22 butterfly

In the Mist @ Purisima

2011-09-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

Before school started, we took kids for a good hiking at Purisima Open space in San Mateo. We didn't expect so much fog and mist, which made the trail quite muddy and wet to walk on. However, the combination of mist and forest definitely renders some mystery to the hiking experience.

Love the picture above with Ryan and buddy walking in the mist...

Honolulu- Here we come!

2011-08-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

Hanauma Bay - snorkel paradise

first encounter with Hawaiian Green Turtle, swimming only a foot away from us!

I've visited Honolulu a few times but found it most appealing this time around in a number of aspects from its nice warm weather, laid-back lifestyle, abundance of authentic Japanese food to of course picture-perfect beaches and intimate encounter with marine creatures.

These are what Hawaii has always been known for and I didn't find myself longing for these qualities until this point of my life.....or I was too burnt out from the hectic remodeling construction. This serves as a perfect break.

trying to make Maori warrior move @ Kahui beach, learned from Polynesian center

first attempt with body board @ Waimea beach

@picture perfect Kailua beach

admire the simple but elegant beauty of Arizona Memorial

Door from or to the Chaos?

2011-08-04T17:50:00.000-07:00

Since we're only remodeling the bedroom wing this time around, we had contractor build the temporary wall to shield us from all the construction dust, noise and chaos. But is it really a door away from the chaos or leading us to it???

It has been two weeks since the kick-off date. Half of the space has been gutted, partial framing has been done and they're now working on plumbing and electrical. We had numerous meetings with the contractor on all the details such as angle of the skylight, position of the fixtures, dimensions of everything down to inches...I start to wonder whether it's worth the efforts to fight for every details and how to jiggle between maintaining integrity of the original design and compromising on practicality.

This is only the beginning of the construction; all of a sudden, I feel four month is going to be a long way.

A Year and Half.....

2011-07-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

What can one do in a year and half? That is probably how long since I last posted here...

So to start with my little boy, he has gone through Kindergarten and now excitedly/anxiously waiting to find out who will be his first grade classmates and if he will get the meanest teacher in fall. Yes, he was communicated along with his K class that if one doesn't behave, he will get XXX teacher in fall. Whether that was an appropriate message to convey to the kids from his Kinder teacher is really another long story.

As to us as a family, we have spent the last year and half planning for remodeling of our facade and bedroom wing. Well, perhaps the more precise description should be combination of planning, procrastination and indecisiveness.... To be fair to ourselves, the permit application did take four months. For the scope of our project, that is fairly long. Additionally, we were required to apply for a separate hillside permit so that the neighbors within xxx yards would have a chance to voice their objection if they do to our 4 feet tall deck, which is on the side of property, not visible from the front street and no way of obstructing anyone's view. On top of everything else, after our lengthy review of six contractors bids and tedious communication with them, our final winner backed out a week before our scheduled construction date. To be honest, we almost called off the entire project numerous times along the way out of frustration, loss of interest and significantly higher-than-expected cost.

Anyhow, today is our official kick-off date for the remodeling construction! After a year and half, I think this deserves to be the very first post. Let me cross my fingers though the construction will not take another year and half. ( We were advised it is estimated to take three-four months.)

Tri-county Land

2009-11-20T23:30:00.000-08:00

One of the weekends in October, we visited a beautiful piece of 800 acre land in Livermore, our friends just purchased. It was amazing in less than an hour drive, we felt like we were in the total nature, far away from hustle and bustle of the bay area. The kids had a good time fishing, hiking to exploring the plants and animals. It's so healthy to immerse in the nature from the refreshing smell of the trees,and dirts to magnificent scenes of mountains, valley and lakes. If you are interested in visiting this site, here is the link to the website.

Toad is among one of the animals found on site.
Kids busy fishing.
Learning how to put the lure onto the fishing rod.

A Long While.....

2009-10-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

With the change of colors in nature, the autumn is slowly creeping in. I then realized how long it has been since I logged into my blog space. Life has been hectic with many changes since the beginning of the year. The biggest one was that I finally left my job back in July, which I had been at for the last five years. It was sad to say good-bye to old friends but I was more looking forward to a new chapter in life.

Honestly, I thought I'd have more time to devote to my personal interests. But as it turned out, my-to-do list is still long with no items being crossed out except for a few trips....I should at least promise to make more appearance in the blog space from now on!

Photo: shot at Lake county, Sept 2009

Vertical Garden

2009-03-08T13:54:00.001-07:00

Ryan and I were at Flora Grubb nursery this weekend to get inspiration for our spring planting. We came across this vertical garden, which I cannot seem to get my eyes off. It turned out they recently did a few installation across bay area including one at Flora's own courtyard and one at Bardessono Inn and Spa, a newly opened boutique hotel at Napa Valley. The view from the bed to the simple modern but yet serene courtyard especially appeals to me.

The bottom two images from Flora Grubb's website

Center of Tradtional Arts at Yilan, Taiwan

2009-03-06T23:50:00.000-08:00

I've been really quiet at blog front due to a trip to Taiwan in January and the hectic work schedule. Upon return from the trip, I was immediately thrown into the craziness of work. I have not been able to sort through all the pics from this trip. Below are only a few ones taken at Center of Traditional Arts at Yilan. We had a great time visiting the center. One was for me to relive the childhood moments. But more importantly, it was for Ryan to experience the traditional Taiwanese arts. It's cute to see him playing dragon dance and Kung-fu even since his enjoying the performance at the center.

Remember those bottles on the bike? They had the tastiest ice cream in the world, at least that is how I remembered.
I love these old town streets. We happened to be there at sunset, which gave it such romantic ambiance.
Peeking through the window- traditional Taiwanese architecture
Ryan enjoyed this old-time sweet treat-candied tomato as much as I did as a kid.

