Frank Chow: Asian- American Political Pundit

We had our engagement shoot this morning at sunrise. Our photographer had us out on North Avenue Beach with a casual picnic set-up; orange juice, coffee and a bit of champagne. It was cold, really cold. The weatherman said, by the lake, it was 38 degrees (Oh Chicago!). We didn't prepare for that, but toughed it out for two hours and it was totally worth it. Hopefully I'll have more to share in a week or two. Chow!

So the fiance and I have booked our venue and church, both which we're really excited about. We've been talking for a little bit, brainstorming some ways to incorporate Chinese culture into our big day and I think we have some solid ideas. I'm a lucky guy in that she welcomes my input and wants to honor traditions and my family's culture. Of course it won't be all decked out, but the gestures are greatly appreciated. I thought I'd share them. Here's what we're leaning towards: Invites or Save the Dates. Not as elaborate as the one pictured , but it'd be nice to have some Chinese influence in the design. Dim Sum dishes during cocktail hour. The caterer said they'd be able to bring in a local restaurant's dim sum dishes (the safe ones for those mid-westerners) and have them as part of the early cocktail apps. This was something I was rather adamant about and I'm grateful that everyone was so open to the idea. Red Envelopes. Throughout my ch...

Well I'm back from Santa Monica . I was able to make it on the standby flight and arrived two hours earlier than originally planned on Friday. It turned out to be a great idea as it allowed me to settle in and meet up with my lady and her friends. Let me first say, Santa Monica was beautiful. The weather was perfect. The actual city, although commercial had more character than I expected, overall we both had an amazing time. On Saturday we started out with breakfast at Huckleberry which came recommended. It was a lovely bakery, brunch spot. We followed that up with a walk around the city to get acclimated with the people and environment. Oh did I mention the weather was perfect? Santa Monica just as any place has its own quirks, but was rather charming. Later in the afternoon we met up with Paddy K's younger brother and his girlfriend. We decided to get some eats at Blue Plate Oysterette . It is not like me to visit either coast and not get seafood, so of course we got seafood...