Birthday Week: Concluding Weekend

What can I say? Last week was the greatest week I have had in a long while. To top it off, my mom came and stayed Saturday and Sunday. What more could a guy want?

It all began with a birthday dinner at Peter Luger Steakhouse with Yilin, Hyunmi, Mike, and Virginia. If you haven't heard of it, read my review. If you have heard of it, then you needn't bother reading my review because my praises are lost amongst all the others, for sure. What a great night.

Saturday, Yilin and I met my mom at Grand Central Station. Yilin took her shopping at many fabric, trim, button, housewares, and clothing stores, as well as the quilting store in NYC. Saturday night we dined at Gonzo, which was excellent. (Yilin is great at coming up with a restaurant to match multiple criteria in a short period of time. I realize that I put her on the spot by doing so, and I am grateful that she came through and wasn't mad or upset with me.)

Sunday was more shopping and a walk through Central Park. Yilin and I grabbed some El Malecon for an early dinner. How blessed am I to have spent so much time with friends and family this weekend, as well as dine at my two favorite restaurants? (That's a rhetorical question, so don't bother commenting on my damnable qualities, thank you very much.)

Photos will be posted soon.

Birthday Week: Day 5

Last night Yilin and I went to the AAF (Affordable Art Fair), where hundreds of artists were represented by about 140 galleries from around the world. Art was supposed to be priced between $100 and $10,000 (hence the term "affordable"). There were a few pieces above $10k. I only saw one piece that was $100. It was fairly crappy. Most of the decent stuff was priced between $1k and $2k.

It was fun. I felt inspired to pull out my brushes or pencils and create stuff. Even take more photos and plunge into the dark room. I am still inspired. We'll see what comes of it...

Afterward we went to a diner and I had a kickass BLT. Gotta love bacon on anything.

Birthday Week: The Big Day

Well, last night was the Big Day, if that makes sense. Twenty-Eight years young, that's for sure! Yilin surprised me again and again. First, she took me to Chumley's, a very famous brew pub in NYC that has fed and inebriated the likes of J.D. Salinger, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, and many more. They brew a plethora of beers, which I discuss in my review.

After Chumley's, we were walking towards her place when she said, "I want to go in here." 'Here' being 'Magnolia Bakery.' She bought me a slice of red velvet cake and then, as we stood outside, she whipped out a pack of candles and matches and lit up my birthday cake. I had to laugh at the situation. Despite the wind, we managed to get it lit and I made my obligatory birthday wish as I blew out the candles. We then proceeded to her place to eat the cake.

After about my third bite of cake she dashes off into her room. All I hear is rustling coming from her closet and then she appears, laughing, with two large boxes. Despite my protests, she had gotten me presents. I tore into them to discover an olive green, light weight, fine merino wool sweater. (She somehow seems to know what sort of colors I like.) I then proceeded to open the second box, which contained a brown corduroy sport coat with brown leather buttons and patches on the elbows. The jacket is lined with flannel, as well.
I put on the sweater and jacket and remarked how I felt like a professor, to which she replied that she thought of that when she was buying it. Yilin then kept telling me how handsome I looked, how nice the clothes fit me, and how handsome I looked. (Note to self: This may be some sort of subtle hint about how I should dress. Think it over.) I really like the sweater, and the jacket is definitely nice for dressier occasions. At the rate with which she has been shopping with me, or outright buying me clothes, I may have an entirely new wardrobe soon. ;)

I must say that I had an excellent birthday evening. Yilin did everything right.You can see a slideshow of photos here on my photography page. Check them out!

Preparation is the better half of Adventure

I have been reading about alpinism and training over the past few months. The goal is to get ready for a winter traverse of the Presidential Range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Recently, my brother and I had a short conversation about the trip. Basically he asked if I am committed to it, and I resoundingly stated, "YES!"

It really means doing cardio work, climbing stairs, and acclimating to the cold. Do not overestimate climatization. Mount Washington gets pretty darn cold, and the whole traverse is often used as a preparatory trip in summitting Denali. So, if you can suck it up in the cold, you will be much better off. Especially if you can feel your toes. ;)

In other news, a recent article about mind control was posted on SFGate.com. Read my little summary and find the link.

Birthday Week: Day 2

Last night Yilin took me to a ramen shop named Momofuku, which means 'lucky peach' in Japanese. You can read my review here.

After that we went and saw "Grizzly Man", a movie which I have been wanting to see for some time. It was a good movie, and quite interesting. It is a documentary about a man named Timothy Treadwell who lived amongst the grizzly bears of Alaska for 13 years. He shot about 100 hours of video footage, mostly him talking about the bears while sitting a few yards away from them. He wanted to protect the bears (and other wildlife) and educate people as well. Ironically, he was killed and eaten by a grizzly bear.

However, the director (Werner Herzog) coupled Tim's footage with that of interviews he conducted, and cut the whole film in a manner which ends up giving a sort of psychological profile of this strange and eccentric man. It is rather captivating, and some of the footage is stunning.

I feel that different people will walk away from the film with different feelings: Some will think that Tim was a madman and got what he deserved. Perhaps they will laugh at him. Some will think that he had good intentions and was trying to do something noble, albeit in a misguided manner. Others will probably be more interested in the macabre aspect of the film.

Afterward I was unsure how I felt about the movie. I guess it is difficult to say much more than that I enjoyed it and I was definitely interested for the entire 103 minutes.

Two posts in one day?

This past weekend I went home for my 10 year high school reunion. Needless to say, it was good to see all of my friends that I regularly keep in touch with. It was also good to see some of my friends that I haven't talked to in nearly a decade. Most people looked pretty much the same. Some hadn't changed at all, and others were unrecognizable until close scrutiny. Not surprising, really, as a lot can happen in ten years.

Just as good as seeing old friends was getting to hang out with my parents. We did a lot of running around and shopping early on Saturday, but got to kick back and do nothing but relax that same evening. Oh yeah, and they bought me birthday presents: a new knife to replace the one that I lost, a shiny new cam, and a double-length sling and 'biners for the cam. Kick ass.

Make sure you read the next post as well. It attempts to describe my Sunday, a feat the English language is incapable of.

Reason #200 why Yilin is the best girlfriend ever.

Last night I went over to her apartment because she was making me dinner for my upcoming birthday and knew she might not have time on the actual day. So she is cooking away, and apparently had been for a while. The only task I was allowed to perform was opening the bottle of wine. She told me to watch TV while she cooked, so I flipped through the channels until I came across "Rush Hour 2". (Gotta love Jackie Chan.)

She informs me that dinner is ready, so we sit down at the table and begin an amazing meal. First course was an elegantly simple salad that was made with endives and arugula (and another green that I am unsure of; probably something standard that I just can't identify). The dressing was a red wine/balsamic vinegar and olive oil concoction with black pepper. Topping the salad were grated parmigiano reggiano and candied walnuts. She made the candied walnuts herself. Never have I seen anyone do that.

Then came a kick-ass main course: short ribs marinated in red wine and slow cooked over several hours. 'Delectable' barely describes this dish. The meat was falling off of the bones, and was so tender I could've eaten it with a spoon. Along side the ribs was a not-quite-mashed potato dish with plenty of garlic. Nothing complements meat quite like potatoes, that's for damn sure.

Once I had my fill of that, Yilin vanished into the kitchen to prepare dessert: an exploding dark chocolate cake with Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream. What can be better than a dark chocolate cake with a warm gooey center that contains not much other than chocolate and butter? Well, it is a rhetorical question, but here is the answer: Nothing, that's what.

That meal (and the fact that she washed all of the dishes herself and wouldn't let me help) was reason #199 why Yilin is the best girlfriend ever. Reason #200 is what she said afterward: "This is the first day of your birthday week. This week is all about you." That's right. I get a whole week of this kind of treatment. Let me tell you, I am going to take advantage of this situation. Why? Well, it wasn't specifically stated, but implied, that while this week is mine, the other 51 weeks are hers. Therefore I will take what I can get while the taking is good...

Dinner at Chez Josh

Last night Hyunmi and Mike joined Yilin and myself for dinner at my place. I prepared Beef Stew for the Masses while Mike tossed a refreshingly crisp salad. A loaf of bread from Gristede's rounded out the meal. Good food, good company, and good conversation. That is the way every meal should be.

Hmm... I think I am hungry again...

I am Weaker than Bud Light

It's true. I am weaker than Bud Light. I am barely 185 pounds (if even that much) and with that loss of nearly 15 pounds of muscle (with no apparent change in body fat) came quite a significant loss of strength. Right now I am barely stronger than two able-bodied men. Pathetic. My rugby team moved me to a position more fitting for my smaller size. (Although, my new position is much more fun as my job is solely to hit people hard and fast.)

I attribute this to the amount of running I have been doing (about 20+ miles per week) and lack of weight room appearances.

Yesterday marked my return to the weight room. Part of me would be ok if I didn't gain all of the muscle weight back. True, I don't feel like myself when I am this small, but extra weight without a lot of extra strength won't help my climbing endeavors. Up on the ice (and rock) strength-to-weight ratio is what counts. So I am focusing on building pure strength. Any additional muscle mass will just be a bonus.

