Disconnected
Dude, lost my phone at the beach…at night…searched and searched with no luck. Don’t be surprised if a sea turtle crank calls you.
Aloha from Maui!
Hi! We have been in Maui for about 2 days now the weather has been much warmer than O’ahu but still sprinkling a bit now and then. We got upgraded from a Garden Room to a Deluxe Ocean View Room and the view is amazing from the 9th floor!
Brother and Joy also got upgraded and their balcony is close enough for us to pass drinks to each other.
The parents arrived yesterday (Sunday) so after hanging out at the pool, we took them to the Maui Ocean Center. I saw a bunch of whales on our drive from the airport to the hotel on Saturday afternoon but they didn’t come out for us on Sunday.
It was fun going to the aquarium with my mom since she doesn’t swim and doesn’t get to experience the ocean and its creatures like we do.
She was fascinated by all the different fish and wasn’t shy about telling certain ones how ugly they were. Pretty funny.
Today the sun came out and we’re off to Black Rock for some snorkeling. Yay! Laters…
Catching Up
On Friday afternoon, I got to catch up with an old friend. Yoon has been living in Hawaii for about 7 years now and it’s so fun to hang out with her again. In the afteroon, we had Afternoon Tea at the Moana. We spent about 2 hours sipping tea and enjoying the mini sandwiches and pastries. The pot of tea was constantly refilled the whole time and they didn’t rush us out even though we were the last ones done and they were getting ready for the dinner service.
In the evening, we met up at Lulu’s for some bar food and drinks and to listen to Manoa DNA, which is a local cover band made up of a Dad, and his two sons Nick and Alex. They are one talented family with a very rich sound and lots of energy. Yoon was so excited to share her favorite local band with us and we were certainly not disappointed.
Afterward, we went over to Duke’s to meet up with Brother, Joy, and the cousins. It was fun to just sit with them, relax, and laugh about random stuff. It’s rare to have everyone together at once so this was definitely a special day. I wish my family and friends were always this accessible to me.
Married!! Woo!
Brother got married today and I gained a little sister. At 8:45 am there was a light sprinkle and then the sun peeked out at 8:55. We got the ceremony started and the ceremony was over by 9:05. It was short but very sweet. It was also one of the most intimate weddings I’ve ever attended (almost 40 guests) and it was perfect. Joy looked stunning and Brother was a ball of excitement. In fact, he couldn’t sleep very well the night before and decided to start his day at 4:30 am.
We spent 9:05-10:00 am taking photos with the sun shining bright. Then, at exactly 10:00 am, it began to rain and it was just in time for Brunch to begin. Nice timing! My mom said she prayed for some sun until 10 and she got it!
Brunch was inside The Veranda, overlooking the ocean, and was complete with mimosas, eggs benedict, and just about every breakfast item you could imagine. I gave a stirring speech that managed to get Brother teary-eyed along with my cousins sitting in the corner of the room.
This is certainly a happy day for us Chimmys and Chammys. 🙂 Yay!
Ah…
Above: My lava flow; Below: Jes checking out the view
Crackberry camera did a pretty good job!
Aloha from Waikiki! Jes and I arrived at noon today and we couldn’t wait to get our hands on a nice refreshing beverage. The weather is very pleasant today with a nice tradewind, less humidity, gentle sun, and occasional sprinkles for a nice cooling effect. We did a little shopping for stuff to wear for tomorrow’s wedding and met up with the family for a bit. Jes is taking a nap, Brother is relaxing in the courtyard with Joy, and I’m just watching the sunset from our balcony.
Yoon was kinda enough to pick us up from the airport and helped check us in to the hotel at a special Kama’aina rate. On top of that, with Jes’ SPG membership, they upgraded us from a city view room to a partial ocean view room. Score! Anyway, it’s nice to finally be on vacation and in the presence of family that I don’t get to see very often. Let the festivities begin!
Taste of the Good Life
On Sunday, Kev and Karrie came to SF for the day. Jes picked them up from the airport in the morning and then we were off to the Four Seasons. The brother of a very wealthy Las Vegas tycoon lives in one of the Penthouses there and I got to check it out.
It’s 4500 square feet of ridiculousness complete with a 270-degree view of the city (including OUR home), steam room, guest suite with separate entrance from the hallway, and MAID’S QUARTERS with an amazing view of its own. Can you spot our building in the photo?!
This is the view from the Maid’s Quarters…crazy, right?!
For lunch, we had dim sum at Mayflower, which appearently isn’t as good as it used to be the last time Kev was in SF but Jes and I still enjoyed it.
For dinner, we went to Ozumo for the craziest omakase meal of dish after dish after dish. Everything was oh so tasty and I even tried uni (sea urchin) for the first time and enjoyed it!!
After all this indulgence and seeing what the “best of the best” looked like, I realized that I didn’t really need 4500 square feet. The view is amazing but it might not be worth the extra 8 million it would cost to live there. I went home and truly appreciated what I already had. Sure, I don’t have a million-dollar view of the city but I really like where we live and how much space we have for now. Come to think of it, I don’t know how I maintained our 3-bedroom house in Irvine.
Anyway, it was great to see Kevin and Karrie again. I just realized that it had been about 2 years since I last saw them and I’m looking forward to our next trip to Vegas to visit them. Their twins are adorable and I can’t wait to finally meet them.
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