tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296623792011-12-12T19:15:42.107-08:00honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.comBlogger2531100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-83911810131072856792011-07-15T16:12:00.001-07:002011-07-15T16:12:45.561-07:00

To Wordpress: thelotuslife.wordpress.com Longtime readers can email me if you would like a password to the protected posts.

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-33184411988684415382010-10-16T23:56:00.000-07:002010-10-17T00:03:27.229-07:00

We were lying on my bed, my little guy and I.  His hair was still damp from his bath and smelling like kids' shampoo.  Strawberry scent is unisex when you're five. I am tired.  I've had a long day.  Getting up to work at 6am on a Saturday for a shift that lasts twelve hours or more is no fun.  He and Evie had been playing restaurant a little earlier.  He'd wanted chocolate but she'd "elimimated"

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-14331868427917100092010-09-23T13:33:00.000-07:002010-09-23T16:42:18.843-07:00

I think my absence from this site can in some ways be attributed to my Facebook account.  Over the last few years as my poor blog's been collecting dust, I've been posting almost daily statuses and pictures there.  My friends, siblings, cousins, even in-laws are able to come and see what Evie and JT are up to and it just makes it so much easier to interact.  I can post one thing and everyone in

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-79394097748124448872010-08-31T14:09:00.000-07:002010-08-31T14:24:53.758-07:00

Somehow I am on my three hundredth blog post. Not all of them have been published on this blog mind you or completely finished for that matter. It is just that there are 300 entries when I click "edit posts". It's incredible that someone so self conscious and relatively innocuous could have had so much to say. I've been reading a few of my old posts now and then, wondering when I will get

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-35605637076145580832010-03-25T02:01:00.000-07:002010-03-25T04:51:22.662-07:00

The ice in my glass of water has melted. There's nothing floating in there. What was solid is gone; dissipated into the ether. I'm trying to search for a proper metaphor to explain what's happened to my life over the last few months but I can't think of anything but the melted ice. Once it was there and then it melted away. True, it's just become a part of something bigger; but then it's

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-27838483816593396042009-10-28T12:58:00.000-07:002009-10-28T13:16:46.671-07:00

JT (as we were driving away from our house and on his way to preschool): "Mommy, do birds poop everywhere? Even on the roof?" Lien: "Yup, birds can poop anywhere, even the roof." JT: "But why do birds poop mommy?" Lien (Oh, he just HAD to ask why): "Why do you poop? Birds poop for the same reason every animal poops..." JT: "Animals?" Lien: "Do you know the reason why all animals poop? It's

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-14407922719117764982009-06-23T18:01:00.000-07:002009-06-23T18:32:16.488-07:00

This morning I dropped off three of my cousins at our local BART station in order for them to visit my sister via the next San Francisco bound train. My cousins, aged 15, 13, and 11 had never taken BART on their own and were decidedly not city kids. Despite the trip being fairly simple with the kids only needing to remember to take the San Francisco bound train and get off at the 24th Street

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-49875673788153833662009-06-05T00:11:00.000-07:002009-06-05T00:38:34.546-07:00

What a difference...what a difference...oh, what a difference a year makes. It has been almost a year my friends. Indeed, my last post was last August. So much has changed. Did I tell you that JT is four years old now? And Evie is leaving the second grade? How about that I'm about to complete my bachelors degree (if I don't fuck up) next week? I bought a [town]house! I got into a local

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-57693487210963512602008-08-31T10:21:00.000-07:002008-09-01T13:03:45.724-07:00

Evie's pet hermit crab Pearlie died today. She was attacked and killed by a stream of vicious ants that have been plagueing the house since Spring. (I seriously think our house was built on an ant hill and my dad is too do-it-yourselfer to allow anyone to call an exterminator.) Anyhoo...Evie was inconsolable despite the fact that J had warned that the hermit crab was doomed when it was brought

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-42096067617445054502008-08-25T23:49:00.000-07:002008-08-25T23:59:54.333-07:00

We've just returned from a little over half a week on Oahu. We missed the closing ceremonies of the Olympics, but why catch up on that when you can watch "Japanese Olympics". God I love Japanese TV shows. Why can't we have stuff like this here? The Japanese Olympics - Watch more free videos

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-35228635333430707982008-08-05T19:39:00.000-07:002008-08-06T09:20:13.297-07:00

We're currently eating dinner at a local restaurant. Evie and I just had this conversation which I had to record, you know, because it's official now. Evie: Mommy, what's this song? HL123: It's by Collective Soul. It's called The World That I Know. Came out when Mommy was in college. Evie: So does that mean it's old? HL123: ...

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-56197163560786563952008-07-04T08:14:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:24:09.589-08:00

Hurray for holidays and sweet toddlers in the morning time. Happy Independence Day for my USA peeps. May your fireworks be rockin' and your bbq be smokin'. We're heading to Monterey, CA for a weekend with family and lots of food. Will try to find a second to report and blog more. **** Superha: Your Legoland pics made me want to go there again. Thanks for taking pics with R2 and Darth Vader

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-69414006891643975352008-07-03T11:25:00.000-07:002008-07-03T17:29:08.908-07:00

I'm sitting in class half listening to lecture and allowing work to weigh down on me. My classes start at 9am at a school an hour an a half away from home by a road that is constantly congested. I have a conference call at 8:15am each morning, that means that I have to get to school either before my conference call or close to it. That means, I have to leave home by 6:15am each morning. My

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-45708326671919571712008-06-08T21:38:00.000-07:002008-06-09T01:29:39.551-07:00

Oh yes...staying here, at my parent's house - the house in which Evie has been asking, for the sake of asking because she misses having her own house, "When are we going to move?" To which I have to answer, "Well honey, considering every time mommy even hints at telling grandma that mommy would like to move grandma goes into guilt trip mode and tells mommy about how this other lady that she

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-30065623790393207692008-05-16T00:52:00.000-07:002008-05-16T02:03:55.061-07:00

I came home today to find a handwritten note by Evie. "Dear Mom I really miss you." I got home from class after 10pm. I miss my Evie too. Unfortunately, this is becoming a typical feeling.

