The Little Yaris Diary

Site Moved...

2011-01-11T20:15:00.000-08:00

As I have run out of free photo space, I have moved my blog to Wordpress. If the site doesn't automatically redirect you to the new site in 6 seconds, click on:

http://thelittleyarisdiary.wordpress.com/

Bye bye blogspot...

Making New Friends

2011-01-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

OK, not so much the human kind, but the four-legged ones. For some reason we always get 'accosted' by dogs when we're traveling.

Last year, it was the german shepherd who decided to tag along on our 12-mile run in Cafayate.

This year, it was the hungry little mutts in Phuket who wanted a piece of my breakfast danish. J was bringing the danish back to the room, and the dogs quickly followed him back onto the hotel grounds.

Now these dogs have the life. Mocha would love to be a beach bum...

Novotel Resort Panwa Phuket

2011-01-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

Please visit new site:

http://thelittleyarisdiary.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/novotel-beach-resort-panwa-phuket/

Dining On The Beach

2011-01-09T16:00:00.000-08:00

One would often see in movies or romantic getaway brochures of couples dining on the beach, and invariably one would think, 'How romantic'. While in Ko Phi Phi, we go the the chance to dine on the beach for the first time.

First off, one can't possibly pass up the opportunity of swinging on a swing on the beach...

Romantic beach dinner

Romantic, until the mosquitoes came out in full force and we were practically eaten alive. I was so busy scratching and chasing away the mosquitos I could hardly enjoy the meal. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. So at the end of the day, we've both agreed that dining on the beach is overrated, unless you pretreat yourself with DEET beforehand.

Thai Name

2011-01-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

While we were walking on the grounds of Holiday Inn Phi Phi we saw signs with inscriptions of couples' names along with dates of their wedding, honeymoon, anniversary, etc. and cheesy phrases like 'we complete each other'. A few of them had their 'Thai' names inscribed, which got me thinking...

Me: I wonder what my Thai name would be...
J {without missing a beat}: 'The-woman-who-eats-too-much'.

Spoken like a true romantic...

Holiday Inn Ko Phi Phi

2011-01-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

Please visit new site:

http://thelittleyarisdiary.wordpress.com/2011/01/08/holiday-inn-resort-ko-phi-phi/

Ayuthaya

2011-01-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

On our way from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, we stopped by Ayuthaya to check out the ruins. This used to be the capital of Siam in the 1350-1760s before it was invaded by the Burmese, and is now one of the UNESCO world heritage sites.

After getting off the train, we had to take a short ferry to get to the old city.

'Houses' along the banks

Our 'ferry', 20 bhat (66 cents) per person.

Wat Mahathat

The 'wrapped' buddha head in Wat Mahathat

J and I made the faux pas of posing in front of the buddha status...numerous times.

Wat Ratchaburana

With the most intact prang, where the king's brothers were cremated.

The prang.

Going down into the crypt.

Both of us were walking through the park with our packs on.

By the time we got to the 3rd ruin, the sun was ablaze. So instead of going in, I just snapped a picture of the Wat Phra Shri Sanphet from outside the wall. Moving along...

Wat Chaiwatthanaram is located outside the park, which meant we had to take a tuk tuk, and me watching J torment the drivers with his low ball offers.

This is the most intact temple of all ruins.

All the buddha heads were chopped off, a very curious thing...

J & I breezed through this UNESCO site in 2 hours. We would have lingered a bit longer had we not have to carry our 20+lb packs. We both agreed that it was impressive, however, still not as impressive as the ancient city of Ephesus. On our way back to Bangkok, we took the 'snail rail' and got tickets for 3rd class sans ac. Two tickets cost us 30 bhat ($1) for a 1 1/2 hour trip. Where in the world can you get train tickets for 50 cents?! Granted we didn't get a seat until half way into the ride.

Sitting on wooden benches.

Hagglers' Heaven

2011-01-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

Aside from the 'snail rail', Thailand offers some other interesting modes of transportation.

Meet the 'tuk tuk', a motorized tricycle that is responsible for the majority of the air and noise pollution around Thailand.

Inside a tuk tuk.

Getting stuck in traffic in a tuk tuk is bad news for the lungs...

Since these are not metered taxis one would have to negotiate with the driver before hopping on. I think J pissed off his fair share of drivers by low balling them as most would just shake their heads and drive off without a word. So when they say '100 bhat', don't counter '40 bhat' if you don't want to get the evil eye. This was one aspect of Thailand I wasn't comfortable with. Why can't they just go by the meter or fair price, instead of jacking up the price and hoping for the best. One example was when I was buying a table runner at the Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok.

Vendor: 350 bhat.

Me: Whoa.

Vendor: OK, I give you good price, 250.

Me: Hmmm...

Vendor: OK 200.

J: 175.

Vendor: No no, 200.

See the difference between me and J? I don't even need to counter, and the guy lowers the price on his own. J tries his best, but must lack that 'charm factor' : ) Later when we were walking through a different night market, I saw the EXACT SAME runner and out of curiosity I asked how much she was selling for.

Lady: 650 bhat.

WHAT!?! You see what I'm saying? They're just throwing a number out there and seeing what sticks. For all I know, the runner's probably not even worth 50 bhat. Makes one very wary, though I'm sure some people enjoy this game immensely. Thailand is certainly not for the 'thin-skinned'.

Wat You See Is Wat You Get

2011-01-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

Chiang Mai was where we went to get our fill on wats, or temples. They come in all shapes and sizes, with intricate designs. I read somewhere that there are 300 wats in Chiang Mai. We only went to a handful of them as one can only take so much of the heat and humidity while wearing jeans (required attire to enter wats). Looking back I should have brought a sarong and wrapped it over shorts.

Wat Phra Singh

Chiang Mai's most sacred buddha

Wat Phan Tao, built out of teak

Sculpture of monks praying in front of a buddha

They love their buddhas

What wat is this wat?

Wood paneling

Ceiling

More buddhas

Smaller wat

The three kings sculpture

A break from wats...the Chiang Mai Woman Correctional Insitution. Why the guidebook recommends one to get a massage by the women prisoners is beyond me. Sure they're cheap, but I kind of value my life. No respectable NYC guide would recommend one to visit Rikers Island I'm sure. Lonely Planet, I'm disappointed...

Anyone interested in some shackles?

Their Christmas decoration kept afloat atop 4 tires, bamboo poles, and securely fastened to the banks by a rope (J thought this was hilarious and made me take this picture).

Now back to some more wats...

Wat Suan Dok

My favorite picture of Chiang Mai...

Overnight Trains

2011-01-03T20:14:00.000-08:00

Our first stop in Thailand was Chiang Mai. Instead of taking a 1 hour 20 min flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, we decided to slum it on the overnight train, spending 12 hours each way. Flying would have definitely been an easy way out, but the train did provide us a whole new experience and perspective on things. The train was incredibly SLOW; even the bus takes about 10-11 hours. China would never tolerate this kind of nonsense. At 431 km/hr, their fastest train would get you there 2 minutes faster than the plane does. At least we got our 'third world' experience we were looking for.

The train out of Bangkok was an hour late leaving the station, but that was fine by us as we were hot and tired from walking around Bangkok with our packs on prior to getting on the train.

Train station

Monks enjoy special status, as they have seats reserved for them in waiting areas. Most others get to sit on the ground.

We had booked seats on the 2nd class sleeper train, which meant listening to everyone else snoring through the curtains, and having to restrain oneself should one become too 'gassy'.

Train seats before being converted to a bed

Bed being made for you.

View of the 'other rooms'

Upper bunk

Lower bunk

Communicating through the curtains

The saving grace of the 2nd class sleeper was that it was clean, which I couldn't say about the 1st class private cabin that we got on the way back from Chiang Mai to Bangkok.

The more expensive claustrophobic 1st class cabin; wishing I were in 2nd class instead.

Thai Food

2011-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

After 5 days of unsuccessful search for good food in Taiwan, we landed in Bangkok. Before heading to Chiang Mai we had to grab a quick bite. As we were still getting our bearings in Bangkok, we decided just to head to a random shopping mall food court for something to satisfy the hunger. After walking around, we randomly picked Banana Leaf at Silom Complex shopping center and were we WOWed!

My tom yum goong (spicy lemongrass shrimp soup) with flat rice noodle.

J's squid dish with flat rice noodle

Thai food is so yummy, and we have only been disappointed a few times (usually at places recommended by Lonely Planet and Tripadvisor) since we've been here. Each region has it's own specialty, such as the kow soi (curry chicken with noodle) in Northern Thailand, and the seafood in Phuket, with some cheaper than others.

Kow soi, sticky rice with mango, and Thai iced tea totaled $3!

Fried fish with sweet and spicy sauce + seafood curry totaled $12 for both of us.

However, things did get a little hairy in Phuket. Let's just say that my steel stomach was not as strong as I had originally believed. So if you want awesome food and love curry, then head to Thailand and skip Taiwan.

Happy New Year!

Taroko National Park

2010-12-31T00:00:00.000-08:00

Of all places worth seeing in Taiwan I believe is Taroko National Park (太魯閣) on the eastern side of the island. Unfortunately, it's not the easiest place to get to due to its narrow, winding road along the eastern coast. It took dad 3 hours each way driving along the 蘇澳公路, which suffered significant damages during the recent rainstorm.

In order to cross this bridge you'll have to get a permit 4 days prior...

The bridge all the way at the top was originally built by the Japanese during their occupation of Taiwan.

'Not absolutely safe', so the point of the helmet is?

Views along the way

Had this patch of beach been in the US, resorts would have popped up all around it. However, this beach is deserted.

After getting back into Taipei, dad stopped off at this place to get us some scallion pancakes. This is where he buys the pancakes and brings them to the US for V.

Finally J & A approved.

Dinner was at 玉麵堂. They had one of the best beef noodle soup.

