Williamagdalene

Size matters

2011-03-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

~15 weeks (Sept 29, 2010)

~17 weeks (Oct 12, 2010)

~19 weeks (Oct 28, 2010)

~21 weeks (Nov 9, 2010)

~26 weeks (Dec 16, 2010)

~33 weeks (Jan 30, 2011)

~ 38 weeks (Mar 8, 2011)

Ushering in the Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-05T22:48:00.000-08:00

In keeping with our tradition, we invited our friends over to celebrate Chinese New Year. Everyone brought something delicious to share. A few good men and a lady helped put together our new Ping pong table while the rest of us stayed indoors for some Kinect games.

祝大家新年快乐，万事如意！

Silly Anthea heated up her black chicken soup in her crockpot on the stovetop and the base of her crockpot literally fell off! Luckily, Will caught the soup in another pot in the nick of time!

Preparing for Sesame

2011-01-22T23:58:00.000-08:00

Will installed new flooring in the common bath with his own bare hands!

he put in a new light fixture..

changed out the shower head…

and we finally made a choice between ‘Pale cucumber’, ‘Chinese jade’ and ‘Cilantro cream’ for an accent wall in the nursery…..

Farewell 2010!

2010-12-31T20:28:00.000-08:00

2010 has been a great year for us. We were fortunate to not have been hit by the recession, our family and friends remain healthy and happy, one of my BFFs got engaged, and most of all, we were blessed with the conception of Sesame. We celebrated New Year’s eve by making dumplings, hot & sour soup, marinated cucumber, sliced beef, tofu & seaweed – compliments of chef Tso.

California Academy of Sciences

2010-12-28T22:46:00.000-08:00

Lunchi and Sharon suggested visiting the newly reopened museum located in the Golden Gate Park. The website states that its the only place on the planet with an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum, and a 4-story rainforest all under one roof with hundreds of unique exhibits and nearly 40,000 live animals. It was packed but definitely worth visiting, and hopefully with a good discount on the tickets. http://www.calacademy.org/visit/

Waiting to watch a film feature on the Farallon islands, off the coast of San Francisco

On our way to the tropical rainforest. The humidity sure reminded us of Singapore!

On our way home from dinner at one of our favorite restaurants - San Tung, the boys ended the evening with an In & Out burger. After a bite, the girls regretted not getting one too!

Dinner out with the Moffatts

2010-12-27T22:05:00.000-08:00

Sharon’s chicken rice and cheesecake!

2010-12-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

Christmas in San Francisco

2010-12-25T21:45:00.000-08:00

Will and I flew down to San Francisco on Christmas eve and spent the next 5 days catching up with old friends, spending time with family and eating lots of yummy food. We are thankful the bay area is only a short plane ride away enabling us to keep in touch with these special people in our lives.

Lunchi and Sharon woke up bright and early to prepare a delicious breakfast for us before we took off for Christmas Mass in the city.

After Mass, we headed straight for our greatly missed Golden Gate Bakery and bought 30 egg tarts! Well, we ate 4 and took the rest to the Christmas party at Uncle Eddy’s.

Since we had time to kill before the party, we took the scenic route via the Golden Gate bridge.

Christmas Party At Uncle Eddy’s
Here’s the diagram of who’s who from my blog of Christmas ‘07 except now, Barb & Drew have another little boy Tyler and David’s other 2 sisters Christine and Alice and their cousin with her hubby and 3 kids were present at the party as well! It was a big family reunion for the Moffatts.

Barb & (not so baby anymore) Charlie

Auntie Leah and baby David

Our darling nephew Bryson

Christine and Uncle Chuck

Alice and Grandpa Al

After dinner, the kids ran wild opening presents and playing with their new toys
Sweet Michael putting on the handmade necklace for Grandma
(Auntie Leah)

Gift for sesame from Sarah and David. Yay! We needed one of those!

Uncle Eddy with his grandniece.

Barb and little Tyler

Christmas Party 2010

2010-12-18T23:03:00.000-08:00

Will’s mushroom risotto

Antje’s to-die-for carrot cake

Another fancy salad creation by Emil

TM & Virg made juicy, tender ribs

Gerald & Mo preparing banana fosters for dessert

Party of 14!

White elephant gift exchange

Kinnect Dance Central!

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Bird is the Word!

2010-11-25T23:19:00.000-08:00

Oh, have you not heard? Antje and Brad hosted Thanksgiving this year and everyone at the table thought that Brad’s bird’s the word!

DTF!

2010-11-18T21:15:00.000-08:00

After more than 6 months of anticipation, the legendary Din Tai Fung restaurant most noted for their signature steamed buns (“xiao long baos”) finally opens their first franchise (2nd restaurant in the U.S.) in Bellevue, WA!

