Abalone Harvest

Aaahhh... fresh Abalone harvested right out of the Bay. SQ, along with 6 other guys, went to harvest abalone this morning. I heard the garage door open and close at 3am -- yes 3am (not a typo)!! After a 3-hr drive up North, the guys suited up head to toe, climbed down a steepy cliff, braved the freezing waters, and walked along the slippery rocks to catch these creatures. The wonderful news was that within 15 minutes, all of the people got their 3 abalone (the daily limit). There is a limit due to fear of overfishing. Abalone is "hot commodity" in the Chinese community. Although it is illegal to sell your catch, some people still do it. I heard that the market price is at least $50 each. Each abalone also has to be at least 7 inches wide in diameter. The 3 SQ got were around 8-9 inches. According to the seasoned harvesters, it was easy to find them this time. They picked a good spot. They then drove home - another 3 hrs back to SF. By the time they were driving home, I was still in bed :)

SQ had a good experience for his 1st time abalone fishing. For me, I had a good experience eating them! We gave 1 of them to my mom - she probably will cook it with chicken soup. SQ cook 1 today for dinner 2 ways: (1) stir-fry with mustard greens, and (2) deep fried w/ tempura batter. Yum yum yum! We left the last 1 in the freezer for another time!!

The Trade off

San Francisco tries to save money by cutting down street cleaning services in some neighborhoods. In the Sunset, instead of street cleaning once a week, it is now once every 2 weeks. The City saved $1 million a year. But what the officials didn't factor in is the revenue they lost in Parking tickets. The loss is about $3.8 million a year! How ironic. Someone obviously haven't thought the plan thoroughly enough.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/22/BA8H177731.DTL

Buca

It has been years since I last dined at Buca di Beppo on Howard & 4th. You just got to have a big group to eat here because the portions are so big. Thank goodness I have such a big family. We came here last Thursday to celebrate my dad's birthday. There were about 25 of us ... and boy oh boy, I was STUFFED walking out the door! We had calamari, brushettas, pizza, pasta, you name it... the meal was probably my whole week's worth of calorie in-take!




But it was fun...gotta love hanging out w/ the family.

The Tong Family
(P.S. These family pictures are harder and harder to come by)

Goodbye Rite Aid

Both my husband and I are super-bummed today to find out that the Rite Aid on Geary Blvd has stopped selling their delicious ice cream. The reason is that the store has been bought over by Walgreens and Walgreens don't serve ice cream. So depressed. This was our favorite place to go for a big scoop of yummy ice cream and it sold for only $1.19. Not only was it affordable but the taste of the ice cream was soooo good! The ice cream tradition was from Thrifty... When Rite Aid bought Thrifty, they continued the famous ice cream. But now... the ice cream was not part of the buyout. Goodbye Pineapple Coconut. Goodbye Pistachio Nut. Goodbye Dark Cherry. I will miss you.

Finding Money

I truly believe that when it comes to finding money and picking it up from the ground, it is FATE at its finest. The very instance of you noticing the money and then picking up on the ground has to be timed so perfectly that I can only use "fate" to describe it.

Today, I went to Walgreen's, picked up a weekly ad and started to go through aisle by aisle to see what's on sale and what I needed. After that, I went to the cashier. The cashier told me that I had last week's ad and all the stuff that I was going to buy weren't on sale anymore. Craps! He then gave me this week's ad, so I went back, aisle by aisle again... to put back the old stuff and buy whatever stuff I needed on sale.

Then I walked up on the cashier again. Just as I walked up, I noticed what appeared to be a lot of bills on the ground. This was near the entrance so the bills were kinda moving about (due to the wind from the door). I quickly picked it up and looked around. There was a guy standing literally 2 steps away from the money and he was in the process of paying the cashier, and another guy about 3 steps away waiting to pay. I asked if anyone dropped any money?? My first thought was that guy paying must have dropped it. But he looked at me and didn't say anything. I said Ok....and then looked at the guy waiting. He just replied, "it must be your lucky day." Wow! I actually found money! It was a total of $17, 1 -$10, 1-$5 and 2-$1. So cool!!

I thought about how odd that NO ONE saw the money on the floor, and how odd that even though there were people around the money, NO ONE picked it up. And if I didn't pick up last week's ad and had to go back to get this week's special, would I have stayed at Walgreens that long? Would I have been at that location at the very moment in time? It is just meant to be. The $ was meant for me!!

