The Senakams | Corgi + 3

Day 28: Black Friday Shopping

We live close to a mall/IKEA complex, and I was already planning an alternate route last night so we can get around today without getting stuck in Black Friday traffic.

Lo and behold, after walking Bryson this morning at Point Isabel, I completely forgot about it and took the exit I should have avoided like a pest. There was almost bloodshed in a fit of Black Friday road rage. *sigh* Patience's just not my thing.

There actually is a piece of furniture we're looking for- a decent sleeper sofa. And there appears to be some deals to be had, but picturing the crowds made me feel lightheaded already (not to mention crazy incidents like this fatal stampede at a Walmart this morning). Scary, eh?

So I've been doing my sleeper sofa shopping online in the safety of our home today. I'm a bit conflicted- it would really work for our space, but I've had nothing but horrible experiences with cheap versions of these modern conveniences. The mattress usually sags, and as you shift to find a comfortable position the metal frame creaks like it's about to fall apart. You wake up more exhausted than before you tried to sleep.

But my research today turned up some reviews of decent sleeper sofas, boasting new features such as a built in standard mattress (no more sagging), solid wood frames (instead of creaky metal ones), and much improved designs so they don't look like they belong to your grandparents' basement.

The good quality ones seem expensive (although furniture seems to be the last department we've graduated from their college versions- so "expensive" here is relative). But I'm willing to invest in one if it means saving anyone even one night of sleep.

Any suggestions on where to get a good one that won't break the bank?

Day 26: Vote for Hope Dogs!

**Due to some technological difficulties, this post which was posted yesterday never showed up. I swear I didn't cheat! But here it is, a little out of order. Oops.**

OK, people, I know Nov 4 has come and gone, but it's time to vote again!

This time it's for Bryson and Picasso as Calendar Boys on the 2009 mycorgi.com calendar!

   

You can cast your vote here.

Oh, and while you're at it, don't forget to vote for Bryson's buddies Theo and Gibson as well :)

The selfish part of me hope the boys will make it this year, but since Bryson was both Mr. Feb and Mr. August on this calendar last year, the "Good-person voice" inside me says that maybe we should let other corgis (especially new pups who weren't around last year) take the spotlight this time around.

Argh, conflicted! Just vote for the ones that make you smile. Can't go wrong with that, right? :)

Day 27: Happy Thanksgiving!

Growing up in Hong Kong, I've never celebrated a Thanksgiving with my family. I didn't even know what it is till I moved to the States when I was 18. And my mom will tell you that turkey is "rubbery and tasteless", so carving a big fat turkey and having huge family dinners has never been a tradition for us on Thanksgiving.

So hubby and I kinda created a different tradition for ourselves.

We started volunteering for the Salvation Army, delivery meals to homebound seniors about 4 years ago, and have done it almost every year since. This year hubby has to work, so I persuaded some friends to do the deed with me. 

Having to get up at 6 a.m. on a holiday made me almost murderous, but as I tell my friends, not only do you feel all warm and fuzzy when you receive all those heart felt thank you's, you also gain some valuable karma points to make up for the time you "neglected" to give up seat for the old lady on the bus or pick up that last piece of dog poop coz you ran out of bags...

Hubby and I are probably just going to spend a quiet evening home by ourselves. For those of you celebrating today with your family and chowing down on big, fat, juicy turkeys, have an extra piece for us :)

Day 25: Holiday Open House and BIG Giveaway!

OK, back onto the subject that I was going to write about yesterday- the Holiday Open House I'm going to be selling at *super-psyched*!

And, there'll be another FREE Giveaway! (Keep reading...)

A few of my letterpress classmates and my letterpress teacher will be selling there as well, I've seen some of the calendars, cards and hand-bound books they created/ letterpressed, they're SOOOO unique and gorgeous I think I almost drooled on myself...

And here are a few things I'm thinking of selling there (plus a few more "new" holiday items little procrastinator me's still scrambling to put together):

Here's a bit more info for the Open House:

I realize that this sale is on the same day as the Dixon Corgi Fair! Arrgghhhh... it couldn't be a worse conflict!! I know a lot of you local corgi people are going to Dixon, if you happen to drive by Berkeley maybe you can stop by our little Open House and say hi!

In fact, come to think of it, to thank you for driving all the way to Berkeley, I'm gonna do a Free Giveaway to the first 10 folks who stops by to say hi to me at this Open House!

Yep, you heard me right, another { Paper Elixir } Giveaway!! Remember how fun the last one was? ;)

And I'll make it oh-so-easy for you to win free stuff:

• Just be one of the first 10 people on Dec 7 to come to the Open House between 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. (location on invite above)
• Find me :)
• Say an enthusiastic "Hello!", and tell me this blog sent you there
• Voila! Free gift from { Paper Elixir } is yours

And no, there's no fine print, you don't have to buy anything (but of course it'd be nice if you do find a few suitable holiday gifts there) :)

I know quite a few of you "virtually", but it'll be so nice to finally meet some of you in person! So bring your friends and family and come see me hawk my goods in Berkeley on Dec 7!

P.S. For those of you who don't live in the SF Bay Area or can't make it to Berkeley that day, you can play too! Just purchase one thing from my etsy store that day, and you can get a free gift too! See, I'm totally fair-minded! :D

Day 24: One for Karen, One for Humanity

I know I promised yesterday to write about the craft fair that I'll be selling at, but having just read this blog post on my cousin's blog, it just doesn't feel right not to acknowledge the work that someone in my family is doing for humanity so the rest of us have the peace and time to worry about stuff like selling at craft fairs...

OK, a little bit of background. Remember the gorgeous wedding we recently went to in Maine? Well, that's my Cousin Andy's wedding. He married a beautiful girl named Karen, now my cousin-in-law, who's an assistant DA at the criminal court in NY at the time (yes, just like CSI, feel free to hum the theme song).

Well, you'd think that after their wedding, they'd buy a house in the burbs, worry about what color to paint the kitchen, whose family they're gonna spend Thanksgiving with, just like ordinary folks like you and I do, right?

Wrong! They are on a moral ground so high I can't even claim to be related to them by blood (well, to my cousin anyway).

So, what did they do? They left their family and friends (and her job), packed their bags, moved to The Hague in the Netherlands so she can pursue an internship (with very little/no pay) with the International Criminal Court, where she can be part of an elite team of justice-fighters who'll prosecute war criminals across the world.

This video (linked from their blog) below will tell you a little something about what they're fighting against (Caution: I cried my eyes out, although I am a bit sensitive these days...):

Can you even begin to fathom the kind of passion, faith and determination you need to pursue something like that in your life?

And the reason I'm writing about all these here is that I think we should all give Karen some support. Sure, they're having an adventure of a lifetime, but things aren't all rosy when you leave everything behind and puts yourself out there based on that faith in the justice of humanity.

So, I know you don't know Karen or Andy, but if you can spare a minute, please go visit their blog, and drop her a note and thank her for her work, however tedious it may seem, that we know will make this world a better place for the rest of us, so we can worry about stuff like what color to paint our kitchens, and whether to have that extra helping of turkey on Thanksgiving.

Day 22: "Hubby or Puppy?"

Hubby forwarded me this very insightful article from the SF Chronicle yesterday.

It summarizes polls that ask the sensitive question we all inevitably wonder sometimes...

Who do we think is more important: Your hub or your pup?

Here are some of the results:

• 56% of women find their pets more affectionate than their spouse
• 45% of women claim their pets are cuter than their spouse

• 2/3 of Americans would rather be stranded on a desert island with their pet than their spouse

"I leave daddy in the dust"

Do you agree with the results? I admit it's a tough choice, even though hubby is cute and affectionate and we've been on a near-desert island together before, I can't deny that Bryson seems like a great contender in all these departments.

What do you think? Too afraid to answer?? (Your spouse probably isn't reading this blog though, right? *wink*)

Day 20: Sleeping Beauty

First of all, thanks for all your feedback from yesterday's post! Looks like we don't have a choice but HAVE to go to New Zealand now (hubby is snickering in the background).

We have been thinking about getting Bryson a new bed for a while now. The one he's been sleeping on is quite crappy, I think we got it for $29.99 at a PetClub before we even brought Bryson home. It was before we officially became "dog people", if you know what I mean.

Fast forward 2 years, the bed looks like it's seen better days. It's lumpy dumpy, and it has "grown" a new fur cover (interesting the same color as Bryson, hmm...) that could not be washed away no matter how hard you try, but for some curious reason, will promptly shed its fur all over the backseat if we take it on a roadtrip with us.

We've been eyeing this posh dog bed, the Big Shrimpy Nest, for a while now. The polyester suede finish feels oh-so-luxurious, it looks more comfy than our own bed. Just look at this model doggie (I think this model is Big Shrimpy himeself!):

The SmartFill is supposed to be a particularly environmentally friendly recycled material, and the whole thing is washable.

The only problem is the price tag. Bryson will have to be a VERY good boy to earn that for himself this Christmas. Or he can just look at me with those sad puppy eyes that says "I'm gonna get doggie sciatica if I have to sleep in that lumpy bed for another day..." *Hee hee, those gullible easily-manipulated humans*

In the meantime, he can sleep in this self-heating human flesh bed.

By the way, he used to HATE being held upside down like this. We somehow persuaded him it's a good idea. And now he'd sometimes fall asleep like this while we're watching Amazing Race (and we get these crazy charlie horse in our legs coz we don't want to wake him up). 

Anyone who's invested in one of these posh dog beds, tell us if it's worth it! (Especially now that New Zealand is on the horizon, we gotta watch our soon-to-be-very-empty wallets).

Day 19: Dreaming Sheep

Earlier today, Hubby casually dropped this magazine ad in front of me.

"Isn't this nice?", he said, pointing at the fine print.

Squinting, I realize that this is an ad offering $1500-off the 2nd ticket if you buy one roundtrip economy-class ticket from San Francisco to New Zealand with Air New Zealand.

"Well, I guess, $1500 off sounds like a good deal." I said. But wait... "$1500?! How much is a ticket between SF and New Zealand??"

