I feel like...

...I haven't been online for months; yet, I sit in front of the computer everyday at work. I feel like I swam 100 laps; yet, I am out of breath at only 10. I feel like I have a million things to do; yet, I live lazily as if my to-do-list will go "poof" into thin air.

In the past week, my mind was taking a journey of her own. Daydreaming? Not so much since I was aware of my surroundings. Pre-occupied? Eeee...closer but I wasn't worried about anything in particular. Ah, overwhelmed and exhausted. My mind was like a computer that had too little RAM, so she was constantly working in the background trying to sort things out. Then she completely ran out of memory and was stuck in an infinite loop:

email professor a file on my research ... but gotta look for file first ... ooo, plumeria blooming ... reply an email about my old research project ... where is that stupid file ... gotta finish reading two fat reports on streams for meeting ... I forgot all about my research project ... gotta take notes on the reports ... eat dinner ... orchids still blooming ... looking for the file again ... crap, bought another orchid ... buy soil and perlite ... need to repot tonight ... buy outreach materials for work ... free tree giveaway ... resist getting more plants ... doh, got three more plants ... work website design elements ... what to cook for dinner ... headache ... gotta call parents ... who will water my plants while I am gone on vacation ... how are my turtles doing ... laundry ... wash bathroom ... visitors coming in two days ... pack lunch for work ... hydrologist think, think about recommending a flow volume for streams ... Flickr pro or not ... take pictures of my new plants ... update blog ... watch TV ... Tivo will run out of space ... pay bills ...

My mind was such a mess. I had a million things to do but I was so overwhelmed that I accomplished nothing! I can't seem to separate work from home, just like the old days. All I want to do right now is to sit in my lanai with my garden. However, I can't even do that because there is no time. Wake up at 6, go work, come back, swim, cook dinner, eat desert, sleep. I AM GOING INSANE! How does everyone do it? Just work the life away...grrrr.

Venting is great. Now I am tired and sleepy. I only wish I could be like my plumeria (see picture), watching sunrise and sunset everyday oh so peacefully.

Sweet Home Cafe

Yipeee! Last night, we went to Sweet Home Cafe for dinner. We saw this restaurant last time we ordered take out from Keawe Grill. HappyOblivion read a good review of it on a food blog so we decided to try it out last night. The restaurant is owned by a chinese couple whom greeted us with a friendly "hallo" spoken with a homey-chineseee accent. Every table is set up with a hot pot (shabu shabu) that cooks by induction (surface remains cool while cooking). The owner introduced us to some of the popular soup bases. We chose the "healthy herb" soup base because it was a traditional chinese soup simmered for 5-hours with dates and other dried ingredients. We also ordered the raw beef and a Lichi tapioca drink. When the soup and the rice came, we hurried off to the refrigerator where we got a couple of our favorite shabu shabu items: aburage, mushrooms, shrimp balls, wontons, and squash. The first bite reminded me of home. The soup was delicious and the rice was soft. Everything smelled so good I thought I was at home eating with my family. The lichi tapioca drink was refreshing. During the course of our meal, the owner came over a couple times to talk story. I think this was one of the best "eat-out" dinners I have ever had. I would definitely love to go again :)

After many days of staring at the cute pig on the "No Pudge" brownie mix that HappyOblivion got from Trader Joe, we finally decided to bake it. We couldn't believe how easy it was to make the brownie. All we added was plain yogurt and vanilla extract...no oil, or other fattening ingredients! Mixing it was a bit of physical work but the fudge was so fudgy (see right). We were suppose to let the brownie cool down before eating but knowing us, we couldn't wait. Awwww, it was so soft and moist. I love a guilt-free fudgy brownie.

On a last note, I updated my "Garden" blog with some new pictures. I also bought a native Hawaiian plant, Ihi, at Home Depot. I am not too big a supporter of Home Depot but it is the only place that sells native Hawaiian plants, other than the nursery out in Kaneohe. I will post of picture of it soon.

Peep Show

My friend send me this photo to brighten up my work day. You gotta admit, peeps know how to have fun ey?

In a PINCH!

