The Senakams | Corgi + 3

My Five "Talents"

The trip to Hawaii was waaay too short! 5 short days later I am sitting in an overly-air-conditioned hotel ballroom in San Diego for our annual department meeting. Sigh.

And I'm homesick... I miss Bryson, Jacques and I miss Hawaii! I soooo want to blog more about Hawaii, so I can relive those warm and sunny days not that long ago. But I sent the camera home with Jacques, so that'll have to wait.

Looking for some photos to nurse my homesickness, I came across this photo on my hard drive taken a while back at home:

Yes, those are stickers with words on them stuck on my face. And yes, I was kinda bored that day.

So what on earth are these stickers? Well, they come from a book called Strengthfinder 2.0. You might have heard of this book, or its predecessor, Now, Discover Your Strength.

The book is based on the idea that in order to reach your full potentials, one should focus on building on your innate talents instead of managing your weakness, something that all too many of us waste way too much time on.  It goes on to describe 34 unique talent themes, and includes a quiz (170 questions taken online with a code from a purchased book) you could take to find out what your top 5 themes are.

So, what are my 5 themes? Read my face (these stickers come with the book! They're not really meant to be worn as accessories, I admit, but how cool is the idea that you can simply look into your own face and clearly see your talents?)  Anyway, here's an explantion of my top 5:

• Learner- pretty self-explanatory, I do love the thrill of learning something new. I'm always taking one class or another (or making Bryson take classes, ha ha). I just love the idea that you could discover something new you could do with your hands, your eyes, your brain, etc that you had no idea you're capable of the day before.
• Input- I actually didn't know what this one meant when I first saw it... according to the book, it means that I like to collect things- it could be either objects or something intangible. I'm a bit baffled since I don't collect any particular "thing", but I guess if you count skills, I do like to collect skills (so geeky...). I guess this kinda goes with the Learner thing above.
• Communication- what can I say, anyone who knows me knows I love to talk! I love a good story, either telling one or hearing one. I just like to feel connected to people around me.
• Ideation- this one is hard to describe, but very true to who I am. The book describes an Ideation person as someone who is fascinated by new ideas, and loves discovering underlying themes among events or people without any apparent connections. I guess that's why I'm fascinated with the idea of Strengthfinder to being with, and works like "Journey of Man" by Spencer Wells, which describes the groundbreaking idea and scientific work where the paths of men's migration out of Africa can be traced by studying mutations in their Y chromosome. (Do you know that you can get a kit from National Geographic that you can send in your DNA sample and find out about your ancestry? Try it out! Sorry I digressed, but I can't help it, this is fascinating stuff!)
• Competition- well, self-explanatory here. I like to win, even if it doesn't really matter. I just don't feel I'm doing an adequate job if someone else does it better. I know, it's silly, and it's tiring. It propels me to achieve, but it's probably fueled by some insecurities...

Whew! So that's me! I'd say overall it's quite accurate. I like some of the themes better than others, and some themes I knew without having to read the book, but some were quite enlightening.

Oh, and BTW, Bryson did the canine Strengthfinder and here's his result: (quite suitable for a corgi, I must say)

Hello from Hilo!

A.. LO..... HAAAA!!

It feels a bit surreal that not 48 hours ago, I was still slaving at my desk, and now I have both feet firmly planted in this tropical paradise. It's so beautiful here that I'm afraid if I blink too hard, I might wake up and find myself at my desk half way through an expense report... *shudder*

We obviously didn't come here to spend precious time at the computer, but I want to post some pictures so all you guys at home can drool in deathly jealousy! Ha har!

If it's any consolation to you, it's been raining quite a bit here- just like back home in SF, we heard- but in typical tropical fashion, it pours for like 15 minutes and it clears right back up. And these last 2 days we're in Hilo which is on the east and "wet" side of the island, hence the rain. Tomorrow we'll leave Hilo and head towards the drier, warmer Kona side, so we can attend our friend's wedding there on Sunday.

And now, the teaser...

Hanging loose in our red Mustang convertible. Woo hoo! (pardon the convertible hair)

Having breakfast on our private patio at our B&B, Emerald View in Hilo, while admiring the water fall below (you fall asleep to the sound of the water fall, which is nice except that unlike my sound machine at home, you can't turn it off. Hmm...)

