Saturday, October 17, 2015

Seattle Works - Winterizing organic garden!

Emeritus is out and about again.  This time winterizing an organic garden.

Second time this year - haven't done this in a looong time!

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Back to Work...

With the last few guests having left, it was now time to get back to work.

Will be going to work to wrap up and hand off work, as I will be starting on a new team in 1.5 weeks.  First time choosing to move out of my own volition, hope it goes well!

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Post Wedding Day...

Sooo hungover and tired...

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Weddding Day - 10.10.2015 - Wishing for 十全十美 for Eternity

Today I become a husband!!!

Door Opening 
First task of the day.  Go and break down the door and get lil friend aka roommate...  Greeted by family in the morning, and a morning shot with the boys, we headed down the elevators, only to be sent back up because the ladies were still getting ready.  A little bit later, they were ready and so the games began!

Some honorable mentions...
- I look good in whatever I was given to dress in :)
- Got kicked in the balls by BJ in the ping pong tork game
- Out of the 5 questions I was asked, I got one right... lol

The 'sweet, sour, bitter, spicy' eating game...
- The spicy portion was delicious.  Was not spicy at all.  Thank you chef!
- The bitter one tasted like cigarette butts in tea... don't know if that was really what's in it...

Picture Taking and Torrential Rain
If we showed just the pictures below, no one would have thought that today was actually a (very) rainy day.  As a matter of fact, there were a couple hours in the morning and in the afternoon where one could describe the weather as torrential rain.


As luck would have it, there was a good hour where we could go outdoors - so we wasted no time going to Pike's Place and the gum wall for some photos.  As we walked down cobblestone street, people stopped and looked and congratulated us.  We were like movie stars!

We then went to the Seattle sculpture park and ended up finding a white walled room completely empty.  So even though the rain had picked up, we were able to spend another hour taking pictures.  With the red umbrella (not shown) and a white wall as the background, it felt like we were in a private studio!

Tea Ceremony
Had a quick hiccup where we initially couldn't find the tea set.  But our bridesmaid and groomsmen swooped in and saved the day.  They went all the way back to our place, 


Ceremony
After the tea ceremony, it was time stand at the end of the aisle to wait for the bride.  I have to say, right before I walked in, I was taken aback when I saw all the people sitting there waiting for us.  




Cocktail Hour
During cocktail hour, we arranged it so that we would take pictures with our guests in front of the exhibits.  This was pretty challenging for the photographer because of the low and weird light situation - but Rick (our photographer) pulled it off.  With his trusty sidekick holding a light saber, the pictures turned out great!

Towards the end of the cocktail hour, the wedding party took some quick photos before heading towards the main area for the reception.



Wedding Reception




We ate, we speeched, we danced, we slideshowed, we did the rounds.  
This part of the night seemed to fly by.  Before we know it, it was already midnight!

After party
We walked down the street (some took the shuttle or uber'ed).
Karaoke, cake, booze with friends and family - the night continues on!

After after party… 
No pictures here to share.  But pretty sure we were a ruckus - I vaguely recall going to multiple rooms, eating instant noodles, and then running around and playing games.  Luckily half the hotel was 'our people', which is why I guess there were no complaints about the noise.  That or the hotel is really well built and insulated!

Our Outside Vendors... We had some really awesome vendors that made our day run smoothly.
Rick Takagi - Photography
Alexis Taylor (Green Attic Films) - Videographer
Craig (DJ Bugsie) - DJ and MC
Kent (Heavenly Ceremonies) - Officiant
Susan Haas - Harpist
Nichole Monjay (Florarama) - Flowers
Yummy House Bakery - Cake

Final notes...
Wedding highlight video: here (password is last name)
Thanks to all the friends and family who came all the way to join us on our special day.
And many thanks to all those who helped us before and on the day of.

Now, on to the next chapter of our lives!

Friday, October 09, 2015

The Day Before the Big Day

Guests are arriving from all over the world, and while that's happening, we are going around the city running last minute errands.  Picked up our tuxs, went out for family dinner, and then to hotel to 'up head'.

The dinner @ Ming's China Bistro - 明家私房菜 was way below par :(.  Even though it was not a canton place, was expecting a good place for Chinese food.  Having tried the restaurant a few times prior to today for lunch and dinner, they were decent.  The owner was also super responsive throughout while we were setting this up.

But on the day of, the staff was slow and could not serve properly.  We had to pour the wine we brought ourselves (not to mention go in the back and open it ourselves and bring it out), food was just not getting served - the servers just seemed like they didn't know what they were doing nor understood what this dinner was about.  Though in hindsight, probably shouldn't have expectations that a restaurant in Seattle can do 'normal' Chinese dinner service.

Other than that, it was pretty fun times at dinner.  We cleaned out quite a few bottles of wine, there were a few dishes that were pretty good, and everybody was in good spirits!



After the festivities, went home and spent a couple hours on last minute preparations.  It's go time tomorrow!!!

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

The Last Mashiko

As all good things must come to an end, today is likely the last time I will be visiting Mashiko.  Over the years, the prices have gone up significantly, and the omakase is no longer worth it.

Geoduck with red shiso, Oyster with ponzu sauce
Scallop and kiwi cerviche, Rainbow trout with Raspberry ponzu
Uni on half shell, Sea Snail (Bigai')
Tako and shiso with walnut, Tuna poke with macadamia nuts on top
Tuna tartar with quail egg on top, Poached Abalone
Sushi Plate, Poached Oysters
Smelt with Daikon Sauce, Halibut Kama in a weird tasting sauce

And for desert, I was treated by Steve (the best waiter there!) another order of the Poached Abalone. Friends also brought in the classic Regent Black Forest Cake.

 Happy happy bday!.. Thanks everyone!

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Bacon lover lands in Seattle!

Guest from Europa!

Welcome Back!

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Engagement Photos Day

After scouting out Snoqualmie falls a couple weeks back, today was the day we would actually take our engagement photos.  Originally we had wanted to take pictures at the base of the falls, but it looks like that is actually not possible (not unless we do a climb over the fence act).

We were very happy with the pictures.  The whole day looked like it was going to rain, but luckily it didn't happen, which gave way to shots where there were clouds in the sky, which made the background pretty cool.

We did a few shots around Snolquamie falls, the train museum, and also stumbled upon a 'lavender field' - aka a location where a lady was actually selling fresh lavender.  Liked this place a lot since I think the photos turned out really well there!



Note: By special request, face is hidden behind a happy face

Saturday, June 06, 2015

Pass Big Gift (過大禮) Day

First step towards happily ever after...



...Purchase Complete - No exchange, no refunds! :)

Saturday, May 02, 2015

Handyman Me...

Handyman puts together Ikea frame and bed!

This was by far the biggest Ikea project I have undertaken.  This was no Laxvix.  Had to drill holes in the call, make sure things are level.