09.30.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:52 pm by Administrator
I just had an interesting discussion with my cousin in the Philippines thanks to instant chats. He filled me in on the flood news there, then our conversation moved on to the problems with their “squatters.” And yes, when I visited there, I saw plenty of them. But oddly, we never really discussed them until tonight, and now I am interested to learn more. It should be no surprise that like us, the Philippines has their social and political problems, too. And that reminded me of an article I read this morning. The title was State to Mom: Stop Baby-Sitting Neighbors’ Kids“.
The reason why I recalled this article during our conversation was because it reminded me about laws. How do we determine which laws are good laws? And what are we to do with bad laws? In the article I referenced above a mom was allowing the kids of three of her friends to stay at her house for about an hour each morning before they caught their school bus. Well, apparently she was “turned in” by some neighbor citing some law they have in Michigan that “no one may care for unrelated children in their home for more than four weeks each calendar year unless they are licensed day-care providers.” I have no idea how that law got onto their books, but luckily there are some sane people out there who realize that it needs to be changed. “On Tuesday, agency Director Ismael Ahmed said good neighbors should be allowed to help each other ensure their children are safe. Gov. Jennifer Granholm instructed Ahmed to work with the state Legislature to change the law, he said.” Whew, thank God for compassion and reason. . . The question now is, will compassion and reason prevail? I hope they will have a follow up on the outcome of this one. . .
Marlakins
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09.25.09
Posted in food and restaurants, knitting and crocheting at 10:27 am by Administrator
The month of September is busy on my calendar for birthdays. There are about five birthdays that I personally make a point to remember in Sept. We just celebrated my mom’s birthday last week. My hubby is another September baby.
While going through this morning’s news, I came across an article titled, “Dating Tips: 9 Signs a Guy Is a Keeper”. Just for the fun of it, I decided to see what were the 9 tips. Upon reading them, I realized my hubby pretty much fits those tips and it’s no wonder then that after 23 years we are still happily married. Do we quarrel sometimes? Sure. But we always make up, heheheh. The last tip, #9, particularly stood out to me. It is “He Makes You the Best You Can Be”. While that item describes how the guy makes you feel like the luckiest woman alive, I saw it a little more differently. Brian is not only my #1 encourager, but through many of our experiences and discussions he has helped me to become a better person–kinder, more understanding, more compassionate. He feeds my soul. I know that I’m a much different person than when I first met him. Many of my beliefs and priorities have changed from 25 years ago. I have learned to listen more and not be overly offended by instruction and/or suggestions. I have learned that a wise man will flourish and grow with correction, while a foolish and prideful man will hate and disregard correction. I have learned that it’s okay to admit that at times I have been wrong, and that truth is more important than being right or winning an argument. I have learned that “pride” is what often hinders us from admitting our wrongs, and the Bible is very clear that “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall”. (Proverbs 16:18) Thus I am much more accepting to “meaningful” discussions of which we’ve had many. He has taught me to examine arguments more carefully and consider many more options. It has helped make my understanding of things fuller and deeper. Ordinarily I remember how much we’ve been through together (a LOT), but after reading that Brian is clearly a keeper, it adds a special touch to celebrating his birthday. How timely it was to stumble across that article.
So before I let time get away from me again, here are a few pics we took celebrating my mom’s birthday dinner last week. It was just the immediate family during dinner, and she had many of her other friends come over to her house the next day to celebrate some more. My mom’s restaurant of choice this year was Tokyo Waco where they serve both Teppan and Sushi. Here’s the some of the grub being cooked.
This is what a couple of the dishes looked like.
and one with some steak.
I preferred sushi, so I got a sushi plate.
I got carried away eating and forgot to take a picture of my other sushi roll before I started munching away. Here’s a pic of “part” of the salmon skin roll.
This usually comes with six pieces, but I had already devoured three of them, heh.
Here’s a pic of my boys during dinner.
Here’s a pic of the gang. They dressed my mom up in a kimono and a “wig” for her birthday. My sisters and I are right behind her. I’m behind her between my aunt and my mom.
