Our Island Wedding, Part II

This blog entry is a continuation in a series about our wedding on Catalina Island. Read the previous entry here.

One of the best things about our wedding (if I may say so myself) was the itinerary we set out for our guests. There were a total of 4 days in our itinerary in which we loosely listed where we would be. Guests were welcome to join us, or were free to wander and enjoy the island on their own. If a guest is travelling far to attend a wedding, they usually want to maximize the amount of time they have with the bride and groom. That was why we arranged for 4 days of casual kicking back with which to socialize with our guests.

Every morning, as part of our itinerary, Mark and I had coffee at our favorite cafe on the island, C.C. Gallagher's. Family members, coworkers and friends co-mingled over their morning lattes. It was stimulating (and a bit stressful) to see all the important people in one's life thrown together in this casual setting and left to their own devices to start conversations.

Coffee at C.C. Gallagher's

In place of a "rehearsal dinner" (a rehearsal dinner wasn't really necessary since we had no wedding party or anything to rehearse!) we had a beach barbecue. The barbecue was at the Descanso Beach Club, a wonderful beach with tiki torches, a bar and a grill where you can buy and grill your own meat. All guests were invited. Seated on the sand, with the music playing softly in the background, and with the mountains rising steeply around, one felt transported far far away from everyday life.

Guests Grilling Dinner at Descanso Beach Club

As mentioned in the previous wedding blog entry, we concluded each night at the El Galleon, a famous Catalina Island bar. This occurred even on the night of our wedding. Everyone kicked back with their beers, looked through the songbooks, and chit-chatted. Occasionally, some brave guests mounted the stage to sing. It was brilliant.

Singing Along to Karaoke at El Galleon

The town of Avalon on Catalina Island is so small, that even when no event was outlined in our itinerary, we would still bump into our wedding guests on every block.

Olivier, Coco, Kurt and Mark sharing coffee

In their off hours, the guests took advantage of being on a beautiful island to explore. Some of the more athletic visitors rode bikes up a steep road to enjoy the harbor views.

Johnny, Javier on their Bike Ride

Guests Relaxing at the Beach House

Other guests took advantage of their off hours to relax and enjoy the ambience of the Beach House, the site of our wedding.

To be continued...

Honeymoon Scuba Destination Decision Matrix

I am going around and around in circles with my honeymoon planning process. Where, oh where, are we going to go? I really want to have a honeymoon focussed on scuba-diving. Also, the destination should have a certain panache, not a run-of-the-mill vacation spot. It shouldn't be that hard, right?

Well, when I calculate the true costs of travelling, I found myself making compromises. For instance, instead of booking an expensive liveaboard trip which will certainly maximize our scuba diving dollar, I was contemplating a land-based option... I was beginning to lose track of the true vision of what I had wanted as my once-in-a-lifetime vacation. So, in order to refresh my memory on my original goals, I am posting my original decision matrix from 2 years ago. (Bear in mind, that this decision matrix was about places that I wanted to travel to two years ago, not honeymoon destinations. I don't think THAT far in advance.)

In the table below, I have posted some potential dive destinations in order of my desire to visit them from two years ago. The more desirable the destination, the lower the score.



In the table below, I have posted the same group of potential dive destinations, except this time, sorted in order of Price/Proximity. The higher the cost of travelling there, and the farther the destination, the lower the score. I find that the Price/Proximity score is somewhat related to that "panache" factor.


Finally, when I multiply the score together, you get the combination of ideal vacation spots:



The above table shows that my top 3 destinations (at least from 2 years ago) are:

1. Galapagos, tied with Fiji/Tahiti/Micronesia
2. Great Barrier Reef

This is still consistent with my current honeymoon goals of going to Palau and Yap.

What this also tells me is if I wanted to reduce the price of our honeymoon, I could aim for the dive destinations in the middle of the list:

1. Thailand/Philippines/Indonesia
2. Cayman Islands
3. Baja California (Cozumel was eliminated because we went there last year)

On Obama and Race

I did not have the opportunity to vote this election year, since I was in China on election day. However, if I had been home, I would have voted for Obama over McCain. I just cannot vote for someone who is not pro-choice. Also, under McCain, I believe the nation would have continued on this path of the rich getting richer and at the expense of the middle class.

However, I have not been carried away by this feeling of euphoria in the air since Obama was elected, despite the fact that I, like Obama, am a fellow Chicagoan, and a fellow minority. Or is it because of it?

I am still smarting from Hillary Clinton's loss, and still think she is more experienced than Obama. However, there is more.

When I look deeply into my heart, I begin to see the misgivings that I have. As a young Asian girl wandering around the streets of Chicago, I have been the focus of racism. It was subtle racism from the part of the Whites. But the most blatant and traumatic racism I have ever experienced were from the part of African American people.