This is where my Taiwan trip ended with one more day left, as I fell ill shortly after dinner. However, J and A did manage to get their 鼎泰豐 and shaved ice the next day.

Cute...

小龍包

Smoothie House

Mango shaved ice

釋加, sweet and oh so delicious. Too bad V you won't be able to have any because it'll be out of season by the time you go.

Taipei 101

2010-12-30T05:27:00.000-08:00

After finding out that the 貓空 Gondola was out of service, we headed out to Taipei 101 after breakfast at 永和豆漿大王. Mom and dad had split to go get their exams at the hospital.

The political correctness of the Taiwanese people. Imagine calling the elderly in the US 'senile', you'd get caned to death...

Taipei 101

It takes 37 seconds to travel 89 floors.

Some impressive engineering.

And a really smoggy Taipei, what a shame...

The yellow rooftop building is the Sun Yet Sen Memorial. That was the best view I could get of it as both J & A vetoed the idea of checking out the place. No food? No go...

The endearingly coined 'damper baby'...

Some impressive coral carvings shown on the level below the observation deck.

For dinner we decided to try our luck at the 饒河 night market. Dad didn't know where it was (naturally), but thanks to google map, we found it.

The temple outside the market

No one was impressed with the famed 胡椒餅. (A tough crowd to please).

I did finally find something I liked (no one else thought it was anything special). Yummy grilled squid.

And J found something he liked as well. 饒河餡餅.

Two down, one more to go...search is still on for A...

At this juncture, I'm totally impressed with the progress Taiwan has made. The city is relatively cleaner and less chaotic. Not to mention the MRT, which rivals those in HK and Singapore, and leaves everyone else (Japan, US, and Europe) in the dust. If only the US cities could upgrade their subway systems. NYC's stations, Boston's trains, and SF's ticket vending machines now all seem so 'third world' in comparison. According to dad, Taiwan is building one new MRT line a year! That will make the whole city even more accessible, and will help relieve the congestion and smog above ground. This is what LA absolutely needs, but the city government is too paralyzed to do anything.

Comedy Of Errors

2010-12-26T06:51:00.000-08:00

Day 2 will always be remembered as the 鼎泰豐 debacle. As always, mom was waiting for everyone else to pile into the car so that we could get to the restaurant before 11AM, which per 嬸嬸 was the opening time. Long story short, mom didn't want to walk from the 中正紀念堂 MRT station to the restaurant, so we got off at a different station to transfer to a bus that would drop us off right in front of 鼎泰豐. We ended up waiting 40 minutes for the bus, and to make matters worse the bus route had changed so that it no longer stopped in front of the restaurant. Needless to say, we didn't get to the restaurant by 11AM. By the time we got there the wait time was an hour. At that point no one wanted to wait an hour, except for mom, so we ended up settling for something else.

The crowd outside the restaurant...

So a warning to those visiting in February, insist on getting off at the 中正紀念堂 MRT station and walk there. It's really not that long of a walk as we ended up walking to the memorial after lunch anyway.

We got there just in time for the changing of the guards.

Poor mom. Not only did she not get to have 鼎泰豐, she ended up walking more than she had bargained for, as we walked further to the Taipei train station and then took the MRT to 西門丁, and walked some more over there. By then we had to put her out of her misery by telling them to go home. The lady was exhausted.

Some of the sites along the way.

Mister Donut, recommended by the 'Hungry Girl's Guide', was absolutely awful! Cute, but awful. Tasted nothing like donuts; more like chewy fried dough. Even dad who usually has a high threshold for bad food declared it a 'fail'.

So-so fried chicken

So-so cream pastry

Quail eggs

Sugar coated fruits

By dinner time we were all ready to finally have some awesome food. So we headed out to 師大 night market. This market is actually much better than the 士林 night market because of the variety of food and the younger crowd.

The crowd

Though the food still failed to impress any of us.

Green tea ice with red beans and green tea ice cream was actually quite tasty.

So the search goes on...

Taipei Flower Expo

2010-12-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

Mom and dad brought us to their new favorite vegetarian joint. As a meat eater, I approve. For those of you visiting in Feb, this will sure be one of the places mom and dad will bring you to.

The food was so delicious that I only had time to take a picture of the pumpkin soup...creamy!

Love these English signs around Taipei. Such eloquent word choices.

Day 1 was to get the flower expo out of the way so that when A arrived the next day, J & A could focus on more important things...FOOD!

Orchids galore...

Chrysanthemum balls...

up close.

Pointsettia hybrids of red and yellow.

More pointsettia hybrids

My favorite flower arrangements...

Building built out of plastic soda bottles...

The expo also had several countries participate with their own display of flowers. We decided that a few countries (i.e., Oman) didn't get the memo because their display had nothing to do with flowers.

Netherlands

Thailand

Japan

Hong Kong

First Night In Taiwan

2010-12-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks to dad disconnecting his internet service, we were disconnected from the rest of the world while we were there in Taipei. J and A were constantly checking their iphone and itouch for WiFi service while we were out and about, like a couple of drug addicts looking for their next hit. Now that we've found free WiFi, I'm back...

First I want to get this off my chest, "Shilin night market is so overrated!", and it's not worth holding a grudge against your dad for 3 years for not being able to find it the first time around :p. Food is so so, but there are things there you'll never find in the US, or at least not for now.

Food stalls galore.

大餅包小餅

What you see are the 小餅 that'll eventually get ‘smashed up’...

and wrapped into a 大餅 with other condiments.

Mom actually ate something at the night market. We joked that she was getting hepatitis just by looking at the food.

Here's something else I've never seen before. It's basically a tasty MSG-laden soup with some fish balls and some 'other stuff'...

Of course a Taiwanese trip wouldn't be complete without some vomit-looking and tasteless oyster omelet (this was my very first, and last, oyster omelet).

Some yummy looking sausages, and the ironic thing is I didn't have a single sausage during my trip.

愛玉 with lemon. Flavorless according to J.

Meat pill anyone?

Merry Christmas from Chiang Mai...

Happy Wedding Anniversary!

2010-12-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

J and I get to spend our 7th year anniversary flying over the Pacific, but we'll make sure the day doesn't end with a 'DUD' by hitting the Shilin night market as soon as we land in the evening. I've already told mom and dad to take a nap during the day, because it's going to be a loooooong night! We'll have to make sure dad can find the place, as he, who's lived in Taiwan for decades, managed to 'miss it' during my last visit to Taiwan in '07. We ended up 'off market' (like 'off broadway' or 'off the strip' in Vegas). Imagine my disappointment when I saw the HUGE neon sign '士林夜市' on our way home as we turned the corner from where dad had parked. Major fail!

Happy 8th anniversary M&V!

Four More Days...

2010-12-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

And then I get to see J. Thanks to the stress of being a 'single mom', lack of exercise, and improper diet, I've come down with a cold this past week. I'm just hoping that I'll be all better in 4 days. J hasn't had it easy either. Between working 14-hr days & weekends, and sleeping on the cold floor (the air mattress leaks throughout the night, leaving his tushie on the floor by morning), I'm sure he's ready for a much needed vacation as well.

Taiwan & Thailand here we come...

Back To Running

2010-12-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

After being off my feet for 7 weeks, I finally ventured out with my running shoes this weekend. As I wasn't too sure if my achilles was ready, I only pounded out 1.5 miles on Saturday at a pace of 8:45. I had felt a slight twinge in the beginning of the run, but that quickly disappeared and I felt OK afterwards (aside from my asthma acting up a bit). On Sunday I went for a 2 mile run with Truffalo at a slightly faster pace of 8:30 (thanks to Truff) and didn't even feel any pain whatsoever. I think it would be safe to say that I can start building up my base again. As for the June race, I may not be able to get ready for that so I'll have to find a fall race to run. Tentatively looking at the Hudson Mohawk Marathon in Oct. It's a small and flat race, but it'll be a little costly to fly out there just to run a marathon. I'll have to do some more research and see if I can find a good race out west. Which race to run will also hinge upon what BAA decides upon the 'window' for qualifying times or qualifying times themselves. If they shorten the window to 16 months, then all November and December races will be out. If they lower the qualifying times, then I might just take it easy until I'm 39.

You Know You're Getting Old When...

2010-12-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

You start paying attention to the fine lines on your face and become a willing participant to spending big money on moisturizers to reverse the signs of aging. When you look at the back of your hands you start to see your mother's hands, so you slather on the moisturizers but the fine lines are still there. Regular moisturizers are no longer enough, and you explain to your husband that the more expensive products are superior.

Me: It lasts all day and doesn't dry out like the Olay.
J: You don't need it, and then you'll have to use it forever.
Me: {Rhetorically} Don't you want your wife to be pretty?
J: You're already pretty.
Me: {We know this trick very well and I am not falling for it this time} Well I'm getting it.

So I bit the bullet and got this.

In my defense I did make sure I didn't buy it at full price, but instead got 36% off and free shipping, as I hate to buy anything without a deal. One day I will eventually accept the fact that the lines are not going anywhere with the use of anything, but until then J will have to put up with my vanity.

Peanut Butter Biscuits

2010-12-04T11:55:00.000-08:00

What to do with all my free time? Since there's only so much news I can read online, and Kdrama has lately been somewhat lackluster, I find myself looking for things to do. Sure I can clean the house and spruce up the yard but that's really not a lot of fun. Fortunately, one of my co-workers baked some muffins for the dogs this week and got me thinking, "I can bake some doggie biscuits!"

So I yanked out my Three Dog Bakery cookbook, and started flipping through the pages looking for easy recipes that didn't require any fancy ingredients (e.g., carob powder, molasses) and ones that ask for ingredients that I have on hand.

The current state of the fridge is that it is empty aside from 5 dozen eggs and the huge batch of fried rice J had cooked for me before leaving for CA.