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-82638791505540033992008-04-25T10:02:00.000-07:002008-04-25T10:13:26.543-07:00

Working from home and instant messaging important messages to your coworkers while your toddler lies on your desk across your arms and decorates your face with sticky notes. Hi everybody! I can't believe it's been 20 days since I've posted. Thanks so much for the encouraging comments on the blogging fatigue. I'm finally getting around to revamping the design of this blog and restarting it.

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-91990687056552765082008-04-04T03:19:00.000-07:002008-04-04T03:26:15.482-07:00

JT decided today that he liked being naked. I was in class/working all day and so was not a direct witness but J messaged me that our little boy kept taking his clothes off to run around laughing like a maniac. Huh. Whatever makes him happy I guess and as long as he doesn't hop in front of the front window we're ok? **Maybe I should just post short thoughts like this. That's manageable right

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-83409250657500997792008-04-04T01:24:00.000-07:002008-04-04T02:13:02.499-07:00

I'm thinking of retiring or seriously revamping this blog. Not because of the lack of things to write about. I have plenty of that. Rather, I'm thinking about quitting because I'm looking back on my last several months of posts and realizing that I'm doing none of my subjects justice. I think up a lot of topics while I'm driving to and from class (1.5 hours each way) or when I'm in meetings (

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-85074415371797959192008-03-28T00:32:00.000-07:002008-03-28T01:05:23.345-07:00

1. Finished finals last Thursday, yay! 2. I wrote my last final paper in under two hours while working on an server related incident at work, boo! 3. JT keeps asking me, "How do you spell an?" Yeah, I don't get it either. Of course, he is the king of random these days. His favorite knock knock joke is, "Knock knock? (Who's there?) Pumpkin! (Pumpkin who?) Pumpkin in the head!" Huh? 4. Evie

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-42991216861347501442008-03-19T09:29:00.000-07:002008-03-19T10:07:48.928-07:00

Senator Obama's excellent speech on race 2008: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/18/america/18obamaspeech.php President Bill Clinton's speech on the same subject in 1995: http://www.afn.org/~dks/race/clinton-e6.html Both are excellent and ask serious questions about the state of our union in terms of race. Both have very similar messages and portray a nuanced understanding of different sides

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-8191790136149270142008-03-19T00:50:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:24:09.759-08:00

As seen on PostSecret. One of my secrets? I live in fear that Evie and JT will grow up thinking I sucked as a parent. My other secret? I hope I'm not spoiling them. Damned if you do, and damned if you don't. College funds can double as therapy funds I guess. (We're checking it out at a GS meeting the first week of April.)

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-65445605508836054352008-03-18T22:10:00.000-07:002008-03-18T22:46:33.095-07:00

Arthur C. Clarke died today. I was working on assigning some poor soul a two day engineering task when J called to tell me that bit of news specifically. I wasn't surprised. The man was old. 90 they say, though he had a vision much older and wiser; he was the messiah of science fiction and he hooked me young. I read 2001 after I fell asleep watching the movie. The book was easier and faster

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-23244626351739070392008-03-05T02:59:00.000-08:002008-03-05T03:19:04.211-08:00

Monday night out with Evie was a mixed bag of emotions for me even though Evie assures me she had a great time. I wasn’t able to pull myself away from work till around 6pm and was about ten minutes late picking Evie up from her after school program. I was tired and a little cranky and so I couldn’t really muster up much excitement for her when I told her we would have a night out for just the

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-78196576945735052682008-03-03T14:00:00.000-08:002008-03-04T09:46:31.540-08:00

In an effort to help my kids remember their heritages, I try to celebrate some of the holidays from Japan and Korea alongside Vietnamese and American holidays when I'm aware of them. I recently found out that today is Hina Matsuri or Girl's Day in Japan. Of course, we've have to celebrate, even if I have to make things up as I go. Growing up Vietnamese American, I have little experience with

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-31817352559024306352008-03-02T19:36:00.000-08:002008-03-03T00:10:29.818-08:00

Ramar Foods produces a flavor of ice cream that we are absolutely addicted to, buko pandan. (That's coconut and uh...pandan flavor for you; in Viet pandan is la dua for my Viet readers out there.) We're a household of lactose intolerant people but for this ice cream, we're willing to brave the tummy aches, it's that good. J and my brother D love it so much that they pretty much ate the last half

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-11811734352771690192008-02-28T11:56:00.000-08:002008-02-29T07:41:12.198-08:00

