No more traveling or other events in the way now, it’s just smooth sailing (hopefully!! *crosses fingers) until the wedding. It’s a little over a month from now.
I felt pretty good when we got all our vendors booked and deposits paid before we left Taiwan in mid-August.
Taiwan was a lot of fun because all we did was eat and shop. I didn’t buy anything but tea and teaware. Oh, and a 小籠包 cell phone strap from 鼎泰豐! We went there thrice: Once at the original store with Albert’s uncle & aunt, and twice at the basement of SOGO for two consecutive days. The 小籠包’s there are unbeatable. They’re so juicy and tender. The skin is so thin. I like to eat them with a little bit of sliced ginger and a good bit of vinegar. The shrimp fried rice was pretty scrumptious too.
We went to Taiwan with two items on the agenda: 1) Go to Joy & Richard’s wedding banquet at the Grand Hyatt; and 2) Have dinner with Albert’s relatives and family friends. The banquet was like a Cirque du Soleil show, minus the acrobats. Joy’s parents pulled out all the tricks in their (money)bags and brought a circus show to life, including a live band, epilepsy-inducing flashing lights, flames, and countless number of staff. The food was pretty good, considering there were 600+ mouths to feed. Dinner with the relatives and family friends was pretty impressive as well. Albert’s grandpa is 88 and looking quite healthy. It’s great that Albert’s mom still keeps in touch with her elementary school and college friends. A pity that no one in Taiwan can make it to our wedding, but quite fortunate that we were able to meet them. So both missions successfully accomplished!
Right after Taiwan we scrubbed the house clean to welcome Albert’s parents back to California. We ate on the dining table about twice after they left in June, and we started eating on it again when they returned. We barely cooked rice, and if we did it was 2 cups at most. The first day Albert’s parents used my trusty red Zojirushi 3-cup rice cooker it was filled to the brim. Big red is such a little trooper. Gambare!
Now it’s just the finishing touches for the wedding. RSVPs are almost complete. We’re starting to receive some wonderful gifts from our registry. It is just so exciting!! I’m so happy people are buying things that I really would like to receive but just can’t put my money down on them, like the Cuisinart 1o-piece stainless steel cookware and the saute pan. Albert wants to leave the gifts unwrapped so we can take a photo of the mountain of generosity at the end. But I just want to unwrap the gifts once I get my hands on them! But after I look at the items, I obediently put them back in their respectful boxes and put them in the pile on the kitchen counter. We can still take a photo of the gifts; they just won’t be prettily wrapped.
Today I went to the bank today with my parents. I’m borrowing some bling from my mom for the wedding that needed to be retrieved from the safe deposit box. When she and Dad got married, the default gift was gold jewelry. So she received lots and lots of yellow gold necklaces, rings and bracelets. I’ll be sporting some of the bracelets she wore on her wedding night, along with a pair of bracelets that Albert’s mom gave me. She told me her mother-in-law gave them to her for her wedding. A family heirloom, just like in the movies – how cool is that?!
OK, this is getting too long. And Albert’s saying it’s loud… *pfft* So I bid you adieu.
Current Mood: 
tired
Current Music: Helpless Night - Crystal Kay featuring Akanishi Jin
relaxed
sick
sore