Nicole put our names down on the waitlist around 5p and 11 of us met up later that evening at her tailoring boutique. Around 7.30p, the time we were supposed to be seated, Will and Emil trekked across the street to pick up some snacks to tie us over.

Close to 9p, Antje gave up and KC took Yihong home. Then, there were 8… Just after 9p, after more than 3 hours of waiting, we finally got seated. We ordered like there was no tomorrow (well, that’s partly true because most of us decided we will never come back anytime soon). Verdict? The food was good, the ambience was nice but a 3-4 hour wait? Never again!

Hanging out at Nicole’s tailoring boutique

He catches her eye…

She makes her move

She’s got him!

No wonder Annatje is smitten with Yihong. Look at him! Doesn’t he look like a little model?!

Can I go play now that the photo shoot is over??

We gave in to 挂包 from Facing East, nuggets and fries from Wendy’s

The last ones standing!

Hotpot at Richard & Rena’s

2010-11-06T23:52:00.000-07:00

Richard and Rena invited us, Alex and Ketty to hotpot at their place. They went all out! We had clams, crabs, shrimp, fish, plus all the favorite vegies and hotpot goodies. It was a very good meal!

Birthday dim sum

2010-11-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

Please…I’m very busy….

Can you hear me now?!

Evelyn is leaving soon for India for a year to do good. Hence, Markus’ sad face . As for Evelyn’s big smile…

Watch out! Women with child! My topshop maternity dress compliments of my little sis, Marlene, sent all the way from Singapore for my birthday.

Sesame

2010-11-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

Today was the long-awaited anatomical check. Sesame is measuring great – all the major organs and body parts seem to be growing well and then… there was that *extra* little something…. Yep! It’s a boy!!!

Sesame at 19 weeks, 6 days

View from his little bottom, legs apart

I think I count 10 toes. Do you?

Sesame yawns at 0:45 to 0:49!

Happy birthday to you, me, him and her!

2010-10-30T23:18:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Antje’s (10/29), Will’s (11/4), mine (11/5) and Tanming’s (11/6) birthday on Saturday evening with dinner at La Spiga followed by 2 nail-biting/breaking bowling games. Antje baked a beautiful cake AND personal cups of tiramisu for the occasion. I think we all had a very happy birthday!

Colors of Fall

2010-10-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

Fall is my favorite time of the year. It brings to mind the passage of time and I love the colors it brings to the Pacific Northwest.

Vegetables from Farmers’ Market at Redmond

Row of maple trees on Gilman Boulevard in downtown Issaquah

Brunch with the Huangs

2010-10-03T23:04:00.000-07:00

The morning after our friend’s wedding in Oregon, we had brunch with the Huangs at a cute little restaurant called “Farm to Fork” located right at our hotel. Aren’t Nancy and Terry’s kids most adorable?!

TJ loves Uncle Will!

TingTing and I

BFFs!

Lincoln Park in West Seattle

2010-09-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

After a nice ramen lunch with KC, YC and Yihong, we met up with Emil and his mom for a leisurely afternoon stroll in Lincoln Park along the waters. Afterwards, we stopped by our favorite Bakery Nouveau for some twice baked almond croissants and baguettes. We didn’t take any pictures but I pulled a couple from their website. Looks delish ya?!

Movie star in the making!

Yihong helps out whenever he can, knowingly or not…

Photos taken from http://www.bakerynouveau.com/welcome/

Labor Day picnic at Lake Kachess

2010-09-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

Markus and Evelyn invited us to join them for an afternoon picnic by Lake Kachess where they will camp for the night. It is about a 40 min drive from our place right over the cascade mountains. The weather held up and we enjoyed a nice, low-key get together by the fire.
Skipping stones competition – our main entertainment of the day

Markus teaching Yihong the art of stone stacking

What’s this I’m eating?

Oh, corn! Nom Nom Nom…..

Our gracious hosts

The hungry guests

I am a mountain man.

Enjoying Antje’s homemade low-fat(!) cookies

Father & Son

Markus preparing coffee for us. Black. The real stuff.

True outdoors men chopping firewood with their sandals

Our neighbor heard our cries for help and lent us an axe

Adding fuel to the fire. Have a good night Markus & Evelyn!

Dumpling making

2010-08-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

Will’s parents make the most tasty dumplings and we have been trying to master the technique for a while. I think we are almost there…

Paella party for Gerald our birthday boy

2010-08-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

Yang clan visit – Woodland Park Zoo

2010-08-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

Ice cream is usually a treat…but these kids do not look pleased at all! :)
Look ma! No hands!

Uncle Will getting a nice massage…

Rounding out the day with thin crust pizzas at Tutta Bella

Yang clan visit – dim sum, ballard locks

2010-08-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

Yang clan – Frozen Lake Trail, Mt Rainier

2010-07-31T19:27:00.000-07:00

Yang clan visit – pig out, veg out, rock out

2010-07-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

Yang clan visit – Franklin Falls

2010-07-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

After all that candy, we headed for a short hike at Franklin Falls to burn it off!

