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Friday, April 28, 2006 ( 9:43 AM ) teahouse Yawn I've been sleeping off the effects of jet lag for the past few days. It always takes me longer than it takes other people. Not getting much work done, either. This weekend, the Boy and I are flying up to the town where he went to college, and he'll be showing me around the campus. It's only fair, since I dragged him to my last college reunion. When I get the time, I'll also be preparing for my upcoming tae kwon do belt test. Wish me luck! I just hope I can break that board... Cheers, THB p.s. as far as which country I went to visit, to answer people's guesses, it's neither China nor Thailand. I'm not going to make it that easy for you! # 0 comments Wednesday, April 26, 2006 ( 8:05 AM ) teahouse Moments of Zen More photos of my trip: more pretty mountain scenery here:
Another one of a beautiful lake, where my parents actually went on their honeymoon:
And here are some photos from a beautiful monastery we visited. Don't you love the trees? They look like something out of a book. We sat in the garden and drank tea.
In this one, if you look closely, you can see a water spout far off in the distance, between the tree branches.
 And some good luck statues on the rooftops of the monastery!
0 comments Tuesday, April 25, 2006 ( 7:24 AM ) teahouse  Photos, Take OneSo yeah, I had a really nice time visiting my relatives. Here are some photos of lovely pagodas on edges of cliffs that I really enjoyed. I realized during my trip that I'm a huge fan of pagodas. Maybe it's because I didn't see any of them, growing up in the United States. As an Asian, perhaps I have a natural affinity for pagodas? I just find them so pleasing to look at. They're so zen and peaceful. I even like saying the word, "Pagoda." I saw a lot of temples and pagodas during my trip. All of them were so quiet and serene. Here's another one, that my parents took me to see:  I tried to hold my camera straight when taking the picture, but it does look a little bit like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, doesn't it? Hardy har har.This Pagoda was a 2 km hike up from the base of a mountain. We got some good exercise going to see it. But the best part of about this pagoda was the amazing mountain view from the top of it. I had the climb the stairs all the way up! But it was worth it. Here's what I saw when I reached the top:  Absolutely gorgeous! #0 comments Sunday, April 23, 2006 ( 12:24 AM ) teahouse Home, Sweet Home I'm back in town! After a grueling 18-hour flight, I'm home in my own bed. The trip was wonderful! I didn't sleep much, due to the jet lag. But I ate a lot. I had many relatives competing to take me out to every meal. I saw many people and did a lot of fun stuff. Photos will follow. For now, let me share a funny story: on the flight back, I was stuck sitting next to a cheesy American guy and his mail-order Asian girlfriend. Throughout the course of the flight, I actually heard her say the following things: "You take me Starbucks?" "I not want. You takeeeee, you finisheee?" and my favorite one (I swear I'm not making this up): "Me love you long time!" This was during the short times they came up for air, taking breaks from their locked-lip embraces. At least I had the aisle seat. # 0 comments Wednesday, April 12, 2006 ( 5:17 PM ) teahouse Back to the Mothership I'm going to be gone for a couple of weeks. Going on a trip to visit my parents. It's time I went to see them; they've lived on the other side of the globe for nearly two years, and I have yet to see their new house, their new car, or the city where they live. So the Sister and I are making a pilgrimage to the other side of the globe. We're flying out tonight, and we'll be spending Easter in the East, hahahaha. I'll see y'all in a couple of weeks. Be good while I'm gone! And I'll post photos when I get back. # 0 comments Tuesday, April 11, 2006 ( 12:09 AM ) teahouse She's All That This weekend, the Boy and I set up my friend K with his friend M. K is my best friend. I've known her for many years. To say we are very close is an understatement. I'm very protective of K. She doesn't have that much experience with boys, but I'm always on the lookout for her. And I'm very careful to screen potential weirdos. I met M a few months ago, when he and the Boy were hanging out. He seemed nice and friendly and normal. And the Boy informed me that he was single. And looking for someone special. So we planned a double date. The Boy talked up K to M. I talked up M to K. The four of us went out together. The two of them really seemed to hit it off. They talked nonstop during the whole night. They were so absorbed in each other that neither of them paid much attention to the Boy and me. We were like the boring old couple chaperoning them. The next day, M told the Boy, "I'm not going to call K. She was very nice, but I didn't feel a spark." WTF? In spite of myself, I feel strangely angry toward M. Who is he to be so picky? K is wonderful and sweet and smart, not to mention gorgeous. And he should be so lucky!! He should look in the mirror. He ain't all that. And he sure flies high! I think