Gina's Ramblings

Friends of Animals, Wedding Reception, and Baby Shower

2009-01-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

Lots of things happening before Chinese New Year!

On Saturday (1/24) Ben and I volunteered through L.A. Works at the Friends of Animals shelter in West L.A. We were recruited by my friend Renee, who chickened out at the last minute. My sister Peggy had volunteered here for a long time when we lived in WLA. We like this shelter because it's a private no-kill shelter. Peggy got my Mom's fat kitty from here.

Ben spent two hours walking dogs. I walked dogs for a little over an hour, then went to help out with the cats section. We got some good exercise walking and playing with the animals. Since this was our first time here, they didn't give us the large dogs to handle. These poor larger dogs get walked about 4 times a month (that's once a week), so they tend to be very hyper when they come out. It's so sad.... I'd love to walk those guys in the future.

This is a great organization. If you ever decide to welcome a dog or cat into your life, please do not go to the pet store or puppy/kitty mills. Go to the pound or pet shelter. Be a responsible pet owner. I'm going to sound like Bob Barker -- please spay or neuter your pet(s). Don't abandon them. Here's the link to the animals available for a good home at Friends of Animals. If you have time volunteer, and if you have resources, donate. You will feel better about yourself.

After a nice day volunteering, we attended Ed and Jen's wedding reception at Mission 261 in San Gabriel. I've never been here before. The food is decent but the service was horrible. The waiters pushed and shoved plates on and off the table, and they made us have our cake slices even before we were done eating. I guess they wanted to go home. Nevertheless, congratulations to Ed and Jen! May you have a lifetime of happiness.

On Sunday (1/25) we went to Winnie and Tim's house in Irvine for a baby shower. Winnie is due in March, this will be her first baby. (It's a boy) The prizes for the games were very nice and the food was excellent. Thanks for a great party! We are very happy for the soon-to-be-parents!

Dim Sum and Broomball

2009-01-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

What a busy New Year weekend! (sorry, I'm jumping around) I managed to get better with my stupid cold so I could see some friends over the weekend.

On Saturday (1/3) Ben and I went to Irvine for dim sum with Richard and Elisa. The last time we saw them was over 1 1/2 years ago. Little Charles has grown a lot, and he has a new sister Sophia. Elisa brought her new friend so we could meet him. It has definitely been a while and I didn't even realize it. It was wonderful seeing them again. Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures. =(

After dim sum, we drove back to Pasadena for some broomball. It's been almost 1 1/2 years since we played. I was tired as hell, still out of shape. Better enjoy this before we have kids!

(Thanks to Joanne for the picture.)

Mexican Riviera Cruise -- Cabo San Lucas

2009-01-12T17:05:00.000-08:00

Our third port-of-call was Cabo San Lucas. This place is totally a resort town. We booked a snorkeling excursion here. The boat took us by Land's End and we went south to snorkel at Chelino Bay. This is Ben's first time snorkeling, and my third time. We had to wear life vests per regulation, so there was no way we would drown unless the life vests fall off. Chelino Bay is a popular snorkel site. The water was warm enough and we saw lots of pretty fish. I bought a one time use underwater camera. Hopefully we got some good pictures of the fish.

As with the other two ports, we didn't see much of the town either. We will be back someday! For pictures of Cabo San Lucas, please go HERE.

The last full day was also spent at sea. The weather was kind of bad in the evening and the ship rocked pretty hard. I made myself go to bed so I wouldn't get sick. For pictures of the last day, please go HERE.

Mexican Riviera Cruise -- Mazatlan

2009-01-11T17:58:00.000-08:00

Our second port-of-call was Mazatlan. This town is much smaller than Puerto Vallarta and it doesn't seem as touristy. We booked a boat ride and an afternoon of fun at Stone Island. The package included lunch at the beach and two activities on Stone Island. We ended up doing horseback riding and a buggy ride. This was Ben's first ride on a horse. He did pretty well (but his butt hurt). The lunch was delicious (fresh local fish tacos). We relaxed on the beach until we went back to the ship.

For pictures of Mazatlan, please go HERE.

(sorry I'm so lazy about posting pictures directly on the blog)

Mexican Riviera Cruise in December 2008 -- Puerto Vallarta

2009-01-10T18:01:00.000-08:00

Let me backtrack even more, to the first half of December 2008. Ben and I went on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera with my mom, aunt, and Savannah. We took Savannah with us in case Peggy gives birth early, so Peggy and Arnold wouldn't have to worry about taking care of Savannah.

We spent the first two full days at sea. The weather was nice enough to enjoy the sun out on the deck, but not warm enough to swim. Ben and I played some trivia games to try to win these mardi gras beads. For pictures from the first two days, please go HERE.

The first port-of-call was Puerto Vallarta. We booked a zip lining excursion. This is the first time for both me and Ben doing this, so we were both very excited. It was scary at first (I'm so afraid of heights) but it was really, really fun. I highly recommend it if you've never tried it before. After an exciting few hours, we took lots of pictures with monkeys on the premises. I loved these little squirrel monkeys and marmosets! Too cute!

I was pooped afterwards. We walked around town a little bit. I was exhausted, tired, hot, and hungry, so we went back to the ship. Then it was eating and nappy time! We didn't make it back to town....that means we'll have to come back one day.

For pictures from Puerto Vallarta, please go HERE.

Mini Chien Tan Reunion

2009-01-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

Some of you may know that I spent a wonderful summer in Taiwan on the "Loveboat." It's not really a boat, but a study tour to learn the language and culture in Taiwan. We know that's not really the case. Yeah, Study Tour my ass! More like study other people! I met a lot of wonderful people during what I consider my most fun and memorable summer. I kept with touch with some friends and lost touch with others.

During the holidays we were able to have a little gathering for some in out little group. We went to a good and cheap place in Alhambra, Baccali Cafe. A little about this place....Don't expect great food or great service. Expect good food for a good price. You might have to wait a little, it's always busy on the weekends. Their rotisserie chicken is not bad.

It was soooooo wonderful seeing everyone. I kept in touch with Joanne and Winston, and I've seen them over the years. As for Charles and Jay, the last time I saw them was 1997 when we went to Magic Mountain, a couple of weeks right before I started law school! It was great catching up with everybody, and I hope we keep it up!

Backtracking to Christmas 08

2009-01-08T17:19:00.000-08:00

I didn't blog about how I spent my Christmas. Well, Peggy, Arnold, and Austin went home from the hospital on December 24th. Our original plan was to spend Christmas even at their place. Since they need their rest, we decided to leave them alone. Instead, Ben and I went to my parents' house to have hot pot! Yay for hot pot!

This picture was taken when my parents were getting all the food ready. We played Scrabble (this is an old one from my childhood!) and Savannah decided to join us. I think this picture is so cute!

On Christmas Day, we went to Peggy and Arnold's. We ordered baby back ribs from Corky's BBQ a few days earlier to have something different. (We're not all that traditional with food). My mom's friend ordered these before and said they were really good. So we decided to try them at least once. They're expensive, but delicious.

Endocrinology Update

2009-01-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

My endocrinologist is the nicest and most thorough doctor ever! I love him! He is so patient in explaining everything and drew diagrams for me. I also have the best hepatologist (liver specialist). (Yes, my liver situation warranted a referral to a specialist. More on that in the next post) He's good friends with my endocrinologist and he's arguably the best hepatologist in the West. If anyone needs an endocrinologist of hepatologist, please let me know and I'll give you great referrals.

So what is going on? First, let's start with the endocrinology department. I've done a bunch of tests in the last couple of months to figure out what's going on with me and to rule out certain rare conditions. What have I been through?

Many blood tests (I'm the biggest chicken and now I've gotten used to them....pretty sad)
24-hour urine collection: to check out levels of certain things to see if the kidney stones I had a couple of years ago was of a certain type. Also to check out the level of my cortisol (another type of hormone)
2 ultrasounds: one for the liver, and one for the right thyroid. The endocrinologist found some nodules on my right thyroid.
Thyroid biopsy: this is to make sure those nodules are just nodules and not cancerous. This was one very unpleasant experience. My neck hurt for more than a week. Having a cough didn't help.
MRI of my brain: to see if I have a tumor in my pituitary gland. This was also quite unpleasant. It was loud as hell and I was claustrophobic. I forced myself not to open my eyes the entire 45 minutes so I wouldn't freak out seeing that I was enclosed in this huge machine.

So what's the verdict?

The thyroid nodules are just that, nothing to be concerned about. Tests for my thyroid levels are normal and have always been normal. We just need to monitor this in the future.

As for the brain, I have a 6 mm benign tumor at the pituitary. By definition, it's a pituitary adenoma (benign tumor less than 1 cm). Considering the small size of the pituitary (pea size), it's kind of scary. These things grow slowly, and no one knows what causes them. Apparently they are not that uncommon. Given the size, the doctor said it's been there for several years.

After several tests of my prolactin levels, the doctor is not sure if the tumor has a big effect on it. The prolactin level is definitely above normal, but sometimes it's not as high (the level changes all the time throughout the day).

The tumor may also be affecting another type of hormone called ACTH. When dealing with a stressful situation, the pituitary releases ACTH, which then signals the adrenal gland to produce the hormone cortisol to evoke certain physical responses. (I'm simplifying the process to just get to what's affecting me) Having too much cortisol in the body long term is not good (a condition called Cushing's Syndrome). All the tests show that my ACTH and cortisol levels are elevated, which suggest that the tumor causes the pituitary to keep producing ACTH. There is a negative feedback system so that when there is too much cortisol, it signals the pituitary to stop producing ACTH. So I had to do a test by taking a pill (dexamethasone) which acts like cortisol, and tells the pituitary to stop producing ACTH. Well, I passed the test. The cortisol level went down, which meant the system works. What the heck is going on?

