Happy Wedding Anniversary!

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!

I Love Costco

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?  

屁股癢

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.  

白生了

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...

A Cook's Best Friend

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'

It's Not About The Car

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.

Beggars

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

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...

Need To Go On A Diet

{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.

Fourth Canyon Trip

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.

Cleaning Marathon Begins

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...

'Tis The Season

When the rattle snakes start making their appearances.  While heading to the bedroom, I saw Truffalo staring down something outside the sliding glass door in the living room.  I thought, "Now what?"  He's always going crazy over everything - rabbits, crickets, birds, lizards, javelinas, bobcats.  Then I noticed he was acting differently.  He wasn't barking and prancing around like his usual loony self; he was growling with trepidation.

Dog meets rattler for the first time, luckily with a door in between .

Sinister looking thing...

J was in the shower at the time, I'm out in the living room semi-freaking out, Truffalo's mesmerized, and Mocha couldn't care less.  As soon as J finished showering, he grabbed a shovel, and long story short, killed the rattlesnake.  As we were deciding where to dispose the snake, J briefly suggested that we put it on the grill. 

No snake here.  This was the chicken we had the day before.

Paired with BV 2006 Cab.  On the nose: 甜酒灢 (sweetened, fermented rice wine), I'll bet no other wine critic will ever come up with that one.

But I digress.  I later found out that we could have called 911, had the fire department come capture the snake, and release it into the wild.  Now I feel guilty that we killed a 'harmless' snake.  I'm starting to wonder if there's a den around our house because this is the second snake to die in our hands.  The first rattler perished in dad's hands a year and a half ago.

The Power Of Mom (& Dad)

Briefly glanced through the headlines the other day and came across 'Stressed? Calling Mom Helps, Study Says'.  I didn't give it much thought at the time and kept scrolling down the list of headlines.  However, I can actually attest that to be true today.  I was in a piss poor mood after receiving an antagonizing letter, details of which I won't go into, from the tenant's neighbor today.  I knew I needed to talk to someone, so I picked up the phone and called mom and dad.  After an hour on the phone with them just talking about this and that, all the burden just lifted off my shoulders, and I was able to look at the situation at hand more clearly.  It was then that I realized that no matter how old you get, you'll always need your mom and dad to comfort you.

A Treat

After today's long run, J and I decided to treat ourselves to some Mexican shaved ice.

This place, located in the mall, is the only reason why we would go to the mall once a year to satisfy our cravings.

Their menu

We got the Mango Raspados con nieve y lechera

Condensed milk over ice with fresh mangos, vanilla ice cream, and tons of sugary mango syrup.  It's so bad it's good.

Pima County Fair

Went to the Pima county fair for the first time in 4 years we've been living here. Personally I have better ways to spend my sunday afternoon (e.g., taking a 2-hour nap, watching k-drama, surfing the net), but I obliged to venture out.

You get your usual unhealthy fair food...

Hot dog on a stick...

Cotton candy...

and ones you don't normally find at other fairs...

I would have had tons of fun had I been 30 years younger...

Of course you find your share of scams...

We determined that this was nearly impossible to achieve because of the placement of the toe holds.

After about an hour I was done; but we ended up staying for 3 hours due to circumstances beyond my control.  The whole time I was there, I avoided eating and drinking any of the fair foods because I knew I was coming home to real food - steak and wine.

2007 Courtney Benham cabernet, my new favorite cab...

Martial Arts

J recently signed up for aikido (合氣道) lessons.  For some time he had been thinking about picking back up judo (柔道) where he left it back in college, but for some reason, he ended up  with aikido lessons.  Go figure.  I had very briefly entertained the idea of joining him, but the mere thought of any physical contact with a stranger quickly beat back that crazy idea.  What was I thinking?  I don't even like shaking hands with my patients for fear of picking up germs from them.  Then I thought, kendo (劍道)?  You're covered from head to toe, and you fight with a wooden sword.  What are the chances of physical contact?


Me: Maybe I'll sign up for kendo.
J: Why?
Me: Because I can definitely beat you using a stick.


At the end of the day, I decided against all martial arts, and just stay with yoga, where I'm guaranteed no physical contact with anyone.  It's just me and my mat...

Tucson Day 2

Dropped off V&M at the Phoenix airport this morning.  One thing's for sure and that is Mocha will start moping around the house now that everyone's gone.

Here's Mocha waiting for her 'playmates' outside the guest bathroom.

Finally getting to play...

Yesterday we got a chance to see a part of Tucson I've never seen before in the last 4 years, only because they were located way south of Tucson proper.

San Xavier Mission built by the Spaniards in the 1800s on Native American (Wa:k) land.

The South Tower

The interior - not quite as intricate as those in European churches and cathedrals.

We later went to the Titan Missile Museum, where the US used to house the Titan nuclear missile during the cold war between the 60s and 80s.  The missile silo was later decommissioned in the mid 80s, and now houses the missile without the warhead.  The tour was actually quite educational and I wouldn't mind going back for another visit.

Control Center

Walking down one of the underground corridors.

No aerospace tour would be complete without visiting the Pima Airspace Museum, which I've been to once before.

Starr Bumblebee - is listed as the smallest biplane in the Guinness book.

Lockheed SR-71A BlackBird - the fastest jet, with a max speed of Mach 3+ (2,193mph); can get you from New York to London in 1 hour and 55 minutes.

The Super 'Guppy' - my favorite plane thanks to its ridiculous appearance and name; is used to transport NASA space vehicle components.

Skycrane - another one of my favorites due to it's unique appearance.

The museum also had an exhibit dedicated to WWII Air Force troops.  Saw this poignant sign: