Joe and Sko Adventures

Thailand

2010-09-27T18:43:00.009Z

Sawatdee!

For my last trip during my 3 month sabbatical, for our 3 year anniversary, and to visit our friend Grace, we visited Bangkok and Krabi in Thailand. We had the greatest time soaking up the sun (got lucky during monsoon season), and eating! Here were the highlights...

Guides used to plan trip:

Mr and Mrs Smith / Luxe Guide Bangkok / Lonely Planet Bangkok Encounter / Nancy Chandler's Map of Bangkok

The beach: We flew into Trang and stayed at Si Kao Anantara. The hotel itself was very nice, but for a nice beach we had to take a long tail boat out to the islands. After more research and chats would be keen to visit Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, or Chiang Rai next time.

Bangkok hotel: We stayed at Tenface in Pleonchit, which is in a good area if you want to explore both tourists spots in Silom and the more popular neighborhoods like Siam, Sukhumvit. The hotel is located a bit far from the sky train stop, but they have a 24 hr tuk tuk that takes you there, so it's not a problem. All rooms are suites with a super comfy bed. And it's quiet!

Bangkok eats! MBK, 6th floor (Siam). Where lazy people who want all the good street food in 1 place go. Still really delicious even though at top floor of a mall! Mango Tango (Siam Square, Soi 5). Mango desserts galore! Khanom Krok Bai Toey (next to Mango Tango). Don't forget to visit bakery next store to pick up some mini green flower shaped cakes. They are so delicious! Just don't know what they are called! Kai Ton (Pratunam) for kao mun gai (chicken over rice). Skip the kao mun gai place on the corner and head down the street looking for pink shirts! Somboon Seafood (multiple locations) for curry crab. Sa-Nguan Sri (Pleonchit, Wireless Road) Old school family run restaurant for lunch, popular amongst locals. Coffee Beans by Dao (multiple locations, 1 in Pleonchit) for cheesecake and crispy pork fried rice. Like Thai version of Cheesecake factory with extensive Thai/Western menu. Jae Kee Fried Chicken (Lumpini, Soi Polo) for Chinese style crispy chicken buried in deep fried garlic. Eat it with sticky rice. Kuppa (39 Sukhumvit Soi 16). Had a Thai lunch, but felt like I was brunching in LA. Bo.Lan (Sukhumvit Soi 26). One of the "it" restaurants. Be ready for spice! Street food in Saochingcha. Print out the map and roam around. Favorites were Cafe Boran, Radna Yod Pak for deep fried egg noodles and seafood stir fry, Nattaporn Ice Cream for mature coconut ice cream. Blue Elephant for cooking class. I'm sure there's plenty more, but that's a start :).

Bangkok shopping! Thought I'd add in this part since you can't avoid them. I felt like there was 1 in every corner. Joe and I browsed just for the fun of it, but they really do have a good selection. It's a great combo of American, European and Asian brands. Joe made out at Vault (Siam Square) with a very cool pair of sneakers. I liked Greyhound Original and Playhound (cheaper line of Greyhound) which has multiple locations (we visited Siam Centre which has both). They had cute shoes :). My favorite store was not a clothing store, but was a knit shop called Big Knit (Thonglor Soi 49). They have the cutest Japanese crochet books for making stuffed animals. You can make copies for 10 baht per sheet. The Luxe guide has a step by step guide for how to navigate all the stores. When exploring neighborhood shops, definitely use Nancy's map referenced above because Google Maps is not always up to date in Bangkok.

2010 Ironman Austria

2010-07-13T18:11:00.016Z

Click here to access album Ironman Austria

Overall Time : 10:45

Swim: 1hr 12m

T1: 3m

Bike: 5:35 (splits: 2:42, 2:53)

T2: 4m

Run: 3:50 (splits: 1:50, 2:00)

Thank you!

Of course, I can't do this sport w/out the incredible support of my lovely wife, Sandy. Thanks for putting up w/ my crazy training and travel schedule! Also, my friends and family for encouraging and supporting my ridiculous hobby.

Accomplishments & Things Learned:

1. Eat/Drink by feel (but have a general plan) - It was probably about 90 degrees by the time we hit the run. I felt like my head was going to explode as some points on the bike. After a 30 min thunderstorm, the ground was steaming. For how hard I was going and the conditions, you have to be flexible w/ nutrition. I had a general plan, but started relying on liquids and salt more and measured how I felt accordingly.
2. Race the conditions and not for a time - It was helpful to have some time expectations, but when I knew I wasn't going to hit those times, I didn't give up. Just keep pushing for towards those goals, but stay focused on the present. I stayed realistic by the end of the bike and focused on a successful run. I finished strong and shaved 8 min overall from last year.
3. Dig deep and focus when it counts - At each Ironman and race, there is always a point where you realize why you train. In Ironman, everything you do is to help you push at miles 13-21 during the marathon. Pace goes down, you feel horrible,and you want to stop. I kept telling myself that "focus - this is why you train, for this moment, embrace it."Just focus on working hard to each rest stop and you'll be fine. Trust yourself and your training.

4. Coca-Cola is delicious! Drink it earlier on the run - When I hit mile 21, I thought coke wouldn't hurt since I was getting so tired and lethargic. I sipped on coke w/ some water at each stop and my pace/energy increased immensely. But once you start, you can't stop. Each rest stop, I had some cola and I was sprinting by the end. Should've started earlier.

Swim
1hr 12 min
I didn't realize the race had started. They told the competitors to start going into the water and all of a sudden everyone started swimming. Good thing we scouted the course the prior days, there is a canal which everyone doesn't sight correctly. I took a good line and stayed relaxed. There was the normal swim washing machine for the 1st half. 2nd half was fairly smooth until the canal (about 800m until the end) which is narrow and your hand scraps the bottom for some really shallow areas. I thought I could have done 1:05-1:10, but not too disappointed b/c I felt fresh enough to sprint the transition and picked up time there.

Bike
5hr 35min (splits: 2:42, 2:53)

Came on the bike and didn't take too long to warm up, tried to stay calm b/c I was so excited to get moving. Danger is the first 20km or so is relatively flat/downhill so you really go hard. Took me about 30km to really start feeling better, then hit the first big hill and stayed relaxed while everyone started passing me. There are 2 pretty big climbs w/ a lot of steady descents where you pick up a lot of speed (2 loops). There is a section b/t the hills that's a false flat where you think it's flat, but it's really slightly uphill. I struggled on this portion for about 15 min. By the end of the 1st loop the heat really picked up and I remember thinking my head was going to explode in my helmet! It was probably hitting high 80's w/ some humidity. After I hit the 1st half marker, I knew it would be tough to get significantly under 5:30 so I kept calm and save my legs for the run. Once I hit the last big hill on the 2nd lap, about 30 min of thunder storms came down. It felt great, but it became pretty dangerous on the downhills. Carbon brake pads aren't really made for rain. When the rain stopped, the ground was steaming b/c of the heat -- yes, it was getting that warm. Once I hit transition, I saw my time and felt relatively ok. My lower back was pretty tired and uncomfortable, so I tried to slowly warm up on the start of the run.

Nutrition
Hour
1: small cliff bar, some drink mix, water/nuun, salt tab, gel
2: cliff shot bloks, some drink mix, water/nuun, salt tab, gel
3. small cliff bar, some drink mix, water/nuun, salt tab, gel
4: cliff shot bloks, some drink mix, water/nuun, salt tab
5. cliff shot bloks

Run

3:50 (splits: 1:50, 2:00)

Started the run w/ lower back tightness and thought it would quickly go away, but it took a good 3-4 miles before I started feeling ok. Thought my pace was a bit too fast at the beginning so held back a little. Then, just fell into a comfortable pace and told myself to take the speed while it lasted. The heat really started coming on in the exposed/less shady areas. Might've hit close to 90+ degrees. I was thinking of not stopping at ad stations, but decided to walk through and take in anything I felt like. It worked pretty well as I kept moving through the stations fairly quickly dumping as much water on myself as possible. First half of the marathon felt pretty good, but I knew mile 14-21 would be tough (it's always like that during IM). Once I hit 14, I tried to dig down and kept telling myself "focus - this is why you train, for this moment, embrace it." My pace slowed down a bit during these miles and once I hit the 20 mile mark, I started to sip on coca cola which made me wake up and pushed me to start semi-sprinting the last miles. Not sure if I just wanted to get it over with or I was pushing hard until the end.

Nutrition

Hour
1: Half a gel, sports drink, water
2: Half a gel, bananas, watermelon, coke, water
3: Bananas, watermelon, oranges, coke, water

Training

Definitely focused on quality and recovery this year versus any other. On average, I trained about 25% less per week versus last year (12 hour/week vs. 9 hour/week) and did a faster time on a harder course. On top of that, from Jan-July 2010, I spent over 40 days travelling for work! Travelling kills the rhythm of training, but it also provides opportunities to think creatively about getting sessions done. For example, I got a chance to ride 50-60 miles throughout Marin county w/ the SF Mission cycle club which was awesome! I got to run for miles along the coast of Nice, France and Los Gatos, CA. Definitely breaks up the monotony of training.

Click here to view my training overview

2010 London Marathon

2010-04-27T14:29:00.010Z

LINK TO ALBUM: 2010 London Marathon

Overall: 3:18

1st half: 1:41

2nd half: 1:38

Pace: ~7:35ish/mile

Place: 2,795 out of about 36,549

Tried to keep it simple this race, I basically had to go 8 miles/hour to hit my goal. I kept telling myself to hold back the 1st half and relax. I was a little behind, but there were a ton of people...plus I didn't want to rush out and blow the race too early! I got a bit concerned at the 13.1 mile mark b/c 1:41 was a little off the pace, so I tried to increase the pace to see how I would feel. Strangely, I felt alright and kept getting faster and am very happy w/ a negative split - 1:38! The crowd was terrific and pushed me forward the last 6 miles. I got faster as the miles went on and on!
There was a red line that marked the most direct 26.2 route, which I stuck to like glue!

Nutrition (I think I got my salt/nutrition intake correct!):
Day before: some pasta, extra salt, and about 4-5 bottles nuun water
2.5 hours before: 3 english muffins w/ apricot jam, little coffee, nuun water, 2 tabs of salt pills
Right before start: pack of shot bloks w/ little nuun water
1st hour: pack of shot bloks, nuun tab in water, 2 salt tabs, one gel ---- figured my HR and effort would be lowest so I could stomach the solids
2nd hour: 2 salt tabs, nuun tab in water, 2 gels (one close to end of hour)
3rd hour: one gel

By the last 8 miles, I was feeling relatively good, so just relied on sipping water and gauging my appetite. I was fine the entire time and dumped a ton water on myself at every stop. Weather was a lot cooler than forecasted (prob in the 60's/17's), it rained a bit at the beginning but turned into muggy, then sun, then cool.

I wore my K-Swiss K-Ona's w/out socks (like I usually do) and ended up w/ quite a few blisters, a slightly purple 2nd toe (first time this has happened), and a little sore side of my left knee (I think ITB - not the first time, so it should go away). Strange it's all on my left side... Although, it is a marathon so if I wasn't sore then I didn't try hard enough!!

Now it's time for Ironman training!

Bath Half Marathon

2010-03-07T19:01:00.003Z

Joe & I just finished our first race of the year, Bath Half Marathon. We both posted out personal best! Joe finished in 1 hour 30 minutes, and I finished in 1 hr 45 minutes. I'm taking a break from racing for a bit, but Joe has the London marathon coming up in April. I'm glad I'm not him :P.

In the photos above I was playing around with the cross-processing effect on my Android phone from the app called Vignette. Like the look maybe I'll try it on actual film! Was testing out a roll of Fuji 160S film while I was in Bath. First roll of colour film I've shot in 6 years! Curious of how that will turn out! Off to NY tomorrow! Over & out. /s

Japan: Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara

2010-01-16T01:46:00.002Z

Joe and I visited Japan in October. We submerged ourselves into Tokyo to get a feel of how it would be to live there. Thanks to Tami, Paul, Donna and Richie for taking us around. It was another successful eating tour :)

From album Japan

Thanksgiving

2010-01-16T01:39:00.002Z

For Thanksgiving we gathered the expats and rented an 8 bedroom house in the countryside. What resulted was a massive feast for every meal, and even more dishes! We had a competition to see who could gain the most % of body weight after Thanksgiving dinner. I ended up winning in total weight gained (1.6 kg). Joe was negative weight sometime during the meal and ended up gaining zero weight! What a metabolism!

From album Thankgiving

Fat Duck

2010-01-16T01:31:00.003Z

Happy New Year! Will catch you up on the past 3-4 months of our lives in the next few blog posts :P. Joe and I visited Fat Duck (#2 restaurant in the world) for my 30th birthday. We had to make reservations 2 months in advance on the day! Was a delicious and fun culinary experience. El Bulli here we come (#1 restaurant in the world in Spain).

From album 30th Birthday

Normandy

2009-09-13T16:02:00.003Z

From Album: Normandy

Thanks to Al and Lotte (Charlotte) for hosting us in Dives Sur Mer, which served as a great base to explore the Normandy coast. It was a heart felt experience seeing the D-Day landing beaches and the American Memorial and Cemetery. Interest that it was paired with trying tete de veau (calf's head) and deep fried calf's brain at Le Bougnat which I would actually highly recommend. Favorite part of the trip was going to the Saturday food market in Dives where we bought sausages, cheese, and fresh vegetables to make lunch.

View Normandy in a larger map

Granada, Spain

2009-08-25T22:45:00.002Z

From Album: Granada

Joe and I went to Granada, Spain soon after his "2 Ironman in 1 month" craziness. We visited an old co-worker and stayed in her family's home just outside the city. Estela, her family, and her girlfriend Carmen were the most amazing hosts. Joe bonded with Estela's papa as he was happy to finally have a man in the household amongst 3 daughters. I don't remember much due to the heat, but I do remember Los Italianos ice cream. Yummmm.

Enjoy the photos! It was the 1st time I only carried around my 35mm L lens (forgot my zoom lens :P). It was challenging at first but I definitely fell in love (again) with this lens as it proves to be quite a good walk around lens when traveling. Got interesting profile shots and had fun figuring out how to frame photos so they are interesting because of what was in them rather than the expanse they covered (which I got used to with a wider zoom lens).

Verona, Italy

2009-08-25T21:34:00.002Z

From Album: Verona

Like my Zoolander pose?

Went to Verona back in June for the opening of opera season. A quite unique experience being that the opera is performed in a Roman arena built in AD 30. For opening night they chose to perform Carmen amongst a fantastically theatrical set (i.e. horse and carriage on state) and the finely dressed audience (i.e. floor length gowns and security detail).

Being my first opera, I struggled through scene 1 of 4 and decided to knock back an espresso so I wouldn't fall asleep during this once in a lifetime experience. As scene 2 started in full swing, we heard a rumbling from the audience in the back of the Arena. My friends and I turned to see a curtain of rain heading towards us!! Gasp! Maybe I didn't need that espresso after all. We dashed to the exit with seat cushion in tow.

As we huddled in the arena tunnels, we could hear the waterfall of rain running down the stone steps. We hoped that the rain would stop and the opera would continue, but that didn't happen... No money back after the show starts sorry! I grumbled that we just paid about 3 Euro/minute for less than 1 hour of entertainment. =/

Now what? Luckily we had made post-opera dinner plans, initially booked for 1am. Is it too early to show up at 10pm? Well let's go an see. We skated to the restaurant about 1/2 a mile a way. Yes, skated as it was impossible to walk in the rain in high heels on marble tiles. We skated on the balls of our high heeled shoes :P.

And by the way that restaurant was amazing! Can't end the story without a restaurant recommendations!

RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS

* Antica Bottega del Vino (Post opera dinner w/great wine. Try Amarone, red wine from the region) - 3 Via Scudo di Francia, Verona. Tel: +39 0458 004 535

* L'Oste Scuro (Seafood) - Vicolo San Silvestro, 10, Verona, Italy. Tel: +39 045 59 2 650

* Venchi il Gelato (Dark chocolate gelato to die for! Also on the main shopping street ;) - Via Mazzini

2009 Ironman Lake Placid (I did it! 2 IM's in 1 month!)

2009-08-06T09:31:00.011Z

Click here to view album: Ironman Lake Placid

Overall: 12hr 21min -- 706 overall (about 2258 total), 110th in AG (about 210 total)

Swim: 1hr 15min

Bike: 6hr 33min (splits: 3hr10min, 3hr 21min)

Run: 4hr 21min (splits: 2hr08min, 2hr13min)

First of all -- THANK YOU so much to my wife, Sandy, she made this year one of the most exciting of my life. Also, many thanks to my family who came to watch/support me at Lake Placid. It was a big boost seeing you throughout the day.

Wow - this race was tough. I knew going for 2 IM's w/in 3 weeks was nuts, but having to finish w/ Lake Placid made things even more challenging. This race scraps away at you. Imagine getting scratched in one place over and over again...basically, the 2nd half of the run is like pouring salt on that sore that's been scrapped away!

Conditions were great, we were really lucky to get dry weather and sunshine. The forecast was for pouring rain and it ended up raining a bit on the swim, but stopped thereafter. In fact, it became a bit too hot for some people. I heard 400 participants got IV's -- about 20% of the field. Sun was blazing and tempurature was anywhere from 27-30c (~85-90 degrees F) w/ some humidity.

I really wanted to enjoy the experience. An old coach of mine asked if I had "goals" for the day and I said "finish." After having a great experience and overall time at IM Germany 3 weeks prior, I just wanted my family to enjoy the great city of Lake Placid and see an Ironman race.

I didn't know what to expect, coming into the race I had caught a cold the week before, traveled from London to NYC, and drove from NYC to Lake Placid. Thus, it wasn't the perfect taper, but I knew I already had the fitness to enjoy the race.

More detail on my time splits found when you CLICK HERE to the website

Swim (2.4 miles / 3.8km):

1hr 15min

Comments: Popped a gel about 30 min before start. Best water I've ever swam in. Clear, cool and perfect for 2000+ swimmers! I stayed clear of everyone and found clear water. Probably could've sighted better on the 2nd loop, but all things considered, I came out feeling pretty good.

T1 - 8min 50sec: Long transition run. I'm guessing this is about 400m. Also, I took my time getting my bag, going to the bathroom, and getting on to my bike. Loved the help taking my wetsuit off.

Bike (112 miles / 180km):

6hr 33 min (splits: ~3hr 10min, 3hr 21min)

Comments: Very challenging bike course. EVERYONE told me to be patient on the first lap and that the bike course doesn't really start until mile 80-90. I took this to heart and "thought" I was being conservative on the first lap, but looking at my splits, I probably still went out a little harder than I should've. The hills just keep coming and coming -- just impossible to get any rhythm. I remember thinking I was never going to finish during my first lap, but felt much better on the 2nd lap.

Click HERE for comparison bike courses in North America Ironman Races (YES - Lake Placid is a bit hilly).

Overall, I kept these things in mind on the bike:

1. Don't destroy yourself on the hills -- LET EVERYONE GO AND BE PATIENT -- When I got to the hills (and there are a LOT of hills), I kept my pace as low as possible and was able to have a conversation or eat while climbing. I didn't want to blow it and knew there was a lot of hills to come. Also, I was starting to feel the fatigue from the last Ironman!

2. Get some speed and keep your pace on downhills/flats -- Guessing my confidence has gone up this year on the bike and all my pilates/yoga classes have helped kept my form throughout the ride. I really went for it on the downhills and my core kept me very stable going 50+ mph! I just wanted to gain as much time as possible and keep my legs turning over instead of taking long breaks then pushing uphills.

3. Keep the fluids going - it's hot! -- The weather was pretty warm and the humidity wasn't helping. I went through about 5 bottles of water/nuun and 1.5 bottles of carbo pro/gatorade. Not sure I managed this great, I had to go to the bathroom 3 times during the bike ride. I wanted to be sure my energy was good going into the run, so I kept hydrating and pouring as much water on my head as possible. Definitely helped!

Nutrition --

hour 1: 1 bar, 1/4 bottle carbo pro, pack shot bloks, bottle of nuun (sodium) = ~80g cho

hour 2: 1 bar, pack shot bloks, 1/4 bottle carbo pro, bottle of nuun (sodium) = 80g cho

hour 3: 1 bar, 3 shot bloks, 1/2 bottle of powerbar drink, bottle of nuun (sodium) = ~70g cho

hour 4: 1 bar, 1/4 bottle of Gatorade drink, gel, bottle nuun (sodium), 3 shot bloks = ~70g cho

hour 5: 1/2 bottle of Gatorade drink, bottle nuun (sodium), 2 gels = ~60g cho

hour 6 (only about a half hour): 1/4 Gatorade drink, water, gel = ~30g cho

T2 - 2min 48sec - Felt good during transition, went to the bathroom and started at an easy pace.

Run (26.2 miles / 42.2km):

4hr 21min (splits: 2hr08min, 2hr13min)

Comments: 2 laps (~13.1 miles each) of quite hilly surface. There were a lot of up and downs including 2 pretty steep and long hills each lap. This is NOT an easy run course.

I had a strategy to walk through each aid station (about a mile a part) and drink a cup of something (gatorade/water). Overall, tough run and my body was really starting to feel the beating from doing races so close together.

Here is a description of each lap:

Lap 1 (mile ~1-13.1): I had the crazy idea of thinking I could do a sub-4 hr marathon, but didn't end up getting close. On the first 2-3 miles I was clipping the miles off at a decent pace (sub 9 min), but those were mostly downhill miles. Almost immediately afterwards you start the rolling hills and my pace quickly went down. I felt OK and started feeling a bit worse through miles 7-13. My energy was going down a bit and I knew my pace was slowing. At that point, I made a decision that an evenly spaced marathon is better than exploding on the 2nd half...thus, I slowed down. I started taking my salt pills (~2/hour) each hour which helped my energy levels and absorb some of the nutrition.

Half Marathon split = ~2hr 08min

Lap 2 (mile ~13.1-26.2): After seeing my family and giving my wife a kiss, I felt much better. Mentally/physically, it's so much of a lift to pass the halfway point. I quickly told Sandy that it was going to be a long marathon and I definitely won't break 4 hours. My spirits and energy were decent, but I had a long way to go. I quickly noticed how HUNGRY I was and how much I had to go to the bathroom, again! I think I'm a salty sweater b/c even after ~10 salt pills, fluids were going right through my system. Thus, for about the last 8 aid stations, I took in a cup of chicken broth and pretzels -- not much more water or gatorade or gels. I felt much better on the 2nd half after taking the nutrition. I thought I was going to negative/even split the marathon, especially b/c I was passing a lot of people who were starting to walk. I am happy that, albeit slow, I was able to run the entire race (other than the aid stations) and feel pretty good -- even the 2 crazy long hills!

Half Marathon split = ~2hr 13min

2 Ironmans in one month = mission accomplished!!

2009 Training Log

2009-07-31T16:22:00.026Z

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAINING CHART

1. Support - Any triathlete will tell you that NOTHING happens w/out the support of their loved ones. I think there are many many other triathletes/athletes who manage their time better than I do (don't have kids, yet, etc...). Although, my wife, Sandy, has been my rock and completely on board w/ helping me fulfill one of the most incredible lifetime achievements. Without her, I wouldn't even come close to getting through these races! She always provides me w/ great feedback and encouragement which helped me reach this goal. Thanks so much and I love you!!

2. Consistency - Compared to previous year's I really focused on quality and consistency. The difference in hours/week from beginning to end never wavered that much. It was the quality of workouts that changed and the ability to recover, get stronger, work hard, and do it again. I also got back to BASICS. Decided to use my training tools as guides, but go by feel. Thus, I used Heart Rate monitor, but used my pacing on the run and swim to determine my interval paces. For the bike intervals, I used feel....During the races, I also went completely by feel which seemed to work well.

3. Coaching - This year I got coached from Carmichael Training and my coach, Natalie Bojko really helped put things in perspective and got me super ready for my races. I have to admit, I was really sceptable and wasn't that confident in the lack of hours of required training. I questioned the number of intervals and "short" weekend bike rides (w/ intervals of course) vs. the traditional "long" slow bike ride. What I found was the intervals destroyed me, but I kept coming back after recovery weeks SO much stronger and able to hold a consistent pace for a much longer time. If you told me in the last 4 years I would ride any IM bike course 6 hours I would've laughed, doing a 5:28 in IM Germany w/ even splits and feeling incredible off the bike for a great run was amazing. The other thing I learned was to keep pedaling evenly throughout the bike, this kept my legs fresh and pace strong. In addition, my running has never been stronger. I've got a long way to go, but definitely ready to keep improving!

4. Rest - REALLY resting and taking it easy during the "recovery" weeks was something I never could get my head around. BUT, this really works. I had to test my body to see how it would react to rest since I was going for the double IM in such a short amount of time. This worked terrifically and I defintely came back stronger each week. Also, being fairly consistent about SLEEP (~7-8 hrs/night) was a KEY to staying healthy and fit.

5. Core Strength - Enrolling in Pilates and Yoga since Fall of '08 has really made a difference. It was the perfect mix for all the aerobic training and helped me keep my form during the long swims, bikes, and runs. Having a strong core makes a HUGE difference when holding an aero position on the bike for 5-6 hours then feeling fresh for a marathon.

Ironman Germany

2009-07-09T21:03:00.006Z

From Picasa Album: Ironman Germany

Overall: 10hr 53min -- 722 overall (about 2300 total), 128th in AG (about 294 total)
Swim: 1hr 12min
Bike: 5hr 28min (splits: ~2hr39min, 2hr 46min)
Run: 4hr 2min (splits: 1hr55min, 2hr8min)

Finally! Can't believe I've finished and I am incredibly pleased w/ the entire experience. I had the best support crew w/ Sandy and Caleb. My lovely wife, Sandy has been responsible for most of the success of this day, NO WAY I could enjoy this sport w/out her - Thanks so much!!

It was like a week w/ thousands of like-minded crazy triathletes talking everything triathlon from race strategy to lycra compression socks. I spent the few days before the race eating a lot and drinking a ton of water/sports drink. Did a few runs and easy bikes, but it was too busy to do anything else, other than get all the race logistics squared away. A bit more challenging than other races since the swim transition is about 10 miles from the bike/run transition.

Conditions were great, but maybe on the hot side. Sun was blazing and tempurature was anywhere from 27-30c (~85-90 degrees F) w/ some humidity. Really came into effect on the run. The race support and people are amazing. It makes this race one of the best in the world!

I just wanted to enjoy the race, but in the back of my head I had some time expectations/aspirations -- I thought I'd have an outside shot at breaking the 11 hour mark, but it depended a lot having things came together. I didn't know what to expect, so I just enjoyed myself and stuck to my plan. After the swim, I didn't think I would have a shot, but halfway through the bike I started calculating the times and thought I could get to the run w/ a chance. I just wanted to get to the run w/out having too much pressure to break a 4 hour marathon. It worked out perfectly. More detail on my time splits found when you CLICK HERE to the website

Swim (2.4 miles / 3.8km):

1hr 12min

Comments: Popped a gel about 20 min before start. Water was murky and on the border from wetsuit legal -- very warm water (~74 Degrees). Probably the toughest swim I've ever had to do. Battling 2000 other swimmers w/ 5 buoys made turns very slow. After getting kicked and pushing a number of people, I tried my best to stay focus and calm knowing that this part would be over soon. Breathing and effort weren't that bad since I stayed patient knowing that panicking wouldn't make or break my day. I'm, unfortunately, a middle of the pack swimmer, thus a majority of swimmers are about my pace, so it's a battle until the end!

T1 - 6min 25sec: Had to run to the porta pottie to pee (#1) - Jumped on my bike and was ready to go.

Bike (112 miles / 180km):

5hr 28 min

Comments: FAST bike, wow!! 2 lap course which goes through the city center, incredible fun towns, beautiful country side, and a lot of fun crowds. All closed streets and smooth roads! Great conditions for fast times!

Never thought in my wildest dreams could I have felt that good throughout the entire ride. I was expecting around 6-6.5 hours, but the course was easier than anything I had ridden during training...glad we hammered through a ton of hills during training! Great news is I didn't have to go to the toilet the entire bike ride! I discovered how important sodium is during these long efforts (~500mg/hour of activity is needed - especially when it's hot).

My legs felt strong from the beginning, but I was a bit worried I was going to hard when my quads felt a little tight and I was passing a ton of people. I didn't want to blow up on the run, so I tried to hold back. But the "evil" side of me took over and I pushed fairly hard.

Overall, I kept these things in mind on the bike:

1. Don't stop pedaling and keep your effort even -- Basically, I was able to hold a decent conversation during the entire ride. In fact, I was getting a little bored and tried to talk to some people only to find out many didn't speak English. I passed a few Koreans whom I spoke to for a bit, but just kept pedaling :). By pedaling at a constant rate, even on the downhills, I think my legs stayed fresher than taking breaks in b/t (eg: not pedaling down hill and pedaling too hard uphill).

2. Don't destroy yourself on the hills (not that steep, but be patient) -- When I got to the hills, I was patient and kept my pace down to enjoy the fun crowd. Getting the crowd going was a lot of fun and they appreciated the responsiveness. Also, I was able to keep my pace steady after going over the hill.

3. Don't stop eating / drinking -- By keeping a mental note what of my nutrition, I ticked off the hours and felt strong throughout the ride. In fact, My legs felt stronger at the end so I pedalled a bit harder than I should've (but I saw an opportunity to break 5hr 30min so I went for it). The sodium tablets made a HUGE difference on the bike and focusing on getting nutrition during the 3-5 hours really kept my energy up.

Nutrition --

hour 1: 1 bar, 1/3 bottle carbo pro, pack shot bloks, bottle of nuun (sodium) = ~90g cho

hour 2: 1 bar, 3 shot bloks, half bottle carbo pro, bottle of nuun (sodium) = 80g cho

hour 3: 1 bar, pack shot bloks, 1/4 bottle of powerbar drink, bottle of nuun (sodium) = ~65-70g cho

hour 4: 1 bar, 1/4 bottle of powerbar drink, gel, bottle nuun (sodium) = ~60g cho

hour 5 (only about a half hour): 1/2 bottle of powerbar drink, water, gel = ~30g cho

T2 - 3min 2sec - ran to porta pottie for a pee, was pleased since I didn't have to go the entire ride....fuel intake was good.

Run (26.2 miles / 42.2km):

4 hr 2 min

Comments: 4 laps (~6.2 miles / 10k each lap) of relatively flat pavement - some small ups/downs when you cross bridges. Overall a great course which goes around a lake and a lot of fans enjoying a sunny day on the grass. The heat had picked up at this point and while there were some nice shaded parts, there was a lot of exposure to the sun, thus probably around 30c/90f....I didn't feel too bad though, I think I like the heat! :)

I had a strategy to walk through each aid station (about a mile a part) and -- drink a cup of powerbar drink/water & drench myself w/ a cold water sponge.

Here is a description of each lap:

Lap 1 (mile ~1-6): When I came off the bike, my quads felt pretty tight, but strangely enough, right when I got out of transition, they felt fairy normal. I had to tell myself to calm down, calm down,

calm down...pace yourself b/c I was feeling so good -- "...just run 9 min/mile and you'll hit your goal...be patient." Felt great and kept trying to slow down. I had one gel w/ water.

Lap 2 (mile ~7-13): Same strategy b/c I was feeling good still...just stay calm and slow down. I was feeling good, then started noticing by the end of the lap that my stomach wasn't right.

I was getting knots and had to stop by the toilet to pee. I just tried to stay calm and knock out the miles. I had one gel w/ water

Half Marathon split = ~1hr 55min

Lap 3 (mile ~14-21): PROBLEMS kicked in this entire lap. My stomach was pretty bad and starting to shut down. I didn't want to drink anything during the rest stops and must've went to the toilet 5-6 times. By the end, I was trying my best to keep going to each rest stop and I noticed my body didn't want ANYMORE sweet drinks (eg: powerbar drinks). Although, I did force another gel down w/ water. I walked through the stops and finally took a cup of plain salt, downed it w/ water, and then had another half cup of salt water. My stomach seemed to have settle down. I barely made it through and got a lift seeing Sandy, her "high-five" gave me a boost to get through the last lap! I think I was at the beginning stages of Hyponatremia (click here for more info), which is a serious condition where you flood your body w/ too much water and not enough salt to absorb anything.

Lap 4 (mile ~21-26 -- The END): I still wasn't feeling that great, but my stomach was at least settled down. All I kept focused on was running to the next rest stop -- "don't stop, you'll get to walk soon, just make it to the rest stop..." At the rest stops, I would be very focused on a point where I'd start running again. For some reason, the rest stops started coming faster and faster. I'd sip on salt water and keep going through. Every stop, I'd start calculating the times w/ my watch and what seemed so easy before, seemed like very challenging -- the 4 hour marathon! I kept second guessing my times and vaguely knew I might have a 10 min cushion (thus a 4hr 10min marathon could've gotten me sub-11hour overall). By the time I hit the last rest stop, I went right passed it b/c I was so close, then I just started running hard to the end....For how I felt during the middle part, my half split of ~2hr 8 min wasn't that bad.

I learned how important salt is during a hot day on the run. If I had started w/ salt earlier, I could've definitely shaved 5-10 min on the marathon!

Half Marathon split = ~2hr 8min

Over the past years, anytime my training runs got challenging or at the end of most of my runs, I would imagine seeing the finish line gate and all the people. It was incredibly exciting and I can't describe it now b/c it happened so fast and I was so happy.

Oundle, Northamptonshire

2009-05-16T03:35:00.003Z

Photo from Album Oundle Mill

Can't believe it's May already! April went by in a flash with a myriad of leaving drinks and leaving dinners to say good bye to more friends moving back to the States. This economy does not bode well for our friend base here in London as it grows thinner and thinner. We'll miss you Diane, Taruna, Ying and Chris, and Patrick. Joe and I are even unsure about our future in London as he's job hunting for the next great opportunity -- contact Joe if you have any job leads around business development type functions.

Above are some photos (posted late) from our short Easter break out to the English countryside in Northamptonshire where we stayed at Oundle Mill (highly recommended and very dog friendly). Another Mr. and Mrs. Smith Hotel checked off my list ;). A bit sad we pushed out our Japan trip to October, which was initially scheduled around Easter, but glad we could fit in another holiday with Bailey.

In other news, I just came back from almost a 2 week trip to NY (for fun) and Dublin (for work), and am very happy to be home. I was greatful to see our nephew Rand in NY as he grows and grows. Joe barely survived taking care of Bailey, starting a new project, and having really tough work out weeks all by himself. Thank goodness our friend Caleb was around to feed him (Joe).

Let's all hope for a great summer! /s

Welcome Bailey!

2009-03-17T22:43:00.002Z

The first addition to the Ko/Pak family...

From Family Photos Album

Since our last update, we've acquired a new family member! We welcomed Bailey into our family about 3 weeks ago. Bailey is a 11 month old Norfolk Terrier. His vet calls him a 'calm spirit', as he's pretty chill and quite friendly. It's been interesting forshadowing to what kind of parents Joe and I will be. Joe is the worrying father figure, and I am the grooming crazed bad cop :P. Above photos are from a weekend trip to Whitstable (Kent), where our friend Caleb was kind enough to capture a series of family photos.

So hope all is well so far in 2009, i.e. wedding planning, family planning, careen planning, life planning, or simply growing up (@ Sophia :). It was a reflective end of 2008 for the Ko family with the loss of our great grandmother and grandfather. My great grandmother reminded us to 'not be lazy', to make the most of life, and we intend to.

For anyone wondering what the seaside in Kent looks like, feel free to browse through our Whistable Album.

1st Wedding Anniversary in the Cotswolds, UK

2008-09-22T19:19:00.000Z

From Album: Cotswolds

Joe and I celebrated our upcoming wedding anniversary by spending a weekend in the Cotswolds -- UK countryside a couple hours from London. We stayed at the Barnsley House and Spa, chowed down at the Barnsley Village Pub, and sipped cold Cotswold 3.8 beer. Joe's co-worker Yvonne was staying at a nearby village with her family, so we had some locals bring us around. I love country walks! Enjoy the photos! I'm still getting to know my new 35mm lens (thanks Joe!) and trying to remember how to use my polarized filters correctly (got some unwanted vinetting). /s&j

Edinburgh, Scotland

2008-08-27T21:17:00.002Z

Cheerio!

Photo from Album Edinbugh

Joe and I visited Edinburgh last month to get a glimse of where Mary of Scots lived, where William Wallace thrived, and where whisky is a 10th of the price. Enjoy the photos!

Valencia, Spain

2008-06-08T18:35:00.002Z

Photo from Album Valencia

Wah! My draft of this blog post go lost some how. Here is the condensed version. Go to Valencia, enjoy the beach, eat paella, and drink lots of Agua de Valencia (cocktail made from a base of cava or champagne (wine), orange juice, vodka and gin).

2nd Honeymoon in South Africa

2008-04-09T21:38:00.005Z

Postcard for you from South Africa! Rar!

Photo from Album: South Africa

In exchange for Joe being in China for 5 months, I got a 2nd honeymoon! Joking :). We spent 12 days touring around Kruger Park, Garden Route, and Cape Town. We decided to spoil ourselves and stayed at some pretty amazing places along the way. For Safari in Kruger Park, we stayed Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge. Even though we had early mornings, the pace of those days were quite a relaxing start to our holiday. The days looked something like this: 530am start for safari, 930am breakfast, (nap-time), 1pm lunch, spa, (nap-time), then 430pm start for safari, and 8pm dinner. And yes, we definitely utilized those nap-time slots very well. For those who are looking for great safari, luxury level lodging, spa, and food, Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge comes highly recommended.

We then flew down to George on the Garden Route, where we would attempt to drive (on the opposite side of the road) to Knysna. It's much easier than London because of the wide highways, but it was a bit surprising to see the locals like to use the highways to walk to work or simply for some daily jogging. Driving down the N2 we had our first exposure to townships, underdeveloped urban residential areas reserved for non-whites during the Apartheid. Think self-built shacks in bright colors and tin roofs. Large open spaces by the highway were used as football fields for the children living in the townships. See "Tsotsi" (2005), the South African Oscar winning movie for a good visual.

While in Knysna, we made Pezula Resort Hotel and Spa our base camp for exploring the rest of the Garden Route. My first experience golfing was on a championship course among baboons (see album for photos). The perks of staying at Pezula included Leading Spa of the World amenities and access to Noeztie Castle on the beach. When in Knysna definitely help yourself to the locally produced oysters (soooo tasty) at Cruise Cafe. The cafe is the same departure point for the ferry to Featherbed Nature Reserve, where we did a 4 hour tour/hike to see the Knysna Heads. About an hour from Knysna, we headed to Stormsriver Village in Tsitsikamma National Park for a Canopy Tour in the trees. Tsitsikamma National Park is also the location of the highest bungie jump in the world (216m) at Bloukrans River Bridge. Joe was super keen on observing some jumpers to possibly convince us to do it, but they were closing up before we finally got the guts to ask how much they charge. We did to watch this guy jump (see video, note gasp made by Sandy).

In Capetown, we stayed at the Welgelegen Guest House, a very convenient location to restaurants on Kloof St. and a short drive away from the Table Mountain Cableway. We booked through Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which is a great site if you are looking to book boutique hotels in popular cities. Joe's favorite thing (of course) was that Virgin Active was within running distance of the guest house. My favorite things were the restaurants and shops. Try Melissa's chocolate chip cookies, the Banana Chai smoothie at Buzz, the breakfast + coconut bread at Manna Epicure, or the chocolate frio (made with Lindt chocolate) at Vida e Caffe (multiple locations). -- all located on Kloof St. If you are into funky jewelery, make a pit stop at Philippa Green's studio at 51 Wale St. for laser cut of hand stitched patterns on resin bracelets. At the waterfront, book a table with a view of Table Mountain at Onewaterfront inside Grace Hotel. Joe and I dined there next to Drew Bledsoe and his wife.

