Catching Up

A princess is born!

2010-01-27T22:15:00.003-05:00

My sis, Julie, just had a baby girl today! They almost shared a birthday as Julie's birthday was yesterday the 26th while Ava was born at 4:55 am on 27 January 2010! She joins her brothers, Tyler and Ryan from Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver. Mommy & baby are very well. Ava, what a beautiful name and she's gorgeous. More soon...

Wow!

2009-12-18T17:27:00.004-05:00

As in a lot has happened since I last blogged - got married & had a beautiful boy named Finlay (we simply call him Fin). He was 10 days early & was born (no epidural, too quick) on 5th September 2009, at 6 lbs 8.6 oz, 20 inches. He's already a big boy at 3 and a half months!

Thanksgiving in Whistler & Vancouver

2008-12-07T13:22:00.012-05:00

Tsk tsk

2008-08-16T13:33:00.002-04:00

Olympics controversies and The Word is...

More Paree

2008-08-15T23:28:00.009-04:00

Vive le Paris et Versailles!

2008-08-10T01:20:00.011-04:00

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

2008-03-01T23:58:00.008-05:00

Dad's birthday this year was a wee bit different (yes, the present's late again, sorry Pa) - it's Jeremy's turn to meet the parents :-) He was somewhat 'prepared' by T-Kiang who was in NYC for just over a week. We had coffee & dinner earlier and I thought TK's good intentions were not really necessary. Jeremy can just be his beautiful self but of course he doesn't believe me. Even though mom & dad have declared that we're a liberal family :-)

Well other than us being an unconventional pair (and Jeremy's parents missing), the evening was so not like the movie. Suffice it to say that the movie's theme song says it all...

THE GLORY OF LOVE

You've got to give a little, take a little
And let your poor heart break a little
That's the story of,
That's the glory of love

You've got to laugh a little, cry a little
Until the clouds roll by a little
That's the story of,
That's the glory of love

As long as there's the two of us
We've got the world and all its charms
And when the world is through with us
We've got each other's arms

You've got to win a little, lose a little
Yes, and always have the blues a little
That's the story of,
That's the glory of love

That's the story of,
That's the glory of love

Ah the strike

2008-01-13T02:05:00.000-05:00

Although I was consumed with work these two weeks, I didn't miss Jon Stewart's and Stephen Colbert's semi-comebacks without their writers. Dare I say it, this week I actually think The Colbert Report has been better than The, I mean, A Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Also check out Colbert's Un-American News: Primaries. I love these two.

I was a country bumpkin...

2008-01-13T01:21:00.000-05:00

... for spending time in the English countryside - sleepy Cirencester, Cheltenham (shopping and all modernities in a small town), architectural Bath (in broad daylight this time), lovely, lovely Bibury (in the heart of the Cotswolds) and historic Oxford (Harry Potter fans will recognize the grand staircase and Great Hall). Absolutely perfect!

The rest of the family were with the Vancouver clan and hey guys, still waiting for your photos!

London - up close & personal

2007-12-09T16:40:00.001-05:00

Yes it was definitely much better this time around. I was happy and content everyday (yes, even if it did rain 7 out of 9 days) :-) Did a lot of walking in the markets, museums, streets, parks... you name it. Where I was staying at Bayswater is very convenient and I'd highly recommend it. The only time I left the city was the last full day out (Saturday), and we went to Hampton Court Palace just over a half hour's train ride away. I hope these pictures speak for themselves... (I've named most of them, so just roll over them for descriptions at the bottom of screen)

Huh?!

2007-10-27T14:59:00.000-04:00

The day's getting weirder and weirder... first I got phone calls from random numbers and one 'Anonymous' which I never pick up. Then this guy buzzed my door and since I didn't order anything, didn't let him in. As luck would have it, the delivery guy met my friendly downstairs neighbor and guided him to my door.

Imagine my surprise to find floral and basket arrangements addressed to me (double checked)! Lovely message but it wasn't signed! Birthday's over so what are these for? The one time I got flowers was probably more than 5 years ago! I'm a practical person but this sure feels good!

Halloween Party...

2007-10-27T14:37:00.000-04:00

...which I didn't go to. Bah, my costume didn't arrive in time but that wasn't the only reason. It was rainy and cold, and my own general crabby mood weren't ideal for attending a party. Well next year, then! Found a mistake I made at work & having to reveal it wasn't pleasant. Hate it when that happens.

Heard that Jackie was a first rate Mafia Princess and judging from the prep work, I bet she had all the boys running after her! Not sure if Marta & Hazel dropped by like they said they would and Bea was just like me, chickening out for our own reasons.

Got it this afternoon!

