Pancake Day

I read Bean's blog religiously and learned that today is National Pancake Day. IHOP is giving short stacks free from 7am to 2pm and unfortunately we are not able to enjoy free pancakes today. In honor of the occasion, here is Joshua enjoying pancakes from Denny's taken a few months ago. He is very particular about his pancakes and will painstakingly pinch the top of the pancake, dip into the syrup, inspect it then eat. It is a very slow process but he does seem to relish every moment.

Joshua is a food dipper...French fries, chips, chicken strips etc. He loves to lick or suck the sauce off the food which is kinda gross yet fascinating at the same time. One can't help but watch his methodical process. It is hard to get pictures of him doing this since he is distracted by the camera but trust me, it's something to see.

It's been 3 months since our trip to Japan but the effects still linger. We brought our digital camera with a 1 GB memory card which can hold up to 1400 pictures and as much as we tried we only managed to take 750 pictures. No more film canisters or double prints of lousy pictures. By the way, we bought a new digital camera, a Nikon coolpix S1 which is a small compact camera to replace our older model olympus that sucked up AA batteries like no tomorrow. I took lots of multiple pictures of places & persons to make sure that a decent picture would appear. Overall, I am very pleased with this camera. It is small enough to fit in my pocket so I am prepared to snap away whenever I like.

The above picture is of the Golden Pavillion in Kyoto which used gold leaf to give it that beautiful glow. There are gardens too but the Pavillion is the main attraction for obvious reasons. The adults in our group were amazed by all the wonderful things and history while the kids loved taking taxis everywhere we went in Kyoto. Go figure.

The previous post I mentioned the lighting of the shrine and here is a blurry picture of it. There are mobs of people climbing up the stairs and walking on the paths on the hillside with awesome views. Did I tell you that we did a LOT of walking in Japan? There are virtually no overweight Japanese people except maybe sumo wrestlers and the occasional gland disorder.

Boob Pudding, Anyone?

Ok, Japan has some unusual products and this is proof. I believe we were in the building of Tokyo Tower and there was a gift shop with food and souvenirs. Tyler and Hector were in the bathroom so I was browsing the items and behold, boob pudding! This is what is written on the box, "A first class cook seasoned these dishes with advanced techniques and highest class materials. Please enjoy this 'tastiness'. This sweetness which cheers adult!" Hmmm...interesting translation but this is hilarious! I was almost tempted to buy it but I don't know about eating it.

Another unusual sight is the Japanese toilets which are in the ground and one must squat to use it. This is a public restroom which had both Japanese and Western style toilets and no one used these. Even the Japanese women waited for the Western toilets. I did use one of these Japanese toilets but it had a big U shaped pole bolted into the ground in front so one can hang on and not fall into the toilet. Also I noticed that many Japanese women wore skirts maybe because it is easier to pee if you have to use these toilets.

Here are some Japanese girls that we met while in line waiting for the lighting of the shrine in Kyoto. Of course, Tyler was in full charmer mode with them even though they spoke little English. I was surprised that Joshua let one of them hold him. We were joking that they were Puffy AmiYumi and they were surprised that we knew of them. Another lady behind them translated for us since she spent 3 years living in Georgia with her husband. There were mobs of people waiting to view the shrine and then tour the grounds. We also met a guy backpacking through Japan who was from San Diego. It was amazing to meet other Americans while in Japan; we met another couple from San Diego and another couple from Tustin. Small world. Hector even had an experience while searching for milk in a convenience store...it turns out that the clerk spent a few years in El Monte where Hector went to high school. We have so many great memories from our trip.

Not much to say today except that Joshua is hopefully over his vomiting/diarrhea episodes. Now I find out that Hector won't be back until Saturday which kinda sucks since we thought he would be home Friday. The other guys already planned it that way so I guess there is nothing we can do. The other guys don't have kids so that explains it. Meanwhile, we just have to deal without Daddy for a bit longer.

Tyler and Joshua are having fun with a tent they constructed which looks quite cozy. They have been behaving and no major injuries or fights. Nothing stops Joshua from climbing into our bed at night since Hector has been gone so Josh has been very happy. That should all change Saturday night.

Olympic Moments

I am posting another entry in honor of Hector's Olympic moment from 2002. I don't have all the details but he entered a contest from Coca-Cola to have a chance to run with the torch and he won a spot! He was notified of the time and location where the runners were shuttled. Of course the area he carried the torch was a questionable are of Los Angeles but it was great. I arrived with about 10 family members and friends to cheer him on. Beforehand, there was great fanfare from the media and sponsers (Coca-Cola and Chevrolet) and suddenly he was running by us. We were desperately trying to take his picture and running after him. Hector later said that the torch was behind schedule so the officials wouldn't let him stop. I was really proud of him and he looked great.

Hector was given the chance to purchase his torch and other merchandise. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to have the torch so we bought it and it came with an engraved holder. We also have pins, a plaque and T-shirts. He was supplied with the uniform (warm-up suit) which he got to keep; it's a nice design with some gloves and hat.

I'm sure this is one of the highlights that will stand out in Hector's life.

Good morning, all! I'm up early today since Joshua woke me up in our bed retching. I managed to grab him & run to the bathroom but the damage was already done. So I am washing the bedding again while he seems to be fine singing along with his DVD. I had thought this bug was gone but nope, not yet. At least I have nothing planned for the day since I need to conserve my energy for the rest of the week.

Hector called from Lake Tahoe and the cabin is very rustic. They had to thaw out the water pipes but so far no hot water. Beforehand I had checked the weather up there and it was colder than usual so I tried to convince Hector to bring a warm coat for night. Being a native Californian and extremely hard-headed, he didn't listen to me because at his work, they keep the ORs at around 50 degrees. Hello?!? It is 5-8 degrees at Lake Tahoe at night which is a little different than 50 degrees. Sure enough, when he called last night he said it was COLD and that I was right. I'm thinking it's better to be warm than cold and you always can take off more layers. Well, it should be warming up this week and he will have lots of fresh powder for snowboarding.

Here is Joshua in the blanket. He loves to roll himself around in blankets and lay on the floor. You have to be careful where you step! This is a closeup of Tyler in Kyoto where he loved seeing the leaves. These are the tiniest ones he found.

I am bummed today...my husband left us to go snowboarding at Lake Tahoe and won't be back until Friday night. I miss him already and have to ready myself to take care of my 2 active boys for the week. Yesterday, Joshua woke up vomiting which continued throughout the day but this morning he seemed to back to his normal self. Thank goodness, it was just a 24 hour bug. Hector was worried about Joshua and was ready to cancel his trip in case this was something serious. It was sweet of him to offer but hey, kids get sick. This is Hector's one time to take some time off for himself and go have fun with the guys. They snowboard, gamble and relax. Don't worry, I get my equal time to myself too. This year, I will take a couple mini-breaks to Las Vegas with the girls which is coming up in April. There will be gambling, outlet shopping, dining and maybe a show.

Monday is President's Day so no school for Tyler. Hmmm, what to do? Maybe visit Grandma who can watch the kids for a few hours while I can get something done. Like take a nap or catch up on Tivo. Sounds nice.