Yes, we did other things aside from eat :). Go paragliding off of Signal Hill or Lion's Head, and book ahead for a tour at Robben Island where ex-inmates share their emotional stories about being a political prisoner along side Nelson Mandela. Robben Island is also home to South African penguins. No need to drive all the way down to Boulder's Beach to see those cute little guys. At sunset, drive up to Signal Hill, hike up Lion's Head, or take a scenic drive on Chapman's Peak Road to take some magnificent photos. For some beach time, head to Camp's Bay or any of the Clifton Beaches. Take a lunch break at Codfather in Camps Bay where you point at your fish instead of ordering from a menu. We ordered way to much, so I ended up feeding my left overs to the seagulls at Clifton Beach (they went wild!).

On our last day, we took a day trip to Stellenbosch in the wine country. Lunch at Tokara allowed us to have springbok just one more time. Don't leave SA without trying that if you eat meat! Yum! After lunch, drive into the center of time and have dessert at Lecca il Gelato, #13 on Church St. or Kerk St. in Afrikaans. The Italian owned joint makes gelato fresh on-site and is even better than some gelato we've had in Italy.

University of Oxford

2008-02-24T15:12:00.002Z

From album: Oxford

Joe came back to London for a couple weeks to tie off details with his new job. Work has been crazy (as usual) and I caught a wicked cough last week, so not much has been going on aside from unpacking Joe's stuff :). We did manage to make it out to Oxford for a day trip just yesterday (see photos above).

And yes, this means that Joe did take a job in London and we will be staying here at least for another year or two! So come visit! It's a great relief to finally have this decision behind us, as now we can start making plans for the future - starting with our first holiday of the year! We are heading to South Africa for about 2 weeks around end of March. Very excited about going on a safari and getting to snap some wildlife photos.

Well I'm off to rest and prepare for Monday. Joe just left today back to China for his last 2 week stint before he comes back to London for good.

Speaking of China -- If you are curious about the "authentic" Chinese life, check out films by Jia Zhang-Ke. Joe and I saw "Still Life" recently, his film that won the Golden Lion aware at the Venice Film Festival in 2006. It is slightly artsie, so I did have to look up a film synopsis to fully understand some of the symbolism in the film - but I really did enjoy it. ~S

Happy Belated Holidays!!

2008-01-13T02:01:00.000Z

Meet Baby Rand Holman...

From album: Baby Rand

We hope everyone's holiday season was filled with joy and happiness. Joe and I met our first nephew Rand for the first time on New Year's Eve. He's a cutie ain't he? We tried to chip in with the parental duties just a tiny bit, and got a bit carried away creating lyrics for 'hush little baby'. Let's just say that Rand got a few things that babies shouldn't know about until much later :).

Baby Rand in NY was actually our last stop on our U.S. holiday tour. First stop was San Francisco, where our parents threw us a family wedding banquet where we got to cut the cake for the 2nd time, meet 2 new additions to the Ko family (Juliet and Robbie), and visit the Jelly Belly Factory. We also got our fill of Rock Band (go Hercules Heros!) and In and Out (yum!). Then to Los Angeles to visit Joe's parents and grandma. I know -- a lot huh? Here is the picture version of our trip :) -- See album: Holidays

In terms of our future, Joe and are still trying to figure out where we'll be this next year. I'm going to visit Joe in Beijing next week and he'll be coming back to London on Feb 8th (yayee!!) But I've learned that having expectations when things change day to day is tough to deal with emotionally, so we've both learned to relax a little bit and go with the flow. We should be thankful that so many opportunities are available for both of our careers, and try our best to stear ourselves in a direction where we can be in the same city and be happy with our career decisions. So, to be continued in 2008! And best wishes for everyone this year as well!

Jiuzhaigou China, Ping Pong Champ's, and Sydney

2007-12-17T05:20:00.001Z

Trying to catch up from a few month's of pictures. Hope they don't disappoint, you are all spoiled from Sandy's awesome photos!

Went to Jiuzhaigou China for a work conference and it's definitely one of the most prettiest places in China. Located in the Sichuan Province next to Tibet and has some incredible natural reserves. The water has amazing shades of blue in the backdrop of beautiful mountains.

Link to album

I got to ride in the A380 on Singapore Air for a business trip to Sydney, awesome!! Sandy can definitely fit on the biz class seat, almost horizontally. When I put the bed down, I fit completely on my back!

Link to album

I also got a chance to check out the 2007 Volkswagen Pro Tour Grand Finals in Beijing this weekend and it was pretty cool to see the best in the world!

Link to album

Xian

2007-12-16T17:30:00.000Z

From Picasa Album Xian

A bit behind on posting photos. Above are some photos from our trip to Xian to see the Terracotta Soldiers. I've never been handed so many people's telephone numbers telling me to call them if we had any trouble while we were there. So naturally Joe and I were a bit nervous when we got there. But managed to trek it to see the Terracotta Soldiers via public transportation and make it around the city with no problem. Just hold onto your handbags. Joe saw some people eyeing mine and a friend of ours caught a boys hand in her purse!

Didn't know this, but Xian used to be the capital of China before Beijing. There is a plethora of Chinese historical monuments you can visit outside of the city. The tomb of Qin Shi Huang (1st emperor of China who build Terracotta Army) is still unexcavated. Friends had told us that they are starting to excavate next year! That one is definitely one to watch for.

We only had a few hours to roam around the city, but I would definitely want to go back and spend more time in the Muslim Quarter. Renting a bike to ride around the city wall is good fun as well.
--
On another note, Joe and I are headed back home on Wed for the holidays. Yippee!!

The Wedding Album

2007-12-13T23:21:00.000Z

From Our Wedding Album

Joe and I just passed our 2 month anniversary and it seems like Italy was another time/place/universe. It's been a manic 2 months with the stress of work and travel, having to lament over some life changes, and yes the fact that I miss Joe. The first time I laid eyes on our wedding album, I think I looked at it 5 times to remember all of the great moments we had with our friends and families that day. At first it bothered me that there were no photos of the place settings or the flowers, but then I remembered that this day was special because of your smiles, laughter, and straight boozing :).

So, we would like to share with you our 'real' wedding album (online version) so you can relive the moments and see some 'behind the scenes' photos. Look closely in the background. I just love the expression on some of your faces! And why is Susan always ducking out of the photos! Enjoy!

Another Birthday and Shanghai

2007-11-28T05:31:00.000Z

Link to album on Picasa

Since our last post, I turned 28 and that seems to have prompted more questions related to "when will you plan to have kids?". To which my mind responds - wah? I had an early birthday dinner celebration at Acorn House (London), with 10 of my close London pals and Mick Jagger. Well Mick was sitting just a few meters from our table :). The same night our friends Cheryl and Christoffer announced their engagement and pregnancy (yayee!). We found a random bar that was playing old school hip hop (I felt like I was back in college), and amazingly made it through to closing at 3am. Just enough time for me to get over my hang over and jet over to Beijing the next day. Boy is that 10 hour flight getting easier - thanks to Ambien.

Last week, Joe took me to Shanghai for 5 days (my first time). He had some meetings, but really we wanted to check out the city to see if we could potentially live there. In summary, it's 'nice' but a bit dull compared to Beijing. Being a bit more 'nice', it is more convenient because more people speak English in Shanghai. I keep joking with Joe that I'm starting to feel like a deaf/mute in Beijing. Can't really understand what people are saying and can't communicate - LOL. It's actually better when Joe and I are together. I can understand more than him, and he can speak more than me (he's been practicing).

The recommendation list is rather short, and for the first time actually includes some "stay away from" suggestions. Hope you enjoy the photos! We are heading to X'ian on Friday to see the Terracotta Soldiers live and in person, so more photos to come!

Joe & Sandy Shanghai Recommendations
** Accommodation **
- Mansion Hotel (French Concession), 82 Xinle Rd, (86-21) 5403-9888. A gorgeous boutique hotel for the same price as a room at Le Meridian.
** Food **
- Yang's Fried Dumplings, Wujiang Rd. Found this place in our TimeOut guide. 2 stalls clearly marked Yang's Fried Dumplings serves up a cousin of xiao lóng bāo, with thicker skin, fried bottom, and same soupy yumminess inside.
- Coffee Bean, Xin Tian Di. You all know this one, but it's hard to find outside of LA!

** Stay Away From **
- T8, Xin Tian Di. The place looks really classy and flaunts an open kitchen, but the food is bland and the drinks taste like water.
- Whampoa Club, 3 on the Bund. Fancy Chinese restaurant with a fancy address and nice view. But the place was filled with foreigners, and the 1 dish I liked made me feel ill after because it was too rich (their version of slow cooked pork).

Beijing Forbidden City & Gallery 798

2007-11-07T22:05:00.000Z

Here is set 2 of photos from Beijing (if you are not sick of them yet)! I had to start working out this week from all the food I ate in Beijing. So yums! But also trying to be more healthy so my body can deal with the jetlag better. So strange, but I can sleep fine at night while in Beijing and when I came back to London. Just exchausted throughout the day.

Can't wait to go back on the 18th of November! Listening to Pimsleur Mandarine lessons on my iTunes right now, just to warm up. Joe is surprizingly good at speaking Mandarine after 1 month! Very proud of him. He can direct the taxi driver between home and work. I'm still nervous about getting into a taxi by myself. Maybe this next trip I'll be more self-sufficient :P.

Beijing Forbidden City & Gallery 798

Beijing and the Great Wall

2007-11-01T07:03:00.000Z

My first time to Beijing! It's been amazing to be in the same city as my husband. The sites and oddities of China make it even more wonderful. Strangely, China seems more convenient and more like home than living in London. Joe contributes this to the desire of every brand in the world to want make money off the billion+ people that live in this country. For starters, they have Cheetos and Oreos readily available. I saw Papa Johns, Cold Stone just opened, and they even have Fauchon (gourmet food store from Paris)! People travel around mostly by car, but the difference is most people just take a taxi! I have gotten quite good at taking naps between destinations. They even celebrated Halloween quite elaborately here in the Google Beijing office yesterday. Joe dressed up as a ping pong player - LOL. People are still getting the hang of what dressing up for Halloween means in China, but they get an A for effort. Other Halloween Party photos here.

Joe and I hired a driver last weekend and spent a lot of time seeing/climbing the Great Wall. It's expanse is jaw dropping. If you ever get a chance to visit, I really like the section we visited -- Simatai, which is less touristy but a bit further than Badaling (very touristy). It's said to be the longest and toughest climbs, so bring food and wear the right shoes! We also did a bit of pampering and spent 1 evening at The Commune by the Great Wall Kempinski. Ever posh Yvonne suggested this as a destination, but also saw it in our Wallpaper Beijing guide. Lots of photos of the buildings in our album below. Visiting Forbidden City and Tienanmen Square this weekend, so more photos to come!

Was I in Shanghai or LA?

2007-10-21T13:46:00.000Z

Just got back from Shanghai and I thought I was in Los Angeles. I went to work in a nice and clean building surrounded by a mall. Tons of shops everywhere! I walked by a number of stores that probably make $1/sq foot, not an attractive sales figure...Maybe the cheap labor costs even things out.

I stayed at a really nice hotel, Meridian Shanghai which was across the street to the Opera house and, surprise, more shops and bright lights.

Click here for album

After going to another mall for dinner, I went w/ a coworker to get an English Tea Latte from Coffee Bean -- delicious! This was close to one of the biggest Chinese Fast Food chains -- the "REAL Kung Fu" - nice logo:

Click here for album

After dinner, we hungout in a 3RD street Promenade like area - Xintiandi - tons of shops, foreigners, and bars! They had a neat photo exhibition going on this weekend.

Click here for album

Of course I couldn't leave Shanghai without a pictures of all the particles I'm taking in these days. Pollution is unbelievable. I pulled out of the Beijing marathon today b/c I didn't want to take too many days off my life.

Shanghai air (might as well be pictures of Beijing, too -- That's not fog or rain):

Click here for album

Finally, I wrapped up the weekend w/ Mexican food in Beijing at El Fogoncito. Not too impressive, but I guess that's what I'll have to live with for awhile. Got a great foot massage afterwards, cheap and they even cut your toe nails!

Click here for album

Japan Centre has competition! Also - Silk Market and Tsinghua University

2007-10-16T14:06:00.000Z

Hi All - Finished my first week in Peking (Beijing) and it's definitely getting busier! The weather is still really nice and I've been lucky enough to meet some good co-workers. I have to admit that the food has been great, but I miss home food thus, I gave in TWICE this week -- McDonalds and KFC! And, of course, I miss my wife the MOST!!! :)

All pictures click here

Also, one of the highlights has to be finding Ajisen Ramen 10 minutes walk away!! I think it's a chain, but it covers my Japanese food NEED! It's a great deal, too! I think there should be a Gyoza or Dumplings Index which shows the cost of living and 6 pan fried Gyoza's cost 18 RMB (about $2.50USD). My entire meal (Katsu over rice, Kiwi juice, and Pot stickers) = 52 RMB (about $7USD)...wow!

All pictures click here

I also went to the Silk Market, where the sales people KNOW how to sell! Great bargains, rule of thumb, just divide anything they offer by 8 to 10. I could get a great pair of replica Jordans for about $12USD. Want an LV bag (not exact, but really good)? -- $10 -$20USD! Check out the sellers 101 handbook. Good rules for any sales person.

All pictures click here

Finally, I checked out Tsinghua University, the 'MIT' of China. What a great campus!

All pictures click here

Ni Hao from China!

2007-10-07T22:50:00.000Z

Hi Everyone - I arrived by plane and taxi and put my Chinese to work! I find that I pick up the language in every city I move to very well -- NY and London and now China! :) Here is a picture of me next to one of many of China's cars! So far it's been a pretty good few days, but definitely not the same w/out my wife!!

Click here to link to album

I got a chance to do a little site seeing on Sunday and went to the Temple of Heaven (southern part of Beijing is China's largest existing complex of ancient sacrificial buildings). It was pretty amazing and big. The building is about 600 years old and is mainly used as a park for retired people to sing, dance, practice Tai Chi, and hangout. I also ate Lamb (basically shwarma) at a Chinese Muslim Restaurant - According to a publication on mosques in China(1998 edition), there are now 32,749 mosques in the entire People's Republic of China, with 23,000 in the province of Xinjiang....wasn't bad.

Click here to link to album

Here is a video of the impressive Tai Chi/Ping Pong in the Temple of Heaven Park -- Nice hand eye coordination!

Click here to view video

Here are some pic's of my place, too!

Click here for more pictures

Portugal

2007-10-07T22:01:00.001Z

Can you tell that I'm trying to kill time since Joe left for China :P. Here are some photos from our short honeymoon in Portugal. The weather was fantastic for the first day and a half, but then it started to rain!! We came back a day earlier to London so Joe could pack for his trip. I don't know if we are ready to graduate to Club Med yet. We still enjoy picking our own accommodation, restaurants, and adventures :).

The album: http://picasaweb.google.com/sandyko/Portugal

Our Wedding

2007-10-07T02:16:00.000Z

We got married!

Joe and I had the most amazing wedding in Ravello, Italy on September 23rd. The food, wine, flowers could not have been any better. And seeing our family and friends having such a great time was the icing on the cake. Shall we do it again for our 25th anniversary? Hee hee. We'll see :).

Thanks to Simon, Caleb, Ian, Lisa, Michael and Shirley for there additions to our online wedding album. Even though I was in the wedding, I still couldn't keep away from my Canon 30D and SD800. Tee hee.

P.S. I know there are a lot (I tried really hard to filter out as many as possible), but it was great for me to relive the moments on that day through the photos. For those who couldn't make it, I hope this gives you a good representation of everything that happened.

We'll let the photos speak for themselves. :)

Photos of Naples, Ravello, Amalfi, and Positano on days leading up to wedding day:
http://picasaweb.google.com/sandyko/KoPakWeddingWeekend

Photos from Wedding Day:
http://picasaweb.google.com/sandyko/KoPakWeddingDay

Germany Ironman 70.3

2007-08-21T20:54:00.001Z

Congrats Joe for finishing the Germany Ironman 70.3 2007!

See Flickr set here
See Flickr slideshow here

Hey everyone! Sorry for the hiatus. It's a bit manic :) As usual I guess. Just came back from Weisbaden, Germany just outside of Frankfurt. Known to be the greenest city in Germany, it's many natural hot springs, and beautiful landscape.

What is an Ironman 70.3? It is a Half Ironman, which consists of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run. 56 mile bike = nap time for Joe's number one fan (that's me!)

Here are the results!
Swim: 1.9k/1.2 miles = 42m
Transition 1: 4m 42s
Bike: 90k/56.1 miles = 3hr 43m
Transition 2: 1m 19s
Run: 21.1k/13.1 miles = 1hr 42m
Total: 6hr 15min

Joe's Race Notes:
Swim
Felt prepared and hydrated. I think my sighting was poor, I was weaving a lot the 2nd half of the swim. Aerobically, I felt fine.

Bike
Felt pretty good considering the 1500+ meters of climbing -- Unbelievable! At 65k mark, there is a 10% grade climb. Took a lot out of me, but pacing was fine since I held back. I know I was going slow because there were tons of athletes passing me. :P It was impossible to keep my heart rate under control. Too many hills!! Also, downhills were brutal. I was almost more scared to go down at such steep inclines at those speeds. The turns were frightening! Overall, beautiful scenery, small towns, and great countryside. The local town people cheered 'Up! Up! Up!' as I rode by.

Run
I was surprised how great my legs felt after the bike. I was cruising the first 8 miles at 150-158 heart rate. The weather was nice and cool, started raining a little, too! The last 4 miles, I really put the jets on and just pushed as much as possible. The run had a long steady hill for the 1st part of each lap (3 laps total). I didn't take my splits, but I'm sure I negative split the run. :)

Weekend Break in Goucestershire

2007-07-08T21:23:00.000Z

Pronounced 'gluster-sher'. England countryside is gorgeous!

See full Flickr set here

Joe and I just came back from a weekend of R&R in the English countryside. Our first real trip outside of London to enjoy the scenery (hiking 3 peaks in 24 hours really didn't count). We did absolutely nothing in the best place to do absolutely nothing. It was great to not have to think about the million to do lists recently cramming my brain. We just strolled Cowley Manor's grade II gardens, got massages, watched a million DVDs, and had our favorite meal leisurely and late in the day -- breakfast! :). The photos above is the view from our bedroom/bathroom all weekend! The photo is deceiving because it's actually been a horribly wet and cold summer in London. Poo! Well at least I got to lay out by the pool for 1 hour this weekend. :)

Joe's Mom and Sister Visit Europe

2007-06-04T13:39:00.000Z

Bonjour! Postcard for you from Paris!

To see entire Flickr album, click here.

Joe's mom and sister came to visit London and Paris last week. It was very nice to have family around. My brother and his friends came earlier in the month as well. I actually love playing host to visitors in London - (maybe because we don't have very many). It forces us to see things, do things, we usually would not - i.e. Joe finally went to the Tate Modern, hehe. I've come to realize that London of all places is one city I have not photographed much of. Maybe when Joe goes to China to work for 4 months (starting October), this will give me something to do :).

Since it was Joe's mom's first time in Paris, I thought it would be nice to stay by the Eiffel tower. Good for me too, because I was able to step out of my hotel room around 10pm to catch some great photos of the tower at dusk -- see above. Amaaaazing how blue the sky is eh?

I've updated our Paris Recommended List just in case you are visiting soon:
http://supersko.blogspot.com/2006/04/recommended-list-paris.html

We had some fabulous soufflés at a restaurant that Eurie recommended (see recommended list). To die for! I ended up staying the rest of the week in Paris for work and ate so many French pastries, I still feel full! :)

Amsterdam

2007-05-13T14:39:00.000Z

Greetings from Amsterdam! -
My co-worker Mylene greets me with a beer in a local pub :)

View album here

This will be a quick post -- watching Grey's Anatomy, we have 2 friends that are in the final 2 episodes! :). Congrats Tim and Brian!

Was working in Amsterdam last week for work -- Joe and Caleb came to meet me for the weekend. UK had a bank holiday which means we have Monday off, woo hoo! Was my first time in Amsterdam -- great to be in a city where you don't hear the sound of traffic if you turn off a main street. Great to sip on a beer while chatting it up with friends and admire the boats as they cruise the canals.

