Just Call Us Emperor Chhimi & Empress Tabitha

Last Night, we were eating dinner at one of our many favorite Chinese restaurants "Daimo". They have 2 restaurants in the Bay too. We ordered our usual dishes which included a Stir-Fried Beef and GaiLan (aka Chinese Broccoli).

When our Gailan dish arrived, Chhimi started picking it with his chopsticks. After his first few bites, he says "honey, I think the veggies are bitter". I gave him a weird look knowing that Chhimi's pallette are some times questionable... so I used my 2 sticks and grabbed a few bites. I couldn't really tell so I ate a few more but then I tasted the bitterness.

At this point, we didn't want to send it back to the kitchen. Always feel bad if we do (not sure why). So we just ate our other stuff / dishes. By the time we asked for the check and take-out boxes, I mentioned it to the waitress that "hey, this dish was somewhat bitter...like bittermelon!". Waitress gave me a "shocked" look with a reply of "Really?!" then she took the dishes away and yelled across the dining room to another waitress in cantonese "Guo Lai ah...See hah Kui D Gailan" = come over and taste their Chinese Broccoli dishes.

Chhimi and I looked at each other.....like What the heck?! Who would want to taste our "left-overs". Even though it's a common dish, we still used our chopsticks to pick over the food! But the 2nd waitress had NO worries in tasting our dish. At this point, I felt like I back in ole' days of China where higher status people have "tasters" to make sure their food is okay....but it was kinda of reversed. Should've tasted it BEFORE we ate ...not after :-P

Anyways...if I was a waitress, I'd never taste another person's dish/entree/soup/etc. or whatever their saliva may have contaminated the dish! Sheesh! Thank goodness she didn't give the Gailan back to us...we wouldn't have wanted it back! So the restaurant took the dish off of our bill. So nice of them ....to give us bitter veggies :-P.

Living With A Type "A" Artist

Last night, we were putting photographs that Chhimi took when we were in Singapore. It were these gorgeous orchids with white petals and a light pink near the tips. They were just very pretty and Chhimi was abled to capture its beauty. Of course, I remembered when I was standing there with Chhimi while he took forever to capture these shots...I was thinking..."Man, how long does it take to take pictures of flowers??!!"..."Doesn't he know how hot it is out here?!".

But as I was admiring the photos, it dawned on me that Chhimi's a typical budding artist. He's never happy with his work, no matter how much other people likes it. He's always very hard on himself. He is his own worst critic until another liked artist stops and admires his work...

So living with a Type "A" artist is a very difficult thing to do. Seriously...art is supposed to be free-flowing...capturing beauty in an ugly world. Being a perfectionist, demanding that all the duckies to be in line, does not seem as creative as it sounds. That's where the little personal clash goes on ...and to see Chhimi grow in his creative side, it is pretty awesome and funny too :-D hahaha.

Labor Day Weekend (Last Day - WAH!)

Well, we woke up bright and early today at 11:00am :-D hahaha. After checking out from the hotel, we realized we were starving!! Thai food is like Chinese food people...it makes you feel full while you're eating it but after 2 hours...you're hungry again!! ...so our tummies were grumbling and Chhimi was craving for some wholesome fatty American breakfast/brunch. So we headed back to the city and ate at Mel's Dinner next to the Metreon. Breakfast was very delicious except for the fact that Chhimi ordered a plate of fatty onion rings! Who in the world would eat onion rings as breakfast?! Weirdo! (thank goodness he only ate 3 out of the whole 20 of them).

After eating our bellies full, we headed inside the Metreon for Chhimi to check out the latest Sony SLR digital camera. It was a very sleek and sexy object, according to Chhimi but to me...it was just another "Point & Shoot" equipment. Today's objective is for Chhimi to see which latest digital camera he wants to get. Leaving the Metreon, we took some pictures outside at grass area outside of Metreon, where we saw the weirdest of people...(only in the city). We saw three gay men playing with each other's hair...kinda sweet (but 3 of them?...hello have you not heard of monogamy?!...or did you guys only hear of menage trois). We saw a lesbian couple snuggling away under the shades. We saw a woman wearing only her 2 piece swim suit laying down getting a tan. Um...I always thought you get a tan at the beach or at your own backyard or at a secluded park area...but out in the city, I guess you get a tan wherever you want?! including the entrance of the Metreon. Weirdest of all.

