Our Anniversary & Santa Barbara

Cory & I actually got married twice! Officially at City Hall in San Francisco and then at a ceremony with our family and friends present. We celebrate both (hey, why not) but we consider when we got married at City Hall as our official wedding date. On that Friday evening after saying our vows in the Rotunda (which is stunning and the most coveted spot at City Hall) we celebrated with our parents at Boulevard. So now, Cory & I go to Boulevard to celebrate our anniversary. It is always a nice evening. Here we are from our 1st 2nd anniversary.

For our 2nd 2nd anniversary we spent a week in sunny Santa Barbara. We spent the first few days camping near the beach at El Capitan. It was very nice. A bit colder that expected but we managed. Because we've been camping several times this summer, I've gotten pretty good at getting our gear and stuff ready for our trip. I've learned the best way to pack our cooler and food bins. Organize our gear so when we arrive we have what we need first on top so nothing has to be unpacked and therefore get dusty before our tent is up. You learn fast when what you do wrong ends up meaning you don't eat when your hungry or your pillow gets a bit dusty. However, despite my organizational skill, it is inevitable that something gets left behind. One time I forgot our can opener. That stunk because we had to get into our beans. Luckily there was a nice family that helped us out. Now we have one that is in our utensil container that is always in our camping bin. I know that I've forgotten other things but not as bad as when we went to SB.

It is my job to get our gear and food ready for the trip. It is Cory's job to pack the car. We arrived at our site. Inspected it to find the best place to put the tent. (We once put our tent up and realized when we went to bed that it was directly facing a flood light way across the camping grounds!!) We set up our tent as usual. Then Cory went to get the bedding gear. Mattress pads, pillows, & sleeping bags. I'm inside the tent setting up our pads and he calls for me and says, "honey, you know what we forgot..." and instantly I look at him and say, "Sleeping bags!" How could we have forgotten them. I was so angry. I should of remember them. Then I said to him, "How could you of not noticed that you didn't pack them in the car?" Just like I forgot them, he didn't even noticed. Cory went to UCSB and so he lived in a town called Isla Vista about 10 minuets away. He knew of a sporting good store. Thank heavens!! So we ditched our site and headed to town. We picked up two sleeping bags and headed to this pizza joint for pizza and some Monday Night Football! I love camping! Oh, and we ended up returning the sleeping bags when we were done with them!

On Wednesday we deep sea fishing. Didn't seem like we went that far out but whatever, I'm not a fisherman how far do I really know it is?? Anyhow, we had a fun time. Except for the part where I was supposed to put a live fish on the end of my hook. They had sardines in these shallow tanks on the boat and you're supposed to pick a fish up and then hang onto it as it flips and flops in your hand, desperately trying to free itself. As if it knows the fate that looms. Then, you're supposed to put your hook gently but firmly as you don't want to kill it, into a spot about it's nose. Really! Seriously? I don't think so. I couldn't even catch one in my hand let alone stick a hook thorough it's nose. They also had bits of cut up squid that I happily put on the end up my hook. We ended up catching some good fish. Actually Cory did. All I was able to catch was a tiny rock fish that wasn't big enough to keep but apparently made good eats and lots of mackerel which makes crappy eats but apparently makes good bait. So the mackerel I caught the deck hand just cut up for more bait. Oh well. The fish you caught you could keep. For $1 Casey would clean your fish for you. But because most people were staying in hotels they didn't want their fish. But because we were camping and had a cooler we took a bunch of fish back with us. We even cooked up our fish for dinner that night. It was super yummy. I've never eaten fish that fresh before.

We camped until Thursday. In the morning I made coffee and scrambled up the rest of our eggs and put all the leftover veggies that I had brought with us for taco Tuesday and made fun eggs!! Cooked up the rest of our bacon and heated up leftover potato. We had a feast! Then we broke down camp and headed to Santa Barbara to check into our hotel. We stayed until Saturday.

On Friday we went down to the beach to read and have lunch. We ended up falling asleep and when I awoke this is what I saw. I couldn't quite figure out what was going on. I look over to Cory who had also dozed off and was looking lovingly at me. I whispered holy crap and told him to look up. We both started to giggle. It was so strange that I just couldn't stop look at it. Then he flipped over. But he didn't want to squish it so he propped himself up with his knees. At this point Cory & I were just dying with laughter. It was so absurd and so funny. I figured we better leave before he heard us laughing! (The pictures are small but if you want to get a better look, click on them.)

Santa Barbara, you just gotta see it for yourself!