 
Left: Umauma Fall. We paid $11 to see this, while most every other fall on the island is free. Well, we did our part to prevent a recession here
Right: It's not a white sand beach- but we appreciate Hawaii for its lush rain forest just as much (if not more)

A bridge built back at the time before Hawaii was a state in the Union. The bridge spans over the Nanue River, along the old Mamalahoa Highway, an eerily quiet country road that makes it possible to imagine what old Hawaiian life must be like way back when

Hiking in the middle of a recent (1990) lava flow that decimated the town of Kalapana and the famous Kaimu black sand beach in the Puna area (southeast of Hilo). Today, a smaller "new" Kaimu beach can be reached at the end of this trail, and that's where we had our picnic lunch, while ruminating on the power of mother nature.

Dirty feet @ Kaimu black sand beach. This sand reminds me of the filling of a Chinese sesame bun (yum...)

2008 Paper Elixir update

I just realized that I haven't written about Paper Elixir since the New Year experiment with my Gocco. So I figured it's time to update you with what's new in my creative life.

(JuLo: I have not forgotten about my assignment on the meme! That's on my to-do list :>)

OK, back to Paper Elixir for now...

(1) The Paper Elixir website is an ongoing project. We're continuing to work with our friendly and creative neighbor David on the various ways to represent the idea behind Paper Elixir on the website. (For a glimpse of David's talents, take a look at his work for another one of neighbor, Joan's website. The turning leaf motif is so clever, don't you think?)

In the mean time, I'm playing with PhotoShop Elements to come up with a banner for my some-day etsy shop (another thing on my mile-long to-do list, *sigh*), and this is what I come up with so far (we might use this on the Px website as well):

I think it turned out pretty nice, and even better, I've discovered what Photoshop Elements can do! (Thanks to this book). I think this banner exemplifies the spirit of Paper Elixir pretty well- that is to create chemistry on paper with various media such as silk, fibers and handmade paper with qualities that enhance each others' beauty. I used to have this saying on my art show display: "Concocting the Perfect Potion for Every Occasion" (slightly high on the tackiness scale, I know). Feedback welcome!

(2) New cards for 2008. With my traveling and hectic work schedule, I haven't been the most productive... But Rita did order some everyday/ Valentine's Day cards for Make My Day, which totally psyched me out since I have my first "repeat" customer, yippee! So here's some stuff I put together:

 
Left: I made a series of 3 named "Love Knot" for Valentine's Day. Each piece is numbered and has a little story in the back... I stumbled upon this knot charm over the holidays and I knew design-wise it'll work well with the Zen/Oriental theme at Rita's shop. Little did I know when I cleared the store of this charm that this is the Tibetan endless knot that is associated with endless love (among other things)... wow, couldn't have asked for a better inspiration for V-day cards! Score!
Right: One of the everyday cards that utilizes a few of my favorite elements- handmade paper, pressed botanical, and raw silk. Yum.

This one on the right is the birthday card I made for Van. I got this birdie paper a while back and thought it looks so striking, but never had a chance to use it since it doesn't really have a "theme" to it... but thought what the heck, it is so visually stunning it can stand on its own whatever card I want to make out of it! And paired with that cloudy grey grosgain ribbon, it almost has this Scandinavian charm to it. I don't think I have the time now, but I think it'll also make a great V-day card (love birds... even though they're not talking at the moment... ha ha!).

Wow, I didn't realize it but that was actually quite a bit that I've done this year! I guess writing a blog helps me realize where I actually am (vs. where I think I am, which is always behind). Whew!

P.S. We'll be going to Hawaii in 2 days!! I'll bring my computer since I'll be heading straight to a work meeting in San Diego from Kona, and I'll try to keep up on the blog, but if you don't see us here for a couple days, it's probably because we're hanging out on a hammock somewhere... :)

And the Winner of the Amazing Race is...

I can't believe another cycle of Amazing Race is over!! What am I gonna do with that one whole hour every Sunday evening now??

For those of you who live on a different planet and never watched Amazing Race, it's a highly addictive reality show where teams of friends/family (some quite colorful/dysfunctional and thus entertaining) race around the world for a million bucks. And for those of you who have been watching the Finale tonight, I'm sure you're biting your nails all the way with me. And for those of you who've Tivo'd it and don't want a spoiler, STOP READING RIGHT HERE!!! (And don't let the photos mislead you...hee hee...)

I have to admit that I've been cheering for this Chinese father-and-daughter team, Ron and Chris, the whole way.

