Sentient Life on the Third Rock

2008-05-15 An Irish-Israeli-Korean Dinner

y very good friend Neil Ryan was in town this week.  Neil and I worked together for 4 years in Dublin, Ireland.  We took the opportunity to cook a Korean meal for Neil, my friend Jason Schultz (who we met in Korea) and our neighbors Sarah and Mia from across the hall.  Sarah spent time in Ireland and Mia spent time in Israel.  They also brought their friend Jasmine who was visiting from Israel.

The meal consisted of fermented cabbage (kimchi:김치), grilled pork (samgyeopsal:삼겹살) and soy bean paste soup (doenjang jjigae:된장찌개).  You can buy kimchi in any Korean grocery store.  You would really need a special table top grill to make samgyeopsal but they are cheap and can also be found in a Korean grocery store.  I have a recipe for the doenjang jjigae on my other blog: Cooking on the Third Rock.

Above: Jinny and Neil

Above: Mia, Jasmine and Sara

Above: Jason

2007-03-23 Koch & Co.

ay and Rachel Koch brought their family to visit us a couple of weeks back.  Jay and I actually went to first grade together so many years ago I don't even want to think about it.  (Let's just say decades.)  They have two adorable children Eleanor and Carter.  We took in a few sites around Toronto including Niagara Falls, CN Tower and the Zoo.  Thanks for a fantastic birthday present!  Check out more photos --> here.

2007-01-01 Happy New Years!

e spent New Year's Eve at home with close friends.  Terry is here visiting from Dublin and Adam Millard is home visiting from London.  Adam brought his brother Michael and a plethora of joy including Alexi who I met Dublin.  I met Michael when he was working with Adam on Shakespeare by the Sea [1].

Above: Sarah, Terry, Michael, Jinny, Adam and Catherine.  See all the photos --> here.

2006-11-29 Reg

eg came to visit in the last 10 days.  I know Reg from my days in Houston.  They both now live in San Francisco.  We have been spending quite a bit of time with David Miller at the Drake Hotel on West Queen.  The photo is an unfortunate shot of Reg on the patio upstairs.  Click <here> for all of the photos.

2006-11-12 David and Stefan

y  friend David Cope came to visit from Hong Kong.  Actually he was here for a training course.  We met in Hong Kong during the SARS epidemic at the beginning of 2003 (see my previous post Fear and Dread in HK).  Also my friend Stefan Brennan is leaving Toronto to go to Saskatoon.  All in all it's been a pretty tough week for Fred's liver!

Above: David, Tara and Alan at BluePoint.  Below (L->R): Stefan at Insomnia.

2006-05-19 Richard Harrison

y very good friend Richard Harrison came to visit us in Toronto.  He's just finishing a year-long "year out" traveling around with world with his good friend Maz.  I met Richard Harrison many years ago when I first arrived in Korea.  In fact, the very first post on this blog from 1997 is about Mr. Harrison [1].  Actually, Richard and Maz also came here to see their friend Robin.  The three of them (all English) worked for the same market research firm in Asia.  Now it get's more interesting.  It turns out that I met both Maz and Robin before separately.  I met Maz through another friend David in Hong Kong.  And it was Jinny who figured out that we had met Robin at a bar we frequented when we lived in Taipei.  We all met up for drinks at the trendy Drake Hotel in Toronto on Tuesday night.  Before the night was over I met another acquaintance, David Miller, who I had first met at Shakespeare by the Sea [2] in Halifax a couple of years ago.  Small world huh?

 
Above: Richard Harrison

Above: Richard and Maz on my roof

Above: Richard and Robin@the Drake

Above: Me and David Miller at the Drake Hotel

2006-03-18 It's My Birthday!

ell it's that time of year again--Happy Birthday to Me! I was fortunate that my great friends Adriane Butterfield and Geoey Cook flew up from the States for the occasion.

Above: Me, Geoey and Jinny at il Fornello in Toronto's "Gay Village"

 
Above: Adriane and Jinny at il Fornello in Toronto's "Gay Village"

riday night we had a party in the penthouse of our apartment building.  A bunch of our friends came to help us celebrate.  Thanks guys!

Above: Jinny with his new hat.  Brad and Sharon bought this for us on their recent holiday in Havana, Cuba.  View all the photos -> here.

2005-08-30 Coming and Going in Dublin

y brother left yesterday morning to return to the States.  Friday was also the going away party for a very good friend of mine, Patrick Devereux.  He's starting a new life in London.  Here are a few photos from the week.

Above: Anton and Marcus at Ocean Bar.  Anton was my roommate when I first came to Dublin.  Now he's doing an alternative energy startup Finavera.

Above: Vespa and Heels

Above: Pat's going away party--Yoon, Me, Patrick and Carol.  Patrick's moving to London to teach Computer Science in secondary schools.  I work with Carol.

Above: Terry Jack Up Close

2005-08-20 Virginie and Heavy Metal JJ

My very good friend Virginie has come from Paris to stay with us for a few days in Dublin.  As luck would have it, my brother showed up for another surpise visit after his appearance in Belize.  Yesterday we went to the Chester Beatty Library.

Above: Me, Virginie and Marcus in the Chester Beatty Roof Garden.

Today we walked the Powerscourt Gardens and stopped off at Johnnie Fox's for some grub and Guinness.

Above: Live Irish music in the Johnnie Foxs beer garden.

Last night Oakme came over and well, I guess things got kinda silly.

Above: Twisted Sisters!

Above: Heavy Metal JJ

2005-07-24 Wes Manning

ot back from Delhi today in one piece.  Coincidentally, my long time friend Wes Manning came to visit us in Dublin.  He was here for the wedding of a friend of his in Cork.  Wes lives in San Francisco and sells computer software.  We met back in 1993 when I was working for LBMS in Houston, Texas.  As it turns out, Reg and I used to live together in Houston where he also knew Wes.  (Reg lives in San Francisco and will be in Belize with us again this year.)

Above: Wes Manning in my place in Dublin.  "Get off the phone!"