~Sigh...I finally maxed out my Flickr account. My photostream will only show the most recent 200 photos I uploaded and disregard the rest. Hmmm, debating whether to upgrade the account and pay the stinkin' $25 a year or revisit Picasa, which I have neglected since I signed up with Flickr. Decisions decisions decisions, Choo-san PINCH! Suggestions are welcome.

I have been too busy lately to blog about my recent Aiea Loop Trail hike. Looking back, it was more like a walk in the park than a hike, except the last half mile when we did some trail running so we could finish before darkness spooks us all. Hiking in the dark would not have seemed so scary if my friend hadn't mention angry trees eating people alive, or hikers disappearing into the forest and never return. [shiver] Best not to think about it, yeah? Anywho, we were lucky to have hiked this trail in the late afternoon because we were all mesmerized by the soft rays of light seeping between the tall slender trees. My friend took a picture of the canopy dancing under the beautiful blue sky. We also saw an area full of mini Christmas trees with a color so green it made the trees look fake. Half way down the trail we could see H3 escaping into Halawa Valley. My favorite photo from this hike is the one on the left.

HappyOblivion and I have been spending a great deal of time saving Toad in SuperMario Galaxy for the past week. We played at least 2 hours a day and sometimes 4! We paid the price in the last two days when we were so pooped out we fell asleep watching the UEFA Championship games. I couldn't even wake up for work so I went to work one hour later than usual. So pathetic...who knew saving Toad could literally drain the life out of us. Gotta go, we have to go save Mailtoad now.

5 Days in Kauai

Whew...it has been one crazy week. You know I kinda' look like that Yahoo emoticon, in which the little guy wipes off his sweat and sighs. Vacation nevers feels like one when it is spend somewhere away from home. You are constantly looking at the map, making sure every single attraction is not missed, and the pictures that were taken in a rush justify your "been-there-done-that" attitude. HappyOblivion and I were trying to avoid the whole ordeal of "touring Big Island in 3 days" (ha, that's another story to tell), so we decided to take it lazy and took a trip to our favorite island, Kauai, for the short amount of time we have off.

HappyOblivion's friend was very nice to accomodate us in his new house in Kalaheo. He also let us borrow his brand new Toyota FJ Cruiser to drive around the island and go on our crazy adventures. Little did we know we were going to spend a chunk of time playing Guitar Hero and saving Toad in Super Mario Galaxy than touring the island. One of our crazy adventures was driving in the sand dunes at Polihale State Park, our friend's idea of "breaking-in" the car. The road to the park was bumpy, muddy, and rainy. We splashed every puddle, big and small, along the way while praising the performance of the car. "This car is great!" we boast, or "This car can do anything!" Then...we got stuck in the sand dune, no kidding. HappyOblivion and his friend had to dig, in the heavy rain, away the sand surrounding the barried tire, which didn't work. Luckily some locals showed up and helped pull us out. Of course we had to pay him beer money to do so but 20 bucks wasn't at all an expensive lesson considering we had no way of getting out. Regardless of this unfortunate occurrence, we had a great time on the beach. The water was amazingly clear. I still remember the sparkles that filled the surface of the water, and would reappear after every wave.

Another highlight was our trip to the Kauai Nursery and Landscaping, and the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG). I had wanted to take pictures of rows and rows of seedlings, and bunches of the same plant. Home Depot and regular garden shops just don't have enough plants to achieve the desired effect. At the nursery, I took so many pictures I thought the camera was going to die on me. There were bunches of everything and I was going happy crazy! The next stop was NTBG. It wasn't the greatest botanical garden partly because I had to pay $20-40 to tour the upper parts of the garden. Despite this limitation, I did manage to take some good close-up photos of a butterfly pollinating a large orange flower. I waited 20 minutes in the midst of buzzing bees, scary spiders (those that weave X spiderwebs - I think these are poisonous), and hungry mosquitoes. The entire time I was waiting for the perfect moment, the hungry mosquitoes were feasting on HappyOblivion. Luckily I only got a couple bug bites :D Some of the photos I like from this trip are posted in my Flickr account or below.



