Resting. Prepping. Looking for inspiration.

Cindy and I played around Chicago today.

Met up with Sherry for lunch.

Millenium Park. Hancock Building.

The beach. Navy Pier.

Evening skyline.

Beautiful night.

I'm home in Chicago... yet it no longer feels like home. After two years away, I feel more like a visitor to the area than anything else. How things change in such short time...

It feels good to have Cindy here with me. She is such a breath of fresh air and will be quite a gift to the TAF Junior program, I think. She just naturally embodies so many qualities that we attempt to nurture at TAF... I just know she will be a perfect fit there. She doesn't know it yet herself...

We stopped by Linn and Chikuan's home tonight. Julianna and Jason were hanging out there too. Wow. It is good to see TAF people because they always feel like family. Even after so long, I can just visit and feel like nothing has changed since the last time I saw them all...

TAF family. Yeah. It's good.

I'm officially on vacation and leaving for Chicago tomorrow. Unbelievably, it has been a year since I was last there. I wonder how things have changed... It already seems like a lifetime away...

I'm hanging out with the guys tonight. That's something I don't say too often...

They make me smile... Thanks for the pics, Tiff!

Tinya's pout! Love it!

TAF Magic!

Jon and the girls! So cute!

Alanna and Alice of Cleveland TAF fame.

The lunch Carol and I prepared for our Bay area TAF friends turned out quite nicely. The menu ended up being appropriately Taiwanese, from green onion pancakes for appetizers through the selection of red bean and peanut-flavored moi-gee and lychee for dessert. One of the nicest surprises was that Sophia, who had just moved into town, also joined us. How exciting that she is now here too! Our TAFLove crew is growing by the month...

However, this is the last time we'll all be able to sit together as a group since Carol and Nancy's time in the Bay area has sadly come to an end. They have definitely made my summer so fun and memorable... I will miss them. Kinda. Because, well, I get to see them both again at TAF in exactly one week. But, yeah, I'll be sad when I return from camp...




Nancy, Lester, Young, Brendan, Ho Chie, Carol, & Sophia.

Chef Carol and I have been slaving all night in the kitchen making Taiwanese onion pancakes, Korean bbq skewers, and now sweet rice flour moi-gee cakes... Sounds delicious, huh?

Funny. While doing a keyword search to look for ideas as I prepare some workshop content, I discovered myself. Now, that's no help.

During a little break from work this evening, Li and I went to get some bubble tea. She immediately commented that several very cute girls were hanging out there. I would certainly have to agree... super cute.

But, lately I've started to realize what features in a smile, the eyes, the nose, the cheeks, and the general facial expressions I'm most attracted to. The type of personality and character also fit in quite prominently. I suppose if one were to compare the three women I find most attractive, these qualities would become apparent.

With that said, I end my public thoughts there. I'll never tell. Just a tease, I know. People might be too surprised at my answers, anyway.

Who knows? It could be you.

I just found out my cousin, William, is a DJ on a Taipei radio station, HitFM. I could've sworn he was just a little kid when I last saw him many years ago...

Mmm... family dinner tonight. I hope that means Peking Duck.

I'm entertaining my little cousin Alyce today. Anny also joined us for most of the day too. It's been a whirlwind tour of Berkeley and San Francisco...

Alyce, Anny, and me.

Bento boxes at Lake Anza. Merry-go-round rides.

Getting dizzy. Mini steam train ride.

Silly kids. Green apple cotton candy!

Learning and chillin' at the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Ho Chie & Alyce.

Anny and I did a little spontaneous hanging-out today, and I quite appreciated my life full of privileges. After eating some hearty Korean BBQ, we went to enjoy Frappucinos and Godiva truffles before watching a movie. We then took my Camry to a carwash to remove the layers of dust and dried bugs accumulated from my 10 days in the mountains. However, I've come to realize that my Camry is a little bit old, boring, and outdated.

What I really need is for MTV to pimp my ride.

Home... Back to reality.

It has been a beautiful and relaxing time away. Nothing beats hiking along a granite path carved by Nature's thousand year old creek or sleeping peacefully underneath the starry night sky in the mountains. Life should always seem this simple. But still, I'm looking forward to heading home tomorrow...

Panoramic photo #1
Panoramic photo #2
Panoramic photo #3
Panoramic photo #4
Panoramic photo #5
Panoramic photo #6
Panoramic photo #7
Panoramic photo #8
Panoramic photo #9

I'm heading off to the Sequoia National Forest today...

Lunch with Jane. Bubble Tea with Mengting. Met up with Young. Picked up Harmony. Dinner with Nancy and some of the T-Crew. Surprise visit from Brendan... Busy day. Just trying to fit everything in before I disappear for awhile...

Young, John, Tiff, Brendan, Nancy, Harmony, Ho Chie.

Chillin' with Andrew.

Nancy flicks quarters at strangers and finds humor in cuttlefish balls... yea.

T-Crew.

TAF Love.

I believe
in the power of unspoken stories and defining moments of the past,
for they are the driving forces of our lives
and our future.
Confide in me just a part of the story,
and I will cherish those words,
treasure them as if they were my own unspoken story.
And then this moment will become ours
from this day forward.

So, I'm trying to finish off lots of perishable foods (aka leftover BBQ foods) from my refrigerator. I think if I eat another hot dog, I may puke.

Errands have been run. Flat tire is fixed. Apartment is sparkly clean. Lunches and dinners have been scheduled. Future visits are being planned.

Today is a good day to clean up loose ends. All I need now is a massage...

OK. Yes. Hmm. That was a rather large party yesterday evening. And a long one that lasted into the wee hours of the night. After a couple hours of sleep, I dropped Tiffany off at the airport and Crystal off at the bus station. Nance, Carol, and Young also woke up early to join Lester for more fun in the city... So after a day of cleaning, laundering, and multiple naps, I think I've now recovered. But, I definitely have to thank my TAF crew visitors for helping me prep and host the party, and Stephen & Bob for manning the BBQ grills. Without them, I'm not sure I would've survived the 80 or so guests that came... Yes. Rather large party. But fun!

Weekend guests: Crystal and Tiffany!

College buddies: Jean & Nohnny. With Stephen & Bob, on my tippy toes.

Old friend, Michelle. Some of the TAYL Crew.

Food, food, food!

Group photo of doctors! Stat!

Ai-Ling, Young, HoChie, and Cindy says "A-OK."

As the fog rolls in...

New intern friends.

Happy belated birthday Timmy!

The other half of the party, indoors where it's warm.


Some more pics from Carol's cam:

With Mengting and Mengkai. Carol & Tiff's fruit salad galore.

HoChie, Cindy, Crystal, and Ai-Ling!


And finally, my favorite... TAF Love, West Coast.

Current and Alumni TAFers: (back row) Tiff, Carol, Cindy, Stephen,
Mengkai, Kathy, Karisa, Sandra, li'l Timmy hiding, Mengting, Brian.
(front row) Nancy, HoChie, Lester, Young.