My How They Grow

Remember this succulent arrangement that I did back in June (my post here)?



Well, I gave it to my mom and today, a little over four months later, it looks like this!

It's Like an Oven

I walked out for lunch just now and I felt like I was in Vegas. The air is bone dry. When you inhale, you feel like your nose is on fire.

Smoke from the Malibu and Inland Empire fires is collecting in the Valley. I wish I had my camera so I could take a picture. The colors are layered. You have the houses and the trees, then a thin strip of light blue sky, then a heavy layer of gray pink smoke.

My Priorities

When I was in sixth grade, my homeroom had a project where every student was given the same 30 things and had to list them in order of importance. I can't remember very many of them now, but I know that health, a long life, money, family and religion were among them. We were each given a big board (about 2' by 3') to write out the list and then the boards were hung from the ceiling.

Wonder where my list is now. It may be packed away in my parents' garage. I remember that at the top of my list was a long life (I was really afraid of death back then) and at the bottom was religion. I should make a new list now, file it away, then take it again every ten years.

Back Online at Home

We returned from a weekend in the Bay Area to a dead modem. No internet access at home. Fortunately, I didn't have to work from home or respond to urgent emails, so this didn't bother me much. I reminded myself that there was life before internet.

I'm back online now, but I realized during those two days just how much time I spend online at home. I usually turn on my computer within an hour of getting home from the office. Why I do this, considering I spend all day in front of a computer, I don't know. I probably spend a good hour+ on the computer at night. Checking email, facebooking, looking things up on wiki.

I really need to cut back. I don't remember what I used to do before I had internet access at home. Did I read more? Talk to friends? Now I just watch Dancing with the Stars on TV and then go online to wiki all the stars and their partners...

Your Friday Afternoon Video #16: Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand

I originally wanted to post Judy Garland singing San Francisco, but I like this duet almost as much. It's a melancholy rendition of Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy and I really like it.

Conversation between Me and Mr. Octopus

Does this bamboo make me look fat?

Me: Do I look weird in this picture?

Him: No, you look fine.

Me: Do I look normal?

Him: Yea.

Me: You mean average?

Him: No, you ...

Me: Do I look fat?

Him: Uh, is there a handbook for trick questions that I should get?

Live Strong

Check out this story of Nicolai Calabria, age 13, who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro despite being born with one leg. His blog here and his NPR interview here.

Your Friday Afternoon Video #15: Cirque du Soleil

I remember hearing that a yoga teacher of mine in NY had joined Cirque du Soleil. I googled her, and sure enough, here she is. This is pretty amazing (and sexy) dancing.

In and Around Santa Barbara

Santa Claus lives in Santa Barbara!

We had a great time in Santa Barbara this weekend. We stayed at the Inn of the Spanish Garden, which I would highly recommend, and had a fantastic Italian dinner at Olio e Limone. We walked around town, shopped a little (I picked up a bottle of Pasolivo olive oil), and watched a bucketload of Entourage on DVD. We also visited Los Olivos, a little town in the Santa Ynez Valley (where Sideways was filmed), and had a yummy lunch at Los Olivos Cafe.


Mission Santa Barbara


The Presidio


The chapel in the Presidio


At the huge and wonderful Saturday Farmers' Market in downtown Santa Barbara


Hierloom tomatoes galore


Driving back to LA

He's My Husband, Not My Kid

Maybe it's an Asian culture thing, but my parents, without fail, always find a reason to say "poor Mr. Octopus" every time I talk to them on the phone. It's usually in the context of my telling them that I didn't cook him dinner, or that he's still at work, or that I went out with my girlfriend and didn't take him. As if I should have dinner waiting for him and take care of everything. I know I shouldn't let it get to me. They're of a different generation and all. But it really rubs me the wrong way. I feel like Asian women of my generation are doing double duty. We were expected to do well in school and get good jobs, only to get married and have our parents expect us to cater to our husbands.

How Do You Shop?

Pick up any fashion magazine and you'll find out what's new for Fall and what's in for Spring. But does anyone really shop seasonally, i.e., have a seasonal wardrobe that they rotate in their closet? Not me. My wardrobe is basically the same year round. Sure, I wear more skirts during the summer and dust off the coats in the winter, but other than that, I wear essentially the same crap all the time.

This is especially true when it comes to work clothes. My work uniform is basically black, gray and brown. Sometimes I'll throw in a little color with my top, but it's usually muted by my dark pants and sweater. Very boring, I know. But it's now time to update my work wardrobe because everything has become either ill fitting or worn thin. So for the first time I'm doing a real wardrobe makeover (for work). I want 3 or 4 pants, 5 shirts, a couple bags and a few pairs of shoes. Given that I want this stuff to hold me over for the next few years, what should be my budget?

