Personal Dork Assistant

Just Married

Nothing like a good-old Category 4 typhoon to put a damper on one's wedding day. Thankfully the worst of it hit on Saturday and it was relatively quiet by Sunday. Sam&Michelle's flight got delayed by 12 hours in the US, but they did arrive just in time to rush to the hotel and meet us in the lobby. We ended up with a full house after worrying that we'd be paying 25K a pop to feed empty tables.

The main reason we chose the Hyatt was because it was close to home so grandma doesn't have to sit in a car too long. Of course, it doesn't hurt that it's one of the nicest hotels in Taipei, and they've got this wedding thing down to a science. Pay them the big bucks and they take care of the food, interior decoration, stage setup, etc. In the end it all went off more or less without a hitch. Even the much-maligned Hyatt banquet food ended up receiving surprisingly good reviews. My carefully rendered Keynote photo-montage ran a bit out-of-sync and the officiant rambled a bit too long, but not so much that people noticed or minded. We were worried that with mostly older, unfamiliar relatives and co-workers present that we'd have a dull and formulaic ceremony. Thankfully, SO's cousins got on stage to perform a nice song, and her niece showed off her Shida High music-major chops to bring some life and warmth to the proceedings.

Jetted off to Hawaii for our honeymoon. Probably should've spent more time relaxing on the beach and enjoying the (very expensive) ocean-view, beach-front hotel rooms, but that's just not how we roll. Stayed in Honolulu, Hilo, and Kona/Kohala and hit beaches, forests, gardens, lava fields, and even went up to the peak of Mauna Kea. Then it was back to the Bay Area to go home for a bit. Took mom&dad with us up to the Sonoma Wine country for a few days and hired a guide to drive us around for wine tastings and enjoy the autumn scenery as the grape leaves turn color after the harvest. Hit the premium outlet mall on the way up, killing two birds with one stone and fulfilling everyone's Coach needs.

Managed to hit a bunch of nice restaurants along the way:

• Alan Wong's
• Zuni Café
• Cyrus
• Chez Panisse

Not to mention Yong's Kal-bi. Just kidding, although it does have the most sentimental value because it was my go-to spot for those long observing nights thanks to its convenient location next to WMKO. Also had ourselves some Hawaiian plate lunches and loco moco at its originator Cafe 100 in Hilo. Missed out on In-n-Out and Rivoli, though.

All in all, being married ain't so bad, so far. Highly recommend it if you can swing it.