iPhone365 #132: all hallows eve

We're scaring the kids in the neighborhood so we could keep all the candy for ourselves.
~

iPhone365 #131: work diet

Why do donuts taste so good especially at work?
~

iPhone365 #130: procrastinating

Is it okay to watch television when there are piles of paperwork on my desk that need to be put away?
~

iPhone365 #129: winter coat

Since the temperature has started dropping, I thought I would just give Eli a thorough brushing today instead of a trim.
~

iPhone365 #128: sugary stuff

The season is here: the sugary stuff is starting to trickle into the house. I wonder if the high sugar, high calorie diet we have during the "festivals" of fall and winter has anything to do with our primitive instinct to accumulate as much body fat so we would survive until next spring...
~

iPhone365 #127: clouds

Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons evrywhere
I've looked at clouds that way.

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on evryone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way.

I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
Its cloud illusions I recall
I really dont know clouds at all.

- Joni Mitchell, "Both Sides Now"

~

iPhone365 #126: pancakes

We headed over to Poway this morning to have breakfast with Jill whom we haven't seen in years. Catching up over pancakes, meeting new friends (her sister and two other friends) and watching an old lady spread butter and squeeze lemon on her pancake, cutting it into 1-inch squares, dipping each square in confectioner's sugar, and chewing each piece for a minute at a time made for an entertaining morning.
~

iPhone365 #125: blow-up

I think Halloween is one of the two most "creative" holidays we have in this country, the other one being Christmas. By creative I mean people actually build things (costumes, decoration) with their own hands.

Call me a snob when I groan in dismay each time I see these oversized blow-up decorations that are tacky, unimaginative, and unoriginal. Of course I am being completely subjective here.

Can I get arrested for getting a BB gun and going around the neighborhood to shoot all these polyester monstrosities?
~

Original post at www.ramenhouse.net

iPhone365 #124: amazon

I should have known that getting a ticket for the 6 pm showing of the IMAX documentary "Amazon" would be an exercise in futility. I would have liked to hear the special lecture and Q&A session with Ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin and Surui Chief Almir. I guess this is one of those things you plan ahead of time.

At any rate, I turned this exercise in futility into an "exercise in fact" by taking an hour walk around the park, taking advantage of the evening light to take some snapshots.
~

iPhone365 #123: marketing

I used to think this van was an eyesore. It is usually parked on the street outside work. I believe it is owned by a local bread enterpreneur/distributor who earns some money on the side by renting it out as a billboard.

Now I see it as part of the neighborhood, like Oscar's trashcan on Sesame Street. An odd curiosity that is so much at home where it is because it doesn't belong.
~

iPhone365 #122: uneventful

An uneventful day at work today. Got home early enough. While eating dinner, I watched an episode of Heroes that I recorded last week. It's 9:38 and I'm getting ready for bed. I know it's early, but I can't resist my pillows. Night, y'all...

iPhone365 #121: meteors

Okay, call me a geek. I was excited that it will be a clear night tonight: it is the peak of the Orionid meteor shower.

We get to see a wonderful show -- about 10 to 20 meteors an hour -- as the earth passes through cosmic dust that is the remnants of Halley's comet.

That is, if you're willing to stay up the whole night. I just found out that the best time will be between 1am and dawn.

So, what to do, what to do... I'll have some ice cream and decide if I will stay up late or get up early.
~

huntington after summer

Last Saturday, Michael said, "We should do something tomorrow."

I said I wanted to just rest for the weekend, which is a typical response that I make -- I am cheap and always tired, what can I say. And I'm not spontaneous enough, according to my shrink.

But I acquiesced, and Sunday morning found us driving up foggy interstate 5 to San Marino where the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens is located. Lunch at the Rose Garden Tea Room gave us the fuel to walk around the Chinese, Japanese, and tropical gardens, and see a little bit of the museums.

As always with Michael's plans, I had a lot of fun. And in our short four-hour stay at the Huntington, I had several firsts: see the Huntington's Gutenberg Bible, see Thomas Gainsborough's The Blue Boy and learn a little bit about Gainsborough's painting style, and try cold mifun (bihon) noodle salad.

Not too bad for a last-minute roadtrip.

iPhone365 #120: footbridge

I love walking across the San Diego State University footbridge that spans College Avenue. It reminds me of the bridge project that I did with Karen and Katsura a few years ago.
~

iPhone365 #119: bonsai

There is something about bonsai that fascinates me. Is it the artistry? The subtle interpretation of the magnificence of trees -- and by default, of nature -- in such a small package? The discipline it takes to create such works of beauty, for it takes years to grow and train these trees? The esthetic sense it requires to create this sublime imitation of life?

We did a day trip to the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino today, and I was once again mesmerized by the exhibit at the bonsai garden, taking pictures of the same trees I took pictures of the last time I was there.
~

iPhone365 #118: clear away

Invisible strips. Conceals as it heals. Fast, effective removal. Clinically proven ingredient. Odorless.

Week one.
~

iPhone365 #117: smelly wood

I thought I was going crazy. Every time I walked through the living room I caught this whiff of something, a musky sour odor that was mild but noticeable enough to be annoying.

The problem was it was a scent that only I noticed. So I blamed my sinuses -- I probably have an infection, I thought. But if it were infected sinuses, I should smell it everywhere, not just in the living room.

