Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, 2008. Karen and I were going to host a family dinner and gift party but the weather got in the way. We ended up spending the day together, just us, and it was a great day!


First of all, we both wanted to see a movie. So many movies and a whole day to see them. But, since the snow was deep, the busses weren't reliable, we decided we would walk to the theatre. So, we started our trek to walk to the University District and see "Tale of Despereaux" since Karen really wanted to see it and I thought it would be cute. Here's Karen outside our condo building, all dressed up for the cold.



It was cold and lots of snow, but we were determined to get to the theatre. About a two-mile walk, we had 90 minutes to get there.



But, we also wanted to take pictures to send to Karen's parents and friends back home where it never snows. Too bad we weren't going downtown, or we could've caught that bus behind us!



A small hill covered in untouched snow, so I had to take advantage of it, making my own 'snow Chad.'



On the way, we found this snowman perched in front of a house so we stopped to say "Hello."



I really like this jacket. It keeps me warm and has great pockets. But it sticks out and makes me look fat!!



We've walked about 6 blocks so far and it's taken 20 minutes. We found someone had made a snowman right in the middle of a normally busy intersection in front of a Starbucks!



Well, 45 minutes into our walk, Karen was getting very cold and tired. So we stopped at a different Starbucks which was right across the street from the Guild 45th theatre. I really wanted to see "Doubt" and so did Karen, but she was worried that it wouldn't really put her in the Christmas spirit, like "Despereaux" would have. But, really, a movie about nuns, religion, faith, trust and a scene discussing "Frosty the Snowman"--what's more Christmas than that?



We got our coffee and steamed apple cider and saw "Doubt" which ended up being one of the best movies of 2008. Excellent movie and I hope everyone gets a chance to see it. The Guild 45th theatre is one of Seattle's oldest movie theatres and has the absolute best popcorn of ANY movie theatre. The theatre itself is old and in need of remodeling--hey, Mark Cuban, spend some money and fix it up! I've got lots of memories of this theatre...when we first moved to Seattle in 1981, this theatre played movies such as "Ghandi", "Chariots of Fire" and "Amadeus" and would have lines around the block for the many months that each movie played here. A second auditorium opened up a few years later, a little smaller and more intimate and as unique as the original auditorium. While I wouldn't want to see "Star Wars" at these theatres, movies like "Doubt" are perfect for it.


On the way back home, we stopped at QFC(always known as Food Giant to me!) to pick up dinner for Christmas Eve for the two of us. Salmon and steak, two of my favorite foods as well as quick and easy to prepare since we were both a bit tired and just wanted to have a good dinner before opening presents. There weren't too many presents, though, since many that Karen had purchased hadn't been delivered yet due to the weather. I had done more store-shopping, so most of the gifts under the tree were for her. You can see how happy Karen is in cold weather!



On the way back home, we stopped at my "snow Chad" so Karen could make her own "snow Karen" next to it. We had a great Christmas Eve and loved being together for our first Christmas as husband and wife.

A Taste of Something Familiar

There are three things I miss most about being back in the Singapore/Malaysia region- Family, Friends and FOOD. When I was in Singapore and had friends over, I almost never cooked anything Asian. It was usually something with an Italian influence and/or had cheese on it. There was a good reason for this. Whenever I cooked something Asian, I was sorely dissapointed. It never tasted anything like my Mom's. Besides, though Chad will disagree with this, cheese makes anything taste good. Good and inexpensive Asian food could be found everywhere 24/7 in Singapore, so why bother going through the trouble!

I do miss the food though so I looked into the refridgerator and found some Chinese vegetables and bean sprouts that did not get used. Without a recipe and just some vague memory of the way my mom used to do it, I took out my wok and fried up some rice noodles. It does not taste quite like mom's and I'm not too sure if Chad would like it but that does not really matter. I made this for ME. A taste of something familiar from home. I ate it with chopsticks and enjoyed it thoroughly. I will definitely try to cook more Asian dishes from now on and I'll get better at it.

A Wintry Walk for Tropical Me

I'm not a fan of being in the cold and in the snow. My idea of enjoying winter is staying bundled up in front of a large window, watching it snow or toasting up in front of fire with a hot cup of tea or cocoa. Being cooped up for the nth. day in a row was making me nuts though and I had to get out, even if it meant braving the cold and the ice and snow. I saw that the sun was out and some of the snow was beginning to melt. I bundled up and ventured out. It was not easy walking. I had to fight the slippery side-walks. There was lots of compacted ice on the ground but it was sure pretty. There were not many people about, as you can see.


A self-portrait as I made my way around the neighbourhood.


Hello Mr. Snowman.


The roads are just a messy slush. I'm glad I wasn't driving around in that. All in all, I'm glad I got out and may even get out again tomorrow in spite of the forecasted icy roads. Wish me luck!

Horseshoe Crabs and Hot Humid Days

On a day like this, I almost miss those hot and humid days. This photo was taken in June this year at a 'Kelong' in Malaysia. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, 'kelong' is an offshore platform built predominantly with wood, built primarilly for fishing purposes by fishermen but also can serve as dwellings for them and their families. These 'kelongs' can be found in waters off Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and a small handful in Singapore waters.

My former colleagues and I were on a Staff retreat trip and I remember it being really very warm. We had a wonderful seafood lunch that day!


On our way to the kelong! You can see one other boat which is just like ours.



My friend and former colleague, Meixiu, holding a horseshoe crab. The blood of the horseshoe crabs turn dark blue when exposed to the oxygen in the air and they are more closely related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions than to crabs. This is a really small one. Could be just a baby.




Me and my shadow...