los angeles

one great thing (among many) about this u.s. tour is that many of our stops are in cities where i (or my wife) have family or friends. i was just in l.a. about 3 weeks ago for my grandmother's funeral and my entire family was worried about how my grandfather would be after her passing. thankfully, he seems to be doing pretty well. he is so proud of all his grandchildren and loves seeing us, so it is such a blessing to be able to spend time w/ him during the tour. i have included a picture we took upon my arrival w/ my grandfather, aunt and cousin.

as soon as we took that picture, we set out for our first of many "food fests". my aunt chose a place that had good naeng myun (buckwheat noodles in a cold broth). though that may not sound appetizing, let me assure you, it is DELICIOUS! another great thing about korean food is all the side dishes (bahn chahn). mmmmmmmm.........

after coming back, i watched some of the cavs-pistons basketball game as well as part of a korean drama w/ my grandfather. fell asleep pretty early which of course meant i woke up at 6.

even though i was pretty hungry in the morning, i decided to wait until we went out for lunch to eat (to maximize stomach capacity). thank goodness i did that because my aunt took me to a korean-chinese place and we ate so much. it was amazing.

several years ago, i took an audition for the l.a. philharmonic in walt disney hall. i remember liking the acoustics in one round and hating them in another. i had heard how great the acoustics were but every city w/ a new hall claims that. so i was more than a bit skeptical. but after tonight, i have to say the hype is well-deserved and i was extremely impressed w/ how things sounded there.

about 30 family members and friends attended the concert and when it was over, we met in the lobby for pictures. no matter where they were sitting (some of them sat behind the orchestra and some were sitting in the very last row of the 3rd balcony), everyone was in agreement on how much they enjoyed the concert.

afterwards, i went out w/ another aunt and her family for one last korean meal before calling it a night. i hope to be back soon.