I don't even have milk; and since I wasn't in the mood to go grocery shopping (quite honestly, I'm never in the mood to go grocery shopping) I had to find a recipe that uses water instead. What I do have tons of are peanut butter and flour. Given that mom and dad are coming soon, I have to finish all the peanut butter before they get here, otherwise I will hear an earful about how bad peanut butter is to one's health. What better way to speed up the peanut butter consumption than to make peanut butter cookies!?

Ingredients: 3 cups of whole wheat flour, 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of oil, 1/2 cup of peanut butter, and an egg (I added this myself because the dough was too dry). Mix everything using the handy KitchenAid mixer, roll it out to 1/4 inch (yes I did use a ruler to measure that out thanks my lack of culinary imagination), and lay it out on the baking tray.

Bake it at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, and voila!

J would always protest why I would bake cookies for the dogs but never for him. I thought, "The dogs will eat it no matter how nasty it is, so I will always feel like a huge success."

I'm Ready To Move

2010-11-28T18:01:00.000-08:00

With all the complaining I've done about CA over the last 2 weeks, you'd think I'd be happy being home. However, this time around, I am so ready to move. Not because I want to move to CA, it's because I want to be with my husband. It wasn't as bad last week because I knew I'd see him soon, but this time around it'll be 2 1/2 weeks before we meet up again. The good thing is he's finally settled in and won't be moving anytime soon.

Since the place is not furnished I brought our air mattress from home for J to sleep on for the next few months. As there was a limit to what I could bring over on a flight, we had to go to Ikea to pick up a computer desk and chair so that he wouldn't be sitting on the floor to use the computer (or eat).

One of my chores as a wife - inflating the air mattress, all the while seeing spots and feeling all tingly...

Almost there...(ignore the bald spot)

J reaping the benefits (although I did get a nice steak dinner out of this at Mastro's Ocean Club).

This is the 'guest house' where J is staying.

And this is the 3.9 million house for sale 2 houses down. You can see the ocean through the front door. J & I joked that this will be the most exclusive place he'll ever stay in in his entire life.

Some shots of the community.

Moving Again

2010-11-27T03:00:00.000-08:00

The thing about our marriage is that there's equal giving and taking. J does all the cooking and I do all the packing. J decided that a 90-minute commute (one way) is insane, which I wholeheartedly agree, but Californians don't seem to mind. So he's found a one bedroom rental in a gated community of multi-million dollar homes in Laguna Beach. Moving there brings his commute time down to 10 minutes. I have since packed up all his belongings for the third time in 2 weeks, and would love nothing more than to never have to see another cardboard box or a roll of packing tape...

Thanksgiving In LA

2010-11-26T10:24:00.000-08:00

J and I have not spent Thanksgiving at home since 2006, so our last turkey meal was probably around then. We generally like to take our overseas trip around this time of year because you have less of the American crowd, and you don't get the outrageous prices or site closures around Christmas time. We spent Thanksgiving in Moorea in '07, Singapore in '08, and Cafayate in '09. This year, however, we decided to postpone our trip 'til the end of the year because I didn't want anything to get in the way of my marathon training. Yes, THE marathon that I ended up having to sit out thanks to my injured aging body. So we were going to spend Thanksgiving at home this year, but then J got this position in CA, and here we are again, a turkey-less Thanksgiving (not that anyone's complaining as J doesn't like turkey, and I end up eating turkey leftovers for 2 weeks).
While T was toiling away in her kitchen helping her Italian friend prepare an American Thanksgiving meal, we spent Thanksgiving like 'Jews spend Christmas', as she put it, Chinese food and a movie.

A Taiwanese breakfast at Huge Tree Pastry located in Monterey Park.

Salty soy bean milk, a little bland. J did not like it at all.

Gua Bao 掛包, which I've never heard of before but is actually quite tasty with fatty pork, cilantro, and preserved sour cabbage in between fluffy white 包子.

A peek inside...

Beef with preserved sour cabbage in 燒餅

燒餅油條. The best 油條 I've had outside Taiwan. J's verdict on Taiwanese breakfast: Nothing exciting. I, unfortunately, have to agree that Cantonese breakfast is indeed tastier (this is what happens after 9 years of 'brainwashing').

After walking around in the neighborhood, we headed to Montebello to watch Megamind. We both thought it was OK. Nothing spectacular like The Incredibles.

Late lunch was at Sin Bala in Arcadia. You know the place is good when there's constant flow of customers throughout the afternoon.

麻辣牛肉麵. The BEST ever!

Their sausage with basil. Finally something managed to impress J.

J's pork chop noodles. One would think the pork chop would be in the noodles. Puzzling...

Of course a Taiwanese meal would not be complete without 鹽疎雞. These were better than the ones I had at 快可立 in northern CA.

As we were walking around the neighboring plaza we came across JJ Bakery. There was a long line in the store, so we assumed it had to be good. So far I haven't been impressed.

Watermelon rolls...cute.

While in the store I overheard a conversation. A guy wanted 'Happy Thanksgiving' written on the cake he had ordered, but the staff quickly countered, "How about 'Happy Holidays'?" and the man obliged. I'm thinking to myself, "Why? Do you not know how to spell 'Thanksgiving'?" I would have insisted that she write 'Happy Thanksgiving' and personally double check the spelling, just because...

The day was wrapped up with shaved ice at Class 302 in Rowland.

The decor inside was like a typical Taiwanese classroom with the wooden desks, chairs, and blackboard. Brought back memories...

J and I shared a huge serving of shaved ice topped with strawberries and mango. He saw something else he wanted to try (J has a bad habit of eating his food but checking out what everyone else is eating), so we're going back again tonight.

Newport Beach

2010-11-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures J took of Newport Beach. Looks better than NYC beaches, but far from the white sands in the Caribbean or Asia Pacific. Hey, sure beats no beach here in AZ. However, the sad part is whether we live close to the beach or not, I probably won't be dipping my toes in for fear of infectious microorganisms such as E. coli and V. vulnificus (oh and don't forget trichloroethylene). This is the curse of knowing too much. Sometimes ignorance is truly bliss. Which is better, to be knowledgeable but fearful or oblivious but happy?

Photo sent via J's phone. Don't you just love technology? In my opinion, I think technology is dumbing us down, but that's really neither here nor there.

Surprisingly enough J actually took a decent picture. Must be the phone...

Hyatt Regency SFO

2010-11-20T11:43:00.000-08:00

Please visit new site:

http://thelittleyarisdiary.wordpress.com/2010/11/20/hyatt-regency-sfo/

I Love Costco

2010-11-19T20:47:00.000-08:00

I'm sure J doesn't necessarily love the fact that I love Costco. Especially now that he doesn't have 'immediate veto power'. In my defense, I did call him before I pressed the 'Check Out' button, but only got his voicemail. Plus, I didn't really buy anything for myself. I got a TV so that when mom and dad come to stay they'll have something else to watch besides the internet. Our old 19" TV's been broken for the last 1.5 years (I remember because the last time I watched anything on the tube was when they announce that Michael Jackson had died), and J & I haven't watched any TV since. Even when we're staying at a hotel, we never turn on the TV because we no longer have the desire to.

Hannspree is a Taiwanese brand, but I'll bet it's made in China because how else can you get a 32" for under $300 (taxes and delivery included)? I don't really know much about specs, resolution, or even how big 32" is, but as long as the reviews are good, I'm sold.

Now you see why I love Costco?

Traffic Mess

2010-11-18T17:44:00.000-08:00

I would have never thought I'd say this, but 'It's nice to be back in AZ'. After having driven in CA for the last few days, I've declared coastal CA to be a giant traffic jam. From San Francisco all the way down to San Diego. LA's the worst! I can't understand why people are willing to spend their precious time sitting in traffic, twice a day no less. I'm getting a headache just thinking that I'll have to do the same when I move. J's already looking to move across the street from the office because he can't take the 1+ hour commute anymore. No wonder CA claims the top spots for the dirtiest cities in the US. Just look at all the cars and smog. With the toxic plume and the traffic jams we're at a loss as to where we can live in CA. Maybe it really isn't too late to tell J to turn around and come back to AZ.

I'm Growing A Third Head As I'm Typing This...

2010-11-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

J & I were excited to have the opportunity to move to CA. Before accepting the job, he had read something about Irvine sitting atop a plume of toxic chemicals, but we didn't think too much about it until we saw signs at our extended stay hotel warning that the facility contains chemicals known in CA to cause birth defects. WHAT!?!

I really started to get concerned as I was having stomach problems for 2 days in a row. If you know me, you know I have a stomach made out of steel. I can eat anything under the sun and not get sick (aside from contaminated oysters in Mexico). So I started researching on TCE and found that it can cause gastrointestinal problems. As I'm reading further, I'm getting more paranoid. Apparently the now defunct El Toro marine base in Irvine had buried tons of highly toxic trichloroethelyne (TCE), a chlorine-based degreaser, underneath the base. Now that chemical has seeped into the water table beneath all of Irvine, and some suggest that a huge swath of OC could be contaminated once the TCE reaches the San Diego Creek. If you know anything about OC, you'll know that this area contains the highest concentration of million-dollar homes in the US. Now, these will soon be toxic million-dollar homes.

So I am packing things up today for J so that we can move to a different facility in Yorba Linda which is NE of Irvine. We have now completely ruled out living in all of OC, and are considering only Huntington Beach at this point. And as awesome as the asian food is here, J & I will not be eating in Irvine at all. We'd rather drive further away up north to LA for food.

How millions of people in OC don't seem to be bothered by this problem is beyond me, and Oro Valley is really starting to look like a bed of roses in comparison.

