Korean Breakfast

I typically have a Kashi bar and a yogurt for breakfast at work.

Which is why it's nice to have the day off from work and have breakfast ready for me the minute I wake up.

This is what I had this morning, starting clockwise in the left corner: Cucumber kimchi, miso soup with tofu, white sticky rice, sauteed zucchini with sesame seeds and nori/kiem (seaweed). Definitely a Korean breakfast that only my Mom could make!

Big Night at Fenway

Thanks to Z's and T.D.'s generosity in sharing their season tickets with friends, I was able to snag their seats for the Tuesday and Wednesday night games against Toronto. My Dad was able to go with Jason, Rich and my cousin Andrea on Tuesday night and took me, Andrew and Amy yesterday.

Here's a picture of Amy, my Dad and I in front of Fenway:

One of the best things about Z and T.D.'s seats is that they're on a private level that gives you access to snack bars that are relative uncrowded - so we were able to snag dinner and a table pretty quickly after our arrival, which included two cheese burgers, two Fenway Franks (beyond mere hot dogs) and four orders of seasoned fries:

Here's a shot of my dinner - a Fenway Frank (I forgot to put the relish on, which is a must for a good hot dog), seasoned fries and a beyah (imagine a Boston accent saying "beer" - it's bad, I know!):

Here's the view from our seats - not only was the weather warm and mild enough to enjoy the all nine innings without a jacket but we had a spectacularly clear view of the field!

Sunset shot over Fenway Park:

Grinning like fools after the game, having witnessed Big Papi's first home run of the season as well as bunch of other home runs!

Obligatory cute shot of me and Andrew at the game:

I couldn't have asked for better companions or a better game to go to - and it was so much fun to see my Dad hooting and hollerin like all the Red Sox fans around him as well as see him sing "Sweet Caroline" at the top of his lungs with me and Amy. Good times.

Farewell Circle Cinema

I know this is probably old news at this point, but I finally saw for myself that Circle Cinema is indeed closed:

Although it was a crappy theater with screens that were barely bigger than a home television set, I did have fond memories of watching movies here with my roommates and friends, as this was the closest movie theatre to BC.

Another memory gone from Cleveland Circle, along with its neighboring Ground Round a few years back.

Parents = Free Labor

I thought I was hard at work today, it being my first day back in the office after a four day hiatus.

That was until I got home and saw this:

A clean driveway with all the leaves and dirt that accumulated over the winter swept away:


The long line of hedges trimmed back, with all the mulch (a couple of years worth) swept away:


Beside filling a few yard waste bags, this was the massive pile of branches leftover from the hedge massacre:


When my coworkers asked me how my parents' visit was going, I told them it was like having elves in the house. Because of their jet lag, they're still getting up between 1:30 - 4 am. So by the time I wake up around 7 am, there's a new part of the house that has been cleaned and organized by my poor jetlagged Mom plus breakfast waiting for me. Not too shabby!

Dragon Boat Racing

I'll admit it, I had never heard of Dragon Boat racing up to a month ago. But when I saw the announcement in our employee newsletter soliciting participants for Boston's Dragon Boat Festival, I was tempted to sign up immediately. You didn't need any experience, all costs were covered by my company and it seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So once I convinced Andrew (who had to drop out once we realized the practices were at 6 pm, which would be impossible for him to make) and Phu to join me, it was a no-brainer to sign up!

Which brings me to today, the first practice for my company's Dragon Boat racing team.

Although it was a pain in the butt to find parking near MIT's Pierce Boathouse, it was so worth it to step onto the dock and see our boat waiting for us:



Once equipped with our paddles, Phu and I were ready to go:




We formed lines based on our seating in the boat and received directions from the Dock Staff Volunteer. We learned the proper way to hold the paddle and commands such as:

• Hold Water - Paddlers should stick their paddles in the water to slow/stop the boat.
• Ready Position/Paddles Up - Paddles above the water, reaching forward.
• Go/Take it away - Command to start paddling
• Way enough/Let it run - Stop paddling and let the boat coast to a stop.
• Starting position/Ready, Ready - command in a start situation for paddles to be placed in position for the first stroke (usually completely submerged in the water)

Here's some other teams who had their practices the same time we did:

I can't tell you how amazing it was to be out on the water and to realize that we were actually moving a boat around the Charles. Although I ended up looking at the paddle in front of me for most of the time (the proper way to keep up with their Strokers and their timing), I did get some beautiful views of Boston like the one below:

And I'm happy to report that although the Charles looks dark, the water seemed clean - at least I hope it is, since we all got splashed with it.