Happy Holidays!!!

2008-12-22T21:44:00.001-08:00

Things have been hectic at work/home as we were getting ready for the one-month trip to Taiwan and Maldives. But we still found time to enjoy the X'mas lighting at a neighborhood in San Carlos. It has become our holiday ritual for the past few years. I truly admire the amount of time, and efforts (and of course, energy bill) this two-block of neighborhood has spent decorating their houses to light up the holiday spirit, which is very needed for many families in today's economy.

Beach

2008-11-17T22:36:00.000-08:00

These are few photos taken at Bodega Bay and Pescadero State beach in mid October and early November. Regardless of the low temperature of the water, the children were eager to jump into the shallow tide and to chase the freezing waves. To them, the beach offered endless play ideas- from simply exploring different textures, finding rocks, building castles, to pretending to be fishermen trying to catch the seaweeds and fish. It's enjoyable to watch their creativitity unfold.

What are daddies doing? Let's go boo them...

Let's bury your right foot first.

Little birds, come get some food here.

Is sun about to set? I'm not ready to leave yet. Let me go for another round!

Autumn Harvest

2008-10-28T23:38:00.000-07:00

With chestnuts, persimmon, and pomegranate gradually making their appearances at the farmer’s market, we know it’s that time of year. With an enthusiastic fruit picker at home, we always try to arrange a visit to the farm during this season.

Thanks to Min’s suggestion. This year, we visited Gabriel Organic Farm in Sebastopol. We certainly were not disappointed with their abundant Fuyu persimmons. But best of all, we were pleasantly surprised to discover this mysterious fruits- pineapple guavas. We also have this plant in our yard but didn’t know what it was until this trip. The plant looks like a mini olive tree and the fruit yields very distinctive aromatic taste and smell. It somehow reminds me of the passion fruits. We cannot get enough of it. We ended up getting more of it than persimmons.

What is this mysterious fruit???

Mommy, please help....

A Weekend Afternoon

2008-10-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

On a recent weekend, we visited a friend's newly renovated house and garden in Portola Valley. While Ryan was busy chasing Ole and Tera, we enjoyed the leisure afternoon with friends in a beautiful and relaxing garden .

Ole and Tera are certainly Ryan's favorite buddies now. Yesterday I asked who he would like to invite for his birthday party next year. He initial list only included aunty Denise and cousin Tony and quickly, he added Ole and Tera, two australian shepherd dogs....

Ole is mellow and easy-going.

Tera is sensitive and territorial. Just like children, they have their own personalities.

Awakening

2008-10-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

I lately found myself in rage and frustration more and more often when disciplining Ryan. Often time, at the moment of heat, I turn to yelling and coercing for the convenient and band-aid solution. As I noticed he becomes more resentful and angry toward me, I knew my parenting style needs to take a turn.

But what really daunted on me was one day I told Ryan I was going to a “how to become a good mommy” workshop at his school. I asked him if he could guess what the counselor was going to teach us. He immediately replied “no yelling and no angry face”. As I was desperate in search of effective parenting/discipline techniques, I knew I found mine right at that moment – Self Discipline.

Ryan has been keeping all his treasures in this shoe box. The findings can range from pine cones, corks, leaves, dandelion to gems from school. This is the first thing he digs in every evening returning from school.

Struggle

2008-09-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

Warren and I always like to play the scenario game; the most frequently played one is “What would you do if you won the lottery?” As much fun as it offers for us to daydream, it also gives us an opportunity to run a reality check. Usually, the first question following that would be “Would you quit the next day after winning the lottery?” Warren always immediately says “No” and I could picture him amass a collection of vintage sports cars and happily drive them to work every morning. As for me, it’s always a long pause before my answer. It does not simply boil down to whether the job is fulfilling or simply a means to the financial ends. It also involves the guilt and insecurity of a working mother, and a temporary escape from the demands of child rearing.

I’m glad that Warren is 100% positive with his choice but I’m still struggling with mine....

PS: These pics were taken when Ryan was 9 months old. I love the sparkle in his pure eyes. They are posted in my office. When I feel down, they certainly cheer me up right away.

Ryan's Memeorial Ride

2008-08-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

This posting was long over due. I've been too busy to get the pictures ready. We participated in the annual Ryan's memorial ride in the early summer. Downtown Burlingame was blocked the entire day for this annual bike race designed for kids under the age of twelve. Ryan was eager to show off his pedaling skill acquired at school. I initially thought he'd be overwhelmed at the crowds and stop in the middle of the race. He however finished the course without hesitation because he had his eyes set at the big prize - Popsicle at the finish line.

Summer Harvest

2008-08-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year - the plum trees in the backyard are bearing tons of plump fruits. Nobody is more excited than Ryan, who has been busy picking the ones hanging low on the branch and even collecting the bruised ones on the floor. According to him, he has to gather as many as possible before raccoons eat them all in the dark. I also asked if he wants to share some with his neighbor friends - Emily, and JJ brothers. To my surprise, he quickly agreed without any reservation. But he only agreed to share TWO plums with each of them despite the fact that there is a whole box of plums sitting in our kitchen....He is already worried that we'll have him share another favorite fruit of his from the yard - figs when it's time to harvest.

Another Wandering Heart

2008-07-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

I'm so thrilled to find out another submission of my wandering heart is featured on Pia's blog. Thank you Pia for the wonderful encouragement. I cannot wait to see more of other works.

Puppy Love (continued...)

2008-07-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was at Ryan's school early to pick him up and saw him and little M having Waltz over Nutcracker music. The teacher told me they had been dancing together all day. It was the most adorabl thing I saw - two little kids trying to dance Waltz. Although they didn't have the steps right, the postures were certainly there. M was leading the dance. As we all thought it was way too cute, all of a sudden Ryan seriously yelled " Mommy, I have to stop now. I'm afraid if I continue dancing, I'll have a baby"

We all burst into laugh. I really don't know where that came from.....

