justmypath

[justmypath]

Chihuly and Chai in the desert. Desert botanical gardens in February 2022. Beautiful day for a stroll.

[justmypath]

It’s 2022, still covid times, but now we are vaccinated and boosted. Life has changed in many ways. We move on. Mom was diagnosed with liver cancer last fall. It was devastating to hear that news. Then Dad fell a couple of times, stopped eating and was diagnosed with lung cancer. He celebrated his 97th birthday and Thanksgiving; and lived a couple more weeks after that. He was surrounded by family and love at the end. It was a very difficult Christmas without Dad. It’s been a difficult journey with Mom’s cancer treatment, since it’s a reminder about how fragile we are. We still move on…

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Thought for today. It’s Sunday. Still covid times. Waiting patiently for a vaccine.

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[justmypath]

This is my new project...caring for my new 10 week old puppy. Due to covid19 and my “retired” status, I decided to adopt this cute cavapoo. He is a challenge: very energetic, determined, and requires constant attention. I certainly did not know what I was getting myself into. I thought it was going to be fun and easy (haha). This is only the first week and I’m exhausted! It’s also an exercise in patience.

In just five days, I’ve been outside in the extreme heat almost every couple of hours (it’s still hot at 1, 2, 3, 4 o’clock in the morning, over 90 degrees F). I’ve learned not to give the puppy grapes, but frozen peas/carrots are okay. Puppy also likes to chew on ice. He is learning to sit and lay down. We are working on “stay”, and “come”, without success. He loves to nip, chew on everything (metal, carpet, cardboard, clothes, furniture) and jump. It’s going to be a long road for training!

I’m hopeful that puppy will learn some basic skill and adapt to our daily routine. My life won’t be the same for awhile (from covid AND puppy). I’ll enjoy the moments when puppy is calm and sleeping on my lap in peace.

[justmypath]

New rainbow colors for the Buddhist wisteria logo from Seattle Pride/Betsuin. Namo Amida Butsu. Gassho.

[justmypath]

Play.

I had to quit my OT job, it was becoming too stressful switching to a teletherapy platform and trying to have the children pay attention on screen. Children need to play and explore in order to learn and experience the world around them. I will take time off (again) to explore and reflect on this changing world too.

[justmypath]

This exhibit is at the Chandler Museum: GAMAN - Enduring Japanese American Internment at Gila River. My mother and her family were among the 16,655 people who survived the harsh conditions with dignity and courage.

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[justmypath]

Time to Reflect

It’s March 2020 and the world is dealing with the corona virus pandemic.  There is so much panic with people hoarding and spreading misinformation.  We have to remain in our homes for at least two weeks, maybe more.  I have time now to catch up on all the things that I’ve put aside.  Boredom may set in quickly since all my fun activities are cancelled.

It’s been hectic these past couple of months.  We’ve moved into our new townhome and I started my new job.  I’ve been enjoying all my fun activities and meeting new people. 

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Arizona State Fair: Time to people watch and see the exhibits and eat fair food. The goat was trying to eat my purse and stuck his hoof out at me. All I wanted was a photo. I liked seeing the artwork, quilts, crafts, carved melons, and decorated cakes. The Prince impersonator was fun as well as watching people ride on the monster trucks.

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LACMA: permanent collection was closed due to extensive renovation taking place. new complex to be completed in 2023. It was still nice to see the current exhibits and Chinese contemporary art: 8,000+ black porcelain flames, 500,000+ cigarettes for a tiger rug, PVC dress, miniaturized city (trains and cars run on the weekend), outdoor lampposts and sculptures.

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Interconnected, Interdependence Create ripples Make waves

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My friend R from Seattle and I went to visit the Broad museum. The entrance into the infinity mirror room lasted only 45 seconds, barely enough time to take a few photos and a short video. The exhibits were interesting and after we strolled through the gardens surrounding the Disney concert hall.

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Hong Kong:  final day...Discover Bay, longest escalator, sashimi dinner, cookies

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Hong Kong 2019

September 13, Friday

We took the train from a different subway station to a different ferry dock.  We saw the large ferris wheel with the middle circle advertising 100 years.  We used an “octopus card” for all of our transportation, including the ferry.  We could have used it for the Macau trip, but we didn’t have enough money loaded at that point.  The ferry was comfortable for our short ride (about 20-30 minutes) to Discovery Bay.  There was a small beach at the port, so I took off my shoes and walked along the shore. The water was warm and not very clear, so we didn’t stay long.  Only a few people were enjoying the beach.  We walked along the shops and went into the market.  There seemed to be many ex-pats/English speaking people living in this area.  We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant, Coyote, since chips and salsa sounded good. Sadly, the salsa tasted like the type that comes from a jar.  I had chicken fajitas which tasted okay, one of the lunch special choices.  I guess we shouldn’t compare HK Mexican food to LA’s! There wasn’t anything else to do, so we took the ferry back.

At the dock, we searched for the longest escalator in the city, which we finally found and took uphill, almost to the top.  There was one section that was being repaired, so we had to climb up stairs. There didn’t seem to be anything interesting to see at the top, so we turned back and walk downstairs to the subway station.  We rested at the hotel for a short while and headed to the station mall for dinner. We thought we would get the happy hour prices at Yaki Ana Sushi, but we were given the regular dinner menu.  P and I shared a sashimi platter, soft shell crab roll, kimchi and pickles.  The different sashimi slices were excellent and the rice was high grade quality.  We initially were worried that we were the only ones in the restaurant, but by the time we were done the restaurant was full and people were lined up outside waiting.  

We definitely enjoyed our stay in Hong Kong.  The people are calm and friendly.  We didn’t experience any rude or aggressive behavior, even on the train and in crowded areas.  Many young people are well-dressed, buying fancy clothes and accessories.  There is an over-abundance of workers, particularly those providing customer service.  It’s extremely hot and humid – probably better to travel there in early spring or late fall.  Restrooms are generally clean and accessible.  I had to use an asian squat toilet one time.  The streets are clean, some graffiti —mainly from the demonstrators.  We did not observe any of the protesting activities.  Malls are fancy.  Subways are clean.  The train system is easy to figure out and direction signs are posted. The food was delicious.  

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Macau:  A-Ma Temple altar, Macau Tower, MGM casino, returning to HK harbor, ferry dock, ferris wheel, HK waffle.