North Lake Tahoe

Here are some videos of Cory and I skiing at Northstar. We took the videos at the end of the day when we were both pretty tired and the snow was getting a bit slushy but I had lots of fun skiing with one hand holding my poles and the other holding the camera. We started at the top of the mountain on a black run and then headed down to the bottom of the mountain. As you get toward the bottom of the mountain the runs become increasingly easier which means the runs are more crowded with beginner skiers and snowboarders. At one point, Cory told me he was done with me taking videos of him. And at that point we were amongst a lot of beginners. We were maneuvering around them. I had the camera in one hand and my poles in the other and I was just about to put the camera away when I ate it! And I almost took Cory out. I veered towards him and almost got myself righted but then at the last second couldn't and landed on my stomach. The entire time I was worried that I'd break the camera but it was fine, I managed to turn it off before I went down. The only thing damaged was my ego! Flat on my stomach on a green run!! I was hoping that I had captured my fall on the camera but I guess I had stopped it when Cory told me to. I actually did what he said. That's a first!!

This is the start of the fun! We started at the top of the mountain on a black run and worked our way down the mountain.

This video, a bit before the 1 minuet mark, you can kind of see a kid down on the left but you can really hear the kid crying. I remember seeing the kid fall and laughing. Not very nice of me. Then Cory decided to goof around and ski like a beginner. You'll see him snow plowing!! Pretty funny. We are skiing down on a green run so you'll see lots of beginners.

Cory and I ski at different levels so we usually split up in the morning and he'll ski the back of the mountain which is usually more difficult. Before we split up he told me that he wondered what would happen if I fell and then got knocked out cold because no one would see me in my white snow gear!! Boy, that made me feel confidant. On the chair lift, I ended up ridding up with a ski patrol guy and two other gentleman. I told told them what Cory said to me and they laughed!! But the patrol guy said that someone would end up seeing me! And if no one did, one guy suggested just to yell for help until someone saved me. Actually, Cory thinks I am a better skier than I think I am. I can ski black diamond runs. It may not always be pretty but I can manage to get myself down the mountain. And here is me skiing down a black. But I must say, Northstar's blacks are very easy to get down.

This trip, Cory and stayed at North Shore. We usually stay at South Lake Tahoe. I must say that I really liked North Shore much better. It is much smaller and much more beautiful. Right on the lake and surrounded by trees. We stayed at the CalNeva, which left something to be desired. It was a dump. Cheap but not very nice or clean. With only a few small casinos around we managed to find two seats at a blackjack table. Several hours and too many beers later we walked away down. But we had a fun time. Towards the end of the night it was just us and a guy who had no clue what he was doing. It is hard to play with people who have no idea how to play the game. What you do affects what happens at the table. But anyhow... we had fun.

Our house

Here is a tour of our place. It is a loft in SOMA (South of Market). We are just a few blocks from the SF Giant's ballpark. Asides for the occasional homeless sleeping in front our our building it is a nice neighborhood. But because we are so close to the ballpark, on game day there are tons of Giant fans all over. They clog the streets and make going anywhere a headache.

We are also very close to the Ferry Building which on Saturday has one of the best farmer's market around. It is a wonderful place to get fresh produce. We just have to be careful not to buy too much fruit in one visit!! Too many time we've had peaches rot on the counter. But I love to go to the market on Saturday and peruse all the fresh fruit and veggies!

Sweet Cassidy

I had lunch with my dad today and showed him pictures from Thanksgiving and that is when I realized that I hadn't shared the pictures. My dad fell in love with one so much that I ended up giving it too him, frame and all! And I must say, that it was the picture that was next to my bed that I would see when I awoke each morning. And I gave him one that was taped on our fridge. (The only one since magnets don't work!) Both my dad I agree that Cassidy is a keeper and that she is the sweetest baby that we know!! We all just adore her!



I just wanted to post some fun pictures of our Thanksgiving. (Very late, I know!!) My brother Marky and his wife Sandi and their daughter Cassidy came from London and my brother David and his wife Christina came from all the way from Holland to have some turkey. It was a great time! So long as there was no baby vomit!





This is the picture that I had framed and next to my bed. I took it when I was watching her while my brother played golf with our parents and Sandi got some well deserved time sans baby. And Auntie Christina got some well deserved Cassidy time. I really appreciated Sandi trusting me enough to watch her alone. It was fun to play with her without anyone distracting her. Although, she loves the camera! She is sitting on my lap and I was trying to take a picture of her but she kept trying to grab the camera!! What a rascal.






This is the picture that I had taped to our fridge. I love this picture! Cassidy was making this funny sound by blowing air in and out of her nose! It was so funny! I just love seeing my dad with his first grandchild.














Cassidy is so well natured that she really doesn't cry when held by new people. Here she is with Cory and she was having so much fun. Actually, I wasn't sure who was enjoying it more, her or Cory! (Cory doesn't like to admit that he really does like babies. Not very manly!)