It's a cute little place with a strange relationship with sex and drugs I can't seem to get to grips with. The red light district dominates the center of town, surrounding this amazing church that didn't quite make it (now used as a gallery space). It was strange to be able to walk by prostitutes on display in windows (bedroom behind them), while other tourists were simply taking a stroll down the street because they had already seen 20 other prostitutes on display. Ha.

Anyway, withs some great recommendations from co-workers and Lisa -- we were able to enjoy the food, nightlife, and shopping that Amsterdam had to offer. I also had this strange attraction to fire while I was there. Burned the sleeve of my shirt while reaching for some butter at dinner, then reached into a candle holder thinking it was a bowl of chips another night -- Haha. Sad. Wonder what that means.

Hope you enjoy the photos above and if you ever find yourself going to Amsterdam - Hope this recommended list helps!

/**Recommended List**/
Guide Books --
* Wallpaper City Guide for Amsterdam offers the hip and trendy places to see and be seen
* DK Eyewitness Travel Top 10 Amsterdam guide is a great summary of the popular tourists sites - map of city included
Restaurants --
* Envy (www.envy.nl) - Prinsengracht 381 (within 9 Streets area). Get the 50 EUR chef's choice menu for some great mini plates of yumminess. Book ahead as waiting for a table here can mean you don't start eating until 9pm. If you do get stuck in that situation, pop over to the bar next door called Van Puffelen for some bitterballen (deep-fried meatballs)
Shopping --
* SPRMRKT - Rozengracht 191-193. A bit far off from any main shopping area but they have a great selection of nitch brands. They carry a great selection of Acne Jeans and Acne Shoes. If unique jewelry is your thing, they have some fabulous trinkets from Scandinavian designers.
Art --
* FOAM Photography Gallery - Keizersgracht 607. Exhibits all genres of photography, world famous photographers and emerging talent. Current exhibit includes a large collection from James Nachtwey - one of most influential and most-published contemporary photographers documenting wars, disasters and their consequences.
Accommodation --
* Prinsenhuis Design Apartments - Didn't get to stay here because Expedia double booked us, but if you want a more relaxed local experience would recommend booking at this apartment complex. Tip: If you are looking for accommodation, try to find one that is located on a street that ends in 'gracht'. That means the street borders a canal :).

Marrakech, Morocco

2007-04-13T22:47:00.000Z

Salaam aleikum from Marrakech!

View entire album in Picasa

(Please let me know what photos you like!)

Joe and I spent Easter break in what I have dubbed a 'rough and raw version of Disneyland'. Marrakech is a mad-mad place that thrives on chaos and tourists. The city center is pure sensory overload when you first arrive -- musicians banging away, people selling goods/services, masses of people everywhere spilling off the side walks. We had read about how the locals would try to make a dime off of you by giving you directions, so Joe was understandably very harsh to anyone that approached us to ask of if we needed help. But we did need a little help in the end! We arrived in Marrakech airport to discover that there was a taxi strike and whoever was picking up the phone at our riad (small B&B) did not speak English. So we ended up taking a random bus to the city center where we were left to manuever through unsigned streets, following somewhat vague directions printed off Trip Advisor -- oh and Joe was hungry! And when Joe is hungry, he gets grumpy :).

We happened to find a very nice local boy who showed us the way at suprizingly no cost. Joe said 'no' to him 3 times before we decided just to follow him. We felt a bit bad being such defensive foreigners. But after 5 days of being in Marrakech, your skin gets a bit thick. Little boys will have no qualms about following you until you are cornered in the doorway of your riad, and holding out their hands expecting some kind of payment. No small talk, nothing to sell, just waiting and expecting you to give them some money. Ugg, by the end I really just wanted to slap them to wake the hell up. It makes me sad to see people so dependent on charity.

One of the first things we fell in love with in Morrocco was the mint tea and savory pan-fried pancakes (very similar to Chinese green onion pancake without the onions and sides are folded in so it's a square instead of a circle). The food choice is rather limited, but other things they do well is fresh squeezed orange juice and bread. It seemed like you could get fresh baked bread anywhere, including places that would be similar to our local mini marts/liquer stores. It's not really necessary to go to fancy restaurants often, because what you get there is the same as what you would get in the neighbors kitchen - except maybe the ingredients would be a bit higher quality and the meat would not have a chance of being cooked too well.

We checked out Dar Moha and Maison Arabe, the first known for it's culinary innovation and the other for being a posh restaurant/riad. Both served tanjines, pastilles, and bread :). I would recommend going to 1 nice restaurant while in Marrakech and spend the rest of the time eating in Jemaa El Fna (city square) and more moderately priced restaurants. People did warn us not to use utencils when eating at Jemaa El Fna, and don't eat the salad (found out after we came back), because the tap water they used to wash the veggies is no good or the water they used to wash utencils could be used many times over. I didn't get sick (maybe thanks to Purell), but Joe's tummy did feel a bit weak when we got back. But it might have been the airplane food. Don't rely on food from Royal Air Maroc!

Our riad was rather small, but we were right around the corner from a new 5 star riad with the spa. Joe and I tried the traditional hammam. Only I had a slight idea what it entailed, and I had only told Joe that someone did said they felt 'man handled' after the experience -- hehe. I definitely would recommend trying it at least once. It's basically a full-on and very very very thoroughly body scrub. My lady used just the right pressure, but Joe had little red marks on him after! Haha. But if you can imagine running around all day in the hot sun, in smoke, dust, exhaust - it feels quite nice to do that, get a massage, and take a nap in the peace and quiet.

Definitely do take day trips out of Marrakech before it runs you down faster than New York City ever could. :) We took a comfortable 3 hour bus ride (Supratours) to Essaouira. Definitely go to visit the fish stands by the harbor - multiple times if you can! Joe and I had a 'snack' and ordered an entire fresh grilled sea bass and calamari. Yum! Been living in London so long, I have forgotten what 'not frozen' tastes like :).

Marrakech was maybe not the relaxing holiday we both needed, but it is definitely a very interesting city. It was the first time Joe and I read almost every page of the guide book because we were genuinely interested in the people and the customs of a liberal Muslim country. Do get the Time Out Guide for Marrakech (includes Essaouira & the High Atlas). It's amazingly reliable and gives a lot of insight into daily life and what to expect during your visit. Next time Joe and I come back we'll probably spend minimal time in Marrakech and more time visiting the Sahara and the Atlas mountains.

One thing I would warn you about is be prepared to have people treat you like a Japanese tourists if you are Asian American. People are never satisfied when they as you are from and you answer -- America. And don't be shocked (as I was) when you approach customs at the airport, hand them your American passport, and in exchange recieve a look that says ''this passport can't be real, I don't understand why you look Asian but don't have a Chinese or Japanese passport". The lady actually waved down her supervisor to check me out because to her - I was an anomoly.

Paris in the Spring

2007-04-02T20:11:00.000Z

Salut! (Hiya!), Postcard for you -- Notre Dame de Paris

(See Paris Album on Picasa)
(See Paris Album Slideshow on Picasa)

(Yup that's us in the photo :). Joe and I scheduled our latest work trips to coincide with each other in Paris, and decided to do a bit of site-seeing the weekend prior. We had never tried any of the famous French restaurants while in Paris or visited many of the museums, so the goal for the weekend was to visit a Guy Savoy (pronounced 'gee se-vua') restaurant and visit Musée d'Orsay.

Had maybe the best scallop dish ever at Les Bouquinistes, and thoroughly enjoyed d'Orsay - although we wished we ate at the cafe at the top of d'Orsay (Cafe des Hauterus - cute setting in front of a huge clock and pretty food) and one of the most famous paintings in the museum (Bedroom at Arles by Van Gogh) was on loan in Seoul, Korea.

If you are headed to Paris to shop, beware that by law no one can work on Sunday unless the place you work has a special license, which usually is a restaurant/store that operates in a touristy area. So do all your shopping on Saturday and leave the big museums for Sunday. A nice jog or stroll through Jardins du Luxembourg in St-Germain is also a good idea on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Joe and I are headed out to Marrakech, Morocco for Easter break on Thursday. We hope for some well deserved R&R and some yummy food. Happy Easter!

//**Adding to our Paris Recommended List**//
Restaurants:
+ NEW! Les Bouquinistes (French, Guy Savoy Bistro) - 53 quai des Grands-Augustins, 75006 - phone: 01.43.25.45.94. Great scallops, let them pick your wine.
+ NEW! Le Baron (Middle Eastern) - Rue de Washington, across the way from the flagship LV store off of Champs-Élysées, blue store front. We randomly found this place last year and went back again because kababs are so yummy. What's different is they add potatoes and lots of peppers in with the meat, and grill the wrap for you so it's nice and toasty.
+ NEW! Georges (Modern European) - Centre Pompidou, 6th Floor - phone: 01.44.78.47.99. Posh and maybe even over the top, but worth a visit to get a great view of Paris without having to wait in line for the Eiffel Tower. Dinner is decent, but a bit overpriced. Would definitely come here for a drink in the summer.
+ L'Absinthe (French) - 24 Place de Marche Saint Honore, 75001 - phone: 01.49.26.90.04
+ Fuxia (Italian) - 42 Place de Marche Saint Honore, 75001 - phone: 01.42.61.45.46
+ Laduree (Macaroons and Tea) - 75 Avenue des Champs Elysees, 75008 - phone: 01.40.75.08.75
+ Higuma (Home-made Ramen) - 163 rue Saint-Honore, 75001 - phone: 01.58.62.49.22
+ Edokko (Sushi) - Next to Higuma. Great sushi, but skip the udon.

Hotel:
+ Le Sénat - 10 rue Vaugirard 75006. About 200 EUR/night. Small, but if what you want is a hotel in St-Germain that has a comfy bed, down duvet, soft towels, and Hermes sundries. Go here!

//**Resources**//
+ DK Eyewitness Travel Top 10 Paris
+ http://maps.google.com (Now works with Paris, but be sure to include zip code)

Prague

2007-03-02T15:55:00.000Z

Postcard for you from Prague, Czech Republic!

View Flickr Set Here
View Flickr Slideshow Here

We didn't manage to learn to say 'hello' or 'thank you', but we did manage to learn how to say 'cheers'! in Czech -- na zdraví! (sounds like nah-strah-vi). That pretty much sums up the trip :). Czech's are ferocious drinkers who love to party!

The city itself is rich in history and stories of espionage (i.e. Bourne Identity and Mission Impossible). Check out this photo of Joe, Caleb (hidden), and Eurie reenacting the scene from Mission Impossible where Tom Cruises boss pretends someone shot him and falls off the Charles Bridge. Heehee. There is also a Frank Gehry building built to fill an empty space left void by an inaccurate bombing during WWII by the Americans -- They were aiming for Germany and go the coordinates wrong :(.

It is also a place you'll find some strange and shockingly interesting things -- i.e. Sex Machine Museum. We peeked in because of the contraption they place out front to catch your attention. Then we had a good laugh :).

You'll see marionettes sold EVERYWHERE - although it would seem cute to see marionettes perform Don Giovanni, it was only amusing for the first 5 minutes so would not recommend going. Especially if you have never seen/heard Don Giovanni (it's an opera written by Mozart). We learned that Mozart had a special connection with the city of Prague, most likely because the people worships his work.

Another popular figure was the Jewish author Franz Kafka, who wrote Metamorphosis (next on the reading list for me). You'll see his name everywhere as well. Especially in the Jewish Quarter (which takes about 10 minutes to walk through if you don't go visit the cemetery and synagogues. Beware of the cappuccinos at Cafe Franz Kafka, they make it out of Nescafe (yuck). Would skip that cafe and go have a nice meal an Pravda instead (didn't go, but walked by and it looked really nice).

If you make it to the Old Town Square around the hour, check out the Old Town Hall Clock - It's cute to see the skeleton operating the coo coo clock. You'll be sure to notice because a crowd always gathers around waiting for the 1 minute show :).

The last bit of advice that you'll here from everyone is to beware of the taxi drivers out to take advantage of tourists. Some are so shady that they will even post prices on the door that are 2 times what they should be, but tourists are tricked into thinking they are legitimate. Price you are expected to pay should be around 40 KC per km. If you need a cab, ask the hotel or restaurant to call one for you! Na Zdraví!

//**Recommended List**//
Restaurants
Kampa Park - The fancy/romantic restaurant by the river with a view of Charles Bridge. Prague's version of the River Cafe NY with view of the Brooklyn Bridge. It's a bit difficult to find. Just remember that after you cross the Charles Bridge you have to go under the bridge and you'll find the restaurant to your right be the water. It's on the pricier side of restaurants in Prague, but the food is definitely memorable. Address: Na Kam pe 8b, Tel: 257 532685.

Bars
Solidni Nejistota - A local told us that the name of this club/bar translates into 'Solid Uncertainty' meaning you never know how the night will turn out when you come here! :) No cover, and friendly bouncers put you in a good mood right from the start. Place is spacious enough for you to site a table with your group of homies, and the table service staff are great and even understanding if anyone decides to drink too fast and get a little sick :P. The little stage set at the back of the bar is comfortable packed with booty shakers and still allow you some elbow room. Music is variable, but I remember rocking out pretty happily. Might have been the champagne and shot of slivovitz. This clear alcohol drunken by the shot is no joke and can be up to 70% proof. Address: Pštrossova 21, 110 00 Praha 1, Tel: + 420 605 000 500

Shopping
Blue -- You'll see these stores everywhere in Prague including the airport. A great place to pick up some glass souvenirs. I gave in and bought a pair of glass tropical fish colored blue and teal. They are sitting beautifully in my kitchen :). This is also a good place to pick up some vintage biscuit box or postcard designs by Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939).

Happy Valentine's and Gung Hay Fat Choy!

2007-02-18T00:00:00.000Z

Photo Credit: Lisa R

It's been a good February 2007...
* Sandy got promoted, and people now trust her to boss people around (I manage people now :)
* We set a date and place for a wedding (info to come!)
* We celebrated Valentine's with 15 of our closest friends in London by enjoying great Mexican food at Crazy Homies and sipping on margaritas (okay some were doing more than sipping)
* Joe and I set-up Chinese New Year dinner for our friends in London and have a group of 36 folks who would like to help us bring in the new piggie year!

I'll leave you today with a great play list of popular songs covered by well known bands/singers. Left me feeling happy :)

Joe in KoreAm Magazine

2007-02-02T10:25:00.000Z

Joe's sister (aka PR agent) interviewed Joe about his experience at Google in the December issue of KoreAm magazine. Photos by me :).
http://www.koreamjournal.com/Magazine/index.php/kj/2006/december__1/job_interview/google_it

Forgot to note our upcoming trips!
Feb 23 - 25: Prague, Czech Republic
April 5 - 9: Marrakesh, Morocco
And maybe New York in March because British Airlines is having a sale :).

Courmayeur & Turin, Italy and Chamonix, France

2007-01-29T22:28:00.000Z

Buon Giorno from Courmayeur and Turin! Bonjour from Chamonix!
(Google map it!)

(Click photo above to view slide show)
(See full Flickr set here)

First of all Happy Birthday to Joe who turned 31 on January 23rd - Woo hoo! So glad we have such great friends to celebrate with in London, especially Joe's twin - Caleb who shares the same birthday.

Joe and I flew out to Italy on his birthday for a work conference/ski trip in Courmayeur, Italy where we were greeted with fresh snowfall the first evening. Too bad we were stuck to our chairs in a conference center the next day :(. We did get to board 1 day. There's something mesmerizing about snowboarding down a mountain with a view of Mont Blanc, the highest point in the Alps. I'm so proud that I didn't tumble down the mountain once (since last time I went snowboarding was 1 year ago), but Joe did experience his annual 'ass-splitter' in which one bounces off his or her butt and it feels like it just split in two.

Why 1 day? Well, the snow was actually just okay in Courmayeur - very icy at the end of the day. And seeing a few of our co-workers hobble around wasn't very encouraging either. Granted some of them did hurt themselves on the mechanical bull the night before. :)

We decided to rent a car so we could venture around town, which is probably the only way you would get to Courmayeur or Chamonix if you went on your own. Public transportation is not the best and can be expensive if you hire a private shuttle. Closest airport to either location is Geneva, Switzerland but note that you'll have to cough up the 39 EUR to drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel if you are staying in Courmayeur. Turin, Italy is a good alternative and it only about a 1.5 hour drive to Courmayeur. But hope you know how to drive stick because only cars that are fully automatic in Italy are Mercedes, which will cost you a great deal more to rent. We are cheap, so I made Joe try to remember how to drive a manual. Not to shabby! Only stalled once! :)

If you are lugging your photography equipment around and want to put it to good use, there are 3 ways to get a good view of Mont Blanc (4810 m) and the Alps without hauling your ski/snowboarding stuff around too. Each cable car will cost you about 20-30 EUR for a return ticket (brings you up and down):
1. Take the l'Auguille du Midi cable car from Chamonix (3842 m)
2. Take the Monte Blanc cable car from La Palud (in Entreves near Courmayeur) to Pavillon to Punta Helbronner (3462 m)
3. Take the Brevent cable car from Chamonix (2525 m)

The l'Auguille du Midi cable car was closed on the day Joe and I attempted to summit the Alps due to wind, so we decided to hike up (see photo above). No just kidding :). We took the Brevent cable car which is a bit lower, but the views are still amazing. It's expensive, but have lunch up at the summit so you can enjoy the views a bit longer. The typical dishes in the Alps are rich, cheesy (lots of Fontina), and oh so yummy. And don't forget to top it off with a cafe (espresso in Italian) or a macchiato (espresso with a little bit of foamed milk). For some reason espresso in Italy is always so much better -- Is it the coffee beans or the fancy machines? :)

And we can't leave you without just a few things to add to the recommended list. Be sure to make reservations if you are dining on the weekend during peak season!

/**Restaurants in Courmayeur**/
La Piazzetta - Via Roma, 13/a (green neon sign outside). Tel. +39 0165 844 150. Joe had really good octopus salad and I had fresh salmon (hard to find up in the mountains). The self-service buffet is delicious, but stack it up because you can only visit once. Don't forget the salami!
Le Vieux Pommier - P.le Monte Bianco, 25 (right near entrance to to Courmayeur). Tel. +39 0165 843 330. You can get your typical French/Italian Alps dishes that are at the top of the comfort food charts. Joe and I got the assorted meat dish for 2 that you cook on a grill at your table. The last thing we ended up cooking looked like a fatty hot dog, but it white spots were actually cheese! Yum :).

/**Bars in Courmayeur**/
Bar Roma - near the top of Via Roma, this is always a favorite for us when we have our conference in Courmayeur. Don't know what to do? You'll be sure to find someone at Bar Roma. The music gets turned up around 11pm which gives it a club vibe. Don't be shocked if they charge near NY prices for drinks. It's an expensive town.
Le Prive - Above American Bar on Via Roma. More chill than Bar Roma, a great place to talk and have pre-dinner cocktails and snacks.

/**Food in Chamonix**/
Have a crepe anywhere! You are in France! Then go to Le Glacier on the west end of Rue du Docteur Paccard to indulge in a Tutti Frutti muffin with real cherries and plums inside.

/**Shopping**/
Moncler - Jackets made out of a special light weight yet extremely warm duvet. Joe bought a beautiful coat from Moncler at an outlet near Milan at more than 50% off. There is a Moncler collection created in collaboration with Balenciaga from 2005. Didn't find any girl jackets, but the men's collection is very very nice.
Magnets - Joe and I are big magnet buffs and try to buy one from every city/country we visit. Got a good one from Chamonix, but we were a bit disappointed that we couldn't locate one in a ex-Olympic city (Turin). Will have to take a photo of our collection once it fills up the little space on our miniature freezer.
Vintage Postcards - I love collecting cards, stationary, postcards from different cities. It's just a cheap way to remember the views or the clever designs they use. Chamonix has a great collection of vintage French postcards. You can find them at most tourist shops.

The Wasp Whisperer and a Night at the Museum

2007-01-13T20:35:00.000Z

Ahhhh! Ahhh! I woke up to Joe yelping that his ankle hurt. What the f*&$#udge?! Buzz coming fast from behind...run into the kitchen! Joe got stung by a wasp in the middle of winter, inside of our flat, in London! Did I mentioned 'in'side. Joe had his revenge when he released fury on the small buzzing killer with an old edition of 'London Time Out'. It's rare that Joe gets angry, so I just had to laugh that he was letting it out on a wasp. To be funny, he calls himself the 'Wasp Whisperer' = one that is able to tame ANY wasp (in reference to the 'Dog Whisperer'). Training method involves some sort of death :).

Thank goodness for the internet because we were scrambling to find out what the heck we should do! After Joe stopped yelping I put on some 'buck fah yiao' (chinese medicine called white flower embrocation on the box haha, never looked at that). Works wonders on any bug bite.

Anyhow, Joe scoured the internet to make sure he wouldn't be poisoned to death and found this video below. It's quite scary, yet you can't look away.

***

This weekend has been themed the 'do a few things we never do in London'.
1) Last night went to Camden to check out 'Outside Royalty' at Dublin Castle. An indie band that came from the states to London in hopes of finding a record deal. The violinist, Echo, is a friend of Eurie's (one of London Transplants).
2) Finally went to the Natural History Museum, and saw the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. It was crazy to see 14-17 year olds commended for their work. You read the descriptions of the photos and it goes something like, I was with my parents on an African Safari shooting photos with a $2000+ camera. What a life. Well, their photos were not bad either :).
3) Go party in the East Side, Shoreditch. Joe and I live in West London and it takes us about an hour to get to the East side! Gonna go hang out near Old Street tonight at Favela Chic, considered the very cool and hip, yet still slightly rugged/raw (like Manhattan East Side :). Wish us luck with London transportation. Not sure it will help though :P

Inside London Natural History Museum
(Click to view other photos)

Welcoming 2007 from Barcelona

2007-01-02T21:49:00.000Z

¡Féliz Año Nuevo! Postcard for you from Barcelona, Spain!

(Click on photo to view slideshow)

Happy New Year! Joe and I hope 2007 will bring success, wealth, new relationships, and more memories that will last a lifetime (more weddings and babies!). It was a blessing to be back in California during the holidays. We love being back to spend time with our families, eating home made Korean food, devouring In-And-Out burgers, Baja Fresh burritos, and snacking on Rite-Aid chocolate malted crunch ice cream. Yes, yet another successful eat-a-thon :). And it continued when we came back to Europe to celebrate New Year's Eve...

Joe and I met our NY home girls Susan, Amy, Shirley, and there friend Jenny in Barcelona. Combining a trip and being able to spend New Year's Eve with a few of our best loved friends was a definite plus. And yes, Joe loves being the only boy in the group (tee hee).

It is always a treat to visit a city with beautiful architecture, art, and equally desirable food. We took 1 day to visit Montserrat (Benedict monk retreat in the mountains about 1 hour from the city) so missed a few things in the city. But even in such a short time, I became a fan of Antoni Gaudi, the famous Spanish architect that made Barcelona such eye-candy. Most of the photos you'll see in our album are of his buildings (i.e. Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera)

We spent New Year's Eve at a club/restaurant that had pretty amazing food considering it was a club :). Place was called 'Oven', in an industrial party of town that reminded me of Brooklyn/Dumbo (sigh - I miss NY). Dinner was so late (typical dinner time is no earlier than 9pm) that I took a short nap at the table from around 1am to 1:15am - Hahah. Joe serves as a pretty comfortable pillow.

A few things we learned...
* Catalan is a version of Spanish that is rooted in French so they have many phrases that sound exactly like French. Didn't want to confuse myself mixing up the little Mexican Spanish I know so didn't bother learning any Catalan :).
* Cava is the local sparkling wine/champagne in Spain. We toasted to the New Year with some cava. I like champagne better :).
* At midnight on New Year's Eve, people in Spain eat 12 grapes, 1 for every chime (assuming you are listening to the bell tower). It's near impossible to do this. I only was able to eat 9 grapes. They had seeds! This tradition started in Spain because one year when there was a big grape harvest, the king of Spain decided to give grapes to everybody to eat on New Year's Eve.
* There are a surprising number of Spaniards that know how to say 'Ne How' (Hello in Chinese :).

// Recommended List //
*Restaurants*
+ Bestial - Mediterranean style by the sea, Ramon Trias Fargas 2-4, 93.224.0407, or any restaurant from Grupo Tragaluz (i.e. Tragaluz, Agua, Moo, Negro/Rojo)
+ Oven - Club/Restaurant in the industrial part of Barcelona, Ramon Turro No. 126, Tel: 93.221.0602
+ Botafumeiro - Just order the seafood platter, C/ Mayor de Gracia, 81, Tel: 93.218.4230
+ Cal Pep - You will read about this restaurant in ever guide about Barcelona, but still worth going for the busy atmosphere, fresh eats, and humorous waiters, Plaça de les Olles, 8, Tel: 93.310.7961

*Bar/Club*
+ Club 13 - Cute, a great vibe, and good dance/hip hop beats and a chance to check out one of the main hang out areas in Barcelona, Placa Reial 13.

Happy Holidays from London!

2006-12-08T18:04:00.000Z

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from London! :: luv Joe and Sko!

Us 'happy and cheerful Californians', otherwise known as the London Transplants (some new - welcome Jon Eng and Alice, some old, and some joined through their better halves) did a 22-way White Elephant gift trade last Saturday. Click above (on photo) to view the winners and the losers :).

Joe and I can't believe we have almost been in London for 1 whole year! Time really flies. We'll be heading back to California for a couple weeks - next Thursday, so just wanted to take the time to wish everyone a safe trip (if you are traveling), cabs/taxis are our friends (don't drive drunk or even kinda faded), and if we don't see you in Cali - we hope to see you in 2007! -- When you come visit us in Europe :).

//Travel Schedule//
Bay Area - Dec 14 through 19
Santa Barbara - Dec 20
LA - Dec 21 through 23 (sko), Dec 21 through 26 (joe)
Bay Area - Dec 23 through 27 (sko)
Barcelona - Dec 29 through 1

You can reach us on our old cell phone numbers while we are in the U.S. Happy Holidays!

Sko y Joe en Madrid

2006-11-28T23:16:00.000Z

Hola! Postcard for You :: Madrid (Fountain on Paseo del Prado)

(Click photo to view Madrid slideshow)

When you first arrive in the Barajas Airport in Madrid, you already know -- this city has got style and knows how to flaunt it. From the architecture, to the office furniture, to the restaurants, to the hotels -- Madrileños take pride in looking good while doing things with passion.

Unfortunately, I didn't even realize until it was too late that we were to spend our first Thanksgiving in Europe -- alone. Have been so busy with work it didn't dawn on me that I would be by myself on Thanksgiving wondering the streets of Madrid (Joe came to meet me on Friday morning). *sigh*. After missing turkey for a second -- I rallied my semi-head cold, my Canon 30D, and my tripod in search of some great night shots. If you need a good traveling tripod, I would highly recommend the Manfrotto 718SHB Bogen. It comes with a carrying bag and is sturdy enough to hold up my 17-85mm lensed camera when it's not windy. Thanks also to my family for keeping me company for 30 minutes on my mobile (my dad's cell phone was passed from person to person as they ate Thanksgiving lunch).

When Joe arrived (*yeah*), we moved into a larger suite room @ AC Hotel Cuzco. It was pretty darn sweet (check out photos in the set above). He complained after one time they kicked him to the Holiday Inn down the street due to overbooking. They responded by granting him VIP status and a free weekend in Madrid, which then turned into Sandy's birthday gift (thanks!).

What did we love about Madrid? Being able to see art you studied in Art History class (Goya, Velasquez, Miro, Picasso), being able to practice our beginner level Spanish, and the food!

Yes -- Joe and I have been taking private Spanish lessons at work since the beginning of this year. But since our teacher left, we've been lazy and skipped out on the past couple months. We arrived in Madrid in a rather confused state. The taxi drivers don't speak English that well, so you have to muddle your way through a sentence. "Mi dinero es en el trunko (pointing to trunk of car)". So horrible. I just think it's awesome how everyone there speaks to you in Spanish assuming you understand everything they say. Hehe. If they get a sense you don't, they will ask "No entiendas?" (You don't understand?) At least, I knew what that meant.

We were lucky to be able to hang out with some locals there. The first night we scoured the city for a good restaurant that allowed smoking inside. If they didn't let you smoke, we could absolutely NOT eat there. It's pretty black or white there. The restaurant allows smoking or is non-smoking. Which makes sense to me. Even if you have a smoking/non-smoking section, the smoke still wonders through the restaurant. Duh.

The second night, Mylene's brother Jeff took us too his favorite tapas bar in Madrid called La Castela. Some gambas (shrimp), clams, hamon, foie gras on toast, and rioja. Yum! At all the tapas bars, people throw there garbage on the floor -- napkins, what is left of your shellfish and more! It's quite a freeing experience. One less thing to worry about -- just have a good time! The place comes with quirky waiters (one looks like Mr. Bean) that come quick with good service complete with a smile and a joke.

As soon as we started to discover the nooks and crannies of the city and our Spanish was getting better, we had to leave. Would definitely go back to visit again for some fine (and fun) dining. Listening to some Paulina Rubio this week at work to keep me amped. Remember her? Also picked up some random top of the chart albums in Madrid: David Bisbal and Alejandro Sanz.

As always, I'll leave our recommendations below. Adios amigos!
****
// Recommended City Guide //
Wallpaper* City Guide to Madrid -- Get the latest and greatest about hot restaurants, shops, art and local favorites. I'm gonna start collecting these for every city I go to.
AA Map & Guide to Madrid, Top 25 Sights -- It was perfect for a weekend trip, includes a great list of restaurants which are not touristy at all and were truly a treat to eat at.
Conde Naste Traveler -- All the poshy restaurants, shops, nightlife, etc.

// Recommended Restaurants //
La Castela -- Calle Castelo 22, Metro: Ibiza or Principe de Vergara (Red Line). Local favorite tapas place which has great seafood and great service.
Casa D'a Troya -- Emiliano Barral 14, Metro:Avenida la Paz. This family run restaurant is worth leaving the center of the city for. They have fresh seafood shipped from the North of Spain everyday. We sat next to the President of Konica Madrid who dines there weekly with his family and grand kids. You must order pulpo a la Gallega (octopus) and merluza especial pincho (white fish from North of Spain).
Cafe Arola -- If you are going to visit the Reina Sofia Museum, stop by here for lunch (it's inside the extension to the museum). It's visually stunning place to see, and food is enjoyable. Make reservations!
Olsen -- Calle del Prado 15. You would think a Scandinavian restaurant in Madrid would be out of place, but this place serves up some great fish dishes. Come here if you want a break from hamon and chorizo :).

// Recommended Shopping //
Custo -- For those who like something a bit different and more colorful. You may find some good girls stuff, but Joe certainly didn't think graffiti covered tshirts were his thing :).
Hoss Intropia -- Reminds me a bit of Anthropologie. Cute, cute, cute!
Cacao Sampaka -- Calle de Orellana 4, Metro: Alonso Martinez. Yummy and cute chocolate store with a great cafe in the back of the store.
El Corte Ingles -- Well stocked department store. Don't worry about not finding on of these. There are 19 locations around Madrid. I was able to find things I couldn't find in a New York Bloomingdales. Picked up a few new Top 40 Spanish albums to diversify my iPod.
Shopping Streets -- Fuen Carral, Serrano, Jose Ortega y Gasset, Hortaleza, Almirante, Piamonte, and around Puerta del Sol.
Other Spanish Brands -- Purificacion Garcia, Loewe, Camper

// Recommended Hotel //
Vincci Soho -- www.vinccihoteles.com. We didn't stay here, but it was recommended to me and we happen to walk right by it. Great location in the middle of the center of the city, within walking distance of some great tapas bars and restaurants (Olsen). Very close to the Prado Museum.

Iceland

2006-11-15T01:24:00.000Z

A postcard for you :: Iceland

See entire Iceland set/slideshow: http://www.flickr.com/photos/supersko/sets/72157594376754246/show/

Just got back from holiday and in the middle of management training and a trip to Dublin this week. I'm up late because I was so excited to see how the photos from Iceland turned out. Gorgeous! I'm still getting to know my Canon 30D but it is performing marvelously.

Brief highlights of our trip...
* Sunlight for about 7 hours a day
* During the night a storm brought on 90 mile/hour winds
* We missed the Northern Lights because of poor visibility most nights (so the photo I have is of a photo)
* Water in one of the farm houses smelled like rotten eggs because they got it straight from the geyser
* Icelanders love to eat lamb
* The number of glaciers I saw made up for the one I missed in Alaska
* Iceland had great snacks! Something like Funions covered in Paprika and something that tastes like chocolate covered Kix
* Iceland vodka filtered by volcanic rock makes great mix drinks (add SevenUp and a splash of pineapple juice -- Thanks Warren!)
* Iceland has black sand beaches - Too bad when we were there it was between 0C and 4C

Enjoy the photos!
*sandy*

Happy Halloween (in America)

2006-10-30T13:58:00.000Z

Postcard from London (Kew Gardens)

Isn't that view beautiful? I have it on my desktop right now. Kew Gardens is in the South Bank just outside of zone 3. Going there is like walking around in the country.
(Slide show of photos from Kew Gardens)

Joe and I have been super busy since our last blog post. We've been zipping around California for some amazingly sweet weddings, which prompted us to actually start planning our own :). We are not sure where/when yet (kind of looking at Santa Barbara), but we'll let you know! Just checked out the photos from our friends' weddings again. Don't you just love it when the parents get down on the dance floor?
(Slide show of photos from Kerey & Stephanie's Wedding)
(Side show of photos from Ben & Maria's Wedding)

Sadly, we celebrated Halloween this weekend with a few Americans at a kind of half hearted Halloween party. Londoners are not really into this holiday, but it seems like stores try to market it hard core. Joe and I were not motivated enough to out do our winning costumes from last year (sko 2005 costume, joe 2005 costume). Sigh -- Hope you all had fun at costume parties this weekend, and continue the fun on Tuesday! Send us your favorites!

If you happen to be in NYC this Sunday, look out for Joe who is running the NYC marathon along with Lance Armstrong. He'll be wearing this shirt below. Funny story -- he wore the shirt during a run this weekend only to hear some Brits say 'Go on! Go on Joe!'

Upcoming Travel Plans
+ This week: Joe in Amsterdam
+ Nov 3-6: New York
+ Nov 9-13: Sko in Iceland
+ Nov 16-17: Sko in Dublin
+ Nov 20 - 26: Sko in Madrid, Joe coming for the weekend
+ End of Nov: Joe in Tel Aviv
+ Dec 15 - 27: California for the Holidays
+ Dec 29 - Jan 1: Barcelona for New Year's

NYC Eat-A-Thon

2006-09-12T22:38:00.000Z

Postcard for You :: Eating Champion

One week in New York is a wonderful thing. Instead of R&R, it's more like F&F (Food and Friends). It was great to see everyone at Lily and Andy's wedding on Sunday -- (link to photos). Mazal Tov to the newly married couple! I left out crazy photos of one Mr. Richard Won on purpose. Let us know if you want to claim those in the future :).

Thanks for everyone that participated in the NYC Eat-A-Thon Joe and I planned out. Joe looks like a pretty big eater in this photos above huh? I think that was the only bite he took out of the whole pancake after the waitress spilled syrup over his shorts (ouch!). But biggest eater goes out to our friend Winnie who ate with us at almost every restaurant we had reservations at. She introduced us to Sushi Yasuda which definitely goes onto the Sko and Joe New York Recommended List. Other new notable restaurants: Aburiya Kinnosuke and Mas Farmhouse

Need I mention how much shopping Joe and I did in New York. I'll save that for my girlfriends next time I see them. My proudest find was a new 'carry with me' digital camera -- a Canon Powershot SD700 (aka the lower light killah). Some of the photos from this New York Flickr photo set are from this camera.

Take care everyone in New York! Will be back in November for the New York Marathon! (Joe actually got in this year!)

All the Best,
Jetlagged and Overworked Sko and Joe

Copenhagen

2006-08-30T21:14:00.000Z

Postcard for You :: Royal Yacht of Denmark

(Click on photo to view slide show)

We just came back from spending out 'bank holiday' in Copenhagen, Denmark - home of Hans Christian Andersen (tid bit of the trip). I have to admit I wasn't super excited about this trip, but Joe convinced me to spent the weekend there since he had to be there for business this week anyway. It was a nice relaxing trip. As you can see from the grey skies above, it was a on again - off again rainy weekend sprinkled with a bit of sunshine. We were trapped in our hotel room (aka Joe's dorm room because it was so small) for large parts of the day due to rain, so lots of time to nap and rest from the long hours at the office recently.

We made it to Tivoli Gardens, the large attraction in Copenhagen. Kinda like Disneyland to Anaheim, except Tivoli is much easier to absorb. It's small :). We took a spin on the spinning swing ride for about 6 euro each, felt a little dizzy, threw some wooden balls at hanging plates, shot some hoops, and called it a day. Having fun is expensive wherever you go these days!

My favorite part was the shopping in Denmark. Did you know that sko means 'shoe' in Danish?! It was so meant to be -- me and shoe shopping :). Ended up finding a fab pair of chocolate brown leather boots at Brints for a very good deal. Got a bunch of cute tops and introduced Joe to Flippa K, a Swedish designer. Will leave a list of designers to check out below.

There was also an awesome photograph exhibition on Steve Bloom's Spirit of the Wild book. I have never seen such vivid and lively photos of wild life. Definitely a fan. I wanted to get the book 'Untamed' but they sold out. Poo. Here's a pretty need video of him planning his photo projects: http://www.stevebloom.com/pages/movie.html

Hope everyone is enjoying every last bit of summer! It's fading so fast -- so sad. To our lovely friends in New York City -- See you this weekend!!

::Recommended List for Copenhagen::
~Shopping~
Illum -- Østergade 52 (Strøget). All the Danish/Swedish designers all in one department store.
Brints Sko -- Kronprinsensgade 9, or Gammerltorve 8. Cute shoe store. I bought a pair of great leather boots here for a great deal :).
Flippa K -- In Illum and many other locations. It's like a high end Gap with a little edge. Originally from Sweden.
By Malene Birger -- Antonigade 6. +45 33 26 96 30. Unique sophisticated styles. Great tops :).

~Restaurants~
Cafe Ketchup -- Actually quite a nice restaurant. Only association with ketchup is the spicy ketchup they serve with the bread. There is one location inside Tivoli.
Umami -- Store Kongensgade 59, +45 33 38 75 00. Decent sushi and great drinks (try the ginger passion fruit martini). But don't order the meat there. They say it's like kobe but from New Zealand (I say not!)
Cafe Dan Turell -- Store Regnegade 3, +45 33 14 10 47. Yummy club sandwich, large portions.
Wokshop Cantina -- Ny Adelgade 6. +45 33 91 61 21. Small Thai restaurant. Great place for a quick bite.

~Restaurants I Want to Try~
(There are 10 Michelin-starred restaurants in the small city!)
The Paul -- Vesterbrogade 3. +45 33 75 0775. Danish and international gourmet food. Bill Clinton dined there during his last visit to Copenhagen. One Star.
Noma -- Strandgade 93. Food is based exclusively on Scandinavian ingredients. One star and rising star.

~Hotels~
Front -- Common areas look like they are designed by Anna Sui (all black and fuchsia), comfy beds, and free mini bar!
The Square -- Good location to downtown and Tivoli, but very small rooms.

~Sites~
Tivoli -- Open in the summer only, amusement park with lots of yummy restaurants.
Canal Tour -- Take a boat up the river to see the Little Mermaid statue, the opera house, the royal yacht, the marble church, etc!

Greece

2006-08-08T21:08:00.000Z

Ya-Sas! (Hello! in Greek)

(Click on photo to view full set of photos from Greece trip)

A guilty feeling came over me when posting these Greece photos. Many of our friends have gone to Greece or are planning to go to Greece for they honeymoon, yet Joe and I are flying around Europe gallivanting and continuously haunted by the fact we have not chosen our wedding location (we don't even know what city!).