Images from Flickr

Collage

2008-07-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

I came across Ophilia Chong's work through Creature Comfort. I have to say this is one of the best collage works I've seen in a long time. I can see them framed and hung in my empty hallway.

Images from creature comfort

Mother's Day Weekend

2008-06-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

Grandma visited us in May and we took her and Ryan's cousin Tony up to Mendocino and Anderson Valley to celebrate Mother's Day and to tour annual Anderson Valley Garden Show. We visited six private gardens that participated this year. Most of them were nestled on the ridge of the hills overlooking the valley. The view was spectacular and the gardens were serene without much human intervention to their natural beauties. The boys had the greatest time searching for lizzards, and garden snakes and exploring the open space.

This time, we stayed at a vacation rental - Glendeven Inn in Mendocino so that we could all hang out in the common areas in the evening. Tony even got a lovely kiss from a llama from the property and he claimed that the llama had a crush on him! Across the street from our lodging, there were two trails leading to the beach. Af first, I was hesitant to take Ryan along but to my surprise, Ryan was able to walk with us on the narrow path with bushes and flowers brushing against us for quite some time. I think the amount of tricycling at school is paying off. Without doubt, Mendocino is Ryan's favorite vacation spot. He constantly asks me when we will visit it again. I'm sure it'll be some time soon!

Puppy Love

2008-05-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken at Ryan's birthday party at school. The girl in the top picture is M, totally adorned by Ryan. What caught my attention was the fact that Ryan didn't show much interest in girls before. He has always been more fond of boys. But M is the first girl he wants to talk to and many times asks about both at home and school. I saw the way he is following her around or trying to catch her attention. It was so adorable! So while I was jokingly telling grandma about this, Ryan's cousin Tony approached Ryan to tease him. Here is their childlike but adorable conversation:

Tony: I heard you have crush on two girls at school?

Ryan: No, just one. ( ;0 I thought he would deny it or have no clue what his cousin was referring to.)

Tony: Who is she?

Ryan: silence....

Tony: Is it S, T, E or....

Ryan: No, it's M. (To my total surprise, I didn't think he would say it out loud. We never commented on this subject to him before.)

Mother: Why did you like her? (I had to step in....)

Ryan: She is so cute.

Mother: What is cute about her? (Envy..)

Ryan: Everything.

JR is Ryan's best buddy at school. They started on the same date and bonded closely by crying together through the initial transitional period.

Pescadero

2008-04-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

We heard about Duarte's, a dining tavern at Pescadero for a while and finally drove down the coast to give it a try. After a 45 min-wait for the seating, the food after all was not as good as expected. At least it was not as memorable as what other Pescadero has to offer.

After the meal, we were recommended by the local to visit Harley' Cheese Farm. Ryan was excited to pet the two-week-old baby goats and to feed them. They also offer cheese tasting in the nicely restored barn house with variety of beautifully handmade cheese, decorated with edible flowers and dried fruits.

A highlight of this trip was Ryan surprisingly being pecked by a chick in the berry farm in town. Despite our warning, he insisted poking his finger through the chicken wire to provoke the ducks. He thought he could retrieve his finger fast enough if the duck was going to peck him. Unfortunately, he didn't realize the little chicks were waiting low by the side....All I can say is another painful but precious lesson learned by him.

Capitola

2008-04-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

Even since the north coast trip, we seemed to catch the travel bug. This past weekend, we visited Capitola, a small beach town south of Santa Cruz. The downtown is full of beach front cafes and restaurants. I can imagine how relaxing it would be just to sip through the drinks at one of those lovely decks in the summer evening. Some of the images here are a compound of 1920s colorful stucco apartments, situated on the waterfront like a movie stage set.

First Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

Ryan had his first egg hunt this past weekend at Mendocino. He insisted on eating them all....

Mendocino-Anderson Valley-Healdsburg

2008-03-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

This past weekend while on Ryan’s spring break, we made an impromptu vacation up to Mendocino coast. Ever since Ryan was born, our accommodation choices have been somewhat limited. There was no exception this time. I was disappointed to be turned down by many Bed and Breakfast due to the fact children under 15 are discouraged…. However, I was glad that we were referred to Stanford inn by the Sea – a child/pet friendly peaceful resort. The inn has got a beautiful ground with horses, llamas and an organic vegetable garden. Their renowned organic vegetable restaurant, Raven served the best veggie breakfast I ever tasted. While Ryan was having a great time mingling with dogs in the breakfast lounge area, we enjoyed the stunning ocean view and fresh seasonal produce every morning during our stay.

On the way to the coast, we drove through Anderson Valley and visited an organic apple farm in the area and was blown away by this charming old-fashioned farm. All the organic handmade juice, vinegar, jams and chutneys are nicely displayed on the shelf. The purchases are made on the honor system that you jot down your items on the notebook and get changes from the cash box. It turned out it’s a three-generation family operations with grandparents overseeing the farm, teaching the weekend cooking class, son managing a country boutique hotel in Boonville and daughter running a local stylish garden tool and houseware shop. I love the beautiful scenery that Anderson Valley has to offer but what appeals to me the most is their down-to-earth and authentic country living style.

We ended our trip with a stop to Healdsburg. We had the Easter Sunday brunch at Barndiva, lured to its modern barn structure and outdoor dining atmosphere. We stumbled across it and its adjacent gallery - Artists and farmers on our last visit to town. But their food turned out to be a total disappointment. Although it seemed like quite a popular spot for Sunday brunch, I guess people came here to enjoy more of their ambiance than the food....

