Bonnie and I were spectators at the Stanley Beach dragon boat race, where teams not only competed for speed, but also for their costumes. It was the perfect way to spend a hot summer afternoon, splashed with water by the rowers and taking in the enthusiasm from the crowds. We ran into a few friends there so it definitely was the place to be!

The other part of this series was at home wrapping Jung (粽). Growing up I learned to make Jung with my grandma and mom, and honestly I like wrapping more than eating!

Basically Jung is a dumpling of glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaves. They come in sweet and savory varieties, and the fillings vary by everyone’s personal preference. The ones we made included salted pork, sautéed shallots, dried shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimp, dried scallops, and salted egg yolk… All of these ingredients were enclosed in a thick layer of sticky rice, then boiled until the rice was soft. Yummmm!

Our stay has been really busy so far, getting ready for 12 kids and 10 adults to join us tomorrow for the week-long adventure!

I’ve started a travel blog for this trip (and will do some backlogs eventually of my past travels)… so go check it out!

Also, if you’d like to get other updates from this week, check out the blog from Sprouts Cooking Club.

À bientôt !

Of course I brought my 5D Mark II with me! I captured a lot of fun moments and interesting scenery on our 5-day trip, so here’s a little quick highlight…

But of course, I have to credit my lovely sister for being a great model!

Here are a few images I took wandering the abandoned streets of Oakland with a friend at night…

I know of people who enjoy life in San Francisco for the liveliness that goes deep into the night; but don’t you think there’s also beauty in a deserted town?

This is a follow-up post on the “Geometry” post I made back in October. All images were taken from random strolls around town in the past week… I’m so glad the sun is out again.

Someone made a joke about how the pile of doll parts came from this Beatles cover.

(I’m on my way to Tahoe with my family right now, so I won’t be posting while I’m gone. Happy Holidays!)

Thought you had seen all the treasures from the Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Faire? Here’s more!

I know it’s not news, but it’s funny how glasses that have been around for decades are coming back into fashion. I only saw hipsters at this booth…

These are the items at the show that I definitely related to an older era.

I wanted to get myself a film camera, but just couldn’t decide which one to go for; I loved every single one of them!

And I spent about 20 minutes just sifting through the table with printing block letters. I was looking to get the perfect letters for a special someone, but couldn’t find any…

The portrait with the guy in plaid is my favorite from that day. He already had the perfect ensemble — the plaid jacket and newsboy cap, and the handlebar and chin puff facial hair. I was walking past him when he picked up a pipe from a vendor’s table. I raised my camera, and he turned to pose for me!

There’s a fabulous antiques show in Alameda held on the first Sunday of each month. I had heard so much about it, and I finally went to check it out on December 6.

It was a really cold day, and as you can see, there was a thick, ominous layer of rain clouds hovering over the show. The near-freezing temperature didn’t deter anyone, including me, from browsing through rows and rows of antique toys, furniture, housewares, and anything more than 20-years-old.

There are too many interesting items I saw that day, so I will make this into a multi-part post, each part with a theme. Enjoy!