It was Cassidy's half birthday a few days before Thanksgiving so we had a party for her! My mom's friends all knew that Cassidy would be in the states for the holiday and sent gifts welcoming Cassidy. My mom's friends are very thoughtful when it comes to Marky and I. They have always been. Also, the video is of Cassidy giving love to the cupcakes that I made for her

half birthday. She gave so much love that we had to throw out one of the cupcakes! Watch the end of the video. It is funny ha ha!

South Korea - Part I - Seoul

Travelling to South Korea was a very momentous trip for me to take. It is one that I knew I would take at some point in my life. For me, going to Korea is going back to where it all began. Where at just a few tender days old, I was left at an orphanage with the hopes of a better life than she could provide. Maybe she cried or maybe she just never looked back but there she left me, in the care of strangers to fend for myself. So with more baggage than the airlines allow, on a rainy November day in San Francisco, I travelled back to the country I was exported from 31 years earlier.

Because I look Korean, Koreans speak Korean to me, naturally. As we boarded the plan, the flight attendants said hello to me in Korean (Annyong haseyo - Ahn-n'yohng hah-say-yoh) and to Cory just a regular hello. I knew that the trip would be challenging in so many ways for me. Just one of them: the expectation of me being able to communicate and then the awkward realization when I responded in my very western accent "I'm sorry, I don't speak Korean".

Our first full day in Seoul, I awoke very early and headed to the gym for a run. As I stepped on the treadmill, I was a bit confused as it took me a second to figure out that it was in metric. I was thinking I was super fast! The night before, we arrived late in the evening so I did not realize that our hotel was across from an ancient temple. As I ran, I was looking upon a large, beautiful statue of Buddah. It was such a sight. If it wasn't for the temple sitting next to the hillside, I could of been at my gym in San Francisco.

We only had three days in Seoul so I wanted to make sure that I saw as much as I could. Little did I realize that Seoul is as large as it is. We were staying at the InterContinental which was in the southern part of Seoul. I had read that their subway trains are cheap and easy to navigate. One things the tour books don't tell you is that if you look Korean, they will expect you to speak Korean. We headed to the subway just a few blocks from our hotel. I had read that you can buy your ticket - more like a prepaid card that just deducts the fare - from a machine. Great, don't have to try to communicate. Yeah, not really the case. So Cory and I tried to buy a ticket from the guy behind the glass window. The funny thing was, he just kept looking at me and saying the same thing in Korean, over and over. And I just repeated, "I don't speak Korean" over and over. It was as if he was hoping if he just kept saying the same thing, eventually I would understand! It was truly awkward and made me feel bad about myself. There I was, standing without a clue, in a sea of people that I resembled, but yet, I still felt so foreign. Luckily, another thing I had read is that all young Koreans are taught English, but rarely have the opportunity to speak it with Westerners. So if they see the chance to practice, some just may. Thanks to a lovely young lady who took pity on us, we bought our tickets with a little help from our new friend.

We spent the afternoon in Insa-dong. It is an older part that also has been revitalized, in part, due to tourism. It has small art galleries as well as the typical tourist shops. Cory and I were walking down a street and heard the familiar sound of aluminum bats! We had travelled thousands of miles to happen upon batting cages. So we each took to a cage and attempted to hit. Some things are universal.

There were many little streets that just wind up and down. We found a quaint place for lunch at the end of a beautiful, shaded courtyard. We took our shoes off and stepped into a cosy little place. There were only Koreans in there. The menu was only in Korean with a few pictures, but it smelled delicious and we were both very hungry. We sat on the floor and smiled to the older women who took our order. We pointed to some meat and she smiled. Cory and I have had Korean food before so we managed pretty well. Didn't make fools of our selves. The only tricky thing that we did not know is that their chopsticks are flat, not round like we're used to. And they are metal. So we had to adjust to slick and flat sticks to eat with. I was worried that I would go hungry because I was having a hard time using them. We were pleasantly surprised at our bill. We had had a sizable lunch and the bill was less than $20 USD. And in Korea, you normally do not tip. What a treat.

My mother's dear friend's son Adam moved to South Korea about 15 years ago. He and his wife, Jeong-il and their son Noah live about an hour outside of Seoul. Adam was nice and gave Cory and I many suggestions on what to do while in Korea. Thanks to Adam, we were directed to some amazing places outside of Seoul. But while in Seoul the three of them came up for a few hours to see us. It was such a treat. We learned so much from them about culture and etiquette that we would have not learned otherwise. Adam speak fluent Korean. And their son, Noah can switch between English and Korean in the same conversation! We really appreciated their time.