Bouquets to Art 2008 II

2008-03-25T22:56:00.000-07:00

(continued)

The floral designers were under strict guidelines intended to protect the fine art from buggy, sluggy and cruddy elements sometimes found in floral containers and branches. Prohibited materials include some wooden objects, driftwood, dried wood, feathers, silks, wool and fruits. Dried plants and vines are discouraged. Despite the rules, there was still a wide range of styles, and floral materials used in the design.

Bouquets to Art 2008 I

2008-03-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

We visited the De Young museum for Bouquets to Art over the weekend. It was such a visual feast for me. There were 150 stunning floral arrangements to interpret museum's collections from paintings, ancient vessels to sculptures. Some arrangements were more literal translation of their inspirational art pieces; some were designed to harmonize and complement the arts. I wonder how I could miss such an event in the past. But I know going forward this will definitely be added to my annual must-go list...

I heart....

2008-03-06T06:30:00.000-08:00

I came across Mizue Hirano's website the other night and totally fell in love with her work - the gentle and fluid watercolor with pastel colors. They're just the right images for the spring season.

Wandering Heart II

2008-03-05T21:12:00.000-08:00

I was so thrilled to find out that Pia has featured my submission to the wandering heart project on her blog. Thanks for her wonderful words too!!!

Update (3.14.08): My three images have made the first round of selection along with some gorgeous pictures from others. Pia has announced the final deadline for the project to be June 15, 2008. There are still plenty of time; go hunting!!!

Japanese Ikebana Class

2008-02-25T21:55:00.001-08:00

These images were shot at my recent Ikebana class - works of the advanced students. They were beyond my prior understanding of Ikenbana style. Before coming to the class, I thought Japanese flower arrangement was all about strictly sticking to the basic principles - with certain angles, number and length of branches and flowers. But I'm extremely happy to find out it goes beyond that. It's about mixing lines, forms and colors with variety of floral materials to achieve a balanced composition, proportion and beautiful negative space.

Wandering Hearts I

2008-02-23T21:53:00.001-08:00

Things have been hectic at home but I still managed to squeeze some time to chase my wandering hearts!! I had a great time taking the photos and cannot wait to see what others have come up with.

Gon Xi Fa Chai

2008-02-07T22:37:00.000-08:00

Gon Xi Fa Chai and wish you a happy RAT year!!!

PS: the top picture was taken at Ryan's preschool lion dance performance for the Chinese New Year celebration. The kids had a blast.

Growing Pain

2008-01-26T21:18:00.000-08:00

This has been a hard week for three of us. It is Ryan’s first week at preschool, first time for him to be away from home and us. As expected, there were a lot of tears after the 2nd day when the novelty wore out. The first two days, I thought we hit jackpot because he didn’t cry and managed to say good-bye to me even though he appeared sad when I was leaving the classroom. But on the 3rd day, the separation anxiety peaked. He was crying so sadly and telling me that he didn’t’ want me to leave. That was the hardest thing I, as a mom, ever had to do – leaving behind a crying child. On the way back home, he told me he didn’t like me anymore. After some probing, I realized that he has some resentment toward me because he felt abandoned…..That alone already made me heartbroken but what hit me the most was that the same night, we were role playing. I asked him to help me pull up my socks; he turned away immediately and said “I have things to do and I don’t have time.” That totally struck me and showed exactly how he felt. He was upset and disappointed that I chose to go to work and didn’t offer to comfort him while he was miserable. I felt like a failure as a mom.

As much as I tell myself that this is part of learning for him, I could not help but wonder if this is way too painful and too early for him to experience. The idea of a two and half year old child trying to make himself comfortable at a new environment, in addition to having a language barrier, made me so sad. But what really assured us was his desire to go back to school even after many days of crying. I thought it would take a lot of convincing for him to want to return to school the next day. But every morning he surprised us with his excitement to head to school. I think that is attributed to the facts that he is eager to interact with other children, and to explore new materials. But most importantly, all of the staffs at school are so caring and supportive that he feels secured to a certain degree. I really have to thank the school for making the difficult transition a lot easier for us. The director and teacher would call me numerous times throughout the day to let me know how Ryan is doing. They would also take pictures of him both in tears and with smiles, to assure me that there are some happy moments through the day for him. I am quite convinced that I left my precious baby to capable hands. The trust in school and staffs really helped me to go through this difficult process with some confidence. All I’m hoping now is this growing pain to subside soon….

first day at the school

feeding school pet - blackberry

mastering garlic press

Searching for my Hearts!!!

2008-01-17T06:59:00.000-08:00

I came across Pia Jane Bijkerk’s heart project (via designsponge) this morning. She is inviting everyone to submit images with heart shape of any sort. She will be compiling an art book of all the selected images at the end. This is a fantastic idea – a collaboration of all the talents out there. As much as I’m dying to see what other creative souls will come up with, I know I will be busy searching for my hearts from now on....

For those interested, here are the criteria for the image submission:
· It needs to include a heart shape of sorts
· It needs to be handmade or ‘found’ by you
· It needs to mean something to you, or displayed in a space that means something to you, that has your heart in some way.
· It needs to be photographed in a space - so if it is an object that you have made, it needs to be photographed in an interesting space - not necessarily a plush-deluxe room, but just a space (it can be inside or outside, but preferably inside)
· It needs to be subtle, not loud and overbearing - but inviting and gentle. Remember the ‘where’s wally?’ books? Well think of that as guidance. Imagine looking at an image and trying to find where the heart is in it.
· The image needs to be a certain size and quality to be able to be published - I will write up the dimensions needed in coming posts.

Happy hunting!!!

Images from pia jane biljkerk

Starting Preschool!!!