RWC 2007

2007-10-27T14:11:00.000-04:00

Ah, my second team also did not win but coming into the tournament with 80-1 odds and making it all the way to the Finals is awesome enough. Michelle & I were at The Sunburnt Cow and even 2 hours before the start, the place was already packed. Had to find a perch to eat our brunch and just managed to squeeze in at the bar (I was almost behind it). Met English guy Alex (and later on his friends) and a good time was had by all. Me in my Union Jack jacket and boys in Red Lion shirts were completely surrounded by Boks fans. Why are they in an Aussie bar? Michelle chose the place thinking it was neutral enough and since Nelson Blue (Kiwi) wasn't showing the match... And since there is a good number of Saffas in the city, why isn't there any South African pubs? Anyhow, we refused to give up our spot (no blockage whatsoever) and stood all the way. Needless to say, I didn't agree with that call and yet again, it was another high drama RWC final. Then English guy kept asking us to go to some tiki bar where his friends in a band play, but we wanted to check out Halloween costumes instead. Throughout the rest of the day English guy kept calling & calling and I thought "Hmm, he's obviously drunk".

Anyway, Michelle & I ended up watching Into the Wild which I found tragic & disturbing. What a waste it was for an idealistic young man to ultimately realize that what he tried so hard to discover he already had/knew all along. His last revelation (won't tell you, find out for yourselves) was truly heart breaking. Everyone should go see this movie.

That time of the year again...

2007-10-14T18:37:00.000-04:00

Yea, so I already feel like a hundred but this time I had a great kick off - drinks at 230 Fifth's rooftop bar. Heard all about it & it seriously deserved all the hoo hah. Too bad the weather wasn't cooperative and good thing management provided thick fleece blankets for patrons. We started out with about 10 peeps & as the night progressed, only Beth & myself were left waiting for Jeremy to fly in. The appetizers were surprisingly good (and Malaysian! - didn't know that before) and when the man finally showed up, we moved to the rooftop and cocooned ourselves. The view was really worth the cold that night. Quentin & Amy showed up & we called it a night at 12:30 am.

After brunch at Pastis, Jeremy, Bea & I played tourists & boarded those red double decker buses that locals laugh at. It was fun running around town doing the Uptown (to Harlem proper), Downtown (got off in Chinatown) and the Night Loops after dinner. Walter was supposed to meet us for dinner at Bar 89 in SoHo but he missed the train, and then Bea decided to ditched us! So I took Jeremy to Nyonya & he liked the food (don't know anyone who doesn't, seriously). We hopped onto the Night Loop bus as soon as we saw it coming down Grand Street and as it was shorter than we thought, we squeezed in a movie as well. We didn't like The Darjeeling Limited at all (disjointed storyline, too weird) and I definitely enjoyed The Royal Tennenbaums more. So glad Jeremy finally got to see the city beyond the PATH train and Cortlandt Street. I think he had a really good time & I'm looking forward to more of London next month :-)

Went home on Sunday and mom cooked all my favorite dishes for dinner. No cake this year but got the new iPod Nano! I was so surprised, thinking geez I'm to old for presents!

Utterly Devastated

2007-10-06T22:54:00.000-04:00

Just like the final score, the Haka was too close

The All Blacks lost - again! Is there some curse on the Kiwis or why the hell can' t they win the RWC?! We started the day happy with brunch; happy that all of us were finally brought together for the ABs (yes, even Benny came out after his sabbatical).

We decided to go somewhere new on the Upper West Side and The Parlour was filled with Frenchies (I won't go there again!). Once more, we were the minority but Sanjay, Aaron & co. from the Kiwi Club joined us. I screamed my head off and probably injured Liam & Hillary from gripping their shoulders and knees. Alas we lost by 2 fucking points - it was really unbelievable. Being on top all these years and when it really counted, we didn't deliver. Geez another 4 years?!

We had to drown our sorrows somewhere else and Pam very generously hosted us at her Manhattan-luxury balcony. The plan was to drink till it was time to go to Brandy's Piano Bar but the lot of us didn't even make it past 10:30 pm on a Saturday night!

But here's the consolation, courtesy of Helen:Nick Evans & Luke McAllister...and of course, my Dan Carter

La la la..

2007-09-30T20:14:00.000-04:00

Sigh, one more oopsy-daisy moment... And let's not forget about "You Don't Know Dick"

Also, is this a fair assessment of Gen Y?

Two Tuesdays

2007-09-13T18:23:00.000-04:00

This is the first time where it's Tuesday again. It was somber, with a lot of us in black and the sky was as grey as people's moods. Our building's PA system helped us observe the four moments of silence as we looked out our windows into the ceremony at Ground Zero. This year it was at Zuccotti Park, where we sometimes go for lunch. I didn't want to take pictures, feeling intrusive if I did. Some people from work chose not to come in.

