happy birthday!

It was D's birthday last week and since he was not feeling well, we didn't do anything special.

I got a simple jade green Sake set for him. I was sort of on a budget. D liked the gift a lot.

Uwajimaya in Beaverton had a fairly good selection of assorted pieces so I could put together a set to fit my budget. Maybe someday I can get him another fancier and prettier set.

While on the subject, Uwajimaya is quite an interesting store. My only teensy complaint is that it is pretty cramped for a huge store. Especially the kitchenware and fancy goods section.

But, the store clerk at the gifts section was quite helpful and friendly: my first choice of sake carafe was a different one, but, I could not find matching cups for it. So, she offered to call Seattle and see if they can send some over. Turns out it would take weeks to get it. I wanted this set for his birthday - in a few days. So, I looked around and found the jade green cups I liked, but, then, the carafe to match the cups was sold out. Finally, she found one from the stock room that was close enough.

We postponed the birthday meal till D felt a little better and could actually taste and smell again.

I made a simple meal of grilled vegetable skewers. We enjoyed it all the more as we are in the middle of a mild NW winter - not the barbecue season, and firing up the grill is quite fun when we get to stand next to its warmth out in the cold patio.

Quite coincidentally, D's mom got him this beautiful box of Chinese origin as his birthday gift. It is about 8"x3"x2". It has Phoenix and Dragon detail in gorgeous red and gold. Some chart and writing is on the inside of it, sort of distressed looking. D can read a bit of Chinese, so, maybe he can try to figure out if it says anything special or interesting.