2008-01-10T21:05:00.000-08:00

Things have been quite hectic at home since December, from Ryan’s suffering from an ear infection, to the nanny quitting, and then the holiday planning. I must say that nanny quitting is probably the biggest challenge for us to cope with. This is our 5th nanny since Ryan was born. So the average term for each nanny is around six months. I don’t think we are a high maintenance family. It really is just a matter of luck. For one reason or another, each one of the nannies had different personal issues that prompted her to leave.

This time around, we’ve decided to send Ryan to a preschool instead of going through another pain staking search process for the right nanny. I think at the age of two and half, Ryan is going to benefit tremendously from the socialization; additionally, we felt that the nanny is no longer able to provide as many stimulating activities for him throughout the day as when he was young. So although I anticipate some tears, in fact probably tons of tears (both his and mine), during the initial adjustment period, I think Ryan will enjoy and benefit more from attending preschool than from the nanny’s care. However, the notion of leaving him to tend to himself is still hard for us to digest at the moment.

I think Warren and I will probably have to flip coins to decide who gets to take on the challenging job of dropping him off at the preschool during the initial weeks……

Winter Yosemite II

2008-01-06T00:05:00.001-08:00

This was my second attempt with the paper doll idea. I made the dolls the night before the Yosemite trip and was struggling with their winter outfits until two O'clock in the morning. I'm pretty happy with the way the outfits came out. They look warm and playful in my opinion; probably more stylishly dressed than we actually were on this trip. 8-)

Winter Yosemite I

2008-01-03T07:31:00.000-08:00

For us Californians, who don’t get to see snow often, Christmas break is usually the time when everyone makes a pilgrimage to the Sierras to truly witness the winter and experience the snow. We, like everyone else, also left for Yosemite Park during Christmas week to look for our white winter.

As we were climbing up the Sierra mountains, we didn’t see a single drop of snow in the sight. Everyone in the car started to wonder if we would see any snow at all. Although I assured them the weather forecast reported a heavy snow storm a day before our arrival, everyone still had a big question mark in their mind. After another two thousand feet elevation climb with no sight of snow, even I started to have doubts. Gradually, everyone fell asleep with disappointments. However, we didn’t know that endless winter beauties would be waiting for us.

After passing through the park entrance gate, what surprisingly welcomed us were rows of snow covered pine trees and mountains. As we drove through the winding road, the orange-purple sunset, accompanied with snow-covered mountains and mist of fogs created another round of wows from the back seat. As we got closer to our rental cabin at Yosemite West, the moon already rose. The full moon, the moon-reflected Half Dome and the frozen water fall presented another stunning beauty for the night. I have to say no matter how many times you have visited Yosemite Park in the past, seeing it in the winter feels like the very first time. For us grown-ups, seeing Yosemite’s natural beauty in winter is like Ansel Adam’s world-famous photographs being presented in 3D format right in front of us. For Ryan, Shannon and Tony, ranging in age of two to eight, the frosty mountains, endless snow-covered pine trees, the narrow trails leading to nowhere and the occasional appearances of deers and foxes made them feel as if they were in the movie – Narnia. I have to say that my photographs don’t do any justice to Yosemite’s breathtaking winter scenery.

Even though we just came back from the park, we are planning for our next winter visit. Yosemite, we’ll come again soon.

Happy 2008!!!

2008-01-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all the best for 2008!!!

PS: This snowman was made with orange/banana peels, dried mushroom, and jujubee on our X'mas trip to Yosemite. All of us had a great time dressing it.

Last-minute Christmas Tree

2007-12-27T00:05:00.000-08:00

This is our X’mas tree number two for the season. I made a chocolate dipped strawberry tree earlier this month, which lasted only for a day because of its popularity. I thought that was it for this year since we’d be spending most of the holidays at Yosemite Park. It turned out we would have some friends and family over right after our Yosemite trip. In order to greet our guests with some holiday festivities, I made this last-minute tree by cutting the plum branch from the backyard, stuffing the jar with holly berries from the trees and hanging some ornaments and X'mas wish notes. Viola- it’s an instant booster for holiday ambiance.

Given the time constraints, I’m quite pleased with the way it turned out. Perhaps we should keep this as our holiday tradition since it’s easy to assemble and environmentally friendly. There is no more fuss of transporting the tree from the shop and tons of waste after the holidays.

Robert le Heros

2007-12-14T20:55:00.000-08:00

I’ve been in love with Robert le Heros, a fabric/design house, ever since I came across its home furnishing line at Lotus Bleu a few years ago. Their unique take on refreshing color combinations and modern patterns totally makes me smitten. But I sometimes find similarities between Robert le Heros and Amy Butler’s work either in color selection, the graphic patterns or the application of the fabrics. Robert le Heros might have a little bit more of European flair to it. Well, I guess great minds think alike.

On a recent visit to the Robert Le Heros website, I found out that it launched a vacation rental project – Casa Amarelo in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Like its website suggested, it is a place with beautiful ancient charms and contemporary fixture and aesthetics at the same time. Mixing old with new is definitely right up my alley. If I ever make a trip down there, this would be the place to stay. In the mean time, I can only drool over these delicious images.

Original images from Robert le Heros and Casa Amarelo

What is this???

2007-12-10T06:42:00.000-08:00

What is this thing??? This is often asked by my coworkers when seeing it quietly sitting on my desk. It is --a tea infuser made by Tavolo, my recent score at Sur La Table. At first glance, I didn’t have any idea of its use either. I was simply attracted to its beautiful form and an elegant angle when it's placed on the table. When I realized that it’s a tea infuser, I knew I had to get one. It’s visually pleasing and also comes in handy at the office. You no longer need to be equipped with the entire tea set just for a good cup of tea to keep you from dozing off in the afternoon...

Christmas Tree

2007-12-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

We decided not to get a living Christmas tree this year because we would be spending most of the Christmas week at Yosemite Park. But in order to surround ourselves with holiday spirit this season, I decided to make a miniature tree for the tabletop. As it turned out this tree was obviously more appreciated by everyone than those we had in the past, it didn’t even last long enough for the weekend……..