Yang clan visit – Boehms Candies Tour

2010-07-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

Our vacation started with a visit to the Boehms Candy store and their guided factory tour. The tour was about 45 minutes long and we got to learn about candy production, the history of the store and the most amazing life story of its founder, Mr. Julius Boehms. Mr. Boehms, born in Vienna, Austria was 44 years of age when he fled from Hitler’s tyranny and ended up in the Pacific Northwest in 1941. I was struck by Mr. Boehms’ passion and courage for a different life and a whole new career in a foreign land. He even conquered 14,410 ft to the peak of Mt Rainier 3 times, the last time when he was at the youthful age of 80!

Yang clan visit

2010-07-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

Will’s entire family: parents from Indiana, older sis Sarah & her boys from San Jose and second sis Clare and daughter Rachel from Nashville traveled to our little Emerald city for our annual get-together. We both took the entire week off to spend time with them. We wish everyone lived closer, if not right here in the Seattle area!

Friends from Singapore – Baseball game

2010-07-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

The gals managed to get tickets to the Mariners vs. Red Sox game and joined Will and our friend Ken, a die-hard Sox fan, for an evening of America’s favorite past time. The last 3 great shots are courtesy of our friend Ken, who was armed with his super duper Nikon lens, sitting just 12 rows from the 3rd base. It was the most nail-biting and exciting (yes!exciting!) 4-hour baseball game I’ve ever been to!

View from the gals’ seats. Will and Ken are somewhere at our 10 o’clock.

View of the gals

View of Seattle from the gals’ seats

Can you spot me & Sisi??

Friends from Singapore – around Seattle

2010-07-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

Lunch at Pho Cyclo in Capital Hill

Fremont Sunday Market

Ballard locks

Seattle skyline from West Seattle neighborhood

Dinner at Shun Japanese Restaurant

Friends from Singapore – BBQ at home

2010-07-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

Friends from Singapore – to Mt Rainier

2010-07-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

Sisi, the hot lady in hot pink, is a friend I met at college and at one point, was my accounting tutor too (!) being the straight-As student she was! :) She and a couple of her friends, Alexis (in gray) and Geraldine (in brown) flew in from Singapore for a visit. It was great fun showing them around Seattle and spending some time together after 10 years!

4th of July Party

2010-07-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday YC!

2010-06-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

Picnic at Gasworks Park

2010-06-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

Shi Shi Beach & Point of the Arches

2010-05-30T22:59:00.000-07:00

On the second day of our camping trip, we hiked along Shi Shi beach up to Point of the Arches. Shi Shi beach is widely acclaimed as one of the most pure, wild and untainted beach in the Olympic Peninsula. It was a very challenging hike because of the constant drizzle throughout our 11 mile hike which rendered the trails very muddy, some spots up to mid-calf! We were thoroughly soaked by the end of the day but we all managed to keep our spirits up…it will be unforgettable, that’s for sure!

Hmm…didn’t quite make it.

Sharon: “That was a piece of cake. Let’s do it again!”

Lunchi: “Thank God I’m alive!”

Camping at Neah Bay

2010-05-29T23:32:00.000-07:00

We spent the latter half of our one week vacation with old friends from the bay area, Ken, Lunch and Sharon. They got in Friday evening and we set off for Neah Bay in the Makah Indian Reservation bright and early on Saturday morning.
Luck favors the prepared!

Spam musubi: breakfast for champions

Welcome to my humble abode!

Lunchi blocking out the wind with all his might

Lunchi starting the fire with his sizzling good looks

After dinner, we checked out Neah bay, a stone’s throw across from where we had set up tent

We then took a quick drive to Cape Flattery and after a short hike, we came upon one of the most beautiful site I’ve ever seen!

On our hike back, someone came up with the great idea of using a flash light and a really long exposure to take some ‘creative’ pictures. We spent over an hour trying to capture the perfect shot.
Anthea, the princess warrior with her headless, long-necked horse

Ended our first day of camping with a ‘roaring’ campfire

Pender Island – Day 5

2010-05-26T23:19:00.000-07:00

Pender Island – Day 4

2010-05-25T23:03:00.000-07:00

After breakfast, we took a little walk outside the resort grounds. There are a few artists located close by with studios open to the public. We also came across a quaint little church. For the afternoon, we signed up for a boat tour with Tara who took the 2 of us out on a 20 ft bowrider around the island for a couple of hours. We spotted 2 bald eagles, many seals and even an elephant seal! It was the most memorable part of our trip. I got the itch to get me a little bowrider someday…

Victoria BC/Pender Island – Day 3

2010-05-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

Antje and Brad returned to Seattle on Sunday evening while Will and I stayed on for another half a day in Victoria. We spent the day walking around the city, taking in more of the festivities of Victoria Day celebrations before continuing our vacation to Pender Island.