Is the tumor causing the pituitary to act up? The doctor is not sure. Blood tests suggest my prolactin and cortisol levels are higher than normal. If it's just a prolactin problem, I can just take pills to lower it, and they often shrink the tumor. However, there are no pills I can take to make the cortisol go down.

I'm doing one more blood test for all my hormone levels. Then I'll will be referred to a neurosurgeon for a consultation to see if he thinks the tumor should be removed.

I've done a lot of research and learned a lot in the last couple of months. The human body is so amazing. When things are in order, it's such a miracle. One thing out of whack, it causes such problems.

There are days when I felt really depressed and scared. Neurosurgery? Me? I'm the biggest chicken shit in the world! Then there are days when I accept that there's absolutely nothing I can do about what's happening, except to do as told by the doctor. Some people are just lucky, and others just have to deal with a lot more shit in life.... and I think I've accepted that I have to deal with more shit in my life.

Sorry this post is so long....but these words are not enough to describe what I've been through and felt in the last couple of months.

Stay tuned....

Welcome to the world, Austin!

2009-01-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

I have a new nephew! Peggy and Arnold welcomed their new son Austin on 12/23/08. Peggy had to be induced again because Austin didn't want to come out. I was there to video again. Austin weighed 8 lbs. 3.7 oz, just a tad heavier than Savannah.

Here's a picture of Austin right after he was born. Isn't he a cutie?

After a nice first bath, all bundled up!

My parents with Peggy, Arnold, Savannah, and Austin.

Me, Auntie, Ben, Peggy, and Austin.

This will be the one and only time that Austin is a "Lo."
[LOL]

Me holding Savannah to see Austin.

Savannah was not at ease during this visit to the hospital. It was too strange for her. She felt much more comfortable after everyone went home. She loves her little brother!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T19:25:00.000-08:00

First of all, happy New Year! I'm not big on new years. To me it's just another date on the calendar. However, I do hope that this is a better one than 2008, and the economy picks up. I also hope the housing market tanks some more (sorry for those of you who already bought homes!) so Ben and I can pick up a nice place for a bargain.

I've been pretty delinquent on blogging. The last 2-3 months have been pretty stressful, with lots of ups and downs. It has been an emotional rollercoaster, a lot of research on the internet and learning terminologies, and coming to grips of the situation. I will devote one blog just on updating the medical/health situation in the near future.

I guess I should list my new year resolutions, even though they're pretty much the same every year. Here goes (in no particular order):

Be happier (and along with that, be less worried and grumpy)
Appreciate what I have everyday and be thankful
Lose weight
Be healthier (and exercise more)
Figure out what I want in life
Make better effort in staying in touch with friends
Give more back to society
Be better blogging

I hope I make some progress this year. Thanks to all my family and friends for always thinking of me and allow me to be a part in their lives. Thanks for all your support. I am also grateful to have you in my life!

Nice Weekend with Friends

2008-10-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of spending a nice Saturday with Young at Tahseen. We spent an hour at one of those numerous foot massage places in the San Gabriel Valley. For about $20 (including tip) we got a nice foot massage, and back and scalp massage. Then we went across the street for dim sum.

Later in the evening, we had dinner with Shawn and Yuki at a Thai restaurant in Temple City. Shawn was in town visiting Yuki, and we missed him the other weekend when we went to San Jose. It was nice seeing them again.

Health Issues

2008-10-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

During my annual physical last month, I asked the doctor to check my hormones because I know they're out of whack. After a blood test, I was told that my prolactin level is pretty high for a non-pregnant woman and not breast feeding.

The prolactin is a hormone controlled by the pituitary glad, also called the master gland, in the brain. It controls milk production, and at the same time, decreases other hormones that causes ovulation. (It's an evolutionary mechanism that allows a mother to fully concentrate on taking care of one baby and not get pregnant) Although Ben and I have not started trying to get pregnant, this high level of prolactin can have an effect in that department. So I was referred to an endocrinologist who specializes in hormones. The endocrinologist in the clinic is fully booked for more than 2 months, and I didn't want to wait that long, so I got another referring to a good endocrinologist. Even though this doctor doesn't accept insurance, I'm willing to fork it over to get treated ASAP.

At the same time, my PCP told me that my liver is acting up. I know I have the Hepatitis B virus, but it hasn't done anything in the last few years. Maybe it's acting up now. So the PCP ordered more blood test on my liver functions.

Needless to say, I've been very frustrated and anxious. I'll keep you updated....

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

2008-10-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

We had dinner at Roy's in Pasadena to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. Time really flies! I can't believe it's been two years already!

Congrats to the Steve and Trang!

2008-10-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Steve and Trang! They welcomed their first baby yesterday. Little Darwin is adorable!

Weekend at Idyllwild

2008-10-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

Ben and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary by spending the weekend in the nearby mountain community of Idyllwild. Idyllwild is located about 2 hours east of Pasadena, in the San Jacinto Mountains.

Ben and I both did research on where to go, but apparently I forgot that I told him to surprise me. We decided that we'll go to Idyllwild this year, and go to Ojai next year.

We stayed at a cute bed and breakfast, the Strawberry Creek Inn. The Inn was completely booked up, so we booked the Summer Room, the only remaining room. The innkeepers serve homemade gourmet breakfast, and you can tell them about your dietary restrictions. Isn't that wonderful?

Ben had Friday off, so we drove to Idyllwild after lunch. On the way up the mountains, we drove through Hemet. I've never been out here before, so it was kind of interesting to see that people live out here. After checking in, we walked around the grounds of the inn. My original plan was to do an easy hiking trail by the village, knowing that the weather wouldn't be as nice on Saturday. Well, we couldn't figure out how to get to the trail head, so we ended up walking around the village.

We had dinner reservations at Cafe Aroma, a popular local hangout. I didn't realize it would be this cold at night, and got reservations for outdoor seating. There were heaters but it wasn't enough. I didn't wear socks either, so I froze my feet off. I ordered the garlic bisque and sausage lasagne, and Ben ordered the special soup and flounder milanesa. Everything was delicious but the service was really slow. There was no jazz music in the patio that evening because they were unsure about the weather. There was an awesome kitty sleeping on the bar stool. It was so calm and its fur so soft. I wanted to bring him home.

Saturday morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast -- dutch apple pancake (more like a souffle or break pudding) and homemade sausages. The weather was worrying me a bit but the sun came out during breakfast. After getting permits from the rangers office, we bought sandwiches in the village, and went hiking. We hiked 2 trails for about 8 miles. The weather was beautiful but the clouds and mist came in. It drizzled a bit about 2/3 way down the second trail, and also all the way back. We went back to the B&B for some hot tea -- then I took a nap.

For dinner, we ate at The Bread Basket. I had the meatloaf with sauteed veggies, and Ben had the cabbaged wrapped meatballs and mashed potatoes. The portions were really large (I had 3 slices of meatloaf!) and we couldn't finish. We ended up putting the to-go box by our bathroom window to keep it cool (we didn't have a fridge in our room).

Sunday morning we had eggs casserole and fresh fruit. After checking out, we walked around the village some more, visiting the stores that were already closed on Friday. Of course I had to visit the animal shelter and play with the kitties and doggy.

We took Highway 243 back to the 10. It was definitely a more scenice drive. We stopped by Ontario Mills before heading back to Pasadena. Ben had never been here before, but agreed that it's pretty much like the Great Mall in Milpitas.

China Trip -- Part 6 -- Suzhou (8/27/08 - 8/28/08)

2008-09-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

After a nice visit to Wuzhen in the morning, we visited one of Suzhou's most famous classical gardens, Liu Garden 留园. Liu is translated as "lingering," as lingering in the garden. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I've also been here before during my previous trip to Jiangnan. Thanks to the heat and humidity and lots of ponds, I got a gazillion bug bites.

These classical Jiangnan gardens are supposed to be a moving painting everywhere you look. These gardens are fake mountains made from rocks from Taihu Lake, pavilions, ponds, and corridors, that make the entire garden like a labyrinth. Each way you look is a different scene.

The next morning we went to Tiger Hill, another famous landmark in Suzhou. It is said that a famous king was buried here, and a white tiger lingered around to protect his tomb. The exact location of the tomb is unknown, and due to the foundation of the leaning tower, archaeologists are reluctant to conduct excavations. As for the leaning tower, it's actually a pagoda that dates back about 1000 years.

We return to Shanghai after lunch.

For more pictures of Liu Garden, please go HERE. For more pictures of Tiger Hill, please go HERE.

China Trip -- Part 5 -- Wuzhen (8/27/08)

2008-09-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

Today we're in the vicinity of Suzhou at a charming water town called Wuzhen 乌镇, which means "Town of Wu". Even though it's near Suzhou, it is actually in northern Zhejiang Province. I've been to Wuzhen before and was very impressed that it was less touristy than some of the other water towns other tours take people to. Apparently a few years have passed, and they're all now flocking to Wuzhen. Our tour operator took us to the newly developed side of town (the western side), and it was fabulous! Nice and clean and no tourists!

These water towns are typical of the Jiangnan 江南 region (Jiangnan literally means "South of the River," the river being the Yangtze) The towns are built in with canals and water ways that connect to the Grand Canal. The towns still retain the original houses and bridges, and people still use the canals for transportation.

We took a boat ride in the canals and appreciated the tranquility of no tourists in sight.

A house by the canal converted to an inn. I've got to stay at one of these next time!

One of the numerous bridges on the canals.