I thought this is for sure one of those "deals" where they give you what looks like a whopping discount, only that it's over a hugely-inflated price.

But when we looked up ticket prices on the internet, including my fav, kayak.com, that gives you prices on every day of the month (e.g. Feb 09) you're considering flying in a easy-to-read grid, this is what we found:

If you're like me and can't make out the fine print, it says that it averages about $1500 for one economy-class ticket between SF and Auckland, New Zealand!

OK, I'm shocked, for (1) it really is THAT expensive to fly to New Zealand that time of the year (you gotta pay to get that mid-winter tan, I guess), and (2) that ad is no joke, it actually is a pretty decent deal.

Hubby had tried for YEARS to persuade me to go visit that continent with him, something about the simplicity of life and beauty of nature, which I totally get. I do adore that movie Whale Rider. And Lord of the Rings. And I wanna Zorb.

But then there are so many other places we have yet to see in the world: Costa Rica- where my uncles lives; Hong Kong- where my parents lives; Cambodia- somewhere we've always wanted to see, and close to Hubby's family in Thailand; Africa- especially Botswana, which I've become fascinated with after reading this series, etc, etc... all of which (well, maybe with the exception of Botswana) would be less costly to travel to.

So, what do you say, is New Zealand worth it? (Your feeback could very well save our marriage! Ha ha! No pressure now.)

Day 18: Absinthe

I just came back from Absinthe, one of San Francisco's more popular restaurants, and I feel I have to set a couple things straight about this legendary liquor that's purportedly caused Vincent van Gogh to cut off his ear in a fit of delusion.

I've always been curious about this banned liquor that's been portrayed as one of history's most villainous psychogenic beverage. Could it really have inspired the work of all those brilliant French impressionists? Or is it really the evil substance that's caused legions of men and women to waste away and look like zombies?

Apparently, the latter view was never substantiated, and thus after a ban that spanned almost a whole century, absinthe is legalized in the U.S. again last year.

Driven by curiosity, including this whole "ritual" of how it has to be prepared under a cold water fountain with paraphernalia that looks like you're about to perform lobotomy on someone, I had my first absinthe earlier this year, and just to make sure my experience is duplicable, again a small sip this evening.

All I have to say is:

(1) I did not feel like cutting off my ear after drinking it, more like my entire HEAD coz it gave me a huge headache

(2) I did not feel especially inspired, artistically or otherwise (too busy looking for the Exedrin bottle)

(3) It tastes like drinking liquid licorice with alcohol in it, in other words, ACKKK!!! Unless, of course, if you like licorice (ugh).

So, even though this legendary and once-clandestine liquor can now be purchased at your neighborhood BevMo, I don't think I'm running there anytime soon to get my own bottle. But if you think otherwise of absinthe (especially if you have good hallucinogenic experience with it), do share!

P.S. At the end of dinner, I found out that Absinthe (the restaurant)'s Executive Chef, Jamie Lauren, is on this season's Top Chef! That might just be another show I've gotta set on my Tivo now...

Day 17: Fort FUNston

Thanks everyone, I think I'm feeling better today. I just wish I can get part of my weekend back :P

But I guess I really can't complain, coz on Saturday we had a mega fun day at the beach at the appropriately named Fort FUNston with Bryson!

Fort Funston is probably one of the most popular dog parks in San Francisco. With all the trails in the sand dunes, old battery remains and a long sandy beach, it really has something for every dog.

And with the freakishly warm weather (in the 80's, thanks to global warming), it really felt like summer all over again. Which stood in sharp contrast to our winter trip just 2 weeks ago...

   
Snowy Paws (2 wks ago, 19F)       Sandy Paws (this weekend, 83F)

Here are some more photos of the day:

 
Hopping down a sand dune on the way to the beach

 
Let's see if there's any edible sea junk over there...

 
Oooh, is that fresh sashimi?

 
Oh wait, these don't smell like seafood... Er, are these horses?

 
Look, mommy! I'm wearing a new cologne, Horsie Poopie, like it?

 
What? You don't like it? OK, I changed the scent to Salty Seawater

 
Daddy I'm such a good boy I deserve a treat

 
OK, my stomach is full and I've had enough fun with horse poop. Let's go home.

Day 16: Pepto-Bismol, anyone?

Forgive me for not being able to write a "real" post today.

I don't know what it is, but just after dinner, I've been having this terrible heartburn and nausea (almost sounds like the beginning of that Pepto-Bismol jingle). I just took some OTC medicine (it's OK, I'm a pharmacist, remember?). I think I'm gonna try to sleep before bad things happen.

Hope I can sleep it off whatever this is. Ugh......

Day 15: Dinner at Tube Dog's

Last night, my dear neighbor, Tube Dog's Human, invited Bryson and I over for a gourmet dinner and a healthy round of Friday-night Wii-Off (you gotta find some way to burn those calories off, right?).

Pictured above is her delicious thin-crust pizzetta in the mbaking.

In the amount of time that'll take me to drive to McDonald's and order that Happy Meal, she whipped up 4 of these yummy pies, with gourmet toppings like sauteed chanterelle/portobella mushrooms with caramelized onions, goat cheese, pepperoni and tomato/basil (and many, many other delicacies I can't even recall but all tastes oh-so-yummy). And if she didn't tell me, I would never be able to tell that the thin and crispy crust is just good old pita bread. Genius!

While we're thoroughly enjoying our dinner, gorging our rapidly-expanding stomachs with piece after piece of pizzetta, we completely neglected to keep an eye on the animals. And boy, were we in for a surprise when we finally did...

OK, this crime scene photo probably needs a bit of explanation. The suspect pictured here, Tube Dog (desperately trying to look innocent), was caught "sucking" a treat out of my cardigan's pocket (the highlighted "stain" on my black cardigan = remnant treat-mush).

After careful crime scene analysis, we came to the conclusion that since he's too short to actually reach into the pocket, he chose to chew the treat from outside the pocket, carefully mixing the pulverized treat with his drool, then sucking it out through the fabric like the way a fly feeds on raw meat. Yuck!!!

Meanwhile, Bryson's looking smug that Tube Dog's getting busted, thinking that no one's gonna notice that he's just rummaged through Tube Dog and Kitty's toy box and made a big mess on the other side of the room (wait, what's the blue ball doing under the chair... Bryson?)

Day 14: Signs of Fall- Butternut Squash

Falling leaves, hot apple cider, static shock from car doors... Ahhhh, all unmistakable signs of fall.

But my favorite's gotta be the return of butternut squash (and fig, and sweet potato... yum...). So I'm quite excited to whip out this sensible, low-fat, ginger-scented butternut squash soup recipe and make myself a yummy pot to kick those winter blues.

By the way, I don't cook a whole lot, and usually stay away from recipes that involve complexities such as transferring scalding liquid from a pot to a blender. But trust me, this one's worth it. 

Ingredients:

1.5 tbs grated ginger root
1 medium leek, white part only, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate (undiluted)
3 large golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into eighths
3 lbs butternut squash, boiled x 5 min for easy peeling, cut/seeded/chunked
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup fat-free half and half

Instructions:

(1) Combine ginger, leek and apple concentrate in large pot, cover and simmer till leeks are tender, approx. 10 min.

(2) Add apples, squash, and 1 cup of broth, cover and simmer till very tender, approx. an hour.

(3) Puree soup (use a hand-held immersion blender if you're lucky enough to have one, or transfer in small batches to blender and be careful not to cook your hands), return to pot (make sure you rinse the blender with some of the chicken broth so you don't waste any last bit of it).

(4) Lick squash paste off fingers (or let your lucky doggie who's been stuck to your side for the last 2 hours do the honor).

(5) Add remaining 3 cups of broth (or however much you have after rinsing blender), salt and pepper, simmer till heated through x about 10 min.

(6) Turn off heat, stir in half and half.

(7) Scoop yourself a huge bowl and slurrrrrp it up.

Enjoy and Happy Friday!

Day 9: Slacker!

Let's see... 9 p.m. Sunday evening, time for a reality check on my weekend to-do list.

These are things I did NOT get a chance to do (or started but didn't finish):

(Note: Most things a responsible person should be doing, e.g. cleaning, cooking, picking up dry-cleaning can be found here. Slacker!)

• Unpack bags from trip, clean up stuff scattered all over the place, so we can...
• Roomba, whom Bryson thinks is his robotic half-brother
• Take Bryson and Picasso to corgi meet up
• Make ginger-scented squash soup (in my defense I made a different stew...)
• Make Chinese soup (thus still very yeet-hay)
• Find financial planner
• Finish this up so I can make a mad dash to pick up dry cleaning before they close for the weekend, which looks very much like I'll be failing at this point... 
• Finish printing 2 greeting cards at letterpress class
• Read all of your blogs and blogs you read and comment on all of them 

*P.S. I was really tempted to lie that we've at least unpacked our bags, so you don't think that we live like filthy pigs... but alas, I decided to be an honest (yet still filthy) pig.

This leaves us a rather short and pathetic list of things I actually did:

• Plan B: Take Bryson and Picasso to Point Isabel
• Do grocery
• Visit car dealerships to test drive my new company car options thanks for your input!
• Wander aimlessly at Michael's to see what crafty goodness is on sale there wasn't even anything good, what a waste of time
• Pilates
• Gym  OK, pretty happy with this and last one
• Go through all of Bryson's photos this past year and find ONE to submit to the mycorgi.com calendar Thanks for all your help!! I think I know which one to submit now...
• Daily blog

And just so this blog isn't just full of stupid lists, here's the Flickr album I was able to partially update with more of our road trip's photos (more pix to be added when I get some other stuff on my to-do list crossed off):

 

Day 8: Weekend to-do

I have a pretty ambitious to-do list for this weekend. I'm pretty sure I won't get to all of it (as I never do with any weekend to-do list).

