from judy's point of view

I hope everyone had a good memorial day weekend. I know mine was full
of booze, food, and friends. We went to the annual Folklife Festival
at the Seattle Center on Saturday. Free admission to all 4 days. I am
not sure how to describe this event but it was sure a clash of food,
music and people. Each corner of the festival played in a different
tune - blue grass to hip hop to grunge to etc. And scattered around
the ground were food vendors and merchants. You can count on the
usual carnival foods but there were african, thai, chinese, indian,
and german goodies. That was exciting fun checking out the people in
Seattle. I think next time I will try to wear an outfit that blends
well in the crowd.. Looked to normal with jeans and a black jacket.
So after it got dark, we hit up chinatown Bush Garden for some karaoke
and Sake. It was really fun... I don't have the nerve to sing but many
others were excellent and got the crowd going. Memorial day weekend
doesn't end without a cookout or it wouldn't be called memorial day
weekend. So we had people at the house, grilled up some juicy
hamburgers and beer-soaked brats, drank screwdrivers, and played Wii
Monopoly. Can't believe it's already June! Where does the time go?

Check out for next years annual folklife festival -> http://www.nwfolklife.org

Both Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year, falls on this Sunday.
Weekend for love, romance, nian gao and oranges.  An explosion of expectations this day brings.
Our (@madzak and me) last valentine's day was dinner at the westlake apartment with another lovely couple whom came to join us to eat great food - bagel chips with red wine cheese spread, spring salad with crunchy vegetables and Gorgonzola cheese and steak.  Everything was divine.  Applause to Sara who is an amazing cook.  After dinner, we stumbled to the living room for some great guitar hero and wine.  What a great way to celebrate  Valentine's Day.  Chinese New Year wasn't celebrated last year.  I've gone to festivals that are organized by student groups or asian communities in the area.. but haven't experienced a huge parade with craziness all around - cracking and popping everywhere.  I am hoping that my dream will come true in Seattle. 

Anyways, I wanted to wish everyone a great super double holiday weekend.  Don't forget: in the spirit of Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day, please hug an Asian :D

Good things are happening to great friends. We wish them luck as they journey to their next life chapter to Denver, Colorado to pursue Kim's dream career. We have less than a month before they drive off into the horizon. To celebrate, we went to Bucci's Brick Oven in Middleburg Hts for a nice healthy serving of italian goodness, drinks at Tony K's Bar & Grille in Berea, and back at Murphys for more drinks and Rock Band.

I can't say it enough but we will totally miss you guys!!

Zak and I invited a bunch of people for a celebration of August Birthdays. To Amanda and Kim, their birthdays came last friday and Zak's birthday is coming up. It has been awhile since we had that many people over at the house usually we meet up at the bar or restaurant. Since we weren't looking to spend a lot, we decided to do a potluck and byob. It was something different and cost-effective for everyone. The food was plentiful and delicious. The best part was having an excellent group of people to celebrate with.
Our friends are allergic to cats (we have 4 cats) but they toughen it out through the night! Bryan has proven to be top dog in a push-up competition. As the party progressed, we pulled out the Wii and played Guitar Hero for the rest of the night. I would love to do this again... and include a board or card game as another entertainment option. What else would be of great entertainment value that anyone can join in?

Thanks again for the good food and company!!