We strolled around this newly developed area of the town. What I meant by newly developed is that the government/tourism bureau converted the area into a prettier tourist attraction. On the one hand, the buildings are renovated and painted, streets nicely paved, so it helps preserve the ancient town. On the other hand, the occupants of the houses are relocated, often unhappy at the reimbursement. They've lived there for hundreds of years, generation after generation. So you can understand how they feel.

This is one of the converted inns.

No tourists in the streets but us!

If you're ever in the Suzhou area, I highly recommend you check out Wuzhen and stay at one of the inns for a day or two. You will not regret it. There is also a museum of the Three Inch Golden Lotus (in the western side of town) that exhibits the tiny little shoes Chinese women wore in the ancient times. It's also worth checking out. On the one hand, these shoes are very exquisite and amazingly well-preserved. On the other hand, to see how small these feet must be from footbinding really pissed me off. (I am ashamed that my ancestors encouraged and tolerated this form of mutilation for girls and women.)

On the eastern side of town (the originally developed area), there are mansions of wealthy merchants, an outdoor theater, hundred beds museum, and a place where they still manufacture the local textile, blue calico (very pretty white and blue). I'm just naming a few places of interest from what I remember during my previous visit. I'm sure it's a lot more commercialized now.

We will go to Suzhou proper in the afternoon.

For more pictures of Wuzhen, please go HERE.

China Trip -- Part 4 -- Huangshan (8/25/08 - 8/26/08)

2008-09-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

This morning we took a cable car half way up Huangshan 黄山. Huangshan literally means "Yellow Mountain." With its beautiful clouds, mountains, and pine trees, it looks like a live Chinese painting. It's also a UNESCO World Heritage site for its natural beauty and cultural significance (lots of poets and painters from the ancient times were inspired by the serene beauty of Huangshan).

The weather wasn't too bad so I was able to capture some pictures on my point and shoot. Half of the people in our group decided to stay in the hotel to watch the Olympic U.S. vs Spain basketball game, and missed out on some of this scenery (which we won't be able to see the next day). After a nice hike, we went back to the hotel for dinner and the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games.

Several people wanted to watch the famous Huangshan sunrise. I would definitely get up early for it but the weather forecast wasn't good, so I didn't set my alarm. It turned out that it was raining, so nobody went to see the sunrise (you couldn't see a thing). Despite the rain, many of us still went out for out 3 hour hike. We couldn't see much, which was a big disappointment (those people who watched the basketball game last nigh missed out seeing why Huangshan is so famous).... but it was still pretty in a different way. Needless to say, we were all soaked after the hike.

Now I'm sidetracking a bit.... Because Huangshan is such a popular tourist attraction, they have made a lot of improvements on the hiking paths. However, there are no roads half way up the mountain, so everything on Huangshan that's not naturally grown there was carried up by laborers. This means each stone, brick, and, cement, were all brought up by hand. This also means everything in the hotels (including building materials) such as furniture, linens, TVs, bathtubs, and food were brought up by hand. They also bring back down the dirty linens and trash everyday. It is damn impressive but I also feel horribly bad for the laborers. They can't do this for many years. So if you ever go to Huangshan, please be appreciative of what's available and not expect fancy accommodations and food. Also appreciate what you have in life.

Ok, I'll stop the rambling.... After we showered from the hike, we checked out of the hotel and hiked back to the cable car station (about 45 minutes). Tomorrow, we head to Suzhou.

For more pictures of Huangshan, please go HERE.

China Trip -- Part 3 -- Hongcun (8/24/08)

2008-09-23T23:58:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of visiting Hongcun 宏村, or "Hong Village" this morning. Hongcun is a pictoresque village in Anhui Province. Together with Xidi, it was made into a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The village dates back 870 years. The houses we see today date back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and they reflect typical Hui style architechture in the region. Tourism increased dramatically since the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was filmed there. If you have the DVD, check out the first opening scenes that were filmed in the village.

The center of the village is the Moon Pond. A scene from the movie was also filmed here. (Where Chow Yun-Fat chased down Zhang Ziyi for the Green Destiny, and flew across the water over a village pond.)

The typical Hui style architecture involves grey stone buildings, white walls, dark blue tiled roofs with upturned eaves. You can see an examples here:

Even though it was muggy as hell, we didn't want to leave this charming little village.

We head up to Huangshan tomorrow morning.

For more pictures of Hongcun, please go HERE.

China Trip -- Part 2 -- Hangzhou (8/23/08)

2008-09-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

After breakfast, we visited the famous West Lake 西湖 in Hangzhou. This is my second time here, and like the first time, it was raining. (It wasn't as bad as that last time though, and it wasn't raining the whole time.) Maybe because it was the summer, parts of the lake were covered with lotus plants.

Many people who visit Hangzhou probably don't appreciate its beauty. However, it is considered to be very scenic and famous poets throughout China have written numerous poems celebrating its beauty. It is natural that romance and love is associated with the beautiful city of Hangzhou. Two famous Chinese stories I know happend at this beautiful city: Legend of the White Snake 白蛇傳 (the two main characters met here, at the Broken Bridge) and The Butterfly Lovers 梁山伯與祝英台 (the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet).

We first took a stroll down the Bai Causeway 白堤, named after the famous Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi 白居易 for his work as a government official in Hangzhou. Weeping willows covered both sides of the causeway, and with the misty rain, it was the perfect setting for a morning stroll.

We then enjoyed some Dragon Well tea at one of the top ten scenic spots at West Lake, "Moon over the Peaceful Lake in Autumn" 平湖秋月. Then we went on a boat ride around the lake and stopped at one of the islands. From the island, we saw another famous scenic spot called "Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon" 三潭印月. This time, I was fortunate enough to see the finished Leifeng Pagoda 雷峰塔. The last time I was in Hangzhou in 2002, they were still reconstructing it (it had collapsed in 1924). Leifeng Pagoda is another one of the top ten scenic spots at Westlake because of a famous Chinese story, Legend of the White Snake. In the story, the monk trapped the white snake at the bottom of the pagoda. Next time I come to Hangzhou, when I'm not in a tour, I would like to go to the pagoda.

After lunch, we went to the famous Lingyin Temple 靈隐寺, or "Temple of the Soul's Retreat." The temple is part of a bigger tourist attraction along with Feilai Peak 飛來峰 (a limestone peak that looks like it came from elsewhere, thus the name) It is one of the largest temples in China and dates back over 1600 years. The temple is famous because of Daoji, or more commonly known as Jigong 濟公. If you've never heard of Jigong, you probably wouldn't have thought this to be an interesting destination.

That concluded our stay in Hangzhou (until we returned a few days later). We left Zhejiang Province for Anhui Province, (this is my first time in Anhui Province) specifically for Huangshan City (capital of the province). As soon as we crossed into Anhui Province, I noticed the difference in the architectural style of the houses along the freeway. (I will explain more about the Hui style architecture in the next blog entry) After having dinner at the Old Street in Tunxi 屯溪老街, we walked around the shops to see the famous local products for Chinese painting and calligraphy.

We were very fortunate to see a demonstration by a famous calligrapher who has a store there that sells just ink stones. What are ink stones, you ask? These are stones that are made into flat surfaces to grind the ink stick to produce ink. I never knew there's so much to these stones, the people collect them, and that precious ink stones are worth even more than precious jade! The high quality ink stone makes it very smooth when you grind the ink stick (less resistence). Some stones have natural patterns in which the artisan can produce ink stones that can be used and appreciated as art. For an example of this, please click here. The stones from the old mines are very precious, stones from the new mines are not nearly as good. Yes, I was able to tell the difference by grinding the ink stick from a stone from the old mine and a stone from a new mine. Wow, I wish I had money to buy some of these beautiful stones!

For more pictures from Hangzhou, please click HERE.

China Trip -- Part 1 -- Shanghai (8/22/08)

2008-09-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

On our first day in China, we went on a city tour in Shanghai. First, the bus drove us around the Pudong 浦東(east of the Huang Pu River 黃浦江) area. The last time I was in Shanghai was 2002, and Pudong was still a new area. There are nice highrise condos, but it wasn't much of a commercial center. This time around I couldn't even recognize Pudong. The financial center blew me away. I can't imagine how Pudong will look like the next time I visit.

We stopped at the Riverside Park 濱江大道in Pudong to view the Bund from across the river. It was hot (and humid) as hell, and we were all dying.

Then we went to the old Shanghai, Puxi (west of the Huang Pu River) You can tell the big difference between Pudong and Puxi. They took us to the must see stop in Shanghai, the old shopping district by the Yu Gardens and Town God Temple 老城隍豫園商場. It was hot as hell, so we walked around and took some pictures. The place is really crowded and touristy, since all the tourists come here to shop and eat. I really wanted to try the Nanxiang Xiao Long Bao 南翔小籠包, famous juicy pork buns, but the line was just way too long. I didn't want to stand in that long (probably close to an hour wait) in the heat to get some steamy hot pork buns. One of these days, I'll have to try them. Hopefully next time. It was also too hot to have some Ningbo rice ball soup 酒釀圓子, famous from my mom's home town of Ningbo. (rice ball soups are my downfall, along with other delicious carbs) Thankfully, I had some the last time I was here. It's a definitely must eat next time. We had lunch at the famous Lupolang restaurant 綠波廊for some delicious Shanghai-style dim sum and pastries.

After lunch, we went to a new trendy shopping/eating district called Xintiandi 新天地 ("New Heaven and Earth"). Supposedly the governement wanted to tear down the old buildings in this area, but some smart American thought of the idea of renovating these buildings and make it into a nice place to make money. I wasn't so impressed with this place, but it appears that a lot of Americans and Europeans hang out after the sun goes down. There are trendy shops, department stores, bars, and restaurants that make this a popular hangout.

