*Gasp!* I can’t believe I haven’t post our engagement photos yet. Recently I uploaded some on flickr. My photostream view counts went nuts. One of my favorites was Mango peeking into the camera. It is also many people’s favorite! Maybe it’s the curious little eyes, or the button nose, something about this photo melts my heart every time I look at it.

Yvonne Wong was the photographer, she did an amazing job capturing us in our home. I love both ktula and I look very comfortable in the shots, as if these are our day to day family photos. It makes me look forward to the future days to come. That to me is happiness.

Ktula and I wanted to learn surfing during this trip. There are surfing classes taught right off Waikiki Beach. Our instructor Terry is a well-seasoned surfer guy. He claimed he’s being surfing on this beach for 35 years, and before that he was a fisherman catching King Crab in the Bering Sea. At that time, he called Ballard home. He also bragged about his mother’s water broke while surfing. As a result of that, he was born on a street address not a hospital. I love his wild surfing stories.

Terry spent about 10 minutes going through basic surfing techniques and safety procedures. Then we were given a board and paddling into the ocean. Terry spotted a good wave and had me catch it.

When I went under one of the waves, I lost my left-eye contact lens. From that point on, I was surfing half-blind. Both Ktula and I were seriously ass whooped by Mother Nature. Paddling against waves was hard work, Terry warned us about it. Our arms were like cooked noodles for the next 2 days. Not to mention sores at places I didn’t even realize they exist. Had I not lost one of my contact lenses, I would have done much better. Would I do it again? Given me the chance, I’ll totally jump on surfing again.

Sharon and Zinc invited us to Stage after our beach wedding. Conveniently, we were properly dressed, except the flip flops on ktula and my feet.
Located inside Honolulu Design Center, Stage offers Asian-American fine dining in a contemporary setting. We chose the 5-cours tasting menu to get the full experience. And what an experience it was. The presentation was astonishing; each dish was uniquely decorated and the taste was simply superb. The ingredients were fresh and enhanced through sauces and garnishes.

Appetizer
A bite size crab meats and corns. Just enough to wake your appetite.

Hamachi Sashimi
Radish salads, Japanese cucumber, Togarashi, Yuzu-Mustard Vinaigrette, and Soy Reduction. It was a small spoon size portion.

Butter Poached Kona Lobster
Waialua Asparagus, Potato Puree with Lemon Essence. This dish is phenomenal! Lobster was cooked to perfection.

Herb Crusted Seared Ahi
Shiitake Mushrooms, Sake Braised Spinach, Nori Butter Sauce.

Grilled Beef Tenderloin
Caramelized onions, Mascarpone herb mash potatoes, grilled Waialua Asparagus, Red Wine reduction, Hollandaise sauce. One of the best tenderloin I had for a very long time.

Grilled Colorado Lamb Chop
Marcona almond herb crust, parsley potato puree, honey Dijon, red wine demi glance. At this point I was beyond full. But I still had some bites and it was good.

Trio
3 kinds of desserts.

At the end, Sharon and Zinc surprised us with this lovely cake.

We were so stuffed at the end. What a great dinner with awesome company.

These snorkeling spots were hard to fine. There was no road sign on any of them. Needless to say Google map wasn’t much help either. The guidebook map gave us some idea but we kept missing it. After some back and forth on I-83, we finally ended up at Shark’s Cove.

The cove was surrounded by rocks. It wasn’t the easiest water to get to. But once we were in, we realized it was well worth it. Fish were hanging out rock reef not far from shore.

And when I least expected, a green turtle appeared out of nowhere. He was certainly not in a hurry to anywhere, just casually cruising in the water. I had no problem following him, watching him scratching his head, surface for a breath of fresh air, and let other fish nip on his shell. When I told one of the snorkelers a turtle is right next to her, she started chasing and attempted to touch the turtle. That’s when the turtle took off. Damn fool, you are not supposed to touch wildlife! It was such a humble experience to have cross path with a turtle.

Ktula and I went for a short trip to Oahu. Before the trip, I was picturing crowded destinations wherever we go. Around Waikiki Beach where we stayed was indeed tourist-packed most the time. But once we drove out of the hotel strip, it’s a mixture of locals and tourists.

We had amazing food – at hole in the wall and fine dining restaurants. Oahu offers everything from cheap eats to upscale fine dining. We were lucky to have experienced both. We played in the water, soaking up the sun, getting lost and discover new places alone the way. Aside from playing, we also got married!

I wanted to try jogging under palm trees, next to the tropical sun. However, seeing joggers on Kalakaua Ave, zigzagging between pedestrians under blazing sun, unless they are local and used to it, I had to wonder was that run enjoyable? Lucky for me, I was in Pacific Time during most of our stay. I got up early in the morning and had a pleasant jog at a nearby park, under palm trees, by the white sand beach, and the whole shebang.

This is our 2nd year in a row participating the event. It was great to be part of it – dogs big and small walking side by side with their human companions. The walk was surprisingly calm and relaxing considering the cheer amount of people and dogs gathered at one place.

Mango was a walking machine once his state of mind is set on the walk mode. Other than stopping for a short pee break after the 1 mile mark, he finished the walk without stopping or sniffing at other dogs.

Our Eastlake home is just minutes from Burke Gilman Trail. With weather being so miserable most the time, we managed to ride out with Mango twice since late spring.

The first ride was a short trip to Fremont. During our lunch break at Fremont Farmer’s Market, half dozen market goers approached us to ask about Mango. We noticed Mango is more comfortable with strangers this time around. Instead of backing away or avoiding the hands, he let almost anyone pat him.

The second ride was just this Sunday. We rode a total of 39.5 miles to Woodenvill then back. There was sun, no clouds, and high in the low 70s. The traffic on the trail was surprisingly light. It was a great ride. The only thing I wish could be different is if we knew a dog-friendly restaurant in Woodenvill we can go to. We’ve being going to Redhook Brewery as our rest point before riding back to Seattle. Sadly Redhook does not allow dogs, not even at the outdoor seating area.

There were lots of double takes, laughter, and kids cheering in excitement when Mango was spotted in his little trailer. I have a feeling the sight of Mango-mobile will be spotted a lot more often as summer approaching.

It took about 20 minutes to boil the chicken, cool it, then cut it into bite sizes. Mango waited patiently but never left the kitchen area the entire time. I went through the normal seat and watch routines before Mango gets his meal. Poor Mango, at this point he was giving me the Oliver Twist’s “Please sir can i have some more” look.

As soon as I gave him the okay to approach his food, Mango went for it and didn’t make another sound for the next few minutes.

The birthday boy enjoyed his meal so much he didn’t leave the kitchen after he was done. Instead, he was hanging around the empty bowl, expecting perhaps a 2nd or 3rd courses. My boy is just like me. We turn into bottomless pit when we are eating something we like.

Mango spent about half hour in the off-leash area, then we joined Diane’s group for a bit of trial hike around the park. We stop at a shady area for a group shot. These guys were like human kids, can’t seemed to get them all sit still at the same time. This picture was made possible by 6 very patient human.

Ktula offered the thirsty group of pups some fresh water. Mango was very happy to share his water with his sister Hana, but was growling when the other dogs approaching. It’s official, Mango has possessive issues with balls and water.

Eating here tonight. Afterward, I gave it a 2 stars on Yelp.