[090823] Lunch with Mari san

I had lunch with Mari san from Ireland today!! So nice to see her again.

We went to Bangkok kitchen (Corido branch, Asahi chan!) and had lunch specials. Mari san had green curry, and I had Pat Thai (spelling...?). Yum yum yum...

This happens to me a lot, but I forgot to take pictures of the dishes... you know, when you are hungry, you can think nothing but eating it as soon as it arrives at your table... haha, so I just had to take a picture of my after-meal iced coffee...

She is such a wonderful woman. She always inspires me.

We often get to talk about this, but we actually met through an SNS. We'd never known each other unless we had an account on the site. So amazing.

I think it does not always work this way, but so far, for us, it is working just right. I have met lots of people through SNS, and we are still great friends, and the same to her, she says.

Today, living with this IT world, I am sure I will meet tons of cool new people through the web in the future. No doubt.

Ai

[090724] San Diego, Nov., 2006

Assorted pictures from 2006:)

Ai

[090711] Blooming Buddies -Part II-

At the end of last month, my lovely dog Lucky got really sick and was brought to the vet. She threw up and bled a lot, and she could barely walk.

According to the vet, she somehow took pesticides and that made her sick... My dad convinced that she was gone for a while during the walk in the morning and it was adjacent to the local pear orchard. Needless to say, he was told not to let her go ever again, by my grandma, who cried all night on the day Lucky got sick. I couldn't hold my tears either, not only because Lucky looked so painful but also because I knew how much my grandma loved Lucky. Next day, she came in to the dining room and said, "Is she dead...?", and I was very happy to answer, "No, Oba-chan, she is okay, we took her to the vet last night."

Lucky is such an adorable dog. She has gotten a lot better by now, and of course, my grandma looks happier than ever.

Ai

[090603] My Parents, and Me

I love my mom and dad. Because they are a cute couple, and have their own strengths in different fields. They are truly something so called, "Partners".

My father, Makoto, is a carpenter. He knows everything about wood. He is the man on the right with a black cap in the picture below.

He is incredibly careful (I say he's sometimes too careful...), "And that is why I have never been seriously injured or sick in bed." he says, when my mom and I were making fun of him talking about news on TV and how it would happen to everyone in the family, the news were about the college kid who grabbed a woman randomly on the platform in a train station and jumped into the railway with her. My dad goes, "Ai, don't ever go close to the edge of a platform, and make sure that no one is there a few meters from you while you are waiting for a train. Those kinds of guys are out there watching people, and they just get someone to commit suicide with them." and my mom and I go, "Yeah yeah..." and he keeps talking like how the crime scene would have gone, like the guy would also have done this, or if the woman was me and all that detective kind of stuff. And we always end up saying, "Dad, just calm down!"... haha

And my mother, Michiko, is a great mother, an entrepreneur, and a wonderful woman. (The picture below was taken two years ago in her studio. The short cute woman on the left is my mom, and the one with our lovely dog Lucky is me.)

Well, when we all were in Michiko's studio today, there were two sets of Irori (the kanji is 囲炉裏, and to read its wiki page, click here) and I asked my dad why they have some kind of elbow-like shaped parts. It is so hard to describe what I am talking about, so please see the image inserted below;

Yes, that part. I was wondering what that part is for. Maybe just a bit of twist to the whole design? Nah... I liked it anyway, though. It just looked cool. So, I asked my dad what the heck it was for, and he stared at me (like saying "you don't know??") and said, "Simply, it is to adjust the position of the pot, to control the heat from the fire. You can make it closer to the fire like this, or further like this, you know..." ...my goodness! It was like a magic!! (I am sorry, but I am straight up Japanese. I know. Shame on me.) Okay, who wants to see how it works? You do? Come visit us and I will get my dad to teach you.

Ancient Japanese are smart. And they had an excellent sense of beauty in both visual design and its functionality. Amazing.

As it is said in the picture, he one in the picture is made by my dad. I am sure he can sell it if he had it on the web. Actually, I tried to talk him into it, but he says it would be not so good if he gets kinda "have to do" situation, like this person wants to buy one so he has to make it by this weekend, or something like that. I totally understand his feeling. But my mom and I are fans of him, so we will keep pushing him to make something to exhibit online:D

Ai

[090507] Living room Coffee house II

Here we go again!

First off, thank you Sean, for taking me to the living room.

I always ask him to go there, and usually more than once during the stay.

Above: Gyros

Gyros are Greek sandwiches with lamb, onions, tomatoes, mayo... I think. Here is a wiki page for you people who don't trust me.>>

It was something like Today's special, I don't think they have Gyros as a regular dish, so hurry!!:) Actually, there is a great place to eat gyros in Coronado Island, but we couldn't make it there this time, so I will try next time and put it up on here. Maybe in Autumn.

Below: Chicken Curry Salad

It was not the first time I got this... I love the salads they have. Even if I order the same thing, it always comes out slightly different, the garnish, fruits, and plate. And I guess there is also a different person in the kitchen each time I go.

I got strawberries on top of the chicken curry this time. Yum yum yummy!

I would love to steal some of their recipes, if I could, someday.

Ai

[090506] Living room Coffee house I

Look what I got... Strawberry Cheese cake! Yuuuuum!!

I enjoyed each of the moment while I was eating this killer bomb. Ah...

It has been a great time since I arrived here in San Diego.

I remember that Mark said "Time is money, and it is more valuable." and I strongly agree. This one week vacation may cost a lot for the flight tickets and all, but it feels to me that I have been getting much more than that. I am happier than ever, sharing time with him, and there is no doubt that this is the ultimate treat for myself. Plus, now I got cheese cake right here in front of me, so what else could I possibly expect!?

Ai