Next, we visited the former residence of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen while he was in Shanghai, located in the French Concession. I didn't take any pictures because it wasn't allowed. I enjoyed this place because the A/C was strong and bathrooms clean.

In the late afternoon, we left Shanghai for Hangzhou 杭州.

For more pictures of Shanghai, please go HERE.

Lexus Showcase, boots sale, and lunch with the Rowland girls

2008-09-08T16:21:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Ben and I went to the Lexus Showcase at the Rose Bowl. This is our 4th time at this event, and each year it gets worse and worse (less budget?). This year was absolutely terrible. (I know what you must be thinking: free food and free drives and you're complaining?) We were only allowed to drive 2 cars and had to leave in 90 minutes. The good thing different from before was that were allowed to drive one car onto the streets, which was nice and different from a closed course. Also, Ben won a BBQ set from a raffle! So it didn't turn out too bad.

Thanks to an email forward from Winnie, Peggy and I went to a warehouse boot sale in Rosemead on Saturday. All boots were 60% off! We each bought 3 pairs of boots. Peggy went back the next day and bought another pair.

It was like a mad house in there. All the boots were organized by size. If you see something you want to try on, you'd better grab them or they won't be there when you come back and look for them. I ended up with 3 pairs for $176 (including tax)! If I didn't have a lunch date with my fellow Rowland gals, I would have been in deep trouble!

So I was late to lunch with Young, Renee, and Tahseen. We went to Carino's for lunch (I've never had Carino's before). Afterwards we went back to Young's house and looked at our yearbooks from 8th grade and senior year in high school. It was hilarious and we had a good laugh.

Back from China.....

2008-09-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

Just came back from a trip to China with my mom and aunt. (中國黃山江南風情九日遊) I'm exhausted (economy class all the way! So spoiled....) with tummy trouble, a nasty cold (with cough and stuffy/runny nose), 15 mosquito bites, and of course, jet lag. Jet lag seems to get worse for me as I get older. It now takes about a week to get back to normal.

This is my 7th trip to China, and I got tummy trouble towards the end of the trip. Out of my 7 trips to China, I got tummy trouble 6 times. For some reason, I was spared tummy trouble last year on my trip to Yunnan. I was on antibiotics for an ear infection, so I thought that might have something to do with not getting sick. (My mom thought I was finally getting used to germs in China....) When I told my doctor about not having tummy trouble, he said it's a different kind of antibiotic, and it has no effect on germs that cause tummy trouble. Well, I didn't have antibiotics all other times (including this trip), and I got tummy trouble, so I'd like to think that it does have something to do with killing those nasty germs.

On this trip, we went to Shanghai, Hangzhou 杭州, Suzhou 蘇州, Huangshan (Yellow Mountains) 黃山, Hongcun 宏村, and Wuzhen 烏鎮. Of these places, I haven't been to Huangshan and Hongcun, so half of the trip was a repeat for me. Shanghai wasn't too interesting (as usual), but I saw more of Hangzhou and Suzhou this time (it rained a lot last time I went). Huangshan was absolutely beautiful, but too bad it rained the second day so we didn't see much (and I got sick from it).

Pictures soon to follow!

Happy birthday to Mom!

2008-08-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my mom's birthday over the weekend, even though her birthday is actually today. (it's one of the big birthdays in Chinese culture, but I won't reveal her age!) We had dinner at New Capital Seafood in Rowland Heights. Great food, but horrible service, and loud as hell. We then went home to have cake at home. Inadvertently, Peggy and I each bought a cake. =P

(Thanks to Peggy for this picture I stole from her)

Huntington Library

2008-08-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

Ben and I went to Huntington Library last weekend. Thanks to a program by the Huntington and the Pasadena Library, the admission was free.

It was a really hot day so we spent the first hour touring the gallery/mansion, which we didn't explore last time (5/07) when it was under renovations. We then took some pictures in the Rose Garden, and then in the Japanese Garden. For some reason, the pond in the Japanese Garden was all dried up (summer time?) and the koi gone, it just didn't look right. This time we visited the bonzai garden, which we also didn't see last time.

Then we headed over to the Chinese Garden, which was opened in 2/08. It's a nice Chinese Garden in the U.S., but of course it's no comparison to the gardens in Suzhou. I was impressed that they brought over funky rocks from the Tai Lake in China and that they hired craftsmen from China to do all the carving by hand. The man-made lake was full of water and koi, so we guessed that they moved the water and fish over from the Japanese Garden. Pretty sad....

It was too hot, though, so we headed over to the Library. I never knew why it's called the Huntington Library until this visit. There is an impressive collection of books and manuscripts that's worth a visit. I would definitely check out the exhibit again the next time I visit.

Congratulations to Mark & Winnie!

2008-07-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Mark and Winnie on their new little girl, Kerrie! Kerrie was born on Friday, July 18th. We're so happy for them and can't wait to meet her!

Happy July 4th!

2008-07-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

We went to Peggy's house for BBQ on July 4th. Peggy and Arnold bought a new grill just for the occasion. Peggy bought some sparklers for Savannah to play with. It brought back memories of Chinese New Year in Taiwan when we were little kids.

On Saturday we went to Winnie and Tim's house for more food and fun. We had Hawaiian BBQ, played poker, and played the Wii Fit and Rock Band.

Happy Father's Day and Happy Birthday to Peggy!

2008-06-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Father's Day this year at California Pizza Kitchen in West Covina. Our original plan was to go to Chevy's, but the place closed down.

A week later, it was Peggy's birthday. We celebrated her birthday before she went to San Diego for the weekend.

Lunch at PJ's Abbey

2008-06-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

We had lunch with our friends Will & So and Llewllyn, Kenny, and Kevin at PJ's Abbey in Orange. Llewellyn moved back from San Antonio and we were all happy to see her. I haven't seen little Kevin since our wedding and he has grown so big!

PJ's Abbey is an interesting restaurant, converted from an old church. The setting and decor are wonderful and the food was fabulous. Half of us had the meatloaf sandwich on Will's recommendation. We all went for gelato afterwards. Thanks, Will, for recommending great food!

(Kevin and Savannah playing together)

(Thanks to Peggy for the pictures!)

Another RHS Mini-Reunion

2008-06-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

We had another RHS (Rowland High School) mini-reunion at Universal City Walk. Sriya was in town and we were super excited to see her tummy! We had dinner at Buca di Beppo and had some coffee/dessert at Coffee Bean. We realized that we were all getting old because we couldn't stand the noise!

(Thanks to Renee for the picture!)

Memorial Day Weekend at Grover Beach

2008-05-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ben and I spent Memorial Day Weekend visiting his mom at Grover Beach. On the way back, we hit the Camarillo Outlets, of course!

Happy Mother's Day and Happy Birthday to Dad!

2008-05-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is always a headache every year because the restaurants are so crowded. Ben came up with a great idea -- we all brought something and ate at home. This is one of his best ideas ever, and my mom was very happy. Coincidentally, it was also my dad's birthday. A day of double happiness became trippled when Peggy announced that she and Arnold are expecting their second one at the end of the year! Congrats! This is the best present to Mom and Dad.

(Thanks to Peggy for the picture)

Miss Saigon and Mark & Winnie's Baby Shower

2008-05-19T22:49:00.000-07:00

Saw "Miss Saigon" the musical at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. This is the first time I've seen this musical but I'm pretty familiar with the music and lyrics. You see, I received the original London cast recording as a present back in high school. I've listened it so many times before. Last, in anticipation of seeing the musical, I found the CDs in a box in parents' place. I listened to the CDs in the car for the whole week and was really, really looking forward to seeing this thing finally.

I was not disappointed at all. It was a spectacular production and I loved every minute of it (other than the guy's big head in front of me). I would love to see it again when it comes back to town. Of course I was bawling during the play, but I knew it would happen. =P

We also had the pleasure of attending Mark and Winnie's baby shower. They are expecting their first child (a daughter) in a couple of months. Congrats! Even though it was over 100 degrees, it was still a lovely gathering. The tacos were awesome! It was also my first time to their lovely abode. Mark has a great collection of sports memorabilia and he managed to overpower Trojan memorabilia with good stuff from UCLA. Yay!

Savannah having fun at the baby shower -- so many bubbles!

CA Adventure and Savannah turns 2!

2008-05-03T22:59:00.000-07:00

This Friday was Ben's day off, (he gets every 4th Friday off) so we decided to go to California Adventure since there should be less people on a Friday. Ben's sister gave us tickets to Disneyland (2fer) for Christmas, so we better use them up. The last time we were at California Adventure we didn't ride some of the rides because I got sick from the ferris wheel. Yup, you heard right, I felt sick from the ferris wheel. We opted for a car that swings, and it really got me sick. I know, it's pathetic. So this time around, we went on all the rides and skipped the ferris wheel.

On Saturday we visited David's wife Yoko and the new addition to their family, Archie. He's such a cutie!

Savannah turns 2 this week! Time really flies! On Sunday, Peggy and Arnold had a little get together at their new house to celebrate her birthday.

Congratulations to Yoko and David!

2008-04-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Yoko and David on the new addition to their family, Archie! Archie was born on Tax Day, April 15th. We can't wait to meet him!

Goodbye, Hsiung Hsiung.....

2008-04-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

Our chow Hsiung Hsiung passed away on Monday, April 14th. Our family has been blessed to have had him in our lives for the last 14 years. He brought us so much joy and happiness. He's now in heaven with Grandpa and Doggie. Rest in peace.....we miss you!

UCLA Scholarship Interviews

2008-04-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of conducting alumni association scholarship interviews for incoming UCLA freshman. It was very time consuming reviewing the applications ahead of time. The types and amount of activities these poor kids must do to stand out is outrageous! I would have never been able to survive high school with that much going on. It was interesting how some applicants look very good on paper but had poor interviewing/presentation skills. It was an interesting experience.