So I thought, dead mouse. Or the remains of one. Most likely inside the piano. I opened all the movable panels of the piano, bracing myself for some droppings or tiny bones, but there was nothing inside that wasn't part of the instrument. And it smelled like what an old piano should smell. No dead Mickeys.

Then, by accident, I found the source of the offending smell: the carved wood panel hanging over the piano. My favorite wall ornament stinks!

Then it all clicked in my head and recognized the smell. I used to drive by a lumberyard where they had giant hills of cut trees, drying in the sun and stinking up the whole town.

I used to think, "How could anyone live with this smell?!"

Now the odor has come to haunt me. In my own house.

Tonight I tried burning a scented candle under it, but it didn't work. The smell is like a silly song playing in your head -- once you've fixated on it, it's hard to get rid of.

I don't want to throw the panel away, so I will just have to learn to ignore the smell. Or make myself believe that there's a dead mouse in the piano. After all, I'm the only one bothered by it.
~

iPhone365 #116: sonoko-san

A little over a decade ago, I met one of the most elegant women I know. I worked with her for two years while I was stationed in Okinawa. Always sharply dressed, always with a ready smile, always with a kind word to say, she made my days at work pleasant and fun.

Afternoons spent with Sonoko-san when work had slowed down, talking about anything from politics to pop culture, laughing to tears over some inane joke, sharing mochi or rice crackers or chocolates, were some of the fondest memories I have of my stay.

She gave me this doll as a going away present. Since then I have kept it in its case, wrapped in plastic, protected by foam peanuts, tucked away in storage for years on end.

Every time I see this doll, I think of Sonoko-san. And then I think of Okinawa and all the friends I met there. Maybe this is why I had kept it out of sight all these years. Maybe I wasn't ready to accept the fact that I miss the island, and that those days are gone and never coming back.

But now the doll is here. Out in the open. I unwrapped it a few days ago and placed it on a table in the dining room. I look at it, at her, and admit that I do miss Okinawa and all the good things that it gave me.

So today I give my doll a name: Sonoko.
~

iPhone365 #115: early morning clouds

One hopes for rain, we surely need it. But the weatherman says wet weather isn't coming this far south, and it will definitely be warm towards the weekend.
~

iPhone365 #114: feeling... wise

As I wait for Michael to pick me up outside the university trolley stop, I look around at all the students swarming around me like a hive of bees disturbed by the wind -- all of them running to or from class, all full of the vibrancy of youth. It makes me feel so... so... wise.
~

iPhone365 #113: broken

Too bulky to keep around, too broken to fix, I had to say goodbye to our (Karen, Katsura, and me) building systems project.
~

iPhone365 #112: impromptu

We just finished cleaning up after an impromptu late dinner at our house with our neighbors Alex and Angel. Unplanned get-togethers are always fun.
~

iPhone365 #111: rest

A quiet, restful evening after a long day of cleaning and organizing the garage. We have too much stuff. This three-wick candle, for example, could go with the impending garage sale. But for now it can sit on the coffee table.
~

iPhone365 #110: bunker

I work in a windowless bunker. Well, not really, but that's what it feels like most of the time. Sometimes I call it the secret warehouse of weapons of mass deception. Almost none of our business neighbors know that our laboratory is even there. That may be a good thing, though, who knows.

Every once in a while during my workday, I walk over to the emergency exit door (which we are not supposed to use) to peek out and see what the day is like: is it sunny and warm, or sunny and cool? Ah, I can't handle the excitement...
~

iPhone365 #109: leftover fish

Michael is off to work and I'm having Pinoy comfort food for dinner: fish, steamed rice, fresh tomatoes, and tea. Well, really, Coke would have been better. And I've run out of patis. I wish I had ube for dessert, too.
~

iPhone365 #108: salad

Dinner. Lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, feta cheese, and vinaigrette dressing, topped with slices of grilled pears. Grilled salmon rubbed with sea salt, rosemary, basil, thyme, and sage, topped with shallots. Steamed jasmine rice. Chilled white wine.
~

iPhone365 #107: bad boys

Some really bad stuff from some poor person's lung.
~

iPhone365 #106: applebee's

For a second night in a row, we ate out, this time at Applebee's where someone we know works tonight.

Do we eat out too much? Except for our Saturday or Sunday morning IHOP, I wouldn't say so; it comes in waves. I prefer eating at home for dinner except for when I don't feel like doing the dishes.
~

iPhone365 #105: shizuoka

I knew I had become a regular at this mom-and-pop Japanese restaurant when the waitress walked up to our table and, after greeting us, looked at me and said ,"Tonkatsu?"
~

iPhone365 #104: wiener dog

A very late Saturday breakfast made us miss lunch and opt for hotdogs to tide us over until dinner. I couldn't resist taking a picture of my dog Eli in front of the Wienerschnitzel sign, and based on the smile on his face, I think he got the joke, too.
~

iPhone365 #103: sun and moon

Sun and moon, dark and light,
I linger outside in the chill of the night.
Wondering what in the shadows I'll see,
While I wait for Eli to finish his pee.

~

iPhone365 #102: old navy

Relaxing at home with the lights turned down low after a leftover meatloaf dinner... I spent much of the day at the Navy Medical Center visiting old friends from my days at the naval hospital in Oakland. Since lunch with Done left me with a belly full of shrimp, egg rolls, and fried squid, I figured I should restrain myself for dinner and just eat what's sitting in the fridge.
~