While I'm not an Obama supporter, I do detest stupidity. If you haven't heard or read some right wing idiot named Bill Cunningham has been continually referring to Barack Obama as Barack Hussein Obama as if attempting to make a connection between Obama's and terrorists. It's really dumb and so in solidarity with the Momocrats, I hereby rename myself husseinlien123 today and support the fight

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-67315932460938726852008-02-27T22:49:00.000-08:002008-02-28T08:57:46.399-08:00

The world, I'm sorry, the arrogance of that statment...a bit more clarification, the United States has gone mad. J commented today in his sad and weary tone which revealed his state of neglect that he had lost his wife till November but I doubt that he is alone as spouses and significant others abandon their loves for the excitement and potential "change" of an election year. For the past month

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-1230557043707258762008-02-21T10:44:00.000-08:002008-02-21T11:23:16.425-08:00

Should I or shouldn't I let Evie join the Girl Scouts? There have been a few flyers sent home and she's very excited to give it a try. However, I'm not entirely sure I support the fact that she'll have to take an oath that mentions a divine figure (non-denominational true, but why do they have to take an oath that mentions God at all?) Nor am I certain if I agree with the obvious, that the

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-69789738832601497162008-02-18T03:31:00.000-08:002008-02-18T03:34:02.006-08:00

I have a friend who lives in the twin cities area in the Great White North that is Minnesota. She’s kind, smart, gentle, respectful, and thoughtful. We give each other “hugs” and track the development of our respective kids. Her little girl and my little guy are roughly the same age though I think her little girl is more brain and emotion to my guy’s brawn and energy (he broke a store’s glass

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-8429398583554151892008-02-17T19:50:00.000-08:002008-02-17T22:38:06.411-08:00

RESPONSES and UPDATES: RE: Evolving Evie...and Lien - I had a long internal debate on whether or not to post my picture but in the end I figured that the first step to acknowledging that I'm "not ugly" is to just open up and acknowledge that hey, this is what I look like. This is me. Just as I accept and respect not only Evie, but everyone around me, so too should I accept and respect myself.

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-33515148820842338252008-02-08T10:09:00.000-08:002008-02-08T11:04:05.582-08:00

Forgive me everyone; for intruding into your peaceful space with this tale of woe and misery. It's the second day of the Lunar New Year which is the biggest and most important holiday of the year for many cultures around the world. People all around are wishing others peace and prosperity. Me? I'm hoping a number of people go straight to hell. This morning I've gotten word that one of my

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-37867568276435344062008-02-02T09:17:00.001-08:002008-12-09T02:24:10.095-08:00

I asked Evie a few nights ago if she liked herself and her answers surprised me in terms of their obstinacy. No amount of persuasion could deter her from the self knowledge that she was ugly, "too small", and fat. Evie, is one of the youngest and smallest children in her grade. There is only one other child who is smaller and that is because he may have some developmental issues. From our

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-75492492210541174002008-01-29T04:39:00.000-08:002008-01-29T04:52:14.603-08:00

4:40 AM and I'm supposed to be studying, but of course, I'm worried about Evie. J and I had an IM conversation earlier today while we were at our respective jobs and he typed, "Kids=Stress, Girls=5X Stress". The conversation was on a different Evie related topic, but still, it fits. I don't think I worry about JT's emotional health as much as Evie's. There's so much in this world that is

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-66336328596183862392008-01-28T23:13:00.000-08:002008-01-29T00:29:37.960-08:00

Sometimes shy and coy, other times bold and adventurous; Evie's the kind of girl that can't be described in a few words. There is so much about her that is surprising. She's six and a quarter years old. She's "small for her age"; most people assume at first guess assume she's four or five. At first meeting she's usually pretty quiet and seemingly overly concerned with rules and manners. Once

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-12532504257396456352008-01-20T20:22:00.000-08:002008-01-20T21:24:30.174-08:00

The lotus life family is currently in New York City enjoying the sites and trying not to kill the two smallest members due to perpetual whining and running off without their leashes (I keed! I don't put leashes on my children...yet). We've been going on a trip every weekend for the month of January; taking advantage of off season travel sales and comp time off. There's so much to write about

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-6760002329486632532008-01-10T10:05:00.001-08:002008-12-09T02:24:10.307-08:00

Dear Son, Please remember that I am not posting this picture to embarrass you. I am posting this, to share your cuteness with the world. After all, after seeing you yesterday morning, with your hair violently coiffed into the perfect fauxhawk and red underwear, I couldn't resist finding a camera as soon as I could. Although the fauxhawk lost a few of its peaks as you resisted being

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-38487406485871169282008-01-09T11:16:00.000-08:002008-01-09T12:15:49.469-08:00

This morning JT toddled in like a drunken 80's party animal with his bedhead hair sticking straight up in a fauxhawk. His black sweater jacket, which he had absolutely refused to take off the night before, was unzipped but still attached at the base of the zipper. The sleeves of his sweater were pushed up to his elbows and he was pantless except for some red rocketship underwear. (Alas, he's

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-79643671298667892762008-01-07T17:57:00.000-08:002008-01-07T19:22:23.543-08:00

Ok, I think I need to write something before y'all abandon me. For once, the reason for my blogosphere absence has less to do with being busy and more to do with being incredibly lazy. I've been on "vacation" since my marathon work shift on New Years Eve/Day (which went by quite quickly thanks to a new found obsession with various forms of solitaire.) During my time off (sans J, who is still

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-28055745210485768862008-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:002008-01-01T00:03:10.579-08:00

J is out of town on a business trip (9 days, ick) and I'm doing an all night shift watching our servers (6pm to 6am). May the new year keep us continually employed and may all of you have a happy happy new year.