Sweeney Todd

2008-03-24T18:42:00.000-07:00

We went to see Sweeney Todd at the Ahmanson Theater yesterday with Peggy, Kai, and Kai's friend Erica. It was a little too wierd for me. The plot was confusing and difficult to understand, the music was odd, and there was no change of the set other than the actors moving props around on the stage. However, I was very impressed with all the actors who played multiple characters and also served as the orchestra. (Yes, they played all the music during the entire show!)

March Madness!

2008-03-21T15:18:00.000-07:00

Gina reading the sports page! You must be kidding! The only time I read the sports page is during March Madness. This is such an exciting year! Go BRUINS!

Mammoth Trip

2008-03-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to the Mammoth Mountains last weekend with my family. I've been to Mammoth one time (in 1/2000) and had a bad experience skiing for the first time (I sprankled my ankle). Ben, on the other hand, has never skiied before. We decided to take a lesson. I was much better than the last time, but I still scared. Both of us were out of shape and we decided to call it quits after lunch. Ben thought skiing was harder than he expected.

For more pictures, go here.

Wicked

2008-03-04T16:39:00.000-08:00

On Friday (2/29) Ben and I went to see Wicked the Musical. I wasn't really thrilled to see this musical because it didn't seem interesting. Peggy thought so too but she went to see it anyway after hearing all these great reviews. She was also skeptical but she ended up liking it. So she gave me tickets for my birthday. It was certainly better than I expected. Like Peggy said, the music and songs are just ok, but the story is pretty good. It was a pleasant surprise.

On Sunday (3/2) we attended David and Yoko's baby shower. Yoko is due at the end of April. They are expecting a boy. Savannah will have another playmate soon!

(the favors --bib and bottle cookies with sprinkles and frosting. I broke the bottle cookie by accident.)

We're getting ready for our ski trip to Mammoth this weekend. The last time we went was in 2000 (MLK weekend), a long time ago. Ben has never skiied before, and I didn't have a good experience last time. So we will both take a lesson. Weather forecast is good, it won't be snowing (like last time, which made it miserable).

Victoria Gardens

2008-02-26T22:38:00.000-08:00

My friend Winston came down to LA for a few days. We met up with Joanne and her husband Mike at Gordon Biersch in Old Town Pasadena for dinner on President's Day. Although Gordon Biersch is near our apartment, we never ate there. All I know is that they have good garlic fries. It's kind of sad, really, when you don't appreciate the fact that Old Town Pasadena is right around the corner.

I haven't seen Winston since our wedding reception in Millbrae (10/06). We didn't even have a chance to talk. It was nice seeing him and Joanne again. Winston is getting married in August, we should be able to attend.

Yesterday we hung out with Winnie, Tim, and Lily at Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, or "The RC." Apparently this is the new hang out of the Inland Impire. Winnie and I feel bad that Lily always have to drive so far to meet up. I haven't been to Victoria Gardens, so this is a perfect place to meet. I've been craving good BBQ but haven't found a decent place. Winnie said Lucille's is awesome, and there happens to be one at Victoria Gardens. They have everything there: Pinkberry, Flemings (which we will try next time), Beard Papa's, Yard House, Cheesecake Factory, and so much more. It's a cute place, much bigger than The Grove. Lots of shops. It's like a cute little town. Too bad it was raining and cold so we didn't explore even half of the place. We will have to revisit this cool hang out in the near future.

Lucille's was delicious. They have this apple butter (I LOVE butter!) to spread on biscuits. So yummy! We ordered BBQ chicken, St. Louis spare ribs, and tri tip. The portions are large so two people can order one. The food = excellent! There was also a live blues singer (good but a bit loud if you want some good conversations).

Thailand -- Part 4 -- Bangkok (12/29/07 - 12/30/07)

2008-02-24T23:45:00.000-08:00

The official tour ended yesterday. We stayed two extra days in Bangkok before we returned home.

12/29/07: We spent the whole day shopping at the Chatuchak Weekend Market. This place is huge (35 acres)! They sell everything here: clothing, antiques, crafts, fabric, food, and live animals. The place is so big that you really need a map (and you can't find one anywhere) to narrow down the sections you want to shop. I bought some cute silk wraps and cushion cases, purses, and souvenirs. They also sell pets. Puppies were everywhere (and cheap, too! A pure bred puppy for about $30 U.S.) I really wanted to take one home. They even sell baby squirrels! My feet hurt so much from walking (plus is was hot) that I was miserable at the end. The place is that big. It is the king of all markets! If you're ever in Bangkok, I highly recommend spending a day here!

12/30/07: We spent the morning strolling through the Jim Thompson House, a little piece of paradise in the heart of busy Bongkok. This was the residence of the American silk merchant, Jim Thompson, who revived the Thai silk industry. He constructed this house by putting together six traditional Thai teak houses. The house also exhibits his personal collection of art and antiques. You would never think such a tranquil place exists in middle of Bangkok. Also a recommended stop!

We then spent the rest of the day at the Siam Paragon, the biggest mall in Asia! This place is ginormous! There's even an aquarium here! My favorite place in the entire mall is of course, the food court and the supermarket. I was so fascinated by all sorts of food stands, it was heaven! We had pad-thai and KFC. (ever since we ate KFC in Athens, we decided to try KFC in every country we visit) My feet hurt so much at the end of the day that I was going to die (they hurt so much already from yesterday). We ended our day early and bought some food to-go to eat back at the hotel for an early night (early flight back to LA the next morning).

For more pictures, go here.

Thailand -- Part 3 -- Bangkok (12/27/07 - 12/28/07)

2008-02-23T23:16:00.000-08:00

12/27/07: We left Pattaya to return to Bangkok. On the way back, we stopped by a snake farm. We saw the end of a snake performance and then was escorted to listen to a sales pitch about buying snake products. Of course we didn't buy anything. We also stopped by a local produce store and bought lots of local candies, dried fruit products and chips, and more yummy goodies. Back in Bangkok, the tour guide took us to a leather store to kill time before dinner. The stuff is expensive, but not as expensive as the U.S. This was a big store with 3 stories, and the prices get cheaper as you go up each level. (it was a good thing Peggy told us about this) They have exotic leather goods made from elephant, crocodile, and sting rays. This is the first time I've heard about sting ray leather.

We stayed at the Montien Riverside Hotel during our stay in Bangkok. The hotel is nice but it's quite far away from the city center and night market. Fortunately, the hotel offers a shuttle service that goes to their sister hotel in the city center and various other locations near the metro stations. Being the anal person that I am, I looked up all the metro stations to the places we want to visit after the end of the tour. So although it was a bit inconvenient, it turned out ok.

12/28/07: We hit the highlight s of the city today. In the morning, we visited the beautiful Grand Palace. This palace complex is breathtaking. Gold everywhere! We also paid our respects to the Emerald Buddha, also houses in the palace complex. After the palace we went on a ride on a longtail boat on the Chao Praya River. This river is the life and blood to the Thai people. We ended the day with a sunset dinner cruise on the river. I was a bit disappointed because I had hoped the cruise would be later so I could see the night view of the river bank, especially with all the temples lit up. I guess this earlier cruise is cheaper for the tour operator than the later cruise. There were a couple of other tour groups from a certain mainland. They were typically obnoxious (pushing and shoving, cutting in line if there was a line at all, taking all the food like this is the last meal on earth, and their tour guide was the same!) so it was amusing to people watch.

For more pictures, go here.

Thailand -- Part 2 -- Pattaya (12/26/07)

2008-02-22T14:31:00.000-08:00

The second morning we went parasailing in Pattaya Bay. They have this whole system set up where and guests get strapped on, taken away, pictures taken, and land with great efficiency. We bought 2 laps and got 1 lap for free (1 lap is too short). I have parasailed in Maui before. It was scarier than I remembered (I guess I'm getting old) but still had fun. This was Ben's first time parasailing and he had a lot of fun. Since we were both in line and strapped in, we weren't able to take pictures of each other. The pictures taken by the operators look pretty bad (I looked fat and uncompromising) so we didn't buy their pictures. So we have no evidence of us parasailing.

After parasailing we took a speed boat to Koh Lann/Coral Island about 7 km from Pattaya. It's about a 45 minute boat ride. The beach at Coral Island is long and narrow, with venors by the beach selling all kinds of souvenirs, grilled seafood, and fresh fruit. This is definitely a touristy place. Ben and I went on a jetski ride around the area (tandem). It was the first time for both of us. I don't mind owning one of these! After the jet ski we walked around the beach, and I swam in the warm clear water while Ben lounged around (he doesn't swim). We ate yummy papaya and had a nice seafood lunch before we headed back to Pattaya.

We went back to our hotel, took a shower and a little nap, then headed for Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden. This place is huge! Locals come here for a nice day out on the weekend because there's something for everywhere. Nong Nooch is famous for the orchid garden. They have beautiful orchids of all shapes, sizes and colors. We saw a monkey trained to pick coconuts from trees. Then we saw a traditional dance show about Thai culture and a very entertaining elephant show.

For dinner, we had an authentic Thai meal across the street from our hotel. I had some of the spiciest Thai curries ever! I nearly died and drank a whole pitcher of water. It was very delicious but way too spicy!

After dinner we saw the (in)famous Tiffany's Cabaret Show. Now this is interesting, for Ben has never heard of this cabaret show of transvestite performers. He had his doubts, even though I've heard numerous accounts from people who have seen it that the "ladies" are more gorgeous than natural women. Lo and behold, they are right! You cannot tell these ladies were once men! Not only are the beautiful, they have gorgeous figures! I'm so jealous! It was quite an interesting experience.

