Meet the Parents!

Watching the news about Sandy sweeping New York, oh my! I hope my friends are all safe and prepared for all sudden situations that might happen in next couple of days.

This week was quite special for Ming and I, Ming's parents are visiting from North Carolina, and they are staying with us. Although both Ming and I needed to go to work during the day, it was certainly nice to come home and have dinner all together. Actually, I did see them during the day time, they gave me a surprise visit at work! And I was able to give them a Cocaobella Chocolates tour :)

They also had a swell time visiting baby Alex, and trying out new restaurants around our neighborhood. At first, I was worried because we didn't plan much special activities, but Ming reminded me normal family time is the best time. And I have to agree with him, most of our time spent together was cooking dinner together, chatting through dinner, and watching baseball in the evening. Everything being so easygoing and relaxing, we all have a great time getting to know each other. Ming's mom and I both enjoy gardening and like to try new recipes, Ming's dad and I have a habit of drinking tea in the morning, and Ming? I found out he was a really quiet baby back in the day :)

I've always wanted to have hotpot, but two people can't eat that many dishes... four is just right :) 

Things Not Going as Planned?

Last Wednesday was a big day, I've arranged an exterminator to take a look at our backyard, I'm so relieved that there's a chance that we can finally reclaim our vegetable garden:)
But then my manager also asked if I could come in early for work, of course I would love to help out if it's possible, so I told him I'll see what I can do. I got it all planned out. The exterminator was arranged to come at 10am, and that would give me plenty of time to get to work by 11.30, half an hour earlier than my original shift.
That day, I woke up early, put the bread dough I rose last night in the oven, did some cleaning, and even got extra time to get ready for work! I was putting my makeup on when the doorbell rang. I ran down, greeted the exterminator, and without a minute to loose I led him to the backyard.
Everything came crashing down when the exterminator closed the backyard door behind us and locked us both out.
All I have on my body was my clothes.
"Did you bring your phone?" I asked him.
"It's in my truck..."
Several things flashed through my brain and like a responsible, logical human being I began to panic. 1. bread in the oven, still baking. 2. work to go to. 3. No way of getting into my house or out of my backyard, or even call for help.
After climbing over my neighbor's fence and yelling at their window to see if they're home, I finally got the attention of a neighbor who came out to tend to her fruit trees. After learning my situation, she ran into the house to call a locksmith for me. And since we were two houses away from each other we could only exchange a conversation through yelling.
"The locksmith said he won't come unless you answer your phone."
"But I'm locked out! How can I get to my phone?"
"That's what I told him!"
20 minutes later
"The locksmith said he's at your front door but he won't open the door unless he sees you"
"If I can open the door and greet him, why would I need him here?"
"That's what I told him!"
By the time I was able to get back in the house, my bread was thoroughly burned, I was late for work, and the locksmith left me with a hefty bill and a bad scratch on my front gate. I didn't even have time to argue, I just sent to locksmith on his way and hurried to work. When I got on the bus, I realized in shock that I only applied half my make up on before all hell broke loose...
And the day has been uphill from that point.
We try to do things to make life better for our loved ones, but sometimes it just doesn't turn out the way we planned. That evening, Ming came home to a damaged gate, burnt bread, still sad-looking garden, and a bill from an overpriced locksmith. For me, I'm just glad he's back.

Home-made bread, one of a kind, with a super-smoky flavor, and hard as a rock! 

First week at work...

First week at work, so far so good. Of course, there are a couple things I wonder if I can keep up with, can I actually wake up 20 minutes early and put make up on everyday? As a sales associate, I think appearance is important. Might not be the key component in making a sale, but looking nice is certainly a plus. I remember reading the employee handbook at my first day of work and one sentence really caught my eye.

Here goes: All piercings and tattoos must be tasteful

I've heard that facial piercings and tattoos can hinder someone in finding a white collar job, in this particular case, I guess only ugly ones will pose as a threat :)

With no prior experience in retail, there's a whole operations part I need to learn. Hitting sales goals, checking merchandise, putting in special orders etc. But I love the people part! Meeting customers everyday, learning their needs and preferences, giving them suggestions and telling them stories... What attracted me to this company is their dedication in knowing the chocolatiers we work with. Although only a handful of them are physically close to us, we go out of our way to get to know all of them. We learn about stories from third generation cocoa bean growers in Mexico, a Chocolatier from Oakland California running a one-man operation, small chocolate shops in Belgium. These stories about chocolate just fascinates me and I can't wait to share with everyone who walks into the shop!

Apart from daily chores, there's fun things like messing with the display window :) 

Or participate in annual wine walks, have you ever paired chocolate with red wine? 

Apart from knowing the story, I mean I also need to know how these chocolates taste. And I take tasting chocolates very seriously, I try to taste at most 5 pieces a day. Sadly I keep exceeding this quota, and this is going to bite me at some point.

