spring is nearly here

:) :) :)

the days are getting longer and the sidewalk ice is starting to melt. temperatures in nyc reached highs of 60F today, though it was still a bit too brisk to go jacket-less. and i wore my birkenstock gizeh sandals for the first time this year, signaling the start of the running season again.

we scored a walk-in table for four at basta pasta this evening and enjoyed a high-carb dinner with kris and jessica. construction on their loft began on monday and we were overdue a get together. we literally feasted at dinner. lol. for appetizers, we shared the hamachi crudo, spaghetti with tobiko, and spaghetti with proscuitto and parmigiano. for dinner, kevin and i doubled up on pastas - fusilli with chicken ragu and linguine with uni, while kris and jess indulged in the chicken and duck breast. for dessert, we had the almond flan, which tastes a bit like chinese almond tofu, but a little richer, and the parmigiano reggiano cheesecake! it was my first time trying the latter and it was surprisingly light, and oh-so-tasty!

(that reminds me, i still have to check out harbs when we get back from taiwan.)

best: received the latest comics from shawn cheng in the mail! the drawings are so intricate and detailed, and each comic has a dedication to one of his family members.

worst: leaving my coat at home today. haha. it's definitely not warm enough for birkenstocks + skirt weather yet.

smile: lorelai poured her heart out singing "i will always love you" at karaoke to luke and logan asked lorelai for rory's hand in marriage!!! gilmore girls is coming to a close very soon, and hopefully i will find something a bit more intellectually stimulating to do with my time afterwards. or something outdoors - the weather is on the up and up!

baby rimowas

kevin arrived back at the apt late on wednesday night and the first things he does is bust out all the gifts he brought back! :) he's usually pretty calm and collected, so it's sweet to watch him get excited to show me all the cool stuff he's picked up.

this time, he brought back a HUGE box of pineapple cakes and chestnut biscuits from wu pao chun, the bakery at the songshan culture park which won the 2010 masters de la boulangerie in the european style breads category; a brown cotten canvas bag from guang fu hao, the taiwanese brand that his uncle introduced to us last year; and two baby rimowas!!! haha ... our first rimowas, courtesy of eva air :)

best: walking on the trading floor in a super happy high mood and cracking jokes all day long without much effort. i think it's because kevin's back :)

worst: 37F + rainy. it's getting to that time of year again when it's cold, wet and miserable out. noooo ... i won't be able to wear my birkenstocks soon.

smile: baked the first batch of granola in the new oven! they will supplement our 4 dozen greek yogurts nicely.