Finger People

When Bun Bun was a toddler, she was shown how to pretend and use her little fingers as legs of a person.  I'd call them her finger people.  She walked them up and down hand rails or when she wanted to stall time.  She'd use them in doll houses or any tiny architecture structures fit for finger people.  When we doubted her imaginary play, we would remember her finger people.

Today, her finger person got a pair of shoes.  These shoes belonged to Ken of Ken and Barbie.  Bun Bun inherited a set of Bride Barbie and Groom Ken dolls recently.  Ken's shoes were lost and recovered a couple of days ago.  So, there you have it...

Books

 Adding these to my book list since April:

• Educated, Tara Westover (Memoir of a scholar, homeschooled in rural Idaho with her survivalist family, bullied by her brother, but determined to seek higher education)
• Yellow House, Sarah M Broom (Memoir of a writer growing up in urban New Orleans)
• Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson (Excellent account of the justice system favoring those who are guilty and  rich over those who are poor and innocent)
• Maid, Stephanie Land (Single mom making ends meet as a maid to support herself and her daughter)
• Dreams from My Father, Barack Obama 
• A Promised Land, Barack Obama (Account of the former president's first term)
• Endurance, Scott Kelly (Astronaut's year-long expedition aboard the ISS)
• Entangled Life, Merlin Sheldrake (The wood wide web of fungi connecting root systems of trees and plants)

New Year

Happy New Year...

Yes, it is a happy new year.  Proceed with caution.

I think we can all agree that 2020 was a horrible year: SARS-CoV2 pandemic, the world shut down/put on pause, protests, BLM protests, counter-protests, angry voters, angry politicians, defiant politicians...

Are there silver linings?  There are always silver linings.  It's not hard to see them.

I got to spend a lot of quality time with family, watching TV shows & movies, strolling through parks, throwing rocks in the creek at the park, savoring every second of Bun Bun blossoming into a young girl, and baking a lot of bread.

Yes, bread.  Some loaves have been more successful than others.  My latest trials and tribulations have been with sourdough bread.  I'm still getting large air pockets and will need to figure out ways to make airy bubbles more even throughout.  It's tasty nonetheless.  Bun Bun and I smear sweet Nutella on it for breakfast.  Daddy puts his own spin with cream cheese.

Since late spring, people in the US and around the world are starting to reckon with the ugliness of racial and social inequalities, amplified by police brutalities, compounded by irate people already edgy from the pandemic, and the racist rhetorics of the outgoing DC administration.  None of this is new, although I never fully understood it until recently.  Dare I be hopeful that people gaining awareness, speaking out, participating in marches will lead to change for the better.

Barely one week into 2021, the most horrific event in recent American history unveils before the whole world.  Egged on by a defiant president who did not win re-election, his angry followers who believe his lies stormed the Capitol building as Senators and Representations certify the electoral votes and formally name the next President.  What a sad and embarrassing site captured by journalists and rioters' own mobile devices.  Now, there's a call for a second impeachment.  So, for those who have chosen to see, hear, and speak no evil over the last FIVE years, this is the final straw?

Fun from the summer

Bun Bun attended bike camp and was learning how to steer and pedal.

Bun Bun turned 9 years old...

... and started 4th grade.

We discovered a park nearby that had a creek, great for throwing in rocks and making big splashes. 

 

Sour dough bread

 

Thanksgiving 2020

There doesn't seem to be a lot to be thankful this year on the whole.  We are deep in another giant surge in COVID-19 infections.  Many people in this country are not taking it seriously.  Personal freedom overshadows sacrifice for the greater good.

Yet, there is a lot to be thankful for...

Many people are taking this pandemic seriously.  While we wait for the vaccine to be manufactured and distributed, there are those who are careful - wearing masks, staying far away from crowds, remaining at home, and even volunteering for vaccine trials.

There's a sense of community for people helping those in need.  Over the weekend, I dropped off a bag of canned goods at a local church.  The parking lot was filled with volunteers sorting all kinds of food.  You can find kindness everywhere, and it isn't too hard.

In less than 2 months, we'll have a new President.

I still have a job that I love.

