George W's John Hancock

Last night, after delivering the State of the Union, George W. autographed programs and bulletins and hats and anything that people could throw at him as he was departing. Yes, are you as incredulous as I am? People were asking for his autograph. Even after hearing that they need to approve more "intelligence monitoring". Hah. Crazy.

Here Stands the Iron Maiden

If you make her unhappy, or at least her keeper unhappy, you are beaten, poked, prodded, and locked inside while held standing up by four inch nails that are driven into your body from the outside. She provides little air, and gives no quarter. She is cold, unyielding, and unmovable. Some consider her rigid and uptight. She carries an impressive lineage, with some ancestors dating back to the 11th-12th century Europe. She stands boldly, arrogantly -- solitary in the dark dungeon of Castello di Amorosa, deep in the vineyards of Napa Valley.

Me and My Mum

** When this was originally posted, I said that chrysanthemums are "hoa mai" in Vietnamese. And I am soooo wrong. They are not hoa mai, but are "hoa cuc". But, they are still beautiful! My apologies for the mistake -- I'm forgetting my Vietnamese too quickly! -HAT, 2/2/08

The trip to San Jose was great. I ate too much, and spent too much money, but I did manage to buy a huge yellow mum -- so gorgeous. I've never seen a mum as beautiful before, so I happily handed over $20 and headed home, just me and my mum, seat-belted to the back seat next to Paco. Anyway, the golden mum is an auspicious symbol of beauty and good fortune because in Vietnamese, it is called "mai" (btw, my mother's name), which sounds similar to "may" as in "may man" or "lucky". For new year's celebration, it is important to fill our homes with symbols of good luck. This is a central belief -- that if we surround ourselves with goodness and luck, then we will ourselves inherit such goodness. Even though I usually don't believe in those things, as we enter into the Year of the Rat, I feel good about having such beauty in the house. It can only be a good thing to know that we ourselves are carriers of goodness, and knowing that such goodness comes from within, just as it surrounds us in the images of simple flowers, well, it's just wonderment over and over and over.

The photo is courtesy of Paco.

11Things to Do for Tet

As with every culture's new year celebrations, Tet carries many traditions, superstitions, myths, folktales, etc. that imbue these special days with deep meaning. Nowadays, we follow them for fun. We follow them because of family traditions. We follow them to honor our cultural roots. Or, we follow them not at all. There are too many traditions and superstitions to list them all, but here are some:

1. Clean house top to bottom, including painting, especially the door.
2. When sweeping, never sweep out the front door, or luck will go out the door.
3. Wear new clothes. Red is an auspicious color. No unlucky black.
   
4. All debts are paid or forgiven. No grudges kept. Return all borrowed items.
   
5. The first day of the year, nothing should be swept out, because you'll shoo good luck away for the rest of the year.
6. Never cut anything during new year's b/c you'll cut your luck (&/or longevity) in half.
7. The first person to walk through your door will bring you luck. So find the right person w/ the right name, birth year, etc. to be the first to cross your threshold in the new year.
8. When leaving your house for the expected new year visitations, the first thing you see will bold well or ill for your new year. (Those who see bad omens when leaving their house will often go back home, wait, then depart once again just for a fresh start.)
9. Visit family sites, graves, altars, etc.
10. Buy water or give water gifts b/c water suggests that in the new year, money will flow in like water.
    
11. Receive lucky Li Xi envelopes filled with money!!! (Unless you're married, in which case you don't receive lucky Li Xi envelopes but you'll have to give red envelopes to single folks. Oh, the joys of married life.)
    

Cavernous

Stored in this cavernous cellar are thousands of barrels of wine. Great wine. I am jealous that I do not own a castle and thus cannot store barrels and barrels of goodness in the underbelly of my dwelling place. Alas, alas. Imagine playing hide and seek in this space!

