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Wedding Anniversary

2008-10-10T20:25:00.002-04:00

Dear Ivy, today is our 3rd wedding anniversary. I believe we will celebrate our wedding anniversary every year as long as we are alive. Happy anniversary and believe it or not, I still deeply in love with you!

Photos from Lake Tahoe

2008-09-03T00:33:00.009-04:00

I have finally uploaded photos taken during our Lake Tahoe trip. Check out the photos here.

Brews Jazz Funk Festival @ Squaw Valley

2008-08-16T17:30:00.002-04:00

*iBlog

Lake Tahoe

2008-08-15T15:29:00.001-04:00

*iBlog

Lake Tahoe

2008-08-15T14:43:00.001-04:00

*iBlog

Beautyful morning at cabin

2008-08-15T13:01:00.001-04:00

*iBlog

Lake Tahoe View from our cabin

2008-08-14T19:45:00.000-04:00

*iBlog

Vacation day 1- Reno

2008-08-14T16:32:00.002-04:00

*iBlog

Mobile Blog

2008-07-31T00:39:00.002-04:00

Yes, it is true. I finally retired my Motorola Q, after 2 years of frustration to get it to work right. It was one of those days; I went to play softball and unfortunately, it rained out on the 2nd game. The umpire called the game in the 3 innings and we went home all soaked. My Motorola Q finally got enough of me and stopped working. I decided to give it a try and went to an Apple store. Luckily, I was the 3rd person in line and got and 16GB white iPhone 3G in 15 minutes. Everything works out great and I love the iPhone. I am betting I will do more mobile blogging since iPhone is really easy and convenient to blog. Please pardon my iPhone's 2M pixels photos, but it is the only true "smartphone" out there. I guess I should call my mobile blog as iBlog, instead of the previous Q Blog.

My blueberry nights

2008-07-29T23:15:00.002-04:00

*iBlog*

iPhone

2008-07-25T00:13:00.001-04:00

*iBlog*

Summer

2008-06-22T13:35:00.002-04:00

I am still not sure if I like summer or not. Like it or not, it is already here. This summer has been acting weird; a week of 100ºF weather, then followed by a week of rain. After that, the temperature is hovering between 70ºF and 80ºF.

I have been outside running tests for work the last two weeks and got myself a very healthy tan. Because of that, I don’t feel like going out in the weekend. I don’t enjoy heat and sweat too much. I guess my only joy in this summer so far is playing softball sponsored by the company. I always like baseball, even when I was a kid. I didn’t get to watch too many baseball games when I was kid (baseball is not a popular sport in Malaysia). My limited exposure to baseball though, didn’t stop me from liking the game. I always like Yankees and dream about going to see a Yankees game. I did play “softball” with other kids when I was in elementary school, using a tennis ball and a wood table leg as bat. We spent the entire 15 minutes break between classes playing softball. No one really knows the rules. We just played however we like it. It was all about having fun.

Now, playing real softball, with a leather glove, cleat, real ball, bat and all the right gears is so much fun. This coming week, Ivy and I are going to the company sponsored baseball game at Washington Nationals new ballpark; Nationals playing against LA Angels. It should be a great summer outing. But right now, I feel like having a cup of nice coffee at Old City Coffee Cafe in Philly, where you can hear the church bell ringing prior to the Sunday service.

Sonny Rollins Concert

2008-04-29T19:21:00.006-04:00

Finally, Ivy and I went to Sonny Rollins concert at the Kennedy Center last week. It was a sold out concert. At 77, he still play his tenor saxophone magnificently. By looking the way he walks (or rather limps), you would think he is pretty much out of it. But no, his intensity is probably as great as his widely acclaimed "Saxophone Colossus" recorded 52 years ago. Of course, he is not alone. His band provided a solid and entertaining performance as well. Sonny Rollins is not a man with too many words. Each time he stepped on the stage, he started playing his improvisational jazz right away. I don't think I can find a better way than how Washington Post put it, "Sonny Rollins, Still Full of Sax Drive".

By the way, the view from the terrace of Kennedy Center is enticing. The night view of Potomac river has never been so beautiful, especially with a night of jazz and a lovely company. Oh...I should take it back. The night when I propose to Ivy, on a Odyssey cruise, was the most beautiful full moon night and the Potomac river has never been so lovely.

Daylight Saving Time

2008-03-09T18:39:00.007-04:00

Today is the first day entering daylight saving time (DST). Ivy and I slumbered until noon time and decided to make today as the "detox" day (i.e.: a day doing nothing but relax). After a simple lunch, we were listening to Sonny Rollin's Saxophone Colossus while reading books and magazines. It is part of our ritual to listen to jazz music while "detoxing." But this is time, it is partly to prep us before going to Sonny Rollins's concert next month at Kennedy Center. Weekend like this is so precious to us due to my recent tight working schedule.