I have a warm home.

I have my family, and everyone is well.

Equal Justice Initiative

Equal Justice Initiative

Baking

Here are a couple more baking attempts.  Apparently, the flour makes a huge difference.  These are store brand flour.  Friends have sworn by stone milled flour that they mail ordered from a local mill.  I will have to give that a try.

Baked in 500F for 10 min, then reduced to 400F for another 20.  Oven pre-heated to 500C with a pan of water.  Bread had bits raw dough in the middle, but crust was really tasty.

Baked for 45min at 400F with pan of boiling water, no preheating the oven.  While the entire loaf was fully baked, the crust was not as crusty.

Tooth

Bun Bun lost her 9th tooth today.  There had been a loll for a couple of years, and the dentist did warn me that more will be coming out.  I suspected that one could be loose since she had been playing with something in her mouth.

It is now just over two whole months since the PA governor sent everyone home to mitigate the infectious SARS-CoV2.  There doesn't seem an end in sight, although some trends are showing we're headed in a downward trajectory in the number of new infections.  Our county and our township, in particular, have been hard hit with four large assisted living facilities, between the most vulnerable population of people and the staff who takes care of them.  People are getting antsy.  It's understandable that many people have lost their jobs and want to be working again to provide for their families.  People are social beings and want to be with friends and families.  The college students have missed 2 months of school.  Seniors have graduated via virtual commencement exercises.  Nothing will ever be the same again even if the case counts plummet and the governor re-open the state tomorrow.  Until there's vaccine or greater than 70% of the population have recovered from the infection, we'll be wearing masks and staying 6 feet apart from each other.

Not sure what school will look like over the summer or in the fall for Bun Bun.  Since mid-March, we've been doing school at home.  Bun Bun sees her awesome teachers almost everyday for about 30 min.  We do school assignment via an iPad app.  She continues her therapies and even has her dance class on-line.  Will this continue into the fall is anyone's guess.

One thing I do know for sure is that Bun Bun has been talking more.  There's a feedback loop where as she's talking more, we are able to understand her more, and she realizes that she can get what she wants when she asks.  She's steadily gaining more vocabulary words and reading with more confidence.  It has been the silver lining!

And, I am reminiscing the fun Taiwan trip and all the yummy foods we enjoyed this time a year ago.  Sigh!  Taiwan wouldn't be a bad place to wait out this pandemic!

More books

A few more books I got to finish since last December.  Even though I've been home and lost the commute time on the train, I am happy to still get some reading done.

Moment of Lift, Melinda Gates

The Body, Bill Bryson

China Rich Girlfriend, Kevin Kwan

Rich People Problems, Kevin Kwan

Catch and Kill, Ronan Farrow

Pandora’s Lab, Paul Offit

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom, Amy Chua

Becoming, Michelle Obama

Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain

Midnight in Chernobyl, Adam Higginbotham

There were some excellent reads in this bunch, but my favorite for the moment is Midnight in Chernobyl.  HBO ran a mini series about the events leading to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the the clean-up efforts with individuals who were directly involved.  This book delved deeper into the physics and chemistry behind nuclear reactors, the working Soviet people doing what they must, and the human stories of labor and sacrifice.  It was an absolutely fascinating read.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom is an older book that had gotten a lot of publicity about 10 years ago.  Being Asian, I can totally relate to some of the anecdotes.  Bun Bun will be glad that I will not be putting what Amy Chua had done to practice.

Here's a few "fun" picture books.

The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables, Catherine Reid
Obama, an Intimate Portrait, Pete Souza
Shade, Pete Souza

I tell ya, reading about Michelle Obama and flipping through Pete Souza's coffee table books has given me a whole new perspective on the Obamas.  I have much greater respect for them.

I'm taking a short breaks from books for now.  The Genetics Society of America conference started today.  It was suppose to be held in Washington DC, and thousands of geneticists from around the world were expected in attendance.  A few weeks ago, the organizers canceled the in-person meeting and moved everything on line.  Presenters presented their work from the comforts of their homes to hundreds and thousands of participants listening in on their computers from the comforts of their homes.