I finally taught myself how to knit using circular needles. They are use to knit hats, socks, cowls, sleeves, or anything seamless.

This is also the first knit hat I designed myself. Instructions: Started off with 90 stitches. As I worked my way up, stitch holders were used to divide up the stitches. Then decreased by knitting 2 together. To finish up the top section, just switch to double pointed needles (dpn). In this case, it was 4 dpn to hold the stitches while knitting with the 5th one.

I used Bernat alpaca blend in natural color (found at Michael’s). It’s made with a luxuriously soft blend of natural alpaca and durable acrylic.

The yarn feels really comfortable and knits easily. But I didn’t like the tiny pieces of fiber that kept falling off every now and then.

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“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”  ~Mother Teresa

The season of giving may be over, but it’s still not too late to give. And the program I’m supporting this year is Room to Read. I love books and can’t imagine a world without them.

Room to Read is great that it encourages school children to read. This program seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.

Working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments, we develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and support girls to complete secondary school with the relevant life skills to succeed in school and beyond.

One of the books published by Room to Read for Lao school children.

LA Papaya Salad.

“Who Makes the Best Papaya Salad? The animals in the forest take pride in their own — often secret — recipes. But in order to make the most delicious papaya salad, a traditional dish in Laos, the animals need to learn to work together. A product of our writers and illustrators’ workshops, this is the first book written by Miss Manivanh Siphonesay working in collaboration with Mr. Nivong Sengsakoun, an award-winning local artist.”

More children books published in Lao language.

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These apricot blossoms are first to bloom in our garden.  And it’s starting to feel like spring is not far away.

The bright pink color of these reminds me of quince blossoms.  And sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between apricot, peach or plum blossoms.

We had a little sprinkle of rain earlier in the day.

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I recently was asked to do a product review for Amal 100% Organic Oils.  I received the bottle about a week ago and have been using it twice a day.

At first I was skeptical about applying oil to my face as I usually break out easily. Jojoba oil is one that my face doesn’t like too much and extra virgin coconut oil and rose hip oil is okay. But argan oil is the best!  It’s been treating my skin very well.

Argan oil comes from Argan Tree (Argania Spinosa) that only grows in Morocco. It’s a really light oil that’s golden in color. It has a pleasant nutty scent.  When apply to your skin it is non-greasy.

The oil is super moisturizing, especially great to use this time of year with all the indoor heating and cold winter weather that could leave your skin parched. I love that it soaks right into my skin.

I’ve been applying it both in the morning and at night. To apply, just take a few drops onto the palm of your hand and use your index finger to apply the oils to your face. The result was much smoother and soft skin. So I’m really thrilled to have found out about argan oil and will continue to use it.

You can also use additional drops to nourish your hair and nails. It’s also works great as a before or after shave lotion too. I also like to put on my neck as that part of the skin sometimes get neglected.

“A closeup of the argan nut on the tree. Moroccans will harvest the nut once it falls off the tree or throw rocks at the branches to free them.” - flickr.

The argan tree only grows in Morocco and obtaining the oils is very labor intensive. Amal Oils are harvested and pressed by Moroccan women as part of their cooperatives. The cooperatives are women owned and run businesses, which serve to provide education, healthcare and income to the women and their families.

The founder of Amal Oils is Jalila Bouchareb. She is a Moroccan woman who has lived her entire life in the U.S. and frequently travels to Morocco and is very close to her roots. The word “amal” means “hope” in her language. She has this to say about her oils, “Amal Oils is an expression of their hard work and effort, and with our support we can give them hope, Amal, for the future.”

Highlights of this great product:

- Nourishes your skin with super rich in vitamin E, antioxidants and amino acids like Omega 3, 6 and 9
- Pure and natural care for hair, nail and skincare
- Reduce signs of aging and improve skin conditions like acne, eczema and psoriasis
- Supports local Moroccan women
- Safe for people of all age, including children
- For pregnant women, it can be used to prevent stretchmarks

Amal Oils 100% Organic Argan Oil is pure, natural argan oil that is certified organic by ECOCERT - an independent organization that represents the highest international standards for nature-friendly products.

