Another Friday morning

I don't know how to describe
1000 words will not equal 1 needle

Hoppy New Year!

Here is the new and improved greeting
(thank MT for postproduction perfection)
Card was inspired by the top image
a flyer I picked up at Narita Airport

tranlation experiment, back

interesting results
from Chinese to English
it's a bit unfair
I'll admit
because this is prose-like verse
and written much earlier
way before Edgar Allan Poe's time
but still
fun

tranlation experiment

The Raven
first 3 stanzas
from English to Chinese
and back again

this turned out a lot better than i anticipated
impressive, google translate.

mad men

Lost my battery & charger in school last week.
Very distressing.
In midst of photo project.
Cannot fathom who would take it because it only powers my Lumix.
But this story of good will cheered me up.

Speaking of stories
There was a moment in Madmen, Season 4, last (?) episode
When Don, Sally, Bobby, and Megan were in a restaurant booth
One of the two kids knocked over the tall strawberry shake
Pink spills everywhere
Silence and tension follow immediately
Looks of fear from Sally, Bobby, and even Don.
Megan notices and quickly breaks the ice,
"well it's just a milkshake, let's clean it up and get another one!"
My astute cousin/Madmen-marathon-mate points out
this was all about Betty
though she was no where in the scene
How relieved they were
as the Draper family stopped walking on eggshells
constantly

Vivid illustration of such a profound moment

this afternoon
felt like I was living in Madmen
when I realized
there is no pressure from being blamed
in my home
in my life
for anything
oh! how sweet it is
love

Jack

top: Jack the dog seemingly guarding me
but was really looking out for his bone

bottom: interesting vitrines on Prince Street
taxidermy animals
because I've only seen the display cases after hours
have no clue what they are selling
on second thought
must be jewelry
which is always removed
after hours

Chinatown

Atmosphere better than food here
Though this Lotus Leaf Wrapped Sticky rice was tasty and not greasy
However it was important to share Peking Duck together with my sweetheart for the first time.
oh how I miss 全聚德(Quan Ju De), the bestest in the whole wide world.

introducing Jósef

New [polish, obviously] member of household
pronounced, not so obviously, Yoooo-zek

Golden New Years Eve

Rang in the New Year at Blue Hill
Since eggs are my favorite food
I've chosen this one to represent
the amazing night of
unending dishes
everflowing wines
and enchanting company
(thanks GP & JW!)

Funny
I was learning to gold-leaf an object
that very afternoon

Merry Christmas

sweet voodoo ornaments

凍柿子 Frozen Persimmons

Down here in Dallas
Folks can grow their own persimmons
These came from a nearby tree
Looks frosty but they are fresh
Though frozen persimmons ／凍柿子 are like nature's ice cream
Just pop in freezer and eat

bao bao baby day

Meeting young Earthlings sure can be fun
Visited newborn baby Emerson & 3 month old Khulan
like a mini trip around the world
from California to Philippines, Mongolia, Seattle...

Khulan kindly modeled for me,
sporting her new onesie
Hope she actually enjoyed,
and wasn't smiling just to be polite

Beef Negimaki

Mom bought me a tray of beef from the new H-Mart in NJ
Took me all morning to think
what dish would do its beautiful marbling justice?
What else but
Beef Negi Maki!

Simple and fast
deglazed with 台灣米酒，
(Taiwanese rice wine), no less!

Wasteland

Saw this at Indiescreen in the neighborhood
Directed by Vik Muniz
My usual suspects/movie buddies were working
so I went with Mom...who actually loved it!
That, ladies & gentlemen, is evidence, this is a great crowd-pleaser movie.

Please go, you will laugh and cray and most importantly, change your mind
(check screenings in website, next playing in MoMA 12/29)

4

today was a 4-socks day
2 on each foot
Yesterday I wore only 1 pair
my toes were not happy

1000 words

=1000 words

汝窯 / Ru Ware, listening to Brice Marden

Listening to Brice Marden interview on wnyc
talking about his love of Ru ware (汝窯)
this photo with interesting caption came from flickr

The blue-green color of Ru ware glaze
(which contains amber)
is meant to mimic
"where clouds break and sky clears after rain"
「雨過天晴雲破處」

Tumbleweed!

Tumbled all the way from
Kansas
to
Brooklyn
on Thanksgiving!!!
Thank you E and E's Dad...

Thanksgiving Haga 客家 Style

1 煮花生 boiled peanuts
2 pan fried shrimp
3 辣拌牛筋
4 jellied can-o-cranberry sauce

5 釀豆腐 stuffed tofu Haga style

6 star of this day
7 roasted brussels sprouts & potatoes
8 涼拌海帶 seaweed (kelp) salad
9 the whole spread

Silent Illumination

My first time volunteering in the kitchen during a retreat
Was eventful and fun
Save that I had difficulty staying on my feet
because of a very painful & acute condition

Without going into personal details
It would suffice to advise everyone
DRINK WATER!!!
not tea, not juice, not soup, not soda, not even a little slice of lemon
sorry, those beverages are not water to our bodies

*~Basta!
Let's admire the pumpkin
and [what how I visualize]
Silent Illumination