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-3500181610362563962007-12-28T21:50:00.000-08:002008-12-09T02:24:10.507-08:00

One sold out R2Potatoo... and NO partridges in a pear tree...Now that's love baby! He also let me buy tickets to go see Walking With Dinosaurs: The Live Experience and so our little family did that yesterday. (Glennia Campbell, coinky dinkly saw the show yesterday as well and wrote about it over at The Silent I.) The dinosaur puppets were amazing as they were life size and very impressive.

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-77412312848961609442007-12-26T23:50:00.000-08:002007-12-27T01:02:26.508-08:00

It was about six o'clock on Christmas evening that a certain little boy proclaimed to all who cared to listen that he had had it. What exactly "it" was would be left to speculation as he screamed and kicked and flailed in my arms. I caught a foot in my face and decided that "it" might be this whole being awake business. Attempts at putting JT down for a much needed nap were thwarted by more

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-24044541375193064972007-12-25T09:59:00.000-08:002008-12-09T02:24:10.973-08:00

Oh, the weeks of December, how do I survive thee? Let me count the ways... Week 1: Put off and put off looming 20 page final paper due this week by "setting my priorities straight" and spending more time with my kids. This includes a trip to the Oakland Holiday Parade where we found out that Santa hats suit storm troopers and imperial guards extremely well. Final, which is due the first

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-43433600472259088072007-12-18T12:04:00.001-08:002007-12-18T12:07:06.584-08:00

Apparently we're raising our son to be a thief. I was tinkering with my pc, tossing in a few more hds when I hear little footsteps coming up behind me. I turn and glance over and see a little hand reach up onto the desk, grab my wallet, and hear those little feet making a mad dash out of the room and down the hall, hysterical laughter trailing behind him The hell? My kid just ran up, took my

Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057711679795987853noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-26652960266756516912007-11-30T21:24:00.000-08:002007-11-30T21:46:12.957-08:00

Lien (yelling to J from the bedroom to the office): You know what? Next year I'm going to learn how to sew and just make everyone gifts. J (yelling back in a bemused sort of way): Oh yeah? And when are you going to find the time to do this? Lien (in depressed realization mode): In my dreams? J (because he thought so): yeah *** A girl can dream that she can do cool things can't she? Hell, I

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-71895780079260952232007-11-29T22:13:00.000-08:002007-11-29T23:15:06.854-08:00

1) Feeling really really fatigued for some reason, possibly due to an allergy or anemia or possibly winter depression. Lien had not considered this before but Fingkasil suggested it over at KimChi Mamas so now Lien is perturbed that this might be so thus... 2) Thinking of leafy green vegetables. Have not had spinach in a long time. 3) Told by two different female relatives today that if she

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-48874865697358087402007-11-23T23:27:00.000-08:002007-11-23T23:58:08.390-08:00

J and I went shopping today and other than some clothes for the kids, we didn't buy much in terms of quantity. For some reason, I'm just not in the gift buying mood yet. I guess like my papers I just need the full on panic of a close deadline to really get creative and buy everyone socks. We DID end up spending about $1000 though. Thanks to this little new love of mine; an AT&T Tilt. We

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-25705521079761324552007-11-22T23:41:00.000-08:002007-11-22T23:46:29.983-08:00

Thanksgiving is almost over, it's 11:42pm. Food was good, tons of relatives come over, yada yada. I'm TIRED. Some of us, including me wanted to go to bed and be up early to go shopping. Unfortunately, relatives are still over, still partying; little children still aren't in bed. Anyone else want to kill some relations after this day? (Well, maybe not kill, that's pretty harsh. Maybe maim a

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-8255160960019362512007-11-21T23:38:00.000-08:002007-11-22T08:04:03.853-08:00

On Saturday as Evie and I were leaving the park, we stopped for a bit to let Evie wash her hands. A few feet away from us, a man was refilling plastic water bottles, oblivious to our presence. He was thin and dirty with his belongings wrapped up in plastic bags by his feet. He didn't even glance at us even though we were so near. He looked hungry and I found myself thinking of the holidays

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-69063713394529734922007-11-20T11:58:00.000-08:002007-11-21T00:37:22.525-08:00

I think I need a new blog handle for the Sweet Pea. I mean, not to get into the whole thing about societal expectations of masculinity and how I shouldn't cop out and re-nick my boy something more "macho", but honestly, he's getting older and...yeah, I guess I don't really want anyone to be confused that the Sweet Pea is a she. When I started this blog, he really was my little Sweet Pea. He

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-8689665624187195932007-11-19T23:33:00.000-08:002007-11-19T23:49:34.499-08:00

I need to read two books tonight and write a few papers on them by class time tomorrow morning. Short papers true enough, but what with the business of life to be done, I hadn't had time to do this bit of homework. I think the kids miss me. I took Evie to one of the offices I work out of today and she was so excited just to have some time with just me I guess. She claimed she had a good time

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-47728767765445878612007-11-18T23:22:00.000-08:002007-11-18T23:57:01.166-08:00

As of this moment, I have absolutely no idea how much I weigh. Sorry, I'm not comfortable with giving any details on approximations either. Let's just say that every time I step on a scale (the same scale that I've always stepped on), depending upon the time of day, whether or not I've eaten or had something to drink or if I've gone to the bathroom. I fluctuate about three pounds. Considering