Well for those of you that are going soon, hope the photos get you super excited for your trip. I was snapping away obsessively again. I'll leave a short recommended list at the bottom for your to take along with you :).

~ Athens ~

It was a short stay in Athens, but we ran through the city and over again in a day in a half in no problem. Totally recommend bumming out the first day you get there to roam the touristy shops and get your fill of souvenirs (Joe and I are now obsessed with finding the best magnet from every city). The Plaka district is an ideal location to crash as it's very close to the Acropolis, Parliament, National Gardens, direct metro link to the port (where you will most likely take a ferry from), and lots of shopping! I must be born to shop :) Left Athens with loads of olive oil soap, olive oil shampoo, and a few pairs of sandals.

~ Mykonos ~

It was a great relief to leave for islands. We welcomed the island breeze with open arms. Definitely buy your ferry tickets ahead of time during high season because they can sell out and don't leave that frequently. And is it sooo worth it to try to get on a fastboat. Those things are turbo charged and comfy.

We luved luved luved our hotel in Mykonos (see lots of pics in set above). The island was the priciest and the most touristy of our Greek destinations, but they had some great resort/hotels and restaurants. The restaurants are all very romantic. There was one called Interni that we thought would be perfect for our wedding. If only we could find a replica of it closer to home :). Make sure to make reservations because you will often get a better table.

It's best to stay near the Mykonos Town where you can easily catch a bus or taxi to get to your beach of choice. Lots of partying in this island. You can catch a bus to Paradise beach in the evening (ever watch MTV Spring Break?), or stay in town to hang out at Little Venice where there are a plethora of bars and clubs. Don't worry about not knowing where the parties are. It's pretty easy to find out. Posters plastered everywhere around time, and my favorite were the Paradise Beach party promoters that dressed up in different outfits for each party there were throwing out fliers for. Sailors one night, and a group of angels the next. They were a fun bunch.

Note: If you are a straight guy and get invited to go to Super Paradise Beach to party, uh - politely decline :).

~ Santorini ~

We met up with one of my college roommates (Jen) and her law school friend (Alice) in Santorini. Stayed in Perissa Beach a ways off from Fira (the main town), but we were quite content just relaxing in the evening and watching falling stars on the beach. If you really wanted to get the whole experience, would try to stay in a caldera in the town Ia (white houses built on the cliffs). But it has to have an infiniti pool out towards the sea and a private terrace where you can have breakfast (we saw a few of those and they looked so pimp!). This island had the most variety when it comes to beaches -- black, red, white beaches. There were a few 'oops did I just see a naked man' beaches that we came about so beware :).

We actually found a random Mexican restaurant in Santorini called Senor Zorba's (on the way to Fira from the southern part of the island). A great view -- get a pitcher of sangria and enjoy the sunset -- but avoid the burritos and enchiladas! Joe (who thinks he is half Mexican), loudly proclaimed that his enchilada tasted like it was covered in 'curry from a box'. It thought the guacamole was not bad :).

P.S. Bring your swimming goggles! Swimming in the sea is like swimming in a fish tank. It's so clear and refreshing you'll want to do it every day!

*Other Photos*

//London Triathlon//	//Chelsea Garden//

*Upcoming Travel*
+ Last week of August: Copenhagen (Joe)
+ September 1st through 10th: New York
+ September 30 through October 9th: Northern California

--
*Greece Recommended List*
~ Restaurants ~
+ Interni (Mykonos) - Matoyiannia, Mykonos. Tel: +30 22890 26.333. Modern Greek set in a romantic white atmosphere
+ Philippi (Mykonos) - Fresh ingredients used from Philippi's farm. Make reservations to get a table in the garden. (contact info coming soon)

~ Hotel ~
+ Tharroe of Mykonos (Mykonos) - Great staff. Try to get a room with a view of the sea.

~ Shops ~
+ Lak - 5 Matoyianni St, Mykonos. Comfy t-shirts in interesting cuts.
+ Stavros Melissinos - 2 Aghias Theklas Street, Athens. Get hand made sandals at the same place that the Beatles and Jackie-O did :).
+ Korres - Natural products for face and body (no synthetic oils or propylene glycol). I have seen there stuff in US and UK, but didn't know they were a Greek brand. Bought some body lotion, body lotion, and leave-in conditioner which have worked real well so far :).
+ Any jewelry store in Santorini - Pick up a cute necklace or a pair of earrings made out of lava rock (there is a volcano off the coast of Santorini). I know it's kind of a Hawaiin thing, but the really have some really cute and different stuff!

~ Artists ~
+ Yorgos Kypris - You'll see his stuff in galleries all over Athens and the islands. Most of his pieces are made up fish. One of my favorites is a wall installation of a school of stainless steel fishes.

~ Beaches ~
+ Paranga Beach (Mykonos)
+ Elia (Mykonos)
+ Red Beach (Santorini)
+ Kamari Beach (Santorini)
+ Perissa Beach (Santorini)

Israel

2006-07-05T14:46:00.000Z

(Click on photo to view all photos from Israel)

Israel has been the only place so far that has given me a tingle upon landing. You just can't help thinking, I can't believe I'm here. You feel unfamiliar, you feel lost --until you hear the dozens of Americans chatting around the baggage claim area. Guess where most of them are from? Of course, no other place like Brooklyn. Ahhh, feels like home ;).

In our delarious state (post red-eye flight) we wondered to a restaurant next to our hotel (Coffee & Food - which we returned to about 5 more times), open up the newspaper today and see the headline "Israelis Threaten Extreme Action". Uh, did we make a mistake coming to Israel at this time? I had thought about checking the news before we left to make sure it was 'safe', but maybe unconsciously didn't. Now I know why our Israeli friends tell us they never read the news when they are there. But everything turned out to be okay. Tel Aviv is a long way from the Gaza and everyone parties, obsesses over football like everything was normal.

We spent some time with Menachem (Joe's professor friend who lives in Israel over the summer) on day one. It was like a history lesson via road trip. We learned about the Druze people who are loyal to the country they live in. So in the complicated situation that exists in the Middle East, it's possible for a brother to fight against his own brother if they live in different conflicting countries. The other half of the tour was Menachem showing show his favorite bike routes (they did triathlons together in NYC) -- so I fell asleep (Hey, I was recovering from a red-eye flight :).

We had a great tour guide from Egged (tour company), Haya, who spoke both English and Spanish. She would follow every English sentence with a Spanish sentence. We also met a few people from Argentina in our tour group. Unexpectedly, we were able to practice our Spanish speaking skills in Israel (of all places! :).

Jerusalem - A bit surreal that we were able to visiting places that are at the core of many religious beliefs. We were able to walk the stations of the cross on Via Dolorosa, kneel at the place where Jesus' cross stood, touch the stone upon which his body was laid after taken down from the cross, visit the tomb in which his body laid for 2 days before being resurrected. Unreal.

Masada and Dead Sea - Joe and I nearly melted to the ground during this excursion. Beautiful scenery from high above of the surrounding mountains and the sea below. The Dead Sea is like a natural spa (see mud bath photos). Many companies in Israel mine the salt and minerals from the sea to make beauty products. I came home with loads of Ahava products. Lovely. Just don't jump into the dead sea with any open cuts or wounds. It's like torture when that salt touches your body.

We were told that exiting Israel would be an adventure. Our friend Menachem said he would drive us to the airport and walk us in (normal), and he would talk to the security personal (not normal). He literally vouched for us about our whereabouts when in Israel, how long he has known us, and even he was asked for a proof of identification. We thought we were in the clear, but then they asked him if we were ever not with him (uh, what do you think - normal people need to work). Of course not, so the questioning continued. Who else did you see while you were here, what were their names, how do you know them...

In the end, we passed the test which included a detailed excavation of my suitcase. Phew. Too bad I don't have the stamp in my passport to prove that I was there :). It's common to ask passport control to stamp on an extra piece of paper, because there are other countries that won't let you in if they see you have been to Israel.

Thanks Israel for the many fond memories. You are very much a special place. I hope one day there will be peace the equates to your beauty.

// Things We Discovered and Loved //
*Restaurants*
Manta Ray - Great atmosphere and right on the beach. Walk towards Jaffa from the David Intercontinental Hotel and you'll run into it.
Coffee & Food - Large portions and great yogurt fruit shakes. Located right next McDonalds near Yamit Park Plaza Hotel.

*Bars*
La Mer - You can't miss this bar/restaurant on the beach. At night they light up red cones along the beach and have a spot light aimed towards the water so you can go swimming. Great place to watch World Cup matches! :)

*Products From Israel*
Max Brenner Chocolate - Chocolate by the Bald Man sold in very cute reusable tin boxes
Ahava - Dead Sea skin care products
Malty - Black beer that tastes like root beer
Money - Bills are made in pretty colors

Summer in Stockholm

2006-06-26T23:26:00.000Z

LONDON //

(click photo above to view all
photos from london in June)

Summer has finally decided to arrive in London, and then fade away just as quickly (I wore my rain coat to work today, booooo). Our group of friends, which we have dubbed the 'london transplants', where able to spend a few days out in the park - soaking as much sun as possible, practicing our frisbee skills, patching together a quite impressive picnic, allowing the trigger happy folks (photographers) get there fix, enjoying the Lobsterfest at Belgo's, watching sheep get herded across the Millennium Bridge...

Enjoying a summer concert, some Brazilian flare: Joined a co-worker of mine last night to go to Gilberto Gil live in concert on his 64th birthday. It was amazing to see such a legendary musician (as famous as John Lennon and Paul McCartney) rock out on stage at his age with such energy and passion for music. I'm definitely singing this on my birthday, just as Gilberto did on his.

And among the other things I'm beginning to think you can only see/do in London. Some of my favorite photos this month:

Shameless Plug on Summer Blockbuster: Go see Fast and the Furious this summer. Joe's friend, Brian Tee, is the main bad guy who plays a Japanese gangsta/racer (aka the 'Drift King'). I actually thought it was quite entertaining :).

STOCKHOLM //

(click photo above to view
all photos from Stockholm)

Joe and I just got back from Stockholm - My first time, Joe's 3rd. It was Midsummer in Sweden. For explanation on what that is click the link to Wikipedia. But really - it's a time for everyone to not work, back your bags, and head to your summer house most likely located on one of the islands in the archipelagos of Sweden. The days are long (night lasts for about 3-4 hours), the people are gorgeous (blond hair, blue eyes), and the city is breathtaking (surrounded by harbors, islands, bridges, and bright colored buildings).

Food-wise, it's easy to get 'fished-out'. Even though seafood here is very fresh, we did get sick of eating shrimp, lobster, salmon or some other kind of fish for lunch/dinner. However, we was never tired of our morning kanebulle (there version of a cinnamon roll) and latte. Also, had a chance to have reindeer again at Fem Sma Hus (traditional Swedish restaurant).

We were lucky enough to stay at some great hotels during the week. Will leave a recommended list at the end just in case anyone visits. I'm sure all hotels have this in the Nordics, but it is essential to have some good heavy curtains. Else you find yourself awakened by the sunrise as 3am (no joke!). I went to sleep at 230am one night and saw the sky start to get brighter, it was a slightly weird feeling (reminder of when I was young and able to party to 6am).

Eriksdalsbadet would definitely be on Joe's recommended list. It's his unattainable utopia, or a dream for any city folks. A 50 meter swimming pool that is outside - amazing. You don't get anything better that 25 meters in London or New York, let alone have it be outside! We spent a couple morning here - Joe swimming 3000m, and me splashing about and going to lay out in the sun. :)

Joe and I decided not too be lame Saturday night (Friday night we stayed in and watched a few episodes of 24 after 5 naps), and headed out to find a party. We ended up at Cafe Opera for some good strong drinks and good old school dance music (all from America of course). Strangely enough Joe's friend who was in Stockholm on business. Is it a small world? Or does Joe just know everyone on this planet? :)

One of our favorite sites was the Vasa Museum, where you can see a salvaged war ship from the 1600s that sank on it's maiden voyage of the coast of Sweden. Seemed a bit funny that they were displaying a ship that was designed by the King of Sweden to be a symbol of the greatest strength/power, but it turned out to be a complete failure. None the less it was like we were seeing the ship used in Pirates of the Caribbean, but this was one real.

We also got the chance to see works by Paul McCarthy (not Paul McCartney) at the Modern Museum, who I only recognized because of Ian (Joe's artist brother in law). He is one of the most influential artists of his generation - Joe and I kinda stared at all the art work with 'I can't believe or understand what I'm seeing' look on our face. Crazy stuff.

Not many stores were open, but we did happen to stroll into a few. One find, which I think you will all get a kick out of, was at a store called 'Stockhome' (get it?). Don't know what they were thinking when they designed these toys. Meet Pee and Poo...

Hahhaa. Read the description on the back of the box :).

STOCKHOLM RECOMMENDED //
*Hotel*
Sheraton Stockholm Hotels & Towers - 5* hotel with Huge rooms, very very comfortable beds and a great view.
The Diplomat - Walking distance to center of the city and right in front of the harbor where boats depart to the archipelagos.

*Food*
Fem Sma Hus - Traditional Swedish restaurant in the heart of old town. Great food and atmosphere, but a bit on the pricey side.
Ulla Winbladh - Go for the Swedish meatballs
T/Bar - Restaurant at Diplomat hotel has great fish dishes

*Bar/Club*
Cafe Opera - Good location by the water and good strong drinks.
Strand Bryggan - Bar/Restaurant on the river with comfy coaches and right next to the bridge that crosses to Skagen.

Berlin

2006-06-09T17:36:00.000Z

Joe and I arrived back in London yesterday, and could *not* believe we were in London. Mid 70's to 80's and sun! Is this a parallel universe?! Rest assured there will be some picnic-ing and beer guzzling involved (for the World Cup) this weekend.

So as I was saying, we arrived back in London -- from Berlin. First visit for both of us. We were going for our first European Sales Conference and decided to tack on a weekend to roam the city with some fellow London transplants (Michelle, Rob, Sam). It's a visually crazy city, a mix of modern and old -- I took over 600 photos.

It's definitely a football crazy city right now (and I'm sure it was before). They attempted to turn everything somewhat sphere-shaped into a 'football'. Exhibit #1 and #2:

A few of our favorites in Berlin (from left to right): Reichstag Building, East Side Gallery, Tiergarten Park, cool traffic lights :) -- among a plethora of amazing architecture that seemed to be around every corner.

They also had this 'Berlin Bear' thing going on around the city, similar to the cows and apples they had around New York City. You could find them painted in different themes. During our work conference, we had a contest to see who could create the best 'Berlin Bear'. Here are some highlights :).

What topped off the whole trip was our encounter with none other than -- David Hasslehoff. Work actually hired him to belch out his tunes at our closing beach party (yah Berlin has these coool beach bars outdoors). Apparently, there is this huge fascination with him in Europe. Living proof that cheesiness sells. Help yourself to some laughs right here. If not laughs, you can help yourself to some 'Hoffetts' :). -- Joe's a fan :)

Things we learned in Berlin:

Beer is gooooood in Germany (sko drank almost a whole pint, joe was stunned)
Currywurst is yummy! (Honestly, the sausages here are delicious -- don't laugh)
Germans love David Hasslehoff
In Berlin, graffiti = art
We don't know anything about the history of Berlin. Apparently, the Russians were there for some time (asked lots of stupid questions, Michelle can verify)
They laughed when we asked for hip hop music, they like the electronic stuff
Favorite Hasslehoff pun "Hot cup of Hoffee"

To view all my photos in Flickr, click on photos below to open sets:

(Photos from around Berlin)

(Photos from Berlin Conference)

(Photos from East Side Gallery)

Vacancies Available

2006-05-30T21:31:00.000Z

Joe and I have been fortunate enough to see a few friends drop by London recently -- Chief Resident Jack Liu and his girlfriend Angela, crazy UCLA-ers Jimmy, Robert, Shane and Alan. Our cozy little flat has been playing host to a few lucky lads that got to learn the secret to turning the hot water on in the shower, and feel the frustration of unlocking 5 locks before getting home. Thanks for coming by Eddie, Simon (sko's brother), and Frankie! Vacancy will be available starting this Friday. Book soon! :)

Also had lunch our friend Rich Won today, who filled in 'El Escritor' as his job/company when he had to make a name tag for himself at Google Reception. He's a writer :). Rich said everytime he looks at our photos he feels like we're rubbing it in everyone's faces - how much fun we are having living in London. Well here's more! :) (And we genuinely hope this will convince you to visit us soon!)

It was nice to have my brother visit us. We got to do all the touristy things we never had time to do :). Science Museum - Pixar Exhibit, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Bath (city outside of London).

My brother and I had a ball taking photos of everything sight. Finally got the chance to break in my new Canon 30D digital SLR. Here are a few of my favorite shots...

I also made a new friend in Stonehenge. His name is Sheep :). I've been wanting a sheep stuffed animal ever since our 3 Peaks hike last month, where we saw sheep every where! His new home is on my desk at work. I showed him to my boss, who said "mooooo!" (he's French, nothing else can explain that).

Joe and I had the opportunity to see Charlie Chaplin's granddaughter, Aurélia Thierrée, perform a surreal yet playful show called Aurelia's Oratorio. I'm bringing Simon, Frankie, and a group of friends to see it again this week. Happened to catch some great shots outside the theater the first time we went. I luv how it doesn't get dark in London until about 10pm now. If only it could be warmer! Still in the 40's, and I'm more pale than I was when living in New York!

(Click on photos to view set from Windsor, Stonehenge, and Bath)

(Click on photo below to view set from London in May)

And lastly, confirmed travel plans through July:
--
+ Amsterdam and Paris: This week (Joe)
+ Berlin, Germany: June 2 -8
+ Stockholm, Sweden: June 20-25
+ Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Israel: June 28-July 4
+ Greece: July 28-August 4

3 Peaks Challenge: Scotland, England, Wales

2006-05-16T15:17:00.000Z

Thanks Shirley, Esther, Tran, Hide and San San, Susan, and Caleb for supporting our 3 Peaks Challenge fundraising event. You all are stars! Because of *you* all of these memories are possible. :)

It's was a rather mild month of traveling -- until this past weekend. The Google Team woke up at dawn on Saturday to embark on a great and insane adventure. Our mission was to climb the 3 tallest mountains in the United Kingdom within 24 hours. We flew up to Glasgow (Scotland) and hopped in our 14 person minibus, which was to be our home for the weekend with our driver Ben at the wheel. Smiles on our faces and the each one buzzing with excitement, we faced the forthcoming...

2 hours - Drive from Glasgow to Ben Nevis (1st mountain)
5.5 hours - Climb and descend Ben Nevis (Scotland)
4.5 hours - Drive from Ben Nevis to Scafell Pike
4.5 hours - Climb and descend Scafell Pike (England)
4.5 hours - Drive from Scafell Pike to Snowdon
3.5 hours - Climb and descend Snowdon (Wales)
6 hours - Drive back to London

It was a test of physical as well as mental endurance. I sprained my ankle half way down the 2nd mountain. Quick thinking - my team dosed me with drugs, bandaged my ankle, and I was given both walking sticks (btw those things are awesome!). Joe's knee was a bit out of wack from the impact of coming down the mountian. We were all still able to make a mad dash to the end of the trail to make up time lost on the 1st mountain.

It was an experience I will treasure for a lifetime. I always wondered what it was like to be in a place you can only gaze down at from an airplane. Now I know.

The team finished in 23 hours and 48 minutes. Yah!!

At the end we were greeted by Prince Edward, who I learned is Prince Charles' brother. He came to support the Duke of Edinburg Award (what we were raising money for) which is an organization his father (Queen's husband) started 50 years ago.

What I remember in my state of sleeplessness...