Victoria Day Parade

Bye bye Victoria! Off to Pender Island!

Pender island (“A”) is one of the Southern Gulf Islands, approximately 13.1 sq miles and home to 2,500 permanent residents as well as a large seasonal population.
Perfectly sunny day to be out on the water!

Arriving Pender Island after a 40 minute ferry ride from Vancouver Island.

“Stop taking pictures of me walking!”

Poet’s Cove Resort and Spaaahhhh….

View of Bedwell Harbour from our room

Will practicing holding his breath before going for a dip in the pool. Yes, those are kid-size goggles. The only ones available for sale there. Hee.

Enjoying dusk from the balcony off our room

Dinner at resort’s Syrens Bistro

Victoria BC – Day 2

2010-05-23T18:18:00.000-07:00

Chinatown walkabout

Will and Brad both became part of this performer’s show!
He made 4 guys sit on 4 chairs, then told them to lay back on the other guy’s lap and pulled the chairs from under them! There’s Will (in white cap) and Brad (left).

Boat tour around Victoria Harbour

Band performances by local and neighboring high schools, part of Victoria Day weekend celebration
Happy hour at The Canoe Club
Dinner at Red Fish Blue Fish. A super popular food stand known for their Fish & Chips.

Victoria BC – Day 1

2010-05-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

Our first vacation of the year!
Bright and early on Saturday at 7.30am, we boarded the Victoria Clipper Ferry Service from Seattle to Vancouver Island. The 3-hour-ride was comfortable and went by with a blink of the eye.

We took a 40 minute bus ride to the world famous Butchart Gardens which receives over a million visitors a year.

Dinner at Heron Rock Bistro within walking distance from our Oswego Hotel. Yum! I give it 4 out of 5 stars!
Happy belated birthday Brad!

Straight No Chaser

2010-05-16T23:29:00.000-07:00

SNC is a men’s a cappella group started in 1996 by 10 undergraduate students from Indiana University, Bloomington. (Go IU!) After the original members graduated from college, they recruited new members and the lineup changes every year. The amateur collegiate group at IU continues today and is known as “Indiana University’s Straight No Chaser”. The SNC group we saw at the Moore Theater in Seattle is the professional group formed as the original members reunited in 2008 when they signed with Atlantic Records (!)

Aahhh….an evening with well-dressed, well-educated, serenading men…what’s not to love?!

Dinner at Pink Door before the show. Yum. Must go back.

Delilah, American radio personality introduces SNC!

Anthea’s loot

Life after TV

2010-04-30T22:20:00.000-07:00

After much serious consideration, we decided to cut our cable subscription about a week ago. Hmm…with no TV to watch at night, what has Will been up to?

Monday, he cleaned out the vent in the shower and it now purrs like a kitten…

Tuesday, he installed a timer for the vent – waah so high tech!

Wednesday, he drilled a peephole for the front door so we know who’s come a-knockin’.

Thursday, he installed a motion sensor for the light in our walk-in closet

Friday, he started cutting coupons from newspapers…we are going to be rich!

Norah Jones in concert

2010-04-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

On a whim, we decided to go see Norah Jones since somehow tickets became available again 2 nights before her previously-sold-out-one-night-only-concert in Seattle. It turned out to be my favorite concert thus far. I love her new look, her new style, her new band and her new album!

No pictures allowed but I snuck one in with my iphone since there wouldn’t be a flash to bother anyone. She’s the one on the piano!

April Hike – Rattlesnake Ledge

2010-04-17T23:04:00.000-07:00

Our April hike was a small, rather impromptu hike up to rattlesnake ledge with our friends A&B. We’ve done this hike several times before but due to peer pressure from A&B, who are super fit, I tried not to embarrass myself and took only one water break during the switchbacks that paved the way up to the top. I could barely catch my breath while A&B did not even break a sweat.

Happy Birthday Emil!

2010-03-26T23:44:00.000-07:00

Suzanne Vega

2010-02-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

Remember her?! She was in town late February for a one-night-only performance and we went to watch her with our friends Virginia and Tan Ming. I only knew 2 of her songs (Tom’s Diner and Luka). The concert was very low-key and she had a good, wry sense of humor when interacting with the audience. Can’t believe she is 50 years old! I thought she looked more like 35. Then again, I didn’t have my glasses on.

