Birthday Love for the Ladies ♥

By in Family and Friends

I just wanted to take a moment to wish the happiest of birthdays to two of the most important, irreplaceable ladies in my life, who happen to share the same birthday, on July 27th.

One of them is my loving mother, who has always been a constant support for me, whether near or far… continually encouraging me to follow my dreams and believe in myself:

The other one is none other than my best friend of twelve years — Debbie. I recently found a blog post from her xanga which I didn’t know still existed, and in an entry that was written almost a year ago (and I hope she doesn’t mind me sharing this here), she writes:

I’m obviously biased, but Misono and Dan’s wedding was simply the most beautiful, elegant, and intimate wedding I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending and their slideshow was just icing on the proverbial cake. I teared a little watching Misono’s part of the slideshow– watching her life flash by in a series of photos made me realize just how much of my own life Misono’s been a part of. There’s my life before Misono (B.M.) and after Misono (A.M.). And the latter has been all the more enriched in simply knowing her.

Reading her entry for the first time nearly a year after it was written brought tears to my eyes — I have always considered myself the lucky one to not only have such a caring, beautiful, smart, witty, all-around wonderful person in my life, but to be able to call her my best friend. Part of me finds it hard to believe that I’ve known Debbie for almost half of my life now, but another part of me can’t really remember any memories that don’t involve her in some way. In my fondest memories, in the moments in my life that really shine among the others, she was always a part of them — whether actively involved in them or quietly supporting me from behind and waiting with flowers and a warm hug afterwards. From high school antics to going to our first college party, to surviving our first year at Tech together, to culture shows and graduations, she has always been there. Even after she graduated two years before me, she made the five hour trip down to come see me whenever I had a culture show or some other big event. Debbie has a place in my heart that no one else — not even Dan — can fill; I think that is what makes a best friend so irreplaceable. It’s my life that has been all the more enriched by her presence, and so it is with deep gratitude that I celebrate the fact that she was brought into the world on this day, 26 years ago. Love you bestest!

The Summer of Weddings

By in Family and Friends Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

With our own first wedding anniversary coming up in a couple days, we wanted to take a moment to congratulate all our dear friends who have tied the knot this summer. The brides all looked stunning, the grooms looked handsome, and whether or not we were able to attend their weddings, our warmest wishes go out to them as they embark on the journey of life together.

Pat and Theo
June 20, 2009: Pat and Theo.
Pat is one of my closest friends and her wedding reception was well-worth the cross-country trip. They had their Thai and Vietnamese ceremonies earlier in the day, and held a huge reception in the evening.

Takako and Luke
June 27, 2009: Taka and Luke.
I had the honor of being one of the bridesmaids at their wedding in Jacksonville, Florida. They were engaged even before Dan and I, but the wait made their wedding all the more sweet. I love this photo of them in Japanese kimono.

Alli's wedding
May 30, 2009: My graphic design classmate Alli had the Hokie bird at her wedding! How awesome is that? I am insanely jealous. And of course, Alli herself looks gorgeous.

YonMi and Jae Yoon
July 11, 2009: YonMi and Jae Yoon.
A 7-11 couple! I love this photo of them standing in front of their wedding date. I've known YonMi since high school and we attended Virginia Tech together as well. We've both come a long way.

Jay and Kourtney
July 11, 2009: Jay and Kourtney.
Another 7-11 couple! Although I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Kourtney, I remember the way Jay's eyes lit up when he told me about her and their upcoming wedding at a Christmas party last year. He told me they were planning on taking a photo in front of a 7-11 on their wedding day (much like YonMi did) - can't wait to see the picture!

Legare and Chris
July 18, 2009: Legare and Chris.
They just tied the knot last weekend! Legare (also known as Robbie) and I were JCA officers together while at Virginia Tech, and I remember the excitement with which she told me about her engagement last year, and was more than happy to help her with wedding advice when she needed it. We regret that we couldn't make it to the wedding, but we wish them nothing but the best.

Cheers to each couple’s happily ever after! We hope that all of them are basking in newlywed bliss.

I will leave you with this video of a hilariously funny, creative wedding entrance that I saw the other day on YouTube. It’ll be sure to put a smile on your face.

Dan’s New Rig

By in Creative Corner, Dan's Tech Spot Tags: , , , , ,

For all you computer/electronic fan-boys out there, here is a treat for you. I just finished building my new workhorse computer; ready for hardcore video editing, rendering, and entertainment. The case is ancient, its probably 10 years old. But it is one of those old school Antec Towers that serious computer users sought after. For modern day components, the case was due for some serious modifications to both the cooling and the looks. Here is a brief list of things modified: 3x120mm Radiator with grill, carrying handles, HDD LED relocation, VU stereo meter (the ring of LEDs), Tinted Plexy front window, Glass side window, custom made fan controller, 80mm rear fan converted to 120mm, black paint job, improved dust filters, and more.