Why Men Need Women

2010-11-12T20:30:00.000-08:00

Or at least 'Why J needs me'. For a very intelligent and capable guy, when it comes to packing J just can't seem to focus. He's like a kid with ADD, going from one task to another and not able to complete anything. Case in point, I've pack the first box for him, written down everything I've packed in Box 1, and taped it to the box so he'll know what's in it. And what's he doing? Sharpening his cooking knife. Uhh...you can do that in CA!?! As I'm packing Box 2 with all of his clothes, he takes down his suits and starts dusting them off, then he proceeds to hang the suits right back from where he took them down from. Then he disappears doing god knows what. Finally, I had to tell him, "Go pack your shoes." It's a good thing I'll be going to CA with him this weekend, otherwise he'll probably be living out of boxes for the foreseeable future.

Shopping

2010-11-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

In order to get ready for J's new job, we spent most of today running errands and shopping for J's new wardrobe. Much to his chagrin, J now has to wear suits and ties to work. In the past few years he's gotten away with khakis and casual collared shirts, and more recently, sandals, shorts, and T-shirts. I could imagine the dismay when he read the dress code policy, and I couldn't stop chuckling today while we were shopping. Personally, I think he looks hot in suits, and told him that he'll be getting ties as gifts from now on for all holidays.

屁股癢

2010-11-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

Or 'see fa heng' as my mother-in-law would call us as we can't seem to stay put in one place. We are moving to CA! Actually, J is moving out first and I'll follow suit in a few months. Mom and dad are coming back to keep me company while J's gone so that I won't starve to death. J's cooking a batch of fried rice for me before he leaves. Why everyone is so worried about my eating habits while living alone is beyond me. I wasn't always living at home or married you know, and I somehow managed to survive 10 years of single life and pulled through. Today I started the application process for my CA license, which will take up to 6-9 months to get, a prime example of governmental efficiency at work.

Sleep Deprived

2010-11-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

I normally need at least 8 hours of beauty sleep a night. In the last 2 days I've slept a total of 9 hours. Why?

This is the reason...

This is by far one of the best Kdramas this year.

License To Eat

2010-10-30T20:48:00.000-07:00

It's been 14 days since I've last run. Running has always allowed me to eat with abandon. What other activity can burn 700 calories in an hour, 1100 calories in 1.5 hours, and 1400 calories in 2? In an average week I'd burn off 2000 to 3000 calories just from running. You'd think I'd be skin and bones, but no, the weight stays put. However, since I've stopped running I've started to lose weight (some of which could be muscle mass, but the pants are hanging looser these days). Why? Because I no longer look at food the same way I used to when I was running. It used to be, "I can have [cake, steak, ice cream, burgers, chips, etc] because I just ran [8, 10, 12 miles]". Now it's, "Damn, I can't eat this."
Running was my license to eat, and you can bet I'm counting down the days to when I can hit the road again, because eating only fruits and vegetables is no way to live. I had salad for lunch every day last week, and by the end of the week I was literally gagging as I shoved that avocado down my throat...沒辦法，就是更牛有仇。

The Island Hotel Newport Beach

2010-10-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

Please visit new site:

http://thelittleyarisdiary.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/the-island-hotel-newport-beach/

The New World

2010-10-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

By now we all know the Japanese are obsessed with their robots. They've created robotic dogs for the lonely seniors, and robotic maids to help the frail elderly around the house. Now they've created this...

japanese robot pop star @ Yahoo! Video

Pretty amazing, but freaky at the same time. Soon we'll be living amongst robots, and we wouldn't even know it. The paranoid me hopes I don't live long enough to ever see that. Think The Terminator, which, by the way, is my favorite movie of all time because it re-enforces my paranoia.

白生了

2010-10-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Just called my parents, and mom picked up the phone...

媽咪：喂？
我：喂。
媽咪：請問是誰？
我：｛啈，認不出我的聲音｝請問是楊太太嗎？
媽咪：是的。你是誰？
我：｛給我逮到機會玩遊戲了｝我有一些金塊想賣給你。
媽咪：不需要。
我：真的不要？
媽咪：不要。
－－－
爹呧：喂？
我：喂。
爹呧：啊，是琭琭。媽咪以為是詐騙集團，差點掛電話。

{English translation}
Mom: Hello?
Me: Hello.
Mom: Who's this?
Me: {Hmm, she doesn't recognized my voice, let the games begin...} Is this Mrs. Y?
Mom: Yes, who's this?
Me: {This should be fun} I have some gold bars I'd like to sell you.
Mom: Not interested.
Me: You sure you don't want it?
Mom: Don't want it.
{Dad gets on the line}
Dad: Hello?
Me: Hello.
Dad: Oh, it's L. Your mom thought you were a scam artist, she almost hung up on you.

My conclusion is that she didn't go through enough labor pains when she had me, otherwise she'd recognize my voice...

My Stump

2010-10-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

Went to see the podiatrist today. He wasn't too concerned about a fracture, but still went ahead and took xrays of the foot, which showed no fractures. I saw the xrays and thought to myself, 'Wow, what a young-looking foot. The joint spaces look so nice and smooth.' Nothing like what I'm used to seeing where the joint spaces are all eroded with spurs sticking out all over the place.

Since cubinoid syndrome is a relatively unknown entity and often under diagnosed, I briefly brought up that subject. That got him to attempt the cubinoid whipp (after looking it up first) on the foot.

Finally, he decided what I had was peroneal tendinitis, and was the result of me trying to compensate for the achilles tendinitis. So the solution was to tape my arch.

I walked out the office with this, which J lovingly called it my 'stump'.

I'm supposed to leave this on for 3-4 days. How am I supposed to shower without getting it wet?!?

Bobcat

2010-10-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

For those of you who never got to see a bobcat when you visited Tucson (I believe mom and dad were the only visitors to see one), here's your chance...

The 'resident' bobcat outside our garage stalking some small animal. J managed to capture it on photo.

but not for too long...

Season's Over

2010-10-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

My running season is officially over. The achilles tendinitis healed and is no longer the problem, but I've developed a new injury that is absolutely disabling. Not sure if it's peroneal tendinitis at the 5th metatarsal, a stress fracture, or cuboid syndrome, but I can barely walk without any pain. So I'm waving the white flag right now. The plan is to stop running for the next 1.5 to 2 months to really let the injury heal, and then run the Eugene Marathon in 5/2011 or Newport Marathon in 6/2011 to try to qualify for Boston. I realized that even if I were to qualify in 12/2010 during the Tucson race, I wouldn't be able to run Boston until 2012, and the time is only good for 2011 and 2012. However, if I qualify in May/June 2011, I'll be able to run Boston in 2012 and 2013. So everything works out at the end. 塞翁失馬, 焉知非福。

Miracle Tape?

2010-10-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

So I've been taping my heel for less than a week now, and I can say that the heel is finally feeling better. However, it's hard to determine if it's better because of the tape or a result of a combination of all the changes I've made.

I started taping the heel last Saturday, and I could still feel mild discomfort all throughout my Sunday run.
Took Monday off, went to yoga and regretted it because right after class I could feel the pain intensify.
Skipped my Fartlek session Tuesday and ran an easy 5 on a flat course in my stability shoes. Still felt a twinge throughout the run.
Wednesday was another rest day, ditched yoga, and contemplated dropping out of the race due to the intermittent pain throughout the day. I figured the sensible thing to do was to just stop, but then again when are marathon runners ever sensible. So I re-taped the heel that night
Hit the road Thursday morning switching out the Tempo run for another easy run. The pain started, but lasted for only 6 minutes and DISAPPEARED! It felt so good that I did 8 miles, and even at an 8-min/mile pace the pain never came back, and stayed away for the rest of the day

J suggested I skip this Saturday's run, but if the pain continues to stay away Friday, then I ain't skipping nothing and gonna buy me some more of those tape!

A Cook's Best Friend

2010-10-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

You know you're a messy cook when the dog becomes your best buddy when you start firing up the stove. Truff knows that food will fall out of the sky, especially when J makes a big batch of fried rice in a shallow pan.

Meet Truff, the indiscriminate eater.

"What's for dinner?"

"Hmmm...broccoli. I'll eat that."

"Yay, eggs!"

"Yo, how about some scallops?"

'The vacuum cleaner'

Magical Tape?

2010-10-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

Got my 90-min progression run in this morning. Not sure if it's the week's rest or the tape, but the sharp pain I had felt last week wasn't back, but I did have a persistent ache higher up in the achilles. I ran on a flatter course in my stability shoes, and whenever I'd go up an incline or when my pace would pick up (faster than 8:30 min mile), the pain would ratchet up. This is somewhat reassuring because the race is mostly downhill and my planned race pace is 8:35 min mile (in order to qualify for Boston). The only concern I have is what to do when I have speed work planned in the remaining weeks. I'd have to give this tape some more time before I'd make a call. Though one thing for sure is that it leaves a funky tan line.

Got My Tape

2010-10-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

USPS delivered my tape! I love my mail man, except when he delivers bills.

Let's see if this thing really works.

Not the most flattering, but it's a running badge of honor; kind of like how we runners view black toes.

Due to 'overwhelming' recommendation to try yoga, I will get back into it to stretch out the muscles. However, looking back I know the achilles problem started last year during yoga class when I was jumping from plank pose to forward fold, and it just became progressively bothersome.

Bummed Out

2010-10-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

It's been 5 days since I've ran, and I am BUMMED OUT! Went biking twice this week to try to maintain my cardiovascular fitness, but it's just not the same. I'd whizz by runners and I'd think to myself, 'I'd rather be running than sitting on my sore ass trying to figure out which gear to shift to.' I honestly think I've lost weight this week because I'm moping around the kitchen without an appetite feeling sorry for myself. I'm envious of all the runners I see when I drive to & from work, and feel that the running world has moved on without me. I have one more rest day, and I'm worried that may not be enough because I still feel some discomfort in the achilles from time to time. When is my Kinesio Tex Tape arriving, UPS???

