my grand father on my mom's side who is 85 years old, still in excellent health! It was so good to be home and we were so terribly short on time.
Upon arriving Taipei, our first stop was of course Taipei 101! Taipei 101 is currently the tallest building in the world constructed in the new millennium! It stands 509.2 meters tall, and has the world's fastest ascending elevator at 16.83 meters per second! Our ears were slightly hurting as it rose. This was the first time for both of us to get onto the observation deck at the top - the view was breathtaking! Although I grew up in Taipei, I never figured out the geography of the city. Being on the top gave me a much deeper appreciation of the city I grew up in. We later realized that the day we went (the first day we arrived at Taipei) was the only day the weather was clear enough for us to see the whole city. What perfect timing.
Even though I loved shopping and eating at the night markets, Michael wasn't such a big fan of them, probably because he is such a neat freak! But he LOVED the hot springs and spa treatment at Orient Retreat Spa in Bei Tou. We loved the smell of sulfur and soaking in the hot spring was very relaxing. Spa treatment followed the soaking -it was the most perfect day! We also visited the old homes where my family used to live, my elementary, junior high, and high schools, and visited a couple of teachers that still teach there! Things looked a little different around the old homes since a lot of new buildings added to the neighborhood. I used to walk to and from school and the road seemed a lot wider back then. Now it feels a lot narrower and I feel like a much bigger person! How funny things always seem a little different in memory.
Michael loved anything that has to do with history, like the National Palace Museum, Dan-Shui old streets, Fort San Domingo (from Dutch occupation), 228 Peace Park, Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, Sun Yat Sen Memorial... He loved reading all the stories in the exhibit halls about the history of Taiwan. At first he really wanted to buy a piece of jade to bring back to the States. But we discovered at the Handicraft mart that the "liuli" (crystal glass) is more representative of Taiwan because it was re-developed by Taiwanese artists. We brought a beautiful dragon sculpture from Liuli Gongfang back with us and now it is being displayed in our glass cabinet.
My favorite part of the trip is of course - eating! We had things ranging from street vendor to cute cafe to fancy sit down restaurant, traditional Chinese to Japanese to French fusion. Michael's favorite was the Tea Restaurant where everything was made of some type of tea - appetizer, entree, dessert, beverage... One of our favorites is Ding Tai Fung, a famous traditional dumpling restaurant. It is so good that it has chain restaurants all over the world! We didn't have a lot of time to shop, and only spent the last day shopping. We still got quite a few things and snacks to bring back - we can't wait to go back again to eat and shop some more!
Before the trip, we were really excited to find out that the Japanese magician Cyril Takayama was going to have his first performance in Taipei - starting the last day of our trip! He is made famous by You Tube for all the street magic performances he did in Japan and Asia. My dear friend Shui bought the tickets for us in advance so we could get the front row seats. Michael loved the performance and this was the perfect end of our first international trip!
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Tuesday, March 25, 2008
First Wedding Anniversary
Today is our one-year wedding anniversary! Time really flies by when you have fun!!
There was not one day that went by this past year I did not feel like the luckiest girl in the world. My sister and I had quite a bit of hardship and responsibilities after moving to the States, and I always felt I had to be a strong, independent superwoman who carries the world on her shoulders. I didn't think getting married was going to make it different for me.
But I was wrong. I now feel much more secure, grounded, and in control of my life. Surprisingly, I really enjoy married life! At first I still operated very independently, to the point sometimes it hurts Michael's feelings. Through constant communications, I learned that the best thing I can do is just to let him show me he cares. All I have to do is to appreciate him! Wow, that was such a simple, yet profound realization. Who said relationships have to be difficult and complicated?
Tonight we went back to Fairmont to have a quiet dinner together. They even let us go back into the ballroom where we had our wedding. We still love every part of our wedding and have enjoyed everyday since then. Our relationship has grown stronger and heathier, and it is probably reaffirming that we married the right person!