To help me see just how ridiculous it is, I've listed what I hope to accomplish here and how much time each item will take:

• Unpack bags from trip, clean up stuff scattered all over the place (3 hr), so we can...
• Roomba (1 min. to pres the "clean" button), whom Bryson thinks is his robotic half-brother
• Take Bryson and Picasso to corgi meet up (3 hr) (already failed, just realized what time it is. Boo)
• Plan B: Take Bryson and Picasso to Point Isabel (1.5 hr)
• Do grocery (2.5 hr) (Safeway for everyday stuff, 99 Ranch for funky Chinese ingredients, and Whole Foods for organic stuff that never fail to shock my pants off with their price tag)
• Make ginger-scented apple squash soup (2 hr) (yumm...)
• Make Chinese soup (which my mom said will help get rid of my "yeet hay" or "hot air") (2 hr)
• Visit car dealerships to test drive my new company car options (2 hr)
• Find a financial planner (no idea, don't even know where to start, just know we need one looking at our bank account...) 
• Finish printing 2 greeting cards at letterpress class (4 hr)
• Sort out and upload photos from our trip onto Flickr and make sure I visit all my contacts' photostream and comment copiusly (1 2 hr)
• Wander aimlessly at Michael's to see what crafty goodness is on sale (1 hr)
• Pilates (30 min)
• Gym (1 hr)
• Go through all of Bryson's photos this past year and find ONE to submit to the mycorgi.com calendar (probably too many hours, let's say 2 hr conservatively)
• Daily blog (1-2 hr for the weekend, depending on how much self-control I have over long-windedness...)
• Read all of your blogs and blogs you read and comment on all of them (1 2 3 hrs)
• Finish this up so I can make a mad dash to pick up dry cleaning before they close for the weekend (30 min), which looks very much like I'll be failing at this point... 

Whew! I think that's about it. So, let's do the math and add up the time needed...

Whoa. That's 29 hr 1 min! And it's already 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The only things I've accomplished are "grocery" and "pilates" (and partially "daily-blog), which means I have another 29.017 - 4 = 25.017-hr worth of stuff to do in the next 32 hrs not counting sleeping, bathing, eating, burping...

*Sigh* Smells like another successful weekened.

You know what though, there's one thing you can help me with if you feel particularly charitable today: below are some of the photos I'm thinking of submitting to the mycorgi.com calendar, help me pick one!!

  
(1) Spa Dog

  
(2) Hope Corgis

  
(3) Melancholic dog

Thanks in advance for your vote!

Day 7: A Green Company Car

I got this automated e-mail from my company this morning, notifying me that I'm eligible for a new company car.

New car? While we're laying off?? Something doesn't add up here... But when I looked at the choices available, it all starts to make sense.

For the first time in my brief tenure in the pharma industry, our company is offering exclusively hybrid (and clean diesel) options. About time! Not only does it make sense to the environment, it also makes economic sense, when you add up the gazillion tanks of gas the company buys over the years.

So, I scrolled down the e-mail, and see that my choices are: Toyota Camry hybrid, Volkswagen Jetta TDi (diesel), Ford Escape hybrid, and Saturn Vue hybrid (the Prius had been available in the past, not sure if we're out of stock or replaced by the Camry hybrid).

Judging from experiences from my disgruntled coworkers who've been stranded in the strangest of places, the Saturn Vue hybrid is automatically out.

For the rest of the 3, I did some googling online, and found in addition to some standard car reviews, that this green vehicle review site by the EPA to be quite interesting:

You can type in any car available in your state, and find out what their gas mileage, air pollution score and greenhouse gas score are. It even allows you to compare them side by side. I thought I'll never say this, but this is one government website that's super helpful! Try it out for your ride! *Note that the Lamborghini has a greenhouse gas score of a big fat zero! Boooo!*

I'll have to read a bit more about these options, anyone has any 1st-hand (or even 2nd/3rd-hand) experience to share about these car options, they're most welcome!

Day 6: Bryson the Rescue Dog!

I don't know if it's the altitude change or the fact that my brain had been briefly frozen these past few days, I'm totally discombobulated and unproductive all day.

Seeing that I don't have much chance of getting caught up with work, I organized the rest of our photos from the trip so at least I can be a productive blogger today :)

So, without further ado, here's a recap of the last wonderful day we spend in the Sierra...

I caught these delicate little snowflakes on our balcony's railing just before sunrise. Little did I know then that we'll have much, MUCH more of this stuff to come later in the day...

   

We've decided that since it's a sunny and warm(er) day, that we'll tackle the Morgan Pass Trail through the Little Lakes Valley in the John Muir Wildnerness all the way up towards the peaks at 10,000-ft elevation. Somehow it escaped my mind that there could still be considerable amount of snow at that altitude on a non-snowing day...

And so we took the hour-long drive towards the trail, but by the time we got near the trail head and found the last 1.5 miles of the road snowed in (and that there were no other cars around), we know we're not in for just a walk in the park...

   

We thought about turning back, but a peek around the bend at this drop dead gorgeous view the trail has to offer (that's a semi-frozen creek above, for those of you who don't live in snow country, like us), and the prospect of having the whole mountain to ourselves, we decided to pack on the layers, tuck our thermal underwear in and trudge on.

I don't know if it's sheer stubborness or our dogged optimism (no pun intended), we trudged on...

  

and on... to progressively deeper and deeper snow...

 

About a mile up from the trail head, there were these hairy moments where we couldn't even tell where the trail is and where it's just snow over vegetation. We thought about turning back (which would be a huge disappointment), and that's when Bryson the Snow Dawg Plow comes to our rescue!

Not only would he sprint/swim ahead and "plow" a clear path for us (seriously, he could get a job with DOT), he also somehow seems to know where the best footing is, leading us onto the safe path.

 

Good boy, Bryson!

Despite of Bryson's excellent canine/6th-sense guidance, we had to turn back half way as the snow was almost up to our knee cap and the hole in my sock was giving my big toe a tourniquet.

Even then, every step of this trip was totally worth it- not just for the fresh air and scenery, but also to watch Bryson thrive and flourish in what we've now discovered is his elements.

I dive! Jackie-Chan-style!

    

He's really shown us that even though he could be a couch potato at home, he's really a true corgi through and through- smart, loyal, determined, and one tough little guy who wouldn't let his vertically-challenged statute limit what he sets his mind to! Go corgis! :D

Day 5: Home Sweet Home

With every great roadtrip, there's the inevitable, long, weary drive home. Today's 7-hr drive was no exception. This is the part that I wish I could fast-forward like the stupid commercials that interrupt my shows on Tivo.

Now comfortably typing away at my oh-so-familiar computer at home, it seems a bit surreal that it was a mere 12 hours ago that we were 10,000 feet above sea level, tackling a grueling hike in knee-deep-snowed-in-bear-country in the high Sierras with Bryson.

Wanna know how Bryson did this time in chest-deep snow? Stay tuned! I promise a more detailed report of this epic hike as I'll (hopefully) acclimate back to reality at sea level over the next 24 hours.

Day 3: Bryson the Snow Dawg!

Hola! We made it safe and sound to wintry June Lake late last night. No accident despite of snow, whew!

As we got here after dark, we had no idea what our lodge looks like when we checked in. Imagine what a pleasant surprise it was this morning when we woke up to this from our balcony:

We snapped this photo below while taking Bryson out for this morning walk (we're in the 3rd building from the left, the balcony on the second floor is where the above photo was taken). Aren't the mountains gorgeous?

While we were totally taken in by the gorgeous view, Bryson's nose was in overdrive as he's mesmerized by the scents left by "wildlife" around here- we were told bears and coyotes frequent the area to scavenge. Bryson is leashed every second from now on so he doesn't become part of the food chain.

Oh, and if you're waiting to hear about how he did in the snow, here he is:

 
 
 

LOL!! Those poor short little legs!! But as awkward as he looked, he totally adored the white stuff! Despite the freezing temp, he just refused to leave and get back to the car (mind you it's in the 20's out). That double coat that's only been causing problems at home finally redeemed itself!

A couple more photos before I succumb to my falling eyelids:

    

P.S. We also celebrated hubby's birthday today. Happy b-day, hon!

Day 2: Winter Road Trip!

A mere 12 hours after the last blog post, here I am again (I really hope I won't be boring you to tears with this daily blogging thing...)

But today, I have a reason to blog early, coz we'll be leaving for a road trip (yup, another one) in a couple of hours! It wouldn't be as epic as this last one, but it'll mark another first for us- taking Bryson to snow country!

We actually don't know if he's seen snow before (remember we got him as a show dog retiree), so we'll try out best to keep him warm and safe, e.g. bringing his coat and doggles, feeding him plenty and often (which in itself should keep him happy), trimming his feet fur so snow wouldn't get stuck, and keep our fingers crossed that he'll have a good time :)

So where are we going? This will give you an idea:

We're staying in this mountain lodge in June Lake, CA, which is just east of Yosemite, close to the Mammoth Lakes ski area. We've been to Yosemite a few times, but never with Bryson and never after it started snowing.

I've marked San Francisco and LA with pink arrows so you have a rough reference of the distance we have to travel. The red route is the more direct route that we would have taken if it's not snowing, but due to winter road closures, we're now taking the blue route, which according to google map will take us around 6 hours.

I'm giddy with a mix of excitement and anxiety (the venti coffee this morning probably didn't help with this weird feeling in my stomach either). I know we'll have fun hiking and exploring, but after a flip-over accident in the snow with my family a few years ago (where miraculously none of us was hurt seriously), I've been apprehensive about driving in snow.

Plus last I checked it's snowing up there, with a forecast of a high of 31 and low of 14 tomorrow. Brrrrrrr!!

It really seemed like a good idea when we planned this a few weeks back when it was nice and sunny... now it can turn out to be either a blast or a complete disaster. Wish us luck!

(P.S. I'm bringing my laptop as there should be internet access at the lodge. If you don't hear from us tomorrow, either internet doesn't work there, or we've perished in the snow...)

Dogzilla!!!

It's been such a dreary day. It's cold (by San Francisco standards), it's wet, and it's dark by 6. I can feel my old friend SAD knocking on the door. I just feel drained and unable to operate normally. It's annoying but I really am that sensitive, you'd think I have a solar panel on my back. 

