Spider...You Die

Spotted a 1.5 inch spider INSIDE my house. I asked around if anyone knows how to get rid of it without physically TOUCHING the spider. The most common answer is...




Find someone else to kill it for me.

yeah, thanks a lot. Just whom I am going to ask? I live alone. okie.

I remember Connie had a spider problem last week; we spent the first 30 minutes on the phone trying to figure out a solution. Unlike how I would attempt to kill them all, she want to keep them alive and not hurt the spiders at all.

Well, shame on me, but look what happened now: Connie's spider friend decided to move into my place, taking over my space....inch by inch.

Why can't spiders just age fast and die OUTSIDE of my house?

Cooking

Started cooking more often recently. I actually go back to 3-4 meals a day routine; that is something I have not done in a long time – eating on clock with snacks in between that is.

It comes as a surprise that cooking is not too hard after all, IF you keep the expectation LOW and not picky. I wouldn’t say cooking is fun, but it certainly saves a lot of money verses dining out. Since I am cooking just for myself, everything is easy. As long as it is well cooked, I can eat them all.

However, nothing compares to my lovely Thai yellow curry. Even though I just had it three days ago, I miss my baby yellow curry already. I brought the pre-made curry source the other day, but it is nothing like what I have in Thai restaurants. Hum..there must be a secret recipe out there….

Oops, I did it again.

Always hated it when this happened, but I just couldn’t help it…falling into sleep right after consumption of large amount of food.

Now I just woke up, three hours after my dinner, feeling extremely guilty ...and hungry again.

Also, all the sun cakes are officially gone. Say goodbye to all three pieces of them.

Big Moon Day

Does the moon look pretty bright and round to you today? Well…it is.

Happy Moon Festival and good luck to those who are taking the finals.
I tried to get a good shot of the moon, but they all look darn small on my digital camera.

BTW, if you have extra moon cakes, please have them delivered to Cindy’s place. I can trade you with my sun cakes (太陽餅). I have about 3 pieces left.

An Interesting Question…

If you go out with a guy friend for a casual dinner and he offers to open the CAR door for you, would you feel weird? Is it normal for guys to open the door for the lady?

(Note: it is not a date, just a casual hangout)

Ice Caves Today

The trip of this weekend is "ICE CAVES"...which I will depart in less than 6 hours. (Why is my place so far away from EVERYONE and EVERYTHING; Life is just not fair when you have to wake up the earliest.)

FYI: Yee already loaded the last half of the San Juan photos. I also transferred greenlake and singing photos, too. You know where the photos are located.

As a side note, I finally finish translating my graduation project (only the PowerPoint slides) in chinese. It took me three days of hard work. 最大的收穫是中打真的變快了

Ice Caves Photos Updates....
Those photos are in original size, they are pretty big, huh.

Inside the Ice Caves


With My Best Travel Partner


The Far View of the Ice Caves


My Favorite Shot of Connie

I am just leaving you some personal space...

Many people might not agree with me, but I do believe friendship sustains without regular/ frequent communications.

A few friends of mine briefly touched on this subject this evening. Personally I am totally comfortable with the idea that friends do not call me up regularly, but still manage to keep a good friendship (yes, even if they do not call me often, I still consider them as good friends of mine).

In fact, I believe true friendship will survive under that condition. If I were to be away from my friends for a long time, I am still able to talk to them like I never left. Time would not make any difference. (However, friendship is different from relationship, though).

I wouldn’t say this concept would work well in very case; it strongly depends on the person. Of course it is nice to receive warm greetings from my friends, but it also does not bother me that friends do NOT call me regularly. Hum…maybe that's why people stop calling me these days.

Just for future reference, if I do not call you for a long time, it does not mean you are forgotten . I still care great deal about you, but I am just reserving some personal space for you at the same time.

However, I will always be around whenever you need me.

I wonder if my cell phone will ever ring again after this entry… ><

The Day After Portland

Didn't do much other than washing my car today. The process might not be fun, but it is always rewarding to see a clean, finishing product. Yeah, I am turning more and more like a real o ba san now.

I am still in the process of loading and organizing Portland photos. The Mt. St. Helens (see below) is by far the best photo taken on the train.

San Juan Photos Loaded

A total of 146 photos are now loaded on OBS site. My index finger even gets sored clicking through these photos, ha.

San Juan Part II: A New Realization

After a brief moment pondering over the highlight of the trip, the realization comes beyond the physical encounter with natural beauty. Sure, you can say about the amazing island views from Mt. Constitution or a stunning close-up of Mt. Baker.

But what matters the MOST is the opportunity to go on this trip with two of my special friends. It is the experience to drive in the dark on an island we know nothing about; it is the experience to hold a flash light and hike over to the public bathroom to take a shower (there is no private bathroom in our cabin). It is those simple moments that made this trip memorable.

Yee asked me the next morning whether I was afraid to drive in the dark.

My answer was no.

It is not that I am not afraid of getting lost in the dark. It is the thought of knowing your friends are right there next to you, a thought of not being alone, supported me the whole time.

Without their help of reading road map & giving turn-by-turn directions, I would not have possibility focused on driving. It is one of those times that you really appreciate teamwork, and most importantly of all, friendship. Thank you, girls.

San Juan Part I: Amazing Views

Our trip starts with San Juan Island, where we spent the first day tour around the main city- Friday Harbor and watches whales in Lime Kiln Pt. Park. We then island-hopped to neighboringisland, Orcas, for the most incredible view of San Juan Islands on top of Mt. Constitution.

A few photos to share first; the rest will soon be posted on OBS site if interested.