Grin And Bear It

2010-10-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

After a sleepless night dreaming and thinking about my running injury I've decided to do what's best for my body. I'm going to take a week off from running, as I don't want an acute injury to progress to a chronic problem that'll prevent me from running for the rest of my life. After doing much researching on the subject, I've come to the conclusion that I need to do the following:

1. Stop running for a week
2. Minimize hill running
3. Slow down my pace
4. Switch back to my stability shoes
5. Do negative calf raises

Hopefully, these small modifications will help head off worsening of the problem and not negatively affect my training and time.

Getting Old...

2010-10-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

Sucks! As I started my long run yesterday I felt a sharp pain in my right achilles that lasted for about 3 minutes and disappeared as I ran on. This was the sure sign of acute achilles tendinitis, for which the treatment is rest. REST!?! You have got to be kidding me! I've got 10 weeks to go before the race, and my training has just started peaking. How can I stop now?!? I suspect the culprit is increased speed (I've been running my easy and long runs about 30 secs faster per mile), so I'll have to force myself to slow down, and try taping my achilles (yes, I'm that desperate).

If that doesn't work, then I'm going to have to skip some training runs here and there to allow my aging body to recover. Dear God, I can live with sagging boobs and a dropping uterus (both of which I view as vestigial appendages anyway), but don't let me develop running related injuries that'll prevent me from a BQ!

Tis The Season For Weddings

2010-10-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

We were just in SF for a wedding 2 weeks ago, and today we drove 3 hours to Lordsburg, NM for one of my office staff's wedding.

As you can see this one was a lot more casual. As opposed to a 45-minute ceremony, this one only took 5 minutes. Afterwards, we were all treated to some delicious home-made Mexican food. J had wanted seconds, but we couldn't hang around too long as we had to make the 3-hour drive back to Tucson in time to let the dogs out.

The reception was set up in the driveway of the bride's sister's home.

Now I'm just waiting to hear back from M about her wedding in NYC. I wonder if it'll happen before the end of this year, or we'll have to wait until next year.

Clown

2010-09-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have had the opportunity to watch the video of J dancing will now know why my life is never boring. I'm essentially living with a big clown. For some of you it's painful to watch him embarrass the whole clan, but rest assured most people thought he was quite entertaining. His dancing even got recognition from the only black dude at the wedding. All I have to say is that I feel very lucky to be married to a silly goose, as there's never a dull moment...

The Confused Honeybee

2010-09-26T15:13:00.000-07:00

So it's fall right? Well apparently it hasn't made its way to Tucson, because 95 degrees ain't fall weather. Had to run 14 miles today and I crashed and burned thanks to a series of mistakes all because I thought fall was here...

1. Woke up at 5:40AM, but didn't get out the door until 6:15AM. I'm normally out the door by 5:30AM during the summer months.

2. Decided against putting too much ice in my water bottle because it's supposed to be cooler right?

3. Decided against bringing any of my shot bloks because I was trying to save them for my longer runs.

4. Headed out too fast. Slowest pace was the first mile at 8:44 min/mile, then averaged around 8:25 min/mile for the subsequent miles until mile 11+.

5. Forgot to buy a bigger water bottle (my current water bottle is sufficient for a 12 mile run max. Any runs longer than that I'd have to switch over to a larger water bottle).

Two thirds through the run, I swear the temp was already in the high 70s and low 80s. By the time I got to mile 10, I was debating whether to cut the run short or continue on, as I was craving for some ice cold watermelon juice. Finally, I decided to run home, drink some watermelon juice, restock my water bottle, and head back out for the remaining 2.5 miles. The rest of the run would have been OK had I not been greedy with the watermelon juice. The whole time I felt fullness in my stomach with fluid sloshing around, and had to stop several times to stretch out the side stitch.

I felt tricked by mother nature, like a confused honeybee when spring arrives too soon. Lesson learned, and will make the necessary adjustments...

It's Not About The Car

2010-09-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

During our trip to SF, one of my best friends let on that she had bought a BMW to drive the kids to school. Some of you may know that J & I are relatively frugal, and we make a very clear distinction between 'needs' and 'wants'. Hence naturally...

J: Why would you need a BMW?

Friend: Everyone else is driving Mercedes, I don't want the other kids to make fun of [my kids].

This got me thinking about my childhood. When we were growing up, we lived in the smallest house in the community, and dad drove the crappiest car, while everyone drove luxury cars. However, he always taught us "It's not about the car", and to take pride in who we are and not by what we have. Admittedly, there were times I would be ashamed of dad's little beat up car, but childishly I would beam with pride whenever he would pass those bulky Mercedes on the winding and hilly way home. Dad inadvertently taught me self confidence and to feel secure and comfortable in my own skin without resorting to material goods to determine my self worth. Unfortunately, my dear friend missed this very valuable teachable moment for her kids when she got caught up in the keeping-up-with-the-Joneses game.

I still have a picture of dad's dinky car caught speeding by a photo radar. Brings back fond memories...

So, dad if you haven't disconnected your internet connection and are still reading this...Thanks for not missing that teachable moment.

San Francisco Day 2.5

2010-09-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

OK, this was a short trip as we didn't even get to spend 3 whole days in SF. We took the 8 AM ferry from Sausalito to catch our 1PM flight back to Tucson. Since we had 2 hours to kill in SF we made a bee-line to Chinatown again, as Boccalone wasn't open that time of day. J was looking for some Vietnamese beef stew (yes, for breakfast), but none were open until 10AM. So we settled for the first decent place we came across, which we found out later was a huge mistake.

Washington Bakery & Restaurant - a bakery in the front and a restaurant in the back.

J had the 皮蛋瘦肉粥 with 油條

and some tasty 牛暔車仔麵 for me.

Since I didn't know what kind of noodles 車仔麵 were, I asked the lady:

Me: What kind of noodles are these?

Lady {looking at me indignantly}: They're noodles.

Me: But what kind?

Lady {with a deadpan look}: Noodles.

Me: {OK, you win}

-------------------

After breakfast, J wanted to sit around because he was carrying the pack, but I wanted to check out the city.

J: You want to sit in the park?

Me: Why?

J: There are Chinese people in the park?

Me: What's the big deal about Chinese people? I see your Chinese face everyday. I want Chinese food.

As we walked on, we started to realize our mistake for settling for the first restaurant we stumbled upon. Should have had this...

And this...

The place was crowded and got us wondering why. We had actually walked on after debating whether to bring some back with us to Tucson. After crossing the street, I had this nagging feeling that we were missing something good, so we doubled back, and were we glad we did.

By the time J got the goods, the line was out the door...

(can you find Waldo?)

We somehow missed this little 'accolade' during our first pass.

We didn't actually get to taste anything until we landed in Phoenix. The 鹹水角(2), 叉燒飽(2), and 糯米雞(1) were ginormous and absolutely delicious, and only costed $4.20 for all five. This place is even better than Hop Sing in NYC Chinatown which has since closed, thanks to greedy landlords. Wish we had gotten more, and we'll definitely hit the place again if we're ever back visiting SF or have some time in between flight transfers in SF.

View towards the water from Nob Hill

Casa Madrona

2010-09-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

Please visit new site:

http://thelittleyarisdiary.wordpress.com/2010/09/23/casa-madrona/

San Francisco Day 2

2010-09-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Woke up Sunday morning for my progression run. Since I knew heading south from the hotel would bring me up against some steep hills, we headed north not knowing what to expect, but hoped for the best. Luckily, the course wasn't as punishing, and I was pleasantly surprised by the Bay Trail dedicated to runners and cyclists.

One interesting thing I noticed about the runners in Sausalito is that they don't make eye contact with you, much less say 'Good morning'. Here in Oro Valley, we acknowledge one another and offer a 'good morning' or 'have a nice day' no matter how out of breath one is. Another sign I've been in Tucson for too long - I've actually become accustomed to courteousness, and find big city folks awkwardly self-absorbed like how I used to be back in NYC.

Later we all headed out to brunch with the wedding party. Unfortunately, M&D had already left earlier that morning due to some 'interesting planning' (long story). Afterwards, we dropped F off in the city, then J and I headed out to San Ramon to see aunt Lily, who was in surprisingly good spirits considering the circumstances. It was something she said during the visit that made J and me realize we needed to change our diet, eat less meat and more fresh foods. That said, we had hotpot with P&D in San Mateo for dinner for the last harrah.

小肥羊, 'The Little Fat Sheep'. J thought it was 小飛羊, 'The Little Flying Sheep' thanks to his unparalleled Mandarin. We had this once in Hong Kong a few years ago, and thanks to a cold, everything tasted bland to me at the time.

The soup base with the non spicy and spicy halves. Yummy!

The goodies. We later decided that we had ordered too much, and I had had too much meat. No worries, my new diet starts after the trip.

San Francisco Day 1

2010-09-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

Just got back from SF yesterday evening, hence the gap between posts. We got in to SF Saturday morning, and the first thing that hit me was "Where are all the white people?" The whole airport was teeming with asians. That's when I knew I've been in Tucson for too long, when I'm no longer used to seeing a 'sea of yellow'. However, I quickly got over the initial shock and was determined to get some breakfast.

You know the subway system is outdated when you can't punch in the exact amount you want charged to your card. Instead you have to manually 'add/subtract' from a preset amount. One would think with all the engineers in Silicon Valley, someone would come up with a more sophisticated system. Go figure...

While waiting for the first ferry out to Sausalito, we decided to search for some eats in Chinatown.

First bakery shop didn't look promising. I couldn't imagine what "yellow bean sweet paste preserved egg and ginger" must taste like and didn't dare to try.

In time for Autumn Moon Festival.

Found some moon cakes at the second bakery, but we opted not to get any since neither one of us likes moon cakes. They're just nice to look at. We ended up settling for some mediocre buns, which were still 10 times better than what we can get in Tucson.

After some futile search for good food, we arrived at the the ferry terminal.

The 10:40 am ferry got us to Sausalito just in time for a short run along the bay before the wedding ceremony at 2PM.

Unfortunately, no one warned us about the steep hills we were going to run up. However, the view of the bay and the Golden Gate bridge more than made up for that minor problem.

Our very first Catholic wedding ceremony. A lot of rising, sitting, and some kneeling during the 45-minute ceremony.

After the ceremony, the reception was at Spinnaker on the bay. Here's the view from the reception area.

Looking across the water.

The best part of the day was getting the chance to spend time with old friends, and having a crazy night. J got a little carried away with the dancing, with the bride might I add, whom he'd met for the first time. As soon as I get the video footage from F, I'll be sure to send it out (while you're watching it, keep in mind 'Mr. Bruce Lee-Travolta' was as sober as he was while in church).

Retirement Career

2010-09-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

Just the other day I was talking about changing careers, and today I come across this article on CNN about finding a retirement career that you'll love. What 'coinkidink'! J and I were talking about my decision during our morning run yesterday, and through our conversation I realized that I don't ever want to retire at age 40 (I would be so bored out of my mind if I had nothing to do and with no structure in my life), but instead work 'through' my retirement years doing something I enjoy even if it means downshifting. J and I are fortunate enough to have saved prodigiously during our working years to permit this kind of opportunity. Now the hard part is to decide whether I want to be a protection vs. interpretive park ranger. The future is already looking brighter...

Life Is Too Short

2010-09-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

For the last several years I've been debating what to make of my life. I have been very fortunate and privileged to be able to do what I do now. However, to be brutally honest my heart was never really into my profession. In retrospect, the path leading to where I am today was already paved for me after I graduated from high school, and I simply took the easy route and walked down that road.
In hindsight I wish I had been brave enough to veer off and explore what I really wanted to do. Even in the past few years I have entertained the idea of leaving my current profession and doing something else, but what kept holding me back were thoughts such as "I'll work a few more years until we have enough saved for retirement", "life is on autopilot and comfortable right now, I'm afraid to rock the boat", or "what a waste of an education if I stop now". Sure I've told myself several times in the past, "life's too short to be doing something I don't enjoy", but I obviously didn't truly comprehend it because I kept trucking along down that same road I so desperately want to deviate from. However, today while in the shower I had a eureka moment, like a light switch just suddenly went on, and I got it! Life IS too short.
So I've decided that I will quit my job on 12/31/2011 (that's when my certification is up) and hopefully land a job with the National Park Service. I had always wanted to work outdoors, and had entertain the thought of being a park ranger off and on for a few years after my first visit to the Grand Canyon, but never pursued it. Then I came across this piece on CNN that piqued my interest again. I'm well aware that I'll probably start somewhere not so glamorous like working the toll booth at a city beach, but I figured if I stick around long enough with NPS, I may eventually get to become a park ranger in the Grand Canyon or Yosemite. So there you have it folks. Yes, mom and dad probably won't approve it, but you know what? It's my life, and it's way too short to be living with regrets.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

2010-09-11T22:02:00.001-07:00

Tucson has finally decided to join the rest of the civilized world. We now have a Five Guys Burgers and Fries that just opened this week. J & I have actually never had their burgers, but with all the hype we decided to check it out today. As expected there was a line, however, the line wasn't nearly as long as when In-N-Out opened their first store here in Tucson in 2007 (the Tucson opening broke company records of most burgers sold in one day and in one week).

Fuzzy picture, taken by J. To give him credit though, this was snapped from a moving car.

In line, waiting to order.

I wonder if the stacks of ingredients, separating the line and the dining area, are part of the decor or a sign that the restaurant's not completely renovated...

Finally some food. I had the regular burger with everything on it, while J had the bacon cheeseburger with the works, and we shared a small order of cajun fries.

So what's the verdict? The burger is very juicy and on par with Carl's Jr, another West coast burger joint. I'd say if you want a greasy burger then Five Guys is better than In-N-Out. INO's burger tastes 'cleaner' and fresher. Five Guys fries were quite a disappointment after hearing everyone rave about the fries. You know who makes the best fries in the world? McDonald's!

Five Guys does have the best $5 burger, Carl's Jr has the best $4 and $6 burger (their trademark Six Dollar Burger actually costs under $4), and INO has the best $3 burger...

So what would be the ideal burger meal for me?

1. Carl's Jr Six Dollar burger

2. McDonald's fries

3. In-N-Out's vanilla shake

4. J picking up the tab

Running Lessons (viewer discretion advised)

2010-09-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

When you spend hours on the road running, you tend to reflect and learn a lot about yourself. Some good (feeling healthier & stronger now than you've ever felt when you were in your 20s), some bad (struggling to crest that hill), and some just plain disturbing (realizing you're in fact a Republican).
Last year I found out Xood and Gu don't 'gel' with me after a few disastrous runs fraught with GI debacles. So I've set out to find ones that do work, and have been lucky to come across Nuun for hydration (recommended by Coach Joe English) and Clif Shot Bloks for carb replacement.

REI had a labor day sale, so I stocked up on all my 'foods'.

High in sodium and mildly flavored, these don't leave a sweet after taste like the other sports drinks. Drop a tablet into your water and they'll fizz like Alka seltzer. If you're like me and love agua con gas, you'll enjoy this.

As for the Clif Shot Bloks, my personal favorite is the cola flavor, but J found out through his brother's girlfriend that for whatever reason they've discontinued that flavor (N.B., the person who decided to pull the plug on the cola flavor is now on my hit list).

I've had to settle with black cherry, because that's the only other one that contains 50mg of caffeine. I will never go back to gels after having run with the bloks. These are not messy and less sweet when compared to the gels. No more running with sticky fingers, and trying to breath through thick molasses (though the bloks may present as choking hazards if you don't chew well).

WARNING: If you don't want to be grossed out, STOP READING RIGHT NOW. Otherwise, continue at your own peril, and don't blame me for not warning you...

One very interesting thing that I've learned about myself through all this running is that my left foot is slightly bigger than my right. For the last 36 years, I've always thought they were the exact same size. Apparently not. My right toenails have never been bruised; but my left toenails are constantly in various stages of bruising as they keep jambing up against the inside of the shoe. As of last week, the 3rd toenail has fallen off...

In One Ear...Out The Other

2010-09-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

Since I didn't get to go back to NYC this year, I had asked J to take some pictures of people and places.

{Before leaving for NYC}
Me: Honey, I packed the camera for you. Make sure you take pictures to bring back.
J: Why do you want me to take pictures?
Me: So I can see what everyone looks like.
J: OK.

{A few days after arriving in NYC}
Me: Have you taken any pictures?
J: Oh, I forgot.
Me: Well make sure you bring the camera with you to the barbeque today.
J: OK.

{After work yesterday}
Me {all excited}: Ooh, let me see the pictures.
J: Oh, I didn't take any.
Me: How come?
J: I keep forgetting to bring the camera, but I did take some with my phone.
Me: Let me see...

All I see are fuzzy images of restaurant interior, the backsides of people, or of his friend's head bent over a bowel of noodles.

Me: Your pictures are not very flattering.
J: They're not meant to flatter. They're supposed to tell a story.
Me: {Yeah, a fuzzy story...}

Luckily for him, he didn't forget to pick up the marinated duck wings for me. Otherwise, I can't see him easily redeeming himself in the near future.

Solitude

2010-09-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

The past 4 days alone with the dogs have made me appreciate a few things:

1) Sharing a bed with someone is overrated; why limit yourself to one side when you can sprawl across the bed?
2) As long as there's broadband internet connection and a continuous supply of kdrama, I can survive anywhere, alone.
3) On the flip side, had dad not cook a pot of food before leaving, I think I would have starved. I really need to learn how to cook...someday.

With all that said, I'm excited that J's coming back later this morning. So what if the bed gets too cramped, or there's an endless supply of kdrama, because you know what? Solitude is overrated.

Nemeses

2010-09-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

I've come to the realization that the dogs are out to get me. If it's not Mocha, then it's Truffalo. We're not quite done with all of Mocha's cancer treatment, and what does Truffalo decide to do? He thought it would be fun to stick his nose onto a cactus. In the process of struggling to get it off, he managed to get 2 thorns on his tongue. Luck has it, J's in NYC and there's no way I can remove anything without help. So it's back to the vet, with a different dog. The kid ended up having to be sedated to have that very last thorn removed from his tongue, and I had to take the day off to keep an eye on him. If they keep up with this charade, they're going to end up bankrupting us...

Labor Day Weekend Marathon

2010-09-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

If you have time to watch any kdrama, here's one you should not miss...

King of Baking, Kim Tak Goo

It's been a long time since I've cried so much from watching a kdrama, but trust me it's not one of those sappy "the-protagonist-ends-up-with-some-strange-cancer-after-he/she-is-reunited- with-his/her-lover".
There are a total of 30 episodes, and each episode is an hour long. So far I've plowed through 18 episodes in the last 3 days (keep in mind Friday was a work day), and I'm hoping to get through all 26 that are currently available before work on Tuesday. Thank goodness J's in NY, and the parent have left for CA; I feel like I've grown roots into the computer chair. I just realized that aside from my 12-mile run this morning, I've been in front of the computer all day (no nap, and eating all three meals in the study).

Dancing Dog

2010-09-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

It's dogs like this one that put us to shame...

Beggars

2010-09-01T22:32:00.000-07:00

For years, J's been very strict about not feeding the dogs human food, let alone feeding them from the table. Six weeks with the grandparents being here has undone all those years of training. Now we have 2 beggars in the family. However, they only beg from their grandpa.

Truffalo, the worst offender, has managed to get all sorts of food; which subsequently led to him being placed on a diet.

Waiting for watermelon...

Once the grandparents leave this weekend, the dogs will be in for some rude awakening...

Eternal Child

2010-08-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

The funny thing about parents is that no matter how old you get, they'll always look at you as if you're still 5. Usually after a run, the first thing I go for is some ice cold watermelon or watermelon juice to quench the thirst, all the while with sweat pouring down the face.

Mom: Did you wash your face?

Me: No.

Mom: You should wash your face first.

Me: Yes mother.

Recently I made the mistake of telling her that the sunscreen mixed with sweat was dripping into, and irritating my eyes.

Mom: You shouldn't wear sunscreen to go run.

Me: So when should I wear it? {This obviously was a rhetorical question}

Mom: Put it on after you come back.

Me: ...

The scary thing is even a 5-year old could tell you that logic is flawed.
Maybe she thinks I'm 2...

Vero Amore

2010-08-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned Vero Amore and their Neopolitan pizza a few times before on this blog, but never got a chance to put up any pictures. Their pizzas are simple but very flavorful and fresh tasting.

J had the pizza Anima - Andouille sausage, smoked Mozzerella, and parmesan

I went out on a limb and tried their cioppino, which was flavorful, but for the price I wish I had ordered their pizza instead. Note to self: only order pizzas from Vero Amore from now on.

Mussels, clams, calamari, and shrimp with 2 garlic bread slices and very little pasta.

Mom had their humongous salami panini. Their paninis look plain, but are extremely tasty. Dad had their pizza Lussuria, which is my personal favorite. However, I refrained from taking pictures diagonally across the table as I was starting to feel like a country bumpkin.

This place is a definite must when you come to Tucson. We've brought almost every single one of our visitors to Vero Amore, and no one's been disappointed.

Getting Back Into Yoga

2010-08-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

Ever since finishing the SD marathon, I've dropped yoga like a load of smelly laundry. Yoga for me is only a means to an end. I don't have the patience for it, and I get easily bored with the same routines. However, it's the only exercise that helps me stretch and prevent running-related injuries. So, I've returned to it reluctantly after having felt some tightness in the hamstrings. After Monday's class I started feeling sore in my core...who'da thunk. Maybe I'm not doing it correctly...

Stalemate

2010-08-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

For the past month Mocha's been on soft food (most recently home cooked beef stew). Since we're strong believers of 'tough love', we've switched her back to Kirkland canned food, which she is not fond of. In the beginning she'd walk away without finishing her meal, and Truffalo, who's been fed dry food, would wait to pounce on the unfinished goods. However, in the last few days, we've noticed that even though Mocha doesn't want to finish her meals, she'd hover over her bowl just so that Truffalo can't get to it, resulting in a stalemate...

Truffalo getting ready to pounce...

The Chipmunks Rock!

2010-08-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

You may or may not know who Ke$ha is. I certainly didn't until I heard her annoying song 'Tick Tock' on the radio a few weeks ago. However, I must say the song's actually not bad when the Chipmunks are singing it...

The Biggest Fad of 2010

2010-08-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

Call me a contrarian, a skeptic, or an omniscient, but I am calling the Vibram Fivefingers the biggest fad of 2010. Mind you, I'm not calling it a hoax. Some runner swear by it, saying how all their prior aches and pains just disappeared after they started running barefoot. Fine. However, I'm calling it a fad because I see all these people in the weight room 'walking', not running, around in their newest Vibram. Just a few weeks ago, J asked this guy at the gym about 'the shoes'...

Guy: They're very comfortable.

J: How about running?

Guy: Oh, I don't run.

So there you have it, the biggest fad of 2010...

Its faddishness rivals those of the roller blades of the 1990s (yes, I did get myself a pair during residency, and god only knows I sucked at it),

and spandex & leg warmers of the 1980s (no, you'd never catch me dead in any one of these getups, and thank god I wasn't old enough at the time to feel compelled to dance like these guys).

Magpies

2010-08-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

This one's for you over there in Asia. I'll bet it's difficult to find decent pizza where you are...

Magpie's (short for Magnificent Pie): the best 'American' pizza in Tucson. I would say it's the 3rd best after Vero Amore, which serves neopolitan pizza, and Grimaldi's, your NY style pizza.

The 'Magpie' pie: Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, and the usual stuff on a pizza pie. A bit doughy. Kind of reminds me of Domino's, which is a compliment because I admit I LOVE Domino's (most 'pizza elitists' would call me a blasphemer for saying that; I know because I live with one).

Texture close up...

Need To Go On A Diet

2010-08-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

{Last night}
J: Honey, are you losing weight?
{This is J's way of saying: Honey, it doesn't look to me like you're losing weight, are you eating too much?}

The truth is when dinner is waiting on the table for you everyday after work, it's hard not to eat too much. Normally, J and I would be eating cereal or whatever we can find after work, but since the parents have been here we've been eating regular meals. It also doesn't help that we've been going out more often to eat on weekends since they've been here.

Famous Dave's, originated in Minnesota, is known for excellent BBQ...

The 1/2 All American Festival: Brisket, ribs, chicken, corn bread, fries, corn, beans with bacon, and cole slaw served on a garbage lid. This serving is meant for a party of 2-3, but it was enough for this family of 4.

Truffalo was just put on a diet as he was gaining weight from all the peanut butter and ice cream his grandpa was giving him. I will need to follow suit before running starts becoming a chore while carrying all those extra pounds.

If You Like Historical Drama

2010-08-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

You might like "The Painter of the Wind". Only 20 episodes, not too long nor too short.

* Yes, it's been a slow blogging month...

2010 Tucson Marathon Course

2010-08-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

Just checked the Tucson Marathon website and found out that the 2010 course will revert back to the 2007 and 2008 course! Thank you Pam Reed. According to those who have run both the '08 and '09 races, the 2009 course was much tougher than the previous years' course. I'll probably start doing my long runs along the course in 2 weeks to get my legs accustomed to all the downhill running. PSYCHED!

Fourth Canyon Trip

2010-08-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

OK, this is my 4th Grand Canyon Trip in 4 years. Most Arizonans born and raised here haven't even set foot there once. Call me an GC addict, but the truth is the only thing here in AZ that's worth seeing is the Grand Canyon. So where do you bring visitors when they come? The Grand Canyon of course. I finally got a chance to bring (read: abduct) the parents to the canyon. Since it was a last minute trip, I couldn't get any hotel rooms near the park, so we had to make it a day trip.

Since the passage of SB 1070, there have been calls to boycott travels to AZ. However, from what we saw at the park yesterday, there certainly are no signs of a boycott. The place was packed! We saw license plates from the the usual 'suspects' (CA, UT, CO, NV, NM), as well as the far out states (NY, NJ, MD, NC, FL). Then along the trail you hear all different languages spoken: English with a British accent, English with a Scottish accent, English with an Irish accent, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese. What boycott? What recession?

I usually tailor the hike according to the company and time of year. J & I have hiked various distances between rim and river in a day depending on who was with us at the time. Since I was with my parents, I decided not to go very far. Our initial plan was to hike down to the 1.5 mile point where the first rest house is. This usually takes about 45 minutes to get to. However, we never made it there. We ended up stopping after 20 minutes for a lunch break.

Easy going down the Bright Angel Trail...

Not so much coming back up. Luckily we hadn't pushed further, because mom had to rest after 5 minutes of uphill climb. It took us 30 minutes to get back up to the rim. I must say for a couple of 65 year olds, they did better than some who were younger than they were.

The view up the canyon from our lunch spot.

The view across the canyon from the lunch spot.

The view from Powell's Point along the rim. How can one not keep coming back to this place? I'm trying to convince J to do a 'rim-to-rim-to-rim' (from south rim to north rim and back to south rim) hike on our next trip to the canyon.

Unfortunately for J, he had to work yesterday. However, he did ask us to pick up a pie from the Rock Springs Cafe. Leave it to J to constantly be on the look out for good food.

This place has been around since 1918 serving as a trading outpost between Prescott and Phoenix.

The Tennessee lemon pie...very buttery and mildly tart.

Cooking For The Dog

2010-08-01T15:02:00.000-07:00

After her surgery Mocha's been placed on a soft food diet. We thought we'd go get a pack of canned food at Costco and be done with it, but no...that apparently wasn't good enough for Mocha. She'd sniff and walk away.

Kirkland brand usually doesn't disappoint, but this one couldn't measure up. Maybe the dog has a more refined palate than we do...

As the picky eater continued to lose weight, we gave in to buying more delectable dog food...

Looks just like airplane food...

Needless to say, Mocha didn't need any cajoling to wolf down her meal. So I said to J, "Hey, maybe you can make beef stew for Mocha?" and surprisingly enough he agreed (this is the same person who said, "No way!" when I had suggested he cook for the dogs years ago).

Now there's a pot of beef stew simmering on the stove for Mocha.

Sorry Truff, since you're not as picky you get to finish all of the Kirkland canned food...

The Queen Is Home

2010-07-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

Mocha seems to be doing well, and if you didn't look closely you wouldn't even know she had surgery. When the doctors explained that they would need to use the inner lining of her lip to close off the resected portion of the maxilla, they said to expect the lower canine to stick out of the lip, which would make her look vicious.

Either the surgeon has great techniques or Mocha had a lot of lip to go around, because nothing is really sticking out. Although you can tell that part of her lip is 'tucked up'.

Compared to left side...

Subtle difference...

The right lip puffs in and out when she breathes.

For now, she's a little sedate after the initial excitement of coming home has worn off, and she doesn't seem to be that interested in the canned food (Truff ended up polishing up the food left in the bowl). We'll have to keep an eye her for the next few days.

Post Op Day 2

2010-07-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

Mocha has touched down on planet earth. Her doctor weaned her off the drip this morning, but because of her poor appetite the doctor decided to keep her another night for observation. Thanks to her 'poor appetite', it is costing us an additional $300 for an overnight stay. On the upside, I was told that she's alert and curiously checking out her surroundings.

I'll bet if they were to feed her rib eye puree, there most certainly would not be any issues with 'poor appetite'.