I'm super excited about doing this, and as our last two mandatory practices are two weeks away, I'm hoping I don't forget everything I learned today. I think my team has a good chance of winning some races if we continue on doing as well as we did in practice today!

Graduation Celebration Continues

The big graduation party doesn't happen until next weekend but we wanted to continue to make the rest of most of Amy's big day.

After stuffing ourselves at Apgujung, we headed back home so Andrew and I could give Amy our graduation gifts. Here's Amy carefully unwrapping my gift:

A Coach bag that can be used as briefcase - I like this design better than the more structured bags plus, I liked the fact that it was big enough to hold a laptop and files, and had a section with pockets for pens, her cellphone and all the other crap that women like to carry around:

Next was Andrew's gift:

A leather portfolio from Coach with a "legal" writing pad that Amy can use for job interviews and for meetings with clients:

Next, came one of my favorite parts - an ice cream cake from Coldstone Creamery!

The girl at the counter got confused by the word "Congrats" for some reason - she said "Congrads?" and I said, "No, congrats, like congratulations" which eventually lead to "Congratulations" being crammed on the top:

I know what you're thinking, why didn't I bake for today? I'm saving the baked goods for the actual graduation party next week. Plus, who can resist layers of Red Velvet cake, Cake Batter ice cream and whipped cream frosting (which Amy and I both love):

A yummy end to a big day for Amy!

My Sister, the Juris Doctor

Today was a big day for my family and the reason my parents are here in Boston visiting for two weeks - my sister Amy's graduation from Suffolk Law School!

I can't say that my parents, Andrew, Amy's boyfriend Joey and I really enjoyed waking up early to freeze our butts off in the open tent by the waterfront (aka the Bank of America pavilion). I don't know whose bright idea it was to have an outdoor event in May in Boston and expect the weather to be nice. The good thing is that we arrived early enough to score decent seats in the middle of the pavilion, which insulated us somewhat from the elements:

Martha Coakley, Attorney General for Massachusetts, was the commencement speaker and actually gave an interesting and relatively concise speech.

Finally, it was the moment we waited four hours for - the minute Amy's name was called (that tiny figurine in black next to the tiny figurine in red would be Amy accepting her diploma from the President of Suffolk University):

Here's the proud graduate afterwards - excited at the thought of shedding her gown and escaping from the madness of parents and students meeting up after the ceremony.

The picture of the four of us didn't come out perfectly, but here's a nice shot of Amy with my parents:

And me and Amy - I'm glad it stopped raining in time for us to take pictures with Amy outside:

As Boston was playing host to many other graduations today (we saw BU students in their red gowns crossing on the bridges over the Mass Pike), we decided to skip eating in the city and headed back to Newton. We chose one of our favorite places, Apgujung, to fete Amy as it also allowed one of her roommates, Phu, to join us.

Congratulations once again to my little sister on finishing up three tough years of law school and achieving her Juris Doctorate - next step, passing the bar and earning the "Esquire!"

Mixed Berry Shortcake

After enjoying pizza from Sweet Tomatoes tonight for dinner, Amy threw together mixed berry shortcakes for us from things she picked up at Whole Foods.

Amy showcases her Raspberry, Blackberry and Strawberry shortcake topped with whipped cream while Andrew shows his appreciation for the treat:

Late, Late Breakfast at Cabots

After our 6+ mile walk around Newton, Andrew and I were starving!

After a failed attempt to drop off my car for an oil change (dealership closed at noon), we decided to comfort ourselves with a late lunch at Cabot's as it was around 1:30 pm at this point.

As we always do (no matter what time of day), we started off with an appetizer of onion pedals (that's how they spell it) - as you can see, Andrew approves:

We both ended up ordering off the breakfast specials menu, which turned our late lunch into brunch.

Andrew went with a Crab Cakes Benedict accompanied by Cabot's version of breakfast potatoes, which are more like wide, flat french fries:

I got the heavenly Raspberry French Toast which had fresh raspberries and sweetened cream cheese sandwiched between layers of golden french toast, topped with raspberry syrup and whipped cream - yummy!