I couldn't help but watch the History Channel relive that day. This is the only shot I'll have on this...

Kathy and Vinny's Wedding

2007-09-02T16:00:00.000-04:00

Didn't get to her church ceremony in Brooklyn, but the lot of us were at her reception at The South Shore Country Club. A bit of a trek out there, thank god Scherrie picked Hazel & I up from Brooklyn's Flatbush Ave. subway station & then drove to Staten Island. Kathy was absolutely gorgeous, so "grown up" looking & we all felt like proud parents indeed. It was especially fun to see our boss boogeying the night away...

More pictures to come when we've settled down (preparing for a huge review in a few days).

In London town...

2007-08-11T21:53:00.000-04:00

Regent St., SwindonSwindon streetAvebury stone circlesAncient horse carving, Avebury
The Red Lion, AveburyBig Ben from Trafalgar Sq.

Real tubeUnderground

The National GalleryPiccadilly Circus
Beautiful rowDowning St.

Westminster AbbeyBig Ben
London Eye (half)Buckingham Palace/The Mall

... to see the Queen put on her crown. No, not really. It was for work. Of course, it's all about work these days (I mean, weeks, months... whatever, feels like ages now). It's all consuming - I need a vacation!

I needed to get to the Swindon campus first, so I decided to fly in by Sunday morning & have a day to adjust. Bad idea for someone who can't sleep even during 19 hour flights, but hey, I have workaholic/masochistic tendencies, I think. I did manage to fall asleep on the ride to Swindon from Heathrow - therefore missing some good Wiltshire countryside scenery ;-(

Hung around the hotel a bit before deciding to check out the town center. Cab dropped me off at the Regent Street pedestrian walk/strip mall area & all that shopping took me about an hour, tops! Was starved by then but pubs stopped serving at 4 pm & restaurants don't open for dinner till 6 o'clock - what is a famished tourist/workhorse to do?! (Was regretting decision not to call Jeremy at this point.) Back to The Ivy & managed to keep awake for dinner service, then crashed. Encountered an English curiosity here - what's with the separate hot & cold water taps?! I either had to scald or freeze myself & felt a bit silly swinging my hands from side to side in the sink.... but the strong water pressure (therefore made a really great shower experience) that pelts you made up for this.

Had dinner up at Bath on Monday night & was taken around the GORGEOUS town. The very sad fact was that all this ooh-ing and ah-ing about the architecture, Abbey, Pulteney Bridge & Bath Weir, cobble stone streets with overflowing flower pots, wonderful shops & restaurants etc. occured after dark. Therefore no pictures. I have to come back some day. The bunch of overworked us were in each other's good company though. Even when we almost ran out of gas & was banking that Chippenham's gas station was still open.

Tuesday was the first time I was really a drive-by tourist - Jeremy driving & me snapping pictures. He took me to Avebury, famous for its own ancient stone circles, mounds, crop circles & giant carvings into limestone hills. Had a pub lunch in supposedly haunted The Red Lion (where Harley bikers congregate at certain times), back to work till 9:30 (!) and had dinner in Old Towne.

An early Wednesday morning pick up (missed breakfast) to the Hammersmith, London office was a killer. Meet & greet, work work work.... Met up with Elaine in the evening & thank god for her taking me around to Oxford St., Marble Arch, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Sq., Trafalgar Sq. & Chinatown.

A miscommunication Thursday caused us an hour's wait (each separately, she at the tube ticket counter & I on the street) at the Piccadilly Circus station. So off I went walking blindly towards Pall Mall and oh, nice arch.... and oh, that speck at the end looks like a mighty lot like Buckingham Palace. But I was too lazy to actually make it there.

So I doubled back towards Big Ben (having seen it from Trafalgar Sq. & what I now know is Whitehall) and walked & walked. Hey, there's the London Eye; hey, why are people staring into a gated area (found out today that is Downing St. where the PM lives, duh); Houses of Parliament (I knew) and hey, that's Westminster Abbey! By then I was walking in an almost circle & exhausted. Hopped onto bus 25 back to Trafalgar & got lost again before getting underground (no air conditioning - how do people get by in the summer?!).

Checked out at 6 am & thankfully found Niall's chocolates at the airport (not at Tesco). Oh that reminds me - I couldn't find Gerardo's Tesco white chocolates & cheese biscuits either (Cadbury ain't bad, right?). And I forgot to get his money from JD. I am a bad, bad travelling 'saleswoman'.

2007-08-07T19:25:00.001-04:00

I'm alive but too busy to post all that has gone on.... hopefully I'll be able to catch up with myself by the end of this week ;-)

Boat party

2007-07-19T13:05:00.000-04:00

Our annual summer event turned out to be a dinner cruise and what a perfect day for that. It was hot & humid the day before so I guess we lucked out on the 12th...

