The Merry Month of June

Aisha and I were in LA this past weekend. Lots of things to do and reflect on in that short time span.

The main reason we were there was to attend my sister's college graduation. I'm so proud of her. Aisha mentioned I should be very proud of my parents and what they have accomplished. They are immigrants who helped all three of their children graduate from college. Being Chinese, I always thought this was to be expected, but Aisha let me know that this is not commonplace.

The ceremony at Cal Poly Pomona was wonderfully small and intimate. I got to meet some of my sister's college friends at a bbq the previous day which was hosted by one of her professors. It was definitely the opposite of my rather impersonal years as a student at Berkeley.

Since we were in LA, Aisha and I went scouting for a location for our wedding. I am amazed to say we have found and secured not just the site for our banquet and reception, but also one for the ceremony itself. AMAZING! It took all of one day to find the perfect spots. I won't spoil it for anyone, but the wedding will be in Pasadena and it will be absolutely amazing. I'm excited just thinking about it.

We were able to have lunch with Akie the next day. She's started her own interior design company and is doing very well. She's got a wonderful new beau and a new apartment that I missed the chance to see this time around. Akie has graciously agreed to help design the two spaces we've rented for the wedding. Can't wait!

I also celebrated my 30th birthday. I usually don't think much about birthdays, but I found myself dreading the big Three O. It is about getting older. I know I'm still a stud, but time does march on. My siblings gave me what I think is a wonderfully ironic gift: a portable Nintendo game system. What's the perfect gift for the old guy? Why, a toy aimed at elementary school kids of course. I LOVE the thing! Playing it reminds me that I'm still a boy at heart.

This was also the first year that Aisha bought me a relatively modest gift. She is usually very extravagant and I was amused to see that she's changed her budget to accomodate our (hopefully) temporary drop in income while she attends school. The hat she got me was very stylish and of course I always need another pair of shorts (shorts are the new ties as the 30s are the new 20s...nach).