Support Local Grocers

Recently, I noticed more and more peddlers standing on Sunset's street corners selling fruits, mostly flats of strawberries and bags of oranges. At first, I just viewed these individuals as hard-working folks who are just trying to earn a living. But after thinking about it some more, I don't think they should be allowed to stand on street corners to sell fruits at all. These are illegal street vendors. They do not have a permit to sell. They are here one day and not the next. How do we know where the fruits came from? Were they properly stored and refrigerated? Are they safe to eat? There is absolutely no responsibility and accountability if anything goes wrong.

Health-issue aside, have you thought about how these people impact our local grocery store owners, who took the LEGAL and RIGHTFUL way to do business? They obtained a permit, pay for rent, pay taxes, pay for the overhead costs, etc. These store owners are being squeezed out of business because someone decides that he can evade all laws and taxes and set up his own little shop on the street corner for free?? This is wrong.

Supply equals demand. Therefore, I ask you to please NOT patronize these illegal street vendors. Yes, you might save a dollar here and there, but the more you buy from them, the more they will show up. Soon enough, every street corner will be filled with someone standing there selling fruits at the expense of our local grocery stores!

UC Davis revisited

On our way back from Tahoe, we stopped by my alma mater, UC Davis. It was nice to see the campus again, although I could barely recognize it! There were so many new buildings - the whole campus seems so unfamiliar to me. SQ kept on asking me what is this building, what is that building? And I had to say, "I don't know!" We passed by this new modern building, and it was labeled as ARC (Activities & Recreation Center). This is the new Rec Hall, although the old one was still there. I was so impressed with this building - although we didn't get to go in, I saw a lot fancy exercise equipments through the windows. Mann, I would love to be a UC Davis student NOW. There are so many cool things! Right along the same area, there was also a brand-new DC (Dining Commons) for the Segundo dorms.

And of course, the new Mondavi Performing Arts Theater is another new building on campus. Isn't it so fancy? Love it! The surrounding area was also nicely landscaped with beautiful sitting area and flowers. Mann, I really would love to be a UCD student NOW!! The campus really transformed - for the better of course. I hope the university will continue to prosper and improve so it can one day be recognized as one of the best in the nation.

By the way, every so often when the breeze blew towards me, I could still smell the cows. Yep, what's better than the smell of steer manure during a hot summer day ?? And how can I possibly reminsce about Davis without the cows?! I guess some *good* things will never change...

Lake Tahoe

SQ and I went to Tahoe last weekend as a weekend getaway for SQ's birthday on 7/20. We had a great (and relaxing) time! We stayed at a hotel right across from the lake and had private beach access. SQ went for a swim on the lake while I sunbathed. We also rented a couple of bikes and spent 4 hours biking along the lake, and had a picnic on the beach. Lake Tahoe is always so beautiful, no matter what time of the year it is. The weather was in the mid 70's during the day, and cool at night. We couldn't chose a better weekend to visit Tahoe.

The highlight of the trip though was my $480 winning from the slot machine in Montbleu! It's always when you LEAST expect to win, you win!! I was there sitting around waiting for SQ when I just plugged in a $20 bill into the quarter-slot machine. After 5 minutes of playing, I hit the bonus spin... and the bonus spin allowed me to win 8X my payout! So it came out to be $480!! This is the MOST I ever won! It almost paid for the entire trip!! What a deal!

4th of July weekend

This 4th of July weekend, SQ and I went camping with my family. We are not even close to being called outdoors people, let alone camping. But we do this once a year... last year we went to Sugarloaf Ridge State Park . This year we went to Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Boulder Creek, CA. It is located south, near Saratoga, about 1.5 hours away from SF. Campsite is very outdoor-sy, very wilderness, surrounded by tall redwood trees... don't remember much other than there are billions of bugs there...and they bite!! I was covered with long sleeve shirts, long pants, closed-toe shoes...every protected gear I have. But to no avail. I still managed to get bitten on the face and on the hands (the only exposed areas). Those are such pesky little critters!

We got there Friday evening, ate some home-cooked noodles, and then went to bed. Next morning, we went for a 2-mile hike and then came back for lunch. We cooked some hot dogs and ate the leftovers from yesterday night's dinner. We then played some games and I was so wiped out. I don't know why I got so tired...maybe it was the heat? Cooked dinner, moped around, ate some marshmellows and then crashed to bed. Although our tent was right near the fire pit, I slept through all the giggles and the ghost stores. I even slept through the night when a racoon came by searching for food! You can say that I slept well. Well, before you know it, we have to head back home. You bet I was ready to go back home! I guess camping wouldn't have been bad if it wasn't for those bugs. I didn't want to stay any longer to be another feast for those hungry creatures!