It’s been a long-time practice for my boys to make homemade birthday cards. I think it started when they were just little tykes scribbling with their crayons. Matty was usually the head artist for the cards, but for my mom’s birthday this year Aaron decided to give it a go. He asked me for a little assistance and we came up with a joint effort. I crocheted three tiny flowers, and he drew the background by which we would glue the flowers down. Here’s how it turned out.
Not bad for a 15-year-old boy. . .
This is what was on the inside. Just like a boy, few words. . .
Oh, while I’m on the subject of restaurants, I wanted to put in a plug for Komachi’s in Torrance. We had lunch there the other day, and boy was it delicious and satisfying. I ordered a Chirash bowl pictured below.
They also had a lunch special with several different items on a platter.
This platter reminded me that it’s been a long time since I been to a Korean BBQ restaurant. They serve lots of condiments like this, too, and oh yum!
Okay, that’s about it for now. Better get my butt moving and be productive today. I realized that I never shared the pics for my dad’s birthday dinner. I guess I could do that another time to give a plug for the Water Grill. Wow, now they had fancy dishes, but boy was it pricey. . . eeesssh. Maybe that’s why my subconscious has been avoiding uploading those pics. But for variety I might add them later as it’s not asian food.
Toodles for now!
Marlakins
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09.22.09
Posted in Church Issues and Bible Interpretations, Health-related--Natural Alternative Treatments, Uncategorized at 7:09 pm by Administrator
This morning I saw the title of an article which stated that a 79-year-old Japanese man won a body building contest. I tried to click onto the link, but my state-of-the-art computer refused to cooperate. Apparently it was a video that just kept loading and loading. All I saw were the comments that he looked really good.
I’ve had an interest in centenarians and aging ever since I read Genesis because I was always fascinated by the accounts in the Bible of how certain people lived to be 900 years old. Noah was said to be around 600 years old during the flood and from reading the genealogies in the Bible, there were many more who lived to be at least that old. I know there are those who don’t believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible, but I do. And as a result, while our current life expectancy is around 70-80 years old or so, I believe that our bodies were designed to live much, much longer. So I wanted to see this 79-year-old body builder.
I didn’t find the video or picture of this 79-year-old body builder, but I did find some other interesting videos of very fit older people. I will say that it was very encouraging to see these people, and I am now inspired to make a bit more effort to do some weight training. I admit that I don’t enjoy exercise just for exercise’s sake. I’m one of those people who have to be going somewhere to walk, not just to walk for exercise. And so just sitting there lifting weights feels like a waste of time to me. However, I guess I should try to incorporated some weight training in my daily routine since I’m no spring chicken and aging and osteoporosis could be just around the corner for me, yikes! So with that thought, I found some women body builders who I find inspiring. Check out this 78-year-old-woman!
What great skin tone! I thought the saggies were inevitable, but she looks pretty darned good. . .
If that wasn’t encouragement enough, I found another woman aged 86 who also looked great. Check her out.
This reminds me of the story in Genesis when the Pharaoh spotted Abram’s wife, Sarai, and wanted her as one of his women. I mean at the time the Bible describes her to be about 100 years old! Yet, she still looked good to the Pharaoh. I figured Sarai was obviously not aging the way we do today. Times have changed. . . But seeing these body builder women gives me a glimpse of how the human body is really capable lasting longer in a more healthful or youthful condition than expected.
And then I also found this cute video of a 98-year-old man. I love the way he’s spending his time, particularly with the children. What a wonderful way to live.
Now I am inspired. There were more videos at YouTube of other fit elderly people, so that’s very encouraging. Hmmm. Between household chores, errands, preparing food for the fam, and knitting I’ll have to find some time to work in weight training. How else can I last long enough to see and “carry” me grand babies that I keep dreamin’ ’bout? Hmmm. Maybe I’ll start by lifting my iron skillets while stir frying, heheheh.
Marlakins
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09.15.09
Posted in Playing the Tourist, felt projects, food and restaurants, knitting and crocheting at 5:27 pm by Administrator
Nothing too exciting happening on this end. Just doing the usual chores that consume our time. But, just to keep the blog updated, I’ll add some pics of the things I’ve been up to for the past few days. House cleaning and repair work are kinda boring, so I’ll skip that for now. I did take the boys this weekend to Chinatown for a couple errands. For those who haven’t been to Chinatown, it’s located in Downtown Los Angeles. This shot is off of Hill Street.