Back...

2007-07-19T00:39:00.000-04:00

For Good by Take That.

Been very busy since coming back from St. Vincent. Julie & the boys, mom & dad, Susan & Will were celebrating mom's birthday early last weekend. We all went home to have dinner at Bangkok Garden 'cause mom decided The Cheesecake Factory would be a bit of a wait on a Saturday night. (But we still managed to get the Godiva cheesecake from there after dinner!) Then Sunday was spent shopping in Soho and Times Square's Toys 'r' Us.

The weekend before, all of us went to the Museum of Natural History hoping to see if dad's interview got posted in the Mythic Creatures special exhibit. Alas, tickets were sold out for that part but Tyler still got to see his dinosaurs.

Flee - Part Three

2007-07-09T17:16:00.000-04:00

My flight out from St. Vincent was scheduled for 3:15 pm but guess what, I had to catch the 7:30 am ferry because it was Sunday & routes run scarce on weekends! Oh my god, I had so much time to kill. Most shops were closed (again, because it was Sunday) and I had nowhere to go. The cab driver suggested a beach hotel I could have breakfast at, so he took me to Beachcomber on the south side of the island. Wanted to be on the beach, but I guess rolling my suitcase will just be silly. Time finally passed but not quick enough. AND MY FLIGHT OUT WAS DELAYED ANOTHER HOUR, ARRHHHH!

Got to Barbados, customs confiscated part of my wedding party favor (the groom/corkscrew). I didn't check what the favor was, so it was another case where I was clueless. At least I still have the bride/cork stopper (very nice silver). Or so I thought. Because right before I boarded the plane, there was another security check AND THEY TOOK THAT TOO! I went "whatever, I'm not checking in anything". (Other travelling woes - some wedding guests lost their luggage on Liat Airlines; Nat's sister was travelling 3 days from Arizona with her husband & baby, via Puerto Rico where their flight got cancelled, and still missed the wedding; Nat's hairdresser made it just in time, I mean on the afternoon itself.)

You'd think my stories end there. Haha nooo... at JFK, a verbal fight broke out when a bunch of people tried to rush the queue going through customs. Apparently several international flights came in at the same time & all hell broke loose. Security had to be called in (this was the same day of the attempted bombing at Glasgow; JFK's security was heightened already) & I got home at about 2:30 am. Of course I had to go to work in a few hours. For the busiest time of the month. Oh joy.

I do - Part deux

2007-07-09T13:47:00.000-04:00

Slept like the dead and but got up by 8:30 am for breakfast. Went into town (Port Elizabeth) via a pickup/cab for the fruit market & a walkabout. Loved all the tropical fruits (similar to Malaysia's minus the durian)! Was flattered when dude-in-dreads said "give me some loooove" & I knuckled him back. The one & only souvenir shop was a shack with funny ladies selling t-shirts and knick knacks (but no fridge magnets or coffee mugs). It didn't take long for us to navigate through the one-street downtown. Had a good local lunch but everything was on Caribbean time so it was slooooow coming. Rushed back to the hotel to change for the 4 pm wedding.

Come 3:30 pm & Merva (matron of honor) was no where to be found, so Ana & I helped Nat with her gown. I had to climb under it to pin her petticoats (yes, lots of layers). It's good engineering under there, I tell ya. We mini-bussed it to church & because it was hot as Hades, every guest got a very nice fan & bottle of cold water along with the program.

Nat & Darrell got a saxophonist & he played Kenny G's 'The Wedding Song' when Nat walked down the aisle. The whole ceremony was very touching; so much so that Nat was practically hiccuping when reciting her vows. And Darrell was a cry baby as well ;-)

We adjourned back to the resort's Mosquito Bar for the reception. Had fun with the Polaroids & signing of the guest book. We had a really good DJ, so good that bartender and local busboys were literally jumping. As I didn't even have time to put on my bathing suit, I took off my shoes & just walked along the beach - it was almost midnight then.

