Sino at Santana Row

I am pretty skeptical when it comes to trendy, fancy Chinese Restaurants which serve food to yuppies. The decor and atmosphere is usually very nice, but the food leaves something to be desired. I was pleasantly surprised when I went to Sino (translated from English to Chinese as Chinese Restaurant) at Santana Row, which I categorized as a trendy, fancy non-Chinese Chinese resetaurant. I went there for a company dinner and the food was surprisingly good. Red is the dominant color on the inside with nicely appointed design touches. Drinks were good and strong. I would go there again. Oh, and make sure you check out the restrooms when you are there.

Shopping at Costco.... in Japan

Funny how brands and stores transplant themselves overseas. I went to the Costco here in Makuhari and it pretty much reminded me of Costco back home. They even have a lot of the same Kirkland products, rotisserie chicken, and snack bar items just like they do in the States (although the chicken bake is bolgolgi bake here). They even give out coupons. I hear from locals that on weekends Japanese familes queue up in long lines just to get into the parking lot, to say nothing of getting in the store. Some other differences are the Sushi and Sashimi area in the refridgarated sections, and of course local Japanese brand products, like snack chips and the cough medicine whose logo is a pig. Click here for a gallery of more pics.

Reflections in Japan

In Japan on business, staying at the New Otani Makuhari. Got a chance to snap a couple pictures before my conference started. Looking forward to Christmas and the break that comes with it

In Washington DC

Went to DC on a short business trip. The first snowstorm had blown in when I arrived, and early the next morning, I did a photo shoot to take some snow photos. I had a Nikon D70 with me. I must say that lenses make a huge difference. I tried to shoot some pics for a company event, but the low light really revealed the limitations of the default lens kit. But then again, the photographer that the company hired had a flash spot light mounted on a pole and synced with his hot shoe, so I do not feel as bad. Also, seems like the auto focus on the D70 is not the most intelligent. It might be the lens, or maybe I am just used to Canon cameras and lenses. Other photos with sufficient light were no issue. I walked around the Washington Momument, Vietnam Memorial, and WWII memorial in the morning and then the National Mall later in the day.
Click here for a gallery of pics

Playing with a D70

So I was given the opportunity to play around with a colleague's husband's Nikon D70, because my department wanted to shoot an event in DC. This is a couple of pre-trip shots. I am impressed with the picture quality, which shows that lenses are still the most important factor in pictures.