Cabot's never fails to satisfy!

Morning Walk Around the Charles

Instead of our usual five mile circuit around Newton, we decided to switch things up this morning and head for the Charles River walkway that straddles Newton and Waltham. Starting in the suburban streets of Newton, the route takes you to a Department of Conservation and Recreation walkway that is hidden off of Ablemarle street.

One of the highlights of the walk is the bridges you cross, including this one that runs parallel to old railway tracks:


Pausing for a look at the Charles, I snapped a picture of my Mom and the much-taller Andrew:



A kind lady on a bike stopped and took a picture of the four of us, which is why I won't complain about Andrew's head being chopped off (I thought digital cameras were supposed to make taking pictures easier):


Two and half hours later, we were back home. Although it was pretty warm and humid out, we had a nice cool breeze for most of the walk. Using Gmaps Pedometer hack, we figured out we walked 6.5 miles total.

Meet the Parents

Andrew has met my dad before, due to two previous business trips that he's taken. This trip marked the first time my mom has been back in the states in five years, thus, Andrew's first time meeting her.

Being the smart guy he is, he decided to surprise them both with gifts - I apologize for the blurriness of the photos, I need to fix the setting on my camera!

Here's my parents unwrapping their gifts - note the "masculine" tool gift bag for my dad:


My dad is pleased by his new Red Sox sweatshirt and the Jon Lester and Dustin Pedroia shirts that Andrew picked for him. My mom was very pleased to see the familiar box (or cylinder?) of a Swarovski crystal figurine:


My dad takes a closer look at the Chinese zodiac rabbit that Andrew picked for my mom.


First meeting with my mom - a success!!

Trip to Super 88

Having my parents visiting for two weeks means tons of shopping trips, especially to find certain types of Asian foods. After visiting Amy's apartment in Brookline so my Mom could see it, we ventured into Super 88, a Chinese/Asian supermarket located in Brighton. It's not only filled with tons of Asian snacks, vegetables, fruits and seasonings that you wouldn't be able to find in a typical supermarket, it's also super cheap!

Some of the strange things I saw: Taro, Jicama and Arrow Root:

Beef stomach (yuck!):

On the flip side, I saw one of my favorite childhood drinks from Korea - "Sac Sac" - a pulpy, orange juice:

And, a wall filled with different types of Japanese Pocky sticks:

Scenes From My Parents' Arrival

My parents are here! And will be my roomies for the next two weeks.

Here's my mom unpacking one of the THREE suitcases she used to haul Japanese goodies and dishes for me and Amy, plus enough Korean ingredients to make her meals for the next two weeks (my dad was the packmule):



Here's my parents bundled up in sweatpants, sweatshirts and blankets downstairs in my living room, complaining about the cold and asking me if I'm warm enough in my shorts - you can tell they are no longer used to Boston temps - I tell them that this is warm spring weather and they need to suck it up!

Sushi Dinner at Ambrosia

My hotel is located in the midst of Armory Square district, which is filled with tons of fun shops, restaurants and bars. Which was fun to walk through but also a bummer, since I was alone. I was sorely tempted by all the outdoor seating and warm temperatures but ended up settling on takeout sushi from Ambrosia for dinner.

I ordered the vegetable roll (asparagus, sprouts, Enoki mushrooms, cucumbers, avocado, pickled burdock, scallion and ginger) and the spicy vegan roll (spicy tofu, daikon sprouts, cucumbers, avocados, and scallions rolled and wrapped with wilted bok choy):



Both were picture perfect, even in the plain takeout container. A healthy dinner while I'm away from home.

Sweet Suite at Jefferson Clinton

I was pleasantly surprised by how roomy my "Junior Executive Suite" was when I checked in tonight at the Jefferson Clinton hotel.

It's got a mini kitchenette, which would be great for longer stays:


A roomy full size bed, flat screen TV and DVD player (with DVDs available for free checkout in the lobby):


I also enjoyed the little touches, such as the rubber ducky by the tub:


The bow on my toilet paper - it's wrapped better than most of my gifts!


And the free happy hour tonight with free drinks and apps (I skipped this because the last thing I want to do is drink in a hotel alone) and the free breakfast buffet tomorrow in the lobby. Not bad!