I am so grateful that such a loving, caring, supportive man like Michael has come into my life. I am surrounded by great family and friends, have a great career, live a comfortable life... It's no wonder I feel like the luckiest girl in the whole world!
There was not one day that went by this past year I did not feel like the luckiest girl in the world. My sister and I had quite a bit of hardship and responsibilities after moving to the States, and I always felt I had to be a strong, independent superwoman who carries the world on her shoulders. I didn't think getting married was going to make it different for me.
But I was wrong. I now feel much more secure, grounded, and in control of my life. Surprisingly, I really enjoy married life! At first I still operated very independently, to the point sometimes it hurts Michael's feelings. Through constant communications, I learned that the best thing I can do is just to let him show me he cares. All I have to do is to appreciate him! Wow, that was such a simple, yet profound realization. Who said relationships have to be difficult and complicated?
Tonight we went back to Fairmont to have a quiet dinner together. They even let us go back into the ballroom where we had our wedding. We still love every part of our wedding and have enjoyed everyday since then. Our relationship has grown stronger and heathier, and it is probably reaffirming that we married the right person!
I am so grateful that such a loving, caring, supportive man like Michael has come into my life. I am surrounded by great family and friends, have a great career, live a comfortable life... It's no wonder I feel like the luckiest girl in the whole world!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Voting Result
Thanks everyone for voting for me!
I finished second, which is a great result! And even though I did not get to be the show host, I already feel like a winner for having all of your support. I am very happy with the outcome, and it could not have been so positive without all of your help!!
Sometimes it takes an event like this to realize how fortunate one is. I definitely am so blessed because of all the love and encouragement I received from everyone. And because I won't need to work over the weekends for the show, I can still have the time needed for the priorities in my life - instead of tiring myself out and having no energy for family and friends.
From the bottom of my heart - THANK YOU EVERYONE...!
I finished second, which is a great result! And even though I did not get to be the show host, I already feel like a winner for having all of your support. I am very happy with the outcome, and it could not have been so positive without all of your help!!
Sometimes it takes an event like this to realize how fortunate one is. I definitely am so blessed because of all the love and encouragement I received from everyone. And because I won't need to work over the weekends for the show, I can still have the time needed for the priorities in my life - instead of tiring myself out and having no energy for family and friends.
From the bottom of my heart - THANK YOU EVERYONE...!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Amazing Taiwan
Having lived in California for 16 years, I don't always have a lot of time to go back to where I grew up - Taiwan. But every time that I do, it makes me realize how much I cannot separate from it. Sometimes I wonder why I was born in Taiwan, not China, not Hong Kong. No matter what the reason was, I am so glad it happened the way it did.
Here is a video on YouTube that introduces Taiwan to the world. Even I am surprised how much I don't know about Taiwan and how beautiful it is. If you don't know much about Taiwan, I hope that after watching this video, you will see why China should never attack such a blessed island!
Visit Taiwan Now: http://taiwan.net.tw/
Here is a video on YouTube that introduces Taiwan to the world. Even I am surprised how much I don't know about Taiwan and how beautiful it is. If you don't know much about Taiwan, I hope that after watching this video, you will see why China should never attack such a blessed island!
Visit Taiwan Now: http://taiwan.net.tw/
Monday, February 25, 2008
Poor Koi Got Eaten!
In November 2007 we finally re-landscaped our backyard! It was like a jungle before! And now, it looks much more open and clean after rearranging and getting rid of some plants.
It only took a couple of weeks for a job that normally takes months. We were very happy with the results! The best thing was we put in a water feature! The contractors did a great job designing it. We love the soothing sound and look of the water fall and the pond. In January, the pond looks like it is ready, so we decided to raise some kois in our pond.
We brought 8 of them home and immediately fell in love with them. Michael loves to feed them cherrios out of his hands. I think this helps him lower his blood pressure. :) We used to never go to the backyard. But now, we would come home and rush out to the yard to check out the new plum blossoms and the to feed the kois. It is really nice when the lights in the pond turn on at night, and the kois' skin would sparkle. It looks especially magical from upstairs.
