Browse Category: family

Pre-Thanksgiving Weekend

Last Wednesday (11/17), Brother, Joy, and Mommy came up to visit me.  The timing coincided with a bunch of things that I already had planned for the week and they somehow came together just fine.  I picked them up on Wednesday night and they spent Thursday exploring the city and also went to Alcatraz.  Meanwhile, I went to work and we also had our annual Craft/Bake Sale Fundraiser.

We always have a Happy Hour afterward so the family took BART over to the East Bay and got to meet the gang at work.

HH was at Marc 49 and we had a fun evening decompressing from the crazy month of planning and the actual fundraiser.

The interesting part of the evening was that I saw my mom drinking a beer for the first time!  For all my life, she didn’t drink but I guess retirement has changed things.

On Friday, I already had the day off to visit the de Young Museum with Stephanie.  So, that morning, I took the family to Mama’s for pancakes and waited a good 45 minutes to get in.  Luckily no one was in a hurry so we endured the wait and had a feast of pancakes, french toast, eggs, and corned beef hash.  Afterward, we met up with Stephanie at the mall and headed out to Golden Gate Park.

The family went to the California Academy of Science and the two of us went to the Van Gogh exhibit.  It was a rainy day but it didn’t matter.  We all still had a good time.

Later that evening, we met up with the rest of the girls at Embarcadero Center for Light-up Night.  HH was at Osha Thai where we enjoyed appetizers and Effen drinks.

By 6:30, we paid the tab and headed outside for the lighting and caught the fireworks in the rain.

Immediately after the fireworks, we walked over to the Hyatt for the tree lighting.  Unfortunately it was quite a production and we had some time to kill.  That was when things got a little fuzzy since people were at the bar and bringing me tasty drinks.

About 20 minutes later, they started the countdown and the snow fell while the lights turned on.

My mom eventually got tired and took Muni home.  Meanwhile, the girls took off for snacks at Palomino while Jes, Brother, Joy, and I headed over to One Market.  Sometime between the Hyatt and the restaurant I fell ‘cuz I woke up the next morning with a huge scuff on my knee.  Whoops.  As dinner started, Joy wasn’t feeling well so we went home early while the boys finished dinner.  As I was taking care of Joy, I got a text from Jes that said “Peanuts in your brother’s dessert.  Hooray.”  Here’s his side of the story:

Yep, he was struck by the peanut monster once again and ended up yacking at the restaurant and in the street on the way home. What a mess.

The next day we took it easy as everyone was recovering from a fun fun evening.  We had porridge and fried dough for breakfast, grilled cheese and tomato soup for a snack, and then Bakesale Betty’s for lunch.  Yum Yum…if that doesn’t take care of a hangover, nothing will.

Before taking the family to the airport, we stopped at Modern Mouse for Eleen’s anniversary party.  We got to hang out with friends and browse the merchandise as the rain poured down.  The drive to SFO was a little scary but we made it and the family got home safely after an hour-long flight delay.

Here are the rest of the photos from the weekend.

My Weekend at Home

Last weekend I flew home to celebrate my 35th birthday with my brother and the rest of the family.  I hadn’t been home since end of January so it was long overdue and perfect timing since Jes was in NYC for work.  I took some extra days off so I had the flexibility to score the $39 one-way fares.  My flight to LA wasn’t until Saturday afternoon so I actually got to enjoy a warm, sunny day in SF.

In the afternoon, Ryan drove me to SFO (thanks, dude!) and I flew a quick hour and 10 mins to LAX where Brother and Joy picked me up.  They drove directly to Beverly Hills to take me to Paulette.  It’s a place selling French macarons and they were so yummy!  They were about to close to all they had was lemon, coconut, and violet cassis.  We all got one of each and sat down at the Starbucks across the street to enjoy them with a nice cup of coffee.

Before dinner, we walked around The Grove and got a quick drink at a bar down the street from the restaurant.  Dinner was at AOC and Ben and Tiffany joined us for a feast of French tapas.  My favorites were the bacon-wrapped dates and the peach salad with burrata.  I hadn’t been there in over 4 years and it was just as yummy as I had remembered.  When the server asked us if we wanted to see the dessert menu, we kindly declined because we were headed to MILK for dessert!

It was just a few blocks away and I was delighted by their selection of ice creams and other tasty treats.  I opted for the coffee toffee on a cone while the others had Nutella and a grasshopper, which is mint ice cream sandwiched between two pistachio macarons.

I also had to try the cajeta and corn ice cream, which was like cold corn soup with bits of caramel corn mixed in.  Yum yum!

On Sunday, it was unpleasantly hot in Southern CA.  I was up pretty early so my mom made me some Kanom Krok.  Yesh!!  Around 10:30, I met up with Patti at a Korean-owned French pastry place.  It was really cute and I picked up a few treats to take home.  Patti and I got caught up over coffee in a nice air-conditioned place.

