New Site Features, News, Updates and Thoughts:
06/25/10 - Launched http://sites.google.com/site/greeceathena1990 Class site for Greece Athena High School Class of 1990.  Info for Alumni, Classmates, Events, Reunions, Photos and a place to Reconnect.  Actually, I wasn't sure how to get Google to index it even though it's on Google Sites but I know they'll find it through here =)
08/20/09 - Launched www.howardangelalu.com Howard and Angela's website
07/03/09 - Fun road trip to Boston w/ some friends. It's been awhile since I've had a 8+ hour road trip.
06/15/09 - Started project downtown and will be taking advantage of the quick walk to Metro every day. The grand master plan is coming together. No regrets for buying the house in our location and foregoing a year to travel around the World. It's just been delayed 20+ years after we send the kids off to college =)
06/01/09 - Joined CSC mostly consulting for Federal clients. So much for my road warrior traveling consulting days that I've become used to for the past 15 years. I'll miss the planes, hotels, rental cars, restaurants and lifestyle but will have a great wife and home to come home to every day =)
05/23/09 - Played Settlers of Catan for the first time. Awesome strategy board game. We're hooked!
05/07/09 - All prepared to accept offer from Booz Allen and CSC calls last minute and changes the game. One of those forks in the road of life and I chose the CSC path. Will wait 3 weeks to start and unpack the house.
05/02/09 - Moved into our new home! Thanks to all our friends who worked tirelessly to help us move.
04/30/09 - Wrote the largest check I'll probably ever see. We closed on the house today after a lot of pain getting all the finances together. NV Homes was awesome but NVR their mortgage arm was completely the opposite.
04/24/09 - Final walkthrough on home. Wow, they built it so fast in a little over 3 months!
04/17/09 - Sold Angela's Townhouse in less than a month! Not bad for this economy but sold it at a loss after she had it for 5 years.
03/19/09 - Spent last several weeks cleaning and preparing to sell Angela's Townhouse which went on market today
02/12/09 - Ski Trip XII in Utah. We hit Deer Valley, Park City, Snowbasin and The Canyons.
01/20/09 - Change has finally come to America after 8 brutal years. Welcome Mr. Obama to our town!
01/12/09 - NV Homes breaks ground on our new home!
01/01/09 - My first Niece (from Angela's sister) Laila is born. Congrats Tanya & Graham and big brother Leo!
12/19/08 - Weekend ski getway in Telluride, CO. Awesome conditions skiing in knee-deep powder!
11/29/08 - Celebrate Angela's 30th birthday in NYC at Restaurant Daniel. Great food, decor and service all around.
11/28/08 - Thanksgiving dinner at Huiwen's parent's house and meet Coby for the first time.
11/15/08 - My first Nephew (by blood) Coby is born. Congrats to Alvin and Huiwen!
11/01/08 - Prep and throw the 5th Annual Halloween Bash. First one in November but the crowd was still good and the costumes creative.
09/23/08 - We depart for our honeymoon in French Polynesia. 10 awesome days in the paradise islands of Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora and Tikehau. The garden, beach and overwater bungalows were quite an experience and we did a lot of activities.
09/20/08 - Howard & Angela are married on a gorgeous day @ Foxchase Manor in Manassas, VA. Thanks to all the friends and family who traveled great distances to be here with us. The day passed so quickly and we had a blast! The afterparty at the Westfields Marriott and the After After party in one of the suites lingered on until well past 4am. Thanks to all who could celebrated with us!
09/19/08 - After almost a year of wedding planning (and inactivity on this site), I will marry the girl of my dreams tomorrow =)
06/30/08 - Howard & Angela put down a huge chunk of change and signed the contract on our dream home to be completed in April 2009
02/29/08 - There won't be many Leap days where I land in Shanghai. As it turns out, this was my 8th and last trip to China over the past year but I learned a lot, brushed up on my Chinese and mentored an entire team that I have become close to. Hopefully I will see them again some day. On to domestic flights to Augusta, GA.
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2008 - I've joined Facebook at the end of last year and it's been easier to post thoughts, items and photos there. You can find me at www.facebook.com/howard_lu Thanks to everyone who's followed me here for the past 6 years! I will continue to post big events in my life occasionally here but the mundane stuff I'll primarily put on Facebook. The Pentium II server that has hosted Lu-gats.com has been a workhorse throughout the years. This server has been up around 99.9% of the time 24/7/365 for 6 years running on 448MB RAM and 10GB harddrive...paltry for today's standards but it keeps on chugging.
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>> More Features & Updates...

