Recession-Proof Valentine's Day Celebration!

Celebrating Valentine's Day as an engaged couple is a funny thing. In Mark's own words, "We've kinda been on a Valentine's Day high for the last 4 months since engagement!" I thought - very true. Perhaps that was Mark's way of getting out of a V day celebration... Hmmm... Fine by me! In any case, we decided that we would cook in instead to respect the recession we are in, as well as save money for the big day. Plus, cooking together is more fun anyways. So the plan was set...

We woke up on Valentine's Day wondering what we were going to make from the French Laundry cookbook he had gotten me for Xmas (I still can't believe that The FL doesn't take reservations even if you physically walk in. It's out of respect for the international clientele who can't be there in person, they say. Ridiculous!!!). However, Mark ended up craving the amazing pulled pork sandwich at Universal Cafe. So, we thought, let's go eat brunch there and look through the cookbook to see what we would make for dinner. Again, the plan was set...

Just as we were about to reach the Cafe, we received a call from Diana and Roger announcing that they would like to join the PhoNATICS club Mark and I had initiated (details in January blog posting) and invited us to a pho outing. Of course we couldn't turn down prospective members!!! The solution? We decided to eat our round 1 brunch at Universal cafe as planned, warming up our stomach for the pho. Sounds crazy? Maybe so. The huckleberry donut (photo on left) with lemon curd cream was as "life changing" as the waitress promised. And the fried chicken (our fave!!!) sandwich was pretty good too. Now onto round 2: Pho Tan Hoa, here we come!

We were excited to learn the authenticity of new PhoNATICS members Roger and Diana. Roger actually claims that his favorite food is pho. What a statement! The best part is that he actually L-O-V-E-S tendon in the pho, just like Mark and I!! Mark and I actually had a big debate about whether Mark's nickname in the club should be Tendon or Sriracha, which he ultimately went with given his obsession with this amazing sauce. It looks like Tendon is now taken by Roger - congrats Rog, very deserving. Diana went with Bean Sprouts, Sprouts for short.

Tenderloin's Pho Tan Hoa is bright and spacious. To sum it up, Pho Tan Hoa had: 1. amazing tender tendon (one of the best I have ever had), 2. fantastic thinly-sliced steak pink and rare (the pho photo outside the restaurant was no false advertisement - see photo on right for actual pinkness of meat), 3. great noodles (coming from the self-claimed noodles expert in the club - I am not nicknamed Noodles for nothing!), and 4. awesome portions (I assure you that it is impossible to walk out w/o feeling stuffed, esp. if you order the large size that comes in a HUGE bowl). The thing that bothered me, however, was the broth. Perhaps I am too used to the rich broth pho usually is in. The lighter broth at this place, albeit healthy, just didn't quite do it for me.

Here is our collective ratings (as shown by the # of chopsticks in the photo) - who needs stars when you can have chopsticks anyways?!?!




#1 Mark Sriracha: 3 chopsticks
#2 Amy Noodles: 3 1/2 chopsticks
#3 Roger Tendon: 4 chopsticks
#4 Diana Sprouts: 4 chopsticks

Looks like our newcomers were a little more generous with their chopsticks.

Overall, our first official San Francisco PhoNATICS outing was a huge success. Everyone left happy and full, but managed to squeeze in some Humphry Slocombe ice cream afterwards for some extra happiness and fullness. Life was good. So was our didn't-go-quite-as-planned Valentine's. But, we did manage to cook. Again, while we had planned to make lobster and clams linquine, the not-so-planned-food-sold-out part resulted in dover sole on asparagus and seared scallops on brussel sprouts instead. And lots of champagne - which always makes a Valentine's Day celebration end on a good note! Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Wedding Planning via the Clorox Marketing Lens

It is now February. According to the wedding planning timeline in the latest issue of Real Simple Wedding Edition, I am supposed to have nailed down my photographer, DJ, florist, priest, guest list, caterer, videographer, entertainment, dress, hotels, website, bridesmaid dresses, and save-the-date/invitation. Yes, what a short to-do list!!! And there is now a possibility of us having a wedding banquet in Taiwan in the spring as well. Oh so much to do and so little time!!

Sitting in a "Wedding DJ showcase" put on by a company called Dennon & Doyle yesterday made me realize that as a potential bride, I am the target consumer of the wedding industry. Walking into the "showcase", I felt like Mark and I were a part of something bigger. We were part of a large herd of couples with huge dollar signs hanging over our heads and holding our wallets screaming "rob me, rob me"!!!

