红酒·绿茶 / Red Wine & Green Tea / Vin Rouge et Thé Vert

My Birthday Treats Originally uploaded by yisu79 It's that time of year again. This year, we had delicious cakes from Patisserie Poupon for desert. The dinner itself featured a traditional dish of Szechuan Cuisine: Boiled Pork Slices（水煮肉片）, prepared by my lovely girlfriend! (BTW, don't be fooled by the dish's name; it's very hot.)

Fells Point on Halloween Originally uploaded by yisu79 Finally went to the Fells Point on Halloween , an annual event usually completed with a costume contest. Pamela Anderson Baywatch Costume Originally uploaded by yisu79 Before 7pm, it was the kids' costume contest, where cuteness was the goal. After the sun set, the show went from PG-13 to R rating. Participants took turn to go on the stage, to be mocked by a radio station host with irreverent comments. "Sexy" and "scary" are always a good blend so we saw costumes like the "Pamela Anderson in Baywatch". Some of the costumes were quite original, though. Enjoyed it as a spectator.

This is an overdue post about the Motor Trend International Auto Show in Baltimore . Baltimore's Red Light Block Originally uploaded by yisu9 It wasn't easy to find parking in downtown Baltimore so we had to walk through the (in)famous Block . AAA NASCAR Race Car Originally uploaded by yisu9 We came prepared: I bought the tickets online in advance to avoid the long ticket line. We started to check out the cars immediately. American Automobile Association ( AAA) was one of the sponsors. Maryland State Trooper's Ride Originally uploaded by yisu9 I was surprised to see the State Trooper showing off their Chevy's. Note the car on the right was the famous undercover police car (便衣警车). I got excited every time I spotted one on the highway, as if I discovered something stealthy. Mercedes Originally uploaded by yisu9 We checked out some Toyotas and Hondas but I don't have to show pictures of them: They are everywhere! Instead, let me...

Snow I Originally uploaded by yisu1979 Got up this morning and saw the first snow of this year. Immediately decided to work at home for the day. With a cup of tea in hands, I enjoyed watching the snowflakes falling down. Snow II Originally uploaded by yisu1979 Still amazed by the wonder of nature. Now looking forward to our annual ski trip!

Went to the annual CLSP/CIS holiday party at The Inn at Government House tonight and got drunk happily. For the record, I've been to each and every single one of the parties for the past six years. (Yeah, I loved Baltimore *so* much that I never wanted to leave.) Hopefully this was my last party. Good food, good drink, as always. Good to see some old friends like Sue and Laura. I miss them.

Result of a three-hour photo trip to the Loch Raven Reservoir . Jump to this set on Flickr or start a slide show . Enjoy! Mosaic , originally uploaded by nuance1979 . PS, the collage was made by Mosaic Maker . Nice application.

Congratulations to Blue Jays for its 9th National Lacrosse Championship ! Go Blue Jays!

Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . I (re)made a panorama of our beautiful Inner Harbor out of five pictures I took three years ago, with the help of hugin , a great photo stitcher, and GIMP . Good for some hometown pride. Enjoy!

Live Racing at Pimlico Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . I've been interested in thoroughbred racing since I watched "Seabiscuit" the movie and found out that I lived minutes away from the famous Pimlico Race Course . Finally we went there yesterday, which happened to be the Kentucky Derby Day, for an afternoon of horse racing fun. AD MUSTER with Jockey Rodriguez, E. D. Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . With no experience at all, I based my bet on handicapping, appearance and status of the horse and shear luck. Luckily I won my first ever bet in Race 6 on No. 7 Ad Muster, who was the favorite and impressed me with his aggressiveness before the match. My $5 bet became an awesome total of $12! Brown Horse Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Before our first bet, we took some time just watching the horses. After an intense race, they would have a quick shower. Black Horse Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . You can see his veins on ...

Tulips in Sherwood Garden Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Finally a sunny spring weekend. We went to the Sherwood Garden , known for its tulips, and found it was so overrated. But I did get some nice pictures there. Wild Flowers - I Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . Then we went to the nearby Robert E. Lee Park for a little hike. And it was better what I had expected. Wild Flowers - II Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . The wild flowers in the park were pretty as well if you took a close look at them. Wild Flowers - III Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . So you got the idea how beautiful spring is in Baltimore. The only bad thing was that after exposing myself outdoors for a while, my seasonal allergy stroke back. Had to get more medicine the next day.

Rose rocks on Stage Originally uploaded by nuance1979 , courtesy of Ariya. Went to an awesome Guns N' Roses concert in the 1st Mariner Arena . Axl Rose was excellent on stage. With a rose red mic and stand, he demanded attention and rocked the hell out of it. Rose on piano for "November Rain" Originally uploaded by nuance1979 , courtesy of Ariya. The band showed their ample ability of delivering high-voltage, hardcore heavy metal songs as well as softer, lyrical ones like "Knockin' On Heaven's Door". Guns N' Roses in Baltimore Originally uploaded by nuance1979 , courtesy of Ariya. Opened with "Welcome to the Jungle" and encored with "Paradise City", they did most of their hit songs and new songs from their new album "Chinese Democracy" almost nonstop from 11pm to 1am, including my all-time favorite "Sweet Child O' Mine" . Rose's voice wasn't in great shape but his vigoro...

Volvo Ocean Race Boats Originally uploaded by nuance1979 , Courtesy of Mingyao. It was a sunny spring weekend when Inner Harbor was at its best. We enjoyed the wonderful weather by walking around the harbor and tried a free sailing courtesy of the Downtown Sailing Center . It was a fun ride in the water even though the boat was small. Meanwhile, professional sailors of the Volvo Ocean Race were there to show off their babes, including the American team called "Pirates of Carribean". Also in the festival were Pride of Baltimore II , the ambassador of Baltimore, Maryland, Gazela Philadelphia , a vintage shipboat which has featured in my favorite movie, "Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles" with Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst, and Cisne Branco , a beautiful Brazilian Navy sail training vessel.

Canadian Geese Originally uploaded by nuance1979 . When many places were still chilling in winter, Baltimore embraced the spring with a sunny weekend. We didn't waste one minute of it by going out to the Loch Raven Reservoir . Turned out we were not at all the only people who enjoyed the nice weather. We had a great time playing frizbee though we lost our kite. Later we celebrated the arrival of spring in a Baltimorean fashion: eating crabs! PS, the nice picture of Canadian geese we met in the park, courtesy of Li, fits perfectly with this post. In fact, a stanza of a famous Chinese poem about spring goes like this: 春江水暖鸭先知 with my (humble) translation: When spring comes to warm the creeks, First ones know are Canadian geese. (Well, I guess it was not originally CANADIAN...)