Many must have thought that this weekend planned on April 1st was a hoax and, as the snow was melting, so did the number of participants. Those who missed this incredible outing must have heard the laughter of six happy souls all the way to the bay area. It wasn't a full house but the pairs matched up perfectly !!!

A challenging weekend was awaiting our expedition as we all got together in the cabin by Lake Tahoe. The adventure begun with a tropical night, courtesy of Virginie, who secretly manipulated the thermostat. But this wasn’t anything compared to the sub-Kelvin temperatures, stormy winds, opaque fog and abundant snowfalls we would encounter the next day on the slopes. Top it with an avalanche of fun and you get a great weekend!

A recent study conducted by PPKK research lab has shown that our Taiwanese girlfriends mainly exercise three groups of muscle during weekends in L.A. The first and most obvious one is the tongue used to decide on the next gourmet restaurant and to select the next treat. This leads us to the second group: the stomach. This ‘muscle’ is used in average 95% of the time to digest the countless delicatessen encountered here and there. Excessive food may cause abdominal discomfort. Finally, it is common to experience sore forearms swiping credit cards while shopping.

I was expecting a quiet evening with Karen (who was late), Venkatesh, Arnaud and Valerie. Maurice had declined the invitation for some obscure reason. When I opened the door I had a terrible shock seeing all these people lined up behind the door. Were they here for the gratin? The ham? Of course not: They were here to 'watch TV' and celebrate somebody's birthday. I don't know how to thank all of you! It was a BLAST!! Can't wait to open the door next year!

For those people who were expecting to see pictures of Arnaud bowling, these people will be disappointed. No broken ribs that evening, but instead we had an excellent dinner in excellent company. What's the occasion you ask? Mike's birthday of course! And for some extra money we might even tell you his age. Happy Birthday!

Some might think that a week is a short time. But you wouldn't believe what these two people did in that short time: Besides shopping for a house all over north California, they also gave some Chinese chess lessons, enjoyed tons of seafood and surprised me with a delicious birthday cake that would make more than my mom jealous! We're looking forward to seeing you back here soon.