At Clorox, we talk about the consumer "aperture", which is the moment when the potential consumer is open to hearing about new products and making consumption decisions. I guess I am living an "aperture" period now with all of the vendor selection I am going through, except that as a marketer, I refuse to be "marketed" to!!! Please, if I receive another piece of mail about wedding-related stuff, I will have to call TheKnot.com and ensure they take me off of their list and not release my info to anyone else. Wow, I realize I am starting to sound like an angry bride. Maybe this is how brides turn into bridezillas! ;b

Also, conversation with Dusty, the manager of my reception facility Terra on Friday, about how integrated he wants to make sure that the different elements of my wedding are coming together reminded me of what I do at work - leading "Integrated Marketing Plans". I asked myself, what is the BIG IDEA we are integrating around? Is it Mark and Amy - the urban SF couple with our passion for modern art? Or is it M&A foodies who can never say no to yummy food esp. ice cream? This is when I also realized that wow, perhaps I have consumed too much of the Clorox Koolaid, perhaps in the form of Clorox bleach, Pine-Sol, or Brita filtered water.

Yes, marketing, it is everywhere.

Now, back to more wedding planning. I swear, I think I might puke if I have to look at another wedding photo, but you did not hear that from me.

Shall We (Sun)Dance?

Just to note... Amy picked the title of this particular blog. I wanted "S-A-F-E-T-Y (Sun)Dance". I'm back from my blogging hiatus. Amy and I just got back from the wonderful Sundance Film Festival. We both accomplished personal records for most movies watched in one day in a theater (3)! Sundance was a nice diversion to wedding planning. Amy and I made a pact to reinvigorate our wedding planning once we got back. I hope we keep our promise (or our wedding will be really really lame)!

We were very impressed by the quality of all the films selected for the festival. You really do leave with the feeling that you could see them all. We saw quite a few documentaries, Burma VJ in particular was very moving. Burma VJ chronicles a network of rogue videographers who captured the September 2007 Burmese government crack down on protests. This crackdown was of particular significance as the military brutally disbanded Buddhist monks protesting a government issued hike on gasoline prices.

Later that day... we took our puffy eyes to see the world premier of The Greatest, a Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan tearjerker (see Susan, speaking at the podium, and Pierce, standing right behind her, in picture below). While the rest of the audience wept I held strong. This film will likely reach wide distribution. Truly a great film.. slow and methodical in its disection of grief. Well I think I've bored you enough.. passing over to Amy now!
I have always wanted to go to the Sundance. Mark and I both love movies - for the stories told, voices heard, and the truths revealed. It was great that we got to go together and I really walked away from the Festival feeling that I have fallen in love with movies again, especially with Sundance, for its ability to gather an incredible selection of films and giving the audience fresh perspectives on the new AND the old topics around.

One of my personal favorites was Cold Souls. Besides being a big fan of Paul Giamatti, who is just hilarious, I loved the question the film asks - should we unburden ourselves with the weight of our soul... and lock them up in storage so we can get a respite from it? I've always said that no matter how one is, it is important to have a soul. Watching the movie made me question myself - what exactly is one's soul? According to Wikipedia, the answer to 99.9% of all questions out there, "the soul is the immaterial part of a person. It is usually thought to consist of one's thoughts and personality, and can be synonymous with the spirit, mind or self." I think of soul as the life that lives underneath our physical being - it's what makes us who we are. It's not perfect and it weighs us down, but that's just part of the package. It's the type of thing that artificial intelligence scientists cannot create with programming. I find myself drawn to people whom I feel have souls and are conscious of their souls. When I first met Mark, that's exactly how I felt. This guy has inner depth, I had told myself. Hopefully he hasn't stored his soul away anywhere. And hopefully our marriage will help make his soul bigger (esp. if his is the size of a chickpea like Paul Giamatti's in the movie!).

PS. Other films from the Festival we recommend include: Afghan Star (Afghan's version of American Idol, except that women contestants get death threats for dancing on stage) and Mary and Max (an Australian claymation that will make you cry, laugh, and scratch your head multiple times).