I wanted to take my youngest son to a Chinese bookstore that I stumbled into one day that happened to carry the Chinese curriculum he likes. It’s the older version of the Chinese Reader, which has been updated, but Aaron doesn’t like the new format. So it was really nice that I found a store that sold the series in the old format.
One thing I enjoy is traveling and learning about different cultures. So that’s one reason why I really enjoy popping into some places even though I don’t understand the language and can’t read the signs. It’s just fun to see the types of things they sell and see the people. And since this was a bookstore which carried mostly Chinese material, I couldn’t read anything. It sure gave me a feel of what it’s like not to be able to read. Occasionally I think of how strange it is not to be able to read. Well, at this store I got a taste of what it feels like. Imagine a whole bookstore filled wall to wall with books like these.
A few stores down from this bookstore was Foo Chow, the restaurant that Jackie Chan used in his film Rush Hour.
I got a chuckle at how they “painted” advertisement on the side of their restaurant that it was used in Jackie Chan’s movie, hehehe.
Another thing that caught our eye was this “solar powered” trash compactor just outside of this restaurant. I’ve never seen one of these before, but hey, not a bad idea. . .
Here’s the top with the solar panels just under the plastic cover.
We continued to walk around and snoop around the vendors’ tables. I like the idea of supporting small businesses, so we picked up a few little items from them. Then we headed off towards the garment district in Downtown. Years ago I used to sew a lot more than now, and one of my favorite stores was Micheal Levine’s in Downtown. This is what part of the garment district looks like in the section where they sell lots and lots of fabrics.
There are rows and rows of stores along this street selling not only fabrics, but anything to do with sewing such as batting, trimmings, foam, etc.
Along this street is the store I was looking for–Micheal Levine’s. This time I wasn’t heading there for fabric, but yarn. They didn’t have yarn there years ago, but now they also carry yarn and other yarnie supplies. This is what I was after when I got there.
One hank of Cascade yarn to do some repair work on Matty’s sweater and a pair of Addi Turbo Lace needles! because I needed to spend at least $20 to get free parking, heheh. What a good excuse, huh?
Here’s the sweater that needed the repairs. It’s the first gansey I ever made in human size. Matty actually liked it quite a bit and has worn it like a uniform at times resulting in worn out cuffs. . .
I’m not sure how he wore them out like that, but I was just thinking that he’s gotten plenty of use out of the sweater, so was going to consider it time for retirement and toss it. BUT, then I remembered that one of the things I liked about the gansey design was that if the sleeves wore out, I could just rip the sleeves back down and re-knit them. . . Ah, here was my chance to try out this selling point of the pattern. So I got the yarn at Micheal Levines, then started to work. Here it is with the cuffs cut off and the needles back on. I decided to cut off the sleeves rather than unravel them as I figured I could felt the little pieces and maybe use them for some felting projects like flower pieces or something.
In a short while, the cuffs were done. I’m glad I decided that I should try to salvage the sweater because, hey!, Matty likes it and why not? Here are the repaired sleeves.
Now let’s see how much more wear he can get out of it. I noticed that the color of the yarn looks different when I use the flash as opposed to when I don’t. The true color of this yarn/sweater is closer to the pictures where I used the flash such as in the hank of yarn picture and the picture where the repair work on the cuffs are in progress. It’s more of a brown than a gray.
Well, that’s all for now. I’ve been hopping up and down to cook dinner and type this post. Dinner is just about done, and so it this post, so toodles for now!
Marlakins
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09.09.09
Posted in Uncategorized, knitting and crocheting at 6:34 pm by Administrator
I just popped into my blog today and found that Wordpress must have updated their program. So I’m going to have to learn to navigate it again, ugh (I’m not a great computer person, so I tend to struggle with this. . . ) I generally find my knitting updates the easiest to post, so decided to update my yarn projects while I figure out Wordpress’s new format. This weekend I decided to work up the purse kit I got from Suss Designs. Here’s the contents of the kit. 
