May 2009

This month really feels like the beginning of summer. Though there was still a lot of rain, the weather warmed up considerably, allowing us to resume our outdoor activities and finally fire up our grill. Mid-month, Eric and Steph flew from San Diego and stayed with us for a week. We had so much fun hanging out and catching up with our old friends and exploring new parts of HK together, like visiting the Big Buddha and South Bay Beach. They were a big hit with Will - the day they left, Will came home from school, ran to the empty guest room and demanded, "Where's Uncle Eric and Auntie Steph?? i miss them!" Thanks for coming, guys, can't wait to see you again in July! We ended the month with the Dragon Boat Festival, a big holiday here that focuses on the dragon boat races. Billy rowed on the Latham team out at Stanley. The weather was miserable, but it was still an interesting Hong Kong experience!

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Osaka, Japan May 2009

Every year now, we take turns planning family trips around the time of Agong's birthday. This year it was Alex and Nanette's turn and they chose Osaka, Japan, an industrial city known for its good food (better than Tokyo, some might argue!). We went to Universal Studios, the Osaka Aquarium, and an interactive play town for kids, which Will and Adrian loved of course. When we weren't entertaining the kids, we stuffed ourselves with great Osaka food (okonomiyake, teppanyaki, kaiseki). We also took the opportunity to celebrate Agong's 64th birthday. Next year, it will be our turn to plan the trip, which will be a special trip celebrating Agong and Ama's 40th wedding anniversary!


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