Water color- Nam Khan, Luang Prabang

Simple “Sala” on the bank of the river how nice for lazy afternoon nap.

Water color of Wat Phu Si

Water color of water lily

Water color of wild poppy

Local artist this reminded me of Muang Sing, Laos.

Oil on board: House on the river bank

This painting reminded me of my grandmother villiage some house are build right next to the river bank surrounded with bamboo trees and palm trees to keep the house cool during mid- afternoon sun.

Rice Paddy

Morning alm giving at That Luang

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Salad: shredded papaya and carrot

Since I don’t like daikon I used green papaya instead.  In lao I think they used papaya as well.

Hot water, sugar and vinegar to marinated shredded salad

Toppings: Slice Kirby cucumber, Cilantro, Red onions, Red pepper

Liver Pate, slice really thin pork roll, and BBQ pork

I used three different kind of baguette: Wheat, regular and ciabatta

Breads are toast with unsalted butter spread with japanese mayonnaise, liver pate and assemble the rest of ingredients..

The wheat sandwich is much heavier than regular bread.

Sandwich

I was too hungry I forgot to take the picture on the plate oh well. It was a lot of work but it was worth it. I was able to shared with my co-workers.

Glass district, San Diego

Perfect weather no humidity just right.  San Diego blue sky white fluffy cloud this type of weather reminded me of Xieng Kaung.  Another business trip, great city to be in. I just published a paper and presenting it this year national conference.  I won’t have that much free time but I will make the best of what I have.  

San Diego skyscraper from my hotel window

Gorgeous day too bad I have to be stuck in the conference room all day boo hoo…

At the marina over look the San Diego bay.

 

Navy Ship

I didn’t have that much time one hour lunch break almost over I have to head back to the convention center.  I would love to see inside that is  gigantic ship I think is bigger than T rec haha…….lol

A Giant life-size model of Life Magazine photo taken after the announcement of WWII was over

 

How appropriate a navy guy kissed a nurse. While I was trying to take this picture, there were couple boys looked under her skirt so typical.

 

"Typical tourist" do what a tourist do ride a tricycle

 This reminded of “Sam law” back home.

Sculpture along the park

 There were so many interesting sculptures set along the walking path there was never a dull moment I have walked way too far than I thought and time is not on my side I don’t want to be late for my own presentation. 

From the convention center balcony

I made it back on time for the afternoon conference I snapped the last picture of the day.

Dork Huck

I have rarely see this flower I remembered as a child I would pick this flower and strings them together to make lei.

Water lily

My favorite flower every time I see water-lily, Claude Monet comes to mind.

 

 

 

 The meeting ended with fabulous dinner with my colleges I looked forward to next year meeting in San Francisco. 

 

 

 

Sliced Cucumber, cilantro, Lime, Thai chilli peppers, Sliced white onion, and Mint

Slice Kirby Cucumber with sea salt:

Lime juice, sugar, and roasted peanuts

Ground roasted peanuts with lao mortar and pastel

Peel Cooked Shrimps

Beignet at Café Du Monde

People keeps telling me if you did not have a beignet you did not visit New Orleans. So what did I do?, the first thing in the morning I walk over to the french market and settle for high carbohydrate breakfast.

Beignet and cafe au latte

Waitress at Cafe Du Monde

Raw Oyster

Grilled Oyster

Steam boat on the Mississippi river

 At my parents’ place every year he does this ceremony offering to his dad.  You noticed the large altar are set up with varieties of foods and fruits, sweets and items that his dad liked when he was still alive.

A smaller altar at the bottom, this is to pay respect to the long distance relatives.

Dad is offering tea and liquor to the spirits and asking the spirits to keep us from harm, for good health, good fortunes and happiness throughout the year.Almost done ready for chow down!!!!

For the past couple years chinese new year celebration with many of relatives traveing from outer states become less and less because our relatives do celebrate with their extended families. We only celebrate with my siblings and their spouses and we didn’t have nine course meals. We have some tradition food like fried tofu cut in bar of gold represent wealth and prosperity, noodle soup for longevity, fried rice paddy stuffed with pork and mung bean also for longevity.  My brother favors sweet and source chickens and fermented mustard green “som pak got”, roast duck, pork, chickens and missing is my food being prepare som tum mag hung and sticky rice.Dad with his red envelops, instead being received the red envelop now is the opposite. He gets the red envelops.

Simple desert, what was offering at the altar we can eat . Fruits mostly, sweet rice ball stuffs with mung bean, cookies and cakes most of us stick with fruits.  We know for the next fifteen days we will be eating more of the sweets and more heavy meals.

Happy Chinese New Year Everyone!!

Kong Hei Fat Choi

You’ll be the judge whether is worth the wait. I was alway wonder is desert plant since it can survive without water for so long.

In the mean time I am so obsessive with orchids.  I will do everything and anything to have this things flowers fertilized it, water it regularly, move it around the house to get the sunlight it needed, and even talk to the darn thing.   

This year it bloom alright, only one lonesome  stalk, usually it would bloom two or three stalks at one time.  I hope it last until new year.  

Behind the orchids is the plant that produce the star like flowers.  Most of the orchids plant are coming into bloom. Is it science or green thumb?  one wonders……..

First snow fall of the year

When I got up this morning the first thing I saw was this white powder snow start to covers the ground. Wow first snow of the year!! 