I noticed I haven't been writing for a long time. I also have more than a dozen photos to be organized and posted on my blog. After this busy project is over, I am hoping to find more time to do my own stuff. This year seems to be a busy one. I have so much anticipation and excited about my plan for the rest of this year.

By the way, I was reading Haruki Murakami travel journal earlier. And, he posted a photo of a duck he saw in his trip to Vermont. I don't even know why he published that photo in his book. Anyway, that reminded me a duck that I saw when Ivy and I were visiting Rochester, Minnesota in 2005. That duck was trying to blend in a herd of geese. There are nothing special about this photo, but it makes think that I need a vacation.

I have updated my photos page. Check it out!

Busy

2007-12-09T21:44:00.001-05:00

I have been really busy after the end of summer. However, I was able to squeeze a week off to visit LA last month. I am working on the photos and hopefully I could post them before the end of this year. I can't believe this post is the only one in last three months. Busy life is good though. Stay tuned.

Lakeside Getaway

2007-09-10T23:52:00.000-04:00

I have uploaded some photos I took during my labor day short vacation to Minnesota. It was a short but relaxing vacation. Ivy and I spent 2 nights with my best friends in a cabin by the Lake Superior. The cabin located 40 miles north of Duluth downtown. We spent most of the time in the cabin or by the lake; drinking beer, BBQ, chatting, watching movie or playing water. We did jump into the lake despite the water temperature average 40°F. The lake view from the cabin was so incredible that we moved our mattresses to the living room, slept by the fireplace, and let the sun that rose from the horizon woke us up. I enjoyed the vacation so much that I can still remember the lake view vividly. We spent some time to visit several tourist attractions around Duluth downtown and North Shore (including Split Rock State Park and Lighthouse) but the starry skies, cozy camp fire, the sound of wave hitting the shore, and the company of best friends made the vacation the most memorable one. I have to say this is definitely the best vacations we had for a long long time. Thank you Susu and Aaron for your warmest hospitality.

Diana Krall Concert

2007-07-23T23:18:00.000-04:00

It was last week Ivy and I went to Wolftrap to see Diana Krall live concert. I was lucky enough to pull a connection and got a pair of nice front seats (10 rows away from stage). We were pleasantly surprised that Chris Botti was touring with Diana Krall. That one hour opening was energetic, entertaining and well-rounded. He was very different from his last concert. Most probably because the band he is playing with now is both playful and innovative. The drummer, Billy Wilson, played like a powerful octopus (no kidding) and many times, he almost stole the spotlight from the rest of the band. He, however, overpowered some of Chris Botti's music arrangements. Everyone still enjoyed it. I can't wait for his next album after he gave us a sneak peek of one of his new works releasing this coming September.

Diana Krall is good as one could expect. She was, however, pretty grumpy at times; complaining about her body shape after giving birth to a twin a couple months ago and complaining about how much she missed home when an audience yelled "Where is Elvis?" (she is married to Elvis Costello). She played excellent piano but she never forget to give her band credits for her successful concert. I am sure she understood her talented band is doing everything to support her, otherwise, her singing/piano alone might not be as attractive. I personally like her singing better than her piano. I guess I have seen better pianist performance. That's no doubt though, Ivy and I enjoyed this concert a lot and the feeling was surreal. For whatever reasons, her music reminded me about New York City, a jazzy summer in the city, especially when she was singing "A Case of you." I was holding Ivy's hand and enjoyed that moment immensely. I still believe music can melt one's heart and make two souls one.

Blogging the blog

2007-07-04T19:28:00.000-04:00

Today is July 4^th, the Independence Day of the United States of America. Since it is a holiday in the middle of week, Ivy and I decided to stay home and relax. We did celebrate Independence Day at my coworker’s cookout last night though. He and his family lived about an hour away from the city. At the end of the party, there were about 15 minutes worth of fireworks display. We stood only 50 yard away, and we can smell the fireworks and feel the ashes dropping. That is probably the best way to enjoy fireworks.

Speaking of July 4^th, a lot happened since last July 4^th; I have tasted more than 100 different types of beer (me and a few co-workers host a beer tasting club every Friday 5pm after work). Ivy and I drank more than 50 bottles of wine (for anti-oxidant! We also collect wine cork). We watched more than 40 indie films (we have Netflix subscription). And, I turned 30 years old. With so many things happened, however, I wrote only 15 blogs.

This is the least productive year since I started my blog in 2000. I am slowing down partly because I’m overwhelmed with all other blogs mushroomed over the recent years. I remember when I start blogging; I have to write my very own primitive HTMLs and Java scripts. Blog is not as popular and not as interactive as what you can see now. I didn’t know anyone else other than me was blogging at that time. Now, with all the new free blogging service websites available, blogging is an infectious phenomenon. Without a blog almost like without an email account, so 90s. I believe most people below 30 have a blog, regardless what is in it.