I noticed that the level listed on the card is “beginner,” but the experience level listed on the instructions is “intermediate,” heheh. Regardless, it is a pretty straight forward pattern and a good beginner project. While the overall purse is a very simple knit stitch, I can see why the instructions calls for intermediate skills because of the sewing for the lining and also for the crocheted flower. However, I decided to make a different flower and attach it with a pin, which I’ll show on the completed purse. Here’s the beginning step of this project. 
I found that I didn’t have to wind the hand up into a ball. I could just unwind it and knit along the way and when I wanted to take a break, I could just twist up the hank again to keep it orderly. After I finished knitting the bag portion of the purse, I folded it, sewed the sides together and then sewed the handles on. Here’s a pic with one of the handles attached along with the lining I picked out from my fabric stash. 
The instruction said to knit the bag longer, but I wanted to make it look more like the picture, so I stopped knitting and the hank above is what was left over with the yarn. Seems I could almost make another purse with that. . . After I sewed the handles on, I sewed in the lining. It was kind of hard to get a good picture of the inside of the bag to show the lining, but this is what I got. 
Then I decided to work on the flower. As I mentioned, I didn’t quite like the flower on the pattern because I’m making this as a present for my mom, and that flower just didn’t look like my mom’s style. So I found a flower pattern from Nicky Epstein’s Knitted Flowers book. Here’s what the flower looked like in progress. 
Here’s what it looked like completely assembled. I still needed to sew it onto the pin here. I decided to sew it onto a pin instead of directly onto the purse in case my mom wanted to remove the flower. If she likes it and wants me to, I can sew it directly to the purse later. 
Okay, now that I’ve gotten this far into the post, I can say that the upgrade Wordpress made sure makes it easier to attach pictures! So I think I’m liking this new feature so far. 
So moving right along, here’s the completed purse. I put a picture of the kit purse for comparison. I like my flower better, heheh. And since it’s on a pin, it can be moved to different spots on the purse. 
By the way, the flower in the kit calls for crochet, but I used a knitted flower pattern. I know there are many cute crochet flowers, so that’s definitely an option for more interchangeable flowers. The other project I finished recently is a pair of socks for Andrew. Here it is in progress. 
And here it is completed with Aaron modeling them for me. 
The yarn I used was Sock-Ease by Lion Brand. One ball makes a pair and the color is #202. I guess they don’t give it a name because it has mixed colors? Oh well, it’s the first time I’ve used this yarn, and I think it works up nicely and is nice to work with. I would like to try some of their other colors in this yarn.
Welp, that’s all folks. The fires are not quite out yet, but getting contained and less smoke around. I was shocked to see Halloween decorations or advertisements out already, then I realized that it’s already September, oye. . . It’s amazing how fast time flies by! No time to slack!
Marlakins
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09.04.09
Posted in Book Reviews, Church Issues and Bible Interpretations, History, Uncategorized at 10:34 am by Administrator
The Skull Measurer’s Mistake by Sven Lindqvist is a short, but interesting book dealing with racism in history. Lindqvist writes that, “The history of racism is not only about racists. Throughout history there have also been people who have seen through the errors of racists and protested against their abuses. This book is about some of those people.” In keeping with Lindqvist’s writing style in Exterminate All the Brutes, Lindqvist writes in an easy to follow and straightforward narrative. He quotes many people in history including the references from where those quotes and ideas come in reference to the climate of the times. Once again, he has taught me much more about our history, particularly in light of racism. Understanding racism a bit better helps me to recognize it more easily when I see it. Many racist ideas and terminologies have continued to carry on in our world today and is more evident now that we currently have an African-American president.
I grew up hearing the terms “white people,” “black people,” “brown people,” “yellow people,” and “red people.” It was normal for me to hear that when referring to different people of different ethnicities. However, when I met Brian, he didn’t like it when I used those terms. He would tell me he didn’t know what I was talking about. He asked me how did I judge or know who was white or black? People can be mixed (and more often than not are), but it’s not always evident. But most of all, the reason he didn’t like those terms were because he believed they were racist terms used primarily for slavery. And it has only been relatively recent that I find that I’ve been somewhat confused about the term “racism,” too. And upon reading the news recently regarding issues dealing with Sotomayor and Obama, I’m seeing that many other people are also confused by the terms racist/racism and ethnic or ethnicity, etc. Sadly, I’ve only seriously examined racism more recently as I’ve been reading about Africa and our history of colonialization. And now after reading Sven Lindqvist’s books, The Skull Measurer’s Mistake and Exterminate All the Brutes, it has been made much more clear how those terms of skin color have been used throughout history to create a system by which anyone other than “white” aka the “superior class” naturally would and could be subjugated by inherent right. Terms separating the colors of people were fabricated to justify colonialization and subjugation by various Europeans. People other than white were considered less than human, less intellectual, barbaric and unfeeling, no different from animals. However, as Lindqvist (and even Brian) pointed out, it’s very subjective how one is deemed either white or “non-white.” This becomes more evident when we look at the history of how the Jews were looked upon as well as the Irish, the Egyptians, the Armenians and Turks, the Boers, and many other ethnic groups. It becomes much more difficult to determine who among them were white or black (non-white) solely by looking at their skin color, yet amongst the subjugators, they were not all looked upon as white, but rather inferior and even given labels such as “white negroes.” Today we see it termed “white trash,” and other names. The terms live on, and we use them today unwittingly further validating that such designations truly exist, and are even “neutral” to describe a people. They are not neutral and I see now, more than ever how it is a mistake for us to continue using those terms. We do not have a black president, we have an African-American president. Black is a racist term, African-American is the proper designation of his ethnic heritage. And for those who said during the election that Obama isn’t black, but Muslim when referring to his ethnicity, well that was really messed up because the term Muslim isn’t an ethnic term either, but a term used to denote religious affiliation, not ethnic affiliation. From reading comments online, I see that there is a lot of confusion out there.
In discussing the issue with the Jews in Germany, Lindqvist wrote,
“Those who captured Alsace-Lorraine from France in 1870 are now applying their racial theories to the French Jews there and calling them “Semites.” The Germans have always loved to give their hatred a veneer of science. But “semitic” is a linguistic term that describes a language group–that there should be a corresponding biological race is only an assumption. To want to found the nation on a common race, as the Germans do, is just as backward as the Russians wanting to found theirs on a common faith. ‘All modern nations are racially mixed. We are all half-breeds.’
So cultural fellowship is more important than biological. Let us quite simply admit, says Leroy-Beaulieu, that in disposition, abilities and intellectual habits, a French Jew, even if called a Semite, is far closer to us than an Indian Brahmin, even if he is called Aryan.”
From the viewpoint of the Christian, these separations of color should be ridiculous because if we believe the Bible, then we are all descendants of Adam and Eve. We are all essentially one blood despite the fact that many of us have been separated for generations and certain characteristics may have become dominant or recessive. Charles Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest, the strong will eliminate and conquer the weak is contrary to the Bible in more than one way because not only is the theory of evolution contrary to the account of creation in Genesis, but it is also contrary to Jesus’s teaching that we are to care for the weak such as the orphans and widows. The king’s duty, according to the Bible is to advocate for the poor, not to subjugate them or take away their lands and rights and colonize.
Lindqvists quotes many people in history who have questioned racism which raised very thought provoking concepts. One such concept was that race was somehow aligned with the degree of primitiveness. That is, the African due to their inherent race was unable to build a sophisticated society as evidenced by their current cultural way of living. Lindqvist wrote:
“The white races have succeed in convincing themselves that God almighty has created them as lords over not only animals and plants, but also over the rest of mankind. Two hundred years ago, this doctrine was accepted quite uncritically and the subjugated races believed in their own inferiority. But today there is a constantly increasing number among them who accept nothing else except equality between the races.”
