bonnie & jason

Body Worlds 2 at The Tech Museum

We used part of my vacation day today to visit the Body Worlds 2 exhibit at The Tech Museum in San Jose. I was a little concerned that Alissa was going to freak out about the displays but she barely noticed anything. Actually, she was pretty well behaved for the whole thing as we kept her entertained with Cheerios whenever she got restless.

You’re not supposed to take pictures inside, but I sneaked a few here and there. Sorry for the funny angles and composition… not too bad for shooting blind.

Aside from the pictures I managed to take there were a bunch of other displays that were really cool. All these displays were made possible thanks to plastination, a technique of impregnating body parts with silicone rubber pioneered by German anatomist Gunther von Hagens. The technique itself is almost as interesting as the specimens themselves if you’re a geek like me. If you’re not a geek like me, there’s a good chance this whole idea is rather distasteful which is why I didn’t post too many pictures here. Instead, click here for those of you who are into this kinda thing.

After visiting this particular exhibit, we did a quick tour of the rest of The Tech. We didn’t stay long as it was getting late and Alissa is still too young to appreciate this kind of stuff. But I can definitely see us going back someday when Alissa is old enough to understand the plethora of interactive displays and activities.

Fleet Week San Francisco

We didn’t want to make the commitment of going to fleet week at Crissy Field so instead, we went to the top of Grand View Park and viewed the action from afar. Apparently, we weren’t the only people who thought this was a good idea as there were about 100 other people at the top of the stairs. I have to say, the action wasn’t nearly as spectacular as it is up close but then again, we got 30 minutes of a decent panoramic view without having to fight any crowds or parking or having to drive to the other side of own. Plus, I think Alissa may have freaked out at the noise from being so close to the action.

Alissa is not impressed:

“I guess they’re ok…”

They were pretty far away for most of it so we got broader views like this:

Alissa teething, Avenue Q, and Saigon sandwiches

Well, our super easy baby isn’t quite as easy now that she’s started teething. They haven’t erupted yet, but I think they’re on the verge as she’s drooling more, seems to be running a slight fever, and doesn’t go to sleep as readily as she used to. Also, she really goes to town on her teething pacifier, chomping down pretty hard with her gums. Here are a couple pictures from yesterday when I was setting up the backdrop for Kathy and Eric’s maternity studio session:

In other news, we went to see Avenue Q with Kathy, Eric, and Benita today. It was pretty darn funny although the music itself wasn’t all that great. I have to say, some of the lyrics were a little hard to pickup so maybe I’ll have to listen to the soundtrack to make sure I didn’t miss all the jokes. One thing that I didn’t miss was all the puppet sex. Yes, puppet sex. Pretty funny… certainly worth the price of admission just for that. =)

Before the show, we had lunch at Saigon Sandwiches. A coworker of mine claimed it to have the best Vietnamese sandwiches and if you remember from this post, I’m quite the connoiseur of Vietnamese sandwiches. (I stole this pic from Yelp.)

So what was noteworthy of this new contender? Well, first of all, this place is similar to Bahnwich in that there are two Chinese ladies working their tails off in a tiny little place trying to get the line of people out the door served. (Yes, there was a line out the door.) Second, the official menu is pretty limited, but what do you expect when the sign outside says, “Saigon sandwiches?” Despite the limited official menu, they still had a wide variety of drinks as well as other random snacks like spring rolls, mochi desserts, and other pre-made appetizer kinds of things that were not listed up on the board. There was also a shelf full of random Chinesey kinds of candy and snacks. Third, the sandwiches are all $2.50… including tax! Even cheaper than Bahnwich! Yeah, yeah, but how were they?

The bread was really good. The sauce was more sweet than savory. The pork was tasty. And the fixins (carrots, cilantro, peppers) were fresh. All in all, I’d say that they edged out Bahnwich but didn’t quite dethrone Vietnam Village. I guess I prefer the savory sauce and stronger BBQ flavor of Vietnam Village still. Maybe it’s because Vietnam Village is where I had my first sandwich. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been there so many times. Whatever the reason, they still hold the title of best Vietnamese sandwich.

Megan’s red egg and ginger party

Tony and Vicki threw Megan her red egg and ginger party at the Daly City Moonstar today. This is the first of a number of family outings we have planned over the next couple months. Tomorrow is Tyler and Rylee’s party. Tommy and Phyllis get married in a few weeks. Then there’s my brother’s bachelor party followed by his actual wedding. Before you know it, the holidays will be here and Alissa will be a year old! How time flies.

Here are a few more pictures from today.

Too… much… fun… can’t… stay… awake!

Who’s a big girl? I am, I am!

How many hands does it take to eat spaghetti? Two!

Untitled from Jason Wang and Vimeo.

Growing boys love buffet!

If I were in the Simpsons

You can create your own Simpsons avatar here.  Funny thing is, Dennis’ looks pretty much exactly the same… they don’t really have a lot of variation in Asian eye/hair combinations.  The only big difference is that he chose the super skinny body.  Of course, I chose the beefy body.  Not sure which one of us is more deluded.

Happy New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year!  It’s the year of the pig.  Actually, it’s the year of the Golden Pig which I guess only comes around every 600 years and is supposed to guarantee luck, good health, and prosperity.  As a result, I heard on NPR that the Chinese health system is planning on being overwhelmed with the number of people who will try to have kids this year.  Great, just what we need, more Chinese people! 

 

Alissa goes to Fisherman’s Wharf

 

Instead of yet another retail store, we went to Fisherman’s Wharf today.  It was beautiful out so we got a nice walk out of it and wandered among the tourists for a while.  As she usually does while strapped in her car seat, Alissa slept through the whole thing.

 

 

 

Alissa’s Chinese Name

My parents came up with a Chinese name for Alissa derived from her English first name.  Wang Ya Li (王雅莉) is literally translated as King – Graceful – Intelligent.  The “Li” part can also be interpreted as beautiful.  It’s a lot to live up to, huh?  Also, in case you don’t keep up with the Chinese zodiac, she was born in the year of the dog.  Here’s a description from http://www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/zodiac/dog.html:

People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other peoples’ confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog People are somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for their sharp tongues. Dog people make good leaders. They are compatible with those born in the Years of the Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit.

Thankfully, I’m a Tiger and Bonnie is a Rabbit so hopefully we’ll all get along!