So the next question people are probably going to bring up is, why the AMD 955 instead of the Intel i7? The answer is a no brainier for me, I confidently support AMD over its ruthless competitor. The hard fact is that the i7 is a stronger CPU, but ever since my first AMD computer made for video editing (1Ghz Althon) I’ve been an AMD enthusiast. Plus after hearing the news about Intel’s non-competitive scandal, I can’t help but make my purchase a statement. Please take a moment to read the article. Intel already holds the majority of the PC & Mac market, but they just couldn’t stop there, they had to black-mail other companies to avoid supporting AMD products. So please next time you consider buying a new computer, give AMD a chance. With every AMD sold, Intel is forced to lower their inflated prices.

So in case you were wondering about the specs, here they are. As for CPU overclocking, I’m holding off on that for the time being. I plan to Lap the CPU surface to maximize my water-cooled investment. Overall cost without the case – $850

AMD AM3 955 Black Edition 3.2 Ghz Quad-Core
4GB DDR3 1600Mhz memory (7-7-7-20 2.0VC)
MSI 790FX GD70 Motherboard
MSI 250 GTS 512MB video card
1TB Seagate Hard drive (7200 generation 12)
650watt Antec Earthwatt 80 Plus Powersupply
Dual Boot – Windows 7 & Windows XP x64

One another note, I’d like to make a bold statement and recommend people take a leap of faith and try out MS’s new OS, Windows 7. This is without a doubt the best OS windows has had to date! It is very stable, fancy, and full of features that even expert computer users can appreciate. At first glance, you may say it’s just Vista or an OSX clone. But it is actually a totally new OS that is fresh and inspiring. Make sure to check out the Aero view, the new “windows – tab” function, the new task bar, and responsive feel. I discover new features everyday I use it! I even feel that it is more fancy than OSX, in comparison to the Mac Pro I use everyday at work.

Renegade Craft Fair

By in Creative Corner, Recreational Fun Tags: , , , , , ,

Last Saturday, Dan and I attended the 2nd Annual Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco. Held at the festival pavilion in Fort Mason, over 200 craft artists came together to show off and sell their goodies — all things handmade including clothing, jewelry, stationery, bath soaps, ceramics, posters, plush dolls, even cupcakes! We had a great time exploring all the crafts that the huge variety of artsy fartsy vendors had to offer. You can get a glimpse at some of the lovely items here, although I admit I was too busy checking out the goods to take too many pictures.

They had a photo booth there, and Dan and I had some good fun snapping some silly shots:

The Renegade Craft Fair toured four big cities this year — Brooklyn, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago. I already can’t wait for it to come back next year!

Berkeley Bowl West

By in Foodie Love, Local Gems Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The famous Berkeley Bowl is nothing short of a foodie mecca, garnering national coverage and regularly gracing the pages of newspapers like The New York Times and Los Angeles Times. We live only about a half mile away from its location on Oregon Street, and it is definitely one of the biggest perks of living in Berkeley. Some people travel several miles to do their grocery shopping here, because it seems to carry just about everything, including obscure international ingredients. I was psyched when I found that I could buy mostly everything for my Japanese cooking needs instead of having to make the hour-long trek down to Mitsuwa in San Jose. While the produce is the freshest in the area and the selection is unmatched, the shopping experience there is a whole different story and was the only thing keeping us from coming back every weekend. As the SF Gate reported, “The parking lot is a gridlocked swamp of road rage, a demolition derby of Priuses and rusty old Volvos vying for parking spots… The produce section is often described as the ‘Cairo of shopping carts,’ as dozens of very focused and aggressive gourmands fight over the purple potatoes and fresh water chestnuts. The checkout lines can be staggering, like something out of East Berlin.” The zoo that is Berkeley Bowl provides you with the most exhausting — although rewarding — shopping experience ever.

Berkeley Bowl was in desperate need of expansion with the shortage of parking spots and cramped aisles, and our prayers were answered with the opening of Berkeley Bowl West in early June of this year. Located near the intersection of San Pablo and Ashby Avenues, right off the freeway, it features a parking garage and double the number of parking spaces of the Oregon Street store, more checkout lanes, and significantly larger aisles and produce sections to accommodate the swarming crowds of shoppers. It also boasts a cafe, expanded kitchen, and community room where people can take a seat and immediately enjoy any prepared food they purchase.

Dan and I took a trip out to the new Berkeley Bowl West early last month when it had just opened, and we were super impressed! We’ll let the photos do the talking:

Health foods at the entrance... very Berkeley
spacious aisles!
Loads of Pirates Booty... a must for me!
Loads of Pirate's Booty... a must for me!
fresh produce
Fresh produce, characteristic of Berkeley Bowl
A whopping eight varieties of natto! I'm already sold.
Four varieties of mochi ice cream.
An extensive Asian foods section.
All the sauces you will ever need.
Ramune drinks that instantly transport me back to childhood.
Cheese corner, where you can do sample tasting. (If you go on the right day, there is a cute cheese guy working there who has the most charming smile!)
the bread section
Berkeley Bowl West bakery
Gorgeous, luscious-looking desserts.
My favorite fruit sake, made in Berkeley
Short checkout lines!
Love Berkeley Bowl West!
The café section of Berkeley Bowl West.
This has been a tour of Berkeley Bowl West, brought to you by Dan and Misono.

I commend you if you have gotten this far in this photo dump of a blog entry, and I hope you enjoyed our dorktastic photo tour. All hail Berkeley Bowl West, the new foodie paradise! We’re sure we will be seeing much more of you.

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