Sometimes you can spot goats up in Essaouira’s argan trees, feasting on the fruit. - Photo from NY Times. Read more “Liquid Gold in Morocco“.

Jalila’s DYI face mask:

2 drops of Amal oils
1 tsp organic honey
2 tsp of organic yogert
1/4 avocado mashed

Apply to skin for 15 minutes and rinse off with warm water.

Check out! Amal 100% Organic Moroccan Argan Oil And for a limited time receive 20 % off.

On my last visit to the aquarium in San Francisco, I saw kelp forest waving back and forth amongst the swimming fishes. It was a great reminder for me to take note of this underwater sea plants many benefit to skincare.

If you’ve ever touched kelp (seaweed) you’ll noticed the slippery texture. According to skincare experts, this gel like quality of kelp helps to protect and restore hair and skin. When sea kelp is added to skincare, it aids the skin by hydrating and healing it.

Kelp is also loaded with vitamins A, B12, D and iodine, folic acid, and minerals, including iron, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. And these same minerals also help draw out toxins from your skin.

Not only is it beneficial to skincare, it’s also good for you. Kelp is a sea vegetable and consumed daily by many Asian countries. Dried kelp is commonly found in soups and the Japanese love their kelp sushi wrappers.

Instead of reaching for salty chips, try snacking on roasted seaweed. As it makes for a healthy snack too.

Kelp is also a good source of iodine. And those suffering from thyroid problems should consider making kelp a natural part of their diet.

“Algae are some of the most nutrient-rich life forms in nature, which is why they’re present in so many cosmetics,” says Ben Fuchs, cosmetic formulator for Rocky Mountain Natural Labs in Boulder, Colorado. “They’re full of minerals that can help draw toxins from the skin.” - Yoga Journal.

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We finally had the chance to visit California Academy of Science in San Francisco.

I’ve been wanting to visit this place since it’s re-opening in 2008. We got there later in the day and had only 1 hour to explore the place. Next time I would give it at least a couple of hours to see everything.

One of the first thing you’ll see upon entrance to the academy are these beautiful corals.

I like this living wall art. It’s got plenty of tropical plants. But it’s missing blooming orchids.

“Living plants include numerous trees - such as the Brazilian beautyleaf and West Indies mahogany, dozens of shrubs - including Theobrama cacao, the plant from which chocolate is made, and hundreds of flowering plants - from begonias and philodendrons to orchids and bromeliads.” - California Academy of Science.

Unfortunately I did not see the hundreds of flowering plants. Except for the cocoa tree and this fruiting palm tree (and two orchids). Maybe the gardener was on vacation.

Despite all that, we still had a great time. So we decided to become academy members. That means unlimited entrance all year! Next time around we’ll try to arrive sooner and see penguins getting fed and also check out the roof top garden.

There were many young families and children visiting the place. This place is great for anyone from 8 to 80 years old! It’s also especially nice since all the staff were friendly.

February is member appreciation month so we got 20% discount on the membership fee and museum gift shop. As an Academy member, you help support our scientific research, educational outreach, and the many exhibits in our aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum.

I love wearing scarfs and can wear them all year.  Well at least the thicker ones are saved for autumn and winter while the lighter ones are for the rest of the year.

Shown here are the basic knots illustrated byTexereSilk.com.

And 12 of the 35 ways to wear a scarf as illustrated here.  For the other ways, please visit TexereSilk for more ideas.

This is how I usually wear my scarf. It’s the “European Loop.” Photo from Boden.  Ikat print scarf now on sale.