Wedding adventures - Part I

2007-07-09T12:19:00.000-04:00

So Bequia was further than I thought - I could almost high-fived Hugo Chavez in Venezuela (my bad for not paying attention to Nat's very detailed wedding site). I had no sleep from the night/early morning before as I was packing & was picked up by Super Shuttle (you know how they operate). The first leg was almost 6 hours to Barbados, what was supposedly a 2 hour layover turned into 3 hours; another 40 minutes flight to St. Vincent was uneventful. That someone who's supposed to pick me up wasn't there, so I just followed some guy hoping to get to Grenadine Wharf for the ferry. Kingstown is hilly and the driving mad - let's just say I thought I'd end up crashing into somebody's living room. Had a tough time carrying my suitcase up the almost vertical (must have been an 89 degree incline) stairs & the locals were looking and wondering "what is this asian kid doing here?". Again, my bad for not paying attention (heck, the bride booked all my flights AND got a roommate for me) - the ferry ride was an HOUR. FINALLY got to Bequia, and nobody waited for me as well. I was tired out & just jumped into a van/cab with 8 other people, hoping I'll get to where I was supposed to. I really did not care at that point. Good thing I got dropped off first, rolled my baggage uphill to the hotel's reception and saw Merva & Nat in the lobby :-)

The resort was great. Quickly changed for the rehearsal dinner (Nat's aunt cooked local dishes) and after that adjourned to the outdoor bar downstairs overlooking the bay. Called it a night at about 11 pm (well, by that time I was up for 21 hours). I left Ana & Michelle P. to move Nat's wedding gownto the bridal suite without Darrell seeing a scrap of fabric. All that talk of train bustling/crimping/folding etc. was ahhhhhh..... More crazy details I won't care about, haha.

Approaching Barbados
Grenadine Wharf, Kingstown

With Ana & Michelle P.

Here's to...

2007-07-06T17:08:00.000-04:00

.. anyone who has suffered a heartbreak or two.

"It Ends Tonight"

Your subtleties

They strangle me

I can't explain myself at all.

And all the wants

And all the needs

All I don't want to need at all.

The walls start breathing

My mind's unweaving

Maybe it's best you leave me alone.

A weight is lifted

On this evening

I give the final blow.

When darkness turns to light,

It ends tonight

It ends tonight.

A falling star

Least I fall alone.

I can't explain what you can't explain.

You're finding things that you didn't know

I look at you with such disdain

The walls start breathing

My mind's unweaving

Maybe it's best you leave me alone.

A weight is lifted

On this evening

I give the final blow.

When darkness turns to light

It ends tonight,

It ends tonight.

Just a little insight won't make this right

It's too late to fight

It ends tonight,

It ends tonight.

Now I'm on my own side

It's better than being on your side

It's my fault when you're blind

It's better that I see it through your eyes

All these thoughts locked inside

Now you're the first to know

When darkness turns to light

It ends tonight,

It ends tonight.

Just a little insight won't make this right

It's too late to fight

It ends tonight,

It ends

When darkness turns to light

It ends tonight,

It ends tonight.

Just a little insight won't make this right

It's too late to fight

It ends tonight,

It ends tonight.

Tonight

Insight

When darkness turns to light,

It ends tonight.

No a.c?!

2007-06-27T17:53:00.000-04:00

Mini-blackout in my neighborhood and my train line is knocked out of service! Am waiting it out a bit and trying to stagger the rush home. C'est la vie.

'Bomb' scare

2007-06-25T18:24:00.000-04:00

Interesting morning - turned round the corner on the way to work and saw people milling about outside our building, with more pouring out. First the rumor was that there was some sort of police investigation/activity, then it was a bomb scare directed at the Century 21 store.

I highly doubt that because there wasn't any fire engines, bomb squad, news trucks or any more police presence than the usual. (Two blocks down is Wall Street and a permanent check point with cops). If it was a real threat, the place would be swarming with cops and whatnot. Starbucks across the street sure had a brisk business, though. We were let back in after 9 am but what a way to start the work week - especially a Monday, damn it.

Saturday's rugby game was a nail biter; I was jumping in my seat because the All Blacks had NO try in the first 65 minutes! My team was trailing 21-12 behind the Boks, Dan Carter lost his golden boots, AB line outs sucked, fights broke out and a Saffa was sin-binned (they do play dirty). Truly unacceptable. Then, voila, 2 tries in less than 5 minutes and we're back in business. Too close for comfort, though. Wonder what'll happen this coming Saturday against Oz - sorry I'll be missing the thrill and excitement, but hey the Caribbean ain't bad either hehe...

Went to see Surf's Up on Sunday - funny and thoroughly enjoyable. And not just for kids, there's adult humor too. So go see! Was also watching this hilarious French comedy called "The Visitor" with Niall, Max, Venus (them 2 looked wiped out from med school) and Antonio - check it out, it's deliciously outrageous.

I need to add Straitjacket Feeling to my list of anthems, besides Move Along etc. Was playing it all weekend long.

2007-06-23T23:48:00.000-04:00

Apologies to everyone ;-P My mind's jumping everywhere trying to remember what and when I did pre-blogging days. Catching up really is not easy! So no more jumping back to the past.

Christmas '06 in Whistler

2007-06-23T23:13:00.000-04:00

Finally made it to Whistler, more than 6 months since Julie moved there. Was very excited to see everyone - the last time I was in Vancouver was Christmas of '94. As usual, Auntie Angela cooked a massive, delicious, traditional English Christmas dinner. Was supposed to look up Mei Yee and Alwin but I ran out of time!