And these are the times I'm extra grateful of having a dog. I mean, short of advocating for Prozac in the city's water supply, I can't imagine anything else that can save me from a whole winter of depression.

Just look at these photos from last week. We were by the water front in the city, getting Bryson to do his usual pose-y thing, when we noticed he was up to something devious...

Was he really trying to eat a BEE mid-flight?!

   

 

 

I swear the way he was smacking his lips had us thinking he'd actually ATE that poor bee. But upon closer examination of the above freeze-frame slo-mo sequence, we're glad to see that the bee had deftly escaped the maw. Whew!

And this is probably what it looks like from the bee's perspective:

 

Whaaaa!!!

Seriously, you'd think we never feed him.

And here are a few more doses of anti-depressants from the day:

  
  

 

 

Think I feel better now :)

By the way, I've finally taken the plunge and joined NaBloPoMo at JuLo's urging! Nablow-what?! Well, it's basically a group of bloggers who'll dedicate a month of their time to daily blogging. Yup, that's one blog post EVERY DAY for a MONTH!

Lynn at Craftstew is also in this crazy deal. Well, it's not unlike having friends to go to the gym together- you know it's good for you but sometimes you're just too lazy for it, so it helps to have a friend motivate you kick your butt when you're being a slacker! We're gonna start on Nov 1, anyone else wanna join in the fun? ;)

Simple Baby: Gocco & Letterpress Card

If you have a keen eye, you'll notice in my side bar that I have a new item in my etsy store! Smells like another round of self-promotion? You bet! This is one project I'm so excited about, I'm not even ashamed to do that, tee hee!

I know it's been a while since I've written about my creative endeavors, not because I've been slacking in that department (although I'm guilty of doing so in others), but because I'm seriously spending every minute I'm not working or sleeping MAKING something these past few weeks... OK, OK, maybe minus a few hours playing Wii Fit (yup, hubby got it for me for my b-day- probably trying to tell me something, hmm...)

There are tons of things I've made that I haven't even had a chance to photograph or catalog yet, including a huge order of collage cards commissioned by Rita (aka Picasso's mommy aka owner of the beautiful home store, Make My Day) (Thanks!)

But this one I'm showing you here had me pretty excited from the minute it's conceived (*secret giggles*). And without further ado, here's one of my "new" project (well, I actually finished printing this a couple months ago), "Simple Baby":

 

A 4-Bar size (3.5" x 4.75") folded card on 100% tree-free cotton paper, with the background text printed with the gocco, and the birdie/nestful of eggs imagery letterpressed on the "trusty" vintage Vandercook press (who always choose to cough up blood when I'm trying to coax it to comply) .

And if it looks somewhat familiar, you're not mistaken- it's indeed meant to be a member of the "Simple Life" line, you remember bunny, right?)

Inspired by all the crazy advice I've heard dispensed by well-meaning people to new-parents-to-be, and all the expensive baby gadgets you can bankrupt yourself with, birdie reminds you to celebrate the simple joy of parenthood- a nestful of safe and happy eggs.  

The imprint created by the letterpress in the birdie imagery is quite lovely,
but not so well captured here on the photo. Oh well.

And if you can't read the background text, here it is (sorry for the run-on's, I thought it better conveys the confusing and complicated nature of such monologues):

“You definitely want that all-terrain high-maneuverability stroller with this quasi- reversible seat and no-touch folding mechanism in “pea soup”. And don’t forget the cup-holder attachment. It’s on sale for $900! Is that eczema on your baby’s face? Try switching to that homeopathic wheat-free melamine-free taste-free hypoallergenic formula. I heard baby acupuncture helps too, but you do have to do it 8 times a week. And make sure your crib bedding is an all organic 30% cotton / 3% angora / 67% hemp blend and launder them in 89.5 degree soapy water or your baby could suffer from horrible allergies forever. I don’t think you should buy those dirt cheap store brand diapers anymore, Heard they are stuffed with recycled nuclear waste from China. Do you know that babies who learn sign language are 4.2% smarter than those who don’t? My junior can recite the entire Shakespeare collection in sign language by the age of 2. It might be too late for yours now but do try the Mongolian Immersion Program. Your kid will get a head start in life and you can thank me later. And I heard European women routinely breastfeed until the kids are 5 or 6. That’s how European women stay so thin. Those baby swings are a big no-no, your baby will grow up with a lifetime of vertigo. Sharing bed with your baby can cause in-grown toenail…”

Whew, some crazy stuff people say! :D But hope you appreciate the humor and dig this new creation!

I'm also excited to report that another very chic brick-and-mortar store is now carrying my cards! Where? Sorry but you'll have to wait (Boo...)

Not that I'm trying to create suspense (OK, maybe just a little), but I have to go back to the store to take some photos of my cards actually sitting on the pretty, pretty shelves so I can share that with you here (I know that's super dweeby but I'm so psyched I couldn't help it!). More to follow, promise!

Corporate Re-org (Again)

Thanks to all of you who've shared your Myers Briggs type here! And what's all this ISTJ/ISFJ business?? All you accountants and lawyers and engineers and rational folks out there... makes me feel like an airhead! Or maybe opposite attracts? :)

(BTW, hubby is an ISFP. So I guess my "opposite attracts" theory partially holds true).

To some degree of irony, as soon as we came back from our training meeting in Phoenix, we found ourselves subjects of another round of "re-organization" in our company (that's corporate code word for restructuring with possibilities of lay-off's).

Yup, I said the "L" word. And that's the second round in the past 10 months.

Well, with a palpable air of anxiety, we were relieved to learn on a Monday morning conference call with that the axe fell somewhere else in the company this time.

We're safe, whew! For now.

It almost make me feel a bit guilty to think that, realizing hundreds of hard-working people elsewhere in our company are being handed their pink slip. And I'm sitting here complaining about not having enough time to do more gocco'ing and worrying about stupid stuff like Cosmo-bots hijacking my blog...

Isn't that totally selfish and self-indulgent in these hard economic times? Do I need to give myself a big, fat slap?? (OK, I'm not really sure I'm ready for your answer...)

Hmm, things seems to be getting a bit heavy here. To lighten things up, here're some photos of Bryson and friends having a fun outing at nearby Redwood Regional Park (Bryson saves the day again, yay!)

Bryson, Picasso and Chorizo burning some rubber on this lovely redwood trail.

 
Face off! (with Chorizo as referee)

 
:: ¡Chorizo for President! ::

 
Low dogs celebrating a successful walk (despite of a hairy situation involving one of them sliding off a 2-storey-"cliff"... No one got hurt, and said-canine pulled an amazing recovery climbing all the way back up by himself with cheers from his buddies. Disaster averted!)

Go to our Flickr album for more pix of the day!

ENFP?!

No, I'm not swearing at you. Don't worry, I'll never do that.

I just came back from a training meeting in Phoenix, where we had to do that Myers Briggs personality test again. You know, that one that you've probably done in college, that supposedly tells you if you're an introvert or extrovert/ planner or procrastinator (which really makes for great excuses whenever you're late for a project) among other personality "types"?

As I've done this test quite a few times before, all I had in mind when I went into the training was "make it a painless 8 hours, pleaaaase", and "finish up early so I can take the earlier flight home".

But I have to say that the company did a good job this time picking a trainer that was able to make this all relevant and useful. Let's say I didn't catch the earlier flight and I didn't mind at all (which is a huge compliment for any training meeting).

So, you must be wondering, what personality type am I? We answered a few pages of Yes/No questions on our preferences (i.e. not what we actually do, which is learned, but rather what we prefer to do, which is innate), and got rated on 4 dimensions. And the results are: *drum roll...*

I'm an ENFP:

Extrovert ("gregarious" and "expressive")
iNtuition (original thinker/ dreamer)
Feeling (an illogical, empty-headed bleeding heart, *eek*; P.S. I actually score only mildly favoring "Feeling" to "Thinking")
Perceiving (an indecisive procrastinator; surprise, surprise).

Which for the most part looks fairly accurate. I don't think it's even changed at all since my first "test" in college, which ironically told me I probably should NOT go into the field I'm in right now (science). But my inner ENFP tells me life happens for a reason and things will always work itself out. As in having a science career then finding second wind in a creative one and thriving in juggling the two. Wow, see how accurate it is! :P

I'd love to know what "type" you are!

If you haven't done it before, here's a free version of the test you can try online. Don't forget to share here :)

Oh, and as promised, here are the rest of the New England photos (click anywhere on the mosaic to open the Flickr set):

1. Couple, 2. 3.5 Corgis, 3. Father and daughter, 4. New England architecture, 5. Portland Museum of Art, 6. Pumpkin sees, 7. Lobster!, 8. Kayaking, 9. Paddle, 10. Going kayaking, 11. Falmouth House, 12. Team work, 13. Father and daughter, 14. Acadia National park, 15. Dancing weather, 16. Acadia shoreline, 17. Bar Habor, ME, 18. Blueberry!, 19. Groom, 20. Gorgeous bride, 21. Uncle Allan, 22. Me and my folks, 23. A Clear Fall Sky, 24. Flaming foliage, 25. Generations

By the way, I was tagged by the talented artist/teacher TAMS to divulge 7 "fun strange little facts" about myself (if you ask! :D). I guess my Myers Briggs personality would count as the first one? I need to think some more about the rest. More to come :)

The Spy Who Loved Me?

I'm sure those of you who keeps a blog check your visitors' log once in a while to see who's reading your blog. Or to see if you're being stalked.

Well, I'm afraid that's what I found out when I came home from Toronto...

OK, get this. Oh, and be warned, it's a bit creepy.

So. My laptop's finally fixed, so I decided to see if anyone even read my blog when I'm not around. And when I look into my blog's stats, I noticed that over the few days while I was in Toronto, I have over 10x my normal traffic on the blog. Not more visitors, just more views from this visitor that I don't recognize. 