Scotland, England, and Wales is very green and has lots of sheep
The locals like to down a pint of beer after finishing a long hike (they literally walk directly to the pub after)
Pre-packaged hiking food is not so bad
Going down a mountain is more painful that going up a mountain

Joe no longer thinks that 'hiking' is 'just walking' :). Good thing I made him buy hiking boots. He was thinking of doing the hike in his Nike trainers ;)

(Click on photo to view full set)

(Click here to view slideshow)

NY = Shop, Shop, Shop

2006-04-28T15:23:00.000Z

Remember to make your donations: www.justgiving.com/Google3PeaksChallenge (Thanks Shirley, Esther, Tran, Hide and San San!) Just 2 weeks until our 24 hour hiking madness!
--

Joe and I just came back from 4 days in NYC and 2 days of work in Paris to find that our Britta was growing algae (nasty!). That was a clear sign that we needed to stay home and clean the flat this weekend. At least we learned something --don't leave your Britta sitting in the sun.

This zombie like feeling has lasted for a whole week. I woke up not knowing what city I was in (honestly!).

Last Wednesday -- Arrived in NYC for Karen's Wedding (funnest wedding I've been to by far!), had dinner with my lovely NYC team mates (Aizzah and Lenny) and Aizzah's husband Dr. Azeez (sorry for throwing food at you so many times!), saw as many friends as possible (Gina, Susan, Amy, Winnie, Shirley, Karen, Jen), and shopped, shopped, shopped (Mac, Henry Bendel, Club Monaco, American Apparel, Sabon, jewelry lady near Burberry, Lolli)! We shopped even more after we found out there is no sales tax on clothing items under $110 (thanks Jen!); and ate, ate, ate (Gari, Clinton Street Bakery, Blue Water Grill, Nicky's). I was inspired to document our fave restaurants in NYC upon our return. Hope you find it useful. Will be adding to it as we discover more, and as I remember more :). It was great for Joe's parents to fly into NY the same time we were there. The whole Pak family stayed in the newly renovated house in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It was lovely! :)

(Click on photos to view full sets: (1) Wedding (2) Other NYC photos)

This Monday -- Came back to London, repacked and left on Tuesday for Paris. It was a work trip, but I got the chance to visit the Louvre for the first time. Would definitely recommend going in the evening when the museum is less crowded. We did one of the 'thematic trails' you can find on the Louvre website - Masterpieces of the Louvre. It was a great 1 hour stroll through the museum's must see pieces. Was also able to check out the new Marc Jacobs store in Paris. Highlight of my trip was trying on a $1,400 dress that fit me perfectly :), and admiring the Palais Royal gardens with my hubby :).

Joe and Sko Travel Plans:
--
Copenhagen, Denmark (Tenative for sko): May 11
3 Peak Challenge in Scotland, Wales, England: May 13-14
Berlin, Germany: June 2-8
Greece - Athens, Mykonos, Santorini: July 28 - August 5th
Paris with Joe's Family (Tentative): August 11-13
China (Maybe with sko's parents): August/September
Israel (Tentative): August/September

Recommended List: New York City

2006-04-24T16:51:00.002Z

FOOD
DB - Drop By, No reservations needed
NR - No reservations, but worth the wait
MRWA - Make reservations way ahead, at least 1 week
CS - Chill spot, casual and fun
PS - Posh spot, fun to people watch

::Brunch::
Clinton Street Baking Company - http://www.clintonstreetbaking.com, 4 Clinton Street, btw. East Houston & Stanton (Must Try: pancakes, muffins or biscuits) -- NR, CS
Sarah Beth's - http://www.sarabeth.com (A few locations and always widely popular on the weekends) -- PS, NR
Petite Abeille - 107 W. 18th St. btw. 6th and 7th Ave. (Must Try: Belgian waffles, eggs benedict with salmon) -- CS, NR
Five Points - 31 Great Jones St. btw. Lafayette St. and Bowery, 212-253-5700. (You can actually make reservations here! A bit on the fancier side, but the restaurant has a great vibe.) -- MRWA
Balthazar - 80 Spring St. btw. Crosby and Broadway, 212-965-1785. French bistro serves most buttery yet delicious scrambled eggs I have ever tasted. Only place I've seen fellow diners eat muscles and oyesters for brunch. -- PS, MRWA

::Steak/Meat::
Strip House - 13 E. 12th St. btw. University Pl. and Fifth Ave., 212-328-0000 (Expensive, but luv the ambiance, and luv luv luv the creamed spinach) -- MRWA, PS
Peter Lugar - http://www.peterluger.com, 178 Broadway, Brooklyn. 718-387-7400 (Sizzling steak on a platter, worth the trek to Brooklyn) -- MRWA
Blue Smoke - 116 E. 27th St. btn. Park and Lexington Aves., 212-447-7733 (Awesome ribs, fried chicken and macaroni and cheese!) -- MRWA

::Burgers::
J.G. Melon - 1291 Third Ave. at 74th St., 212-744-0585 (The good greasy burger) -- DB
Rare - 303 Lexington Ave, Shelburne Hotel-corner 37th St., 212-481-1999 (Expensive, but they have creative burgers) -- DB
Shake Shack - Madison Square Park at 23rd St., 212-889-6600 (Great hangout for the summer, located in the middle of park) -- DB, CS
Burger Joint - 118 W. 57th St., inside Le Parker Meridian Hotel -- DB, CS
DB Bistro Moderne - 55 W. 44th St. btn. Ave of Americas and 5th Ave. (featuring a $29 burger stuffed with truffles and foie gras) -- PS
Spotted Pig - http://www.thespottedpig.com, 314 West 11th St. @ Greenwich St. 212-620-0393 (West Village Gastropub with quality food overall) -- CS

::Pizza::
Grimaldi's Pizza is worth the trek to Brooklyn. If you go there, definitely try out the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory located on the promenade near the water/under Brooklyn Bridge.
http://www.grimaldis.com, 19 Old Fulton St. under the Brooklyn Bridge -- DB, CS

::Sushi::
Tomoe Sushi - 172 Thompson St. btn. Houston Street and Bleecker Street (always a line, but worth the wait) -- NR
Gari - 370 Columbus Ave. near 77th St., 212-362-4816 (Sushi so good they don't serve it with soy sauce) -- MRWA, PS
Jewel Bako - 68 Prince St. btn. 2nd and 3rd Ave. (Tiny place so best to go on a weekday)
Blue Ribbon Sushi - 119 Sullivan St. btn. Prince and Spring (More expensive, but yummy and of course it's in Soho so fun as well) -- NR, PS
Sushi Yasuda - 204 East 43rd St btn. 2nd and 3rd Ave. (Very fresh fish and great sushi rice make the perfect sushi)

::Japanese::
Ippudo - 65 4th Ave. at E. 10th St. (Best ramen broth ever! And the chicken wings are yum! Be warned wait time around dinner could be up to 1 hour) -- NR
Sobaya - 229 E 9th St. btn. 9th Street and 10th Street, 212-533-6966 (Fresh hot or cold soba noodles made here) -- CS
Momofuku - 171 1st Ave. btw. 10th and 11th St. (Noodle bar, but you have to get the steamed buns with chicken or pork!)
Aburiya Kinnosuke - 213 E. 45th St. btn. 2nd and 3rd Ave., 212-867-5454 (Features the robata grill. Order grapefruit soju cocktails, the giant chicken meatball, and the freshly-made tofu. Everything we tried was good here! Party 4 and up get a private room.)

::Seafood::
Blue Water Grill - 31 Union Square West (Get a table inside the restaurant that looks out onto the patio on a summer night, or downstairs in the jazz room) -- MRWA, PS

::Sweets::
Beard Papa's - Multiple locations: Inside Cafe Zaiya @41st and Madison, Broadway btn. W 76th and 77th St., Broadway btn 8th St. and Astor Pl. (Greatest cream puffs ever! Originating from Japan) -- CS, DB
ChikaLicious Dessert Bar - E 10th St. and 2nd Ave (Different desserts every day of the week. Don't go too late because they may sell out!) -- NR
Veniero's Pasticceria & Caffe - E. 11 St. between 1st and 2nd Ave (Must Try: Cannolies, just order at the counter and take it to go)
Blue Ribbon Bakery -- 35 Downing St. at Bedford St., 212-337-0404 (Dinner place, but I luv the dessert here, i.e. chocolate chip bread pudding. Arrive before 7pm on weekends, or else it's hard to get a table) -- NR, PS

::Other::
Mexicana Mama - 525 Hudson St., between Charles and W. 10th Sts., 212-924-4119 (Yummy spin on Mexican food, very flavorful) -- NR
Congee Village - 100 Allen St. (Yummy Chinese food, satisfies the craving) -- DB
Hampton Chutney Co. - 68 Prince St. at Crosby St. (Stop here for a snap after shopping all day in Soho) -- DB
Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches - 150 E. 2nd St. and Ave. A (We used to stop by here every Saturday for lunch. Fresh toasted baguettes make the sandwich!) -- DB, CS
Russ and Daughters - http://www.russanddaughters.com, 179 E Houston St. btn. Allen Street and Orchard Street (Pick up some licorice from Australia and sweetened dried mango)
Po - 31 Cornelia St. between Bleeker and W. 4th Sts., 212-645-2189 (Splended Italian in a cozy place. I had the best gnocci ever at this restaurant.)
Cafe Habana - 17 Prince St. at Elizabeth St., 212-625-2002 (Latin American; Don't miss the grilled corn!) -- NR

::Special Occasion::
Cru - 24 Fifth Ave. at 9th St. -- MRWA
Gramercy Tavern - 42 E. 20th St. between Broadway and Park Ave. South, 212-477-0777 (Love the service here, and the free treats in between courses is delightful) -- MRWA
Mas Farmhouse - 39 Downing Street, 212-255-1790 (Expensive French-American open late. Excellent spoil you service. Definitely for the foodie in you!)

I 'Heart' Helsinki

2006-04-17T22:06:00.000Z

Remember to make your donations: www.justgiving.com/Google3PeaksChallenge (Thanks Shirley, Esther, and Tran!)
--
Joe and I both came back with "I 'heart' Finland" t-shirts (heart designed with the Finnish flag). I have to say we were not sure what to expect, and I asked myself why we planned a trip to visit a place that was even more frigid than London; but we left with a very positive impression of the city and it's people -- and we definitely came back full (ate a lot!).

Walking around, it's hard to imagine that such a small and quiet city once hosted the Olympics. I guess it didn't help that we were visiting during Easter, so a majority of the stores were all closed except for Saturday. And I would emphasize the word 'day', because when night came -- it was a different story.

Finnish people are avid party-ers to say the least (might have something to do with the long winter nights, and long summer days). All clubs close at 4am. Thanks to our friends Steve and Lisa, we were able to hit up some top spots re-viving some of Joe's dance moves from his early 20's :). Finnish peppermint liqueur shots (100 proof) and Montecristo cigars (Cubans) spiced things up a bit. The first time I heard 'Suomi Pop' (Suomi = Finland in Finnish) was at Onnela, a big club among the many in Finland. The high energy dance tunes (sung in Finnish or course) charges-up the locals to dance on wooden benches and tables. They installed bars bolted to the ceilings to prevent the somewhat intoxicated youngsters from falling off the tables, which works for the humans - but not glass cups or bottles. You can honestly hear a glass breaking every 5 minutes, but no one seems to mind.

On Easter Saturday, we gathered with many of the locals for a bonfire on the island of Seurasaari. The children dressed up in costumes and sang children songs while they burned this enormous mountain of pine. We didn't really understand the significance of the event (unfortunately), but did enjoy the walk through the island, some great turkey sausages, and a splendid sunset over a frozen bay. Funny enough, it was mating season for the mallard ducks so parts of the island were fluttering with males competing for female ducks. We dubbed it 'Club Heslinki'.

The best part of the trip was exploring Suomenlinna, five interconnected islands home to a sea fortress erected to protect the city from a Russian invasion. It was mesmerizing to see our ferry charge through the still somewhat frozen sea, sometimes breaking through 10 inch thick chunks of ice that you could probably stand on.

Food-wise, Finland loves there meat! Reindeer and bear were popular menu items and were popular amongst our group of adventurous friends. And boy oh boy do they know how to cook potatoes and make some delicious bread. Joe and I think the bread may be comparable (and maybe a bit better) to the bread in France. We would walk into a seemingly dingy cafe and have the best ciabatta sandwich ever! Since Russia borders Finland, there are a few Russian restaurants around the city. I was very excited to try a blini, a salty pancake drizzled with butter and eaten with caviar, chopped onions, sour cream, egg white and egg yoke bits. Yum!!

The Finnish language is a funny thing. They played English movies on TV (phew) with Finnish sub-titles. Joe and I came to the conclusion that because Finnish words were so long and convoluted, they couldn't dub Finnish over English movies because the timing would be entirely off. It would take them twice as long to say everything :).

Other Finnish things I luved: Moomin (Finnish cartoon), Karl Fazer chocolate, Marimekko (great textile designs), Temppellaukio Kirkko (church made out of a hill of rock).

(Click photo to view full set)

Kiitos! (Thank You in Finnish)

::Helsinki Recommended List:: (Just in case you ever happen to go :)
--
Food:
Saslik - Neitsytpolku 12, tel: +359-09-7425-5500 (Russian, you must try a blini)
Savotta - Aleksanterinkatu 22, tel: +359-09-7425-5588 (Finnish, try bear or reindeer)
Kappeli - Etelaesplanadi 1, tel: +358-09-681-2440 (Finnish cafe/restaurant in an atrium setting)
MBar - Mannerheimintie 22024, tel: +358-09-6124-5420 (Cafe during day, bar at night)

Bar/Lounge:
Mecca - Korkeavuorenkatu 34, www.mecca.fi (Great DJ's and fancy food)
Studio 51 - Fredrikinkatu 51-53, +358-09-612-9900 (Busy dance club)
Onnela - Fredrikinkatu 48, www.ravintolaonnela.fi (Your chance to dance to some Finnish pop music, top 40, and some heavy metal all in the same club)

Hotel:
Crowne Plaza Helsinki - Mannerheimintie 50 (Short cab or tram ride away from the city center, and walking distance to a few museums and sites. Spa, sauna, and pool.)

Paris Marathon 2006

2006-04-13T09:32:00.000Z

A little over a month before Joe and I participate in the 3 Peaks Challenge. We desperately needs donations still (come on, I know you all just got your Q1 bonuses :). Please donate here: www.justgiving.com/Google3PeaksChallenge
--
Many of you received Joe's professional race report from Paris, so I'll just ad a few thoughts and of course photos :)
--
Joe and I just came back from our second trip to Paris since we moved to London (and I can go million times more :). This time it was for Joe's first marathon. That's right ladies and gentlemen -- 26.2 miles surrounded by spring time in Paris. The weather was purrrfect for a race, a little overcast and no rain. There is a lack photos from the marathon because Joe was too fast! He would always spot me on the sideline before I could see him running towards me! I have to proudly say that I saw him a total of 3 times (out of 5 attempts). It's tough keeping up with the marathoners when all you have is public transportation (in Paris it is pretty reliable, but stinky :)

It was a funny experience being a spectator in a foreign country. For one, I had no idea what to yell to the marathoners. I doubted they would understand 'good job!' or 'keep going!' (hee hee). People around me were yelling out something that sounded like 'alay!, but eventually I resorted to clapping and some woo-hoos. The crowd was definitely not up to par with those that gather to cheer on runners in the New York City marathon. They are the loudest and the craziest I have seen so far.

After passing up the champagne at miles 23, he finished in 3h 38' 18" with a smile on his face. Not bad for the first time eh? Yeh Joe! He's gimping around a little now. Because he couldn't run, he went and swam 1000 meters only one day after the race. Now there's a champ.

(Click photo to view full set)

In addition to running (Joe) and watching (me) the Paris marathon, we ate a lot (which never fails in Paris). We discovered Place de Madeleine this time around, where you can find the fanciest Parisian epicuries (high class grocery stores). Walk into Fauchon after admiring it's amazingly colorful window displays composed of exotic fruits and delicate pastries. The madeleines are truly yummy there. Get them in pistachio, chocolate, lemon, strawberry, caramel, or regular flavor. Buy anything from spices, chocolate, wines, coffee, cheeses, mustard. Nearby is the House of Honey, where you can get honey from all different regions of Europe.

I would soooo get fat if I moved to Paris :).

Actually, Joe weighed himself at the gym the next day and he said he gained weight! Who does that after running a marathon?! Unfortunately, I have been eating the same diet as Joe and I did not run as he did. I call it sympathy eating :)

:: Adding to our Paris Recommended List ::
http://supersko.blogspot.com/2006/04/recommended-list-paris.html

:: Travel Plans ::
Helsinki, Finland - April 14 through 17
NYC - April 19 through 23
Paris - Late April (Joe)

Recommended List: Paris

2006-04-13T08:59:00.000Z

:: Favorite Restaurants ::
NEW! La Cigale - 4, rue Récamier, 75007 - phone: 01.45.48.86.58. Book ahead! Amazing meat dishes and you must have the vanilla soufflé with rasberry sauce. Yummmmm.

Les Bouquinistes (French, Guy Savoy Bistro- 53 quai des Grands-Augustins, 75006 - phone: 01.43.25.45.94. Great scallops, let them pick your wine.

Le Baron (Middle Eastern) - Rue de Washington, across the way from the flagship LV store off of Champs-Élysées, blue store front. We randomly found this place last year and went back again because kababs are so yummy. What's different is they add potatoes and lots of peppers in with the meat, and grill the wrap for you so it's nice and toasty.

Georges (Modern European) - Centre Pompidou, 6th Floor - phone: 01.44.78.47.99. Posh and maybe even over the top, but worth a visit to get a great view of Paris without having to wait in line for the Eiffel Tower. Dinner is decent, but a bit overpriced. Would definitely come here for a drink in the summer.

L'Absinthe (French) - 24 Place de Marche Saint Honore, 75001 - phone: 01.49.26.90.04

Fuxia (Italian) - 42 Place de Marche Saint Honore, 75001 - phone: 01.42.61.45.46

Laduree (Macaroons and Tea) - 75 Avenue des Champs Elysees, 75008 - phone: 01.40.75.08.75

Higuma (Home-made Ramen) - 163 rue Saint-Honore, 75001 - phone: 01.58.62.49.22

Edokko (Sushi) - Next to Higuma

:: Hotel ::
NEW! Hotel Scribe - 1 rue Scribe, 75009. Managed by Sofitel with Sofitel quality beds and linens (soooo comfortable). Make time for the Lancome Spa located within, but only after you have visited the extensive list of shops in the area (Charles Jourdan, Printemps, Lafayette Galleria, shops at Place Vendome, etc.)

Hotel Madeleine Haussmann - 10 rue Pasquier 75008, Tel 01-65-90-11 (Plenty of space and a great location near place de Madeleine and walking distance to great shopping areas, about 15 minute walk from the Louvre.)

:: Shopping ::
NEW! Printemps - 64, Boulevard Haussmann, 75009 - Shopping galore! Even though there will be many distractions, try to make it up to the top of the 'Beauty/Maison' building to check out the view on the terrace. A great place to grab a snack and recharge for round 2 or 3 or 4... :)

Updated! Fauchon - 26 and 28-30 place de la Madeleine 75008 -- One of the best Parisian epiceries around. Pick up a tin of madeleines for home, and while you are get one from the bakery made fresh! When I went back in May 2007, they now have a cute cafe with hot pink chairs, tables, and umbrellas outside so you can enjoy an amazing mac & cheese with truffles and ham along with a green apple & vanilla juice - all beautifully packaged.

La Maison du Miel - 24 rue Vignon 75009 (The House of Honey where you can satisfy your sweet tooth)

Hamburg, Germany and Lake Como, Italy

2006-03-27T10:12:00.000Z

Remember to sponsor Joe and I for the 3 Peaks Challenge! Thanks for the support!
http://www.justgiving.com/Google3PeaksChallenge

Just wanted to say a quick 'cheerio' before going to sleep and leave you to browse our photos from our latest adventures (I still haven't done my taxes, ugg - but got caught up in posting these up for you to see :). At this stage Joe is a bit tired of traveling and very nervous about his first marathon in Paris in about 2 weeks. I'm constantly looking for places to go. I see Iceland and Greece in my future. :)

Click on the photos to view sets from each city. I've also included details on where to eat/stay below just in case any of you plan to visit these cities any time soon.