Lunar New Year: TET around the corner

Lunar New Year 2008 will be on February 7th, and this year is the auspicious Year of the Rat. Lunar New Year is celebrated in many countries, including China, Vietnam, Korea, Cambodia, and several others, but, unfortunately, most people call it Chinese New Year. I'm Viet. So I get to call it Vietnamese New Year, and in Vietnamese, new year is called Tet Nguyen Dan. Because 2008 is the Year of the Rat, it is called Tet Mau Ty (Ty = rat). Last year was Tet Dinh Hoi (Year of the Pig). Tomorrow, we head to the Vietnamese quarter in San Jose, around the Century mall area, and will stock up on Li Xi envelopes, which are the red lucky envelopes. These days, they come in all varieties of shapes and sizes -- envelopes are no longer just red, but also velvet, gold, and of many different designs. I'm addicted to collecting as many envelopes as I can. Around this time of the year, I can't help but miss the celebrations in Viet Nam, which would undoubtedly be pretty exciting by now. To alleviate some of this longing, and since I won't be able to visit VN this time like last year, I've posted a pic that I took in Feb. 2005 during the fireworks display by Bach Dang River in Saigon.

Thigh Tiles

See these tiles on the roof of one of the castle buildings? Their shapes were formed by placing them over women's thighs. That's how they did them in those days. Imagine if we had to make tiles by hand nowadays -- shaping them over the thighs of runway models would mean disaster -- they would be so small, you might as well have a sunroof or a skylight. Now, I'm not saying that they wouldn't be usable; I'm just saying you'll need less tiles if you shaped them using my thighs or perhaps the trunk of an elephant.

The Great Hall

This is the Great Hall at Castello di Amorosa, designed in the styles of other Great Halls found in castles in 11th-14th century Europe. The room is beautiful. The muted colors are highlighted by chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Along one wall are scenes of lovers embracing, and along the other are scenes of the peasant life. Long oak tables run the length of the hall creating a T where guests would sit to enjoy lavish meals. The Great Hall is where royalty dine, where guests of honor dine, and where folks like me will never dine. WE would be stuck in the kitchen, if not in the dungeon.

Petticoat Duel

Last night, I heard on Jeopardy an interesting question/answer bit of trivia that intrigues me greatly.

Apparently, back when duels were still "in", two women dueled one another b/c one woman dared question the other's age.

Hmmm... I begin to think I shall use it as a valid response to any future inquiries about my age. Anyone who wishes to know how old I am will only receive a response after we have successfully determined the winner after a round of dueling.

Let it be so.

Castello di Amorosa

Cranium & Dessert Nite

Last night, we got together for a rowdy, rompous evening of Cranium and Desserts. The preserved persimmons and popcorn weren't popular but pumpkin seeds and pizza were big hit. Although I was thinking of Late Harvest from Castello di Amorosa, we opened a bottle of Dolcino, which is, truly, delightfulness bottled in glass.

Highlight of the evening? Light, fluffy pound cake topped with vanilla bean ice cream, drizzled with chocolate cabernet sauvignon from Robert Mondavi. Heaven.

We woke our neighbors at midnight -- possibly from Paco pounding on the wall during the charades part of Cranium. I also never knew that one could possibly sculpt Victoria's Secret lingerie from play-dough. Not in that fashion. Plus, I discovered to my chagrin that I can actually eek out a recognizable version of Over the Rainbow.

Pretty Woman has never been hummed in such a spectacular version either. Nor YMCA. And, don't laugh, but I can spell backwards -- at three letters a minute. Oh, hippopotamus has three P's, ladies and gentlemen. Three. I cannot draw cartwheels, but I can act out kindergarten in two guesses.

A fine evening of class, elegance, and sophistication it was not. But it was so much fun making a fool of ourselves.

For all that is to come

Only 20 days into the new year, and I have already experienced several instances of despair, frustration, anxiety, self-doubt, etc., not unlike the sensation of wandering mindlessly through the "catacombs" underneath Castello di Amorosa. You never quite descend into the cellar by going down stairs because the pathways just meander around and around into the bottom layers of the castle, yet the anxiety is just a bit unsettling -- enough to keep me gasping whenever my foot steps down and it lands, because of the gradient, several inches lower than I expected. The dark and damp underbelly of the castle surrounds me and my voice echoes, bouncing off the brick walls lined with thousands of french oak barrels filled with wine.

But everything about underbelly living and wandering appeals to me. I love the mellow, luminous yellow lights shining down on the barrels, and I love the criss-cross arches of the ceilings, and I love the smell of damp oak and the faint scent of wine. I love turning around each corner to discover there is another yellow light, reassuring me that there is a pathway leading me out of here. I love that the barrels, though indistinguishable one from another, remind me that there is a gestation period, a time of waiting and expectation (so much like Epiphany!), and that at the end, there will be happiness and sweetness and celebration. For all of that, I'm willing to experience the labyrinthian meanderings, the seemingly endless waiting in 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, or perhaps 20 years, before everything comes to fruition. Whether or not there is a light above my head, I'm willing to descend those steps, for all that is to come.

behind door 2008

At Castello di Amorosa winery, the tour guide tells us that the castle was intentionally built to replicate the castles of the 11-12th century. Thus, some of the entry ways have been intentionally bricked in just as the castle dwellers would have bricked in their doors back in the 11th century. Why? Because they were taxed according to how many doors/entry ways they had available in the castle. They would just brick in the doors if they couldn't afford to pay those taxes. Even back then they were thinking of ways to cheat on taxes! I look at these beautiful bricks and doors and thoughts go through my head, ideas that don't really go anywhere, but I can't help but wonder what it must mean to begin a brand new year facing so many doors and windows -- some open, some shut. The interesting challenge is to discover which one still opens up into a view and which is bricked shut.

Castello di Amorosa

The Road to Napa Valley

Napa Valley wines = hives

Last Saturday, we took a trip to Napa Valley to visit a couple of wineries. I was excited since this was my first trip, and I was the only one who had never been to Napa Valley. We were blessed with beautiful weather, and a great time was had by all. We visited Castella di Amorosa, Sterling, Robert Mondavi, Franciscan, and Domaine Carneros. KT is a member of Sterling, Robert Mondavi, and Franciscan so we waltzed right into the members only parlor and had our free reign of wine tasting as only VIP members could. CF was working on Saturday at Domaine Carneros so even though we arrived pretty late, we still got a tour and tasting -- thank you for friends in high places (although, we love you for other reasons, too!). We paid for a wonderful tour of and wine tasting at Castella di Amorosa -- which has convinced me that I would love to, one day, inhabit a castle. If only my Prince Charming could charge up the ramparts on a dark stallion. Alas, Alas. I'm more of the Malificent-type of maiden. I could have spent all day in that little castle which was merely a winery-imitation, but it really swept me a way. It only takes that much, really. I've also discovered that I have a soft spot for dessert wines and port. I prefer white wines, reds are tolerable, but sweet wines -- oh, I could drink those any time of the day!

At Castella di Amorosa, I especially enjoyed: Dolcino, Il Raggio, and the Late Harvest (I took home a bottle of Dolcino and Il Raggio b/c the Late Harvest was divine, but just a tad too sweet.) With Il Raggio, our tour guide suggested soaking fruits in Il Raggio for several hours, chill, then serve over ice cream. Thank you, Cindy!

At Sterling: Malvasia Bianca and Muscato Cannelli

At Robert Mondavi: the Chardonnay Reserve and the Muscat. I also HAD to purchase the chocolate cabernet sauvignon. Delicious over any sort of dessert, but especially wonderful over vanilla bean ice cream.

At Franciscan: the Port, the Port, the Port. I tried the blends, one was the Magnificat and the other I can't remember, but the Magnificat burned my throat. I was just hankering for port by that time!

At Domaine Carneros: sparkling wines! I tried La Reve and the Brut Rose, and I'm torn between the two, but I think La Reve was my bubbly of choice.

By the time we reached home, I had broken out in hives -- my arms, neck, throat, collar, upper body -- red, splotchy, hivvy. Took Benadryl and immediately went to bed. As I write this, I'm still itchy, and it was several days past. Alas, it would seem I don't have a very high tolerance for that much alcohol.

For the next few weeks, I will try my best to share my favorite pics of the trip for your viewing pleasure.

If anyone has any suggestions on good dessert wines, please, please let me know!

"happiness come"

may the roads rise to meet us in 2008

let the waters be clear in the year '08

may the year be peaceful and energizing

wherever 2008 will lead us