For lunch, we made arrangements to meet up with Pish, Debbie, Katie, and their new baby Kyle.  He was just born the day after Jes’ birthday!  My parents were also there and brought along some friends.  Jonathan and Janelle also joined us and brought Noah and their new baby girl Naomie.  We stuffed ourselves silly with Thai food and it felt like Thanksgiving with the non-stop arrival of food to the table and all of us seated at a really long table.

Later that day, we went to the Cerritos Mall to cool off but it was so hot outside that the mall was just mildly cooler inside.  Did I mention how fancy that mall has gotten?!  It has a brand new Nordstrom and even an Apple Store!  Whut?!  We then went to Pish and Debbie’s new house in Irvine where we hung out and Katie showed off her pink room and closet full of cute dresses.  For dinner, we met up with the Suminos at Uoko.  The boys had played baseball all day in the heat so they were all tired and sweaty.  But that didn’t keep us from devouring a ton of sushi and guzzling ice cold Sapporo.  I went home with the biggest stomach ache.

On Monday, there was record-breaking heat with Downtown LA reaching 113 degrees!  Whut?!  In the morning, I had another one of my favorite treats called Sakoo Sai Moo.  My mom ordered a bunch before I arrived and they were so yummy.

I also met up with Sandy, Linda, her 1-year old Christian, and Shaun.  We had brunch and got caught up.  I was so relieved that it worked out.  Sandy didn’t have to go to work until 1:00 and Linda was working the night shift.  Around noon, I headed down to Orange County.  I had to get my teeth cleaned.  Pish made me an appointment and so I went.  His new hygienist is nice and I left there with no cavities!  Woohoo!

Afterward, I met up with Marie and we picked up the boys from school a little early so that we could take Cole to the doctor for his Kindergarten check-up and shots.  I got to hang out with Brandon in the waiting room and we had a good time playing with the ball maze and he got a little snack too.  It felt like old times…hanging out with Marie and the boys while she does her errands and daily things.

For dinner, we went to Lawry’s for our birthday prime rib and creamed corn.  Yum yum!  My mom and I shared a slice and Brother and I got the usual birthday cake and song from the servers.  It was a nice way to end the last 3 days of gluttony.  Check out the free cheesy digital photo they gave us at the restaurant.  Pretty funny.

The next morning, it was our birthdays and time for me to go back to SF.  On the way to the airport, we stopped at Brother’s new office to check it out and to give him a big birthday hug.  It’s right next to LAX so it was perfect.  We had enough time to hang out for a bit and then I was back on a plane to SFO.

By the way, I got a nice surprise in my suitcase.  I was putting my laptop into my suitcase after going through security and found a pink birthday card from my mom.  It was cool.  I think I still like surprises. 🙂  On top of that, as I was waiting to board, I got texts from Ryan and Michelle who made arrangements to pick me up from the airport.  Thanks Michelle!!!

So there you have it.  I had a great time in Cerritos and I’m so happy that everyone was around that weekend.  I loved meeting the new babies and catching up with my family and friends.  Trips like these make me miss home the most.  I moved to a great city where lots of my friends are but I also left a bunch of people behind too.  *sigh*  At least I know they’re only an hour and a half flight away.

Here are the photos from the weekend.

EuroTrip: London, Sept 3

Once we washed up, it was time for lunch.  My cousin accompanied us to a local pub where we had fish and chips with mashed peas (the traditional English preparation).  I also got to taste Guinness, which supposedly gets better-tasting the closer you are to Ireland.  Well, when in England, have some Guiness!  And it WAS better!

After lunch, cousin went home to finish working while Jes and I hopped on the Tube, got off at Westminster and ta da!  We were greeted by Big Ben as soon as we emerged street level.

To the left was the River Thames and a gorgeous view of the river and the London Eye.  I guess we lucked out on weather that day because the sun was out with blue skies and comfortable temps outside.

We made frequent stops at different pubs along the way to enjoy a beer and take toilet breaks.  Buying a beer is a small price you have to pay to use their loo.

We walked past the House of Parliament and Westminster Abbey and noticed all the closed circuit television cameras everywhere on the streets.  The security around Parliament was ridiculous.

We strolled through a really big park and ended up at the front of Buckingham Palace.  The queen wasn’t home and there was a little construction out front so we didn’t stay very long.

She’s gone only 2 months out of the year and that’s when they open the palace for tours.  We thought about going inside but they had JUST run out of tickets for the day.  So, we just went to another pub for another potty break.

Jes was starting to fade that afternoon so after a little walk through the shopping area, we took the Tube back to John’s flat so that he could take a nap.

In the meantime, I caught up on emails, hung out with my cousin, and played with his guinea pigs.  They were so cute and funny!

Dinner was at an Indian place called Imli.  It wasn’t the most traditional restaurant, which made for some interesting dishes and a huge dinner bill.  It was ok but I think we would have been better off at a whole-in-the-wall.  It was recommended by John’s wife’s co-workers who were all Indian but when we arrived, everyone was white.  Hm.