To complicate things, this visitor is "invisible", i.e. he/she/it does not show up on the visitors' map below, and would spend like 5 or 6 hours each day on my blog, and look at like 600 pages at a time (do I even have 600 pages on my blog?!) 

Kinda creeped out, I decided I need to dig out this stalker...  I look up the various IP addresses used, and I figured out where Invisible Stalker is located: Russia. *da da darng*

This whole covert Russian cold-war thing brings to mind two possibilities... This stalker must be either:

1. The Spy Who Loved me. Oh wait, maybe it's the International Man of Mystery? Or...

        

2. A Cosmo-bot who resembles R2D2. Controlled by a Russian mafia, it peruses popular blogs all day (including mine, ha!), insert subliminal messages into them that'll hypnotize you to buy pirated music from their illegal websites.

Help me figure this out! Do you feel the presence of the ever-spying eye? Or do you feel the urge to buy illegal pirated music?

Night at the Museum

Remember, that Ben Stiller movie about things coming alive at a Natural Science Museum? I know, it's silly and adolescent, but I can't resist any Ben Stiller flicks (could you?).

Anyway, our night at the museum, or rather the much-anticipated Pre-Opening Event at the California Academy of Science, did not involve mammoths running lose or Teddy-Roosevelt-played-by-Robin-Williams, but it was almost just as colorful.

You see, most of our fellow visitors are hubby's colleagues in the Hotel Concierge business. Yep, these are the highly-cultured/ fashioned/ polished men and women who sit behind shiny mahogany desks at classy hotel lobbies, hook you up with sold-out Miley Cyrus tickets, and are oh-so-full of "personalities" (hubby is the minority in his business as a rare heterosexual man). As we were mingling, chatting about the finer things in life on the "living roof" of the Academy, I was acutely aware of the green gocco ink I had under my nails ("Oops, those North Sea green caviar sure stains... ha ha")

Speaking of green, I actually fit in quite well with the green theme of the Academy. Just look at the photos (other than the ones I photoshopped to b&w for a bit of drama). Click on the caption if you wanna know what you're looking at. You can see I'm getting quite fond of this mosaic thing (you like? too busy?)

1. Is that a Cockroach?!, 2. Toast to T Rex!, 3. The End, 4. Sphere from 3rd level, 5. Algae display?, 6. Rainforest entrance, 7. Charles Phan- Slanted Door, 8. Is that a real aligator?!, 9. Indoor shore life, 10. Glow, 11. Finding Light, 12. Free-falling ants (?)

Not all the exhibits are opened yet, we're disappointed that we couldn't get into the Planetarium nor the huge glass dome that's housing a miniature man-made rainforest. And I'm shocked (no pun intended) that one of my favorite exhibits- the earthquake simulator- has been scrapped (we totally need to feel more earthquakes here in California).

But between the interactive Madagascar Hissing Cockcroach display (these cyber cockroaches crawl out from under your feet as you step onto them), watching the poor albino aligator scared stiff by his supposed "mate", and the free-flowing pinots and famous meat balls (which by the way go perfectly well with conversations about green caviar), we were thoroughly entertained for a couple of hours.

Love to hear what you miss about the old Academy!

And the Winner of the Giveaway is...

Congrats, Diana! I'll be contacting you shortly. Your set of gocco note cards will be on the way soon!

As for the rest of you, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to leave me comments about how I could improve my blog/ greeting card business. And for that, you get a big hand from me!

You guys have such friggin' good feedback for me, that I actually printed out all of the comments (3 pages worth!), studied them extensively and highlighted all the key points, in the hope that some day when I get myself organized enough, I'll try to tackle the list and implement them!

And in case it'll take me longer than expected to get my act together (very likely), here's a recap of your suggestions/my response in a Q&A format:

Q: Have you thought about expanding your greeting line to holiday/ other occasions? How about custom stationery?

A: Of course! I'm currently brainstorming on this upcoming holiday season, think I'll explore both the "Simple Life" (on excessiveness around holidays) line and of course the beloved "Real Corgis Speak Welsh line" :)

My problem is I never plan ahead enough, so I'll usually think of making a Mother's Day card the Friday before Mother's Day. OK, we'll start next year, what a great New Year Resolution, thanks!

Oh, and I already do custom stationery! I guess I haven't really advertised it. I'm currently designing the wedding invite for a friend, and has done other stuff like this letterpressed baby announcement and this cherry blossom themed wedding. Feel free to contact me through this blog to discuss any custom order! I don't bite, really :)

Q: We'd like to see more corgi stuff! A giganto corgi print? Or an artsy monochromatic one?

A: Great questions! Well, I've actually just gocco-printed another Real Corgis Speak Welsh card (here's a sneak preview) -->

"Dw'in hoffi darllen" means "I love reading". Thought preppy Bryson can use his celebrity status to promote the importance of literacy. And oh, great for any book-loving friends and kids going back to school, too. :) (will be available in my etsy shop soon)

And seriously, thanks for your suggestions for using other media. I definitely think it's a feasible idea to work with his photos (I've got tens of thousands of them anyway), I'll probably have to think about either finding a good offset printer, or invest in a decent archival pigment ink printer, or any other cost-effective way of outputting them (suggestions?).

Q: How about a "green" line?

A: Excellent question from my 5 month-old niece and 2 year-old nephew, Mia and Brady! They've obviously seen An Inconvenient Truth already. Impressive!

Actually, my kraft envelopes are made of 100% recycled material, I just never thought to mention it. Which in hindsight is pretty silly, since obviously even babies and toddlers realize the importance of being environmentally friendly. The cardstock I use is also "tree-free"- they're 100% cotton. I even found this clear cello bag that's biodegradable.

I whole-heartedly support the idea that I should dedicate a line to green materials, and use them as often as possible in my other products (and probably include some kind of description on the back of my cards regarding their green nature). Mia and Brady- I owe you a popcicle next time I see you!

Q: How about selling in other outlets/ a nearby bookstore?

A: Thanks so much, Pegasus Girl, for suggesting that I send my cards to your store! Pegasus (and Pendragon) is one of the last remaining independent bookstores in Berkeley. They carry a lot of interesting indie stuff you won't find at Barnes and Noble. I'll be sending samples in for consideration (*fingers crossed*).

And thx to others who've suggested other outlets and ways to promote my store. I guess I might have gotten a little ahead of myself... Before I start pushing my product, I think I need to sit down (with myself) and write down what my goal really is (e.g. not an evil empire), and find out where my productivity level is/could be at. A first step to boost productivity is probably to get Bryson started licking stamps and envelopes (drool is an asset he can boast).

Q: Could you make your Flickr badge bigger?

A: I would if I know how! I've been trying without success (actually, I succeeded in making the frame bigger but not the photos. Duh). If anyone know how, please share!

Happy Thoughts

OK, so this post is a belated acknowledgement of another Blog Award I received from JuLo. Thanks! :)

This award is all about happiness, I like that. I'm supposed to write about 6 things that makes me happy.

Well, one thing that would make me happy right now is if YouTube work! I was about to upload a video of Bryson sloppily eating the doggie ice cream I made this weekend, but as it's not working, we'll have to settle with a photo for now (I threw in blueberries too, just for fun). And I have to say, for doggie food, it tastes really good (I tasted one. OK, two. Can't help it, it's gooood)

Anyway, back to the task on hand. Here are the six things that makes me happy:

(1) Biting into a really sweet mango. What can I say, can't think of anything else right now I'd rather sink my teeth in. Too bad mango season's over! Why can't it be summer all year long? Actually, my favorite season is the very beginning of spring- when the first green peeks out from under the still cold and gloomy sky.

(2) Watching Bryson and hubby play. They could just roll around and be silly and not doing anything in particular and have a total ball. I just love it when they're both "laughing" so hard that I can't help laughing with them no matter what I'm doing.

(3) Hearing our wedding's first dance song. This one gets me sentimental every time... it reminds me of the few weeks before our wedding, when we would drive to an empty parking lot nearby at night, put this song on the car's stereo, and practice our first dance under a starry sky. My heart still bursts every time I hear it.

(4) Going to sleep feeling that I've done the right thing. Not in the Angelina-adopting-another-orphan-and-saves-the-world kinda way, but in a small volunteering-a-few-hours-at-a-school, or using-my-own-shopping-bag-and-saved-some-plastic-waste kinda way.

(5) That moment when I feel like I'm on the verge of the cleverest, most brilliant, most original creative idea in the whole entire universe! Usually happens in the shower or just before I fall asleep. And usually by the time I actually get to it, it somehow doesn't materialize. But no matter, it's that sense of hope and anticipation that makes my head swell with happiness particles. That's what keeps me creating.

(6) Last but not least, the one thing that probably makes me the happiest is probably seeing the world with hubby and Bryson. All the road trips, all the new things we experience together. Every bit, good or bad, would not trade anything in the world for it.

Whew! That wraps up my list.

I'm also supposed to name 6 blogs that make me happy. Well, instead of following the rules like I should, I'm gonna buck the trend, and tell you all that if you're on my side bar:

(1) Consider yourself tagged!

(2) that I've enjoyed reading your blog, and you've all inspired me in a different way, and taught me to be honest and be real

(3) With that, please share what makes YOU happy :) 6, 16, 6-zillion things, however many you can think of! Go forth and spread happiness!

Lick Observatory

You know I've got a new camera lens recently, and have been dying to try it on a subject other than Bryson (no offense, Bryson, you can still give me a Blue Steel any day).

So, when fellow photography/corgi enthusiast mrjoro invited us to the open house at the University of Califiornia Lick Observatory with promises with photo ops like this one, we showed up with all my camera gear (which isn't much) two hours before the event, totally psyched!

But as with all my best laid plans, there's always a fatal flaw.

I forgot to charge my camera's battery.

Yep, last time we went out I forgot my memory card. This time I double-checked on the card, but then sadly, neglected the juice factor. I didn't even get to use the tripod I just bought that day and lugged around with us the whole entire evening. *Kick self repeatedly*

Given my lack of preparation, I have precious few photos to show for it, below are a few of my fav's, and you can check out the rest here. For better coverage of the day, you can check out mrjoro's album here.