The Fiddle and the Drum

2010-02-27T22:29:00.000-08:00

Will and I saw Joni Mitchell’s The Fiddle and The Drum, a ballet performed by the Alberta Ballet Company, to a select soundtrack of her songs. It expresses Joni Mitchell’s life-long concerns about environmental neglect and the warring nature of mankind. The ballet was choreographed by Jean Grand-Maître who was also the Choreography Director for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games Ceremonies. Will and I have not been to many ballets but this was a very expressive and likeable performance which we enjoyed very much. Too bad Joni Mitchell who was scheduled for a Q&A session after the performance, cancelled her appearance due to illness. We hope to meet her someday.

(Photographs by Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times )

February Hike – Ape Cave

2010-02-27T10:39:00.000-08:00

For our February hike, we drove 3 hours to Ape Cave which is a lava tube located just south of Mount St. Helens. At 13,042 feet (3,976 m), it is the longest continuous lava tube in the continental United States, in terms of passageway length. We hiked both the lower and upper caves and it was nothing we’ve ever imagined or experienced. Pretty cool.

Fueling up before we descend into the abyss…

We climbed over 27 such boulder piles and scaled an 8 ft high lava wall!!

If you turn off your headlight and torchlight, it is pitch black like the background of this picture. You can’t even see your fingers. Eeerieee..


I see light! I made it!

2010 Mag&Will’s Olympic Biathlon

2010-02-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of the 2010 winter Olympics, we decided to undertake the art of curling and all its slippery challenges. A crack team of fierce ice competitors took up the call and rose at 7a on a Saturday to join their fellow athletes at the Seattle Curling Association Open House. The tossing, the sweeping, the sliding…was not as easy as it looks but sure was just as silly.

Even though we were exhausted from our ice escapades, like true athletes, we persevered to the next event.

Reported by William Yang/February 20, 2010

CNY Party

2010-02-14T21:20:00.000-08:00

It has been a tradition for Will and I to host a Chinese New Year party at our place, complete with yummy food everyone brought to share, great company, some rock band and mahjong. Happy year of the Tiger!

Will and I practiced preparing these Chinese meatballs a couple of times to make sure they are edible. They turned out pretty decent!

We got some take out this year to minimize cooking and maximize time with our friends.

Its not a party without Antje’s chocolate cake.

January Hike – Discovery Park

2010-01-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

I know its 2010…

2010-01-05T23:03:00.000-08:00

and I’m still catching up from October 2009! I’ve not been very diligent at keeping up my blog lately…but I have all these pics to share so let’s take a walk down memory lane, shall we? Oh, and Happy New Year!

The last hurrah!

2009-11-08T23:48:00.000-08:00

Walking to breakfast in the French Concession

Auntie Lena took us to the Pearl market and helped us negotiate some very good deals!

The biggest tea market we’ve ever seen! Hundreds and hundreds of little shops. We spent the afternoon enjoying various samples of tea.

Farewell dinner at Crystal Jade. One of the best meals! Thank you Auntie Lena and Uncle Henry for graciously showing us around. It was the highlight of our time in Shanghai!

Weekend with Auntie Lena & Uncle Henry

2009-11-07T23:23:00.000-08:00

We spent Saturday and Sunday with Auntie Lena and Uncle Henry, staying with them at their gorgeous apartment in the prime neighborhood of French Concession. On Saturday, bright and early, Uncle Henry braved the horrendous traffic and insane drivers, to take us to the village town of ZhuJiaJiao known especially for their yummy pig’s trotters. Then Uncle Henry braved another hour on the road to take us to the neighboring city of Suzhou to visit the silk factory and we ended our day trip at ShanTang Street, a 1,100 year old well preserved ancient street near downtown Suzhou.

Shanghai Highlights

2009-11-05T22:11:00.000-08:00

While I slaved away at work on Thursday and Friday, Will showed Antje around Shanghai.
They took the tram through the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel that gets you across the HuangPu river coupled with the appearance of blow-up dolls, flashing colored lights and booming voices.

They visited YuYuan Garden...

Had breakfast at the famous dumplings restaurant there...

I met them for a late lunch at DingTaiFeng in XinTianDi.

And Antje won 10 yuan from her scratch and win lunch receipt! Woohoo!

That evening, we visited JZ Club, a jazz bar which featured a great performance, then hopped over to Jade on 36(th floor) at our hotel, Shangri La for a night cap and an evening view of the city.

Friday Nov 6, 2009… …
Snuck out to meet them for lunch - found this restaurant serving laksa (a Singaporean dish) at one of the many little stores on TaicangLu!!

Uncanny!

That evening, while I had to attend a work dinner, Will and Antje engaged a private coach and played tennis atop our hotel. I was jealous.

When I finally got done with work commitments, we hit the town for some nightlife! Cheers!