Lately, I have been particularly interested in photography. With that said, I would like to start a tradition in which I pick a favorite photo for each collection I create. The winning photo from this trip is...tun tun tun...

Shrimp Chips

I never knew raw shrimp chips are hard like fiberglass. Actually, I didn't know raw shrimp chips are available at supermarkets. This is totally new to me. I have always thought making shrimp chips require major cooking skills. I guess you just need to know how to deep fry, ha! Well, now I can enjoy this unhealthy snack without ordering peking duck at a fancy restaurant, even though I do like peking duck...especially inside the steaming hot bun buns. [That was awkward]

Limit 3 Heads

For a month, I have been waiting for the Kunia Orchid Show. On Friday night, I charged the camera battery so I could take loads of pigtures. I also withdrew some cash in case I bring home a couple orchids. All this time, I thought the show was in Kunia; hence, the "Kunia" Orchid Show. Then HappyOblivion reminded me that the location of the show changed to Waipahu, which is much farther than I expected. ["What? I thought you live in Hawaii," you say.] Yes, but that doesn't mean I know where everything is! I considered making a trip up there on Saturday with HappyOblivion but decided I could make better use of my time cleaning the apartment and running errands in town. Plus, coming up are 5 more orchid shows that are closer to town. Regardless of all these pathetic excuses, I was sad that I didn't go so I made HappyOblivion take me to Star Market where I could choose a plant to lift my spirits. I intended to buy ihi, a native Hawaiian plant I found in my new book Growing Hawaii's Native Plants. Obviously, things didn't go as planned and I bought an orchid instead, which ironically, I had planned on getting since Friday.

Afterwards, we went to eat dinner at our favorite place, Ninja Sushi at Pearl City. We love this location in particular because we know the owner, there is free corn tea to go with the sushi, and the shop is clean and cozy. As we both agree, dinner at Ninja is always a nice date :) Before returning home, we dropped by Foodland to buy our favorite Rosalani Kona Mud Pie ice cream which is still on sale 2 for $8. We came across the cabbage section and thought the sign a little hilarious. HappyOblivion and I have always made fun of each other's heads. Comments such as, "You have a fat head," or "Your head is so fat it blocks cell phone reception" would randomly pop out of our mouths throughout the day. I guess we are both a little cabbage headed sometimes.

Lethargic

Ah, "crazy"...that's the word to describe this past week. I am still trying to remember what kept me from strangling everyone around me. I am sure some of you may have heard this from me either in person or via email, but I can't help thinking that reiteration might aid in restoring the vitality that was slowly drained out of me every minute I spent writing, reading, editing, and formatting five very important documents that were finally mailed out today, hopefully...maybe. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. However, as I have told one of my good friends, "Loving your job is one thing, working 10-11 hours a day and working through lunch for a week is another." Also consider all the misc. things one does everyday but couldn't, e.g. house chores, calling family, laundry, cooking, and blogging. Honestly, I am completely pooped out. The worse was Tuesday when I came home at 6:30 p.m. and didn't get to swim. I was going insane and my body was itching to jump in the pool until the next day, I was determined to swim however late I came home, which was 6 p.m. so I swam until dinner time. I must thank HappyOblivion as he was a great help in cleaning the house, cooking dinner, and washing the dishes, while I was desperately trying to stay awake enough to brush my teeth. For those that usually return home much later than 6 because of commute, don't blame me. Your fault that you live far from work. Ok, I feel good now that I have made some enemies, caught up with my life in my blog and with those that read this blog.

So, funny story. I think it was this past Sunday that I decided to go for a "short run" because the pool was closed. I asked HappyOblivion if he wanted to join me and he did. As I was getting ready, he looked up this mysterious trail that goes from UH to St. Louis Heights. Before we left, he confirmed that the trail was short and that there was nothing to worry about. Well, there went our Sunday evening. Stupid us kept on hiking and hiking until we reached the top because otherwise, we wouldn't be satisfied until we had done so. The trail was beautiful, hot, and slippery (dry dirt). We passed by a huge BWS water tank, couple dare devils, and a college student we wanted to follow because she had a cell phone. Yes, we were desperate and didn't know how long before dark it was going to take to reach the top! Finally we did and it was a nice park we had been before, but by car...unsurprisingly the NORMAL way. Anywho, the walk back down was dreadful because the roads were steep. Our knees were achy when we finally returned home. The hike took us 2.5 hours and hence, my "short run". Sorry, no pigtures because I had meant to go on a "short run" so I didn't bring a camera.