Lessons Tyler's class Atop Roundhouse Idle skis Whistler's base Walking in the Village Christmas spread Night skiing, Blackcomb Mountain From living room Nightscene

Dude ranching...

2007-06-23T22:37:00.000-04:00

... back in July '06, Montana and Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park. Driving with an average of 90 mph on winding, one-lane roads was a kicker. Especially the last day we were there - took a longer lunch than we should have and I floored the gas (had to!). I screeched into the airport to drop off Helen & Michele so they can check us all in, I then parked the car and ran with the luggage, thinking that we just made it by a hair's breadth. Only to discover that all flights were delayed because of the major electricity blackout back in New York. So all the manic rush was great to top off our white water rafting, heroic climb up Mount Washburn in Yellowstone, horseback riding, camp cook out and rodeo ;-)

Old Faithful (waited 1 hour) Artists' paint pot Atop Mt Washburn Washburn trail Rodeo sunset Ousel Falls, Big Sky, Montana

Pacific Coast Highway, LA to San Francisco, Winter '05

2007-06-23T22:14:00.000-04:00

Our wheels Santa Barbara dock At dusk Somewhere Pounding surf Brown Pelican Hearst Castle, San Simeon Mainhouse, Hearst Castle Us 3 Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur Santa Cruz Streets of San Francisco From Coit Tower Powell-Hyde turnaround Pam & Helen

Las Vegas, Grand Canyon West - Feb '07

2007-06-23T20:26:00.000-04:00

Sorry people, I don't know how to set up an image library like WH does and have just uploaded these the long-way. Woonie, please help, thanks!

Us 3 Eagle's Pass

Hoover Dam

The Venetian

JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge

2007-06-22T16:47:00.001-04:00

Team Halcrow

Back of shirt

My number and smudged name in the foreground

Shirt front

Yesterday was fun but tiring (although 3.5 miles is nothing to some people) and it was a good excuse to actually leave work on time for once. Doug did all the organizing and this year's the strongest team yet with 35 participants. The run/walk has gotten so large that it's over 2 days now. It rained after we got to the Park and really poured after the race, but thank goodness it was dry during. Bummer that we didn't get to mingle as long as we wanted to after the race. Walked home with Ilker and Lucianne and was like a wet dog by the I got home.

Dan B. had the best time of 17+ minutes and Anastasia did the ladies proud with 31+ minutes. My time isn't worth mentioning, by the way, so don't ask.

2007-06-19T17:44:00.000-04:00

Yea, what's so hot about McConaughey anyway? I'd take Stewart and Colbert anytime. Both of them.

Happy Birthday!

2007-06-19T16:34:00.000-04:00

Tyler turned 5 last Friday and he had a party together with Angelina and Julian as they were born within a day or two apart. Didn't talk to anyone yet (is your phone out of order?!); someone needs to call me! And am still waiting for photos of Malaysia, Thailand, birthday etc., ahem ahem... Can't wait for them to come over next month.

Tyler has already requested a trip to the Museum of Natural History (the dinosaur museum to him) and that's great timing with its special Mythic Creatures exhibit where dad was interviewed for. Yeah, it was around Chinese New Year and mom, dad, Susan & I was joining in the festivities in Chinatown when this guy approached us (with a cameraman) and asked if any of us can say a thing or two about dragons. So that's how dad contributed to an exhibit (whether or not the general public will get to see dad's footage isn't really the point) of the American Museum of Natural History! Way to go, dad ;-)

Tri-Nations time!

2007-06-18T17:48:00.000-04:00

Almost left out my other interest - looking ahead to the start of our rugby year and will head to Baker Street on Saturday (9 am on a Saturday morning, ugh) for the game against South Africa. Saffas play dirty, by the way. So break out the fisticuffs, and I hope we'll get to see the fierce haka ;-)

Aaarrrrrrrr...

2007-06-18T17:00:00.000-04:00

Finally went to see the 3rd installment of Pirates, and it was actually quite good and entertaining despite what the critics said. A bit of a refresher on Dead Man's Chest helped, thanks to Alex GT's DVD. After that we had more fun with the wonders of Wii - newbie that I was, I only had 6 good holes and lucked out for the other 3 holes; I think I ended up 6 over par ;-p

Also tried tennis - more of a timing issue here and I was confusing myself stupidly because the default setting is a doubles match. All in all, I prefer tennis. Maybe Niall too, he got all worked up and had to get in his 'cooling chamber'. So that was Sunday, let's backtrack...