Preschool

2007-11-26T06:24:00.000-08:00

Who, the lucky boys and girls get to go to this roof top kindergarten, designed by a renowned Japanese architect Tezuka Takaharu. I cannot help but wonder how competitive the admission process must be for this school. It also reminds me of our painstaking search process for Ryan’s preschool.

We started Ryan’s preschool search about a year ago, when Ryan was only one year and four months old. I initially felt hesitant and embarrassed to call for any school tour; worrying schools might think I’m one of those paranoid moms who are already planning for kids’ college while they are still in diapers… But like everything else, I like to have an early action plan to feel prepared. I called a number of schools anyway. To my shocking surprise, I found the waitlist could range from a year to three years! I was even told by a school that some parents signed up to the waitlist on the way home from the hospital after the birth of their child. What??!! I panicked and wondered how I can get so behind on such a serious matter. Guilt of a mother and the competitiveness in me all geared up and ready to catch up on the game.

First, I consulted Ryan’s teacher at his weekend co-op school, searched the database of the city’s mother club, met with 4C’s (community child care council) counselor for school recommendation. After getting a comprehensive recommendation list of schools in our area, I started my conscientious touring and getting onto the numerous waitlists. However, this did not make me feel more at ease but more confused and anxious toward the process. Gradually it daunted on me since when I’ve fallen into the trap of turning every minute decision about the child into his lifelong choices. What is the ultimate purpose of going to a preschool? Should it be simply for Ryan to have fun, learn to enjoy socialization, and be confidant while away from home and us? If so, why are we madly eager to get into the program with swimming facility, weekly cooking, yoga class or even PE class led by professionally trained coach?

The ball is not in our court. We now patiently wait to find out what school Ryan gets into next year. But I believe we will be happy with any of them.

Here are spreadsheets of Ryan's preschool assessment. Yes, I have to admit I'm obessesed with spreadsheets...

Images#1-#3 from Takaharu Yui Tezuka Architect

Gobble, gobble....

2007-11-21T22:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I'll be off to Washington state tomorrow morning to join my family for the holidays. The past few days has been a great mini break for me because the boys were gone to my in-laws since last Saturday. Due to my work schedule, I'm not able to join them until tomorrow. But sorry, boys, I have to say I will miss the precious moments of quiet, I've been experiencing this week....

Original bird images from Kristian Vedel

An Afternoon of Shopping with the Ladies

2007-11-18T00:31:00.000-08:00

Grandma had been visiting for the past three weeks and it was time for her to leave. So I took few days off from work early this week to accompany her for some last-minute shopping. We brought the boys, Ryan and his eight-year-old cousin Tony, along with us for an afternoon of shopping at Berkeley. It was funny to see how quickly them spotted empty seats in each of the stores and lounged just like the grown up men, patiently waiting, while the ladies browsed. They didn’t complain or whine a bit as I had feared. These two boys definitely have potential.....

One of a Kind Nursery

2007-11-15T22:51:00.000-08:00

We visited Flora Grubb Garden in SF this week. To get to this oasis in the industrial section of the city, you have to drive through the wholesale fresh produce district . It's definitely one of a kind nursery in my opinion. Not only will you encounter some unique species of plants, but you will find great selections of garden wares, garden design books, and outdoor furnitures. I especially love the multiple rows of bright colored outdoor chairs, displayed tidily on the wall. It creates such a dramatic impact for the setting. Ever since it moved to its current location early this year, we found ourselves hanging out here quite a bit, sometimes for a cup of good coffee, sometimes to simply enjoy its refreshing ambiance.

Harvest

2007-11-09T22:18:00.000-08:00

Autumn is the harvest season for our neighbor’s apple tree. Ryan has been busy like a bumblebee hovering over the apples in our neighbor’s yard, an old lady’s front yard few houses up the street. Despite the apples’ blemished appearance, they are the tastiest I had this year. To thank the old lady's generosity, I had Ryan deliver a cake and properly introduce himself to her and her cat this week.

New Banner

2007-11-05T22:10:00.000-08:00

Old banner is out, new banner is in: hours of cross-eyed work with Photoshop, finally it’s done…

I really feel I lost quite a bit of brain cells with the placenta. That is the only reasonable explanation for my ridiculous forgetfulness and my frustrating struggle with any learning for the past two years. The banner was my first attempt with Photoshop. I couldn’t even follow the simple instructions on the book. It’s sad to see my learning ability, which served me so well up until Ryan was born, beyond my reach now. But after numerous evenings of persistence and lastly Warren’s help, I finally got the new banner….

PS: Thanks to Two Straight Lines for the paper doll idea. The doll garland is now secretly sandwiched in the book on the high shelf. Because I still have a few more ideas to experiment with it, I’m not ready to share it with Ryan. Hopefully it will not end up in his toy/garbage box anytime soon. He always seems to have a good sense of where I hide my "treasures".

Happy Halloween 2007!!!

2007-11-01T23:31:00.001-07:00

Ryan had been looking forward to trick-or-treating for days. He’s been practicing saying trick-or-treat ever since he was told it is the secrete code for getting the candies. However, it took quite some convincing for him to put on the kangaroo costume before leaving for the evening. As always, he is very opinionated about his clothing choices....Despite some delay, we still had a blast. It was especially fun this year with Grandma and Shannon with us.

PS: The spider sunglasses was a last-minute Halloween craft. It only requires some black pipe cleaners and a pair of sunglasses to finish the look.