In my Hyde Park neighborhood, walking home, a group of teenage Black men walking on the opposide of the street, taunting: "Chink... Chink..."

In a high-end, Chicago grocery store just a few years ago, while checking out, the Black bag clerk: "Ching Chang Chong hong..." I complained to the store manager, however, the White manager makes excuses for the boy, "Oh, he is just immature." More racism, this time from the White guy.

I am not saying that Obama is one of those ignorant, underprivileged, blacks. On the contrary. I believe that he is tolerant, race-blind and extremely intelligent. It is that his election has thrown the racism that STILL exists in American into high relief. I don't believe that Obama's winning the presidency means that the country is enlightened and race-blind. No. I believe that many of the whites and blacks who voted for Obama are still racist, may turn around and be racist against Asians. Has Oprah ever had an Asian guest? Will there ever be a hit movie starring an Asian and a Black that did not involve racial jokes? With Obama in the presidency, I wonder if Asians will now take the third or 4th tier behind the Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. I think this way, because as a child in Chicago, and recently as an adult visiting Chicago, I have been the victim of racism. If just as recently as a few years ago, I experienced racism, can a country really be that race-blind?

I will get off of my rant, now, and try to believe that the country really is better... (By the way, some of my friends in grade-school were Black.)

High Low Hong Kong

The title of this blog is "High Low Hong Kong". It is titled so because in Hong Kong, there are areas wallowing in absolute luxury, while just across the street there are neighborhoods full of ancient tenement apartments where you can order a bowl of noodles for $1.

Having Afternoon Tea on my Relative's Yacht

I am currently on a business trip in Shenzhen, China. On my short weekend off (I, like many other Chinese, worked on Saturday), I was able to enjoy some sights of Hong Kong.

On Sunday, we had a "launch picnic" on my relative's yacht. He has a giant 84 foot Azimut yacht with 4 bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room and living room (a picture of us snacking can be seen above). He also has a full-time crew despite only using the boat on Sundays. This is a dive boat if I've ever seen one!

At the Helm of My Relative's Luxury Yacht

We launched out of the port at Tsim Sha Tsui and made our way to Lantau Island. There, we had some of the best dim sum I've ever had at the Disney Hotel. On our way back, I took the helm of this huge boat. Strangely enough, my relatives have never attempted to drive the boat despite enjoying outings on it almost every weekend! I was of course naturally drawn to trying it, and asked my family if I could try it. Unfortunately, they told me it was probably illegal without a license. But I was undeterred and asked the captain whether I could turn the steering wheel for a bit, and he obliged! Perhaps some of that natural, questioning, American spirit that asks "Why not?" is unusual in some areas of the world.

Temple St. Night Market

Later that same night, we strolled through the Temple St. Night Market, an open air market where trinkets, pirated DVD's and clothing are for sale for a few dollars. I could tell we were barely skimming above the underbelly of Hong Kong when one of the streets emptied out onto a group of streetwalkers. I saw one ancient White tourist follow a prostitute up the stairs of a brothel.

A bit hungry from our walk, and happy to have absorbed the high and low life of Hong Kong in a single day, we ended the night with a bowl of wonton noodle for $1.20.

Mollusks on Display at the Night Market

Hello from Shenzhen, China

I am currently on a business trip in Shenzhen, China. Here are some pictures and impressions so far. (Blogging while on a still ocurring trip is a challenge when you have writer's block and a time crunch).

Being a newlywed for only a month now, and having already been separated from Mark for a week while he was on a separate business trip, the prospect of being away from home was hard. Furthermore, I hate going to China. Send me to Europe, Singapore or Thailand any day, but China is so dirty and people are usually so insensitive about my lack of Chinese speaking skills, that I dreaded the prospect. This time, on my trip to Shenzhen, people have been fine. Or maybe I am less sensitive about my lack of Chinese speaking skills now that I am older, and even turn things around and laugh along with them.

Dove Farm Outside of Factory Window

The factory itself is in a rural region of Shenzhen called Ping Wu. Ping Wu is an odd mixture of manufacturing modernity and farming. There is a dove farm directly outside of the factory window (we can only guess that the pretty white doves are bound for the restaurant tables). On our drives around the region, we see bicycles piled high with chickens, and trucks full of pigs bound for slaughter. In contrast, our hotel, which is also set in this area, is very modern and trendy. The room that I stay in is painfully hip (see below), and seems awkward when considering the impoverished setting outside of the hotel. But it is certainly the best deal I've ever encountered at only $30-40 USD/night.

Hotel Room in Ping Wu

Seeing how the factory workers and white-collar workers in Pinghu live and work is in sharp contrast with my life in the US. But people here seem just as happy. I was taken out on the town by a factory liason one night. This young woman was around the same age as myself, and so we went Ping Wu to do some window shopping. Turns out she was a Chinese fashionista and decided to teach me about Chinese brands, and shops and relative quality for the price. She bragged that she buys too many shoes and actually has 10 pairs! I don't know any American female with less than 10 pairs.