...to Saturday. Had dinner at the Lobster House with mom, dad, Susan and Will. Boy, we ate and ate and still doggy-bagged. Chinatown still gives the most bang for the buck haha. Got a text from Simon to head to THOR (The Hotel on Rivington) but I was already home, couldn't drag myself out again. Besides, I was probably part of a mass text anyways, so I don't think he'd miss my being there.

Oooh, and Friday - we have a city agency in the building, so someone at work got a hold of some free condoms that the city passes out (I like the 'subway' design, to be honest). Bea thought it was funny to put that on my "I'm busy" poster page I made a while ago. Everyone had a good laugh about it. Went to Southwest NY on the Hudson side for after work drinks and dinner; the usual suspects were there plus some new faces.

I lead a sad & boring life...

2007-06-13T18:56:00.000-04:00

This week has been a killer so far - worked past 9 pm last night. I was so tired, I took the car service home. But of course on the one day I stay extra late, the FDR was backed up because of an accident. Just my luck.

Well, I may be pathetic but this guy will cheer anyone up. Enjoy! (Apologies to those who have already seen it and hopefully will grow a more interesting bone in me body by the end of the week.)

What the fuck?!

2007-06-11T15:42:00.000-04:00

I'm so mad about last night's non-finale of The Sopranos! The last scene just blacked out for a good 10 seconds, and I was thinking if the cable box power was out or the TV got busted etc... Then there was a moment of incredulous silence between Niall, Alex GT and I before all hell broke loose when the credits rolled. I was so pissed, I lobbed a cushion at the boys. Seriously, I think the whole city went "What the fuck was that?!". I'm disgusted.

On a better note, went to see "Ocean's Thirteen" Friday night and am glad that it was pretty good; very entertaining. Still have to plough through the second Pirates on DVD before I go catch the third installment.

And now, Monday o' Monday, what can I say... except that Susan's childhood friend, Elaine from London will be crashing at my place for a few days.

Yuck

2007-06-08T16:35:00.000-04:00

By now everyone's seen the recently unveiled London 2012 Olympics logo. It is absolutely hideous! I'll leave it to Jon Stewart to properly dissect it.

Meanwhile, today is the first really hot and humid day in the city. Certainly not pleasant and not looking forward to a sticky summer. Things can be really horrible down in the subway - apparently some people have never heard of deodorant before and when they need to hold onto the overhead rail, woo hoo my god.... Especially during rush hour on my train, where it is ALWAYS packed. Sometimes so packed in the morning, I can't even get in. Or have my face plastered onto someone's back. Nasty.

But I read somewhere some time ago that if anything were to happen (i.e. suicide bomb etc.), a packed train will actually have fewer but more severe casualties. The theory being a higher count of physical bodies lessens the 'spread' of coverage area - like a brave soldier sacrificing himself by jumping onto a grenade. Well, we can't be scared and will keep taking the subway and flying via JFK. I mean, I could be walking down the street and get hit by a cab anyways.

June already!

2007-06-06T16:05:00.000-04:00

Time is really whizzing by... work-wise, every month goes through the same cycle of period closing postings and then the analysis and reporting kick in. Sometimes it's hard to catch the sliver of calm and I can take a breather. Last week was one of those.

I've got the additional task of getting Ipoh's Old Town brand of instant coffee mix for my department - heh heh, I got everyone addicted to it. Thank goodness, some grocery store Chinatown stocks them.

Pam, Michelle and I were supposed to meet up with Kim before she flies off for her China, Nepal etc. trip, but as usual work was piled on her. So us three had dinner and dessert (trying to bide time so Kim could come home and let us in) at Heartland Brewery and Friend of a Farmer. The latter's choc and peanut butter pie was to die for!

Sunday was, of course, reserved for The Sopranos (this being the next to last episode) and it was superb, as usual. And of course I was watching it with the boys (less Max & Jonathan). It was raining cats & dogs then and Niall was soaked when he was out earlier. Alex made it just in time and came in strutting to the opening theme (you can't help it, really; it's so catchy).

Am getting massively excited about Nat's wedding in Bequia at the end of the month. I was the ultimate lazy guest - she booked my flights (yes, 2 legs from NYC to Barbados to St. Vincent, then a ferry to Bequia) AND got me a roommate (very happy that I'll be sharing an ocean view one). Oops, I need to get my itinerary from her.

If I were a papparazzo...

2007-05-29T19:12:00.000-04:00

... I would starve to death. So I was crossing Park Ave. to get to the park, and had a close encounter with the famous kind #5. Woody Allen and Soon Yi were strolling up 79th! Didn't want to be intrusive (yea yea, the irony of it by my posting their pictures for the whole world to see) so I flipped out the camera yards after we crossed paths and it's just their backs you'll see.

Mom & dad bought me this dress from China and it got me stumped - it's perfectly symmetrical except for this off-center cinch detail at the waist. The problem is whether to wear that front or back. The shoulder rope detail is prime fodder for jokes - I can imagine all the "knotty" and "all tied up?" lines I'll get...

Jumping ahead

2007-05-26T19:04:00.000-04:00

First warship sailing up...

The last staircase left standing in the rubble

WTC construction site

View from the 32nd Fl Conference Room

Dismantling the Deutsche Bank building

FDNY ceremonial tugboat to kick off the parade

Between the World Financial Center's buildings (notice people on the balcony)

Geez, blogging and uploading are t-e-d-i-o-u-s. So I'll just share my photo albums via shutterfly.com and fast forward the time line to the present week.

Wednesday was the start of Fleet Week and Jackie was all excited about sailors and ships coming to town. We got an invite to a party Saturday night where we are to look for 'Major Dave' ;-) The parade of ships up the Hudson started at about 9:30 am, and Marta & I hightailed it to the 32nd floor Conference Room downstairs to take pictures (well I did, she didn't have her camera). The parade was too slow going so we didn't even wait for the fly-by.

We left early on Friday for the long (Memorial Day) weekend, and to celebrate Tara's birthday, off to the South Sea Seaport we went. It was hot and sunny, so I got a bit sunburned. When the sun went down, we moved the party train to Ulysses. I've never been there before and was truly loving the fact that everyone was sitting out on blocked-off cobblestone streets, enjoying the weather and good company amid the contrast of old building and modern highrises. I was cursing myself for not having the camera, but am sure we'll be there again many more times. Our mission to get Tara trashed hadn't come to fruition by the time the sober half of us left, so will see come next Tuesday what the goss is.

More pictures

2007-05-26T18:49:00.000-04:00

Julie & I, Batu Ferringi, Penang

Julie, Danny, Tyler & Ryan, Burmese temple, Penang

Bangsar, KL

Satay stall at Bangsar's night market

Atop Penang Hill with WH

Petaling Street's pedestrian walkway, KL

Outside an Indian temple, KL

Bins of local snacks, Mid Valley, KL

Old & new, Kek Lok Si temple, Penang

With Kiley, Bobin & Woon Hong, Penang

In the beginning...

2007-05-26T16:57:00.000-04:00

The first task is of course to answer your "Why..." questions and hopefully the title gives some sort of a clue. Well, this is borne out of my big trip to the homeland, increasingly scattered friends & family, a wider scope of friends and to generally save myself time in emailing and/or calling. And I think I communicate better in writing anyway (you tell me).

So off to Malaysia I went back in mid April, with nothing resembling a plan (and packed just the night before) but did I have fun. I had no expectations, having been gone for 13 years and too caught up with work since the start of 2007. The family, except Susan (sucked that she couldn't!), all flew back for granny's 80th. birthday bash in KL. Schedules were difficult to coordinate as we are now an East coast/West coast, USA/Canada family ;-P

Julie, Danny, Tyler and Ryan flew in a few days after I got to KL (mom & dad as usual caught the tail end of my vacation), so I was left to wander on my own. Unc. was living conveniently in Setapak and off I went shopping at Lot 10, Sungei Wang (literally in and out in 7 mins), Times Square and KLCC the first full day in KL. I only went in stores that I can't find in NY, so I was done by 3 pm. It was a bit disappointing but I managed to get lots work skirts (too bad pants are unlined) and some shoes. Vincci and Nose are summer shoes heaven but can't really find work ones - closed-toe shoes are too low-heeled and few to choose from.

Good thing my uncle called then, so we could get my national IC fixed/renewed, I was bored already. I was embarassed to say my Malay was so rusty, I needed much more time to process the Q & A. And I couldn't believe they asked what my religion was! I nearly spat out "What kind of a question is that? It's none of your business!" but then, I remembered where I was...

So for two weeks, I was mostly in KL (with mom's clan, Meng, Alex L. etc.), a few days in Penang catching up with Woon Hong & Bobin, another couple of days driving down memory lane in my hometown, Ipoh. This vacation was awesome while I was there but it made me very reflective (and depressed) when I got back to NY. Seeing where my peers are gave me an inkling of how my life could have possibly turned out if I never left. Sometimes I stick out like a sore thumb, neither here nor there; different in NY with no (childhood) history and different in Malaysia having become an adult elsewhere. Perhaps we're spoiled in that we've too many options, therefore wanting too much? I am entertaining the thought of going back, who knows?

Oh well, I'm tired of words and writing. Hope the pictures' titles suffice in describing my journey, if not I'm sure you'll let me know ;-)

Damn the TSA for damaging my NEW luggage's zipper

KLCC at night

Coconuts, market in PJ