Recent & New Event Photos:
10/27/07 - Halloween Bash IV (198) >>NEW 11/11<<
10/27/07 - Halloween Bash IV - Costumes (65) >>NEW 11/11<<
09/08/07 - Semi-Annual Poker Tournament IX (41) >>NEW 09/26<<
06/02/07 - Macau (136) >>NEW 09/24<<
05/25/07 - Beijing I (64)>>NEW 09/16<<
06/10/07 - Xiamen II (72) >>NEW 06/29<<
06/10/07 - Xiamen I (108) >>NEW 06/25<<
04/07/07 - Splendid China (216) >>NEW 05/30<<
03/22/07 - Hong Kong, China (102) >>NEW 04/15<<
02/18/07 - Cook Club - Artichokes (21) >>NEW 03/21<<
02/24/07 - Mohegan Sun Casino (114) >>NEW 03/07<<
02/09/07 - Rochester Weekend (54) >>NEW 03/06<<
01/19/07 - Roger's Birthday (36) >>NEW 02/28<<
09/02/06 - Rudy & Helen Wedding (126) >>NEW 02/20<<
01/27/07 - Semi-Annual Poker Tournament VIII (46) >>NEW 01/30<<
07/29/06 - Semi-Annual Poker Tournament VII (36) >>NEW 01/24<<
12/31/06 - Times Square New Year's Eve (48) >>NEW 01/20<<
01/14/07 - Cook Club - Californian (24) >>NEW 01/16<<
01/12/07 - Vince's Going Away (15) >>NEW 01/15<<
07/20/06 - Waikiki (84) >>NEW 12/26<<
07/19/06 - Hawaii Trip (258) >>UPDATED 12/26<<
11/24/06 - New York City (120) >>NEW 12/12<<
11/11/06 - Week in San Francisco (108) >>NEW 12/06<<
11/23/06 - NYC Thanksgiving (54) >>NEW 11/29<<
08/22/06 - Emeishan (54) >>NEW 11/21<<
08/04/06 - China Trip (X) >>UPDATED 11/21<<
07/20/06 - Diamond Head (102)>>NEW 11/15<<
>> More PhotoPix...

Recent Travel Vacation Annotated Travelogues:
09/2005 - Sri Lanka & India Trip >>UPDATED 12/05/05<<
05/2004 - Mediterranean Cruise Trip >>UPDATED 10/20/05<<
05/2003 - New Zealand & Sydney Trip >>PARTIALLY READY<<
07/ 2002 - Thailand/Cambodia Trip >>UPDATED 3/06/06<<
12/ 2001 - Holiday Road Trip (144) > Rochester - Michigan - NYC
11/ 2001 - Italy Trip (262) > Verona - Venice - Florence - Siena - Tuscany - Milan - Other
07/ 2001 - London & Canary Islands (180) > London I - Tenerife - La Gomera - London II
06/ 2001 - Peru & Inca Trail (81) > Cusco - Inca Trail - Machu Picchu - Puno & Lake Titicaca
08/1999 - East Africa - Kilimanjaro & Safari Trip (31)
>> More Travelogues...

Recent First Time Restaurant Highlights [F,D,S,P]:
05/09/03 Sorak Garden: Annandale, VA [80,74,75,$$$]
05/07/03 Daily Grill: Dupont Circle, DC [80,84,80,$$$]
05/05/03 Beewon (Secret Garden): Falls Church, VA [75,79,80,$$$]
05/03/03 Bob's Noodle: Rockville, MD[81,71,75,$]
05/01/03 Dragonfly: Dupont Circle, DC [73,77,70,$$$]
04/27/03 Zaytinya: Washington, DC [88,88,85,$$$$]
04/22/03 Zola: Washington, DC [90,91,85,$$$$]
04/18/03 Bangkok Bistro: Georgetown, DC
04/18/03 Sakoontra: Fairfax, VA
04/16/03 Charbroil Steakhouse: Herndon, VA
04/11/03 Clyde's: Reston, VA
03/28/03 Grill From Ipanema: Adams Morgan, DC
03/26/03 Paisan's: Madison, WI
03/23/03 Sisley Italian Kitchen: Los Angeles, CA
>> More Lu-gats...

Work In Progress:
> Lu-gats 2002 - New web-based restaurant review interface to replace my current spreadsheet format.  A prototype is now available at www.lu-gats.com
> Slideshow Viewer - A viewer that I'll write for PhotoPix that launches from the thumbnails which displays and allows user comments for each photo.