Tax Time

I'm been dreading and procrastining doing my taxes for a few weeks now. I only have 4 more weeks left, which seems like a lot of time, but really isn't. SQ and I have been debating whether we should seek tax professional help but don't want to end up spending $300-$400 to yield the same results as TurboTax. If you haven't guessed it already, SQ and I need to pay $$. I feel like we have been paying every single year since we got married (marriage penalty tax!). I looked at our 2006 and 2007 tax returns and each year, the amount we have to pay doubled from the previous year. This year is no different. But unfortunately, our income hasn't doubled!!! It sucks! I hate being in middle class.

Cloudy Skies

I use this picture to describe my feelings these past few weeks - Cloudy! I've been feeling really bummed out from work for something I didn't do but was supposed to do. I don't know - people tell me that it's not my really my fault and that it's just a good learning experience. But it doesn't help me reconcile the past. I really hate myself for not being about to change my atttitude and my way of thinking. Why can't I just sleep it off like the other people? Why do I always beat myself up and end up feeling so depressed?! Hey, there is a speck of blue sky in the picture. Hopefully, things will get better soon!!!

Spring Forward

We set our clocks forward 1 hour this morning (or last night). It feels like we just turned back our clocks not too long ago. I look at the time now and it's already 9:30p, which means I need to go to bed in 1 hr or so. :( Where has the night gone? The day is supposedly now longer and the sun sets later... SQ and I spent the day with our friend MH today - first going to lunch at Rock n Rob in Pacifica. Then we drove to Burlingame and walked around the new shopping area. We bought some stuff at Sephora's and the area was still very packed. No recession in sight. Then MH came over to our house to chat and we went to dinner at a local Chinese restaurant. The day just went by so quickly.

P.S. I'm really dreading going to work tomorrow and this entire week for that matter. Wish me luck that I'll be able to survive. I hate myself for over-thinking and stressing over everything.

Sick days

Last Tuesday, I played hookey from work and called in sick. I wasn't really sick but took a day off to sleep in and just hang around the house. I also went to see my sister and my new baby nephew at the hospital. Ok, admit it, everyone does that every so often, when you're just tired and want a day off....

My company doesn't dock us when we take sick days, so it's kinda always better to call in sick than to take vacation (PTO). But no one really abuses the policy because we're so damn busy that we can't really afford not going to work (workload then just piles up the next day). Anyways, so I got the "lazy" bug and called in sick last Tuesday.

So what happened to me over the weekend? I really got sick!! Started with a big sneeze and then sore throat. Then I got the stuffy nose (still very congested) and then more sore throat and dehyration. Today, throat irration and random coughs. Because I already took a sick day last Tuesday, I didn't want to call in sick again! So I sucked it and went to work. Is this punishment for me for playing hookey? The funniest thing is that last Tuesday, I actualy thought about what would happen if I got sick later on... and it came true! Speak of the devil!!

Welcome Tyler

Baby Tyler born 2/23/09 at 4:19am via c-section

7 lbs 9 oz. ; 19-3/4 inches

Welcome to our world, Welcome to our family, Nephew #11!

Viva Las Vegas

Perhaps this is the best SQ has come in surprising me. After a couple of days of non-stop heavy rain, our original plan of spending 4 days driving south along the Pacific Coast was "washed away." It became apparent to us on Sunday that the entire California would be rained out, north or south. Since I had already taken the days off work, I was prepared to spend the next few days at home, relaxing.

But on Monday morning, SQ woke me up at 8am and told me that we had a flight to catch at 11. I thought he was joking, but SQ is not someone who pulls tricks like these. Sure enough, by 10am, we were at the airport...flying to Vegas!

We've been to Vegas many times, but this was really somewhat of a surprise. We stayed at MGM and SQ even got us Cirque de Soleil tickets for KÀ.I've only watched one Cirque de Soleil, many many years ago - tickets courtesy of Googi. But that was a travelling show, which means that the set and special effects were minimized. So KÀ was definitely a nice treat. Very cool! I heard that "O" is also very good - hopefully, I'll get to see that next time.