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-82946844478234950332007-11-17T23:13:00.000-08:002007-11-17T23:33:41.572-08:00

So it's 11:13pm according to my system clock. Oh, 11:14, my bad. Only 46 minutes left of Saturday, November 17, 2007. 46 minutes left on my NaBloPoMo deadline for today and I have absolutely no clue what to write about. As usual. Supposedly this whole exercise was to get me write more, but somehow I think in practice it's been more about me typing more rather than writing. A few posts so

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-35027134727515890182007-11-16T21:06:00.000-08:002007-11-16T21:34:59.225-08:00

Approximately 8:30am this morning, the Sweet Pea was sitting on the toilet in front of an appreciative captive audience. I waited with bated breath staring at his wee wee (that sounds completely awful, and yeah, we use cutesy names for body parts around here, but hey, that's what I was doing); in case it decided to make some pee pee in the potty. After a few minutes, he peed. Success!

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-61358973040103284622007-11-15T21:40:00.000-08:002007-11-16T13:13:45.956-08:00

More memery, this time courteous of a tag from the amazing Ms. Glennia Campbell over at The Silent I. What it is, is simply a list of 7 songs you currently dig. On a day to day basis I listen to a lot of hip-hop and R&B with some NPR and a bunch of kid friendly songs thrown in so it's no surprise that this is my list: 1) "O Mio Bambino Carro" from the opera "Gianni Schicchi" by Puccini. More

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-34556666905638153382007-11-14T18:05:00.001-08:002007-11-14T18:26:39.231-08:00

I missed posting yesterday because as J pointed out, I was passed out from work and school which caused me to stay up an unconscionable amount of time. So that is why, the entire day I've been thinking about what to write about when I got a few free moments. Perhaps something about something I heard on NPR this morning regarding voting. How every vote counts and many elections are much closer

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-63841908957420111102007-11-14T17:06:00.000-08:002007-11-14T17:23:07.952-08:00

So Lien's been bugging me for the last few days to write a post. So here it is. It seems like the major retailers are gearing up for a very ugly (for them) holiday season, with the economy going south, the USD slipping, and high oil prices, they're worried, and rightly so, that people aren't going to shop as much this holiday season. Pre-Black Friday sales have already started, with Walmart

Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057711679795987853noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-13844663304533606242007-11-12T23:14:00.000-08:002007-11-12T23:48:18.432-08:00

My cousin Hongie (previously referred to as H02, I think) is a fifth grade teacher at a public elementary school that serves students from primarily upper middle class families. She is fully credentialed and is fully entrenched in her third year of teaching at this school. She received her bachelor's from UC Berkeley, a masters in education at UC Davis and hopes to pursue a PhD program studying

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-41338810916938209642007-11-11T22:06:00.000-08:002007-11-12T00:34:36.149-08:00

My parents took the kids out of town last night to visit my aunt and her family and for once in a long while, the house was absent of small children. It's amazing isn't it; how wrapped up your life becomes when you're charged with looking after new lives. I was grateful to my mom and auntie for requesting that they be brought along. I definitely needed a break. My body needed a break from

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-80034407652349995272007-11-10T22:35:00.000-08:002008-12-09T02:24:11.364-08:00

Dear Ms. Lee, I am an admirer of your hair clips. My sister owns several and I think she looks beautiful with them. When she shares and puts one on me, I think I look quite dashing. They are the perfect clip for straight and thin hair such as mine and my sister's. I am writing, however, to suggest that your selection of Kiddie Clips is very limited. The current collection perpetuates strict

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-78557694344503092592007-11-09T23:17:00.000-08:002007-11-09T23:52:51.999-08:00

Tonight Evie and I were treated to a local private school production of Timberlake Wertenbaker's Ash Girl by my good friend Veronica as one of several belated birthday gifts. The play itself was a modern retelling of the story of Cinderella with the seven deadly sins (amongst others). Considering the play was acted primarily by girls (including the prince who was purple haired) and junior high

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-19043066976907511042007-11-08T22:07:00.000-08:002008-12-09T02:24:11.530-08:00

Thank you for your support ladies!! Of course, J, being a man and therefore misogynistic and blind, argued that my readership is primarily women and so my sample size and demographics are flawed, therefore, the results of my poll are flawed. Whatever dude. You owe me a new passport, because, alas, it is too late to simply take a new picture. We had already turned in the applications, which is

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-29573122150272109032007-11-07T19:11:00.000-08:002007-11-07T21:00:32.798-08:00

Ok y'all. I am totally reaching out to the internet on this one. Yes, J said he was sorry, but now he has to suffer! Suffer for what you ask? Well, I'm glad you asked because let me just tell you I think I married a cheap ass mofo. Yesterday, as you all know, was the illustrious day of my citizenship oath. Of course, the first thing I wanted to do on my first day as an American was to set

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-57606735704468863132007-11-06T23:12:00.000-08:002007-11-08T08:02:39.248-08:00

This morning I took the oath to become a United States citizen. I’m not entirely sure why, but I decided against dressing up as an Oakland A’s fan or even in my usual slacker uniform of a t-shirt and jeans. In the end I left the house in my business casual work clothes and shoes with heels. The Sweet Pea was left at home with his great-grandma and my sister volunteered to drop Evie off at