Lindqvist quotes Theophilus Scholes who challenged the notion that primitiveness was related to inferior races and thus reflected upon the color of one’s skin. Scholes uses the Egyptians as an example of how they were once considered white while they were admired; however, once they began to be despised, they were considered colored. The Greeks were thought to be the core of European identity, says Martin Bernal, and romanticism idolized the Greeks with their culture and asserted that only racially “pure” civilizations could be creative it followed that racial and cultural mixing in Ancient Greece had to be denied.
What it boiled down to was that only cultured civilizations could be born from the “superior white races.” Scholes challenged that “unless it can be proved that the Egyptians were white at the time when they were the most civilized people in the world, and the white races were black at the time when they were primitive tribes–unless that is proved, the theory that progress and greatness go together with whiteness, and inferiority with black skin, cannot be believed.
“Racial prejudice rests on delusions, much as slavery and the burning of witches do. . . ”
Among other historical events Lindqvist covers is the treatment of the American Indians in the U.S. He writes of the continued broken treaties with the Cherokee and their subsequent loss of land and rights as it relates to racism. Lindqvist’s book, The Skull Measurer’s Mistake has been very enlightening to me. It amazes me how much of history is obscured and not ordinarily taught to our children. We are taught that the importance of history is so that we don’t repeat our mistakes, but ironically we aren’t taught history effectively. I think this is evident with the current widespread continuance of racism and the general lack of understanding of it.
Two thumbs up for The Skull Measurer’s Mistake by Sven Linqvist. I’m going to try to get a hold of his other book called, A History of Bombings. I’m anxious to see his insight on that subject.
Marlakins
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09.02.09
Posted in Uncategorized, knitting and crocheting at 9:13 pm by Administrator
The fires are still burning by us, and if the news reports are correct, these fires are expected to continue burning for a few weeks more. Ugh, I guess that means we’ll be breathing puke for a while. Just last Monday the air index was said to be 398 in the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys. Anything over 100 is considered unhealthful air quality. Grrrr. And I was supposed to meet up with my sister and a friend for lunch in the San Fernando Valley. Instead, I asked them if they’d come out my way since so far the air quality was better. Luckily they agreed and we ended up eating at the Farmer’s Market on 3rd and Fairfax, then did a little shopping at the Grove. I’ve been knitting up little baby stuffs for our friend and apparently she wanted to get me a gift for it. Oye! That was a nice surprise, but I told her I really didn’t need anything. Regardless we wandered in Banana Republic and then through a store called Anthropologie. Now I usually enjoy wandering through Anthropologie because they not only have clothing, but fun stuff for the home including bedding stuffs, dishes, knobs and hooks, and all sorts of kitchen and bathroom trinkets. I came across a very cute dish that I thought I could use as a butter dish (we consume a lot of butter in this house, and our butter dish is just a small plate that tends to look messy). So she bought it for me!!!! How sweet. This is what it looks like with and without butter, hehehe.
Since the dish is a little small, I had to cut the butter stick in half to fit, but that’s okay with me! I think it’s adorable, hee! Much better looking than how I had my butter before, anyway, because my plate didn’t have a cover. Now I have a cover and look how tidy and lovely it looks when the butter is not in service. . .
Yeah, yeah, I know. The things that that excite me, huh? It’s the little things in life. . . Thanks, Mary Ann!
Speaking of more little things in life, I’ve been working on socks for Matty as he’s a bit picky with his socks. He’s taken a liking to my knitted socks and particularly a couple of pairs I made for him a while back with the foot portion knitted up in a cotton/wool blend and the leg portion knitted up in wool. I finished off two pairs for him. Here’s the first pair in progresses.
And the second pair in progress. . .
And here are the two pairs completed.
Yeah I know, pretty plain, but hey, they’re functional. . . And most of all Matty likes them as they are made out of the materials he likes and they are custom crafted to fit his feet. I’m currently working on another pair for Andrew and just today Brian asked me to make him 10 pairs of ankle socks, oye! But at least they’re ankle socks, so those should work up pretty fast.
It’s still pretty hot here in L.A. to think of wearing these socks, but in a month or two they’ll start looking more appealing. It’s amazing to think how hot and dry it’s been here while I know from news of the Philippines, it’s been raining and even flooding there, yikes! Why is the water so unevenly distributed? LOL
Marlakins
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