a thanksgiving pictorial
This Thanksgiving was a Li/Kam reunion, with nearly all the cousins on my mom’s side of the family gathering for turkey, sans two. Here is our fantabulous week, in photos.
After wandering way off the beaten path for nearly 2.5 hours, my brother Michael and I made it to the Hog Island Oyster Company in Marin. He shucked 23; I shucked one. He ate 12; I ate 12. 
For Thanksgiving day, everyone gathered at Claude’s place in Fremont. While I wish I could say I was useful cooking, my biggest contribution was actually leading the creation of the marshmallow Thanksgiving Nativity scene, complete with a smallbox blanket, naive Native American, and grill on Clement’s pilgrim (that, without the buckles, might be able to pass for a Hasidic Jew, no?). Someone commented that with such amazing arts and crafts skills, I should be a kindergarten teacher.
My family is weird:
I was also quite good at getting in the way of my cooking cousins. I am the master snacker: at the left, Clement and I are digging into the turkey meat for the gravy before it was stirred in; at the right, my brother and I are roasting marshmallows over the burner.
The big meal:
After dinner, we played a game of charades, girls (almost) vs boys. We tied, but I must point out that our team was able to guess “The Chronicles of Riddick” from Darren’s acting. If that’s not awesome, I don’t know what is.
Friday night, most of the family went to Asia de Cuba at the Clift Hotel for dinner, followed by a performance of The Magic Flute. Scrumpdiddly dumptious food! Here’s the cool crowd (my sister Christina is in the green), and me rockin’ the ginormous chair in the hotel lobby:
After sampling Mushroom Cheesecake, Mushroom Shortbread, and other yummy goodies at the Ferry Building’s Fungus Festival Sat morning, the SoCal crowd left. And then, there were two. The remainder of Saturday includes highlights such as watching Babel, dining at Memphis Minnie’s, and competing in slackjaw nostril flaring contests. Brad just may be the nostril flaring king:
On rainy Sunday, we had the best banana blueberry souffle pancakes at Absinthe (Brunch Club — SORRY!!) and went shopping (which really means that I went shopping and my brother followed me around). That basically sums it all up! I can’t wait for Christmas.
the invincible list
Music (or pieces of) that I will never, ever, get sick of:
1. Aicha – Khaled. Above and beyond. The original is the best, but the remake by Outlandish is not bad either.
2. Further – Longview.
3. Politik – Coldplay. Specifically the instrumental part at minute 4, that lasts for about 25 seconds…and that’s all.
4. “The Bridge of Kahzad Dum” from the first Lord of the Rings, from minute 4:30 on - YES. I realize this sounds really weird. Before you all go off making fun of me, hear me out (gosh, I know my dedicated readers so well). There’s a piece of absolutely beautiful orchestral music, accompanied by a lovely vocal. In the movie, it’s juxtaposed against an intense scene right after Gandalf “dies,” and Frodo and company are in mourning. Ok, that still sounds weird. But I promise you, it is so pretty!
5. Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, Andante. Mainly because of fond memories playing it.
6. “Now We Are Free” – Gladiator soundtrack.
Ok numbers 3 and 4 are stretches, but the parts I’ve called out really are so nice that in my mind they count.
What are yours? Not your current favorite songs, but your classics. Ones that you couldn’t kill by overplaying, even if you tried.
i lack self control
You know how the tagline for Pringles is, “Once you pop, you can’t stop”? Evidently my Pringles is a honey whole wheat english muffin. I had three today, with peanut butter. One for breakfast, one for lunch, and one as a snack of some sort. Yes, it’s sort of gross and I hope I don’t do it again.
another one for the chain
Last night I watched my first Charlie Chaplin movie, City Lights, and realized that one of the characters looks like Chris Noth. So now, Bob Dole = Chris Noth = Harry Myers.
Has anyone ever claimed that you look just like someone else they know? I always wonder if I’d agree with their assessment. The silliest comparison anyone’s made about me? I was a hostess at Houston’s in high school and a guest once proclaimed I was a mirror image of Mulan. Mulan is a cartoon. C’mon people.
