New jewelry alert

Large wooden bracelet decoupaged with zodiac animals from an everyday Chinese restaurant placemat: Not all animals could fit on the bracelet, but auspiciously the dragon (my year) and those for my husband, parents, and brother are all on there.  I found this snappy bracelet at a consignment shop in Minnesota.

Purple wooden bracelet painted by artisans in Oaxaca, Mexico: I bought this from the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach. They have wonderful jewelry in their gift shop.

Gold "hi" earrings.  I don't usually wear gold, but these playful earrings spoke to me.  I discovered them at The Movement in Old Town Orange where my husband was buying tank tops.

"Yoo Lee" necklace.  I sent away for a personalized necklace (of my Korean middle name) from Etsy shop SpeciallyForU.  Artist Bea shipped the necklace in a pretty drawstring bag which I'm using as makeshift cell phone case.

Giving THANKS

I'm thankful for...

• My able body
• My ability to verbally communicate my wants and needs
• My parents and extended family (my brother, my dozens of cousins, and Great Aunt Doris)
• My man
• People who are thoughtful of and compassionate to animals
• People who volunteer and help those less fortunate
• My friends of all ages
• My job, and the privilege of not having to work multiple jobs
• My kind neighbors and anyone who calls out hello to me
• My car (Damn you are fun, little red car.  You are fast and lithe, and you shine like a beacon in every parking lot.)
• Clean drinking water and the ability to drink from the tap!
• Asian American Youtubers
• Jeremy Lin
• Living in a country where people can protest and demonstrate
• Seeing a variety of races when I step outside my door
• Beautiful weather in Southern California
• Mountains and the ocean
• People who do unseen grunt work in life that makes mine more comfortable and carefree
• My two white hairs and the fact I don't have a trillion of them
• My dog, Cooper

I got a smart phone (welcome to the 21st century)

I finally broke down and purchased a smart phone.  I owned one for a milisecond five years ago, but canceled my data contract because I hated paying so much to a stupid corporation.  Why pay a million dollars a month for a smart phone when I can call my mom in Minnesota to ask her a museum's hours and location?  After having the horrid experience of hitting a dog a few weeks ago, I learned how having a phone with internet access is priceless in emergencies. Now I have a smart phone (aka A PHONE, since almost no one has an old fashioned phone anymore), which means I had to choose a case.  I searched all 250 pages on Etsy and chose Radiate by Aeropagita Goods.

Ayumu Hirano: snow and steez

Ayumu Hirano (straight out of Japan) has a style of snowboarding that reminds me of Jet Li's wushu.

Best opening line to a Vietnamese restaurant review

If you're going to go to a Vietnamese restaurant outside Little Saigon, you better have a goddamn great explanation.

-Gustavo Arrellano, reviewing Long Hai Restaurant in OC Weekly

Photo via Long Hai

Year of the Horse 2014

Year of the Horse (1978, 1990, 2002, 2014) is galloping around the corner.  If you're born in the Year of the Horse, you're known to be healthy, an able manager, easy to get along with, active and animated.  Horses dislike being made to feel guilty and are known to be hot-headed. 

Pic via From Japan with Love

What my dog does NOT want for Christmas

A Chihuahua hood!

Photo courtesy of Voyagers K9 Apparel

The Goldbergs in the middle

 I've been faithfully watching The Goldbergs (and Trophy Wife, which has very witty writing) on ABC this fall.  Cut from life in the 1980s, The Goldbergs is based on the childhood of Hollywood writer Adam F. Goldberg  (Note: This is not the same Adam Goldberg who starred in Dazed and Confused, or who dated Christina Ricci.  I was dazed and confused over this for this about a week.)  Goldberg descends from a family of expressive yellers.  In addition to his vocal parents, he had two older brothers.  On The Goldbergs television show, Adam has an older sister and only one older brother named Barry (played by Troy Gentile).  Most of me wishes producers allowed Goldberg to keep his two brothers.  I love his brother Barry on so many levels!

Then I wondered if The Goldbergs stayed true to life, would it just be an 80s version of Malcolm in the Middle?  If so, I would undoubtedly still watch.

Photo via The Glossy