01.29.01

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Steve!

Alice and Steve (October 2000)

The past couple of days I've been staying home working on my project. It's almost done...hopefully by tomorrow. Besides, the weather's been freezing! I mean, it's been worse than the unusual unbearable chill. The news today has been reporting snow in parts of the Bay Area! Anyhow, I think Ashlyn came down with something. She's been coughing and her nose is all runny. Ever tried picking dried buggers out of a baby's nose before? It's pretty tough because they squirm around a lot. Ashlyn hates it!...she'll turn her head from side to side and growl. *Down, girl!* I have a nose-aspirator, but it's not powerful enough.

My mom had some friends over tonight for their usual weekly jazz dance class. Afterwards they kicked it around our dining table...talking and laughing over fruit and snacks. My dad busted out some goodies he brought back from Taiwan...swaan-mei (or "mui", as my cantonese counterparts would say), pineapple cakes, chocolates, and dehydrated Durian chips. All the women raved about how it didn't even smell. Uh...I beg to differ. When Ashlyn and I walked into the kitchen, a lot of the women came right up to us and coo-ed at Ashlyn. No offense to my mom's friends, but the stench of their breath nearly made me and baby keel over! Durian is lethal!...no matter what form it's in.
Which reminds me of a funny story my friend, Darwin, once told me. He said how one time he, his mother, and her friends went to Baskin-Robbins and asked for Durian ice cream. The kid behind the counter said that they didn't have that flavor, so Darwin's mom and her friends left bitterly...complaining aloud that they couldn't believe a place that served 31 flavors didn't have Durian! HAHAHAHAHA! Darwin actually has a lot of funny fob stories. But it's the best when he tells 'em because he does it with the accent and everything! Oh, another interesting Durian story...Cin said that when she and the girls went to Thailand over the summer, there were "anti-Durian" signs posted throughout their 5-star hotel. Apparently some of the guests would buy Durian from the street vendors and eat it in their hotel room, and the odor would offend most of the other guests. HEHEHEHE Yeah, I'd believe that....Durian smells like foul rotting garbage. =P

Well, only 4 more days till Ivy and Oli's big day! This week looks hectic for me. But I'm really looking forward to it! =)

Ashlyn's pic of the day (with Grandpa)