While in Seoul we went to the National Museum of Korea. Walking up to this building you just could not believe your eyes. I tried to take a picture to capture the size of the building but I just could not. Koreans are an extremely proud people, and this building represents that. The building itself is beautiful. Simple and clean lines cut through the horizon as you walk up the gentle slope off of the street. Once inside, the beauty continues. The lobby is large, yet inviting and welcoming. Speaking no Korean, we all walked up to the information desk and happily saw "English" and a young woman sitting behind the familiar words. She happily handed us a map of the 10 Highlights in the museum. I think it would take days to make your way through the entire museum. The museum is free but there are a few exhibits that do charge. But all the 10 highlights are free. And they take you through the museum giving you a chance to see almost all of the museum. Here are some pictures from the museum:

Ten Story Pagoda
This is made of marble, which made engraving easy. Buddhist teachings are inscribed on the pagoda in an attempt to spread them to the world.




























Buddah
Iron
Unified Silla Period
8th Century













Buddah
Stone
Unified Silla Period
9th Century









Here's something funny that I was not able to capture on film. At the museum there were school children there touring. While we were looking at some pieces they saw Cory standing there and they became excited. They surrounded him and all began to say "Hi" and "Hello". Then they politely asked him, "Where are you from?" and awaited for him to answer and then they said, "How old are you?". They were happy to get the chance to speak English. Some children were too embarrassed to speak to him but you could just see their eagerness to do so. This happened several more times throughout the trip. Cory felt like a superstar!




We visited the Hanok Village in Namsan. A Hanok is a traditional Korean house. They are beautiful and unlike any home in the US. It was very interesting to see how they once lived. In Seoul there are not many homes like this in use today. There are now about 10 million people in Seoul, and the city has been built up like any other urban city.

Lastly something that I did not think I would do while in Seoul (or actually ever in my life) is Karaoke. After a dinner with some of my brother's friend, one of them who is Korean and her family lives in Seoul, we went to a Karaoke bar. It was just like in the Bill Murray move "Lost in Translation." It was a small room with TVs and two books, one English and the other Korean, with thousands of songs to choose from. Cory happily sang and reluctantly I sang one. It was fun; however, I always imagined that if I was to do Karaoke, I would be very drunk. Unfortunately, I was stone cold sober! And I still did it! Thank heavens there are no pictures but just know that I did do it!

Lewis and the box

Our cat Lewis loves boxes. When a package comes he always wants to play in box. Here he is playing in a box that was just too high for him.

Tamale Pie - Recipe

This is one of my favorite recipes to make. It is very tasty and very easy to make and freezes well. There is very little prep work as the only thing that really needs to be chopped is the onion and garlic. The rest is either canned or frozen. I use all canned. This recipe can also be adjusted to fit your personal taste. More of something - less of something, ground chicken or ground beef; what ever you want. Cory likes things spicy so I add a diced jalapeno to spice things up. For the cornbread topping I use a box mix, it is easier.

I make the entire dish in a cast iron pan. But if you don't have one, any oven-proof pan will work fine. If you don't have an oven-proof pan then after cooking on the stove top, transfer to a casserole dish. You can also make this dish ahead of time, which is what I do now a days. Because it is just the two of us, I split in half and transfer into two casserole dishes. I freeze one and put the other in the refrigerator. Just before I bake it, I make the cornbread topping and put on top. To make the frozen one, just defrost over night in the refrigerator and bake as usual. Still very tasty!

Tamale Filling

1 tablespoon Vegetable oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 diced jalapeno (seeded if you don't want it too spicy)

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

Salt

1 pound ground beef or chicken. (I use ground chicken)
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes, drained

1 (8 3/4 ounce) whole kernel corn, drained

1 (7 ounce) diced green chilies (they are not hot and you can use a smaller can if you wish)

2 cups grated cheddar cheese (I use less and sometime none to save on calories; we don't miss it)

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (I usually use more because it adds so much nice flavor)

Cornbread Topping

I use Jiffy cornbread mix. It is very easy and only around $.75 and can easily be found at the grocery store.

- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

- For the filling: I use a cast iron skillet - heat vegetable oil. Add the onion, chili powder, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and jalapeno and cook for about 30 seconds. Be sure not to let the garlic burn as it becomes bitter if burned!

- Add the meat into the mixture breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook until no longer pink. Then proceed to add in all the vegetables. Stirring all the ingredients. Mix in the cheese and the cilantro. Salt and pepper to taste.

- Make the cornbread according to the directions on the box. You may need to adjust the oven temperature. Dollop the the cornbread on top of the tamale and bake.

- Serve with sour cream and cilantro. Enjoy!