Last day in Beijing

2009-11-04T23:15:00.000-08:00

My parents had a prior engagement that day so we parted ways and it was just us 3 spending our third and last day in Beijing. It was also Will’s birthday(!) and he chose to visit the Temple of Heaven, located on the southern end of the city. The Temple of Heaven is 3 times larger than the Forbidden City. It is not only the largest group of temple buildings in China but also the largest heaven-worshipping architecture in the world. The emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties came to this temple to worship heaven and pray for good harvests.

On our way out of the temple, we walked through a park where many locals were just enjoying the day, hanging out, playing cards, kicking shuttlecock (Chinese hacky sack), singing and dancing!

Now that Will got what he wanted for his birthday, we spent the afternoon at a mall :) and met up with Jeanne once more before heading for the airport.

“Does this bag make my butt look big?”

Bye Bye Beijing! Hello Shanghai!

Another day in Beijing..

2009-11-03T22:25:00.000-08:00

Stores at Qianmen on our way to Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Sq, Imperial Palace

We all agree the best meal we had in Beijing is at this quaint little tucked away vegetarian restaurant Jeanne took us to. Each dish was prepared and presented exquisitely!

Not really sure what kind of candy they are but the colorful packaging was irresistible.

WangFuJing Night Market

DongHuaMen Night Market

Beautifully lit St Joseph’s WangFuJing Cathedral

One of our favorite fruit, persimmon, was in season!

THE best thing in China - US$12/hr foot/body massage with free flow of drinks/fruits/snacks…aaahhhhh……heaven!

7 plane rides, 6 families, 5 airports…

2009-11-02T23:40:00.000-08:00

4 overseas friends
3 cities
2 countries
1 week

Will came up with it as his OOF message. Our first stop was a quick jet to San Francisco for the evening where we had dinner with Sarah & Dave, the boys, Ken, Lunchi & Sharon. Then onward to Taipei for a 12 hour layover where we met up with my college friend Chris (& hubby Eric) plus Will’s parents who were also in Taiwan visiting relatives. We then headed for Beijing to join my parents who were there hosting a “Marriage Encounter” weekend and got to spend time with Jeanne and Kevin before heading to Shanghai for my firm’s investors’ meeting. We also managed to cajole our friend Antje to join us for this crazy-whirlwind-1-week-trip.

A cake to celebrate our birthdays in advance! What a nice surprise!

With our good old pals (from left) Ken, Sharon & Lunchi

The happy Moffatts

A pleasant flight on China Airlines

Seat with a view

Its been years since I saw my dearest college friend Chris!

LtoR: Will’s aunt, Will’s parents, Eric, Chris and cutie pie Caitlyn

Our first meal in Beijing with BeiBei, my parents’ friends’ son, who attends TsingHua Univ nearby. This restaurant at our motel is also where we have our complimentary breakfast everyday.

Next morning, we rented a car and driver and headed off to the Great Wall of China at Badaling!

Beijing had a freak snowstorm the night before and it was freeeezing and icy at the wall. Me and mommy stayed down below while Will, Antje and Daddy made the brave and treacherous climb.

We did it! At least to this part.

Dinner with Jeanne.

My daddy’s fav dish – crispy little turtle. Eeek! I couldn’t even bear to look at it. Gross! Daddy swears its the best he ever had!

Too bad there was a racing event that night at the bird’s nest so we were denied entry. Still, a great first day in BJ!

Beautiful colors of Fall

2009-10-11T23:54:00.000-07:00

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I am always amazed at all the brilliant colors of the fall foliage and I am glad we get to enjoy much of it in the Pacific Northwest.

At the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery

Downtown Issaquah

Anthea excitedly picking the best shaped leaves for keepsake..

Pumpkin Pickin’

2009-10-09T23:26:00.000-07:00

The day before my parents returned to Singapore, we took them to a pumpkin farm 20 minutes from our place. It was quite a new experience for them. Next time, we need to remember to bring gloves. Those little hairs on the stalk can be quite prickly! We each took some time to pick one out. Its hard to decide – you always seem to find a rounder/bigger/more orange one 2 feet away and before you know it, you’ve wondered far into the farm.

For their (farewell) dinner, we had a little of everyone’s favorite - fillet mignon (daddy’s fav), large prawns and King crab legs (mommy’s), corn on cob and small grilled peppers (Will’s). Daddy & Mommy also haven’t had pizza during their 2 months visit so we baked one up for good measure!

Northern Exposure – Day 8

2009-10-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

On our last day of vacation in Whistler, we took a gondola ride spanning the distance between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. This engineering marvel breaks three world records being “the longest unsupported span of over 3 kilometres, (the) highest lift of its kind at 436 metres above the valley floor (and also the) longest continuous lift system on the globe!”

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Northern Exposure – Day 7

2009-10-03T23:22:00.000-07:00

We started our day by making breakfast at our suite for everyone – simple eggs and sausages with toast. We then took a small hike around the beautiful Lost Lake which was within walking distance from our hotel. After lunch, we went on the other major highlight of our trip - zip lining! It was a 2.5 hr tour of 5 zip lines, starting with a baby one to warm up and progressing to the longest and fastest above 2000 feet (!) and ended with one where all of us (except Mommy who has high blood pressure) zip lined upside down! It was fun!

For dinner, we celebrated Oktoberfest at a local Bavarian restaurant. There was some yummy bratwurst, delicious beer, amazing desert and some really colorful singing and dancing.

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Northern Exposure – Day 6

2009-10-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

We checked out of the Listel hotel in downtown Vancouver and headed up north to Whistler. The drive from Vancouver to Whistler on Highway 99, aptly dubbed “Sea to Sky Highway” was absolutely gorgeous but unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to snap any photos. When we arrived at Whistler 2 hours later, we checked into the Hilton, courtesy of Marlene’s friend and family discount and got a free upgrade to a junior suite. Cool! After lunch, Daddy and Will played tennis while mommy and I hit the shops in the village. In the evening, we had dinner at a popular restaurant called Bearfoot Bistro. They were running a surf and turf special and it was indeed yummy. Our fingers were itching from several days without playing mahjong. Desperate, we set up a makeshift table and got to play a few rounds! :)

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Northern Exposure – Day 5

2009-10-01T01:30:00.000-07:00

Visited Lynn Canyon in the morning and explored Granville island (and its public market) in the afternoon…

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Northern Exposure – Day 4

2009-10-01T00:58:00.000-07:00

From our Listel hotel in downtown Vancouver, we took a short walk to Stanley Park bright and early so Will and Daddy could play a game of tennis while Mommy and I explored. We then had lunch at our favorite Taiwanese restaurant (beef noodles!) before heading over to the VanDusen Botanical garden in the vicinity. The VanDusen garden is really quite beautiful and we had a most wonderful elderly gentleman as our volunteer tour guide. We then did a little shopping at Yaohan (haven’t seen one of these since I was little in Singapore) in the Richmond district before dinner at a supposedly well rated Japanese restaurant conveniently located right across from our hotel.

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Northern Exposure – Day 3

2009-09-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

We checked out of our lovely bed and breakfast on Tuesday morning after a sumptuous breakfast. We drove up to Mt Constitution for an aerial view of the island but the fog was quickly rolling in. We found a better vantage point at a lower elevation and hung out for a while enjoying the vista. Then we said bye bye to Orcas island as we boarded the ferry back to Anacortes to continue heading up north to Vancouver B.C.

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Yummy dinner at ‘Shanghai No.1’ restaurant we chanced upon in the Richmond district of Vancouver + Asian dessert at some place called ‘100% Healthy Desserts’, can’t go wrong with that…

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Northern Exposure - Day 2

2009-09-28T23:39:00.000-07:00

The day started with a hearty breakfast to prepare us for a long anticipated whale watching excursion. We took the ferry to the San Juan Island where the tour was based. We donned on our orange wetsuits and hopped into the Western Explorer which is a 27' Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat, similar to the boats the Coast Guard uses for search and rescue. We headed south towards the Olympic mountains and soon found a local pod of Orcas which were hunting for salmon this time of year.

At first, the Orcas were contented to swimming at a leisurely pace but soon the excitement picked up as several big Orcas started jumping out of the water. It was an amazing sight to witness as Orca after Orca shot into the air. Wheee!

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Northern Exposure - Day 1

2009-09-27T23:43:00.000-07:00

We woke up bright and early on the first day of our week long vacation. It was my mommy’s birthday too and we attempted to make her some breakfast before we headed off. On our way out, we stopped by REI and picked up a few ‘essentials’. We then drove north to a little town called Anacortes, an hour and a half from Seattle and boarded the ferry to Orcas Island. We checked into our charming little bed and breakfast called The Kangaroo House. The innkeeper helped arranged to have flowers in my mommy’s room as a surprise for her birthday. We then went to a nice dinner at a restaurant called Lulu’s to complete the celebration.

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Welcoming the Piongs!

2009-09-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

Our favorite 19-year-old, Anthea Piong from Singapore, is starting college at Seattle University. She was so lucky to have her mom, Auntie Lena and big brother Paul, fly over from Shanghai and Texas respectively, to help her settle in. We welcomed the Piongs with a ‘Surf N Turf’ BBQ dinner. Big thanks to Mas, our grill master who helped with the BBQ and Emil, who brought his famous lamb stew to share.

Daddy bakes a cake!

2009-09-23T23:23:00.000-07:00

Here’s Daddy’s attempt at baking a cake without Will’s supervision...