“Inspired by the traditional art of ikat, this dramatic pattern makes a great outfitting accessory. We’ve sourced a lightweight yarn which allows you to feel warm without the bulk of a traditional woolly scarf.” - Boden

Here’s Audrey Hepburn’s way of wearing head scarf.  She looks happy and comfortable.  Another cute way to wear a head scarf here.

“Scarf, n. Pl. scarfs, scarves. … The original plural form scarfs has never gone out of use; but from the beginning of the 18^th c. the form scarves (on the analogy of halves) has been common…”

I like the simple and elegant look of this Nordstrom ‘Light’ Wrap.

I had lived in southern California briefly but could never get used to it. A decade later I sometimes think about what it would have been like had I not left. Maybe in an parallel universe I’ll be happy soaking in the sunshine.

Beautiful and bright bougainvillas represent southern California to me. Glendower Stairs photo by MichelleMarieCA/.

But of course I love where I am now but still miss the beaches and gardens of LA. Maybe I should really take a short trip down south.

Especially now that I’ve learned about how many great stairs are hidden in the area. M would probably take along his jogging shoes and run up the stairs several times while I try to climb the first 10 steps.

Here’s a little history about stairs and LA, from LA magazine/Apirl 2010 edition:

“Many Los Angeles neighborhoods with steep streets are laced with networks of public stairways.

Vestiges of a time when the city was served by electric trolleys and streetcars, they provided residents access to transport lines in hilly “suburban” communities like Echo Park, Highland Park, and Mount Washington.

Like a staircase-bound Magellan, I discovered a backcountry Los Angeles filled with streets I’d never driven, downtown views I’d never seen, parks and canyons I’d never known. “- Charles Fleming, author of “Secret Stairs - A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles”

Eldred Street staircase in Highland Park. Photo from Modern Hiker.

Another nice blog with photos and map of LA Stairs here.

And here’s some stairs I found on Google Maps.

: It Never Rains in Southern California

Happy Chinese New Year! I like to celebrate by eating some of these candied wintermelons. They are super sweet. What I really wanted were Chinese pastry filled with wintermelon. But I was no where near a Chinese bakery.

It’s year of the rabbit. For anyone born under this sign it should be a good year. At least according to the prediction made by Susan White.

“In sum, the Rabbit encourages saving (conserving money, resources and goods) , sound investments (lower interest, longer term and more certain to yield) , beautification projects (property and personal - even plastic surgery) , enduring love (marriage, babies, acquisition of property, pets and friendships) and learning (courses in myriad and sundry subjects) Choose to involve yourself in any of the above and your year will go swimmingly. Should you choose otherwise and wax aggressive, antagonistic or pushy, you will be swimming upstream all the way.”

Of course it’s only as good as you make it.

“In Thailand a vendor holds a rabbit to show it to a customer at an animal market in Bangkok. The Year of the Rabbit, many Asians believe, will bring loads of good luck to humans born under its zodiac sign, but conservationists warn that the furry creatures themselves are being loved to death in Asia and just dying away worldwide.” (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

As cute as rabbits are, I hope the new owners think hard about having them as pets. And don’t just fall out of love with them one day and decide to abandon them. That would be really cruel.

Note: Recipe for wintermelon pastry here. It looks really good!

Most of the plants we have on the patio are succulents.  They are amongst one of my favorite kind of plants.  I love that they are so easy to grow and propagate.

The succulents bloom about twice a year and it’s extra special in wintertime. We had a few freeze warnings but was lucky to have covered the plants on time.  Hope these flowers brighten up your winter!

Echeveria succulents. I like to think of them as desert rose because of the rosettes of leaves.

“Echeveria secunda glauca aka Hen and Chicks. Succulent for sun or semi-shade. Nodding stems with orange flowers. Good in pots.” - Soquel Nursery Growers.

Bright and colorful Crown of Thorns. Also known as euphorbia milii. Right now it’s mostly thorns with a few flowers. The emerald green leaves will be back by spring.  And in the background is yellow marigolds. 

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