i need this

nap / fish dish

after a sleepless night, taking a nap after work sounds heavenly. but kate woke me up soon after i laid down. I would'd been angry at her for disturbing my nap. but she said, "mom cooked fish for dinner. it's fresh." so I jumped out of my bed without a second thought. mom's fish dish is heavenlier than taking a nap.

panda says

needs a cup of tea; she had a sleepless night.

a turtle

kate went to carnival cruise in los angles, which at some point, harbored a Mexican coast and an islands on its way. five days four nights on the cruise costed her only around $350. a great deal. but considering to spend another $350 on ticket to fly to LA, I find the deal not so attractive to me.. anyways, she had lots of fun with her friend there. And she bought me a Mexican turtle! the shell of the turtle is removable. i am thinking what i can put in the turtle's stomach...

testing testing.

max got a camera, and he is testing his camera. :D it's a canon... I don't know what brand name i want to buy yet...

M&Ms

a song

heard of her songs for the first time last night. she is quite good, so is the music

amy winehouse - rehab

naming the baby!

my sister-in-law gave birth to a girl a few days ago. i was SOOOOO excited. it feels absolutely different. i am officially a 大姨 now. sounds so old but good! my sister is 小姨。 i am here to share my family's happiness with our friends and to bring luck to this little baby!

Last night, my dad (who is currently in China) called and asked us for suggestions about the baby's name. my sister and i both wanted the name to be profound and solid. But my dad apparently has a mind of his own. he insisted to choose a meaningful girly name. okay, he is the grandpa. and he named the baby 黄子窈。 isn't it girly and 琼瑶?! i think she will grown up as a beautiful girl. i haven't seen my little niece yet. but according to my dad, my little niece was the most beautiful baby among those who slept in the nursery room. every baby looks like an angel in the eyes of her/his family.

Later, my sister and I thought it would be nice to give the baby an English name. we decide to suggest the name Ramona to our brother and his wife. it's Spanish and Old German origin. people can nickname her as Mona, Mona Lisa... the beauty. the name, Ramona itself means "wise protectress." 子窈 (Ramona) is the first child in our family. we hope she can act as a wise and protective elder sister to her future siblings and cousins. we also hope she can be a wise protectress to her parents when she grows up. and of course, be wise to her own life. the fact that Ramona sounds rare, formal and serious can balances out the potential playfulness in her Chinese name.

But we will suggest to have Ramona as her middle name if she comes to the states. Overall, 子窈 is going to be her registered name in China. So, if my brother and his wife agree, the baby's name is going to be written as Ziyao Ramona Huang = Ziyao R. Huang. how NICE!

hot soup

i wasted an egg, a tomato, and half lime. i tried to make a hot soup without any recipe in mind. it turned out to be bitter?!! i am not sure if it was because of the rice wine i put in at the end... my nutritious vitamin rich soup was not eatable. what a shame...