Category Archives: Traveling

30Jan/12

A Taste of Home

January 30, 2012Good Eats, Laughing, Smiling, Travelingdada

This weekend, it was a sultry 42 degrees in NJ, so we jumped at the chance to head back to Fort Lee where we initially had some good Korean BBQ and decent boba.

Okay, so we’ve never lived in Korea, so it’s really not a “taste of home”, but the restaurant that we went to (BCD Tofu House) does have 10 of it’s 14 locations in Los Angeles, so that’s got to count for something. To add to the hometown feel, my stomach didn’t feel too good that night…which is just a friendly reminder of how my stomach often feels when I go to Roberto’s in San Diego…like I said, this weekend was “a taste of home”.

19Nov/11

Imagineer in Training

November 19, 2011Holiday, Sleeping, Travelingdada

Of all the theme parks in Orlando, and there are plenty, we felt we need to checkout Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. After entering the Magic Kingdom, our first thought was, “wow, this is EXACTLY like Disneyland”…then realized, oh, I get it…this IS Disneyland. Yes, Tiger’s parents can be a bit slow sometimes…but don’t tell me you knew that Disney World’s Magic Kingdom was exactly like Disneyland? Oh, are we the only ones then?

Either way, it still made for a great time for Tiger as he got to complete a few firsts: first theme park, first theme park ride (Prince Charming’s Carousel), first parade (Move it, shake it, celebrate it), first time on “It’s a Small World”, and the first time flying on the “Magic Carpets of Aladdin”.

If I sit down, will this mouse eat me?

Okay, I guess he’s safe

So what’s the difference between this and Disneyland again? That’s right, nothing.

A rare picture of the three of us…

I think my mama is trying to copy me

My first ride! Why can’t I make this thing go any faster? Giddy up Tonto!

I love elephants, their ears remind me of my dada

My first water ride with one of my favorite songs playing throughout

40 days until I get to see Santa again…I wonder if he’s still at the Santa Anita Mall?

Me and my homie, the Nutcracker

If you wish upon a star,
Makes no difference who you area,
Every child that comes to Disney World,
Will fall…asleep…

I’m not sure if Tiger will ever be a Disney Imagineer, but he can certainly try to be if he wants. We almost got Tiger into the Disney button collection hobby, but cooler heads (dada) prevailed and we didn’t. I have a feeling Tiger’s going to like both Disney and Magic Mountain when he grows up…let’s just hope we’re back in California when that happens.

19Nov/11

Orlando Magic

November 19, 2011Smiling, Sports, Travelingdada

Orlando has tons of activities to offer for families…things like Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, and the Annual Open Text Content World Conference. The Open what? Yes, that’s an annual conference to talk about IT-related things, with this year’s conference held at the Ritz Carlton in Orlando. One of the cool things about this conference is that it’s a week long conference, which means a nice getaway from oft rainy New Jersey.

Orlando’s weather held up nicely (although some days were humid), and gave us a chance to checkout a few tourist attractions, as well as give Tiger his first chance at playing in a pool, eating cheesecake, and flying on a magic carpet (more on that later).

Dude! This isn’t New Jersey…

Mama, was I suppose to get my diaper wet?

I think I could do this all day..wait? does this mean I’m a better swimmer than daddy already?

What’s basketball daddy?

Ah, a familiar face

I don’t know why mama calls me Godzilla?

Yes! More pool time

12Nov/11

Shamu-Sized Birthday

November 12, 2011Birthday, Good Eats, Smiling, Travelingdada

On Tiger’s birthday, we were in San Diego and decided to celebrate the morning and early afternoon with a trip to Sea World with Tiger’s Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin. The weather was perfect and the outing to Sea World was both relaxing and refreshing. Not only did we get to see some pretty cool animals, but we got to spend time with Tiger’s cousin, eat some unhealthy foods (more on that later), and run around (not Tiger, but mama and dada) in what was Captain Kid’s World (now some Sesame Street thing). How can we top that?…by returning in a few months thanks to our newly acquired 2012 season passes! (yes, we still live in New Jersey)!

Dada, this place is almost as cold as NJ…maybe polar bears and Beluga whales live in NJ too?

One of my favorite pictures of Tiger and Mama

I’m having a whale of a time! (okay, no more references to Sea World)

Taken at exactly 2:03 PM, November 7th, 2011, exactly one year after I was born

Me and my gracious Sea World hosts!

After Sea World, we went to Love Boat sushi to complete our Tour de Binge of food establishments that we’ve been craving since leaving California. The night before Tiger’s birthday, we ate bun guon (I’m sure I spelled that wrong) and got a visit from Tiger’s website’s #1 fans!

For a rundown on our Tour de Binge, here’s a semi-complete list of things we ate in less than 6 days:
-Dim sum at East Gourmet Restaurant…check
-Roasted pork…check
-Half and Half’s Iced Milk drink with boba and grass jelly…check
-Church’s chicken…check
-Mom’s home cookin’….check
-Abe Froman and Freiburger from Dog Haus…check and check
-In-N-Out fries…mini check (wish we could’ve gotten a burger also)
-Carne asada chips from Roberto’s…check
-Banh mi sandwiches…check
-Unhealthy food (Slurpy, funnel cake, churros, etc.) from Sea World…check
-Half and Half…yes, we went again (and ordered 3 drinks to split between the 2 of us)…CHECK!
-Pastries from Big Joy Family Bakery and Pangea Bakery…check
-Asian cafe courtesy of Baccali…check
-Sushi from Love Boat…check
-Tons of Asian foods…check

Things that we didn’t get to eat that were on our list were:
-Luscious Dumplings
-Jamba Juice
-MxN carne asada burrito with shrimp

Ah, at least there’s always March 2012…

11Nov/11

This is The Life

November 11, 2011Good Eats, Grandparents, Laughing, Smiling, Sports, Travelingdada

What’s better than celebrating your 1st birthday with family and friends in a sunny, yet chilly afternoon in California? Tiger was finally introduced and re-introduced to many of his relatives, some of whom he hasn’t seen since he was 1-month old. Although it must’ve been overwhelming for Tiger, seeing that he usually only sees his mom and dad everyday, he handled the long day extremely well. After singing happy birthday to Tiger, he didn’t pounce onto his chocolate cake as his mom would’ve loved to see him do, but he did get to taste some of the frosting…we’ll see in the upcoming months if Tiger has a sweet tooth like his mama or if he’s more like dada.

Once the party got started, it actually went by very quickly, so quickly that it never seemed to be enough time to catch up with everyone. As we settled in later that night, we couldn’t of been happier with how the party turned out, our friends and family that were at the party and those that sent their best wishes, and overall, definitely couldn’t of asked for a better day to celebrate this milestone with us.

Wow, is this all for me?