Not only do I desperately want the world to know that there is more to Chinese people than William Hung's singing talents, I also see a smidge of me and my dad in them. I mean, I'm nowhere as smart as Chris and my dad isn't quite as stubborn as Ron, but as it goes with Chinese families, we aren't too good with connecting on a deeper emotional level, and too proud to tell each others how much we love and respect each others.  It's wonderful to watch these two grow in their relationship department along the race, and how their performance grew steadily stronger (from being in the bottom of the pack to #1 in the last 3 legs!) as they learn to appreciate and connect with each others.

And since my dad and I are not in any physical shape to compete in Amazing Race- my dad will probably succumb to race-ending heartburn having too much spicy food in India and I'll sprain my ankle on some remote island thousands of miles from civilization- it's safe to say that we'll have to find a different way to pull a "Ron and Chris" on our own.

As much as it would be the most triumphant story that will pass from generation to generation in Chinese folklore if these two win the race, well, they didn't... *sigh*  So who are the winners? (Drum roll........) It's TK and Rachel, the hippie couple!

And honestly, I thought if my favorite team didn't win, these are the two people I wouldn't mind seeing the million bucks go to (nor would I mind if Kynt and Vyxsin the "goth kids" won either). I'm sure they hate being labelled "the hippies", but they really do embrace this label in every sense. They don't take life (or any of its obstacles) too seriously, they love their grungy bandanas as much as they love each others, and best of all, they piss the super competitive teams off with that I'm-not-trying-too-hard-but-I-can-still-win-a-million-bucks attitude. It really is "amazing" (no pun intended, of course) to watch how personalities, split-second decisions and karma interplay and unfold in this show.

What can I say, when's Amazing Race 13 starting?

Hermosa Beach

I'm in Hermosa Beach in Southern CA this week attending our first team meeting for the year.

When I first got here, I thought, oh great, we're going to another meeting in a beautiful location, where we schlep from the airport to the hotel and back without even knowing what Hermosa Beach looks like (this is a picture from our hotel, Beach House's website).

 

But guess what, we actually had a "team building" exercise built in to our schedule this meeting, and even better, it's not one where they hold you against your will in a cold conference room playing silly games...

So what did we do? Our new boss took us boating in Marina del Rey! Woo hoo!

Even though I'm not a huge fan of boating (or anything having to do with being in/on the water, really), we had a great time. We took turn driving the boat (my first time, glad to report that no one died when I took the helm), while the rest of us sat back and sipped wine by the setting sun. It was chill... I think I'll be a much more productive worker if we have more meetings like this.

 

R&R in Carmel

As much as I complain about the demands of my job and Jacques' terrible work schedule, there are a few things I really appreciate about our jobs: (1) My flexibility of working from home, which means occasionally we could steal a couple of work days and go on a mini-getaway... (2) Jacques' ability to get "industry" rates on these mini-getaways, without which there wouldn't be ANY mini-getaways due to our budgetary constraints...

Like this past week, we worked like maniacs for a few days, then packed our bags, took a couple bottles of wine, swooped up Bryson, and took the 2-hour drive down south to Carmel for some R&R time.

While the weather was still kinda wet and gray and cool, we caught this moody sunset on Carmel City Beach (where dogs can frolick offleash, much to Bryson's delight).

We then went back to our suite at the Quail Lodge Resort in Carmel Valley, where we sipped wine, ate room service (my guilty pleasure), watched a movie (Paris, Je T'aime, a slightly quirky, sometimes-charming sometimes-annoying collection of short stories about Love in Paris), and drifted off to sleep to the sound of crickets chirping... OK, we're spoiled!

But it's so nice to spend some quality time with each others. It reminds you to look at the world around you, feel the breath in your lungs, and take the time to appreciate the good things that you have in life. You do come back a less bitter (or bitchy- for me) person.

Bryson working his way up a very steep sand dune... Look at his strained face, he's pushing soooo hard to get up there... those poor short, little legs, they crack me up! Look at our Flickr album for the entire series of his heroic efforts up this dune.

Da Beach rocks!

But not as much as a comfy bed at the end of a hectic day

Big Island... here we come!

The beginning of the new year has been so hectic, that I had this incredulous conversation with my friend Aimee the other day:

A: Hey, so when are you guys going to that wedding in Hawaii?
I (looking at the calendar): Eh... the 24th, I think...
A: What?! This month? That's in 2 weeks! Aren't you excited?

That's when the moment of clarity came upon me...

OMG! We'll be in the Big Island in 2 weeks!!! We've been so busy we forgot to get excited about it...

I know, that's crazy, who forget they're going to Hawaii?!

The truth is we booked this trip soooo long ago (it's for a friend's wedding) that we didn't realize the day has slowly crept up upon us, so much so that I completely forgot about my resolution to lose enough weight to get into that bathing suit again.... *sigh*.

