/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Ling wanted to surf in Hawaii.  The 4 times I tried almost 30 years ago, my church youth group leader taught me—for free.  Another friend gave Scott a lesson about 20 years ago—for free.  So I wasn’t enthusiastic about spending a lot of money, but I’ve run out of surfing friends with... Read more

/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Yesterday the whole family awoke at 2:15 a.m. for the drive to see sunrise at Haleakala.  It’s been my mother’s dream and I thought Scott and I should enjoy this romantic escapade before we die. My sister wrote that she vaguely remembered doing Haleakala at sunrise with her husband, that it wasn’t very... Read more

“What do you want to do while we’re in Hawaii?” I asked the kids before leaving Boston. “Bubbies mochi ice cream!” Bubbie’s “Matsumoto’s shave ice!” Matsumoto’s Shave ice “Char Siu Bao!”  (Manapua to locals, but hey, my kids aren’t locals) Char-siu bao aka manapua “Genki Sushi!” (Sushi comes out on a rotating conveyer belt and you grab what you want to eat) Genki Sushi’s conveyer belt The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  No talk of beaches or quality... Read more

/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} (This will be my last post on my mother-daughter trip to Kauai with Kai.  Read Rites of Passage, Fact of Life #1, Fact of Life #2, Fact of Life #3 ,Tips for a Mother-Teen Trip if you’re interested!) Overall, our trip to Kauai went amazingly well.  But here are some things I’d change or suggest if... Read more

(This continues my postings on my mother-daughter trip to Kauai with Kai.  Read Rites of Passage, Fact of Life #1, Fact of Life #2, Fact of Life #3 if you’re interested!) Now that I’ve got 2 mother-daughter 13 year coming-of-age trips under my belt, here are some things that worked well: 1.     Do whatever the kid wants, within reason.  I didn’t want to eat fettucine alfredo instead of saimin, or have Mexican food when there are so many great local foods to sample, but eating... Read more

/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} (Blog # 4 about my mother/daughter trip with Kai-Kai.  Read #1, #2, #3) When Kai asked me for another fact of life, the only one that I could think of was my theory of male/female “resonance”—that God created males and females to “resonate” with one another.  In other words, as Harry said to Sally... Read more

(Blog #3 about Kai’s Rite of Passage, and Fact of Life #1) Yesterday afternoon Kai and I went to the pool to lounge. At least I wanted to lounge.  After a day of waking earlly, kayaking and hiking, I was ready to read my book on a beach towel and snooze. But she was bored.  “It’s no fun to hang out in the pool with no other kids to hang with.” Hah!  I thought.  I hope this makes you appreciate your siblings!... Read more

(Day 1 of Kai-Kai’s 13th birthday rite of passage) “Do you want to hear a fact of life?”  I asked Kai-Kai as we walked back to our hotel room after sitting in the hot tub tonight. “OK, but I think I know most of them.” “Well this one I don’t think you got.  Did you know that when those 2 guys asked us ‘Where are you from?’ that they were interested in getting to know us and seeing where the... Read more

Christening gown Today, Kai-Kai and I leave for Kauai to spend 4 days together for her 13th birthday celebration.  This is my Chinese-American-Christian version of the Jewish bar/bat-mitzvah. In graduate school, I learned about rites of passage and how important they are for helping individuals mark a change in identity.  These rites often involve funny clothes, family and food (think christenings, graduations, weddings, even funerals).  In the past I haven’t considered some rites of passage very important.  I didn’t go... Read more

I LOVE WATERMELON! It’s one of my favorite fruits, right up there with really ripe mangoes, lychees and longans.  Because it’s the only non-tropical fruit in my top four, it’s my fallback for life on the mainland. But I’m still not sure how to pick them.  According to my cousins, their dad always picks perfect melons–the secret being thumping them to hear the right hollow sound.  Having never learned his watermelon-whispering ways, I thump away at the grocery store, but... Read more