After dinner, we stopped for frozen yogurt at Snog where it was very Pinkberry-esque but with lots of rainbow lights inside.

We also walked through Picadilly Circus, which is like a miniature Times Square with flashy lights and engergy.   The next stop was at a local bar/pub where the bartenders were extra lively and friendly, which made it really loud and maybe a little too loud for 2 weary travelers on less than 3 hours of sleep.  After one drink, we were back on the Tube and we all went straight to bed.  That felt like the longest day ever.

Here are the photos.

EuroTrip: SFO-IAD-LHR, Sept 2-3

The first day was spent on a plane.  The first leg of the trip was from SFO to IAD (Washington DC).  We left from SFO around noon (PST) and the flight was on-time with an early arrival in DC (around 8:30 pm EST).  It’s a good thing since originally, we were scheduled for a quick 50-minute layover with a plane change.  The plane was one of the older ones so Jes watched a movie on his iPad and I studied French on my iPhone with the book that came with the program.

Once in DC, we had just enough time to grab a bite to eat before boarding.  Originally, Jes and I were going to be stuck in the middle of a 2-5-2 seating arrangement.  Fortunately for us, the flight had a change to the brand-new 777, which had a 3-3-3 configuration giving us an aisle seat!  Sweet.  I was still stuck in the middle but at least I could bother Jes to get out for a pee break.  Jes is smirking in this photo because he was stuck in the middle seat last year on our way to Italy.

The plane also had personal entertainment at each seat so I watched Iron Man 2 and Mary Poppins on my way to London.  They also fed us a meal and a snack and I managed to take a decent 3-hour nap too.

We arrived on Thursday morning (9/3) around 10 am and got through customs rather quickly.  My cousin, John, had sent me directions on how to get to his flat so we made the trek down to the Underground Station, purchased 1-day Oyster cards, and took the Tube all the way to the Barons Court stop.

The walk to my cousin’s flat was short and the neighborhood was really cute.  We made it to his place before noon and he was working from home so we were able to drop off our things and wash up before lunch.

Here’s a photo of the front of his flat.  He lives on the second floor with a balcony facing the street.  He and his wife just bought it and moved in about a month or so ago.

Maureen & Victor

On Sunday, we attended Jes’ younger cousin’s wedding in Saratoga.  It was in a cute church in a very nice neighborhood of million-dollar homes.  Other than the homes surrounding the church, this wedding was very modest and tame.  After all, the bride and groom were only 23 years of age and in the middle of (Victor) or starting (Maureen) law school.  Boy, I can hardly remember what I was doing when I was their age.

The reception was at a community center in Sunnyvale where they served Italian sodas and played Disney music in the background.  I felt like I was at prom but all in all the celebration was so very sweet.

It was also nice to see Jes’ family (aunts and cousins) and his parents had also driven up for the occasion.  After the wedding, they drove up and stayed with us in SF from Sunday night through today.  This was their first time seeing our newish condo in the 3 years we’ve lived here.

Anyway, they went sightseeing while we both went to work.  They had a good time and we got to spend time with them in the evenings and had some tasty meals too.  They just left this evening for a late-night drive home back to Southern California.

Last Weekend

This is a little late but here’s the recap of last weekend with Brother and Joy.

As soon as I picked them up from the airport, we dropped off their stuff and headed out for a bite to eat.  We initially went to Orson for some duckfat fries but then ended up eating at the Korean taco truck out in front of Bar Basic.  It was a tasty $2 taco filled with spicy pork, a thinly sliced pickled dikon, and kimchi.  On top of that, there was a red sauce that gave it a good kick in the mouth.

On Saturday morning, Koa greeted them with a few sniffs and tugs of the pillow.  After a long walk and some coffee, my uncle came up to pick up Brother for a game of golf in Vallejo.

It was good to see him and Johnny got to play golf on a nice, quiet course.

While they were away, Joy and I went to the race expo and did some shopping at Sports Basement.  Afterward, I took Joy to Sausalito to buy some teeny tiny Totoros.

On our way there, we got stuck in traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge.  It was unusually heavy and I was wondering what was going on until we find the far right lane blocked and cops hovering over the rail.  Someone was threatening to jump the bridge!  Joy even saw the guy on the other side of the rail talking to the cops.  Sorry guys, no photo this time.  We were too distracted by the incident to think of snapping a photo.  Too bad though…she had a front row view of it all.

For dinner, we carbo-loaded at La Briciola on risotto, mussels, ravioli, tagliatelle, and veal.

On Sunday afternoon (after the Half Marathon), we showered and rested up before heading out again for ice cream.

We went to Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous in Dog Patch and tasted a variety of interesting flavors ranging from Candied Violet to Candied Ginger.

For dinner, we went to La Mar where Brother almost got tricked by a sauce that contained peanuts.  Heh heh.

Here are the rest of the photos.  It was good to see you guys again.  Hope you’re having a great time in Hawaii right now!!!