San Bruno Burning

It was a normal Thursday evening. At 6:15pm, people were getting home from work and school. Tables were being set for dinner and families were looking to unwind from the day. One second life was normal, next, upside down.

It hurts to see the destructions on TV. I'm only few miles north of the explosion, yet life is just normal as it can be. Plume of dark smoke hang over that area. Couldn't bear to think the pain, the suffering, the loss beneath that smoke.

People's life forever changed in a few seconds of time. It could have happened to any of us anytime anywhere. I'm so sorry that people of San Bruno have to suffer through this tragedy.

53 houses gone; 120 damaged; 3 lives (probably more) perished; many more injured. The neighborhood will eventually be rebuilt but life will be forever changed.

Sent from my iPhone.

Extremely Beautiful!

I visited the Extreme Mammals exhibit this morning at the California Academy of Science. This was my second attempt to see the exhibit. The first time was back in April but I didn't really have a good look that time because I had Carli in tote. That little monkey could not keep still and I was so afraid that she was going to destroy the exhibit. I love my dear niece but she is not coming with me to exhibits any time soon. Talking about extreme mammals, she is one alright.

But, peace and quiet at last. I had a chance to check out the exhibit in detail. Amazing. Just amazing! The way that life forms evolve and adapt is just so incredible and beautiful. There is a reason for why we are the way we are today.

Do You Know?

There are no flying marsupials because marsupial babies need to climb into the pouch right after birth so they need to have strong fore limbs for grabbing and climbing. Therefore their front limbs are too heavy to develop into wings or membranes for flight.

Kangaroos can carry 3 different babies developing at different stages at one time (one not being born yet. It's waiting for it's turn). Therefore, mama kangaroo produces 2 different kinds of milk at the same time - one from each nipple - to feed the older two that need different nutritional levels. Wow! Can you do that, cows?

Hold on to Your Headgears. Headgears come in different shapes and forms: horns, antlers, tusks... Besides using them to defend against predators, mammals see them as "team uniforms". Yes, like ones stick together like sport teams. Teammates dress alike. I guess humans did not invent uniforms after all.

My Take Away: Life is art and it improves with time. gotta love it!

Happy Moon Festival

Chinese Moon Festival is just around the corner, but that wasn't what we were celebrating today (Oops, yesterday, since it's already past midnight).

Trader Joe's has a series of "moon" wines. Love the names and the pretty wine labels. I suggested to the girls that we should get together to sample the moons. Yap, easier said than done. It took 6 months to make this happen.

Nonetheless, we did, and boy did we had fun. We gathered around the "moons" and dutifully studied the type of grapes, the intensity and the order we should try them. I even had a wine note typed up. The idea was for everyone to write down her own experience on the appearance, the aromas and the taste but I forgot to bring the printout with me. Oh well, so much for a formal wine tasting.

Of course, cannot wine taste without food and, in our usual tradition, lots of food for 7 bottles of wines. I think we ate more than we drank because each of us brought home a "full moon".

Many thanks to Yvonne for hosting the moon festival. We miss Sandy and Julie who couldn't be there but they know: "月亮代表我的心".

Road to Recovery - One Step at a Time

Mommy took a BIG step this week. She took a trip to Monterey. It is the first time in three years after her stroke. GOD! We are so proud of her!!

Mommy has not traveled far since she suffered the stroke. She did not have the strength or the endurance to stay out. Daddy has worked with her on exercising and building back her strength since day one. He has been there for her 24/7. He is such a great husband!!

In April 2007, we were planning on going to Costa Rica for vacation. The trip was put on hold because Mommy's doctor would not allow her to fly. Mommy was disappointed because it meant she was medically disable and it was very hard for her to accept. We told her that Costa Rica will always be there for her.

For a while, Mommy could only take baby steps and would get tired easily. It was expected when she had her brain opened to have a 3-4 in blood clot removed. The slowly seeping blood had zapped some of the nerves that controlled her speech, right arm and both legs. Mommy could not move and speak for couple of weeks after the surgery.

You would have to witness her progress to appreciate what Mommy accomplishes today. Right after the surgery in April 2007, Mommy was in acute rehab for a month. She could not even move her feet/legs at first. The physical therapists had to move her leg one step at a time. They worked 6-7 hours a day, 30 days straight.

At first Mommy needed help standing up. Then, she started using the cane to stay balanced, then she started moving her legs -- one exhausting step at a time. Then, she started walking more and more. Babies steps in the backyard. Walks around the block. Climbing stairs. Stay out for 30 minutes, 90 minutes, 2 hours, 4 hours.... now, at times she can even walk without assistance. It was a long way to recovery but she did it.

Our first big test was in March of this year when she took a field trip to Tomales Bay nonstop. She did it!! So I said let's try Monterey which required her to be on the road for 3 hours nonstop and she did it again.

We're back from our little 1-Day/1-Night excursion. Next, we will try Lake Tahoe/Reno, then perhaps LA or Las Vegas. We will make our way back down to Mexico and eventually COSTA RICA. Yes, it's there waiting for Mommy.

A big salute to my parents and to all of you who are working hard to get back to normal life. YES, YOU CAN!

Taiyaki DYI

Taiyaki. It's a traditional Japanese sweet treat made with a flour batter and red bean paste. You can find it in Japantown. When it's being baked, you can smell it a mile away. Like in cartoons, just follow the smell to the food stand. You can't miss it.

A fish is born: pour batter into hot fish shape molds, fill the middle with red bean paste, let it cook, flip to cook the other side and voila, piping hot sweet treat in minutes. Just like magic! It's yummy but darn expensive. I remembered that it used to be about $2.50 each. That was a while back...

Never thought I would be making Taiyaki one day. I spotted a Taiyaki mold in a Korean Supermarket last week. Not cheap. $19.99 for a two-goldfish mold. Hmmm... let's see, I'll have to make at least 8 fish to make it worth of my investment. I just hoped that it would work like the picture showed.

What to use for batter? A quick Google search resulted in abundance of recipes but I got lazy. I figured pancake/waffle mix would do. Guess what??? I was right! Whoo-hoo!

So home-made Taiyaki is possible. Look at my creation. Aren't they cute? So far, I made over 10 times over the weekend. I got to eat one, the rest were devoured within minutes. Demand over Supply. Now I know why it's so expensive.

Happy goldfish making everyone!