We saw A.G. Ferrari as we headed toward the streets...and made a dash for the store. It was one of our favorite gourmet Italian groceries, besides Dean and Deluca in Napa Valley. The last time we went into A.G. Ferrari's, it was near Sausalito and we grabbed some truffles & Fois Gras for Penjo. As we walked in, we were greeted with very friendly staff and saw lots of patrons enjoying themselves with italian-style deli items. Mmmm...wished we could sample some morsels but we were soo full from Mel's. Anyhow...I got to sample of their coffees...Mmmm...so good yet sooo expensive for 1/2 lb of coffee ($18). We got out of there with some juices and decided to take a walking tour again.

Next stop is another camera shop where Chhimi got to "Oooohed" and "Ahhhhed" at the latest Olympus digital camera and at the Nikon digital camera. The salesman was trying to convince Chhimi to buy the camera right there and then...I'm like...ugh...No thanks. Let's go. So we trekked in 85+ degree of heat and onward to Chinatown. That is when we realized...man, Chinatown is all the same in anywhere in the world, which is quite bizarre. The same items we bought in Chinatown Bangkok, we saw here (except it's more expensive here). The same items we saw in Chinatown Singapore, we saw here. The decors are soo similar, with its red trim, chinese characters, chinese see-through slippers, and all the bloody tourists (yah, I know, we're tourists too). After the 3rd block, up-hill, I decided I've had enough of this heat and endless walking uphill and decided to pull my mate back and head back home. But not before I sat down on a funky bench in Chinatown. Click Here

As we were making our way to the parking lot, we saw the "Container Store"...my eyes opened. Chhimi's eyes opened...and we were sucked in! After an hour of looking each and every aisle of cool "containers" (expensive but cool), our shopping carts were filled!! We had 3 cereal containers (Chhimi loooves collecting cereals), a cool Elfa pull-out drawer for underneath the sink, and some other plastic crap that cost way more than it should have. :-D. We decided to go home and get back to our "home" projects. ... Chhimi's bamboo fountain. The assembly of the Ikea Poang Chair. The drilling of the Elfa drawer. ...and of course cooking dinner. We decided to call Chhimi's uncle (who's Thai) and grab the "Raad Na" recipe. It turned out delicious....even our roommie, Brenda, had to come downstairs and said..."wow! what's that smell?! It's soo good and it's clearing up my nostrils"

Labor Day Weekend in the Bay (Day 3)

After our hardwork in painting, we decided to reward ourselves by spending a night in the Bay. Chhimi and I jammed down to San Francisco on a Sunday late-afternoon. Our very 1st stop was Ikea in Emeryville. It is our favorite furniture store and every time we go there...we just complain that we do not have a car big enough to put some nice furniture in. Darn our lil' corollas for being so small and compact!

As we roamed aimlessly in the Ikea madhouse, we felt like herds of cattles being pushed and guided along its "showroom". Lots of stuff to see...Lots of ideas. By the time we finished the showroom, we somehow ended up at Ikea's food court. Mmmm...swedish meatballs. Tabitha quickly got in line and "ordered up" their very yummy and delicious meatballs :-P plus a little swedish apple cake and coffee (duh! dessert!).

After eating our hearts' content, Chhimi and I decided to pick up our own lil' "Poang" chair for our bedroom. We looove watching tv in the bedroom and since we have no seating...and sometimes the bed is not as ideal. Chhimi decided that we should "invest" in the Poang chair. So by the time we got out of Ikea, it was already 5:30pm.

Another 30 - 45 minute drive and find parking later, we were in downtown San Francisco (aka Union Square)...and saw this awesome heart sculpture that we just had to take a picture of. Click Here Then it was off to a "clearance shopping spree" with me at the Petite floor of Macy's (WHOOHOO! - one whole floor just my size). I found a fabulous black floral skirt for $7.50. What a deal?! Of course, Chhimi was bored stiff at this point and decided to sit and call anybody and everybody on his cellphone's address book. :-D hahahah.

By the time, I was done clearance shopping, we headed to our favorite Thai Noodle House on Powell St. Mmmm...yummy "Raad Na" noodle dish. Unfortunately, weather was horrible in the Bay...it was well over 85 degrees and these stores do NOT have A/C!! So needless to say, Chhimi and I felt we were in Bangkok all over again!!