Plus we've been to the Big Island a few years ago, where I sprained my ankle on that notorious hike (pictured here) where I had to be rescued by paramedics out of the volcano at 2 a.m.. Oh, and we're all smiles here coz that's the beginning of the hike at 4 p.m. (yes, we were stranded on a live volcano for 10 hours...)

But apart from this small mishap, we had SUCH a blast! We luau'd, we snorkeled, we kayaked in the ocean along with dolphins (or more like Jacques:paddle and me:snapped pictures of dolphins), we ate lychee-flavored shaved ice and lots of gravy-smothered SPAM... in other words we gave ourselves the royal aloha treatment.

OK, picturing what we did last time totally psych me out!

I just can't wait to dip my toes in the clear blue water, watch coconut trees sway in the breeze from a 2-person hammock, and fall asleep to the sound of lapping waves... Ahhhhh........ what bliss.

And here are more photos from this last trip. Count down begins now!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

3 days into this short work week and I'm already feeling exhausted... Why?

I blame it all on this foul weather! Not only has it been raining non-stop for the past 24 hours stranding us at home, the winds are also howling non-stop like a hyena and keeping everybody up at night and sleep-deprived (just ask Bryson and Picasso who probably didn't get a stitch of sleep...)

And look at this satellite map- seems like the entire country's moisture is falling upon us in the west coast. There's power outage and mud slides going on left and right, and our windows are still leaking (our HOA is supposed to have negotiated a deal to fix them the day we bought our loft almost 2 years ago... I guess one could get used to living in a swamp.)

Now just imagine dragging 2 grumpy, sleep-deprived dogs who do not like water out on walks in this crazy storm...

Don't they look thrilled?

Remember that yellow raincoat that Bryson rejected? Since it was too big, I thought it would fit PIcasso just fine. And it kinda did, I thought he looked pretty spiffy, but I forgot the fact that just like Bryson, he's also vertically challenged... Well, the novelty of the raincoat lasted till we hit the stairs. He tried going down a few steps but I could already visualize him tripping and tumbling all the way down to the first floor like a yellow twinkie. We promptly removed this hazard.

I don't know if it's the pouring rain and howling wind, or the fact that Hailey (Bryson's nemesis- the neighbor pit-bull mix) greeted us right when we walked out of the building (whom they promptly greeted back with incessant pulling and barking- well, fake barking for Bryson), both of them refused to pee and poop for the longest time while we all got drenched.

We all had a thorougly wet and miserable day (and constipated as well for the boys, I can imagine). This rain had better stop soon.

Loco for Gocco on New Year's Day!

I'm lucky enough to have the whole time between Christmas and New Year off as company holiday. So, after the short trip to Seattle, and endlessly appeasing the 3 dogs for these past few days, I needed some "me" time today in celebration of New Year.

So I officially opened one of my Christmas presents (from myself, hee hee)... My Print Gocco press!

I remember this nifty little Japanese tabletop printing machine from my childhood as something my dad and us played with to print T-shirt and stuff. I also remember getting burned by the just-flashed light bulb in it (despite being reminded constantly not to touch it). I just had to know how hot it was. Umm.

And now, in search of ways to print on my greeting cards, I was surprised to see that the Gocco press has enjoyed a huge come back. You'll find throngs of Gocco fanatics posting art work and discussions on the web, such as this group on Flickr. Boy, am I impressed with people's skill and creativity!

Needless to say, I've gotta get one and try it for the sake of Paper Elixir (gotta find a way to justify this present, right?). I've always wondered what's the best way to put a professional-looking branding on my greeting cards. Letterpressing is of course super nice, but as I found out the Gocco produces acceptable quality and is soooo darn easy (my letterpress teacher will probably scream "Traitor!!!")

This is the logo I designed (on Photoshop Elements) and printed with the Gocco. The blue silk screen has been flashed in the Gocco using 2 specialized light bulbs. The design on the screen is then inked with 2 colors (separated by blocking material), and imprinted on to these pre-cut cards by simply pressing with the lid which holds the silk screen.

I printed about 80 cards, re-inking once and scooping brown ink out of the plum area (due to my inexperienced blocking) twice. Even though it's no where as sharp as what's produced by the letterpress, I have to say it's pretty darn awesome! I'm psyched!!

Now let's just hope I'll find more ways to use it so it wouldn't be sadly gathering dust in a corner after a few months (as quite a few of my toys are...).