When I interviewed for the job, my prospective manager then told me. The chocolates we carry at this store have a shorter shelf life because it's made with less sugar. Many generic brands of chocolate bars use sugar as a stabilizer and preservative; so they pile sugar in their bars. "That's why we eat chocolates all day and we don't get fat!" I was like that's music to my ears. 

After a couple of days working and happily tasting all kinds of chocolates, I saw my manager bringing carrot sticks and oranges to work as snacks... I commented how healthy his habits are, and he casually remarked how much weight he gained after taking this job. Ahhhhhh! I knew it! 

I'm going to work tomorrow

I put a lot of thought to how should I write this post... Getting a job had been my goal for the last four years, now that I finally got one, the circumstances are so different from then it just doesn't make sense. Four years ago, I wanted a job in the US just to prove to myself and everyone that I can make it on my own away from home. Then in the middle of that I met Ming and got married, so it's not about flying solo anymore. The past and the present made me reflect honestly on myself and do myself a favor. To finally get some of those really simple lessons in life right is a good feeling.

Let's start it this way, in my experience destiny only hands me things I want, when I am ready for them.  When I started looking for a job in August, I did not have the right attitude. I was scared, impatient, not willing to put in the work because I'm not guaranteed any results. When I was in college, hard work guaranteed results, and I got spoiled. I was obsessed with following textbooks, so even when I started job hunting, I was in panic until Ming put a book in my hand, "Don't Send a Resume" a step-by-step book that helps you land a job.

Slowly, I wrote one letter after another, one resume after another, and I learned to be interviewed and also interview my prospective bosses. I learn something new through each process, and started to enjoy this quite a bit. But the attitude's still not right, like four years ago, I kept thinking getting the job is the end. This way of thinking actually affects how I talk to a prospective employer, it sends off a scent of desperation, and often I'll sell myself short because I was so eager to be employed. Then one day, I finally got it, and told myself what I have told others previously... life is a process! Enjoy the process when you can, because tomorrow it's going to be different! That day, I got a call from my current employer for an interview. 

For the next three months, I'll be working at a Chocolate store that specializes in high-end imported chocolates. I still want to work around food, but I wanted experience in a business environment which I have never worked at. Am I still nervous about my career choice? Of course I am! But then this time, I think destiny decided to give me a hand.

Recently I attended a friend's birthday party, his wife is a wonderful musician, and so are their friends. They organized a mini concert, and it was such a treat to see so much work and talent unfold in front of my eyes. When I was in school, a successful restauranteur told me, "Follow your bliss, and everything else will follow you." The musicians I saw that night are successful, they love what they do and their music touched people. And I will try my best to do the same, even though I'm not so sure what that is yet.

one of the bands that performed that night: the sexy librarians. I love their work, the music is corky, cute, and definitely special! 

Getting rid of rats from my garden...suggestions?

My mom is not going to like this post... I wonder if she would even visit us anymore. She is terrified of rodents: mice, rats, and even squirrels. Many years ago, when my parents were newlyweds, my mom fled after seeing a rat in their apartment. She refused to return unless my dad got rid of them. And my dad did, he used fried fish and traps. Later, they even adopted a cat.
Fast forward many years later, I can't believe I'm facing a similar problem.

A bit about out garden:

The garden is located at the sunset district of San Francisco, very close to the ocean. The natural soil is very sand-like, so the grass you see in the picture is not a natural occurrence. The place where we are having a rat problem is not here, but the two alleyways at both sides of our house, where there are two raised planters installed. A month ago I transplanted my darling seedlings into the South facing planter, and realized we were not alone.

This picture was taken 3 weeks ago, now almost all the leaves are gone, chomped off, eaten...

Until Ming saw the rats last week, I had been in denial, it has got to be bunnies or birds. Then I saw them with my own eyes, and I realized we have to do something. We researched online and asked around for advice and came up with 3 quicker solutions and 3 tougher ones.
Easy ones: spray chili water over the plants, spray fox/wolf urine around, and plant odorous plants around the garden,  such as garlic, onions, and chives, I read rats don't like mint either.
Tough solutions: traps, the ones that would kill the rat. humane traps, then release them as far away as possible, or, we can buy a motion sensing electronic owl that hoots... Since owls are a natural predator, rats would stay far away from the garden.

Progress: I am reluctant to put animal urine in the soil which I grow food, so I went with solution 1 and 2. So far it seems the chili water worked, the rats stopped eating my plants at the rate they did previously. As for growing odorous plants, I am not so sure if it worked. I mean, the rat snapped off the green shoot of a scallion but didn't eat it...  either way, both methods didn't stop them from frequenting my garden, and I certainly want them gone!

So it leaves us taking the rough route. Kill? I'm not sure if I want to do that. Trap? I don't want to put a rat in our car, and I certainly do not want to walk around with a rat in a cage. The electronic owl, read online reviews and it doesn't work that well with rats...

Suggestions?