After a long, long day, we had midnight dessert before we headed back to our hotel. What was for dessert? Bird's nest and shark fin, of course!

For more pictures, go here.

Thailand -- Part 1 -- Going to Pattaya (12/25/07)

2008-02-21T16:35:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting around to writing about our trip to Thailand, 2 months later!

Ben and I decided to go somewhere for Christmas because his company close down between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Plus the additional days from the weekend before Christmas, we had a good many days to actually go somewhere. Peggy, Arnold, and Savannah went to Thailand and Taiwan around Thanksgiving. They had a lot of fun, so we decided we'd check out Thailand.

My mom booked us on the same tour as Peggy, and we stayed 2 days extra at the end in Bangkok. We had one tour guide and one driver (as did Peggy) so that was like VIP treatment without paying the VIP price! You can't go to Thailand at a better time. This is the coolest time of the year. We were extremely lucky that we were able to get hotels at this time of the year, especially during the holidays.

We arrived at Bangkok around 2 o'clock in the morning so we just went to sleep. The next morning we headed to Pattaya, a beach resort town southeast of Bangkok. We had lunch at the Sriacha Tiger Zoo. We had yummy crocodile kabobs and soup! It tastes like tough chicken.

There were many interesting things to see at the Tiger Zoo. We took pictures with a tiger cub and crocodiles. We saw a crocodile and tiger show. There were just crocs everywhere! We also saw a pig that does math, piglet races, a tigress who feeds piglets, and family of tiger, pig, and dog living together. All kinds of interesting things..... Too bad we couldn't stay longer!

Then near the town of Pattaya, we went to this elephant village and rode an elephant. That was a great experience! The ride was bumpy but you can see the whole village on top of the elephant. The elephant trainers live in little huts without real walls and roof. It made me feel bad and appreciate what I have.

We arrived at Pattaya in the evening and checked in our hotel, the Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa. The location of this hotel can't be any better, it's in the middle of everything. The town is all decked out in Christmas decorations.

After a seafood buffet dinner, Ben and I walked around town. This is a very seedy town. Tourists from Europe and Russia everywhere, with scantily clad local women in their arms. (Supposedly many of these men rent a place and stay for months. They have local girls as their companions during their stay.) We walked to this pedestrian area full of bars and go-go bars. You can see the girls dancing on top of tables right inside the doors (they leave them wide open). There were also men asking you if you want to see various "ping pong" or "tiger" shows (sex shows). On one of the side streets there was a district for male dancers, shows and services (for both female and gay male clientele). It was really an interesting experience.

More pictures here.

More celebrations

2008-02-18T17:34:00.000-08:00

Ben took me to The Raymond in Pasadena for my birthday. Even though I don't acknowledge anymore birthdays after I turned 30, Ben thought it should still be celebrated. It's a nice romantic restaurant tucked in the corner. You would never think there's a nice restaurant there. It used to be the caretaker's cottage for Walter Raymond who built the grand Raymond Hotel, one of the first premier hotels in Pasadena in the early 20th Century.

This is a popular restaurant for special occasions. It was full when we were there because people couldn't get reservations for Valentine's Days (the next day). I had the butternut squash soup and the New Zealand rack of lamb. Ben had the blue crab and avocado salad and the potato crusted sea bass. Very delicious and generous portion for an upscale restaurant. Highly recommended!

For Valentine's Day Ben bought me a burrito from King Taco. Pretty sad, you say? Well, I had to get up really early the next morning, so we didn't have time for a nice meal. Besides, poor Ben already took me to a nice place the night before. I love King Taco so it was an enjoyable meal. Unfortunately, the hot sauce didn't agree with my stomach and gave me tummy trouble the next morning. It always gives me tummy trouble but I continue to smother it on my buritto. It's well worth it and it's not the same without the hot sauce.

I bought Ben a Dilbert game a Snoopy boxers for Valentine's. He's a kid at heart.

I love freebies so I've signed up for all these birthday clubs with various restaurants. This last Saturday (2/16) Ben and I went to Daphne's Greek Cafe for lunch to redeem my free birthday plate. (this is the only time I acknowledge my birthday, for free food!) I had the calamari plate. Yummy!

After lunch we went shopping at Big 5 for some ski gear at their winter clearance sale. While putting on goggles and looking silly, my Dad called and asked us if we want to go over for free lunch. Apparently they were attending some rally luncheon for the Taiwan elections at Almansor Court in Alhambra. One of their friends sponsored an entire table but half of the people didn't show up. Even though we just finished lunch, I decided what the hay, let's eat again! I was so stuffed after eating 2 lunches that I had to go home and take a nap!!

Later that night Ben and I went over to Red Robin in Whittier to use my free birthday burger coupon. The rest of the family went also. Red Robin is becoming a tradition for my free birthday burger. Having eaten so much already for the day, I still ate a big juicy teriyaki burger. Yummy!! That concluded my day of free meals (and frankly, way too much food)! Until next year!

Salute to our Presidents

2008-02-18T16:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Presidents Day, especially to those of you who have today off!

I recently reconnected with my friend Deborah from law school. I can't remember how long it's been since I saw her (must be a few years). She recently started her new job at the U.S. Attorney's Office at the Federal Building in downtown. I happen to volunteer in the same building every Tuesday morning with LA County Bar Association's Immigration Legal Assistance Project. We had lunch on 2/5 in Little Tokyo, just a few blocks away from the building. It was really nice to catch up and see her again.

Deborah told me that our other friend from law school Connie would be in town. We met up in for lunch on Saturday 2/9 at Mike & Anne's, a delightful little place in South Pasadena. I also had the pleasure of meeting Deborah's friend Claudia, who is also an attorney. I haven't seen Connie for a couple of years so it was nice catching up with her as well. I have to make a better attempt at keeping in touch with my friends.

Later that night, Ben and I went to Winnie and Tim's house for a little get together. Winnie made us delicious organic spaghetti. She also taught us her method of eating spaghetti -- by adding a slice of cheese and some green peas. I guess it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I like it! We also played Wii sports (tennis specifically). We also played Rock Band, which is really fun. I played Guitar Hero before, so this is even more interesting because you can have up to 4 players at the same time (lead and bass gutars, drums, and the singer). It was Lily's first time on the Wii and Rock Band. Let's just say she's a natural!

Then on Sunday 2/10 we went to Buca di Beppo in Brea to celebrate the February birthdays in the family. Arnold, my cousin Oliver, and me have birthdays 2 days apart. We missed Peggy, Arnold, and Savannah for a good part of the dinner because Savannah was still taking her nap, and there was a blackout in the area so they couldn't get out of the garage and the property gate. They made it just in time when we all finished eating, but there was plenty of leftovers. Peggy brought a tres leches cake. Yummy!

Weekend Recap

2008-01-28T16:59:00.000-08:00

What a fun weekend!

Friday: Peggy and I saw two movies and went shopping! We saw Juno and Cloverfield. Juno is hysterical and I highly recommended. Cloverfield is not recommended, especially if you puke easily. Peggy and I both felt ripped off at the end, and nauseous. We bought some stuff at Victoria's Secret before the semi-annual sale is over. I'm not like VS as much as before. The bras are way too expensive (nearly $50 after taxes for 1 freakin' bra) and their panties are now paper thin. What a rip off! Peggy also bought stuff for Savannah. I guess once you become a parent you don't buy much for yourself anymore.

Saturday: Ben started preparing egg rolls Friday evening for us to bring to a little Rowland get together. Ben made egg rolls and dipping sauce from scratch (except the egg roll skins). He also made sausage puff pastry rolls (not from scratch). We met up with Daisy, Sylvia, Wendy, and Betty and their husbands (except Nathan) at Sylvia's house. Everyone was very impressed with Ben's egg rolls. Of all the ladies only Betty and I don't have kids yet, we just have cats!

Sunday: Ben and I met up with Joanne for a delicious lunch at Cezanne in the Le Merigot Hotel in Santa Monica for dineLA week. The three of us tried everything on the dineLA menu. Fabulous! The corn chowder was good and so was the chocolate cake. Too bad the weather was bad so we didn't enjoy Santa Monica as we should. After lunch Ben and I went to Westside Pavilion (since we don't go to the WLA area often) to walk off all those calories. I bought a pair of jeans that's a bit small for me. I've been looking for a nice pair of jeans, but they're always so freakin' long and my ass and thighs look too big. I hope this new pair gives me motivation so I can soon fit my fat ass in their.

Today: My brother Kai sent me a link to his Facebook page. Damn him! I couldn't open his page unless I set up an account and before I knew it, I spent almost 3 freakin' hours on it! This is bad. When I first started Friendster, I spent a lot of time on that stupid thing. So I swore to myself that I will not start a Facebook or MySpace page. Now I'm in trouble with Facebook!

Thailand for Christmas

2008-01-09T17:04:00.000-08:00

Ben and I went to Thailand for Christmas. We wanted to go to some place warm. We were very, very lucky to be able to go on this trip with everything booked up a month in advance. Thailand is very humid and warm. November to January is the coolest time of the year, so it's high season, on top of being the holidays. Ben and I can fathom being there when it's warmer.

We had lots of fun, bought stuff, and ate yummy food (especially all the delicious tropical fruits, with mango being our favorite). Also saw lots of movies during the flights (The Bourne Ultimatum, Ratatouille, Stardust, Rush Hour 3). My mom put us on a tour for Pattaya and Bangkok, and we stayed in Bangkok for two more days after the tour.

Will post pictures soon!

