New Roof

I guess waiting for summer to re-do our roof isn't going to cut it. The first major storm revealed a leak in the Master Bathroom. There is now gross, crumbly, dry-rotted plaster at the top window frame that we have yet to replace. But before we could do that, we had to first address the leak source: the roof.

Two layers of attempted quick-fixes for past leaks made the roof an absolute mess, and the house was bearing more weight than it should, not to mention a lot of the plywood and crossbeams were sustaining dry-rot and termite damage.

Here are some before shots of our sad, tan-bark colored roof:





Here's the work-in-progress while we nervously prayed for it not to rain:





And here are the end results, our 40-year-warranty Landmark composition roof in thunderstorm gray:





Complete with new metal flashings:



Eyebrow vents for heat ventilation during the hot months (there weren't any vents on our old roof!):



Meanwhile, on the inside, we continue our new-knobs fetish by changing out the old closet knobs and handles, flecked with paint:





New white knobs and brushed-chrome handles with white details:





We hung the mountain-scene oil painting that Tung chose in our living room. The neatly-centered mathematical precision is all Tung's. Ahh, what a warm and homey living room it's shaping up to be.




The kitchen is also starting to shape up. What Asian house is complete without a gargantuan box of Cup-o-Noodles or ramen for food emergencies?



Here is our newly-cleaned microwave oven:



And all my washed, dried, and organized silverware and cutlery. And chopsticks (another Asian-household staple). I am stocked, baby!







Argos came by for a visit today. Of course, he made himself right at home.

Appliances and Furniture

We're still hard at work getting the new house ready. Here's Tung lining the pantry shelves with his super high-tech tool:


Our front door now boasts extra security measures such as two deadbolts. Because I grew up in the Eastside, and you can never be too careful.


And here's the cute little peephole Tung installed for me:



In the past few weeks, we got our appliance and furniture delivered. Tung made me pose with our new washer and dryer set. . .



. . . so I made him pose with his brand new lawnmower. See how thrilled he is to go from pampered townhouse dweller to actually having to take care of his own lawn.


We got two sofa sets on President's Day. One is for our front, formal dining/living room: almond-colored leather with mahogany wood accents. I know, we need a coffee table. But for now, the empty box that our garbage can came in would suffice.



Here are views of the sofa and loveseat, with shipping styrofoam still intact on the legs.




Our other sofa set is ivory-colored recliners for our family room, where we can kick back and watch TV.


Here are the front views of the sofa and loveseat:




The family room set is a 3-piece, including a rocking recliner that I hauled to my study/office. Er, I mean, "our" study/office.



We also got our Frigidaire stainless-steel refrigerator delivered.

Today, Tung ran a copper water line from under the sink to the fridge. Hooray for finally having a source for food preservation, and for water and ice availability!



Side-note cuteness honorable mention: my bag holder that's supposed to match with the eventual all-stainless-steel appliances of my kitchen.


Now we've got to wait for good weather to get our roof replaced. The inside of the house, at least, is starting to feel a lot more like home.

Tet 2010

Lunar New Year--that which the Vietnamese call "Tet"--is my favorite holiday. The house has been cleaned, incense burns on the altar to welcome home the spirit of ancestors, fresh flowers decorate altars and tabletops, and an abundance of festive food is served, rare to find any other day of the year. The celebration lasts for three days, in which time people go around their relatives' houses to wish them a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year, and to give and receive little red envelopes with money. Red is considered lucky and auspicious, so from firecrackers to florals, it is a common decorative color. 2010 welcomes the Year of the Tiger, a bold year, a strong year, a year to go after what you want and take it without qualms or misgivings. Here are some pictures to brighten the blog wall for Tet.

Fruit and tea offerings sit on the altar. The red candles stay lit for all three days.



Red gladiolus are common flowers on display, along with cherry blossoms or quince for their pink-reddish hue.


Yellow chrysanthemums are another popular decorative flower. My name in Vietnamese means "pink chrysanthemum." These typically bloom in the autumn, when I was born.


Red firecrackers littering the ground are a common site for the first of New Year's. People traditionally light them during New Year's Eve to scare away bad spirits and to welcome in the new.

Happy Year of the Tiger!

3rd Kyu

I was worried about the usual things: forgetting to breathe, running out of steam, my throat going dry so I'd be longing for a sip of water halfway through. That I'd brain-freeze through sankyo and mix it up with yonkyo. I coached myself that nikyo from kata dori is the same as ikkyo except for the pin, but that nikyo from shomenuchi requires the hand change early on.


Keep the "Freddy Krueger fingers" pointing northward when executing an ikkyo lock.


Keep my nikyo-ura tight and torqued, as if "the opponent's palm is a mirror you're trying to keep turned towards you."


Keep my sankyo glued to my sternum, rise and twist.


And yonkyo! I have so much trouble with that one with my small hands grasping my various training partners' huge forearms that I just had to somehow pull it off and make it look halfway decent.

Funny thing after the test, because everything I worried about weren't the techniques Sensei ended up critiquing. Instead, I was told that my irimi hand needed to come over higher, reach to the ceiling, like a wave breaking over rocks. And that my lower hand during tenchi nage needed to reach to the ground, especially important for a shorty like me taking down often-taller training partners. That for my yokomen response in kihon waza, I needed to get in there and stop the attack early on.

There is a moment I remember vividly from my test, a kernel of meaning in chaos, a burst of sunshine amidst the fog of nervousness and uncertainty. When I was executing a kotegaeshi, one of the last techniques on my test, I felt a sudden shift from the normal sitfall-to-roll-over response from my test partner. A quick grab on my gi sleeve to prep, and suddenly he sailed through the air in a highfall, his body heavy beside me one moment, weightless and airborne the next. The first time I launched someone in a highfall, I was so surprised I almost let go--not very safe for the person taking ukemi. This time, it felt right and natural. Never during our practicing together for the past almost-three months did my test partner execute a highfall, and yet, without any former planning or communication between us, this spontaneity, this display of trust for my ability to take him down well, this self-confidence in drawing from my ki during a technique, warmed my heart and made me smile.


There are many things I need to learn how to do better, techniques I still have to work on. But for just a small moment in time, it wasn't a test I was taking, but the creation of a memory that exemplifies euphoria and zen. Because despite the long journey ahead, in that moment I was able to find the "ai" in aikido.