allison mendiola, my best friend, my girlfriend, my partner in crime...in preparation for her 21st birthday, my mind was so cluttered on what i could possibly do to celebrate this great occasion.  i admit, i am not the best at planning things or thinking of really cool creative ideas.  but i wanted to make alli's birthday something special.  what could i possibly do that is something more than a material gift, more than a typical happy birthday greeting.  so then i started thinking, what has alli given all of us, her friends, her families, the random people she meets.  the one thing almost all of us can testify is alli's visible love for people and world.  with that being said, i decided to give her a "loving" gift in return from all her friends all over the world.

i called up and contacted a bunch of her friends from all over the place and made a collaborative video.  the video consisted of individual people greeting her a happy birthday and sharing a funny memory about alli or even how they first met.  in addition, i took her to Tramonto's Steak and Seafood.  she has been dying to go there ever since she saw it on Top Chef, haha.  We ordered their signature Tomahawk 40oz steak and devoured it within minutes.  As blogged about earlier, we met up with Krystle and Edwin to just chill and relax.  The following days consisted of watching movies, going to the Taste of Chicago, and finally the premiering of the collaborative video.

in the end, she loved the weekend, the video, and the food.  i just want to close this post with saying a few words about alli.  now that we are slowly becoming adults, i see alli slowly maturing and growing into a great woman of God.  seeing how she has changed since the first day i met her is probably one of the most blessing things in the world.  she is a living testimony of how God can work in one's life and family.  seeing her willingness to depend on God in the worst situations to the best, is something that i try to learn from.  i am not sure if she realizes it or not, but she has been a living example of how i should reflect Jesus's love.  she has been by my side as i venture through life, tackling the most difficult obstacles and at the same time guiding me on what the right path is.

thank you alli for being part of my life.  words cannot express how thankful i am for you to have a significant place within my life.  i know we have had a crazy journey thus far, but i am excited to see what God has in store in the future.  i am continuing to pray for you, your family, and your calling to Hong Kong.  thank you for serving God by my side.  thank you for rebuking me.  thank you for being patient with me.  Praise God for the unending blessings He has bestowed upon you.

i u   and i shall see ya later today via iChat with a Bulge effect, haha

FULL GALLERY HERE

hi everyone,

just blogging about my recent venture with family back to the Devon area in chicago.  this place is known for all their Indian/Pakastani restaurants, grocery stores, and clothing stores.  as some of you may know, i pretty much grew eating all different kinds of ethnic foods, Indian food being one of them.  i am quite picky on what i consider really good Indian food...this place my friends is...really good Indian food.  here are some pics from our visit to Hema's Kitchen.  We ordered an array of dishes.  Finally, we finished off the day by getting some sick desserts at Tahoora.  enjoy the pics!




Mango Lassi



Vegetable Samosa


Paratha


Lamb


Aloo Matar..potato, gree pea, and cheese dip


Eggplant, Green Peas, and Cheese dip


Chicken


Rice


Half way through the meal


Kulfi, an Indian ice cream


the trek to Tahoora!!






my lovely parents

if anyone ever wants to hit up Bombay Grill on Green St....please call me, I have yet to try it!!

today was a special day for Anna and Truman because they are finally fully unified in Christ through message!!!!!  i first met Anna my sophomore year of college while we were serving in Mustard Seeds together and she is such an amazing person.  later that year i was introduced to her boyfriend, Truman.  next thing i knew they were engaged and now married!!!!

the official photographers for the day were Kenny Kim who was assisted by David Lai

i took a few pics from the pews, hehe.  i didn't want to miss this opportunity to take a few pics of a beautiful bride and handsome groom, haha.

enjoy the pics and make sure to check out the blog of Kenny and David, linked above!!!!























BONUS FEATURE: Kenny Kim in action!!!!!  Sorry David, I couldn't snap any pics of you because there were too many people in the way, haha.  I'll sniper you next time.