It's time to get back on the wagon, so to speak. I've been far too negligent in updating my blog, and I've missed it. I find that it's a good way to stay in touch with family and friends, but it also serves as a place I can put stuff I don't want to forget! If I don't write it down, I'll never be able to remember the finer points of any particular experience, and I don't want to lose those memories!

A lot has happened since the last time I was actively updating my journal, which according to my look back at the archives has been about a year! Denise and I traveled to Malaysia and Borneo (February and March 2007); Starry Nights celebrated its first official year (January 3, 2007) and its first operational year (April 2007); both of my maternal grandparents died (December 9, 2006 and April 1, 2007); I got to be on television cooking for Anthony Bourdain (January 2007); and Denise and I moved to a new condo in Bellevue (December 2006).

Malaysia

This was quite an interesting vacation. I wouldn't call it my favorite, but it was far from the bottom of the list, too. That honor goes to Jamaica (I"ve since realized that I don't like beach vacations). The people in Malaysia are definitely the most polite people I've ever met, exceeding even the Thai. The cities were clean (especially Singapore), but nothing too remarkable if you're familiar with the Eastside here in Seattle. The downside of Malaysia was the fact that it was Chinese New Year and everything was shut. And I mean shut. Not open for limited hours, but closed for days. When we arrived in Singapore in the middle of the day in the middle of the week, the place looked like Issaquah on an early Sunday morning.

The food in Malaysia rocked, though, expecially the Malay food. Malaysian cuisine can be divided into three parts: Indian, Chinese, and Malay. Both the Indian and Chinese foods were about what you'd expect, but adjusted for the local region. Malay food had similarities to Thai.

Starry Nights

I can't believe we've been running this company for 18 months now. It doesn't seem that long. And we're getting really busy, too! Not as busy as we could be, but way better than I expected. Last weekend over three days we served almost 400 people. That sounds like a lot to me now, but I'm looking forward to the day when a big weekend is 1500!

Granparents' deaths

I only mention this because of what happened while I was back for the memorial service in May. All the cousins got together for a party after the memorial service, and that was great for its own value. It was very fulfilling to reconnect with family now that we're all adults and meet all the cousins' wonderful spouses, too!

Anyway, John (who plays guitar) and Heidi's husband, Stan (who plays drums) got together in the basement for a casual jam session. I've always loved watching someone play the drums and with John on the guitar, it was a very powerful thing to watch. What this meant to me, was that for the first time in my life, I actually experience the parallel between food and music. The guitar on its own, and the drums on their own are good, but together they're better than their sum! Just like a sauce with proper seasoning. I was able to experience what the music was like as each musician took over the lead, just exactly the way that flavors change as you change the quantities. For me, it was like taking great cooking and turning it into pure audio. Seems silly to write about, but it was a very cool experience.

Cooking for Anthony Bourdain

I have already posted about this, but I felt it warranted another mention in the highlights of the last 12-months. The episode, "No Reservations, PNW" broadcasts occasionally on The Travel Channel.

New condo

One of the great things about the new condo is that I'm 15 minutes by scooter to Starry Nights. I don't have to get on the freeway anymore, and I only spend $12/month on gas!