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-67854596830591237862007-11-05T22:10:00.000-08:002007-11-06T07:01:29.669-08:00

Thanks Kim, for tagging me on this one. Rules: Once tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list 8 random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to 8 other people, visit their sites, and leave a comment letting them know they’ve been tagged. 1) Sometimes when I’m bored and not feeling like I need to know

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-90827461779569335962007-11-04T21:42:00.000-08:002008-12-09T02:24:11.764-08:00

Today, we went to visit J's dad (...J's dad and his family?...J's side?...wow, no matter how one writes in-laws, it always sounds awkward). It wasn't such a bad visit, we haven't gone in a long while even though they only live an hour away. Mostly, it's that we've been busy which is in itself strange to say since sometimes we were busy simply spending time with each other. I guess it's just

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-71614811299570507942007-11-03T20:57:00.000-07:002007-11-03T22:09:58.969-07:00

It is a generally agreed upon fact that the San Francisco Bay Area is beautiful; gorgeous even. A few weeks ago J observed that we pay so much to live here and yet we’ve been missing all the things that make this area special. Part of this of course has to do with J and I both working jobs that usually take up more than 50 hours of our time each week. The other part of it is that because of

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-5818604245341155072007-11-02T20:56:00.000-07:002007-11-03T07:59:36.470-07:00

I am, to put it simply, somewhat of a failed hypochondriac and germaphobe. Whenever I'm sick, something in the back of my mind nags at a more sensible lobe the fact that I just might be dying. I wash my hands innumerable times a day but can actually function in the world by touching surfaces I need to touch without breaking down. I always wonder and think about the amount of germs present when

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-85955979311954101822007-11-01T20:29:00.000-07:002007-11-01T21:22:48.201-07:00

There’s something that happens when I’m sleep deprived. First of all, I’m not really present. Perhaps it’s a consequence of eyeballs being open for so many hours or that I’ve been forced to stay conscious for so long but after being up for more than 36 hours primarily in a sitting position in front of a computer or in a classroom, I feel separated a bit from my body as my head feels numb and my

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-57408699462097288552007-10-31T21:13:00.000-07:002007-10-31T21:46:04.976-07:00

Working tonight, 6pm to 6am helping with our 24/7 production server monitoring. It's as exciting as it sounds. Then I have class all day tomorrow from 8am to 5pm, which means I'll have to drive down as soon as I'm done with work. So uh, no sleeping for me. I'm trying to tell myself that sleep is overrated. As is walking around the neighborhood with my children in costume so that they can beg

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-49251880384925121152007-10-29T15:55:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:24:12.052-08:00

Yesterday, after a morning of volunteering (Evie and I helped clean up a local park, I need to write a post detailing all our volunteering efforts), our little family went to our friends' annual BYOP Pumpkin Carving Party. Here are the results of our efforts minus J's as his was too dorky to be saved. (He carved an XBox 360 on/off button. Yeah. I know.) Our pumpkins from left to right. Sweet

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-90975757461954077112007-10-26T09:52:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:24:12.515-08:00

I love these pictures. They were just sitting in our digital photo archives. We never printed them out and I barely remembered they existed. What's up with that? We're terrible with our digital pictures. J and a 7 day old Sweet Pea on our first full day home from the hospital. It was a long wait to bring him home as there were some early complications. I remember we were so happy to be

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-35356280786716091802007-10-25T06:59:00.000-07:002007-10-25T07:18:53.621-07:00

I'm in a perpetual state of cramming this quarter as I'm taking two reading and writing intensive courses (17 books in 14 weeks, total of 40-something pages due, not all at once thankfully). Add in my 50+ hour job and you can get an idea of what life has been like for the last few weeks. I realize that I've been starting a lot of posts with something along the lines of "I've been very busy, but

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-86957719786782022512007-10-22T15:19:00.000-07:002007-10-24T17:36:16.474-07:00

Update: I've given my mom some numbers from the International Institute of the East Bay to give to the lady. Since her initial conversation with my mom she's downplayed how bad things are. I had asked my mom if I could speak to her directly about the violence but my mom feels that this lady would be offended and angry that I know. I guess the only thing to do now is wait and see. Thanks to

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-46042818777531461952007-10-17T19:23:00.000-07:002007-10-17T19:31:31.420-07:00

Today I received a piece of paper in the mail. It says, "You are hereby notified to appear for a Naturalization Oath Ceremony on:...Proper attire should be worn." Should I or shouldn't I scream to the heavens that I'm going to be a US Citizen at long last? I know that I'm thankful that my lost paperwork only had me waiting a month and a half rather than the several months or years that I was

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-42896715265875211462007-10-17T13:27:00.000-07:002007-10-17T14:12:22.909-07:00

Daddy in a Strange Land tagged me for this "bookish meme" which is nice as I need something easy to write about. For some reason, this fall has been really busy, that and I think I'm saving some topics for NaBloPoMo. Anyhoo... 1.Hardcover or paperback, and why?Paperback. Why? Cheaper, lighter, bendable; I’m a book abuser. I mark, I write comments, I destroy covers; it’s an awful habit I know

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-38043902054744884082007-10-11T17:07:00.000-07:002007-10-11T18:39:05.228-07:00