"You Look Like a Kid"

I hate it when people say this to me. Especially people at work. I introduced myself to a new woman at work the other day, I told her what my job was, and she said, "Wow, you look like a kid!" Then she saw the cool look on my face and immediately said, "Oh, it's a compliment!" And I said, "Whatever, bitch." Just kidding, I didn't say that.

I suppose telling someone "You look so young" is slightly better, but even that is annoying, especially at work. I mean, I don't mind getting carded when I buy drinks (in fact, part of me kinda likes it), but at work I think those kinds of comments are inappropriate. This is a sore spot for me because I've always looked young and felt like people didn't take me as seriously.

I started taking Spanish a few weeks ago and my teacher looks pretty young. I thought she was in her mid 20s. During our first class she was explaining the difference between senora and senorita. We asked what should be the default when you don't know if a woman is married or single. We assumed senorita because that might be flattering. She said no, not necessarily. She always prefers people to address her as senora (even strangers) because she's in her 30s and married. She also wants people to call her ma'am, not miss. I don't feel strongly about being called me ma'am, miss or mrs., but I guess everyone is different.

Only in LA

Bonnie and Clyde

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, AFI will be screening 11 classic movies simultaneously at the Arclight on October 3, each movie to be introduced by its star or director. There'll be Jack Nicholson for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Julie Andrews for The Sound of Music, Clint Eastwood for Unforgiven, George Lucas for Star Wars, Warren Beatty for Bonnie and Clyde, and Sylvester Stallone for Rocky, among others.

Your Friday Afternoon Video #14: Mr. Met Gets His Bhangra On

You too can have Mr. Met dance at your wedding!

South Pasadena Car Show

We took a walk through a classic car show after brunch at Firefly Bistro today. I really like looking at old cars and can kinda understand why people like to collect them.


A Porsche. Probably my favorite car there.


Ford Woodie


Jaguar, from the front and back.




Ford Cobra


Devin

UCI

It came as news to me today that UCI is setting up a law school, the first public law school in California in 40 years. The David Bren School of Law at UCI is scheduled to open its doors in Fall 2009.

But that's not why I heard about it today. UCI is in the news because its Chancellor abruptly fired the law school's Dean, Prof. Erwin Chemerinsky, because he decided Chemerinsky is too liberal. (Lawyers may remember Chemerinsky from Bar/Bri classes-- he was the constitutional law guy who lectured for hours without any notes).

"One Day We're All Going to Be Old"

This is what someone in my office just said. He said it in response to a question about what motivated him to spend so much time taking care of a sick aunt.

Sometimes I forget that old people were once young. That they once went to school, went on dates, drove cars, drank beer out of the bottle. I feel bad for the old, homebound people whose relatives don't visit them.

Adjusting to Another Year, Another Birthday

It was my birthday last week. It was a pretty quiet one. Mr. Octopus took me to a nice dinner. I didn't have a to-do with friends. I think that may be happening this week.

It seemed like I had my last birthday about 8 months ago. I'm not one to make a big fuss about age-- I know that I'm still "young"-- but this birthday is a little harder than the last. Not because I ticked up one more year, but because I really feel like I'm hammering in the same spot with my life.

A friend of mine who is around my age recently said that we are in the prime of our lives. Somehow it doesn't feel that way. I've been out of school for a while and working steadily for several years. Life is stable, I have no real problems, I have a lot of be thankful for. But still I feel uneasy, like my life is purposeless and insignificant. I know the next step in life is having kids, but taking that out of the equation, what is supposed to be my focus? I'm not going to throw myself into my job, so what else is there? New hobbies? Home improvement projects? Exercising? Planning trips? Learning languages? Everything seems so unimportant.

For so long there was always a goal. Studying, finishing school, getting a job. Where am I supposed to channel my energy now? Is this why people train for triathalons?

Fleeing Hurricane Henriette

Casa Natalia's Beach Club
We spent the Labor Day weekend in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico-- the less touristy of the two Cabos (Cabo San Lucas being the other one). It was our first time to Cabo and we stayed at Casa Natalia, a great boutique hotel in town. The town itself is small, sleepy and dusty. It was super hot while we were there, over 100 degrees each day. We had a good time, but were really happy to head back home before Hurricane Henriette made landfall.

Our room.

The church in town.

Locals filling up before the hurricane. The line actually extended back much farther (there were dozens of cars in line).

Returning to LA. Flying over Baja.

When Gene Met Terry ... and They Haven't Spoken Since

I was listening to NPR's rerun of Terry Gross' 2002 interview with Gene Simmons. The KISS frontman was obnoxious and pretty insulting . Transcript here