On this trip, I was determined not to eat at any buffets. Every time we go to Vegas, we end up chowing down some buffet at some hotel. Although the food most of the times is good - I was just sick of it. So, this time, we went to Wolfgang Puck. We chose this place for 2 reasons: (1) it's in the MGM, and (2) the magazine had this place listed with only $$, which means entrees are $20-$25. The rest of the listings we saw had $$$ to $$$$, which is $25-$60 per entree!! We couldn't afford that! So Wolfgang it is.

We ended up ordering their tasting menu, which is a prix-fixe with a starter, entree and dessert. Of course, SQ and I ordered different things so we could try the entire menu.

For starters, SQ ordered the Arugula salad - yummy but too much dressing for my taste. I ordered the cream of Cauliflower, which I ABSOLUTELY LOVED! This was the best of the 3 dishes I had.

Entrees: pictures below. Quail on a bed of spinach (left) and braised short ribs (right). I'm not a big quail fan so didn't eat much out of that plate. The spinach was to die for. So tender and tasty. As for the ribs, it was OK. It was actually a really big piece of meat. The picture doesn't really show it. At first the dish tasted really good, but after I ate 1/2 of it, it got kinda heavy... so this wasn't my favorite.

There was only 1 option for dessert - carrot cake with pecan ice cream and nuts. This was good, not great.

Overall, I was neutral on this restaurant. It didn't WoW me but I did like the soup. I always like his soup recipes. They're good. At the end, I was just super glad that I wasn't in some buffet.

P.S. No luck on gambling... we both lost $$. :(

Ouch! This hurts...

I've been trying to avoid looking at my 401K for 1/2 year now... I didn't want to face the truth. I didn't want to know how much I've lost and how much my hard earned savings have wiped out. But today, I took that leap. I logged on to my account.... and boy oh boy!! I now really regret even looking at it. Since Jan 1, 2008, I've lost a whoppinig -29%!! This really breaks my heart. :(

Your Personal Rate of Return This Period : -29.1%

Your Personal Rate of Return is calculated with a time-weighted formula, widely used by financial analysts to calculate investment earnings. It reflects the results of your investment selections as well as any activity in the plan account(s)shown. There are other Personal Rate of Return formulas used that may yield different results.Remember that past performance is no guarantee of future results.

There are no "safe" asset allocation - mid-cap, large-cap, international, even bonds are losing money and risky. The only bright side is that at least I am not retiring right away so hopefully, I can make up some of this loss in the upcoming years. I guess I can feel for those baby boomers near retirement age. If their life savings are wiped out by 30% just like mine (against a much bigger dollar value)... I can see why they are angry and upset.

M.A.C. presenting Hello Kitty

MAC, the Cosmetics company, has came up with an ingenious business partner - Hello Kitty. Such an incredible idea and promotional gimick. It's not just Hello Kitty, it's the NAUGHTY Kitty! I first learned of this a couple of months ago, in one of my company's business meetings.

Today, I finally saw it Live!

At Bloomingdale's at the Westfield Center, MAC had a special promotion featuring Hello Kitty... and here is what they did!!

Hot (at least bodies anyways) guys had a Hello Kitty head on... isn't this crazy?? The big glob of black you see in the background is a bunch of Hello Kitty balloons, which my friend waited about 30 minutes to get one.

Of course my friend and I had to take a picture with the Hello Kitty hunks.

The look-aline Hello Kitty make-up model made an appearance. Sorry picture is very fuzzy.

Simply adorable. The make-up colors were kinda too crazy for me, so I didn't buy anything. It's very cute though. This will sell out in a minute.

Oh yeah, I got a Hello Kitty tattoo on my wrist... LOL!

Rainbow Veggies

While grocery shopping today at Irving St., I came across 3 unique color palettes on the shelves: Purple, Orange and Green. A closer look revealed that these are cauliflower!! So odd! I've never seen them in these color variations before. I wonder if they taste any different than the normal white ones we see?

Chinese New Year Parade

Gave up

Ok, I give up. I gave up. I don't know how to add the header date onto my old template. I searched online to find some help but I can't find any answers. I even left a message on the template designer's site, but I didn't get any answers. I tried. I really have. So I picked this template. It's nice and simple.

New Look

I randomly stumbled across a website that allows you to download free templates to enhance the look of your blog site. So I said why not? So after a few pages of templates, I decided on this one. It has an Asian-feel to it, with the calligraphy pens on the right and the koi fishes on left. So I performed all the steps required and Voi-la! my weblog was updated within minutes.

