Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Fest 2007

Our first trip to the Half Moon Bay Annual Pumpkin Festival

Finally we arrive in Half Moon Bay after sitting in traffic for 2 hours making our way down the winding road to the coast.

One of the several pumpkin patches in Half Moon Bay

Another pumpkin patch - this one has red pumpkins and white pumpkins. Variety is always good!

One of the giant pumpkins being carved by a professional carver. The detail is pretty fascinating!

You can see the professional carver working away on the pumpkin behind us. This drew a large audience!

Jen and a little chub kid checking out the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th place pumpkins! Very cool!

China 2007

In September 2007, Nay accompanied Jen and her father on a business trip to China.

Here we are at the Taiwan Airport at 5am local time - just waiting for our flight to Hong Kong. Roaming around, Nay finds this laundry list warning to passengers
You can tell this picture was taken within minutes of our arrival, being that we're so excited to take a picture of a foreign bathroom. Nay loves the restroom advertising!

Nay exchanges US$5 for all this Taiwan money...let's see what we can buy! (Not too much, we aren't in China yet).

At the Hong Kong Airport - a sign counting down the date, hour, minutes and seconds until the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008

Someone is very excited to finally arrive at our first hotel - the Westin in Guangzhou, China

John, Winy and Jen at a Chinese restaurant in Guangzhou. Winy is the owner of one of Jen's factories. In China, its customary for the factory owners to take their clients to the best restaurant in town!

At Winy's factory - The workers are assembling some of the boxes for Jen's client in New York.
The workers are carefully laying the boxes onto pallets, which will be placed into 40' containers and shipped to the Port of New York - appoximately 30 days from China to New York.

All of us (especially Nay) enjoying the luxury of Chinese foot massage. Hoyman is having a pretty good time as well!
John and Jen on one of the trains in Hong Kong

Nay and Jen on the same train

Taken on the busy streets of Hong Kong

Nay's photo shoot - an array of items we picked up at the local 7-11 around the corner from our hotel. I believe we spent $3 on all these items. The Tsing Tao beer was only $0.25


Finally! We arrive at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Shanghai, China. One of Jen's favorite hotels. Taken from outside our room door on the 81st floor. Looking down on the hotel atrium located on the 56th floor.

Two years ago when Jen lived in Shanghai, the Grand Hyatt (left) towered over all the other buildings in Pudong. Now the new Shanghai Financial World Trade Center will be home to the Park Hyatt Shanghai (right). Upon completion, this will be the tallest building in the world.

The Grand Hyatt Shanghai lit up at night. You can tell the hotel lobby begins on the 54th floor - half way up the building itself.


Nay and Jen in a local taxi - about to explore the city of Shanghai. Taken on the way to the Fabric Market in Puxi.

Oscars! Where we bought our pirated DVDs for US$1.00

In Shanghai, one of Jen's other factory owners took us out to the infamous "duck" restaurant. Let's just say, Nay and Jen left the restaurant starving. Here we are posin' with one of the Chinese ladies who walk around the restaurant. Something tells me she wasn't too pleased that we asked her to take a picture with us. Talk about "muggin"!

Nay at the 12-Turn Bridge in Old Shanghai. A very special place to the LOH family, as Jen's grandfather would often visit Old Shanghai for Chinese New Year, and Jen's grandmother used to socialize and run around with her friends in the 1930s. The reason it "turns" 12 times is because the Chinese believe evil spirits can only walk in straight lines. Therefore, they cannot cross the lake. Nay taking in the scenery of the Yu Garden in Old Shanghai.

Nay loves China because she is a GIANT! Look at how thrilled she is!



Jen, standing on the infamous "Bund" in Puxi, Shanghai. Behind her is the building her grandfather owned in the 1920s - 1950. He was in the shipping business (I guess it runs in the family!)

The Shanghai Bund Tourist Tunnel - very trippy!

Nay and Jen heading to the Pudong Airport in Shanghai - we survived a tsunami and we're ready to go home! We are on the fastest train in the world which takes you from Shanghai to the airport in 7 minutes. The train is called the "MAGLEV"; faster than the Bullet Train in Tokyo and the TGV in France. We reached speeds of 300 mph!

Labor Day Weekend 2007

In Memory of Nay's Grandmother
Labor Day Weekend BBQ for Nana
Nay and her niece and nephew: Angie and Baby X (Xavier)

Nay trying to put Baby X on Sugar. Sugar, of course, was only interested in the food someone was eating.

Jen and Baby X - one of the few times Jen is holding a baby. I'm getting better with practice.

Baby X trying to dive into the pool - the guy LOVES playing in the water!

Naya and her mama!

Jen, Genie and Nay

A toast for a very special woman - Nay's Nana!

Napa with Nay's Tata

In August, Nay's Grandfather came to his annual baseball event in Yountville, California. Another excuse to go wine tasting in the Napa Valley!

The three of us arriving at the Niebaum Coppola Winery - once owned by Francis Ford Coppola

Nay and Tata on the grand stairwell of the Niebaum Coppola Winery.

Jen and Nay - Same pose. Same steps. Same place.

Tata enjoying a cracker and his $30/glass wine taste at Opus One.
After wine tasting at Niebaum-Coppola, touring Cakebread Cellars and spoiling ourselves at Opus One, we had a really nice dinner at Mustards in Yountville.

Thomas' Birthday in the Bay Bay Bay!

Thomas was on tour with Hilary Duff - they happened to be in the Bay on Thomas' Birthday!

The explanation would be too graphic...anyway, "flippity flop" as Nay called it! Taken at John Collins for Happy Hour in downtown San Francisco

Lana and Thomas - at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Walnut Creek
Thomas and Nay

Surprise! Teacake once again came through with the customized Birthday cupcakes!

That was soooooo good! Happy Birthday with the group.

Backstage at the Hilary concert - waiting for Thomas to finish up! Three ladies just being goofy!

Thomas' home sweet home on the pimped out Tour Bus. (So this is what life is like on the road).

4th of July

It was blazin' HOT! on the 4th of July this year. On shore, it was in the 90s, but out on the bay it was freeeeezing (but nevertheless gorgeous!)
Here's Nay posin' with San Francisco in the background. Taken while we were circling Angel Island.

I can see why people love sailing! Taken between Belvedere and Sausalito.

More sailboats cruisin' in the Bay with the Golden Gate in the background.

The captain of our party boat was buddies with the captain of this party boat, so we were cruisin', jammin' and dancin' right along with them! Some people started flashin' (I won't name names) but it was crazy funny!

Nay and I are trying our hardest to stand up straight without fallin' over. The ride was so rough that we were having a really hard time.

Finally! We manage to stay on our feet with some balance - maybe it was the alcohol that was making us so wobbly.

Infamous Alcatraz Prison - once the home of Al Capone.

San Francisco from the Bay - Ghirardelli Square

Jen and "Big Sis" Tieng with San Francisco behind us.

Our boat pulled up next to the barge that was setting off the fireworks. It was the most amazing fireworks ever! We were so close that the ashes were falling onto our boat.