Post Op

2010-07-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

Got a call from Mocha's surgeon a few hours ago. Mocha's doing well post op, and probably in 'la-la land' thanks to her MLK drip (i.e., morphine, lidocaine, and ketamine). She'll stay overnight at the hospital, and depending on how she does tonight, I'll be able to pick her up tomorrow after work. For the next month, she'll be on soft canned food, which I'm sure there will be no protests from her (and Truffalo, since we have to feed them both the same food to prevent the 'green-eyed monster' from starting another fight). There will also be no ball playing and rough housing for the next month to prevent the sutures from coming apart.

Luckily, Mocha got a chance to play frisbee for the last 2 days. The frisbee never left her side ever since her 'grandpa' pulled the frisbee out of his luggage.

Reason why J refuses to get her frisbees is because she destroys them in no time.

Mocha focused on the frisbee; Truff in the back, hoping to get a head start. Can you guess who the smarter one is now?

I was told that Truffalo had been by the door all day waiting for Mocha. I can't imagine what'll happen when Mocha does leave us for good. Mom had suggested getting another dog before Mocha dies so that Truff can bond with the new dog in the interim. I'm not so sure that idea will go over well with J...

Cleaning Marathon Begins

2010-07-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

The kids' grandparents will be arriving tomorrow at noon, which means for the next 18 hours J and I will have to get the house in order. The floors need to be vacuumed & washed, the bathrooms & kitchen will have to be spic-and-span, laundry needs to be done, and the instant noodles stashed away. For the next 6 weeks, J and I will be guaranteed to have dinner on the table every weeknight (no more scrounging around for food, and eating cereal or instant noodles), and the house will be spotless on a daily basis, without a 'dog hair' tumbleweed in sight. In return, I will lose privileges to my laptop ('grandparents' will be watching kdrama 24/7), and will have to abstain from eating any instant noodles (unless I want to be nagged to no end).

My 'drug' of choice...

Meet Mocha, My New Birkin Bag

2010-07-21T00:09:00.000-07:00

Came across this article tonight, and thought, 'what coincidence?' Apparently, J and I aren't the only ones who will spend bundles just to save their pets' lives. There are tons of others who want the latest and greatest medical care for their pets. For those who don't have pets, it would be hard to understand why we're willing to 'waste money on an animal'; but to those of us whose dog has spent a decade with us, the dog is more than just an animal. Mocha has kept me company during my loneliest times during residency, seen me struggle past a few boyfriends before finally meeting the one, kept me active along the way - as I didn't have a choice but to keep up with her, provided constant hilarity (mixed in with a few headaches), and has taught me what unconditional love really means. For her I am grateful. So it's a no brainer. Sure, at the end of the day her medical care will cost as much as a Birkins bag, but it's all worth it because the dog is priceless.

Blessing In Disguise

2010-07-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

Brought Mocha to the oncologist today to have her lesion looked at.

We found this lesion last week after the dogs got into a fight, and I noticed a speck of blood on the tile. When I flipped up Mocha's lip to look for the source of bleeding, I was shocked to see this growth on her gum. I knew just by looking at it that it was malignant, and her aunt confirmed my fears. So I immediately got Mocha an appointment with the oncologist.

After the oncologist examined Mocha, she explained that the tumor looks suspicious for melanoma, but that it was on the smaller end in terms of size, which confers better prognosis if there isn't any evidence of metastasis. Luckily the CXR showed no tumor spread to the lungs, the CT scan showed very little bony involvement, and on exam, there were no lymph node involvement. So we're going to proceed with surgery next week to have it completely removed. After that, she'll need to get a series of 4 melanoma vaccines. If no recurrences, then she has a good chance to live for at least another 2 years. All and all, this is going to cost us quite a bit, but it'll be worth it (I'll just have to work harder to get my bonus). Ironically, we have to thank Truffalo for all this, because had he not fought with Mocha and drew blood, we would have never discovered this lesion until it is too late.

Makes one wonder about karma - we saved Truffalo from the pound, and he in turn saves Mocha's life.

80° + 50% Humidity

2010-07-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

This is what awaited me when I ran out the door at 5 this morning. How do you expect me to run under these conditions? I'm OK with 80° with 0% humidity or 50° with 100% humidity, but 80 & 50 was too much. During my run I had so many tortured thoughts going through my head...

"Good thing the clouds are blocking the sun...These cursed clouds, what's the use if they're only going to raise the humidity without producing any rain...I could really use some ice cold water...I wish I had washboard abs like J, so I could take my shirt off right now. Instead I have this jiggly mess...I really should slow down my pace, but that'll be 太丟臉了..." By the time I got home 50 minutes later, I felt as though I had just traversed the Sahara.

The Male Brain

2010-07-12T17:52:00.000-07:00

Is waaay too concrete. You'd think that after having been married for 7 years, that the husband and wife can communicate telepathically. Apparently, it's easier to communicate telepathically with your dog than with your husband.

{Last night, when I was expressing my frustrations about J not taking out the trash the other day}

J: I need you to tell me that it is important to you that I take out the trash. That's how my mind works.

Me {silence...seriously, how do you respond to that?}

J: So the next time you want me to do something just say, "Honey, this is important to me, please [do this]."

You mean after 7 years of marriage, I can't stare at the back of your head with fire coming out of my nostrils, and you feeling this searing pain directing you to put your shoes and socks away?

This really should not still be happening this far into a marriage...

Summer Running

2010-07-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

It's tough running during the summer time. The temp is already in the 80s by 6AM when we head out the door. Then on weekends I can't even sleep in; on Sundays I have to wake up even earlier than the weekdays, because in order for me to finish my long runs by 7AM I have to start my runs between 5 - 5:30AM. So far my pace hasn't suffered, but I know I'm working harder at that pace.

Official training starts in 2 weeks, so I've just been maintaining my 25+ mile weekly base these past few weeks. I've had to retired my NB 903 after this morning's run because I started getting ankle and knee pains.

Luckily my NB 1063 will be arriving in a few days.

I had decided against getting the stability shoes because when I had tried it on at the NB store a few weeks ago, I could feel the medial post against my arch. It was uncomfortable, so I've decided to stick with the neutral cushioning shoes.

Lazy Summer

2010-07-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

Means lazy blogger. Not much has been going on (aside from having finally booked our trip to Asia at the end of the year). We keep looking up to the sky expectantly waiting for the first monsoon rain to grace the area. There have been plenty of clouds, but nothing seems to materialize. It's been hot, but it seems like the east coast is worse off than we are. Both areas have exceeded the 100 degree mark, but at least there's no humidity here in AZ. It just feels like an oven here, as opposed to a steam cooker.

Beautiful clouds, but does us no good if it doesn't produce any rain.

The 'Tail' Of Two Dogs

2010-07-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

We had always thought Mocha was the smartest dog in the world. That is until we got Truffalo. Compared to Truffalo, Mocha seems like a duller blade. Though age-related declining eyesight and hearing may be playing a role.

A 'tail' of selective hearing loss: We would often need to cue Mocha more than twice before she knows it's OK to start eating. However, we're not quite sure she's really hard of hearing, because her ears will perk up when you whisper 'f-r-i-s-b-e-e' (which she's hoping that her grandfather will surprise her with when he comes in 3 weeks...wink, wink).

A 'tail' of non-selective eating: This one never needs reminding when it comes to food. He's learned to position himself by the chef's feet, because he knows food will often mysteriously 'fall out of the sky'. He also knows something yummy has dropped to the floor when he hears “啊呀”, and all you see is a blur of tan fur charging at whatever is on the floor.

Mind Boggling

2010-06-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

I love the internet for the simple fact that you can learn something new all the time. For example, I came across this time-lapsed video showing how a crab sheds its shell. First of all, it has never occurred to me that crabs shed their shells, but after watching this it makes perfect sense - they grow out of their exoskeleton. Duh!

(Ignore the ad before the actual video)

It looked like the crab 'pooped' itself out.

The Evil Empire

2010-06-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

No, it's not the NY Yankees nor Goldman Sachs. It's the warehouse we all can't seem to hate - Costco. What is it about Costco that some of us are so enamored with, that we willingly hand over our retirement savings and our first born? Is it the 'treasure hunting' experience, the perceived deep discounts, or is it the fact that it's CEO, Jim Sinegal, is such a breath of fresh air in the world full of greedy CEOs?

There's no such thing as 'bringing a shopping list and buying only what's on it' when you go to Costco. You're lucky if you even remember to buy what you had planned to buy. Costco draws you in, and you briefly lose all sense of sanity and control for the next half hour while you're in there. Case in point, we went to Costco yesterday to get some doggy treats and some beef for stew, and ended up walking out with 3 bottles of wine (luckily, we remembered to pick up the doggy treats and the beef this time). Once outside the warehouse, the 'spell' lifts:

Me {looking at the receipt}: How did we spend so much for a bag of doggy treats and beef?
J: Wine.
Me {muttering}: Aw crap.

You can argue, "Just don't go." Well, you have obviously never tried telling a 3-pack-a-day smoker, "Just don't smoke." Signs of Costco withdrawals are not pretty.

One of the wines was the 2005 B Cellars 24 blend. We had tried this in San Diego last year and have had a hard time finding this particular wine here in AZ; and when we did finally find it at Total Wine, we weren't quite ecstatic about the price point. However, we managed to get this at Costco yesterday for much much less...

As for the 'treasure hunting' experience, we got to see a $350 bottle of Lafite Rothschild displayed in a locked case, up close and personal. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you see it, we weren't insane enough to actually buy that bottle of wine. However, we'll never know if we'll be able to exact such self discipline the next time around...

Pink Lipstick

2010-06-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been somewhat neglectful with regard to this blog, because I've been too busy watching 'Pink Lipstick'. Now I'm back because I've ploughed through all 110 episodes that are currently uploaded, and now I how have to wait as the rest are uploaded.

Another one of these Kdramas that can get 'draggy', but thanks to the internet I can fast forward through the molasses.