Bring It On, 2008!

Well, here's a big HELLO to the new year.

Woke up to a pretty blue sky. Sun was already out shining down on earth. Everything looked colorful and bright. 2008 arrived looking very pretty.

Made coffee. Popped Pillsbury cinnamon rolls in the oven. Soon, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sweet baked pastries filled the house. Ahhh... I'm burping happy bubbles!! I hope the rest of 2008 will be like this morning - comfy, relaxing, and pleasing.

Read Dear Abby on morning paper. Abby offered some advice on resolutions JUST FOR TODAY. This is my take away (for everyday):

• Don't dwell on thoughts that depresses me.


• Correct those things I can correct and accept those I can't.


• Don't be a mental loafer.


• Make a conscious effort to be agreeable.


• Do something positive to stay healthy, and


• Refrain from improving anybody but myself.

With that, I welcome you, 2008!

So What’s Good About 2007?

I’ve been thinking about what good comes out of 2007. The top 2007 news and stories are about the bads and the uglies. Where are the goods?

Perhaps 2007 is one in which people have to find/make their own goods out of the bad ones. I had to make some myself. For one, I’m a better Chinese cook now since mom can't longer cook. I’m grateful of every little thing now because my family is still in one whole piece. I’m more generous than ever because I still have a lot when many have lost so much.

Perhaps 2007 is meant to be a year of self-reflection through tragedies and sadness. People cannot fully understand the impact of things and events unless we have personally experienced them. We often don't appreciate the simple pleasures until they are taken away from us. For me now, if mom can wiggle one little finger, it would be the greatest joy in the world – JUST ONE LITTLE WIGGLE!!!

People often complain too much – me included. Perhaps 2007 brought us life lessons: stop complaining; just do it and make things happen.

Happy New Year Everyone!

You're Bad, 2007!

Like ringing the closing bell eagerly on a stock losing day on Wall Street, I’m so glad that 2007 is going away.

2007 brought aches and pains to people globally, nationally, regionally, locally and to me personally . To be fair, it did bring us some things to cheer about but too little too few…

What does 2007 leave behind? Increasing global warming, never-ending wars, skyrocketing gas prices, the collapsing housing market, fires, droughts, so many people died, too many families cried, and mom’s stroke…

(and The 49ers, the Raiders, the A's and the Giants all suck too!)

Go away 2007!! I won’t miss you a bit.

But the sky is not falling!! I’ll think of something good about 2007 before it disappears. Leave a note if you have any good to share.

We must end the year on a good note.

Food Unites...

Cousins (first Auntie's two kids) drove up from LA on Saturday; stayed one night and headed back Sunday. They were here to visit Mom and they really pumped her spirits up.

It was a short visit but we felt that we got to know them (and they us) so much more than all the times that we have known each other. They were already pre-teens when we were just babies. So we never got to play with them.

This was probably the first time that we got to catch up like adults and we drank it up too! We started with red wine, then a little sip of limoncello that Sue made - fortified with a little bit more vodka, then moved on to tequila into the wee hours... sounds boozing, doesn't it? But we were good, very baby sips... more to accompaning the chatting than the other way around. So no one was drunk or had a hangover. We were such good kids!!!

We found that we all liked breakfast, black coffee and nice wines and we all got so excited talking about food. What a wonderful way to reconnect!

So before they went home, I took them to Kingfish where people "EAT LIKE A KING, DRINK LIKE A FISH".

Yes, this is exactly how we should enjoy our lives.

Wear Fog not Flower in Your Hair

Today (oops, past midnight, so yesterday) was one of those famous foggy days in San Francisco. The fog rolled in and out all day long. Sometime it hovered high and at times it floated below. This morning, it was so thick that I couldn't see a thing outside my window on the 30th floor. Then around noon, it cleared up without a trace.

THE FOG came back for an encore performance in the afternoon. It decided to blanket the bay and to cover up the Bay Bridge. This picture was taken around 3pm. The Ferry Building and the Bay Bridge looked like they were high above the clouds.

One look and you will leave your heart in San Francisco.

Hmmm, why do I sound like I'm singing?