So long 2008 !

Time flies, really.
Its sad to say goodbye to 2008, which was a pretty good one for us.

And its time to move on.
So for 2009, we hope to:
- get a US job for Bee - no work no shopping :(
- move to a good neighborhood with grocery and fitness nearby (hopefully)
- get bikes and a car to go places we like
- strike US$111m jackpot

Ho Ho Ho

Wishing all a very Merry Christmas !

XOXO,
Bee & Chee

More snow

36hours of snow over the weekend, started at 4pm on Saturday, as forecasted. Before that there was a mad rush to get sufficient supplies of grocery, batteries, gas (for cars and generators). Its pretty scary. Everyone was trying to make it home before the storm hits.

Are we prepared ? Not really, we have non-perishable food stuffs (like biscuits/cookies) to last for a day if power outage occurs (*touch wood!*). But flashlights, batteries, radio are missing. We reckon if we got hit, we will move to a nearby hotel to stay. ;)

Due to the heavy snow, most of the offices were closed on Monday. The good part is I got company at home. (Hurray!) But the snow is making it tough for cars and people to move around, especially after it has melted and frozen to ice. Many cars skidded, or were unable to move up slopes. Wheels keep spinning but the car just can't move. For the first time, we realize snow is not fun at all.

Winter Solstice

Bought ready-made peanut soup and glutinous rice balls to celebrate the tradition.

To everyone at home, 冬至快乐！(Happy Winter Solstice).
Today also mark the start of Winter here, the shortest day in the Northern hemisphere.

Does the sun set early at your end too ?

My first ...

Shepherd Pie !

Thanks to the ingredient list provided by a ex-colleague + abit of my "aga-ration" (or estimation).

Result ? Not bad, I would say, for first try.

Itadakimasu !

Cold Cold...

Weather has been freezing since snow came. Got more reinforcements to back up.


Even the toilet seat is cold. Damn.

Snowtime !

The snow came tonight, quietly. We didn't realize it was snowing, until we saw the news reporting it in a neighborhood near us. Snow in Seattle ? Got to be kidding. I was told there is no snow in Seattle, cos its surrounded by water.

Quickly, we dashed to the window to confirm - it looks like rain falling, but there was no sound of water pelting on the floor. Already, some of it had even accumulated on our window sill. Like kids, we took our cameras and happily snapped away. Yes it DOES snow in Seattle. See for yourself.

Apartment Hunting

We started hunting for our next apartment, and visited 3 candidates over the weekend.

Initially we wanted a bigger apartment with 2 bedrooms. However after viewing, we decided we should get one with a big living/dining room for our sofa (which can be used as bed) and study table. This way guests can also stay in the living room, and we don't need additional bedroom which is vacant most of the time. Apt #2 would be the best candidate.

We took over the current apartment from Chee's colleague who has just left the company. (She's really nice to leave us stuffs like pots/pans, dining table, tv, etc. Thanks to her, we were able to settle down real fast.) There are no groceries/shopping/other facilities nearby. In return, you get a really quiet neighborhood, and a "multi-dollar" view of the lake opposite (quoted by Chee's colleague). We are grateful to the building management we could move in with no credit history, based on trust. In US, renters conduct mandatory credit check on new tenants.

Not to worry, we still have some time to find the right abode before our current lease is up. Happy hunting.

Bento

While shopping for bento supplies, I came across this great blog which has a step-by-step guide to make very cute bento based on Totoro and Pixar cartoon characters. I was astonished upon seeing it - its a real fine piece of art. The thing is, do you bear to eat it ?


I am sure my nephews will love the Wall-E bento.
More here on my favourite anime Totoro...


And some Nintendo game characters. Enjoy !



You can visit her website here:
http://annathered.wordpress.com and
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kickinthehead/
for more bento porn. :)

The Day the Earth Stood Still

We watching this show right now. How the heck ... you are wondering ? No no, this is not pirated.

We are watching the 1951 version, in black and white, pretty classic. Its about this alien called Klaatu and his guardian robot Gort who come from afar to warn Earth about nuclear war. A newer movie has been made, starring Keenu Reeves (my idol!) to premiere on 12.12.08 in the local cinemas. We are thinking if we should watch it here or enjoy it in Golden Village when we get home.

Simple Maths Problem ?

I came across this interesting mathematics problem which is pretty interesting. Have a go at it :

3 men rent a hotel room for $30, so they each paid $10.

The front desk clerk realizes he should have charged them $25 and sends a bellhop with $5 to return to them.

The bellhop thinks it's easier to divide 3x$1 to each man and pocket the remaining $2 for himself.

With each man receiving a $1 refund, they paid 3 x $9 = $27.
The bellhop kept $2.
Where is the missing dollar?

Let me know if you figure it out. :)

Interesting Bus Journey

Every week, we will take the public transport to Chinatown for our grocery. Today the bus was fully packed with football fans on their way to the stadium.

"50th Jackson Street. Folks going to the SeaHawks game stay on board."

With only 2 persons alighted, the bus moved on with load of passengers buzzing over the football game. Suddenly, the bus slowed down. The driver voice cracked over the speaker catching everyone by surprise. "Listen up folks ! This is an important announcement." The whole bus went dead silent, thinking some serious road condition had happened.

"The SeaHawks have not have a good season this year. This is because you folks have not been cheering hard enough. I want you to to go out there and cheer as loud as you can. This will help the SeaHawks to win 3 to 4 games in this season. So, are you ready?"

A loud cheer burst from the bus. Someone shouted from the bus rear, "What if I am for New England ?" "Get off the bus!" shouted the rest of the passengers.

With that, the bus stopped and the whole crowd alighted and walked briskly to the stadium.
Boy, this surprise cheerleading by the bus driver sure lifted all our spirits up !
:
:
Apparently, the louder cheer may not be the only missing component... The football team Seahawks was winning till the last one minute, but lost with the overtime.

Seattle Public Library

We visited the public library at University District today - our 2nd time here. Guess what many items can be checked out with 1 library card ?

4? 10? 20?



Its 100 ! Wow, I don't think we can finish that many within a 3-week loan period. You can also renew the items online via their web without having to go down. What's more ? The library card is free ! Isn't that sweet ?

Garbage Disposal Part 2

Following the 1st post on the garbage disposal there has been some feedback and questions on it. So I guess the garbage disposal (GD for short) is in the limelight again to give you guys a better insight of our humble and mighty kitchen helper.

I did some research - it appears that food gets grinded and washed down to the pipes, as part of sewage and goes to water treatment plant, where wastes are separated, water is purified and released back to the lakes. I am not sure which is more environmentally friendly - using the GD, or plastic bag for garbage.

But there are some limitations though - It is not recommended to throw any oil or fats down the GD as they will harden and clog up the pipes, whereas steak/pork/chicken/fish bones will spoil the blades in the GD. I always enjoy throwing lemon rinds to it - as it grinds, the lemon gets rid of the bacteria and engulfs the sink with a wonderful citrus lemony smell. And I just learnt I can throw ice into it to clean and sharpen the blades. Cool.

If we have this back home, besides reducing the need for bags, it will definitely boost the plumber industry necessary to clear the build-up in home and public pipes :)

Here's the picture of our humble helper posing for the camera:

Garbage Disposal

Call me a country bumpkin, but I was really intrigued by the garbage disposal when I first moved in to our new apartment.

Just shove the food garbage down the sink, turn on the power switch, and presto ! The garbage gets grinded and washed down the pipe. Except bones, I throw everything in it. Cool isn't it ? See for yourself in this video.