Saturday, January 24, 2009

little miss sunshine


remember this picture? it was taken 10 months ago in april.
addison was 1 month shy of her first birthday, still very much a baby.

ever since her birth, i've been devotedly following the blog where her mommy writes about their adventures. i always joke with her daddy and mommy that it's no secret that i'm her "stalker"... :)

10 months later, we finally meet for dim sum again and took a picture in the same pose. see how much addi has grown!? she's standing on my lap in both pictures and now at 20 months old (it's her 20th month birthday today!), she has definitely grown a few inches taller!




here's her photogenic look...



...and her "chubby cheeks" look. CUTE!!



addison always brings me smiles and warms up my heart. during my sad times, i would go read her blog and watch her videos, and that would immediately brighten my day. alright, i don't want to sound like a real stalker now... but she is definitely little miss sunshine to me!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

ichigo

recently a new breed of strawberries (ichigo) appeared in the japanese market. these strawberries are pinkish white even when they are fully ripened. they have a beautiful name called 「初恋の香り」 (hatsukoi no kaori), translated into "the scent of first love". apparently it took the breeders 10 years to successfully develop. since last month, these white strawberries have been on sale in major department stores for about 800-1000 yen a piece (~US$9-$11). they are also sold as a set with the regular red strawberries, supposedly symbolizing "luck in romance". despite its costliness, stores have claimed that they are always sold out. many hotels and wedding venues begin to offer white strawberries to attract more customers, and the farmers have been satisfied with its popularity. apparently, the white strawberries are said to be sweeter than regular ones too. i wonder when we'll have the chance to try them...



☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆



while we're on the subject, let's play a simple personality test that's based on a strawberry shortcake.

Q. when offered a piece of strawberry shortcake, WHEN do you eat the strawberry that's on top?

A. it is the first thing i eat.
B. i eat some cake first, then go for the strawberry halfway.
C. i save it till the last bite.



think well...



ok, ready?



this test tells us about how many dates the person waits before they start thinking about kissing their date. the cake is a symbol of romance, and the red strawberry symbolizes when passion arises and a new development happens. that's why when you eat the strawberry, it reflects how long you will wait before considering kissing your date or think about doing so.

for those who are type A:
the ones who eat it straight away means you will go in for the kiss on the first date. but there may be times when your date isn't ready for it yet.

type B:
eating it halfway through shows that you'll kiss when you feel a deeper understanding in the relationship, almost knowing that it's true romance. in general, you'll start to think about it after a few dates.

lastly, type C:
eating the strawberry last shows that you'll kiss only after you have checked your date's feeling carefully. you are the type that can't seem to work out the correct timing, and may often end up allowing your date to initiate the kiss.


what type are you?

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

hello mr. president






"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met."
- Barack Obama


Saturday, January 17, 2009

oink...

you can always expect the unexpected at an oriental supermarket...


#1:
(parental discretion advised)





#2:
(you'll see at least a few of these...)




#3:
(to my filipino friends: why is banana sauce red and not yellow?)




#4:
(what is lye water really for?)



remember to keep your eyes open when you're grocery shopping at an oriental market next time...

Monday, January 12, 2009

job interview

maybe i should mimick that candidate...?





Tuesday, January 6, 2009

white new years

started off 2009 in tahoe with the family and went snowboarding at northstar for 2 days.

the last time i snowboarded was 2 years ago.
well, it wasn't really snowboarding because i was just tumbling down the hill.

how did i do this time?
i retook the beginners lesson, stayed at the super short bunny slopes, kept my balance for most of the time, managed to stop occasionally, and got a few nice bruises.
still a lot of room for improvement.


with my cousins (and a new "KILLer" board)



why is my board so much shorter than hers when we're the same height?



"looking" professional and ready to roll



where's waldo?



kenny mccormick (south park) and secret services agent taking a breather



after a nice long weekend, we're back to reality...
time to end the vacation...