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!

Bogi - My Sweet Prince

My beloved cat Bogi passed away September 17th. Bogi was about 20 years old. He was my best friend. I picked him out when he was just about 10 weeks old. He was tiny. And so timid. I remember that when we first brought him home my mom was worried that he would get stuck underneath all the crap under my bed and then we would never find him! So she made him sleep out in the hallway the first night! We shut all the bedroom doors and trapped him in the hall. I remember hearing him cry because he was so lonely. So I got my blue sleeping bag and unrolled it in the hall with him. I got my side lamp and plugged that in so we could see. We played in the hallway and then when I got into the sleeping bag Bogi crawled inside with me! I remember him at the bottom of the bag and I was so worried that I would kick him or that he would suffocate at the bottom. Turns out that night was the start of a long and wonderful relationship.

I could write so much about my faithful companion. He was always there for me. He would sleep on my chest or at the foot of the bed. When Cory would kiss me good night he would also have to give Bogi a kiss who was usually perched on my chest. But no matter what I write, it will never be able to convey all the love that I had for him. I will never be able to find the words to express just how much he meant to me.

The end came fast. He had gotten sick a few months ago but all the blood work indicated that with medication he could live a few more years. So when Bogi woke up at 3AM Saturday morning, something seemed off and deep down inside I just knew that this wasn't going to be ok. The days that followed were not pleasant for any of us. The details are not necessary but I tired to make him as comfortable as possible. He spent his last days on my chest. I would hold him and sing to him. Something I had done his entire life. Early Sunday morning, I took him outside on our balcony and we felt the cool wind and fresh air.

Bogi loved to sit in front of the fire and toast himself. On Tuesday night we decided to have a fire all night long. He laid in front of the fire. Cory stayed up with him (playing xBox) until about 5am while I got a chance to sleep - naturally next to him. Then I stayed up with him and we watched the sun come up. For the rest of the morning he slept on my chest while I told him how much I loved him. Later that afternoon we took him to the vet. He was wrapped in his favorite blanket, a quilt I had made, and Cory and I said good bye. I held him and our wonderful vet, Dr. Sheppard told me that when I was ready she would administer the medication that would end his life. I not sure I was ready but I just couldn't bear the agony any longer. Cory and I kissed him and in my arms he died. It was very peaceful for him. Not so much for me. But he passed shortly after 4:30pm. I held him for a while and I said goodbye for the last time as I handed my baby over to the tech. I am 31 years old and I had had Bogi since I was 11. Such a long time.

We had Bogi cremated. He is now rest on my dresser next to my side of the bed. I see him before I go to sleep and then when I awake. And when I pass, his ashes will be buried with me. We will always be together.

Cory used to make fun of me for taking so many pictures of Bogi or Lewis. I am happy that I did because I have hundreds of pictures to look at when I miss him. I even took a few nice pictures of us out on the balcony the day before he passed. I have them framed with his paw prints. And I have pictures of him all around the house. I miss Bogi every single day. And I am not sure I will ever stop missing him. He was the love of my life.

I took this picture the day before he died. At the time all Bogi wanted to do was lay still but I had to take some last photos. I knew that I had to do this. I knew that these would be the very last pictures that I would ever take of my baby.





Here is a video of Bogi playing with a box. He loved it when I put catnip in the box which would make the box smell like nip. He'd play with the box until it was shredded in pieces.