Although Pinghu is merely a couple of hours away from Hong Kong, the brands are completely different with their own set of heiararchy. High heel pumps with lots of rhinestones and chains are big in rural Shenzhen. Often you will see factory girls in uniform walking over the dirt roads in really stylish heels.

Ping Wu Night Scene (Sugar Cane Vendor in Foreground)

My night with the factory laison (Karney Liang) ended with a fascinating insight into how my equivalent age group lives in China. She rarely gets a Saturday off, so she barely ever has an opportunity to leave Pinghu. She has never flown on an airplane and has never left the province of Guangdong. However, she, like any other girl, adores shopping and has a happy, secure life. Money doesn't buy you happiness...

Our Island Wedding, Part I

Okay, it's about time that I blogged about something. Well, I got married last month, so I figured I should say something about that.

Let me first give some details about the style and idea behind our wedding. Every wedding has its own distinct flavor, and ours was no exception.

I intentionally wanted a few relaxed events before the wedding. The events were an excuse to have fun, and also gave everyone a sense of anticipation for the wedding itself. I had a blast at my bachelorette party. You can read more about it here. Mark wanted his bachelor party to consist of biking, more biking, and then going to a friend's house to watch bike racing on Tivo. Well, his friends rebelled, and so they ate Buffalo wings and ended up at a strip club instead.

Mina's Bachelorette Party (from Left: Cherie, Joann, Mina, Ching, Valerie and Sweta)

We also had a small wine-tasting party for selecting wines for the wedding. The evening was really fun. There were hardcore wine collectors as well as rank novices in attendance. My little cousin, Alicia, whom I think has never attended a wine tasting before, had a great time tasting wines, and taking notes on each wine. We all pretty much settled on the wines pictured below.

Wedding Wines Selected (From Left: Columbia Crest Two Vines Cabernet,

Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay, Five Rivers Cabernet)

As for the wedding itself, it took place on the island of Catalina, a place that has significance for us for all the positive memories we have had there. Also, I think our guests enjoyed transporting themselves both mentally and physically far far away from work. Below, is a picture of friends on their way over to Catalina to attend our wedding. They are already smiling.

Ferry Boat Ride to Catalina Island: (from left) Javier, Marsha

(picture courtesy of Johnny Chang)

A fun time wouldn't be a fun time if people couldn't unwind and even make fools of themselves. Also, a trip to Catalina wouldn't be right without a visit to El Galleon, one of the most festive bars on the island. Therefore, we designed the wedding to last for several days, with every night ending up at the El Galleon. On weekend nights, visitors sing Karaoke. Below, our posse entertains everyone with a round of "Boys of Summer".

A pot of money started to accumulate to get Mark to sing a song. When the dollar count reached $60, Mark dragged his butt up to the mike, but not without friends surrounding him. The song choice was Roxanne by the Police. Everytime, the Roxanne chorus started, Mark's brother, Matt threw me the mike, whereupon when I heard my screeching voice, I ended up cracking up and doubling over in laughter.

We were so animated, that every time our posse showed up on the list, the DJ bumped us ahead!

Singing Karaoke (From Left: Sweta, Yael, Cherie, Jeff M. and Mina)

To Be Continued...

FOR SALE - Zeagle Ranger BCD

I am putting my Zeagle Ranger BCD up for sale. This is a top-of-the-line rear-floation system with 1050 denier Ballistic nylon construction and 44 lbs of lift.

It's a size SM with all of the accessories coming with the standard Ranger (including integrated weight pouches and trim pockets). Also included is the soft lumbar support that comes with the Ranger Limited edition.

This BCD has had 71 dives on it, but it is in excellent (like new) condition. I don't have any issues with this BCD, except that it is too large for me (in fit and in lift). I would have happily dove with it for another 100 dives (with the BCD none the worse for wear), but I found a BCD that better fits my frame, and lift requirements.

If you need an excellent, durable, cold-water BCD, this is it. This is a BCD geared towards advanced divers and teaching professionals. Zeagle is known for outfitting BCDs for military dive units, and public safety divers. If you are a burgeoning Tech diver, this BCD can be also rigged for doubles.

Here are the standard features that come with this BCD:

• 44-LB lift capacity Ballistic bladder (standard, other capacities available as options)
• 30-lb capacity Ripcord® weight system
• 20-LB capacity rear trim weight system
• PFS Modular Sizing
• Heavily reinforced 1050 denier Ballistic nylon construction
• 11" grommets for mounting twin cylinders

See also this link for Zeagle's official product information.

Standard price for Zeagle Ranger BCD (on Leisurepro.com):
$615.20
My price: $350.00

To indicate your interest, please e-mail me.