Adventure in Maryland & Pennsylvania

2009-09-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

2 Wednesdays ago at 8pm, we bought two tickets to Baltimore and off we went at 8am the following day!

My wife and I flew 2,334 miles from the West coast to the East coast of USA to visit Fr. Edmund Woon who just graduated from Loyola University, Maryland with a Masters degree in Counseling.

We later traveled to Latrobe, Pennsylvania with Fr. Paschal before returning to Seattle.

Our one-week trip was full of pleasant surprises, grossly exceeding our expectations!

Check it out : www.holidaybaltimore.blogspot.com

reported by : Peter Teo / September 23, 2009

A lazy Sunday afternoon…

2009-09-13T23:08:00.000-07:00

Just another meal at Emil’s…

2009-09-12T23:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening, Emil invited us to his home for dinner. Emil whipped up some grilled black cod, sautéed a dozen shishamo (smelt fish), marinated a couple of portabella mushroom, bought some fresh oysters, made several sesame and plum rice balls, arranged some fresh greens with homemade peanut dressing…oh, nothing fancy…

Just another meal at Emil’s!

The Golf Club at Newcastle

2009-09-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, Will played a round of golf with Mantje at the beautiful Newcastle golf course which boasts stunning city and mountain views while my parents and I hunted garage sales at a nearby neighborhood. We then met up with the golfers for dim sum.

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-07T00:40:00.000-07:00

Kourtney babysat…

Mas bbq-ed…

Will served…

Shelly baked…

Antje too!

It was a happy labor(less) day for me indeed!

Let’s go camping!

2009-08-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

I was so inspired by Markus and Evelyn’s camping fun that I wanted a tent of my own. REI had a sale and we found a 4 person tent we liked. Will suggested we do a trial so the 2 crazies camped out in the backyard with blankets and pillows on Sunday night! (Mommy and Daddy in photo below for show only).

Verdict: We love the tent and we are keeping it! Can’t wait to go camping, well, car camping, for real!

August Hike II

2009-08-29T23:45:00.000-07:00

We headed down to Mt Rainier on Saturday with Markus and Evelyn. We drove a new route and realized that it takes less than 2 hours to reach the north side of Mt Rainier from our home. We met at Tipsoo Lake and hiked 3.5 miles on the Naches Loop Trail by Chinook Pass. It was drizzling in the morning and the fog was thick. We got lucky as the fog thinned out and we enjoyed beautiful views throughout our 3 hour hike.

Charming little Tipsoo Lake in the background. Man in foreground, not so much…?

Plenty of wild huckleberries along the way. They were small but sweet!

Lunch spot with Dewey lake in sight

A very pretty spot with this unnamed lake

Back at Tipsoo Lake. We made it!

After our hike, we drove about a half hour up to Sunrise Visitor Center but the fog rolled in and we only caught a few glimpses of Mt Rainier. As Will puts it “More reason to come back!”

Tea time at Sunrise Visitor Center. We then headed home while Markus and Evelyn camped out at White River campground for the night.

Men at Work – Part II

2009-08-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

Dishes after dinner

Stirring up the dough for Chinese turnip cake

Seward Park

2009-08-22T23:51:00.000-07:00

We took a walk around Seward Park which is surrounded by the beautiful Lake Washington with KC, YC and baby Yihong. Before our hike, we chanced upon a fair going on at the park and grabbed lots of free goodies!

“Errr I thought we were here to exercise…why are we just hanging around, hanging around?”

“Look at me! Am I coordinated or what?!”

Serafina

2009-08-21T23:44:00.000-07:00

After visiting the Space Needle, we took my parents to our favorite Italian restaurant in Seattle, Serafina. My daddy said it was “above expectations!”.

Space Needle

2009-08-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

Bellevue Botanical Garden

2009-08-21T22:47:00.000-07:00

My wife and I last visited this garden in 2007 summer. The garden has not lost its charm since then. We love it!

reported by Peter Teo / August 21, 2009

Will and his cake

2009-08-20T22:02:00.000-07:00

Antje, our dear friend and even dearer cookie supplier, is out of town. In desperation, Will resorted to baking a cake on his own to satisfy his sweet tooth. Antje, please come home soon!

Will baking cake

Will displaying cake

Will enjoying cake

August Hike

2009-08-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

Well….this isn’t exactly in keeping with our criteria of a ‘new’ hike a month as we’ve been to Franklin Falls a couple of times now. But its new to the parents and baby Yihong! ;) It is probably one of our favorite easy hikes as in just one mile, you get to appreciate Franklin Falls.

“Urm…where are you guys taking me?!”

“What are you guys lookin’ at?!”

“Are we there yet?!”

Yihong and his grandma

“Man! That was exhausting!”

Can you spot the difference?

2009-08-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

This morning, my wife and I embarked on our second garden project – trimming the tree in front of the Master bedroom. Total 10 man hours.

Before

After

reported by : Peter Teo / August 11, 2009