Pig on a Mission

My friend bought me a cute three legged pig from Arizona. Below is the message that came with the pig:

Good Luck Pigs
What's wrong with these pigs? You got it: They only have three legs. But that's a good thing. The three-legged pigs bring good luck to those who possess them, according to legend in South America. People in the pueblo of Pomaire, Chile, famous for its pottery, have been giving three-legged pigs as good luck charms for longer than anyone can remember. This pig from neighboring Peru drives away evil spirits and attracts good fortune.

Since I released this little piggy from its packaging, he's been searching...for something meaningful in life. The following is an account of his mission.


Three legged pig smells food. He finds no pork.


Three legged pig sees brownie mix, delighted at the idea of "NO PUDGE" sweets.


Three legged pig poses for NO PUDGE Fudge Brownie Mix advertisement.
"Support NO PUDGE" he says happily.

A&E, U&Me

Gosh, I have been so pathetic lately. I start work at 6:45 and don't come home until 5 to 5:30. I swim for an hour and it's time to cook dinner already. By the time I am free to do whatever, I try to stay awake desparately so I can finish drawing my oopu, finally.

Ha! Did you notice? That all rhymes! Anyway, oopu is a new character I am creating for my coloring book. I finalized my hihiwai which turned out perfect. I had doubts with all the other versions but this one is just right. The characters can be viewed via the Artsy link soon.

So why the catchy title? After a 2 month hiatus, I finally popped out of my shell and went to American Eagles with a friend. I couldn't believe my eyes. The new styles are so beautiful that I couldn't resist buying something outside of the clearance racks. I am particularly interested in the tops of which I bought a blue hoodie without much hesitation. My friend bought two really nice shirts, one with the poofy sleeves and the other is white nylon with back tie. And that's not all! A&E had a promotion that if members use their A&E credit card, they get a free bag which is probably worth $10. I am tempted to go back and shop more.

On another note, ever wonder if bottled water is safe to drink? Read this article and maybe you'll think twice before buying that 36 pack bottled water at Costco.

On a third note, I have been looking for a good orchid reference book. I took a Borders-Barnes & Noble trip the other day and searched through the entire collection of plant books. I found this one of particular interest. The topics flow great throughout the book and the pictures are fantastic. Though I have to admit, the photos in this book are bigger and better but too little text.

For the sake of leap year

This year is a leap year and I feel like I should post something, anything to commemorate this special day even though the only thing special about this day is the fact that today is the 60th day since Jan 1, 2008 instead of the 59th day. I have worked 59 days since the start of the year instead of 58 days. Wow, the more I think about it, the less I think a leap year is that commemorable. On another note, take a look at this article about the first attempt to fit a prosthetic flipper to a sea turtle. Now this is something to celebrate about!

DIM Silk-Screening

I am so excited about my next project which will be "DIY silk-screening" my own designs on shirts and bags. I found a pretty good site that outlines the steps to silk screen without buying the expensive silk screen sets that are sold at major craft stores. I have bought shirts from an online store that does direct printing, which turned out ok but could be better. This is why and I going to DIM (Do-It-Myself) and see how that turns out. I hope my good crafty friend (mlesnapshot) will try this with me because honestly, I am not very confident when it comes to ink. I might get more on myself than where it needs to be. Ha!

In memory of Dr. LK

Certainly this is not something to blog about as if it's a casual matter that can be forgotten once I push the "PUBLISH POST" button. Nor can I ignore the fact that it happened so sudden and writing about it may help ease the sadness that I am feeling. I learned today that a well-respected individual who happened upon my life 7 years ago passed away in November of last year. His accomplishments in the medical society cannot be judged by the number of awards or honors he has received in his lifetime. Rather, they should be appraised by the number of young people he has helped to set foot in the studies of medicine, nursing, public health, social work, and many other professions for he taught the science of living and doing what one loves, either it be related to medicine or not. I am no doctor but I thank him for making my undergraduate experience the best years of my life. He will be missed.

