February madness

How I wish I have a pair of rainboots to walk in the rain. We, californians, are just not acquainted with this wet weather. People drive slower and more reckless, causing more traffic and wasting more time on the commute. Yet, as much as I sound like I dislike the rain, there's almost nothing as soothing as listening to the rhythm of the falling of rain..

February has been very busy. When you know it, Chinese New Year was around the corner. Preparing the red envelops, getting our house cleaned, carpet cleaned and sleepy groomed before the big day. After the new year, there was the mammoth trip. It's funny how I was so determined not to snowboard, and ended going up to the mountain and carving down. yay!

Here's sleepy on the snow! It's so hiliarious to see him walking on the snow and trying to stay close to us. He walked so cautiously on the snow, like he felt like he was going to slip or tumble down. He cracks me up.

I drove to San Diego and went to see a few customers. Before I drove back, I had dinner with my brother and ate at a typical "hole in the wall" dumpling house. It was fantastic. The wait for long and this restaurant is like a very old-fashion chinese-american restaurant and it brings so much food comfort to a chinese living in america. I also walked into a william sonoma and found:

that's right - the gai dan jai maker! I couldnt help to NOT buy it. This is like the rainbow brite, little pony of cartoons! This is what we ate and what we still eat when we go back to Hong Kong. I can't believe William Sonoma carries it, it's amazing. This version is made out of cast iron and it's cooked over a stove top - which is not as practical as it were the electric ones. So it is returned and back to the shelf for the next Cantonese -enthusiast to try. As for me, we are going to buy the real one and open a shop! just watch!!!

February is also craving for dumpling month. I had the urge of wrapping dumplings. Turnout: not so good, but good enough. I just mixed minced pork, napa cabbage, shrimp and mushroom with sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar with an egg. Found the recipe somewhere on the internet. It was alright - i remembered I made them better, just relying on my recipe.

This month, I also took my returned trip back to London and exited into NY on the layover and met with a few good customers. NY to Chicago and drove 2 hours to Indiana and back. As my 3rd visit to Chicago, it's such a shame that I didnt get to enjoy Chicago as much as I always wish I could. This time I stayed at a very classic hotel - Seneca Hotel in the heart of chicago. The hotel felt like there's so much history to it, I loved it. Unfortunately, I was there for only 6 hours and I had to check out to drive to Indiana. Didnt get to go to Mitsuwa, but I did go check out Chinatown which has quite the feel of a genuine chinatown in the US. It's dirty and you see old and expired chinese trends that are waiting for someone homesick to buy and look.

Chinese New Year 2011

Chinese New Year is becoming more and more of a holiday here, as people are actually taking the day off and non-chinese people are recognizing it and even sending greetings for this holiday. Every Chinese Year, we always receive an abundant of "GO"s. The turnip cake, water-chestnut cake, taro-cake, and the standard rice flour cake which can be added with coconut milk. My mom pan fries these mixed with egg which makes them 10 times better.

New Year this year landed on a Thursday - and this particular thursday was such a long day. Work started in the morning, then home in the afternoon (2PM) for lunch at Sin Ba La with my sister, then go to Costa Mesa for a business sale meeting, then back home at 9PM for a meeting with the escrow signing agent, then 10PM for dinner back home. By the time I got home, I didnt want to do anything but to crash into my bed.

This year of the rabbit should be an interesting one. i already sense that there is a number of things I need to plan for. Since I came back from Europe, I have been sleeping earlier and waking up earlier....which means, i m about to knock out now......