I'd better avoid M for a while, because I'm really afraid that if I see him anytime soon, I'm going to slip up and give him an angry look or say something snarky out of indignation and loyalty for my best friend. It's strange, but I feel like he rejected me. One time a few years ago, I went out with a guy who never called me afterward. And I didn't feel anywhere near as angry then as I do now! # 0 comments Monday, April 10, 2006 ( 12:02 AM ) teahouse Life's Lessons Here's some wisdom that I learned recently, that I will remember for the rest of my life. And I'll share it with you: If you ever visit a restaurant that proudly proclaims that it serves "Chinese AND Japanese cuisine ..." .. stay away from the sushi. You'll be glad you did. I learned that lesson after I spent 2 days in the bathroom after going out to such a dinner. # 0 comments Friday, April 07, 2006 ( 8:06 AM ) teahouse Those Damn Kids!! I had orchestra rehearsal last night. On my way home, my plan was to stop at Tower Records to find a recording of one of the pieces we're doing. Unfortunately, there was a huge crowd outside the store, blocking the front door and sidewalk. It seemed to be a crowd of mostly screaming young women, holding up cell phone cameras and aiming them through the glass windows of the store. And shrieking at the top of their lungs. Also, up and down Broadway there were movie filming trailers. Clearly, a movie was being filmed, and there was someone famous inside the store. There was a makeshift sign taped to the front door of the store, saying that it had closed early. Somone shouted, "Oh, my gawsh!!!! It's Hugh Grant!!" and the women screamed again and surged toward the front door. I tried to get through the crowd, but there was no way around it. I was swept up and propelled forward by the wave of people. My feet actually came up off the ground, and I came within inches of flying through the glass window into the store. Only via some quick thinking, coupled with a clever maneuver I learned in tae kwon do, was I able to escape a grisly death and manage to land on my feet unharmed. "Ok," I thought grimly. "No more Miss Nice Girl!" I took my folded-up music stand out of my bag, held it with the sharp end pointed out, and jabbed my way down the sidewalk through the crowd. I was a swashbuckler!! Except that the whole time, I yelled like a crotchety old lady! I shook my fist. I used my instrument case as a battering ram, lowered my head, and barreled through. Midriff-bared teenyboppers screamed and jumped out of my way as I razed through. Hairsprayed bangs and dangly earrings flew aside in my wake. "You damn kids!" I shouted, as I extracted myself from the edge of the crowd and limped away. I'm too old for this. # 0 comments Thursday, April 06, 2006 ( 12:32 AM ) teahouse How's Your Colon? I'm kind of excited that Katie Couric is leaving NBC to be the new anchor for the CBS Evening News. I know that she's really famous and has been in the news a lot this week. But the main reason I like her is her ongoing crusade against colon cancer, which claimed the life of her husband in his early 40s. This is a great article about her and all of the money and awareness she's raised for her cause. My grandfather died of colon cancer. So every year, I run the Colon Cancer Challenge (4 mile race). And my parents have been very good about watching their diets and getting colonoscopies. My sister and I have plans to do the same before we reach our 50th birthdays. Colon cancer is largely curable, if caught early through screening. On that note, I'm going to go and have a salad, with some bran sprinkled on top. # 0 comments Wednesday, April 05, 2006 ( 9:03 AM ) teahouse This Can't Go On I was up late again last night, with bad insomnia. The bad news, is, this job is killing me. The good news is, I now know the personal history of all of the main characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation. I had no idea that Data had a sister in one of the episodes! And I played with the Teletubbies website. Never a moment wasted. # 0 comments Tuesday, April 04, 2006 ( 12:02 AM ) teahouse Call Me Naive A friend recently provided a link to this site. Ok, I'm really confused. The site is based in Amsterdam, where marijuana is legal. But isn't marijuana illegal in the U.S. and many other countries? So how can these guys ship things like bongs and pot seeds all over the world? I wonder if this is akin to those poker sites that are run overseas, where most of their customers are American. Yet they somehow manage to operate without violating any U.S. anti-gambling laws. And without paying any income taxes. My friend, who lives in California, also provided links to this site and this site, which pertain to i.d. cards for medical marijuana use. Which apparently are widely available in California. My head is spinning. As perhaps the only 30-year-old American who has never (and I mean never even once, believe it or not) smoked pot, I got even more anxious viewing these sites than I did that time I accidentally stumbled into some Asian porn while doing legal research on my computer at work. # 0 comments |
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