Pan-Pacific Championship

After two very long weeks, the Pan-Pacific Championship soccer games finally happened. On Saturday, we arrived at Aloha Stadium in hope of finding my co-worker who invited us to a tailgate party before the game. We had every intention of bringing muffins that we bought the previous day at Costco. However, my unsuccessful attempt to reach my co-worker on our way out discouraged us from doing so. Plus, we didn't want the muffins to spoil in the heat before sundown. We ended up BBQing with a bunch of soccer referees and their wives. There were grilled shrimp, steak, ribs, veggies, potatoes, and best of all, wine. We had such a great time that we were late to the opening of the first game. It was my first time to a real soccer game so you could imagine how excited and anxious I was to see the players and experience the thrill of yelling and jumping with thousands of other people. The first game began at 6pm and it was LA Galaxy vs. Syney FC. I was determined to get a good picture of Beckham so I ran down to the "prime" seats near the sideline. I took a couple pics but was enjoying the game so much that I eneded up watching the entire game near the sideline. I couldn't believe what some of the people yelled out to Beckham. I remember one shouted, "Come on Beckham, make some goals. That's what you are paid to do right?" With all the criticisms and pressure from the sideline, Beckham managed to get two assists and won the game 2 to 1.


The second game began at 8:30pm and it was Gamba Osaka vs. Houtson Dynamo. Of course 80% of the people at the stadium were cheering for Houston because of Bryan Ching who is from Hawaii. I, on the other hand was cheering for Gamba because I knew they wouldn't get much support from the crowd. The first half was a lot of cheering for Houston and silence for Gamba. The second half was a disaster and embarrassment for Houston because Gamba scored 4 of its 6 goals and won the game 6 to 1. Houston was doing so badly that the crowd grew louder and more excited when Gamba scored. Let the truth be told, Gamba WAS very good. They were quick at passing the ball and the brazilians on the team were good scorers. All in all, they deserve the medal and respect from all the people at the stadium that night. One of Gamba's goals is captured below:


I am becoming addicted to these soccer games. Those bambams kept me awake for 5 hours during the games. Knowing me, I usually cannot stay awake that long. I only wish the european leagues would come and play someday.

Change is good

I have made quite a bit of changes lately, one of which is pretty obvious if you have been paying attention to the design elements of this blog. I thought a white background would give more pop to the green and the turtle banner. Second, I have updated the "About Me" page so I am no longer a graduate student trying to stay alive in school. Take a look because I changed the style to an interview format. Third, I created a new "Artsy" link in the navigation bar for all my artwork. I have yet to design the page layout so check back later. Fourth, I finally cut my hair! It's been 6 months since I last went to the barber...I know I know, it's pretty disgusting. Fifth, this is more of a happy news than a change but my orange epi is finally blooming! For the past one and a half years, it's been growing taller but no bloom. It is now about 4 feet tall excluding the roots and the bloom. You can see the full bloom in the "Garden" link. The photo on the right is also of my orchid. Amazing ey? Finally, I am super excited about the Pan-Pacific soccer games tonight. Beckam and Ching will be there!

Wubby Day

For Valentine's Day, HappyOblivion bought me the silliest card ever. To 70% of the population in Hawaii, it may seem like a ordinary card in the normal to weird rating. To us, the drawings gave a pretty accurate account of my character. I am not proud of what I do around the apartment but I can't seem to quit. Luckily, HappyOblivion is not too fond of changes...so, I can stay as I am and brrraaaap my life away! He also treated me to a nice 5 course dinner at Hiroshi's, of which the crispy moi and the trio dessert were my favorites. A few days after, he brought home an empty heart shaped chocolate box. I first saw this box at Costco in a 10-pack Valentine gift set with different designs on every box. I fell in love with this one in particular for obvious reasons. Since it would be evil of me to give only the chocolates away and keep the box (yes, my good angel won), I had to walk away. I guess fate brought us together again:)