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-28T07:35:00.001-07:00

Although three of us are in different recovery phases from our recent battles with the cold, we still made the trip to Half Moon Bay for our annual pumpkin patch outing last week. Sometimes, I’m amazed at how much energy resides in a little person’s body. Despite Ryan’s cough, he was running around and “collecting” pumpkins. Other kids might collect dolls, toy trucks, stickers and etc., but our little Ryan collects fruits. Our house is currently stocked with park-found pine cones, blemished apples fallen from the neighborhood trees and all sorts of unrecognized berries picked up from the streets. So you can imagine how excited Ryan became when seeing tons of pumpkins on the field waiting to be collected.….

Wow! What a mini corn! May I eat it now?

A river of pumpkins is winding through corn bushes

Spiderweb Eggs

2007-10-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

I’m in a super crafty mood lately. I couldn’t resist the urge to make these spiderweb eggs when seeing the recipe from Martha Stewart living. Plus, it’s also a good way for Ryan to show off his significantly improved dexterity by helping peeling the eggs.

For those who are interested, here is the instruction. Enjoy!!
1 dozen large eggs
8 cups water
2 cups frozen blueberries
Freshly ground black pepper, for serving

1. Place eggs in single layer in large saucepan, and cover with water and blueberries. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 10 mins.
2. Remove eggs and place on a folded kitchen towel. Lightly crack shells on side with the handle of a whisk or a wooden spoon. Transfer eggs to a bowl; cover with cooking water. Let eggs cool completely in water in refrigerator.
3. Carefully peel shells from eggs. Serve with salt and pepper.

The eggs are soaked in blueberry water.

Ryan is helping peeling the eggs

Busy helping setting up the shots.

Got BOOed !!!

2007-10-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

October is full of Halloween celebration and decorations. For us, the holiday is officially kicked off by me being “Booed” at work. It’s our office tradition. Each year, one of us will start the BOO game by secretly delivering nifty treats to two coworkers and the recipients have less than 48 hours to spread the tricks on. Otherwise, they are warned that “ZAP will strike the tail”…. I found the game to be a cute way to spread the holiday spirits. This year, I made several goodie boxes by using Chinese take-out boxes, florist tapes/wires, and construction papers. My only remaining challenge is to find off-hours to secretly deliver my sweet gifts…..

This one goes to Janjan!!

2007-10-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hurray!! I think I just found my very first gift for my soon-to-born niece-Janjan!

I happily came across this cutie apple bunny the other night on Le Train Fantome. It is so adorable that I cannot get if off my mind. The vintage print, the fabric and handmade quality just hit my sweet spot. All of the creatures available at this UK based on-line store are designed and handmade by a French artist Fanja Ralison. These handmade dolls are too cute to resist...

Images from Le Train Fantome

Grape Jello

2007-10-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

This is Ryan's new love - Grape Jello. I didn't introduce him to Jello for a long time, thinking it's empty calories loaded with artificial colorings. But after he tasted the Jello at Satura Cake weeks ago, he is hooked. So I'm trying to do a more healthy version by using fresh fruit, juice and less sugar. Jello is by far the easiest dessert to make. If you know how to boil water, you can make it. Here is the recipe:

1 cup of apple juice
1 tablespoon of sugar
1.5 teaspoons of gelatin
A dozens of peeled grapes

Combine juice and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle gelatin powder over the water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Whisk gelatin into juice. Place peeled grapes into the molds and pour the juice mixture. Keep in the refrigerator until firm, about three hours or overnight.

The Blue Angel

2007-10-09T21:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tracy and Kenny for inviting us to United’s annual Blue Angels event. Not only did we get into the usually restricted hangers to see where the plane maintenance often takes place, but we were also able to see the legendary good-looking Blue Angels pilots up close and their handsome takeoff for the air show. If you ask me whether they’re as good-looking as rumor says, in my opinion, they look just like any of the ground crew in the pictue below. You be the judge…..

Go Explore!

2007-10-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

It was another busy weekend, packed with series of adult and children activities. Like what my father usually says "What good does it do by sitting around the house; go explore!" Growing up, I never thought myself as a compliant child and I think my parents would agree with me on this. But as I grow older, I found myself practicing my parents’ preach quite a bit.

The moral of the story is that parental nagging does have its long-lasting and effective impact on children, at least for me.

Paper Paper on the Wall

2007-10-05T06:45:00.000-07:00

It seems that lately from design magazines, newspaper to blogsphere, you cannot help but notice wallpaper has been making a huge comeback. When I think of wallpapers, I get the mental picture of the 1960-70s raised, embellished and dated patterns. I think that image has to do with the yellow-greenish wallpaper we once had at my parents' house. But what you will find today is a much wider range of designs from classic, modern to Avant Garde.

However, knowing myself, I’ll never commit a wall to any hard-to-reverse design ideas. Perphaps, just perhaps I can frame Lizzie Allen’s whimsical “changing guards at buckingham palace” or Hanna Werning’s “kastanjetrast” and hang them on our desperately empty walls. Warren is already complaining that my project list is getting longer and longer because he realized long ago that he is actually the person to execute them. Well, didn’t he notice the word–perhaps?

Images from Hanna Werning & Lizzie Allen

Orange Pumpkin, Black Spider or Else???

2007-10-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

As summer gave its way to autumn, Halloween is upon us again. It’s one of my favorite holidays in the US. Since I was not lucky enough to participate as a child, now I have the luxury of dressing Ryan, which to me is equally fun. However, the older he gets, the harder the costume shopping becomes. He has been a blue octopus and a yellow duckling for the previous Halloweens. What is he going to be this year then?

While browsing through the catalog for ideas, I asked Ryan for his opinion. After a glance of a page of costumes, he quickly picked an orange pumpkin outfit. Of course, I should have known better---a food-related costume. If you know Ryan well, you know that he has a thing for food. Although a pumpkin outfit is cute, it’s not exactly what I had in mind. I was hoping that he would pick the cool black spider. I have a feeling that this is the beginning of our future endless conflicts on clothing choices.....