Maybe it was just me having trouble to apprehend the rapid change of the blogging world. People disclose as many of their daily life as possible on their blog to gain attention. They photograph everything and share it on their blog. Camwhore is no longer a disgrace but rather a capital to gain more page hits. Sometime what annoy me the most is bloggers photograph every single dish they had in a fancy restaurant and blog about how tasty the duck confit or filet mignon was. The close-up and savory photos are the proof. All the sudden, everyone became a food critic. My coworker asked me if camwhoring is part of Asian culture. I was speechless and have no good answer for him. All in all, I have posted a lot of photos on my blog. Regardless what happened, I am glad to be a witness of evolution of the internet, and I hope I will continue blogging. Why wait, you should start blogging about your new pair pink hello kitty slipper.

After Pink Martini

2007-06-18T23:51:00.001-04:00

Ivy and I just got back from Pink Martini concert at Wolf Trap. It was totally a blast. We have been drinking and dancing to the music. I am still overwhelm with the fact that I was watching them live; 10 years after I first listen to their first album, Sympathique. This is probably the most enjoyable concert in this year so far. Seriously, if you haven't heard of Pink Martini, you are missing something in your life. Yes, it is that serious.

Brandon, Sally, Anna, Martin and Ivy on the lawn

Ivy and I, the lovebird.

Pink Martini: China Forbes, the lead singer, on the center stage

Pink Martin Live

2007-06-18T20:58:00.001-04:00

Ivy and I with some friends are drinking wine, eating dinner on the Wolf Trap lawn while watching Pink Martini performing live. It is a beautiful summer night.

*Q blog

Good food good life

2007-06-09T15:09:00.000-04:00

Ivy and I were too lazy to cook anything this morning. So, we went to German Gourmet Store, located a few miles away from home, to buy some hams and brats for lunch. They sell variety of meats, cheeses, and beers/wines. Some very traditional German food and glassware can be found here. We were both very excited about this store. We have been searching for a store like this and finally we found time to pay its a visit. We bought black forest ham, procuitto di parma, bread and a hot brats platter served with a roll, mustard, Sauerkraut, red cabbage and German potato salad. It was probably the best brats I had in a long time. After we finished the lunch, we both can't help but to exhale our satisfactions ; those damn German brats are awesome!

On a side note, we went to Vintage Virginia Wine Festival on last Saturday, after a night of partying at Whitlow's On Willows. Also, in case you curios, Damien Rice concert was a blast. Damn, summer life is good!

Milestones

2007-05-01T22:15:00.000-04:00

Sun is out and weather is warm. Last two weeks, Ivy and I accomplished a big milestones; we went to hike "very challenging" 7.2 miles round trip Old Rag Trail at Shenandoah National Park and a short 2 miles Billy Goat Trail at Great Falls National Parks in two separate weekends. We battled through all the hikes while suffering from severe spring allergies. However, the spectacular view at the summit of Old Rag Mountain worths all the pain and sore. Evidences can be found on updated photos gallery.

Also, we went to Norah Jones concert in Washington DC last week. We already bought summer concert tickets for Damien Rice, Pink Martinis and Diana Krall. This summer is going to be fun. Just for fun, this is a bootleg video clip I took at Norah Jones's Concert.

Cherry blossom

2007-03-31T13:06:00.001-04:00

Ivy and I (and kenny) are enjoying cherry blossom by Tidal Basin. Picnic under cherry trees is awesome. Other than tea, i have some scotch in my flask :-p

*Q mobile blog*

Magnolia Blossom

2007-03-25T23:59:00.000-04:00

Magnolia blooming in a beautiful Spring season.

Magnolia blossom in a garden near the Smithsonian Castle. Next week will be cherry blossom peak bloom.

Ivy with magnolia blossom. Beautiful! (of course, I mean her)

Snow

2007-02-25T17:37:00.000-05:00

This is the second snow storm hits D.C. area. Forecast predicted 3-6 inches of snow, and a mix of sleet. As far as I can tell, there are only about 2 inches of snow accumulated. Despite outside messy conditions, today is one of those days I always enjoyed; snug at home, sipping tea, listening to music, watching snow fall and nothing else. I can’t remember the last time I staying home doing nothing but watching snow fall. (I wish Ivy is with me now, I miss you!)

While I was enjoying the snow scene, I got frustrated with the Oolong tea that I was drinking. I am not sure if my palate has become dull or my recent expedition to learn beer tasting desensitized my sharp tea palate I once so proud of. Tea soup seems to float on my tongue, like the leaked crude oil floats on the ocean. I couldn’t taste some of the tea flavors I used to. I do hope this is just the result of the tea leaves losing its freshness. I really do.

Currently, my bedroom is now filled with Norah Jones’s narcotically soothing music (and random noises from my upstairs neighbor). I finally have time to thoroughly listen to her latest album, “Not Too Late”, after I bought it 3 weeks ago. I still love her mellow blend of jazz and folk music, which she either written or co-written. I particularly applaud her brilliantness to infuse Dixie into her “Sinkin’ Soon” and continue to shrug off critics’ comments about her being “too mellow.” I can’t wait to see her live performance this coming April in D.C.