This is the main entrance at dusk. It's only about 20 miles from metropolitan San Jose, but it's situated way above the city in a totally remote part of Mt Hamilton, so it can get away from all the light pollution from civilization. The dome to the left is where one of the observatory's century-old telescope is housed, which is mostly kept for its historical significance and not used for research any more. 

 
We got a chance to get in to the larger dome for a public lecture about its history (above). And when the lecture was over, this wooden "floor" was raised about 20 feet by a century-old hydraulic lift, so we can step up to and look through the ginormous 57-feet telescope (below) that purportedly was used in the discovery of Jupiter's "5th moon" over a hundred years ago. (See the sliver of light? That's where the dome opens. It was quite a site to see it in action)

I'm no astronomy buff, but this place's colorful history and beautiful setting can totally sweep you off your feet.

 
Left: Me taking a photo of mrjoro snapping a pic :D
Right: Mrjoro taking a photo of me snapping a pic :D

Brunch with Bryson and Gang

It's been such a hectic week, I can't believe it's only Wednesday! Let's see what's going on...

I'm getting ready for a work trip to Chicago next week; trying to communicate (emphasis on the "trying" part) with my family which is scattered around the world in Seattle/ Hong Kong/ Boston about a family trip to Maine in October; and re-embracing my creative life, by signing up (finally!) for the Gocco swap among other projects that seem to have sprung up all at once at the same time from out of nowhere. Whew! I feel tired just typing it all out.

So, looking back at these photos from last weekend when things were all fun and relaxed, it somehow feels like centuries ago.

This past Saturday there was a fund-raiser for an animal adoption agency, so my friends and I thought it'd be great to take our pooches (plus Picasso, who was staying with us) to grab some brunch and go do some good deed for the less fortunate pooches. Yes, that's 3 chicks + 4 dogs that want to go in 4 different directions simutaneously.

In the end, we were able to get them under control, and actually ended up enjoying a great day out, doing lots of eating and shopping (and a little bit of fund-raising- oops, got a little carried away). I'm already in need of the next weekend :)

Sit for your treat (and no stealing, Xena)! 

I may seem like a psycho sometimes (especially when the car stops moving), but I do have a tender, loving, adorable side :D

We're starving! Where's our eggs benedict and mimosas?!

I miss my friends...

Check out our Flickr album for more photos of the day.

New Lens! Test Photos

I finally plunked down the cold hard cash (uh hmm) and got myself the 50mm f1.8 portrait lens!

Backtracking a bit (rewind, rewind...). Ever since I got my first SLR last year, I've been contemplating "upgrading" to a more specialized lens. But then I was shocked to find that there are as many choices on the market as there are riders on a Japanese rush-hour bullet train. And they're advertised with all different kinds of bells and whistles with big price tags to match. I've since gone into a analysis-to-paralysis state.

But recently talking to someone in the know, who has also kindly let me play with his 50mm lens (a f1.4 one) which yielded photos like this one, I'm instantly sold! (The $85 price tag of the one I got didn't hurt either)

And now I got this hot little piece of lens in my hands, we got to try it out today! I obviously still have a lot of learnings to do and adjustments to make (e.g. realizing that you have to constantly move back and forth with a lens that doesn't zoom, which I have conveniently forgotten about).

And even though photography has gotten a bit more aerobic for me, judging from these preliminary results, I'm ecstatic :D

 

Check out our Flickr album for more test photos!

The 80's Rock!!

Watching this last week's American Idol finale, I was shocked to see an almost-elderly George Michael perform... But... but wait... George Michael should always look like he did in Wake Me Up Before You Go Go! Was the 80's really that long ago?

The sad truth is, of course, it really was THAT long ago. Big round glasses, high-waisted tapered-leg pants are out- AND back in again.

When you see a trend in a magazine that makes you go "Hey, look, I used to wear that when I was in high school!"- you know you're officially OLD.

Sigh. Guess I might as well embrace it. To start, this is a picture of me "graduating" from my Outward Bound class in the summer of 1989. I hate to admit that nerdy, discheveled, disproportionate chick with zero fashion sense was me. But alas, it was.

And now, to celebrate my teenage years (LATE 80's/early 90's, may I clarify), I've put together this mixed tape (kudos to Heather Future) as a tribute to the years when you were allowed to and often do completely reckless and stupid things that you'll later regret. (You know you and I are in the same age group if you recognize any of these songs!)

And here are some more snap shots from these carefree yet moronic years:

 
Above left: Contrary to the photographer's intent, I was not picking my nose, uh hmm. This is our classroom in our secondary school, SPCC in Hong Kong. We just came back from lunch and waiting for class to resume. I haven't even changed out of my sneakers (our basketball team practiced during lunch). It is a funny combo with our traditional Chinese dress (cheung sam) uniform. But somehow we thought it was cool then.

Above right: Our Form 5 (equivalent to 11th grade) graduation. It was a big deal, coz having spent every school hour (in Hong Kong you stick to the same group of people for every single class) together for 2 whole years, some of us will be leaving to study abroad, and this would be the last day some of us would ever be standing together in a photo (but I'm very glad to say that 4 of these folks were at our wedding just a few years ago :>).

 
Every summer, our group of friends would ride an inter-island ferry and go "camping" (staying in a rental village cottage) in the "countryside" for a week or so. We relished these days away from our parents, when we'd play poker until 2 in the morning, then rise at the crack of dawn and ride our rental bikes out to watch the sun rise at the beach and lay there all morning.

OK, I have to admit, for each photo I posted here, there're probably 100 more that's too embarrassing to let in the public domain. For those of you who knew me back then and possess some of these black-mail material- well... Try me :P

Joe Cool

I felt soooo lazy today... I couldn barely raise one finger after another to type right now, coz that will generate so much body heat I might just melt like a tub o' lard.

This unusual heat wave hit the Bay Area yesterday on a May day that should have been nice and springy. I think the news says that we reached a high of 96 today. 96!! And we live right by the Bay! Something's wrong with the world's thermostat...

All we could do was to dust off the fan, jack it all the way up to "HI", aim it straight at ourselves, sprawl all out on the cool concrete floor to maximize heat transfer, and try to stay as motionless as possible and get into reverse hibernation.

Bryson and Picasso seem to think they have better ideas on how to stay cooool

Ghetto mouth

When you've grown to be a responsible adult, you've generally learned to avoid doing stupid things that will disfigure yourself accidentally.

Well, I've accomplished one such feat today.

I chipped my frigging front tooth.

With a fork.

I was frantically trying to chew an olive's flesh off of its pit, while totally absorbed in this stupid reality show and yakking at the TV and dishing out comments that no one can hear. I thought the fork was out of my mouth. It wasn't. I heard a loud "CRUNCH" and felt shock waves from the top of my head to my its-bitsy little toes.

OWWWWWW......

I guess there's a reason why your parents tell you not to eat and talk at the same time. And yet another reason why reality TV is bad for you.

It doesn't hurt as bad as it looks (I can still use your sympathy though)!. All I can see in the mirror now is this ghetto mouth. I can't stop staring and laughing at this pitiful sight. It's like watching someone in a comical accident on America's Funniest Home Video.

Or, maybe it's a sign that I should go get myself a nice set of grill...

What to Give for Mother's Day?

Since my parents moved back to Hong Kong a couple years ago, it's been quite a challenge shopping for birthday/ Christmas/ Mother's/ Father's Day presents for them.

First of all, taking them out to shop is kinda difficult when they live some 6,000 miles away. And there's the whole mailability factor (try packing a birthday cake).

And even if you do find something you like, chances are it's made in China, which means they can probably find the same thing 10 times cheaper somewhere down the street from where they live.

So, after dragging myself around 4th Street in Berkeley for hours this weekend and got a couple of knick-knacks (all sporting "Made in China" stickers on the back), I gave up.

I ran home, rubbed my sore feet, made myself a cup of tea, and decided that I'm just gonna throw something together, call it a piece of "heartfelt" "artwork", and hope my mom won't despise it (she's a hard critic, that one).

And going through my boxes of spare fabric and bits of paper and various ephemera for ideas, I came across this lovely pack of cherry blossom stickers my mom got for me while visiting Japan years ago that I had forgotten about...

They're these cutesy little things that I imagine Japanese school kids stick on their bento lunch boxes. And since working on my friend's wedding thank you card this past month, I've been having cherry blossoms on my mind... 

And about an hour (and many stains that ruined another pair of pants) later, this is what I got:

And yes, it was so much fun I actually made 2! I'm gonna mail my mom the smaller one on wood (in the upper right photo), and I might put the canvas one up in my etsy store. But I kinda like it, hmm... maybe I'll keep this one.

(P.S. Daddy- if you're reading this before you receive it in the mail, please don't show this to her- it's meant to be a SURPRISE...)

On Modern Day Anesthesia and Surgical Procedures

I had a minor procedure where I had to go under general anesthesia a few weeks ago (don't freak, I'm fine, everything's fine. Really. I'm OK.)

I've always thought that since I was trained as a pharmacist, that I'd be the most prepared patient in the world. I'll know what questions to ask ("is that propofol in a 70% fatty emulsion in that glass bottle hanging on my IV pole?").

I naively thought the whole thing will go without a hitch.

Well, what I didn't expect is how vulnerable you become as soon as you change into that hideous bottom-baring hospital gown.

Nothing makes much sense when you're in that semi-sedated state, and a million people try to poke your arm and draw funny lines on your body and ask you questions you don't understand all at the same time.

So, as your cyber pharmacist friend (and someone who learned by their own mistake), I've got a few advices for you if you don't want to come out of your future surgery with your colon mistakenly removed when you went in for an ingrown toenail (or something equally tragic):

(1) READ UP about the procedure AND about anesthesia (yes, the "fun" part).

Now I assume that if you're reading this blog, you're fairly proficient with finding stuff to read on the internet. Good. Keep doing that. And if it means you'll have to miss reading my blog for a few days, it's OK, you're forgiven.