We have a few more weeks to dwell on the decision. Orange pumpkin, black spider or else?

Judging a Book by its Cover

2007-09-29T16:46:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip back to Taiwan, we brought back quite a few Chinese children’s books for Ryan. One reason is for him to have more exposure to Chinese. Secondly, besides the works by Taiwanese authors, there is an amazing selection of award winning children's books from Europe, Japan, and US all beautifully translated. Lastly, in all honesty, I’m a big fan of these picture books. Those colorful images and adorable characters are my eye candies!

When it comes to selecting the books, I’m totally a "judging a book by its cover" type of person. If the color, design or the illustrator’s drawing style appeal to me, I’ll go for it regardless of whether the storyline is appropriate for a two-year old….Therefore, we’ve got a few lovely books that I enjoy but certainly not appreciated by Ryan. Well, if you know how many times a mom has to repeat the same story in a day, you’d not blame her for choosing the ones she will at least enjoy herself.

Thanks for Grace and Vivian's book recommendations which kept me not too off-track from age appropriate books.

Grand Loup, & Petit Loup by Olivier Tallec & Nadine Brun-Cosme is one of our favorites.

The Rock Rice

2007-09-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

I still remember those countless hours spent looking for toy ideas at Oompa, and Talbot's. However, as Ryan is getting older, I found my passion for scouting out good quality toys has diminished. I think partly it's because the products designed for the babies are too adorable to resist, partly because we found ourselves gradually giving way to toy trucks, trains and more trucks in the house. But most importantly, I realized too many toys could limit children’s imagination and creativity.

While I was researching a good kitchen set for Ryan, one day I found him layering his little cereals on the latch system of an old high chair. I curiously asked what he was doing. He happily responded “I’m baking my cereals.” It suddenly daunted on me that if he’s got a well-designed and sleek looking kitchen set, could he still think of the multiple mini-shelves latch system as an oven? My conclusion is no.

Now, Ryan's favorite activity with cousin Tony is to play chef at the backyard using our retired mini grill, park found pine cones, rocks, sand, and the only real cooking ingredients, thyme and rosemary both planted in the backyard. They named their master creation the Rock Rice.

In the picture, Ryan was busy firing the grill. Well, at least, according to him.

The Gardener, my all-time favorite store

2007-09-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Gardener was mentioned in my previous posting but I think it deserves a place of its own. It's one of my must-visit stores on every trip to Berkeley. The store was founded back in 1984 by Alta, a former garden designer and photographer. It was originally intended to sell a collection of garden tools and hardware. Over the years, with Alta’s fabulous style and taste, the Gardener has evolved into a lifestyle store.

What you may find at the store today is a great pair of Japanese flower scissor, the local Heath dinnerware, a tribal Noah bell to an organic dinning table from Indonesia. With its well-edited merchandise collection and constant change in store display, no wonder many people come to it for gift ideas, a new piece of garden furniture or simply inspiration. Most importantly, the Gardener portraits a modern, organic indoor/outdoor living style, we Californians all long for.

The Gardener, my all-time favorite store.

"Give me another cup of BitterSweet, please!!"

2007-09-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, we found ourselves wandering around Berkeley again. Yes, again. We always love the city's artistic ambiance and the number of independent shops it offers. In addition to my regular pilgrimage to some of my old-time favorite shops such as Gardeners, Lilith, Twenty-two Shoes, and etc., I know I might just stumble across my next must-go shop. It’s just this thought that keeps luring me back to the area.

Well, as always, Berkeley didn’t disappoint me today. While strolling on College Ave., we happily encountered a cute chocolate cafe-BitterSweet. With two enthusiastic chocolate lovers in our group, we had to give it a try. The store offers an astounding variety of chocolates bars from all over the world. It also makes its own confections and chocolate drinks. We tasted its hot chocolate. It's rich, creamy and as if you are sipping a hot fudge cake. It's just divine! This time, it’s me, who asked “give me another cup of BitterSweet, please!!” instead of Ryry.

We will come back to it on our next visit to Berkeley, which I'm certain will be in the very near future :)

Happy Autumn Equinox!!!

2007-09-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today is officially the first day of autumn. With the change of season, different varieties of flowers are making their appearance at farmer's markets. This weekend, I saw a great variety of chrysanthemum. I'm usually not a big fan of it but was appealed to this dual layered orange-yellow specie for its bold color and intricate flower pedals. As usual, Ryry was eager to participate in both the flower arrangement and photo shooting sessions.

Summer Pear Panna Cotta

2007-09-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

We rencently had panna cotta at Satura Cakes, a popular bakery store at Los altos. We loved its creamy and smooth texture. We tried to re-create it by experimenting with various recipes. Here is the version, we enjoyed the most.

Panna Cotta:
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1.5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder

Pear Coulis:
1 whole pear
1/8 cup sugar

Panna cotta: Combine whole milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring from time to time (do not let it boil). Let cool for five minutes. Sprinkle gelatin powder over the water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Whisk gelatin into panna cotta mixture. Keep in the refrigerator until firm, about three hours or overnight. One thing to note is that if you prefer a firmer texture and would like to demold the panna cotta and serve on the plate, you may use 2 teaspoons of gelatin instead of 1.5 as indicated on the recipe.

Pear coulis: Cut pears in small slices. Combine in a small saucepan with the sugar and two tablespoons of water. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat immediately. Pour into the bowl of a blender and mix with short pulses. Cover, let cool to room temperature and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve the panna cotta in the cup topped with a layer of coulis.

Sept 20, 2007 is the launch date!!!

2007-09-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

Today is the launch date of Twenty-Two Butterfly. This is a site for me to share inspiration, daily creation and happenings around our house-22 Butterfly!