Long time no see

Ever since I left Taiwan and came to the U.S.A., I never found a chance to see my godmother.  It has been about 20 years.  When I went to L.A. last month by myself, I finally made the visit.  It felt good.

Her grandchildren are very friendly.

My godmother has 3 boys; this is her 2nd son and his family.

We took some pictures after her son cooked a wonderful yummy Chinese dinner.  I didn't know he could cook when we were kids. 

1st day at Claremont

This is Kristina's fridge that she paid $50.00 for.  The stickers came with it.

Kristina took me to eat at the cafeteria. The architectural work of this building is so pretty.  I somehow felt like I was in the Harry Potter movie set. 

She also took me to the village around Claremont. There is a fountain close by.  It's quite cute.

The day I went to visit Kristina for Family Weekend, I was sitting next to window.  Usually I prefer the isle seat, but somehow it was magnificent to look at the clouds that day.

2nd day in Claremont

The 2nd day in L.A., Kristina and I went to the Getty's art museum.  That day was also Valentine's day.  Someone was sure rich enough to express his/her love in the sky.

Getty's is full of art: it has collections from the 1800's to modern art.  The garden is also artistic and pretty. We had a good time enjoying indoor and outdoor art.

3rd day at claremont

This one actually was on the last (4th) night on the plane.  After the big rain/wind storm, I was finally able to get home.

On the 3rd day, Kristina and I went to this store called, "The fire winthin". She chooses a water pot and I choose a mug to paint, then the store will fire them for us to use.  It was fun!

My mug was so big that I had to take 3 pictures to show the whole mug.

trip to the new SF academy of science

During January, 2009, I went to this new SF Academy of Science 3 times with my 3 scientists---Logan, Kristina, and Brittany, separately.  This picture is showing the poison dart frogs in the rainforest dome.  There are tons of other rainforest creatures to look at.

These cute eels are displayed in the aquarium section.  I like the way they poke out to look around.

This is the biggest coral reef display in the U.S., I think.  Most of the fish come from the Philippine Coral Reef.  It is so pretty.  When Logan and I sat in front of it for 30 minutes, we were able to spot 15-17 different species.

Brittany loves the rainforest dome.  She took lots of butterfly pictures.  The butterflies just fly freely in the dome.  The dome contains representations of the 4 layers of the rainforest: the emergent layer, the canopy, the understory, and the forest floor.  Sometimes the butterflies land on top your head or shoulders.  Isn't that cool? :)

Anyway, it is really fun place to visit and there is a lot to learn for all ages.  My 3 scientists were happy with the whole academy.  I suppose it is good proof that the trip was worthwhile.

When Kristina came back for her fall break, she was desperate to eat at "Sushi Sam's". Her favorite dishes are Salmon Sashimi, Chef's special sushi, and their dessert. Kristina and Brittany had a good sisterhood chat and we were just happy to see her for the 1st time since she went to college.




This was her dessert.

Kristina and Brittany updating their lives .









Her yummy Salmon Sashimi.









She is grown and looks great.

sibling

During the month of September, both my brothers visited me with their family members. Every time they visited me, it made me miss my parents tremendously. Many times I asked myself, "Why did two great people deserve to die in such a horrifying disaster?" At the same time, there is still no closure about how the fire started. I feel pain every time I think about the incident that happened 7 years ago. Luckily, I have 2 brothers to share.
We try to live the way our parents had taught us to. I remember very well that they were helping all kinds of people who had certain needs. I asked my mom once why she never asked those people to repay her. She replied, "You decide to help them because you want to help, not because you want something in return." I remember clearly that she took me and my brothers to the orphanage often when I was young. She bought each child some winter clothes and cooked them food. She wanted to help and she wanted us to know that we are fortunate and should appreciate what we have. My brothers and I try to live up to that. The other lesson I have learned from them helped me more: I learned that I should never judge others by their race, gender, choice of religion or politics, etc. until I at least shake his/her hand and talk with him/her for 20 minutes. I love you, mom & dad!