Historic Bixby Bridge, built in 1932

Vista Point on Big Sur Coastline

McWay Creek Fall in Julia Pfeiffer-Burns State Park

Minh Chau

Sandy beach along the rocky Big Sur Coastline, from the cliff top

After being cooped up in our home for the past several months because of the extended rainy season here in the Bay Area, we find ourselves day dreaming about the sun-baked, sandy beaches of Southern California. This week, we’re finally done with the rain!! To enjoy this gorgeous weather, and to celebrate Minh Chau’s first weekend of not having to go to work, we decided to take a mini roadtrip to the famous Big Sur coastline along the Scenic Highway One. Though Big Sur hardly resembles the vast, easily-accessed beaches of Southern California, it is certainly not any less beautiful!

We first saw Benise “Nights of Fire” on PBS a couple months ago during the station’s membership pledge drive. We fell in love with the music, which is an exotic blend between rock and flamenco. Last night, we saw this spectacular show live at the Center of Performing Arts in San Jose. It was a sold out show, but we were lucky to secure two great seats at the Orchestra section.

One would not have suspected a guitar/instrumental show to be so glitzy and extravagant, but it is the theatrical aspect of the show that really makes it successful. Nights of Fire presents Spanish Flamenco alongside with Cuban Salsa and Brazilian Samba that’s exuberantly performed by Benise’s ensemble; on stage they’re abetted by a fleet of talented dancers. The main star is supposed to be Roni Benise (the long hair guy on guitar), but the violinist (the woman with the red skirt) really stole the show, in our opinion. She was absolutely incredible! Her music, at times, was romantic, seductive, almost heart-rending, and at times, exhilarating and intense. Benise Nights of Fire is certainly more than just guitar music, it is a spectacle of lights and dancing, a celebration of music, love and life. What a memorable night!

We purchased this painting from artist David Wang at the Union Square Art Show today. The energy that exudes from this painting caught our eyes immediately. The artist told us that he was inpired by a 12th century painting depicting the carefree lifestyle of the Mongols.

The best hot chocolate we’ve ever had!

Spanky is an Alaskan Brown Bear that was brought to San Diego Zoo in 1986 along with his sister Sheena when they were 8 months. They were orphan cubs born in the wild. Spanky was really sweet and calm when we were there. He has a unique way of drinking water by scooping it with his paws, and he likes to scratch his back against the rock

A random bird that flew really close to us, and was not afraid of us at all. He wanted his picture taken.

Bai Yun or “White Cloud” was born in 1991. She was sleeping peacefully when we visited her. She is the mother of the famous Hua Mei, the first giant panda that was born in the Western Hemisphere. We learned that Bai Yun enjoys anything scented with cloves or pine, and men’s cologne!

The weather was very pleasant in the Bay Area, perfect for watching this year’s Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco. The parade didn’t start until 5:30pm, but we left after lunch so we could do some shopping and secure a good viewing spot. We read that this night parade is one of the biggest in the world but didn’t really believe it. But we were convinced afterwards! More than half a million people showed up, which is 10 times the one I saw 2 years ago in Orange County. The night illuminated parade lasted 2 hours and a half. I thought it was just endless! It was really awesome!

This seven-foot high sculpture in Downtown Palo Alto is made of computer circuit boards quilted together in the shape of an egg, which signifies that Palo Alto was the birthplace of the Silicon Valley. The words sewn into the circuit boards are in a variety of languages and include French, Japanese and Russian. This sculpture caught our attention as we were walking along University Drive.

The lion dance is an essential part of Tet. Drums, gongs and cymbals accompany the lions to excite the crowd. The loud music, along with the firecrackers and lion movements, are used to scare away “evil spirits” so that good luck will follow.

After visiting Chinatown yesterday, we came back to San Francisco, this time in Little Saigon, where the Vietnamese Tet Festival was organized. The celebration started with the ribbon cutting ceremony, presented by Miss Little Saigon contestants and Vietnamese elders.

The San Francisco Chinatown’s Flower Market Fair marks the beginning of the 2006 Chinese New Year celebration. Blooming plants symbolize rebirth and new growth according to Asian traditions. We bought cherry blossoms to decorate our home, let’s see what they will bring us! Although New Year’s Day is not until next Sunday, thousands of people have poured into Chinatown to enjoy the early festivity.