I'm now reading "The Other Boleyn Girl"and I can't put it down, even though I already know the ending. I saw the book in the bookstore a few months ago and thought it was interesting. About a month later I saw it again in the bookstore, but this time with the cover of the movie. Once I found out that they made a movie, I decided to read it before the movie comes out in February. I think the casting is a bit odd. I see Natalie Portman as more of a Mary Boleyn and Scarlett Johansson as more of an Anne Boleyn, but it's the other way around in the movie. I'll have to see the movie when it comes out.

Donated my wedding dress

2007-11-07T13:16:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I donated my wedding dress and veil and brought it back to the cycle of good karma. I brought it back to the same charity where I purchased about 2 years ago. Not only is it for a great cause, I also get a tax deduction for the donation. People always ask me if it's hard to part with my wedding dress, and my answer is "no." The huge thing takes up so much space, I don't want to pay over $100 to preserve it, my daughter (if I have one) will not wear it for her wedding, and I'm not really going to look at it or use it again. Someone else out there will have much better use of it than letting it sit there and collect dust. Plus, the proceeds will go towards granting wishes of terminally ill breast cancer patients. It's the perfect way for my dress to go. I also volunteered at the gown sale for more than 6 hours, and my feet and legs are tired. (Getting old!) So I'm taking it easy today and just stay home.

Recap of last month (after our trip to Carmel) ~

Ben and I went to Universal Studios Halloween Horrors Nights for my favorite holiday -- Halloween! We got tickets for half off but it was raining that night. We finished the 4 mazes right before midnight and went home soaking wet. There are some hardcore people staying there until the last minute! Crazy!

Ben also had the opportunity to visit the Playboy Mansion. What a lucky guy! He couldn't go last year for the Mopars show because we were on our honeymoon. Good thing he gets to go this year so he can stop talking crap about not being able to go.

(Ben and the Playboy Bunnies) (....and with Ms. October)

Ben and I also went to San Jose for the semi-annual cemetery visit for the Lau family.

I also started volunteering at the LA County Bar Association Immigration Legal Assistance Project. I've been trying to get on the project since the spring and have been waitlisted until now. (Can you imagine that many attorneys want to volunteer?) I don't do very much but I get to do some consultations on a variety of cases. The project doesn't take cases for clients, they just help prepare petition and prep people of interviews. They also do consultations and tell people what to do or refer them to attorneys. I'll be volunteering for 12 weeks.

Ben and I also spent 3 hours in Disneyland with Wade, Aster, and Kaycie last weekend. We got in for free from someone else's park hopper tickets. After a nice big burger at Red Robin, we went into the park at the perfect time. Everyone was preoccupied with fireworks and the Fantasmic show that we went on the rides without waiting in line! How wonderful!

Well, it's fall already.... and I love this weather. Can't believe the holidays are coming up so soon.... that means stress and crowds. This year went by so fast!

Happy Anniversary!

2007-10-10T17:05:00.000-07:00

Monday was our first wedding anniversary. I can't believe one year went by already! This year went by unbelievably fast! Since we couldn't go to my friend Joanne's July wedding in Carmel, Ben thought it would be nice to make a trip out there.

On Friday we drove to Grover Beach to spend a night at Ben's mom's house. On Saturday we all drove to San Jose. In the afternoon we attended Kaycie's 3 year old birthday party at Wade and Aster's house. It was lovely seeing Annie, Dave, Nathan, and Calvin! We also had one-year old cake from our reception at Hong Kong Flower Lounge last October. I've never had one year old cake and this was better than I expected. The strawberry filling was ok, but the cake part was chewy. No one else wanted to try it. Then on Sunday we had the obligatory dim sum at Mayflower and shopping at 99 Ranch Market in Milpitas (same as last time when we went up over Labor Day weekend). After that we drove to Carmel.

We stayed at the Carmel Wayfarer Inn, which is about 3-4 blocks from the main street in town. Our room had a cute little kitchenette. I've stopped by Carmel for a quick lunch about 12 years ago, and Ben has never been to Carmel before. Carmel is so charming that I don't think I would ever stay in a boring hotel. Lovely town but super expensive! We walked around town about and ate an early dinner at The Grill on Ocean Avenue. We were both hungry since we ate lunch early (dim sum), and I didn't eat much for lunch since there's not much I can eat and I wasn't hungry. We saw The Grill's "Sunset Prix fixe"menu that ends at 6:00 p.m., $21.50 for soup/salad, entree, and dessert. Not bad at all for Carmel prices where an entree is easily $25+. So we walked around some more and came back for dinner before 6:00. Ben had the flat iron steak and I had the calamari steak. Yummy! Highly recommended if you can eat early! After dinner we walked to Carmel Beach. It was quite dark already and there were still lots of people there. Walking back was pretty much pitch black until we got to the town area. Most places were closed (except restaurants and coffee shops) so we went back to our inn.

The next morning we went to Point Lobos about 3 miles south of Carmel-By-the-Sea. We were too cheap to pay for the $9/car entrance fee so we parked on Highway 1. Since we didn't pay, we didn't get a map. We looked at the trail map by the entrance and decided to go south. Who knew there were no maps in the reserve! By the time we hit the end of the trail, there were no maps anywhere in sight! We followed another trail along the coastline to a picnic area. Still no map. Followed the coastline some more, found a very clean bathroom, and decided to take a trail that we thought led towards the middle of the reserve, and hopefully to the entrance. Nope, we kept going and going and hit the north side of the reserve. We finally found a map at the little whalers cabin museum on the north side, and found a trail that led back to the entrance.

We drove back to the inn to rest and headed off to Katy's Place, about 1 1/2 block away, for a late lunch. This is a popular breakfast joint. There are soooo many choices on the menu. There are 15 different kinds of eggs benedict alone! It was very delicious!! After lunch we walked around town again. Since we walked around so much today we both took a nap. For dinner we ate at a small French/German restaurant called Coq D'Or, also about a block away. The place is very small, it seats about 36 people inside. I had the cordon bleu and Ben had the wiener schnitzel (pan fried veal). We also had sausages for appetizers (I love sausages from all nations!) and a delicious cream of mushroom soup. The owner is an old lady who came from Germany. She collected all sorts of cow bells from the alps and hung them on the ceiling of the restaurant. Very cute! We went back to the inn after dinner and watched "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" from the inn's video library.

We were sad to leave Carmel. We'll definitely be back. Next time we'll go to Point Lobos again and hopefully find the west side of the reserve where the sea lions and otters hang out. (so sad we couldn't find it this time)

Since I had too much fun, I decided to do some chores today. I finally recycled the bottles and cans after 2 previous attempts. Got $10.45 for 4 kitchen trash bagfuls. Not bad. Then I bought groceries, vacuumed, took out some trash. I feel better.

About the car: It's still at the dealer. They have to replace an entire part which had to be shipped from Japan. We had a loaner (2000 Nissan Maxima) since last Thursday, and we drove it this weekend (so that's not so bad). Hopefully we get our car back soon.

Broomball!

2007-09-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

We played broomball at the Pasadena Center over the weekend. The game was originally set last month, but for some reason many people went out of town, so I had to reschedule. We haven't played broomball for at probably 7-9 years! We had a good turnout (18 players) and they had real broom sticks for us! We taped up brooms like we did, ghetto style, but they said "no" when we got there because brooms break. How times have changed! It was fun, even though our team didn't score a single point. It was really more like the 20s versus the 30s! Getting old! Some people fell on their butts and we were sore for a couple of days. Definitely want to do this again before we get even older and more tied down (more kids popping out)!

As for my car....I took it to the dealer, hoping they fix the leak from the AC condensation. It turns out that they have to remove the dash and change an entire part. (still don't know what it's called, even though I asked Ben several times already) The car will be with the dealer for this week. Now I have a rental, Mazda CX 7 (a small SUV) until Thursday. Not a bad car. After Thursday Nissan will give me a loaner. (350Z?) Such a pain in the ass!

The Bachelor: Is Brad hot or what? Believe it or not, I've never watched the show before. Peggy told me this guy's hot so I watched the season premier last night for that reason. Brad is hot! Very yummy! I just hope Ben's Monday Night Football won't interfere with my weekly viewing of Brad! Can't wait to see his twin brother!

The Kite Runner: Just finished reading the book last night. (I read it after Peggy finished reading it) It was one of those books I can't put down and stayed up late reading it. Very excellent book, highly recommended for those of you who haven't read it yet. The whole book is very disturbing but a great read. Peggy and I both agree that the Afghan people are very similar to us Chinese people. They have social and class differences, proud of their culture, invasion by the Communists, war torn country that's no longer recognizable, refugees all over the world, hardworking immigrants in the U.S., just to name a few. I found the Chinese version at the Pasadena Library and requested it for my Mom to read. I'm sure she'll enjoy it very much. Looking forward to the movie in November!

Avenue Q and the Getty

2007-09-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we saw the funny as heck musical, Avenue Q, at the Ahmanson Theater. At the recommendation of my sister Peggy, we got half price tickets through Goldstar Events. This show makes fun of everyone and everything without prejudice. It's a puppet show with real people characters. There's even puppet sex! Definitely not for children and the weak, but highly recommended if you want a good laugh!

On Sunday we went to the Getty Museum and the Getty Villa with my parents. I took Ben to the Getty Museum back in 2003 when he came to visit me. I went to the Getty Villa in Malibu a long time ago (let's say in 1993) for my college art history class. My parents have never been to either so we decided we might as well hit both since they're in the neighborhood. It was a beautiful day and we could see the ocean on top of the hill from the Getty Museum. We saw so much artifacts and artwork enough to fill the quota for a while. The Getty Museum exhibits European art and decorations from the medieval times to the Impressionist era in the 1800s. Most of the work we saw was from the Renaissance. The Getty Villa exhibists artifacts from antiquity (Etruscan, Greek, Roman, and some Egyptian). It was geek fest all over again for me and I haven't seen cool stuff dug up from the ground since last October (in Greece). As for modern architecture vs. the ancient, I much prefer the replica of the Roman villa in Malibu.