PPS. Yes, Sundance is filled with celebrities. We saw: Robert Redford, Tom Arnold, Christie Brinkley, Paul Giamatti, Susan Sarandon, Pierce Brosnan, Amy Puller, Rachel Dratch, Andie McDowell, and those you recognize but don't know the name of. Apparently Paris Hilton was spotted at an Axe Party we had passed up on. The thing is, celebrities are people too. And then you realize that some people just need a little too much attention and think of themselves as a little too important. Wonder what they have done with their souls...

We HAVE A DATE!!!

We have a date!!! Mark your calendars - August 8, 2009, will go down in history as the date when Mark and I tie the knot! We hope you'll be able to join us on our special day here in San Francisco!! Let the rest of wedding planning begin - we are ready for ya (or as much as we can be)!

xoxo,
m&a

Growing old together... with Wii?

The Wii was supposedly one of the most gifted items this past holiday season. That was certainly the case in the Hwang/Hsiao household. Mark's parents and my parents BOTH ended up getting us a set of Wii (+ extra games) and Mark had gotten me the Wii Fit game as part of my present as well (hinting that I should work out more...). So, of course, Mark and I have been pretty obsessed with this ingenious entertainment for the last couple of weeks (it's a great distraction from wedding planning). Sometimes we stay up till the wee (no pun intended) hours of the night playing ping pong (Wii Sports game) against each other; other times we race each other collecting coins in race cars (Mario Super Kart game - I suck at this game).

The most addictive one to-date, though, has been the Wii Fit game. First and foremost, it pronounces my Wii Fit age as an impressive 48, thanks to my lack of coordination and balance. Apparently, Mark is my junior at age 41. Sadness. With ages comparable to those a generation above us, we decided it was time to get fit, via Wii Fit. So, we battle it out in balance games like soccer (I recently passed the 300 pt mark!!), table tilting (you have to see it to get it), and exercises like the yoga tree pose.

Is this what Mark and I are going to be doing up until we get very very old? As a marketer, the beauty of the Wii is the amazing number of new "category" users the game has brought, from the traditional young kids to old seniors who host Wii Tennis tournaments in senior homes! And yes, I can see Mark and I continuing to compete against each other in Wii games (I continue to kick his a*s in boxing while he slaughters me in tennis) until we are in our 80s.

That's the thing about marriage. With the engagement, the future between us seemed to have extended to the far, far distant. It was no longer a 6-month or 1-year view forward; we started looking at our plans in the next 3-5 years, 10 years, 20 years. Most of it are, of course, unknowns, but there is something comforting in knowing that there is someone you love so much that you will grow grey hair with. Maybe I will continue to kick his a*s in boxing and he with me in tennis when we are 85. Or maybe not.

"PHO"NATICS!

Taking a break from wedding planning blogging, I thought I would update everyone on our latest project - founding the "PHO"NATICS, an organization of people "pho"natic (get it?) about Vietnamese pho. Yes, read on. :)

So, as it goes, Mark's life-long dream has been to start such an organization. As part of his Christmas present this year, I took him to My Trick Pony http://www.mytrickpony.com, a custom t-shirt company located in the Castro in SF, to help him bring his vision to life. Since my Illustrator skills are embarrassing, I knew I needed to solicit the help of professional graphic designers at My Trick Pony to help design our organization logo. After an hour plus of working together, she did an amazing job in bringing OUR vision of the PhoNATICS logo to life, complete with a bowl of pho in the name. Then, we got the t-shirt printed, with Mark as Phonatic "player" #1, nicknamed "Sriracha" and myself as #2 "Noodles", named after our favorite ingredients in pho. Check out my photos on Flickr for details.

During the holidays while we were in San Diego, we were taken to supposedly the best pho restaurant in San Diego. And we were NOT disappointed. While one could argue that being the best pho house in San Diego may not be the most impressive title in the grand scheme of things, let me tell you, the pho was pretty impressive. Again, check out my Flickr for details.

Mark and I are soliciting new members to PhoNATICs and planning on organizing pho outings here in San Francisco shortly. We are hoping to start m&a style pho restaurant reviews as well (more to come on that later). Let us know if you would like to join or if you would like to start your own chapter in the city you reside!

Phonatic about pho,
m&a

We survived the meeting of the parents!

Quick blog today and Mark and I are TIRED!!! The meeting of the parents went well -- they got along great and we have their blessings to get married! Yeepee! It helped that R&G Lounge's food didn't disappoint! So our tummies were happy too. Nitey nite!

xoox,
m&a