The field of anesthesiology is greatly advanced since the day of laughing gas. These days, the meds are mostly safe but invariably POTENT.

I made the rookie mistake of underestimating its power (and yes, it's even stronger than Starbucks French Roast. Pix's stolen from someone else's blog).

After being told "OK, the first injection of Versed is going in, say whatever you're going to say to your husband now, dear", and I responded with a stupid "Yeah, right, whatev....vvveeer..rrrrr...errrrr......" I was out in 5 seconds flat. (But according to my husband, I was still yakking unintelligibly the whole time. God knows what embarrassing things I said to the nurses who wheeled me into the OR...)

(2) ASK ad nauseum about anything you don't understand until you get a satisfactory answer (preferably at your pre-op appt since on the day of, you'll probably feel like you've had one too many martinis most of the time. Not a bad feeling, just not the best time to keep information straight in your head).

Remember, someone's CUTTING you open while you're UNCONSCIOUS. Ruminate on that one.

I, for one, failed to ask one vital question... it wasn't until I woke up from the surgery and felt a soreness in my throat when I realized I was intubated during the procedure (which was optional as I understood it). I mean, someone just kinda NEGLECTED to tell me that there's a chance they're gonna stick a tube down my throat in case I stop breathing?!

(3) ASK for a second opinion when the first nurse/doctor don't seem to understand what you're asking for.

I would have received an antibiotic I was violently allergic to if I didn't keep asking the anesthesiologist (one of the few who actually listened to me) why the nurse insisted it's "OK" for that bag of antibiotoic to be hanging on my IV pole. Be prepared to wrestle anyone who's about to stick you with a substance that you know may kill you (OK, I hope you don't come to that, but seriously, do double check).

I figure 3 things are probably about all that one can remember at one sitting. So, there you are! Now armed with these pearls of wisdom I've imparted on you, go forth and be the smartest patient in any future surgery ward you may find yourself in!

Chez Senakams

My day started out nice and relaxing- the sun was shining, birds were chirping, coffee was brewing... it really looked to be a promising day.

But of course, life is never as it seems... before I can even finish my cup of coffee, the day start to slowly slip out of control like a runaway truck. Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong did, and here are just a few that went spectacularly so:

1. My work laptop crashed midway through a lengthy report (that I moronically have not yet saved). Called IT, waited an hour, couldn't get any help (what was I thinking calling them anyway?). Three hours later, I restarted the project. Laptop crashed again. Banged head till it bled.

2. Received package in mail- only that it was a "Return to Sender" for an Etsy order I just sent out yesterday (and it was only the SECOND order from my little store)! Apparently I used the wrong envelope that indicates it's priority when I was told to pay 1st class postage. Even though for this particular destination, priority and 1-st class will get on the same plane and arrive on the same day. I love USPS.

3. Tried gocco'ing a Thank You card for my cousin whom I'm letterpressing baby announcement for. In my already flustered state, I messed it up big time.

Don't be fooled by this photo where things look OK being small- click on it to get a supersized image, and you'll see the piece on the machine is smudged. I didn't even see it till I printed took this picture and realized about 20 of them were printed like that. ARRGGHHH...

4. Sharks lost. Trailing 0-3 in this 7-game playoff series. Time to shave off my playoff beard.

Seeing this damsel in distress, my very kind hubby not only cooked me dinner, but also presented me this menu below that he specially prepared to help me understand this intricate gourmet meal:

I particularly enjoyed the pungent 99 Ranch garlic, hormone-free chicken, and quality Rainbo large enriched white bread.

I'm awarding the culinary rising-star Chez Senakams a Michelin Star, as well as a Zagat rating of 28 for Food, 30 for Value, and a 25 for decor (the 25 for decor is my fault, as I have messed up prints strewn everywhere).

And this is the pretty Paper Elixir Thank You card I'll send to Chef Jacques for taking such good care of me. Merci, Chef Jacques!

Iron Butt Competition

Call us crazy, but tomorrow we are going to embark on an 1,800-mile "epic" road trip from Emeryville, CA to Austin, TX! Yee-haw!

And yep, Bryson's coming along :) And this will be the first time he meets his "cousins", aunt, uncle and other set of grandparents for the first time! Too exciting!!

As you can see, we would have traversed more than half our vast country by the time we get there. I swallow a hard gulp every time I look at this map. Definitely an iron-butt challenge (Bryson could probably out-sit all of us with those infamously "sturdy" corgi butts).

It'll take a back-breaking 25-hour drive if we go non-stop, but we figured we'll pass by so many new places we've never been to before, that we might as well take it leisurely and visit these places along the way.

So, the plan is to drive to Sedona tomorrow (784 miles, approx 12 hr), spend a day there on Sunday (can't wait to experience all the "energy"), then drive through all that's lovely Texas (probably stop a night in Abilene, TX), and spend 3 days in Austin with family.

Next time you hear from us here, we won't be in Kansas California anymore!

What do you wanna be when you grow up? PHARMACIST!

A couple weeks ago, I was asked by someone if I want to volunteer at a career day at an elementary school. I would try to tell the kids why they'd want to grow up to be a pharmacist.

You've gotta be kidding me, right? was my response. Me? Talk to kids?!

Everyone knows I'm a kiddophobe. I just don't get kids. I don't know what they want when they look up at me with those watery eyes. I don't know why they eat their own booger. I just DON'T get them.

I mean I love my nieces and nephews, but I can only handle them as long as I know their parents are there to take them back as soon as they break out in their chorus of tantrums.

But I did it. I persuaded myself they're probably harmless.

And you know what, even though I ended up with a migraine, I came back feeling pretty inspired.

First of all, I've got secret weapons. Not only did I made colorful charts with names like Dr. Madison R. Good and Mr. I. M. Sic, I brought bribery... Stickers for everyone!!

And to my relief, they loooove the stickers! They were practically jumping out of their seats to answer my questions when stickers are on the line. I pratically had them all chanting "Pharmacist! Pharmacist!" when I asked them what they wanna be when they grow up. The power of bribery. But I did secretly hope that maybe some of them actually meant it...

And a few days later, I got this big fat envelope in the mail. And there they are, these super pink art work done by some of the kids who apparently did decide to enter the profession of pharmacy! (Yes, they are 6 years old but it's never too early to apply).

I was touched, but also embarrassed that these kids embraced our little encounter without question, even though I was all skeptical about them. But maybe they sensed it and that's why I have a blue face in one of the pieces.

Crack My Mind

I had such a revelation today, I feel obliged to share. Even though it's causing me to feel a bit lightheaded just to think about it...

I walk by this neighbor's unit at the end of the hall almost every day, and I would notice her business website- mojotivity.com. What an interesting name, I often thought. There's also some description of the "hypno-energy work" she does as a therapist which I didn't quite understand.

One day, in casual neighborly chit-chat, I learned from another neighbor that this "mojotivity lady" (her name is Joan) can "work wonders", helping you solve your life's problems in the amount of time it'll take you to drive to your shrink.

Really? Hmm. Sounds too good to be true.

So, what did I do? I have to put my issues to the test.

I have issues. They bother me, but I can't even begin to describe all the why's and how's. They're just there. I've learned to cope with them, but what if I could get rid of them completely...

And get my mojo back. Hmm.

So, with certain degree with skepticism, I went to seek out Joan's help. I had to admit (quite stupidly) I was relieved that there was no crystal ball or swinging pocket watch during our sessions. Duh, what was I thinking.

I was also relieved that she was warm and sensitive and humorous. At first, she listened to my issues, gave me her thoughts and feedback, and I thought, OK, this is probably quite harmless.

However, I wasn't quite prepared for the way the "energy work" we later did, that quite literally shook me to my core.

You can read more about this energy work she does here on her website. It seems quite simple and intuitive, but for some reason, I didn't think it would work on me. I thought my skull is so thick she wouldn't be able to penetrate it.

Joan can sense my fear and skepticism. Just follow my directions in a series of taps and repeat certain things after me, she said, you can't do it wrong.

And I had to say that, at first, I felt a bit silly doing it. Could tapping my finger on my temple and rolling my eyes in my head really work to get rid of my issues?

Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a floodgate got opened.

Tears and emotions started pouring out from this long-forgotten pit in my heart. I was sobbing like a child. My head felt light, and my arms hung numb like two pieces of wet dough.

The only way I can describe it is like I've been living in a dark cave all my life, being tormented by these dark, evil bats swarming around my head that I couldn't see. I kinda know something is wrong, but I was too afraid to confront them.

And now, it's like a light had been turned on, and I am forced to reach out and grab one of these bats, look them in the eyes, and see for once what's bothering me.

I'm not quite there yet, but the goal is with repeated exercise, I can not only look them in the eyes, but realize that they're quite harmless. Perhaps I can even adopt them as cuddly pets some day.

I can honestly say that after just 2 sessions, I can feel my anxiety level much lower when I feel these issues bubbling up again. I mean, they're still there, but I can acknowledge them, and begin to feel that they're not having this evil grip on my every emotion.

I am still trembling at the thought that such a simple therapy has caused such a profound change in my being.

What can I say, the mind is a crazy thing. It just takes the right touch to crack it open. I will be indebted to Joan for a long time.

You've Got Meme!

My missing blog posts have been restored! Crisis averted... Whew!

So, now I can get back to the meme I was tagged to do by JuLo. Yippee!

But wait... um, first I gotta find out what the heck a meme is...

I googled up a bunch of sites that attempt to explain it, all without much success. Here's the precious little I could gather: a meme appears to be an idea that gets replicated and propagated from one person to another. Like chain mail? No. That's lame. More like a gene, and hence the name (note meme rhymes with gene).

Oh and by the way, the picture here has nothing to do with a meme. Just don't want to do a post without a pretty picture. This is a painting by Barry Masteller.

OK, without further ado, here's the my meme:

Go back through your archives and post the links to your five favorite blog posts that you’ve written. But there is a catch:

Link 1 must be about family. This post pretty much sums up the biggest (and smallest) event in my family this past year.