Hamburg, Germany

Courmayeur and Lake Como, Italy

London

Hamburg Recommended List
--
Hotel:
Side - Drehbahn 49, 20354 Hamburg, Tel. 040 30 99 90 (Posh and modern. Good drinks at the hotel bar called Fusion)
Shopping:
Secondella Depot - Hohe Bleichen 5, 20354 Hamburg, Tel. 040 35 29 31 (Found a really cute pair of Marc Jacob shoes for spring that were only worn once)
Food:
Vapiano - Hohe Bleichen 10, 20354 Hamburg, Tel. 040 35 01 99 75 (Cute Italian eatery with cafeteria style seat yourself service, but everything is made fresh when ordered)
Marinehof - Astrid Wettstein, Michelisbrucke 1, 20459 Hamburg, Tel. 040 36 76 55 (Winery/Restaurant - Menu is in German, but the waistress speaks English. Have a much German Reisling as your heart desires!)
Schmitt Fox Food - Schulterblatt 70, 20357 Hamburg, Tel. 040 78 89 53 30 (Try a popular German snack, currywurst with chips)

Lake Como, Italy Recommended List
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Hotel:
Il Perlo Panorama - Hotel Bed & Breakfast, via Valassina 180, 22021 Bellagio, Tel. 031 95 02 29 (Get a room with the view of Lake Como, it is breathtaking. This B&B is a bit of a drive from the main part of Bellagio, but it was nice to get away for an afternoon nap. The staff is very helpful about where to go and what to do).
Sites:
Villa Carlotta - Cadenabbia, Italy on the East side of Lake Como (Amazing Rhododendron and Azalia garden built in the 18th century that blooms in April-May which we missed this time around)
Food:
Trattoria San Giacomo - Salita Serbelloni 45, 22021 Bellagio, Tel. 031 95 03 29 (Serving good dishes from that region of Italy)
Salice Blu - via per Lecco 33, 22021 Bellagio, Tel. 031 95 05 35 (Luigi Gandola, the 22 year old prize winning chef and his 15 year old apprentice serve some amazing looking and tasting dishes that I would expect from a high class restaurant in NYC. Don't miss out on this place if you have a car. It's a short drive from Bellagio).

The Sun Will Come Out...

2006-03-02T19:30:00.000Z

Did that just want to make you bust out singing a song from Annie? I did. :) Well the sun did make it out briefly in London last Saturday. See below for example of how pale Londoners react to sunshine:

Silly silly :). And now we would like to proudly present...

Sko and Joe's New Flat (aka apartment)

	The Entrance: We are on the top floor of a 2 story building. After going through the door to our flat you walk up this flight of stairs. I luv the artsy painting on that wall.
	The Living Room: The first thing you see when you walk up the stairs is the living room with vaulted ceilings. Inclusive of 2 futons, a gas fireplace, and lots of room for books! It's bit cold in the winter so we need to get some space heaters
	The Kitchen: To the left of the living room. We have a teeny tiny refrigerator. But it's okay since we don't cook that much anyway :) We initially didn't have a freezer, but asked for table top one so we can have a place to keep our ice cream and frozen potstickers.
	The Loft: Above the kitchen is the greatest feature of this flat. The loft, aka lots of storage space! If you are a bad visitor, you might end up there. :) The previous tenant did have an airbed up there, but we thought it would be too dangerous at night if you had to go to the bathroom.
	The Bath Tub: I can imagine lounging in this thing in the summer with all the light coming through the window. Unfortunately, it is a bit tricky to turn on the hot water! Arg.
	The Bathroom: Opposite the bathtub in the same room, we have a statue of a naked lady, which I think adds a lot of character. Joe wanted to take it out, but the landlady asked him to try to lift it - Impossible! :) So it stayed. Tiling on the floor is delightful as well.
	The Bedroom: We actually do have a lot of closet space on the far wall that is not visible in this photo. It's the warmest part of our flat so we tend to hang out here most often. Complete with plants and reading lamps.

And that ends this edition of cribs :) Looks forward to your visits! Cheers!
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Just a reminder that you can still help us out with our 3 Peak Challenge fundraiser. Joe and I need to raise 500 GBP between the 2 of us which equates to $872. Donate here please. Many Thanks to Tran and Shirley for their generous donations!!

The Good Stuff

2006-02-22T09:18:00.000Z

Good news! Joe got a promotion *and* we found a flat! Settled on a flat near Fulham Broadway which is in the western part of London. It's not the closest thing to work (about 40 minutes by bus to work), but the place had so much character and storage space (very key), we couldn't say no. And our future visitors would be happy to hear - it has 2 futons! We should be moving in early next week. Will do another episode of cribs after we get it all spiffied up.

It was a weekend of fun fun fun. One of those weekends that will take the whole weekday to recuperate from. Being our first official visitors since we moved here - Winnie and Shirley showed the Londoners how New Yorkers party. Amongst this weeks featured activities (aka consuming alcoholic drinks), we were able to check out many of London's more cultural aspects.

::Tate Modern::
Saw my first Jackson Pollock painting in person, a very cool sculpture by Rachel Whitereadand, and had a leisurely lunch in the restaurant at the top floor of the Tate with a view of the Thames River and St. Paul. Joe was running 16 miles at the time so that is why he's not in the photos.

::Flamenco Festival London::
Saw the Ballet Nacional de Espana perform at Sadler Wells Theater. Lots of clapping, tapping, and beautiful costumes. We were so exhausted when Sunday came around, that we would have all fallen asleep if it wasn't so lively. Viva Espana!
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And another shameless plug for our little 3 Peak Challenge fundraiser. Joe and I need to raise 500 GBP between the 2 of us which equates to $872. So far we have $0 :(. Donate here please. Many Thanks!

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Reference List for London Party-Goers:
Red Bar - 5 Kingly Street, Soho, W1B 5PE

Tantra - 62 Kingly Street, London, W1R 5LR (Club open until 4am)

Kabaret - 16-18 Beak Street, Soho, London, W1R 3HA (Excellent hip-hop music, open until 3am)

Beach Blanket Babylon - 45 Ledbury Road, London, W11 2AA (Don't eat there, but great atmosphere and drinks)

Kingly Club - 4 Kingly Court, London (Teany tiny place shaped like a tunnel, but yummy drinks and good music)

Cheapy Valentine

2006-02-15T23:57:00.000Z

Valentine's Day for Joe and I was composed of...

(1) Being outbid for a flat that we like (booo!)
(2) Potstickers
(3) Chrysanthemum tea in a box
(4) Tulips placed in the bottom portion of a water bottle
(5) And 1 job promotion (for Sandy!)

I was going to complain about how tough it's been to find an apartment (and still looking), but just let it be known that we are keeping all of you in mind and looking for a place that comes with a sofa bed (for when you come visit!). Instead I will ask for you to donate money :)!

Joe and I are doing the Three Peaks Challenge in May with a bunch of Googlers to raise money for Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award offers young people a personal development programme that is enjoyable, challenging and rewarding. Young people learn to help in their community, develop skills and self-confidence, improve their physical fitness and experience the challenge and teamwork of expeditions. It is voluntary, non-competitive and fosters self-discipline, enterprise and friendship.

In short, to raise money for a good cause. The website asks to donate money in GPB, but the conversion will be made automatically to dollars by your credit cards/debit cards.

Please Donate Your Contributions Here

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In the transition stages of life, you get by with what you have. This is me inventing a cover to a frying pan so we could make potstickers in our temporary apartment - because everyone knows you have to steam those suckers :)

First, place medal cooling rack on top of frying pan. Secondly, place plastic cutting board on top of cooling rack. Third, let potstickers steam and wait for the sizzling sound. Silly, but I was quite proud of my little invention.

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Oh yes - and can't forget - Happy Birthday Winnie Mak and Amy Chen!

Flat to Let

2006-02-09T13:25:00.000Z

Joe and I are in the process of looking for a flat (what they call an apartment). To Let = To Rent. Corporate housing only lasts until the end of Feb. It's been a bit shocking as we will need to pay twice our rent in NY to get a decent 1 bedroom flat - at least $2000.

We spent last weekend exploring the different areas in London. Just like NY, each area has its own personality, look and feel:

+ Shoreditch is like Williamsburg or the East Village
+ Finsbury Park (Home of the football team Arsenal) is like a dirtier version of Chinatown except replace all the Chinese folks with Middle Eastern and remove all the women
+ Clapham (South of the Thames River) is like Brooklyn - No one will go visit us if we live there
+ And the obvious ones - Soho is like Soho and Chelsea is like Chelsea

The wonderful thing Joe and I found out was that the agents here don't charge you a fee, they charge the person that is trying to rent out the place (the way it should be!)

Before we move out tiny (but free!) apartment, here's a peek to what we come home to everyday:

We have cleverly hidden the luggage and boxes behind other large items so you can't see them in the photo of our living room. Joe complains everyday about how the shower only has a little tiny piece of glass to shield the water from the rest of the bathroom. Definitely one of the minor comforts we miss. Our fridge only has milk, flat redbean buns which I toast and munch down for breakfast, and old bacon from 2 weeks ago. Sadly, we never use our kitchen.

Winnie and Shirley are coming to visit next weekend. Uh, ya'll have to do some brainstorming about how to sleep 2 of you on that love seat sized couch. Hee just kiddin', we'll find you some space.
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Snapshots of Joe's trip to Germany:

Joe thought it was quite amusing that he couldn't figure out where the toilette was at first. Viola! there it is! I had to chuckle after placing the photo of 'Bionade' next to a place where 'biohazard' is placed.
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My first Google Video: View of the Louvre courtyard starring Guy#1: Joseph Pak, and Guy#2: Caleb Chen.
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*Travel Update*
+ (Tentative) - Joe and Sandy travel to Hamburg, Germany sometime between March 8th and March 12th
+ March 22 - 24: Snowboarding in Courmayeur, Italy with work
+ March 24 - 26: Lake Como, Italy
+ April 8 - 10: Paris Marathon
+ April 21 - 23: New York
+ May 12 -24: Three Peaks Challenge

G-Word

2006-02-07T11:18:00.000Z

I got burned for using the G-word as a tag on in my Flickr. Logged in this morning to see that one of my photos got 250+ hits in less than 10 hours, and immediately removed any reference to work.

Was waiting for a meeting this morning with my co-worker Sean, and he asked me if I've ever heard of 'Valleywag'. No? What's that? The headline from yesterday was "Remainders: Google Londoners go hungry" with a photo of a half stocked refrigerator and an almost empty fruit basket.

Noo, Wait. Could it be? (sko thinking). Oh no, that is my photo! They even mention my Flickr by name. Well the truth is. No other office is as well stocked as MV. But that photo was taken on the weekend, before they had a chance to restock our snacks and drinks. Ahh, that was a good laugh.

You can even get some gossip on Marissa Mayer and Larry's new loves on Valleywag. What geeks :).

The Office - London Edition

2006-02-06T22:28:00.000Z

We've been working in London for a month now, and thought it would be fun to give you guys a little summary of our office life. Joe and I work at the Belgrave House in Victoria (area in central London). Steve, Warren and Caleb live right next door (where sometimes we wished we lived, especially when we are still at work at 8pm).

My boss sits about 4 seats away from me, but because he is in the same row - he can't really see if I'm online shopping our not. Bad thing is that we have an open plan so everyone else walking by can see me checking out the latest items on Bergdorff Goodman's site. Sadly my online shoe shopping habits have waned due to the poor exchange rate and endless amount of work. My desk is in the first picture above. Joe persistently requested that I place a Korean flag in front of my desk :).

Joe sits on the fun side of the building - just one row away from me. They are always cracking jokes, racing around on the Segway, and playing music on their boomboxes. Those sales guys.

Once a month we get massages in the atrium (for free!). There is a massage chair we can use anytime, but we rarely have time to go downstairs and hang out.

In the break rooms we have snacks galore! Joe still misses Cliff Bars, which they have occasionally. I am quite content with Maltesers (Britain's version of Malt Balls). I just noticed from the photo that we have Jaffa Cakes. I've actually never tried those, but heard people rave about them (i.e. Jackie).

On Fridays, we have pre-parties called TGIFs where the beer flows free with a slice of pizza. The sessions are hosted by 1 of 2 very funny Googlers who highlight the sales wins of the week, welcome the Nooglers (New Googlers, get it), as well as something called 'Looky Likey' - matching up Googlers to famous faces. I've learned to eat at the TGIF because the happy hours after work last a pretty long time. :) Cheers!

If you are even in town, you can come have free lunch in our 'canteen' (aka cafeteria).
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*Travel Updates*
Joe travels to Hamburg and Frankfurt, Germany for the next 2 days. Possibly back to Stockholm the following week. If so, I may likely tag along to say 'hi' to my clients as well. :)

Parisian Delights

2006-01-31T17:29:00.000Z

Bonjour!

We were welcomed by a noxiously cold Paris where club sandwiches are served inside out (not kidding). Neither really helped my stomach get over what I think was the stomach flu. But once you see Paris by night -- all is well.

Joe and I agree that Paris is the most beautiful city we've been to by far. The food is delicious - the architecture is visually stunning. The Parisians take immense pride in enjoying their food and wine. I'm glad that we'll be back in a few months for the Paris marathon (sko = observer, joe = runner). Just enough time to brush up on my non-existent French. And saying things in English with a French accent doesn't seem to help. Joe tried to convey his need for water to the waiter but failed. You should have heard it :) It was cute.

It was another great adventure with the London family. Lisa, Rain, Caleb, Stevie, Joe and I had a blast roaming around Paris in search of a good time. Randomly found a club named WAGG while roaming St-Germain. Didn't surprise me that we could find a party with Stevie around. He's a magnet for these things. 15 euros gets you in with a free drink.

Something that sounds like 70s disco techno cover bands drone on for awhile as we danced on the sidelines obviously not appreciating the music as much as the locals. The Smirnoff Ice featured at the bar messed with my sense of time even more (am I rewinding back to 2 years ago or back to the 70s?) Smoke and haze eventually forced us weaklings (Joe and I) outside, but not before we got to enjoy a live saxophone and bongo drum perform to a dance record. Go DJ go DJ go. And I actually did enjoy that Smirnoff Ice.

The party scene in Paris is definitely off the hook. I'll defer those observations to some of my more ambitious travel partners (i.e. Steve, Lisa, Rain).

I missed the inside of the Louvre again. We opted for the Musee de la Mode et du Textile next door which featured a great photo exhibit to my surprise. For photography buffs:
Jean Lariviere. His has great artistic as well as commercial pieces. His work can be seen in the L Vouitton store on the Champs de Elysees in Paris.

We trucked it up to one of the highest points in Paris to see the Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart Church) and one of the locations where Amelie was fil. Sadly I was not able to visit the cafe she worked at. We did walk to Boulevard de Clichy where her mystery man most likely worked at one of the sex shops. There lies the famous Moulin Rouge in its unexpected neon glory. So not impressive or romantic as Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor made it seem. Actually kinda small :).

Happily discovered something called apéritifs with my coworkers. These are pre-dinner drinks which can consist of champagne, cocktails or beer. My coworker Antoine's favorite drink is called 'Gringo Killer'. Haha. Well thanks for the Statue of Liberty anyway. Surprisingly, Italian food is considered lower class by the French. Besides that, they sure know how to cook up some amazing pasta. Had dinner with another coworker who is from Bordeaux, France. He was obviously the one who was going to pick the wine for dinner. Try one of his selections if you get a chance - Spezieri, Toscano 2004 - Col D'Orcia

In summary - the Parisians know how to enjoy life. But get used to the second hand smoke.

*the end*

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Favorite Restaurants:
L'Absinthe (French) - 24 Place de Marche Saint Honore, 75001 - phone: 01.49.26.90.04
Fuxia (Italian) - 42 Place de Marche Saint Honore, 75001 - phone: 01.42.61.45.46
Laduree (Macaroons and Tea) - 75 Avenue des Champs Elysees, 75008 - phone: 01.40.75.08.75
Higuma (Home-made Ramen) - 163 rue Saint-Honore, 75001 - phone: 01.58.62.49.22
Edokko (Sushi) - Next to Higuma
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Written using my blackberry on the Eurostar from Paris to London.
For Photos: Click on the Eiffel Tower at the top of this post to view full set.
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*Travel Update*: Joe and I came back to London, but he heads out to Stockholm, Sweden tomorrow until Sat afternoon.

Time Sensitive

2006-01-26T14:36:00.000Z

For my photography friends, check out this photographer who shoots from a helicopter using a tilt-shift lens: Olivo Barbieri

It's Thursday and the exhaustion has set in. Surprisingly I haven't had much jet lag since I came back from SF on Sunday (unlike Joe), but the work is catching up to me. I think Joe and I talk more about time management strategy more than where we want to pick a flat (aka apartment), or where we should have our wedding! Highly recommend Getting Things Done by David Allen. Everyone from Google engineers to my brother's Art Center friends have found it very useful.

After working to 8pm yesterday, we trudged over to Steve, Caleb, and Warren's apartment (around the corner) for some cooking adventures. A few of us attempted to hash together a recipe for chicken katsu curry and failed miserably. Good thing Lisa showed up. It was DElicious. First home cooked meal since we moved to London (25 days later). I was reminded of our lack of vegetable consumption which is not so different than NYC. Too bad my trusty multi-vitamins are packed away in storage.

And then the madness began. Did you ever try to plan your vacation time for the next 6 months with 10 other people? I think we brainstormed for about 1 hour before everyone blew a fuse. The only thing I said was 'Where is that?' (like 10 times). My lack of European geography is embarrassing. I didn't know what countries these cities were located in:

Krakow
Edinburgh
Budapest
Dubrovnik
Bratislava

Test your EU geography. And no cheating by using Google! I'll post the countries later. I think we finally chose to go to Sardinia, Italy in March -- thanks to Michelle's sleuthing skills online (one way ticket for $25). We just have to figure out how to fly from Courmayeur, Italy. Joe and I will be there for our annual work ski trip. It's the first time all of us are not flying to Tahoe to ski/snowboard at Squaw Valley. But hey! We get to the Italy!

We're heading to Paris (country: France) tomorrow. I'll be back to London Wed. Combined work and play trip. Good for us because work pays for our Eurostar ticket ($200+ for a ~2.5 hour train ride, wah!). Email us your favorite restaurants. Merci!

Time for bed. Joe went to sleep 2 hours ago because he's gonna wake up and run 14 miles tomorrow (what?!) yah, no joke. He's training for the Paris marathon on April 9th. Cheers!

Photo of the Day
San Francisco Coit Tower - View from my Grandma's apartment

SF - LA

2006-01-24T23:18:00.000Z

Good to have friends that can make you laugh like this. Was lucky enough to make it back to SF just in time for Suong's Bday. Yep - After only 2 weeks in London Joe and I had to go back to San Fran for a conference to these lovely fellows and my new co-worker but friend forever -- Julie.

Joe and I were giddy about the fact that we could eat a meal for under $5 again, and did I mention In-And-Out and Baja Fresh? But the trip back to Cali on Virgin Atlantic was a test of patience and tolerance for close quarters. Brits don't understand leg room like American Airlines (or maybe because Americans are just bigger), but they do understand entertainment. A slew of movies you can play and pause at will until your head spins. First time I flew over Greenland -- spectacular.

Don't ask me what 'Beddy Byes' means (see red eye mask above). I'm still learning the lingo, and how not to sound like a hick. Funny how that is even though I'm speaking plain English. I'm sometimes embarrassed to even tell the taxi man where I'm heading because I can say it right. I just point at the print out map I have and ask how to pronounce it. Usually they are pretty nice about repeating themselves 4 times, sometimes *not*.

Foodies - Joe and I have put an end to the myth. There is good food in London. Serving a style known as Modern Eclectic, Maze is simply a--maze--ing. Has a rating of 1 Michelin Star (Nobu London has 1 Michelin Star). Something to look forward to when ya'll come visit us ;).

And just for fun...

Before and After...

Happy 30th!

2006-01-24T11:41:00.000Z

Happy 30th!
Originally uploaded by supersko.

Joe and Caleb celebrate their bdays with their London family.