Great Aloha Run

This President's Day was quite the special one. Instead of chillaxin on the beach or couch-potatoing with the TV, I ran 8.13 miles. Sounds pretty ridiculous :) This is my first year doing the Great Aloha Run. The route is from Aloha Tower to Aloha Stadium. I ran at a pace of 9 min 3 sec per mile and finished in 1 hour 13 min and 41 sec. Out of some 20,000 people, I finished 1513rd place. I could've been in 1510th place if only I hadn't stopped right before the finish line thinking why people were yelling at me to "KEEP GOING! YOU ARE NOT DONE YET!" Despite my stupidity, I gotta say I was pretty impressed with myself. I only stopped briefly (5 seconds) for water at the 4th, 6th, and 7th mile markers...well, and one foot before the finish line. Hopefully next year, I can beat this time.

Turtle Transport

I have been stressing over the issue of transporting my pet turtles to Hawaii. For one, they are an alien specie since Hawaii is not their native land. Second, what are the procedures for legal transportation of reptiles? I did not particularly like the idea of quanrantine because who knows what kind of environment my turtles will be placed in and for how long! And if they happen to go into quarantine, I can't help but worry every single second of the day that some dog might eat them or another person accidently takes them home as their pets. Gosh, I would go insane!

Thanks to HappyOblivion and his doctor friend, I found out my turtles can be legally transported to Hawaii without the long and dreadful quarantine (fingers crossed). According to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Chrysemys picta (painted turtle) is among the animals conditionally-approved to be imported to Hawaii.

Other requirements are as follows:
1. An Import Permit (Form PQ-7) from the Plant Quarantine Branch.
2. Remit the application with the $5.00 fee (cashiers check or money order). Processing time is about two to three weeks.
3. Permits are valid for one shipment within one year of date of issue.
4. Multiple pets of the same species may be listed on one application as long as the pets are traveling together. Pets of different species require separate applications.
5. At the time of travel, pets are required to be accompanied by a health certificate issued by an accredited veterinarian within 7 days of arrival in Honolulu. The health certificate should indicate that the animal is free of external parasites.
* Honolulu is the only port of entry for animals on the Conditionally Approved List. Once inspected and cleared in Honolulu, pets may be taken to neighboring islands.

This is very exciting news for me! When I go back to work on Tuesday, I will make sure that my lovely turtles are on the conditionally-approved list and if there are more "hidden" requirements not on the website that I should know about.

Chinese New Year

I have always loved celebrating Chinese New Year with my family. Now that I am away, I become nostalgic of the good times we had. I remember back in Hong Kong, my cousin Jenny and I used to "house hop", wishing our relatives a prosperous year before asking for red pocket money. Then mame would tell stories of my sister who enjoyed setting the crispy dollar bills free as the gentle wind blows them off her tiny fingers, sending the green out the window and down the building. And the sound of majong that fills the room with excitment. This is the only time when I could get away with eating a whole tube of Princles then getting a fever the next day. In California, we would do essentially the same things except with a little less families to visit. There was always candy, the jello ones with a clear plastic wrap that melts in your mouth.

This year, I celebrated New Year's with my good friend and his family whom graciously invited us to their house for a feast of a thousand beasts. We had lots of good food including "lean gau" (my favorite) and tea egg. When I ate the turnip cake, I remembered how much I enjoyed eating my sister's home-made ones. When we left, my friend's mom gave us a daffodil. I had forgotten that my mame planted those during the New Year's as well and the smell of the flowers would permeate every corner of the living room. Yes, those were the good times. Happy Chinese New Year mame and babee!

Last of the January Creations

These are the last of our January home-cooked dinners before Chinese New Year. HappyOblivion was the proud chef of both dishes and all I did was to capture the deliciousness of the food with these photos. The first was enjoyed on the 25th. The salmon was pan fried in miso paste topped with mushrooms and onions. Even though we forgot to use our lovely Japanese ceramic plates, the food still looked undoubtly presentable. The second dish was enjoyed on the 31st. You may wonder why we have so much salmon. Simple answer, Costco made us do it. This salmon had a citrus taste which may or may not appeal to everyone's appetite but it sure pleased my taste buds.