No, it is not Mt. Rainer. It is Mt. Baker.

A beautiful lighthouse taken on Lime Kiln Point State Park, where we see the whales from shore.

I wonder who wanna hike here...

American Camp on San Juan Island. Most of the camp looks like a desert.

South Beach on San Juan. Not a white sand beach. We sit on a log and had a light dinner here.

The Island

Went to see The Island today. The story is pretty much I expected… and more. I always like action movie with a solid storyline that leads you somewhere. The Island does just that.

There is no disappointment throughout the movie, except the lady who screamed so loud at one point in the movie theater ; her voice actually scared the heck out of me. This is not even a scary movie; there is really no point yelling so loud, lady.

The Island deals with clone issues. This is the kind of movie that makes you think a bit after it is over; a good topic for a 5-page sociology term paper that discusses whether human has the right to copy themselves via technology advancement.

Of course, there are more surprises in the movie, but you have to see for yourself.

If there are more famous & cute actors in this movie, I am sure The Island will be a big hit in the box office.

Meet "Pororo"

A friend of mine introduced me to Pororo today, a little Korean-made penguin.

According to their official website, "Pororo the Little Penguin" is 52 series of 5 minute 3D CGI animated stories for 4 to 7 year olds.

Well, I am not in their target group, but that little penguin looks so adorable to me.

Pororo has some friends, too. They are just as cute.

All photos are up!

I just loaded all Leavenworth and Olive Garden photos in our OBS album. Go check it out.

Almost Ricca's B-day

Happy B-day, Ricca.

We know it is not today, but hope you had fun with us this evening. I updated this photo just for you. ( very efficient, don't you think?)


I loved the breadsticks and salad...like always.

Finally, to our b-day girl. Ricca!

The Gingerbread Factory in Leavenworth

For the details about our trip to Leavenworth, WA, please refer to Yang’s blog.

What i am going to do is to introduce my favoriate ~ The Gingerbread Factory. I highly recommend The Gingerbread cookie house in Leavenworth. The building is designed like an actual Gingerbread Cookie House ( the one they sell in safeway during chrismas), everything in the store is gingerbread-related or in gingerbread shape.

I actually went to that store three times in 10 minutes, each time I came back with more ginger cookies in my hands. Yes, it is THAT good. The type of cookie I got is called “Skinny Dippers,” I ended getting a whole bag.

Some Info About The Gingerbread Factory

(509) 548-6592
828 Commercial Street
P.O. Box 315
Leavenworth, WA 98826

On the way home, we found a blueberry farm. Blueberry picking was fun, I am sure Ricca is enjoying our LOVE right now. : )

The German Town where Yang and I spent the afternoon out

The german-styled lunch but way too sour for me..Their potato is cold ><

Cool Lodge Where We Stayed! Wish I can move in there...

Another Reason to Love Alaska Airline

As I went check-in for my flight back to Seattle this evening, I suddenly realized my flight was scheduled yesterday. In other words, my flight was GONE.

Can you believe I actually MISSED my flight as I overlooked the returning date on the ticket? Because my flight is scheduled to arrive at midnight, I ASSUMED it is Wednesday that I need to go to the airport. In fact, I should have gone on Tuesday night while flight arrives in Seattle on Wednesday morning.

When the staff told us there were open seats and we don’t have to wait overnight, my mom and I were VERY pleased. The best part of all, Alaska airline did not charge any cancellation/reschedule fee for missing our flight yesterday. It is awesome to know that I don’t have to pay for my mistake.

As soon as we boarded, I found out the flight is actually packed tonight. I am very fortunate for getting back Seattle today. Big thanks to Alaska Airline.

So yeah, I am back in Seattle.

Leaving for Las Vegas Tomorrow

Need to wake up early to drive to Vegas tomorrow; approximately 5 ½ hour drive from my brother's place.

Just checked the weather and it is expecting to be over 100 degrees tomorrow. Monday will be even worse.

Will blog more after I come back on Monday night. I will also include my trip journal for Day VI – Balboa Park and Day VIII – OC County Fair.

And no, I won't gamble there. But I will eat as many buffets as possible in the next two days.

OMG, I got my bikini line already!

The thing is… I didn't even stay for that long. Two hours of straight sunlight already showed me visible difference in my skin tone. As soon as I removed my bikini, the parts covered under my bikini are lighter, much lighter than that uncovered parts. The result is so much faster than what I expected.

What really pissed me off is that I forgot to wear sunscreen lotion in the section below my neck and above my belly. As a result, they turned red…and will be super dark tomorrow. ><

So here is what I have learned

1. Apply sunscreen lotion evenly BEFORE wearing the swimming suit. That way I won't miss any spot.
2. Even if the bottle says“waterproof," don't take their word for it. Always re-apply again after coming out of the water.
   

My mom worried that I will get too dark and kept on saying the color I have is good enough. She always thought Asian ladies look better in lighter skin and encourage me to stay away from the sun as far as possible.

Catalina Island: Day IV

Catalina Island is the highlight of my trip in CA so far. Never thought I would have so much fun doing outdoor activities on a small island; approximately 75 minutes ferry ride from CA mainland.













Driving the motor boat is the best part of my Catalina one-day tour. My brother asked me if I wanted to drive the boat and then handed me the wheel. The boat spun around before I figured out how to stay control and drive straight. I almost throw a few nearby kayakers overboard while learning the technique. Fortunately, I didn't kill anyone that day.



We spent the rest of day touring the island and everything went smoothly. The view was incridble. I would highly recommend Catalina Island to anyone, especially those who love water activities.