This thing with the blog posts on special days. It's killing me. Today is Evie's birthday and I am having the hardest time putting into words why she is my special baby girl (she's my only baby girl, but that's besides the point). I'm really supposed to be writing a school paper on Schleiermacherian Hermeneutics but I think I'm having a hard enough time writing this little blog post. How do

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-32781858331017392232007-10-06T10:06:00.000-07:002007-10-06T12:55:23.690-07:00

My poor little Sweet Pea doesn't actually get out much. His realm is our home where he rules alone during the working days with my grandma as his sole companion and servant. Most mornings he wakes up and goes searching for grandma or spends a few minutes yelling instructions to his sister on how to get ready for school if he gets up early enough to see her off. Trips out the front door

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-22569591122123324812007-10-03T18:57:00.000-07:002007-10-03T21:24:50.052-07:00

I just took another insane pill and signed up for NaBloPoMo. Why? For what purpose? To please whom? Perhaps I should stop scratching my head lest my hair falls out completely. Most of my posts for November will probably look like this one.

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-37078113320688580362007-09-28T11:31:00.000-07:002007-09-28T12:23:44.482-07:00

Earlier this month I finally, after an over 9 month wait, went to the US Citizenship and Immigrations Services (former INS, sometimes I wonder how much they spent on the name change) in San Francisco for my citizenship interview. Some of you may know that I'm not yet a U.S. citizen. Whatever the real reason, citizenship for most of my life did not seem so important. American, Vietnamese, Asian

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-10086135616874948702007-09-26T14:58:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:24:13.980-08:00

This is the invitation for Evie's butterfly themed birthday party this year. So, without further ado... HOW TO MAKE A HOME MADE BUTTERFLY THEMED POP-UP BIRTHDAY PARTY INVITATION Step 1: Design and print a folding birthday card invitation. I used 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" white matte cards and left a blank space on the inside of the card for my pop up. Step 2: Design and print the thing that will pop up

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-87641085154548442342007-09-25T10:25:00.000-07:002007-09-25T18:11:50.959-07:00

They normally put creatures like me out of our misery... Scene: One of the many UCSC campus parking lots at roughly 8:30am Motivation: Lien has just driven two hours in stop and go traffic in a vain attempt to get to class on time at 8:00am. Upon reaching campus she had searched for 10 minutes in an attempt to find the metered parking near where her class was being held because she hadn't had

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-35210786758855406062007-09-24T15:19:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:24:14.164-08:00

Today is the fifteenth day of the eight lunar month, better known as the mid-autumn moon festival. For those of you who don't know, this is an important holiday for many cultures including Vietnamese and Korean cultures. Today, Koreans visit their hometowns and families and do a bit of ancestor worshipping. Vietnamese, well, my family at least, sit around and eat moon cakes and play with

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-63527740351886545002007-09-22T22:47:00.000-07:002007-09-22T22:58:26.414-07:00

You know, some days, weeks, months I feel like there’s a giant invisible thumb on top of me. Sorry for the short and sporadic posts everyone, I’m just getting my ass kicked lately by work and well, work. I don’t even want to think about school which starts on Tuesday. I’m also sorry that I haven’t been commenting as much around my usual haunts because of my day job. I definitely still read

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-4277793271791607292007-09-21T16:18:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:24:14.307-08:00

The first in a series of short posts as Lien is busy busy busy. REASON #483 WHY ONE SHOULD NOT FORGET TO EAT BREAKFAST AND LUNCH ON THE SAME DAY One will get so hungry by 4pm that one decides to depend upon the vending machines for nourishment. One will most likely only choose the item(s) which one would normally avoid because they are "bad for you" but because one is starving "g-d damnit" one

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-37744477961546545732007-09-15T11:07:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:24:14.434-08:00

Despite growing up in the United States my first and primary language up until I was in sixth grade was Vietnamese. I certainly learned English in school and can speak it with a Midwestern, Californian, or East Oakland accent (aka Ebonics). The language of after school, home, family, and even entertainment was Vietnamese. My parents were determined that I remember that I was Vietnamese and NOT

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-85852670453401294032007-09-13T21:29:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:24:14.559-08:00

By: Evie Medium: Clay Critical Review: "Look what Evie made?!...'A hill of cows'. At first I was like, oooh! My kid's making aliens! But no, it's cows. Take a picture! Take a picture!...I was just thinking when I first saw it, 'Yup! That's MY kid!'" -J

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-2020573533887768832007-09-13T08:49:00.000-07:002007-09-14T11:15:39.069-07:00

Me: "Evie, what would you like the theme of your birthday party to be?" Evie: "Hmm? What's a theme?" Me: "It's um...hmm...it's something that you see a lot of in one place that makes things look like they belong together." [Note to self, look up better definition for theme.] Evie: "Oh! You mean like...I dunno...power rangers?" Me: [Darn my little nephew and his power ranger love. It's spread!]

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-54542803308668528692007-09-12T16:49:00.000-07:002007-09-12T16:54:30.141-07:00

I'm counting the seconds. Is it 5pm yet? That's the earliest I can leave this office. I don't live near one, but one of my offices is near one so when I go into this office, I always feel the need to drop by and explore a bit. Oooh, 9 more minutes. I can handle 9 minutes! It mean, I microwave certain things for 9 minutes sometimes and I can handle that wait just fine! Crap! Has my clock

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-68948652698602173392007-09-06T16:36:00.000-07:002007-09-06T16:49:45.209-07:00

Scene: The home office, about 15 minutes ago, Lien is super busy working her day job after picking up Evie from school. Evie is supposedly busy with her homework. The only sounds are the tap tap tapping of Lien's fingers on her keyboard. Evie: "Mommy, did you know I was named after a 'pokey mon'?" Lien falls out of her chair laughing and gives Evie a look that clearly reads, what the fuck?