Other exciting news.... Beauty and the Geek is back! Peggy introduced me to this trash TV and I loved the last season! Gotta clear up that TiVo space for fall shows!

Also, the Force will unleash on the Wii with a new Star Wars game! Yup, you will be able to use the Wiimote as a Light Sabre! How cool is that!

Another exciting news -- Robotech the movie is in the works! Hurray! Thank you Spidey, I mean Toby!

As for my new car, the floor on the passenger side is always wet due to leaking from the AC condensation. I'll have to get it fixed at the dealer this weekend. Otherwise, I love my new car! Such a big change from the Cavalier! I'm still not used to the keyless ignition, always reaching for my keys by the ignition after I park the car.

Picked up the car! (Finally!)

2007-08-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

We finally picked up the car from the dealer. The car was supposedly ready yesterday....but when we got to the dealer, they didn't fill up the gas, the floor mats were missing, the interior didn't look as clean as it should be, and they didn't remove/disconnect the original break lights in the back. We told them to get everything right for us to pick up tomorrow, then we went over to have dinner for my mom's birthday.

Well, the car is finally ready. For the inconvenience of having to come back for it, Ben hit up two free oil changes from them. Yay! We drove the car to my parents' office so they can drive it to Rowland. We have only 2 parking spaces in the apartment, and I wanted to clean up my little Cavalier before handing it back to my parents.

Tonight, we head up to Grover Beach....hopefully the temperature is more tolerable there!

Yay! New car!

2007-08-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

We bought a new car today (to replace my 10-year-old Chevy Cavalier that I got right before law school started)! We got a 2007 Nissan Altima 2.5S in Precision Grey with a convenience package (power seats, leather wrapped steering wheel, steering wheel stereo controls, auto headlights). Ben did all the research and asked around for quotes. We test drove this car and the Toyota Rav4. I know, they're totally different cars. I really liked the Rav4 in Pacific Blue, and the Altima doesn't have a similar color. I decided on the Altima because I'm just more used to driving a sedan. We also decided on a V4 instead of a V6 (it takes premium gas and I don't want to pay for it). Oh yeah, we also added on a spoiler!

The car will be ready in a few days, after the dealer install the spoiler. Can't wait!

I do feel a little sad parting with my Cavalier. Even though it's dinky and dirty, it took me everywhere for the last 10 years.

RHS mini-reunion

2007-08-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

(Thanks to Renee for the picture!)

Yesterday, we had a mini-reunion for gal pals from Rowland High School. (Me, Lily, Renee, Young, and Tahseen) I think it started when Sriya came back to LA during the holidays and we would try to meet up with her. Then a couple of years back we found Young. So hopefully this will be a semi-annual gathering every year. Thanks to Tahseen for putting this together this time! It's always nice catching up with everyone and it's amazing that we can still talk about all sorts of things after all these years. After talking about some books we've all been reading, we decided to do a book club so we can discuss a book the next time we meet. We also hope we can meet up with Sriya next time.

I also met up with Joanne and Mike, newlyweds who moved down to L.A. from the Bay Area. Joanne was one of my roommates from the Loveboat summer camp I went to in Taiwan back in '93. Joanne and Mike got married in Carmel on 777, but I couldn't attend because my grandfather just passed away. After the wedding they moved to L.A. It was nice seeing them again and hopefully we can hang out more often!

True Believer

2007-08-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading True Believer by Nicholas Sparks. This is my first Sparks novel. While the premises is interesting, it's really a love story. Not a very interesting love story I'd say. Just an ok book to read if you're bored.

Ben and I went to visit Ben's mom at Grover Beach over the weekend. Nice and cold over there, a break from the heat in L.A.

Burke Williams Spa Day!

2007-07-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Peggy and I went to Burke Williams Pasadena for a nice day at the spa. This is the first spa experience for both of us! Pretty pathetic, huh? (Well, I've been to spas in China, but not in the U.S.)

What happened was Peggy gave me a massage gift certificate for Christmas when I was still in law school. I never used it. For Peggy's birthday, I decided to give her a gift certificate so we can go together. (I had to pay the difference in the price increase.)

We spent about 4 hours at the spa. We got our half hour back massage. My therapist warned me that she tends to use more pressure, but it wasn't bad at all. It was a lot more tolerable than the massages I got in China, where they get your pressure points. After our massage, Peggy and I enjoyed the facilities at our leisure. We had unlimited use of the jacuzzi, steam room, and sauna. We both couldn't take the heat too much and always came out after a few minutes. We also used all the nice facial care and hair products after a nice shower. It was great!

UCLA Extension Immigration Course

2007-07-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I'm starting my 6-week UCLA Extension course on Immigration. This class has a business immigration slant on it, so hopefully I'll learn something useful. This is my first UCLA Extension class, and I've only heard good things about it.

Lunch with Richard and Elisa

2007-07-01T22:33:00.000-07:00

We had lunch today with Elisa and her husband and Richard, Roanna, and Charles. Elisa and drove all the way from San Diego just to have lunch with us! What an honor! I haven't seen Elisa since I was laid off at W&N (Nov. 2002). As for Richard, Roanna, and Charles, we haven't seen them since the wedding, and we didn't even have a chance to talk on that day. Charles is so big now and he's absolutely adorable! It was great seeing everyone and catching up again.

After lunch, Ben and I stopped by my parents' house for a visit. After we left there was a brush fire in back of the hill of my parents' house! They were evacuated across the street while the firemen put out the fire. This is a small fire relative to those huge brush fires they cover on the news, but Fox 11 News was their and interviewed my mom. The cat even got a screen shot! Needless to say my parents were freaked out but no damages was done to any of the houses. The firemen said it looked like there were 3 starting points, which implies that it may be an arsonist. The last time there was a brush fire in back of the house was when Peggy was still in high school, so it has definitely been a very long time. With little rainfall this year and the crazy heat, everyone must be careful to avoid disaster!

Finally picked out wedding pictures!

2007-06-24T22:13:00.000-07:00

How long has it been? We picked up our wedding pictures in November 2006. They told us to take our time picking them out because we'd be busy over the holidays. Well, who knew picking out pictures would be so painful! We picked out a set for Ben's mom's album a few months ago, but we were still left with the bride's parents album, our couple album, and enlargements.

Well, the task is finally completed today. I can call up the photographer and tell them we're ready. Hopefully they still remember us! We're sooooo horrible....

Goodbye, Grandpa....

2007-06-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

My grandfather passed away last weekend. (I'm not going to write too much about it because it's painful for all of us) It came as a surprise for all of us, even though we knew he hasn't been feeling well for a few days already. He passed in his sleep so hopefully he wasn't in any pain or discomfort. He's now with my grandma, but we will miss him greatly.....

Huntington Library

2007-05-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday on Memorial Day, we visited the nearby Huntington Library. (Thanks to a promotion from Bank of America/MBNA credit cards for free museum admissions this month.) I haven't been here since I was a kid, and Ben has never been here before, even though it's only a few blocks away from us. (Yeah, we're cheap skates and don't want to pay admission!) We had enough credit cards among us that we were able to admit 6 of us and Savannah.

It was a hot day full of people! (Memorial Day and other cheap skates) It certainly brought back memories from childhood, and like many places you revisit as an adult, the place doesn't seem nearly as big as it was when you were a child.

Here's a link to some pictures (courtesy of my parents and Peggy) (and some pictures from my camera).

Cat pee!

2007-03-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

So I was packing on Saturday to go to Grover Beach when I realized some cat peed on my duffle bag and clothes in it! My instinct is that it was Dum Dum, who was mad at Pad-Thai being brought back so she's marking her territory. (Dums has a history with peeing behavioral problems) Luckily, Ben's bag was safe. We had to leave so we didn't have much time to deal with the clothes.

Today was Dum Dum's turn to the vet. She's way too skinny (we haven't been able to fatten her up), vomits all the time, and is having trouble jumping lately. When I was about to put her in the carrier this morning, I realized that the carrier had pee in it also. Now I'm wondering maybe it's Pad-Thai who peed all over because she was mad at Mommy for taking her to the vet. =(

So I'm spending the rest of the day dealing with the pee soaked clothes.... =(

Pad-Thai to the vet!

2007-03-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

This has been a week full of cat headaches! First, Pad-Thai had some skin/muscle problem where here skin was "twitching" on her back towards her tail. She was not happy when I touched her towards the area near her tail. She would also try to lick it whenever it twitches, and later it became just compulsive licking everywhere. I was worried about her and didn't sleep well for 2 nights. I kept her close to me as much as possible to stop her from licking. I thought it might be a neorological and/or psychological problem. She went to the vet on Friday and got a bath and cortizone shot. She's much better now.

Dum Dum wasn't happy when Pad-Thai came back from the vet. Pad-Thai was only gone for about 5 hours but I think Dums thought this was finally her territory. She hissed at Pad-Thai for the whole day. Bad kitty!

Sink disaster!

2007-02-23T16:29:00.000-08:00

Our kitchen sink started to back up last night. There's no on-site manager in our apartment complex after hours. There's a lame message service, but based on our prior experiences, nothing happens. After pouring in liquid plumber and saw no result, we decided to wait until the next day (today).

I woke up and the stupid sink overflowed! The water seeped throught the kitchen cabinets through the walls into the bathroom next door where the cat box is. It was disugusting as hell! I called the manager immediately. They sent someone over and it took over an hour to fix and clean up (what was visible). Apparently the main drain was clogged up.

I spent the rest of the afternoon washing, cleaning, throwing things away! What a disgusting day!