Who have people likened you to?
completely unrelated…
1) My trivial news:
I was just reading Bob Dole’s bio on his Web site, and realized that he looks like Mr. Big. Check it out:
I’m starting to think Dole has moved in the opposite direction of the norm (politician turned actor) and he moonlights as Chris Noth. 
2) My not-as-trivial news:
Did you know that your food travels an average of 2,400 miles before reaching your plate? Consider your local farmer’s market! I picked up that tidbit from a fascinating talk I attended last night on the state of our nation’s agriculture. I learned about the Farm Bill, a major agricultural legislation that outlines provisions on subsidies, trade, food stamps, etc. It is worth $100 billion but is a mere 4% of the U.S.’s spending. Crazy, huh?
did you vote?
After work today, I cast my first in-person election ballots. It was actually quite fun, and I think I may skip the absentee ballots from now in on favor of in-person. I was the most intruiged by my four humongous ballots – each was probably about two feet long. I also liked my “I voted” sticker.
It’s also interesting how many different polling stations exist – a fire station, a library, a school, even volunteers’ garages. I personally cast my vote in the lobby of the neighborhood swimming pool but was secretly hoping that I might be able to vote at the fire station…no particular reason of course :p
I looked up the latest election results, and turns out a few of the propositions are swaying in the opposite direction of what I voted. I actually feel like I answered wrong or something. Ok, and I will admit that I had no idea who many of the candidates were so I either left those queries blank, or voted for the Chinese names. Very educated, I know.
a salute to salut
That is, Port Salut cheese. If you haven’t tried it, do it now. You’ll certainly rave over it as Wallace would.
My tried and true favorite though? Gotta be Muenster. Hmm…maybe I like things with orange rinds. Actually that’s not true. I dislike oranges. Oh wait! I love persimmons. Ok I guess I can’t really make this blanket statement.
Speaking of cheese, I’m going to this, but would love some company:
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Thursday, November 9
Food and Farming on the Urban Edge: A talk and reception featuring Ralph Grossi
6:30 to 8:30 pm
Ralph Grossi, president of the American Farmland Trust (AFT) and fifth-generation Marin County rancher, will give a presentation on the state of agriculture around the nation and farming on the urban edge. Grossi will also detail AFT’s Farm Policy Campaign and its vision for change in the 2007 Farm Bill. In the spirit of renewing connectedness between the farm community and the public, a reception of award-winning Marin cheeses, wines (for those 21 and over), and oysters will follow the talk. “Food & Farming on the Urban Edge” is sponsored by the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT), CUESA and AFT. The talk will take place on the second floor of the Ferry Building in the Port Commission Hearing Room. The event is free, but pre-registration is requested. E-mail julie@cuesa.org.
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Yes I know, I get really excited over very specific topics. Actually, I had been dying to go to the Titanic exhibit at the Metreon and finally hit it up today…it was fantabulous! Most amazing fact? One pound of coal moved the ship one foot, so it took 60 pounds to move the ship 60 feet…which took a mere 1.5 seconds. Isn’t that crazy?
And as promised, props to the Ramada Inn for the title. Man, I’m going to start running out of fake names.
happy (post) halloween!
But first. I think it’s a sign of old age when you look at your beautiful collection of dangly earrings, yet opt to wear your diamond studs instead because it’s more grown up and just makes more sense.
I’m serious! I went through that this morning when I was getting dressed. Oh, it’s a sad day indeed.
I am, however, never too old for Halloween. I was a grecian goddess (ok fine, unoriginal BUT I made my own bow and arrows by spray painting wooden rods gold, and made the other parts too! I felt quite resourceful). Unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries right when I turned it on Saturday night so I have no full costume shots. Here’s one from a friend’s camera though — Jing was a box of Franzia, tap and all.
I also hit up Castro last night with a friend in black, and one that wishes to keep it real. Glad to go for the experience, but at the end of the night, a few people were shot and well…yea, better to be safe at home in the future.