Link 2 must be about friends. I can't imagine living without my 5 dearest friends!

Link 3 must be about yourself, who you are… what you’re all about. Well, I cheated here! OK, just a bit... I wrote this post after I knew about this meme. It's rather long, but you can't say you don't know me after reading it.

Link 4 must be about something you love. This is a hard one. There's just so many things I love... eating, napping, shopping, eating some more... but if I have to pick one, this post probably represents one of the "things" (note: non-living) I'm most passionate about now.

Link 5 can be about anything you choose. One of the most special moments captured on the blog gotta be this one. Yeap, Dec 28, 2006, the very first day we met Bryson and took him in as part of our family forever.

OK I have to cheat again! I can't stop at these 5 here, this is too much fun! There's one very important aspect of my life I haven't mentioned yet... and you can read more about it on this post and this post here.

Experiencing the roller coaster ride of life with my hubby has helped me become the person I am today. I've read somewhere that a soul mate is someone that can help you see your own soul. If that's true, then I'm just about the most blessed person in the world right now.

Happy Belated New Year!

I know it's kinda late in the day and Chinese New Year's Day is almost over (it is in China), but better late than never, right?

Happy Rat Year!! Gong Hey Fat Choy!!

And my brain is too mushy right now to think of anything else auspicious or clever to say... so I cheated... I copied Bryson's picture from our New Year blog last year and stuck it here. You probably couldn't tell, right? Hee hee...

One's Many Duties

We voted today!

As we proudly sport our "I voted!" sticker on our chest around town, I'm kinda embarrassed to admit that this is actually only the second time I've voted ("OK, let's see... draw a line evenly across the boxes... alright, I can do that...")

I know we haven't been the best when it comes to fulfilling our civic duties, but then when you think about it, one's life is so full of duties- volunteering obligations, city council meetings, HOA meetings... and that's not counting work and all the family/ social obligations that we bring onto ourselves... how do you juggle them all?

I know, I know, I've been accused (mostly fairly) of overcommitting, but somtimes you feel like you just need to roll up your sleeves and tackle whatever comes at you, that there's really nothing you can't handle (something women learn from their strong moms, I think).

Like this past weekend, I came home from this crazy 2-week vacation-work trip, ready for a comatosed weekend at home, only to discover that my dear friend couldn't find a place to board her 7-month old puppy for a weekend trip starting the very next day (!!!).

There's only one thing to do. Bryson had a new baby-step-sister for the next 3 days and we scooped a lot of wayward poop.

But then I realized something while tugging with this puppy for the 15th time that day- there's nothing more satisfying than experiencing something new- to delight in the pure joy of reckless play, to learn the love and compassion you're capable of towards a creature you barely knew, and to nurture the patience you need to deal with this creature's not-quite-yet-developed bladder/bowel control, and her unstoppable desire to chew on the rain coat you're struggling to put on for her own good. As tiring and frustrating as it can get, it also helps you feel you've lived life a little bit fuller than the day before.

And I hope little Xena wasn't too traumatized at our inexpert hands. Bryson, as you know, isn't big in playing and tugging, and often gets annoyed when Xena tried to lick his face and invite him to play (the same way that older boys get annoyed by their much younger siblings, I guess). At the end, he did warm up to her and attempted to play with her in his way (watching her run around the coffee table and then tackle her at one end, which usually ends in spectacular collisions where he gets mercilessly run over since he's so short).

 

So even Bryson learned something- duty as a big brother, to love and to tolerate a younger sibling. I guess that's how we- men and dog- all learn to move forward in life.

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.

Twelve Days of X'mas

OK, this is probably one of the funniest X'mas videos I've ever seen!!!

We feel compelled to share this most original rendition of the Twelve Day of X'mas by the Indian Boy Band sensation, Boymongoose, with you. Enjoy!

(Disclaimer: if you're easily offended, watch this video instead)

You can download the whole album on Napster as well. We did and we've been listening to it every day, never been in a more cheerful holiday mood! Worth every penny!

Other than listening to Boymongoose, we're also engaging in more traditional holiday activities, such as decorating our X'mas tree.

This year we got a "smaller" tree- a noble fir standing at merely 6 feet, which would've been dwarfed by the ginormous 9-footer we got last year. Yeah, we went a little crazy last year coz it was the first year we lived in a loft with a 14-foot ceiling. It was like living in a forest.

And as we were decorating the tree, I thought it was so cute when Bryson busied around us sniffing out the ornaments. But of course by the time I take out the camera, he lost his interest. So, in order to re-create the moment, I cheated... I stuck a treat in the tree at his nose level and led him to the tree, and this is the result (he looked so strained and glassy-eyed it was actually a bit scary):

Happy Holidays!

Holiday Tinnitus- ring! ring! Rrrrring!

The other day we saw this festive red-and-white stretchy holiday collar with a bunch of jingle bells dangling off it in the store. We thought, ooh, it'll be so great to dress Bryson up in this so he can fill the house with cheerful jingles and kill my winter blues.

So earlier today we lovingly put the new collar on, we clasped our hands in adoration, we ooh-and-ahhed for a little while, we took some pictures, shot a cute video, and we let him run around the rest of the day with it.

It was quite cute at the beginning, but now 8 hours later, he's asleep, and I'm still having ringing in my ears (medical term= tinnitus). It sounds as if a herd of reindeer is charging towards us (and they're still in North Pole).

And now we know why our friends look at us with such horror in their eyes when we bought their kids a mini xylophone for X'mas last year.

World of Good

It's that crazy time of the year again to brave the crowd and venture into the inevitable holiday shopping season.

Even I as an avid shopper am fazed by the holiday mob scene in San Francisco- the mix of gung-ho local bargain-hunters and tourists who think there's still gold here turn downtown into a positively chaotic mosh pit.

So I'm delighted when I found out there'll be a warehouse sale close to my house, hosted by a company called World of Good that promotes fair trade with artisans in developing countries.

Now, I don't know if every cent we spent there is really used effectively to help these artisans, nor do I believe I can't get the same thing cheaper at Walmart or some backstreet shop in Chinatown (which I probably could, but that's why we need fair trade), we were still happy to have got quite a bit of our holiday shopping done there.

Coz for one, there's no mob, and secondly, the stuff is actually pretty nice, and lastly, even the idea that we're doing something positive for humanity during this holiday that has evolved into this huge consumerism party is consoling.

So boys and girls, I'm sorry that if you're on our gift list this year, the surprise is somewhat spoiled. But do visit their website which has an online store, and feel free to pass on a good word.

Newspaper shopping bag- get shopping done and get the latest news from India

Fall Day

Fall is not my favorite season.

Even though I enjoy the way everything looks golden under the low-slung sun, and making crunchy noises when you walk on piles of fallen leaves, and slurping down piping hot butternut squash soup, fall is inevitably tinged with a bit of sadness...

...Coz fall means winter is right around the corner, which of course means you'll be shrouded under a bleak, gray sky for months. Yuck.

With the only thing to look forward to during winter being X'mas, I secretly wish that right after I open all my X'mas presents, I'll wake up and find myself on a beautiful spring day in April. I should have been a polar bear.

Thanks goodness this winter we've got Bryson, who gives us a reason to wake up every morning- especially since he learned barking incessantly (and hoarsely) will get us out of bed and feed him his breakfast at his will. Although, I'm fairly sure he wouldn't mind gorging himself on a feast then going into hibernation with us for a few months.

Big Bryson Smile- better than Prozac for those icky winter blues

Check out Bryson's Fall Day album any time for a dose of anti-depressant.

Happy Thanksgiving

The trees have long changed color, the day's gotten shorter, but somehow, it still feels too soon to be Thanksgiving already.

But now that I realize today is indeed Thanksgiving, it is only appropriate to look back and count our blessings this past year- we got Bryson, we saw Europe for the first time, my sister has a healthy baby, we got Bryson, we got Bryson... and despite of all my complaints about being overwhelmed and tired lately, it actually has been a great year.

So, gobble, gobble, Happy Thanksgiving!

Why eat corn flakes on a hot day?

I've been super swamped since I came back from Orlando, but there's this one conundrum that's been driving me crazy every time I walk out of my own door. I need to solicit your help here.

So here's the story...

I live in live-work loft building. There are many artists, photographers, crafts-people in my building, and my next door neighbor happens to be a gallery owner, who runs his gallery right here at home. His art work spills over to the hallway all the way past my unit (where the door mat is in this picture), which means every day I walk out of my door, I sort of walk into my own art gallery. Which is pretty neat, except that sometimes after a piece really grows on me, it gets sold and I feel all sad and empty.

This was the case a few weeks ago when the piece right smack dab in front of our unit got sold, and we had to stare at this blank void for a week before a new piece got put in its place.

When the piece arrived, I thought, OK, it's a vintage poster of a man selling Kellogg's cereal, it's very yellow, but it's aesthetically pleasing enough, and so I didn't think too much of it.

Until one day, I was propping the door open to wait for Jacques, and I had the first opportunity to really read what's on the poster, which is where the conundrum begins...

You'll see in the bigger picture below that there's a thermostat on the left side, which reads around 85, which together with the fact that this man is wiping his forehead probably means it's a hot day out there (gotta love these visual messaging in vintage posters). And the text says "NOW's the time for Kellogg's Corn Flakes".

Huh? Why is it a good time to eat cornflakes when it's 85 degrees outside? It got me thinking for days (and some sleepless nights)... We had some theories, but...

Wait. I think I got it! (See, writing a blog makes you think harder than you normally have to, and thus smarter, dare I say) I guess back in the 50's or whenever this poster was made, before the advent of instant breakfast (aka cereal), your only option is to labor in the kitchen and cook your omelette and pancakes and what not. What a revolutionary idea Kelloggs represented then, that on a hot day, everyone can get away from the stove, and not have to cook and still enjoy a delicious breakfast. Even a man wearing a tie can manage that!

That sounds like a good theory, right? Tell me I'm on the right track so I won't be tossing and turning in bed tonight.