We had seen some cats in the neighborhood checking out our kois. The kois were very smart and would go hide if they don't feel safe. We have been thinking about ways to keep the cats away, not expecting other predators. On Monday, February 18th, I was working from home in the morning. At around 11:30am, I went to the kitchen to get some water. Suddenly, outside the kitchen window, next to the pond, I saw a huge, white heron. I was shocked. The heron looked at me, and I looked at the heron. Then, it jumped onto the top of the water fall, and flew away.
I rushed out to see the kois. I could not see any of them, nor did I see any signs of struggles. They normally hide during the day to avoid sun burn, so I wasn't sure if the heron got to any of them. That night, the kois would not come out at all to be fed, so we got even more worried. We went online, and of course the search results came up with numerous stories of heron attacking kois. We could not eat dinner. Michael was so depressed, he said he never realized how attached we could be to our fish in such a short time. We just sat and felt aweful.
Two days later, the kois reappeared. We counted, now we have 7. We lost one. I am sure when I saw the heron, he had just eaten the one koi. He probably would have eaten some more if I hadn't come down stairs. Now, to protect the "Lucky 7" we installed a "scarecrow" - a motion-sensing water sprayer! It sprays almost like a machine gun, except it shoots water! It works great, because both of us got sprayed a few times when we walked by the pond!
Our kois (and Michael) have since then become happy again! They swim a lot and have grown bigger because Michael loves feeding them. I haven't seen the big white heron again, but I have been checking whenever I can - I don't want to lose another one of our fish! They are such a joy to watch and we are glad to have them as companions. Now... onto the search for the next pet... maybe alligators? ;)
It only took a couple of weeks for a job that normally takes months. We were very happy with the results! The best thing was we put in a water feature! The contractors did a great job designing it. We love the soothing sound and look of the water fall and the pond. In January, the pond looks like it is ready, so we decided to raise some kois in our pond.
We brought 8 of them home and immediately fell in love with them. Michael loves to feed them cherrios out of his hands. I think this helps him lower his blood pressure. :) We used to never go to the backyard. But now, we would come home and rush out to the yard to check out the new plum blossoms and the to feed the kois. It is really nice when the lights in the pond turn on at night, and the kois' skin would sparkle. It looks especially magical from upstairs.
We had seen some cats in the neighborhood checking out our kois. The kois were very smart and would go hide if they don't feel safe. We have been thinking about ways to keep the cats away, not expecting other predators. On Monday, February 18th, I was working from home in the morning. At around 11:30am, I went to the kitchen to get some water. Suddenly, outside the kitchen window, next to the pond, I saw a huge, white heron. I was shocked. The heron looked at me, and I looked at the heron. Then, it jumped onto the top of the water fall, and flew away.
I rushed out to see the kois. I could not see any of them, nor did I see any signs of struggles. They normally hide during the day to avoid sun burn, so I wasn't sure if the heron got to any of them. That night, the kois would not come out at all to be fed, so we got even more worried. We went online, and of course the search results came up with numerous stories of heron attacking kois. We could not eat dinner. Michael was so depressed, he said he never realized how attached we could be to our fish in such a short time. We just sat and felt aweful.
Two days later, the kois reappeared. We counted, now we have 7. We lost one. I am sure when I saw the heron, he had just eaten the one koi. He probably would have eaten some more if I hadn't come down stairs. Now, to protect the "Lucky 7" we installed a "scarecrow" - a motion-sensing water sprayer! It sprays almost like a machine gun, except it shoots water! It works great, because both of us got sprayed a few times when we walked by the pond!
Our kois (and Michael) have since then become happy again! They swim a lot and have grown bigger because Michael loves feeding them. I haven't seen the big white heron again, but I have been checking whenever I can - I don't want to lose another one of our fish! They are such a joy to watch and we are glad to have them as companions. Now... onto the search for the next pet... maybe alligators? ;)
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