 I remembered March 2006, they called for heavy snow storms. I just flew into Philadelphia International airport a twenty-two hours flight from Laos.  I wanted to get back home. From my parents house, it took me six hours to get home normally it would only take approximately three hours.  I have been gone for six weeks, I just want to get home. I ’ve got a cat sitter for my cat but the two outside cats, they’ve been left out and my neighbors are taking care of them.  Come to think of it they are the development cats, everybody knows their name. My neighbor had built a shed for them while I was away. It six a.m I finally got  into my driveway.  I called them while I unloaded my suitcase from the car, I saw the two of them ran across my neighbor house through thick snow they are just happy to see me, as I am happy to see them,  they looked like they have been fed very well.  I asked them if they missed me, I think they did, because they stayed with me all day that day while I just drops on the couch and slept for at least twelve hours none of them made any fussed,  if they did; I didn’t noticed.   When I finally came around it was late in the evening.  Outside was blanketed with more snow and it was still snowing.  I opened the door to the garage and let the two them out.  When the weather dip below 30 C they would stayed in my garage, the two of them would curled up in thick blankets and before I go to bed I would come out and tugged Sam inside the blanket he would stay in there until morning on the other hand O.J just prefered to curled up on top. It is funny how they have their own personality. My princess would sleep on the bed all cover up underneath the soft down comforter until morning.  O.J would be the first to wake up and want to go outside.  They would get fed and the two boys would disappear in the wood and Lexus would prefer to lie on the sunny spot and I would leave for work.   

Which made me think back December 2000, I moved to this area  nine years ago my house was the first one build in this development. The first summer I had a visitor by this guy. I named him O.J.               

O.J the orange tabby

 Actually; he invited himself in thinking that he would be able to stay permanently.  Wrong, because she won’t have it. The Princess whose rule the house.  She first hissed at him a few times then finally she was ok with it as long as the visitor didn’t stay long.                

Lexus doesn't like stranger especially strayed cat

Samuel written on his medical record. I called him "Sam"

Couple months later O.J decided to bring his best friend over. Which I didn’t mind he is cute little fella he wasn’t much as a thread to the princes since she is used to O.J. They came and go, as long as I feed them twice a day and left a bowl of fresh water on the porch for them. They are just happy, happy to have someone to take care of them.  Everyday I came home from work, the two cats would be at my front porch, I saw Lexus on the top of the chair looking out.  Both would greet me they would get up from where they were laying and they would rubbed their body against my legs and just meowing I would drop down on my knee and petted both of them and asked them how their day went, they would just purr and meow away. I let them inside the house and Lexus would jumped down from the chair I would pick her up and gave her hugs and kisses. By this time they recognized their name as O.J and Sam. Sam probably have been out in the wood longer than O.J or maybe he prefers fresh killed, occasionally he would bring half  dead mouse home drops right in front of the garage. I always told him Thanks Sam!!             

In mid-summer, five years ago O.J suddenly disappeared, my neighbor and I looked for him for days even went to the SPCA still didn’t find him. Sam has been calling for his best friend for days and nights throughout the development with no luck.  He refuses to eat and wandering around the neighbor I called him and he would come by I picked him up and petted him and telling him that everything it’s going to be ok, O.J will be back. Out of loneliness  and still refused to eat he had lost a lot of weight, he was skin and bone, I finally decided it was for the best. I asked my neighbor to take him in to the veterinary putting him to sleep .        My first cat,  fall of 1996. I still remember that day very well.   I was met by my friend co-worker at a dark alley in someone garage. She opened the garage door and I saw four or fives cats all  ran for covers. I grabbed this tiny little thing on my hand, she was the slowest one so she gets to come home with me.  I gave her a bath and gave her some milk and wet kitten food she finished that up pretty quickly.  I placed her in the cardboard box with some towel to keep her warm.  She refused to stay in there, she jumps out and was meowing until I picked her up wrapped her with my old sweater place her on my lap until she calm down and went to sleep.The following  day I took her to the veterinary to get her checkup. She got couple shots and de-worm.  I name her  ”Lexus”  she is one of the precious animal I adore and loves.  All fourteen years that we had been together she had never let me down whether I have bad day or good day.  Of those fourteen years Lexus had been living with diabetes for seven years.    She endured insulin injection twice a day and every two weeks visiting the vet to monitor her glucose levels.  Once in a while I questions myself  whether I was good to her and took a good care or not.  This past summer Lexus has been shown signed of lost of appetite and began to lost weight.  She also been drinking lot of water and peeing  a lot, I took her to see the vet again this time, she was diagnosis with thyroid disease.  She was prescribed medication for her thyroid problem but she still not feeling any better.  She would throw up every time after every meals.  I took her back to the vet to get her x-ray to see if there is any obstruction in the intestine, they found nothing.  She was dehydrated from throwing up and not eating.  The vet informed me that she needed fluid and an overnight observation, I hesitated at first  because  I knew she doesn’t like to stay overnight at the hospital . The following morning I called the vet office and asked how she was doing.  I was told she is weak and was given her prognosis.  I knew she wasn’t going to live pass that day and I wanted to bring her home to die at home, on her favorite sleeping spot and her favorite blanket.  As soon as I hung up the phone with the vet getting ready to leaves, the phone rang again it was the vet this time I was informed that Lexus went into cardiac arrest, CPR was performed but was unable to bring her back, she had pass away. 

So the first snow falls, the first autumn, the first summer these are some of the memories that I have endured and the most painful one seem to linger longer………..