Though I love this template, I don't like the fact that it does NOT have a header DATE on any of my posts. My old template had both the date ad allowed me to assign a title to each post. This one...nope. Just the title. The bottom of each post only has the time. I want the date. I want to be able to read back my post and know when the post was written. Right now, I am unable to do this.

So I thought I was smart enough to figure this out - perhaps type in some HTML code so I'll be able to keep the new template AND have the header date. But after a couple of hours of trying, I gave up!! I don't know HTML enough to make it happen... so if you know the HTML codes, please let me know ASAP!! Otherwise, I will just have to change to another template that will give me the header date. It is WAY more important to me that a beautiful template. Hopefully, I can have the best of both worlds.

Lands End

I am very grateful to be living in the Bay Area. Although we are very much in need of rain, we enjoyed unseasonably warm weather this weekend. It was just pleasantly beautiful! We are very lucky.

SQ and I took the opportunity to visit Lands End today. This area, right by the Cliff House, is the most western edge of the City (I think it's the most western edge of the entire North America continent) . This area is where the famous Sutro Baths once were. After a huge fire in the 1960's, the baths were ruined and the whole area was somewhat neglected. But most recently the Golden Gate National Park Conservancy revitalized the area - building a new parking lot and creating new hiking trails for the residents to enjoy.

We walked along the area and though we did not end up walking the entire trail due to time constraints, it was absolutely spectacular and scenic...not to mention an excellent vantage point of the Golden Gate Bridge! Here's a panomic picture I took with my cell phone along the path. We will definitely come back again!

Home-Made XO Sauce

SQ and I made some home-made XO sauce this past weekend. The XO sauce is a spicy seafood sauce primarily used in Cantonese cooking. Contrary to what people might think, this sauce does NOT contain the XO liquor. XO stands for "Extra Old," which is derived from the XO liquor, as it is well known for its prestige and exclusivity. The sauce is considered to be a chic, prestigous and luxurious product, similar to the XO liquor, due to the expensive ingredients used to make the sauce.

Some Asian companies make pre-made XO sauce that are sold in Asian supermarkets. They range in prices, but the Lee Kum Kee probably has the most expensive ones. $9 for a very small jar and close to $20 for a medium sized jar. We wanted to make our own instead - and it turned out really well!! Below are the basic steps and the main ingredients. I didn't include any portions on the ingredients because it's really up to YOU how you like it. There is no strict rules whatsoever. That's the beauty of home-made sauces!

Ingredients:

• Dried scallops, soaked in water for 45 minutes and then steam until soft
• Dried shrimp, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
• Shallots, chopped/sliced
• Garlic, chopped
• Jin Hua Cured Ham, steamed into soft and then chopped
• Dried Chili, chopped
• Oil

Directions:

Steam the cured ham and scallop until soft. Soak dried shrimp in water until soft. Chop up shallots, garlic and dried chili.

Once the dried scallops, dried shrimps, and cured ham are soft, roughly chop them up.

On a pan, add oil, sautee the garlic, shallot and dried chili first. After they absorb most of the oil, add in the cured ham, dried shrimp and dried scallops. Add in more oil (don't be stingy)...

Pan-fry all the ingredients in high heat until they turn brown. Wait until the mixture is cool, then transfer into a jar for future use. Store in refrigerator. Again, don't be stingy on the oil, add excessively. The oil also acts as a preservative for the ingredients.

Here are some snow peas cooked with the home-made XO sauce! Yum Yum! Believe me, it's convenient to have the XO sauce in the fridge. It really comes in handy!

CNY dinners - 2 families

The Quach Family

Front Row (L to R): Albert, Quach mom, Alyssa, Derrick, Alex, Kenneth, Mrs. Lam

Back Row: me, SQ, Han, Lily, Jenny, Vinh

Missing from pic: Tuong

The Tong Family

Front Row (L to R): Hayden, Cadence, Catherine

2nd Row: Kenny, Amy, Dad, Kyle, Mom, Evan, Bonnie, Sean, me

Back Row: Benny, Herman, Ethan, Crystal, Shelly, Mary, Derek, Caitlin, Carolyn, Darryl

missing from pic: Cindy, Darren