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-31133380181628720232007-08-27T22:12:00.000-07:002007-08-27T22:25:40.978-07:00

There’s nothing like the internet to scare the living crap out of your kids if they aren’t listening to you. Me: Brush your teeth! Evie: No, I’m sleepy, I’m going to bed! Me: Do you want your teeth to fall out….and get dirty and rot and never come back in?! (She’s got a loose tooth, so I explained that the teeth that replace her baby teeth are adult teeth, and that if she loses those, she’ll

Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057711679795987853noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-41466223320164308342007-08-27T10:12:00.000-07:002007-08-27T10:46:41.425-07:00

I realized this morning that the first day of first grade is the first day of a new reality. A year ago, on the first day of kindergarten I had given Evie a hug and a kiss before I left. I had reassured her that she's be fine, that she'd have fun; and she did. Evie loved kindergarten. Of course, all my assurances were so very hypocritical since I wasn't sure of anything. Evie's kindergarten

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-84865873752600911242007-08-25T22:48:00.000-07:002007-08-25T23:03:44.512-07:00

When I was a kid, summers were lazy. There was no real schedule or structured activity. I don’t remember doing a darn thing for the vast majority of the summers of my childhood. Most of those free summer days were spent reading, watching TV and that most important of activities, sleeping. The summers of my elementary school years were spent with my littlest uncles and aunties who lived with us

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-35041302254128475122007-08-22T00:26:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:24:14.751-08:00

Hello everyone! We’re back after a nice four day weekend in Southern Cal (aka the land of confusing freeways and crazy ass drivers). After some very stressful days (weeks, months, years) a short break from school, work, and home was just what we needed. J and I took two days off from work (he was stressed too, poor guy; he had worked eight sixteen hour days in a row and was really just

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-61137180596402104942007-08-15T01:14:00.000-07:002007-08-15T08:06:55.064-07:00

Some of the things I wish I could say… **** Dear Dad, All the things you taught me about faith, religion, and honor; I truly believe. When I say I’m going to do something, I try my best to do it. When I say think of my soul, I think of what you taught me about our ancestors, about Buddhism, and about having faith without religion. When I think of bravery and sacrifice, I think of you. You

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-52799166536991565742007-08-12T12:01:00.000-07:002007-08-12T12:11:30.016-07:00

A loved one coming home after a long trip. J has been in Florida on a business trip for the past week and won't be coming home till late tomorrow night. I admit that I'm sort of...very...lost without him. (As evidenced by the fact that I'm blogging on a Sunday.) :sigh: We miss you J. Or as Sweet Pea has been whimpering every now and then this past week, "Dddaaaaadddddyyyy...? Daddy wuhk?

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-36215213717701731032007-08-09T21:18:00.001-07:002007-08-09T21:29:53.859-07:00

Somedays, all it takes is a flip through the ol' photo archives to find that little something to make things bright again. This one was taken 3/8/06. Sweet Pea was only 11 months old, Evie hadn't started kindergarten, and we hadn't put our house on the market yet. It's hard to get them to take a picture together these days. PS Sweet Pea is still a little guy. We finally made it in for

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-69245422612390089042007-08-09T12:19:00.000-07:002007-08-09T15:16:33.301-07:00

100 Things 1. I procrastinate, a lot. 2. I’m typing this because I need to type something. 3. I’m not really thinking about what I’m typing. 4. Duh, I’m a mom. 5. I didn’t think I’d ever be a mom. 6. Evie was a surprise for us. 7. I loved her so much we planned and had another. 8. I think Sweet Pea rocks. 9. I think he has beautiful eyes. 10. I’m shocked that my eyes look so good on him. 11. I

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-35106247463086460382007-08-04T13:40:00.000-07:002007-08-04T19:34:31.009-07:00

I actually did this meme (which I got from the awesome Anti-Racist Parent Blog) a few days ago but considering a number of birthdays and parties and screaming flailing children to attend to, I totally forgot about it. This posting is actually an example of how lazy I can be considering also, that today is the anniversary of the day that J and I met and I'm too lazy to type out how we met. 9

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-29451935299168106382007-08-02T15:53:00.000-07:002008-12-09T02:24:14.969-08:00

Dear J, It's your birthday and oh, how do I love thee, let me count the ways... 10) I love that you're just as dorky as I am. Between my love of R2D2, your love of zombies, and our shared love of anime, science fiction, and comic books we could well be the dorkiest people on the planet. No matter what happens, we'll always have Macross my love. 9) I love that you call me every.single.day to

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29662379.post-29523385529456226552007-07-31T18:24:00.000-07:002007-07-31T18:48:24.430-07:00

I worked really really hard today and had to deal with all sorts of crap and so contrary to what J thinks, I think I deserve to take a mind-bogglingly silly personality quiz, don't you? Here are my surprising and relatively accurate results: You're The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy! by Douglas Adams Considered by many to be one of the funniest people around, you are quite an entertainer.

honglien123http://www.blogger.com/profile/04664865503830892153noreply@blogger.com10