Sun Day

It was one of those ultra-rare days when the sun is actually shining in our usually fog-bound Outer Sunset District neighborhood. So we just had to drop everything and take advantage by having a backyard barbecue brunch cookout with Justa and Drew. And what would brunch be without bottomless bloody marys?


The weather was rather warm for Corser's taste, so he started acting like a dog (for once) and dug himself a cool little nest in the shady sandy soil.


For more mouthwatering pictures of our barbecue, click HERE.

Local Time in Kauai

We escaped to Kauai for 6 days in May. And it's a true "escape", complete with secluded beaches, small-town life, and empty wide open roads stretching out into the sky before you. Our hotel, the Aston Islander on the Beach, was on the border of the towns of Waipouli & Kapaa, which is on the East Shore, halfway between the North and the South coasts (the Western side of the island isn't very navigable). This central location made it easy for us to travel easily to various beaches & destinations. Our hotel was also a few minutes drive to the town of Kapaa, where a few of our friends were born, raised, and still live.

Some highlights:
-- Making our way through many of Kauai's beaches on the North, East, and South shores. A few were pretty popular, most were almost deserted. The surf, weather, and terrain varied from beach to beach, and some were more suited to swimming, snorkeling, or just lying out on the beach away from the waves.
-- Watching our pal Aldrine ROCK a live show (that links to another performance a few months ago, but so what, he's frickin amazing)
-- Chowing down on the BEST coconut manju, seafood poke, saimin noodles, and shave ice (yes, we are NOW Hawaiian Blizzard shave ice believers!) thanks to our friends' advice
-- Learning the intricacies of local pidgin language (examples: Never using the word "are", Saying "slippahs" instead of "flip flops", and Heavy utilization of sound effects)
-- Wending our way through Waimea Canyon
-- Ziplining through gorges in the rain

Click HERE for our pictures. Warning: there are a LOT! We'll be posting videos soon too.


We had a blast hanging out with our Kauai buddies, checking out the sights, and soaking up the sun (in between the rain) while laying on the 3rd or 4th beach of the day. Thank you so much to Ryan & Emmi, Aldrine, and Aaron for being such great hosts during our visit!

Changing Reality

I've never really posted anything work-related on this blog, but I couldn't pass this one up. It's kind of a big deal.
After over a year of preparation and months of nonstop work, we were proud to present the 35th Anniversary Gala and Fundraiser for RAMS, which has been my place of work for just over 10 years now.
The event (more details HERE) was a huge success, raising us much-needed money but also building closer ties to our community, as well as establishing relationships with funders, media, and other businesses & organizations.
In conjunction with our anniversary and Asian Pacific American month, RAMS was also instrumental in establishing May 10 as the Asian Pacific American Mental Health Day in San Francisco and California, starting this year and every year thereafter.

Yes, these are all significant milestones for the Asian Pacific American community and for the field of mental health. But for me, the BIGGEST deal was... finally meeting Pamela Ling & her husband Judd Winnick from MTVs The Real World San Francisco (Season 3). OMG. They totally win the Cutest Couple award in my book.
A couple coworkers and I took our other celebrity guests Chloe Dao (winner of Project Runway) & her mom, Hung Huynh (winner of Top Chef), and Victor & Tammy Jih (winners of Amazing Race), together with Pamela & Judd, out to dinner on the evening prior to our fundraiser event. Here's proof:

Thank you SO much to all of our friends and family who supported the RAMS fundraiser efforts! I sooooo appreciate it!