Little Update on Weekend Shopping

It is that time of year again: Christmas Shopping Season. As a frequent shopper, it is the time I like the least. First of all, there is just NOT enough discount; secondly, there happened to be plenty of stupid shoppers who have no idea where they are going and they end up hitting people with their bags. (I might be short, but you should be able to see me from distance if you weren’t busying talking to your neighbors, grrrr)

Since daddy is back and offered to drive. We chose South Center as our shopping destination of the weekend. Here is what I found:

There are a lot more African American/Latinos in South Center. It is like how I used to see tons of Asian shoppers in Bellevue Square; they are now African American in South Center. Ok, so what does this demography have to do with my shopping?

Of course it does. Less Asian means fewer competitors for smaller clothing sizes. I can easily find petite sizes in all stores across South Center. There are plenty of extra smalls, smalls, and size 0-2 to choose from, even the discounted items. There are usually no small sizes left after they go on sales, but it is different here in South Center.

The only hitch is that there is no Banana Republic in South Center. Well, I guess it is good for my wallet that way.

The Best Snow of the Year..so far

I thought the snow at Whistler was good, but there is always something better... the snow in Seattle.


My New Wallpaper


Once again, I am in love with my work of art


Another reason to take photos, enjoy the scenery...and be late to work.

OBS meet again

Whole bunch of old ladies met again for Thai Food this evening. It is one of the largest group we have had since our President, Yang, went back to Michigan for her studies.

After our always-Thai-by-choice dinner, we went to a Japanese dessert place called "Hikori" in Wallingford for tea and cakes. I ordered a pot of Assam and shared it with the rest of the group. Because we had a such large group, we kept on refilling the hot water. If I remember correctly, we refilled the water for at least 4 times. I felt bad bringing back the empty pot and asked for more hot water. Well, you can't really blame us for this; their cakes are just too sweet, we all need water to "dilute" the sweetness somehow.


Should have taken the picture earlier...


Bunch of old ladies hanging out at Hikori

We chatted some more at Rida and Jamie's place for the rest of the night. By the end of day, we came out with the theme for our Halloween costume. Just exactly what our theme is? Hum..All I am going to say is that it will be a freezing night, but all of us will look hot and sexy.

I miss this kind of gathering every once in a while. It feels great to be surrounded by whole bunch of old friends. Oh yeah, the rest of photos have been posted on OBS site.

BAck Alive

Just wanted to prove that my blog is not fully dead yet; I decided to update once again.

What's New? I would like to start with my Chicago photos, something I should have posted like two weeks ago. Ha!

Let's start with food. The famous Deep Dish Pizza is the must-have in Chicago.

I really enjoyed the architecture and history of buildings, the buildings that shape the beautiful city of Chicago. Each skyscraper comes with a unique design along with an appealing story behind it.

Of course, another must-see spot - Millennium Park. Chicago government adds an extra 2% state tax to build this park. You think 8.8% tax in Seattle is bad enough, try 10% tax in downtown Chicago.

University of Chicago Campus, I have to admit some of their buildings look better than what we have. But my UW pride keeps on telling me that it must be an illusion.

Basically, I got to see everything I wanted on the list, and more. It is only after I took those guided tours, I noticed the structural differentiation of skyscrapers that are constructed in different era. It is difficult NOT to fall in love with Chicago after you have seen those buildings.

Chicago is a city where I definitely will go back and visit again, hopefully during the summer time in the near future.

FYI: Chicago Here I come

CinDy will be in Chicago from 09/23 to 9/27; I am leaving this Friday and will be back on Tuesday.

Here is the rough list of things I would like to see or visit

1. Sears Tower
2. University of Chicago
3. Magnificent Mile
4. Reliance building (Hotel Burnham)
5. Lake Michigan
6. The art Institute of Chicago
7. Lincoln Park Conservatory
8. Water Pumping Station (visitor center inside)
9. State of Illinois Center

This is going to be fun!!! Time to take some awesome photos.

My Lastest Hike in the Eastside

It feels like I am so behind with my blog update...before I write anything new, a simple hiking photo will be a good start.

1 to 1.14 Can it get any LOWER?

I already knew the conversion rate will be close to 1:1, but reality struck me again at Canadian Exchange Center. It is not a good time to visit Canada, but it is not likely that exchange rate will bounce back anytime soon.

Yet, the Annual Richmond Night Market is waving at us: if we don’t get there now, we will have to wait for the next round in a year. It is not something I’d like to miss, and that decision was 100% correct.

The night market is so much better than I expected (I wonder why some people kept on saying the night market this year is not as good as previous ones?) I got a pair of cute pink Mashimaro car seat head wrap and a couple of T-shirts: one is green short-sleeved and the other is blue vintage v-neck.

The rest of my Canadian probably goes to food tasting. As I am counting my shopping souvenirs, there is really not THAT much. If I remember correctly, I didn’t eat a lot, either. All I remembered was that huge chicken kabob which I spent over 20 minutes to shove down my throat. I was pretty much done after that. Yup, that is enough to be said about the crappy conversion rate.

The night market is ending in two weeks. If you are planning to hit the food, make sure you wear a sweater, as it gets pretty chilling at the night. My lesson of the day: spend Canadian dollars wisely, but everything is worth it at the Richmond night market.

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.