Sacramento Airport

Our assignment: Pick up Tito Melvin and Uncle Reynie at the airport.
This is their luggage for their two-day trip. Really, it's just a modern art sculpture in the baggage claim area.

Max's Fried Chicken

Famous Fried Chicken.


Uncle Reynie swears that you really can eat the bones.

After we left Grandma Perla to tsismis at Grandma Carmen's house, we explored what seemed to be the Asian neighborhoods of Sacramento. Their Seafood City is even larger than ours. I didn't expect to see Valerio's, Red Ribbon, Pho houses, and Chinese all-you-can-eat buffets so far away from home.

Right next to Seafood City we decided to finally try Max's Fried Chicken. My dad always talks about how the rich people in the Philippines usually catered their weddings with Max's. In fact, my dad's dream when he first immigrated to the United States was to eat an entire chicken by himself--no sharing with his seven siblings.

He didn't eat a whole chicken, but he did indulge in some chicken sisig.

In all, the chicken was pretty good. We were all slightly disappointed because the chicken didn't come with rice (seriously, Filipino restaurant that charges $5 for rice!?), but we were pleased with the included banana ketchup. So, Max's Fried Chicken, Red Ribbon pandesal, and Valerios ensaymada made for a nice meal to end the first day of our short stay in Sacramento.

Two Baka, One Baboy, and a One-year-old Tub of Bile

Grandma Carmen and Grandma Perla arguing about whether they are chopping beef for papaitan or pork for pinakbet.

We left the market with one package of beef and one of pork. The grandmas were in such a hurry to start the cooking that they blindly grabbed the packages and started chopping. After the labels were thrown away, they couldn't figure out who was chopping what meat. After about 25 minutes of debate, we later discovered that we must have taken one of someone else's bags, because we actually had two packages of beef and one pork. In the end, both Grandmas were chopping beef, and the pork was still sitting in the fridge, waiting to be chopped.

Grandma Carmen had saved some bile for the papaitan from last year, but my mom convinced her that using the fresh one was in everyone's best interest.

Defrosting Beef, Grandma Carmen Style

You can't exactly tell from this angle, but this was a HUGE pot of marinating Korean BBQ.

Preparations for our weekend feast began as soon as we arrived at Grandma Carmen's house. My mom packed 20 lbs. of beef short ribs to bbq at Tita Carol and Tito Jim's house along with a couple trays of chicken drumsticks. We figured the long drive would be enough time to defrost the beef, but when we removed the butcher paper, the beef was still frozen solid. While my mom, Colleen, and Sean ventured off to the local Asian market, Andrew and I were left with the daunting task of defrosting the massive beef carcass.

I sat in the living room reading Grandma Carmen's big stack of People magazine (she's an avid reader of celebrity gossip) while the beef took a long carousel ride in the microwave. Then Andrew walked in with a look of horror on his face.

"Grandma Carmen's pouring hot water all over the frozen beef. She's cooking it, and I don't know how to stop her."

I went into the kitchen to see if I could convince her to leave the preparations to us. I told her to relax and let us do all of the work.

"Oh no, my dear. I don't like to be always sitting down. I need to work, don't you know I'm always the hard worker, not like my sister Gloria. Whenever it's her turn to cook and wash dishes she will say, 'Oh!! I cannot work, Sister, I am too sickly!' Ay apo, my God..."

(I feel that typing "Oh!!" does not do justice to that familiar Ilocano shriek that I've come to know as a Querido sister trademark)

When her hot water defrosting technique failed, she pulled out a 13-inch knife and started stabbing into the frozen block of meat with all of her 90-year old might. Scary. I was terrified that she'd stab either herself or me.

In the end the meat finally defrosted and tasted great even though a few pounds were slightly boiled in a hot water bath before marinating.

Paula's Pancake House in Solvang

Colleen's early morning face.


Dan was too full to finish the rest of his pancakes!


Saying good bye to Michelle and Dan.

It's become a family tradition to stop by Paula's Pancake House in Solvang each time we drive up north. We take the longer, scenic route on the 101 just so my dad can have his Danish pancake fix. I like watching the ostriches run along side the cars on the highway.

Michelle and Dan decided to make the drive up to the Solvang too, even though they couldn't make the whole journey up to Sacramento. At least there was some outlet shopping at Camarillo on their way back home.

High-Tech Parents

I was just chatting with Tricia about how our parents are adjusting in this new, high-tech world "on the online." So I've been taking note of some new Taglish phrases that have become commonplace in our household.

Nanay ko: Puwede bang i-text mo si Colleen?
Ako: I-tinext ko na siya.

Mom: Can you text Colleen?
Me: I already texted her.

Tatay ko: Naning, paki-gugol mo ang mga NASDAK na istoks para sa akin.
Dad: Naning, please google the NASDAQ stocks for me.

Nanay ko: Ate, bakit hindi ako makapag-email kay Tito Melvin? May bayrus ako?
Tatay ko: Anong klaseng bayrus? Kabayong Trodyan?
Ako: Hindi, walang bayrus! Nakalimutan mo ang iyong pasword!

Mom: Ate, why can't I email Tito Melvin? Do I have a virus?
Dad: What kind of virus? A Trojan Horse?
Me: No, there's no virus! You forgot your password!

Tatay ko: Puwede bang i-feysbuk ko ang CNN?
Dad: Can I facebook CNN?


My dad's "cell phone."


This is particularly impressive from my dad because he once thought my eyeglasses case was his cell phone, and he still hasn't learned how to turn on our computer. But facebook, twitter, and google, yeah, he's heard of dat...

Wilson Park Mini-Marathon

Michelle and I broke our old record by doing 8 laps at Wilson! 7.28 miles.

Long Distance Call

Grandma always told me and Julie that if we misbehaved, she would haunt us after she dies. So I was a little scared when I received a call from her, until I remembered that I had changed Tita Glory's number from "Tita Glory" to "Gloria Santos."

Woo hoo!

I just had my interview at CSULA, and they've already offered me a spot in their program! Yay!

Meringue Puppies

I saw these cute cookies in a bakery in Little Tokyo.  They remind me of the Badobado's dog, Chanel.  Actually, they look like a white Neela.