In blogging news, I have altered this site and the photography site slightly so that I can incorporate photo-slide shows. I hope to put some up soon, starting with a montage of my trip last year to Canada as those seem to be my most popular photos. Other, less popular, future photoshoots will include NYC fire hydrants, the ever-elusive empty parking spaces of Manhattan, and all the dog crap I see on the sidewalks.

Canadian Thanksgiving

This past weekend I went with Yilin to her parents' house outside of Montreal (in the town of Rigaud), as it was Thanksgiving in Canada and her brother would be home from college. It was a rather long drive up on Saturday as the rain slowed everything down by a good 10-15mph which translates into an extra hour to an hour and a half. That was long forgotten when dinner arrived on the table. We ate a number of traditional Chinese dishes, none of which I know the real names.

There was spicy chicken with peppers, a seaweed salad, a tofu dish, bean sprouts, plenty of rice, a noodle dish that Yilin loves, and pig's feet. (Of course, I may need to update this list if Yilin informs me of anything I forgot or got wrong; my food memory only lasts about 1 day.) I ate so much that I was in pain, which is par for the course on Thanksgiving. Just when I thought I might rupture my stomach, her mom brings out a pumpkin pie and ice cream. Naturally, I flex my abs to keep my stomach under pressure and down a slice. It didn't take long fot the food coma to overtake me, rendering me useless for all but target practice.

On Sunday we drove into Montreal for church. There we then met up with her brother and went to Chinatown for lunch. Yilin and her mom remembered that it was Taiwan National Day (at least that is what I think it is called), which explained the parade and firecrackers everywhere. Lunch was at a really good Chinese restaurant, where I stuffed myself. (That was the general theme of the weekend.)

I went with Yilin and her mom to do a little clothes shoppnig for Yilin (she wanted a shirt that her mom had, so she was going to buy one just like it). Unfortunately, the 'system' was down, so no credit card or debit card payments could be processed, so she didn't get the shirt.

We then went to visit Dayana and Artur, who were preparing a Thanksgiving feast. She was trying out a turkey recipe which calls for brining the bird overnight, letting it sit in the open air in the fridge to dry the skin overnight, and then roasting the thing for 2.5 hours. The idea is that the salt and drying will make the skin crispy, yet keep the turkey moist. (She has since told me that it worked wonderfully.) It was so good to see Dayana again, even if it was only for a couple of hours.

After a good dinner that night back in Rigaud, we lit a fire in the fireplace and relaxed until heading off to bed. Monday morning meant breakfast, a drive into Montreal for lunch at a great patisserie (that's French/Quebecois for "bakery"), and off to NYC. Of course, it rained most of the way, slowing everything down. We got back at about 8:30pm, turning the car in just in time.

Suffice it to say, I can't wait to go back! (But in the winter next time.)

Drunken Science

I updated my Science blog and posted about an interesting seminar I attended today. It was about research towards cybernetic arms. How could I possibly skip that?

This weekend Yilin and I will be headed up to Montreal to visit her parents and brother. As it is Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday (it's the same day as Columbus Day in the U.S.), I anticipate good food. Heck, as Yilin is a good cook, and she learned from her mom, I anticipate good food anyway. And we all know how I feel about eating. Mmmm...

Rant...

Standards. You know, the kind established by large international consortiums like W3C (World Wide Web Consortium). These are established to make sure that competitors in a market have interoperable products. Much like DVD formats (but don't get me started there; that's a whole 'nother rant), standards allow competitors to offer non-proprietary solutions.

In the case of the web, the competitors are Microsoft, Netscape, Safari, etc. The solutions are, of course, their web browsers. Which leads me to the subject of my rant: Why aren't any of the major browsers able to implement and comply with all of the W3C standards for html and css? I noticed how my blog didn't look like it should when viewed with Netscape or Internet Explorer. So a few days and a smattering of hours of coding later, I have newly revised blog pages that should look similar on any browser.

But I had to compromise. Before I had randomly selected subtitles appear on each page. But the lack of compliance with text-shadow tag made it difficult to read any of these subtitles in a browser other than Safari. So I embedded them into the header images. I like the idea of constantly changing subtitles, but their reappearance will have to wait until the other browsers catch up with the times.

I put a new restaurant review up on my cuisine page: Kum Gang San. Check it out.

Sailing the High Seas!

Yesterday Yilin and I took a trip with Adirondack Sailing Excursions. What a great time! The weather was perfect, the crew were amiable, and they serve you beer as well! Two hours sailing around lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, before docking back at Chelsea Piers. I recommend this activity if you have an afternoon to kill on a nice day.

As for the site, I reformatted some of the pages (Food, Adventures, Art) and added a review of the restaurant Yilin and I dined at last night. More to come, but for now I will leave you with this: