This story is bittersweet. Also reminds me of Hachiko, the loyal Japanese dog that waited for his owner to come home from the train station.

BBC reports 11/21/11: A dog in China refused to leave his owner’s grave. Mr. Lao Pan’s, 68, a single resident of the village was the only companion to this dog.

The dog stayed at the grave site for a week without food. The villagers then left food and water for him. They also plan to build him a shelter next to the grave.

Photos from The BBC’s Xiaoyun Yao.

He’s such a cute dog, especially with the sad eyes. Maybe when he’s ready, a new owner will take him in. But if he’s happy to stay there and the villagers help take care of him that’s great too.

Here in the U.S.A., I sometimes worry about my fruits and veggies being organic or not. When it comes to potatoes or other root veggies, I chose the organic ones. Luckily with pineapple and watermelon it’s of little concern. But if you live in China, you’ll have to wonder where exactly does your food come from?

We’ve all heard of the tainted baby formula and pet food, now the list is growing.

A recent report from the LA Times pointed out China’s food scandals are becoming increasingly frequent and bizarre. And bigger, cheaper, faster is the name of the game.

Below are the highlights of the food scandal in China I gathered from the Los Angeles Times.

- A Shanghai woman who had left uncooked pork on her kitchen table woke up in the middle of the night to find her pork was emitting a blue light. It was later found to be made by phosphorescent bacteria (which glow-in-the-dark).

- Last month, watermelon farmers in eastern Jiangsu province hoped for a bumper crop instead got . Much “like landmines” after they mistakenly applied too much growth hormone.

- A popular manufactured of steamed buns was caught using dye to make cheap wheat buns look like the more expensive black rice buns.

- And fish farmers are also feeding their fish ground up birth control pills to make some breeds of fish mature more quickly. Even the farmers themselves refuse to eat these fishes.

A Chinese food scientist who exposed many of these issues wrote a book about it, but the book was banned in his own country. Reporting about such things makes the government unhappy and people are scared to voice their opinion.

The list could go on and on. But these are just some of the ones I found shocking.

This isn’t just happening in China as it was also reported shrimp farmers in Vietnam were also using large amounts of antibiotics on their shrimps. And many of those shrimps are being sold to outside markets such as the U.S.A.  This just makes you think twice about eating shrimp cocktails.

I guess in this case we have to vote with our wallets. Eat less of the bad stuff or none at all. Eat more organic veggies and grow your own if possible.

Back in 2008, I voted for Prop 1A in California’s ballot. It was for building a high speed rail in California.  The proposition would authorizing $9.95 billion in general obligation bonds for building a high speed rail project. 

The years went by and I have not heard anything more of it.  But now it was recently reported that California will receive $2.25 billion in federal economic stimulus funds to develop a high-speed rail line.

The high speed train will run from Anaheim to San Francisco. The projected cost is about $42 billion and trains would be traveling with speeds up to 450 miles in no more than 2 hours, 40 minutes. Other extensions to San Diego and Sacramento are planned.

This is what the train will look like.  I wish the color combination was different.  Maybe silver and white.  Photo from Wired magazine.

There will also be 13 other rail corridors planned which includes a Midwest line from Chicago to St. Louis. And also one in Florida running from Tampa to Orlando. What I want is a rail train that runs from Miami to Washington, D.C. I think high speed rail would be great for commuters and other travelers too.

I can imagine this would make traveling much easier for many people. Especially for the tourist who want to visit California. Imagine visiting the beaches of San Diego in the morning and then crossing the Golden Gate by evening. The only thing I have to get used to is not being able to see the beautiful scenery California has to offer. From the valley and farmlands to the coastal view.  And at this fast speed, it’ll would seem like life is just passing by in an instant.

Read the rest of this entry »

Vines are some of my favorite plants, and if the vines have beautiful fragrant flowers and edible fruits, then it’s even better.

Schisandra or Chinese magnolia vine is a twining climber plant with both.  The plant is native to the Russian far east and northern China. It is similar in appearance to a clematis and can easily grow 10 to 20 feet in a season.

The leaves have been described to be slightly heart shaped with a citrus lemon scent.  The fragrant white flowers appear in spring and by autumn produce bright clusters of red fruits.  The leaves also turn a beautiful yellow in the fall.

These bright red berries remind me coffee berries and grapes at the same time. I would love to try growing one of these vines. They could start to bear fruit in 3 years. Photo from Fair Life.

Backyard Gardener’s website listed the following requirements for successful planting.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 7 to 9
Light Range: Part Shade to Full Sun
pH Range: 5.5 to 6.5
Soil Range: Sandy Loam to Clay Loam
Water Range: Normal to Moist

Since I am in Zone 9, this plant would do well.  I mainly want to harvest them for the berries. As the dried berries are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sea buckthorn sounds more like a sea creature. But it’s really a beneficial plant originating from the mountainous regions of Russia and China.  It is a winter hardy, deciduous shrub with bright orange berries.  The plant is mature for harvesting purposes at 4-5 years.

This branch is brimming with berries.  Photo from They are also known as Seaberry, Siberian pineapple, or Alpine Sandthorn.

Sea buckthorn oil and powder is commonly used in skincare and soaps. It can also be taken internally as herbal medicine. The oil is full of are vitamins A (derived from -carotene), vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (-tocopherol). If taken internally, it is full of antioxidants and is good for your intestinal tract too.

Sea buckthorn oil is mainly used to promote the healing of skin such as burns and eczema. It also helps improve skin condition, especially with dryness and wrinkles. Sea buckthorn oil reminds me of other good oils such as Rose hip and carrot seed oil.

Last summer I saw real sea buckthorn bush at the International Fruit Orchard. I don’t remember if there was any fruit at all. Next time I visit, I will have to take a photo of it and try sampling some of the berries.

ln Europe the fruit is made into sauces or jellies and as a base of liqueurs. The juice is sour and has an orange passionfruit like flavor when sweetened. Blended with other fruits, or by itself, it makes a delicious juice. It is also used widely in Europe and Asia as a healing oil and for other medicinal purposes. - Raintree Nursery

They are suppose to grow well on fairly bad  or sandy soil. If possible, I would like to grow some of these at my mom’s backyard garden too. Across much of northern China, and in other countries, it is grown to prevent soil erosion. And it is also used in food and medical preparations.

Sasktchewan, Canada also has cultivated sea buckthorn that was originally brought over from from Siberia in the 1930s. Sea buckthorn oil from Saskatchewan yields a high quality product.

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the cutest animals in the world has to be the Nigalya Ponya (which is the Nepalanese word for “eater of bamboo”).  But they are commonly refer to as Firefox and Red Panda besides the other creative names.  Scientific name: Ailurus fulgens.

Red pandas are native to mountains of Nepal and northern Myanmar (Burma), and central China.

Red Panda have this cute round face with dashes of white markings that give them an interesting expression.  Image source.

They are the size of cats and have ringed tails like raccoons. And like giant pandas, they have an extended wrist bone that functions almost like a thumb and aids with gripping. The red panda has been classified as a relative of the giant panda, and also of the raccoon. It wasn’t until recently considered members of their own unique family - the Ailuridae.

Read the rest of this entry »

In the eastern Himalayas, between India and China, there is a place that hasn’t been explored very much. And now a  decade of research done by scientists have discovered 353 new plant and animal species.  From a flying frog to the world’s second smallest deer.

In 2005 they discovered this bird. It was located south of the Tibetan border in Burma’s Kachin State. They call it the “Naung Mung scimitar-babbler” (Jabouilleia naungmungensis). The midsize forest bird uses its big bill to scratch the ground in search of food. It’s like a cross between a small bird and the New Zealand Kiwi.

This little frog has a giant pair of mesmerizing golden eyes, it was discovered in 1999.  It is 1 of 5 new frog discoveries in the Indian state of Assam. It measures just a few centimeters.  Reminds me of the tree frog, but not so green.

Read the rest of this entry »

M gave me a copy of this book and thought I might enjoy reading it. I’m surprise I’ve never heard of it before.  It was even on the NY Times best seller list back in 1998.

At first I thought it would be another tragic and sad Chinese immigrant story. To my surprise, it was one book I could not put down and couldn’t wait to see what was in the next chapter.

If you want something inspirational to read, this is a good book to start with.  Not only is it autobiographical, but it also gives insight into Chinese culture, history ( highlights many of the historical events that spans China from 1930’s to 1998. ), and even a bit of how the family business is run.  This should be a must read for Asian American Studies.

My little synopsis:  Adeline Yen Mah was born in 1937. Her mother died giving birth to her and this was considered “bad luck”. She was tormented by her siblings and shunned by her father. Soon after, her father remarried a beautiful, young woman who is part French and Chinese. Despite her beauty, she was cruel and manipulative towards everyone in her life. The story is very much Adeline’s Cinderella story.

What was really unbelievable was how much cruelty one small child had to endure throughout her life. And the cruelty wasn’t just in her

own family, but also in the society as well. I was just in shock imagining how people can treat one another with such cruelty. But I was glad to see that Adeline was able to overcome many things and even managed to forgive those that hurt her. In the end she was really searching for the love and acceptance of her father and the family.

Photo from .

Read the rest of this entry »

My beauty product review today comes from Wei East Cosmetics.

They have the “Skincare Discover Collections” where you can sample a few introductory products. I decided to get the simple kit for $9.99 and includes free shipping too.  I also got a face mask and free hand lotion, but I will post about that later.

The package arrived in regular USPS mail within 3-5 days. I also like that it came in a cute little box with very little packaging necessary.

This is what got my attention:

The Story of Rice: Nutrient-laden rice milk has been Chinese women’s
secret to bright, even-toned skin for centuries. The first milk of
freshly cooked brown rice, infused with a secret herbal blend, has
helped generations of mothers and daughters add luster, gain an even,
smooth complexion, erase spots and blotches. Wei East marries the
ancient recipes with advanced western beauty technology to deliver
these luminous benefits to you. Glow with the radiance of Mother
Nature.

I’ve never heard of this beauty secret before. This kit I chose introduces the rice milk.

My First Pick Collection includes:

Read the rest of this entry »

My tea review of the week is Stash’s Red and White Tea.  This tea is a blend of red tea (rooibos) from South Africa and white tea from China.

White tea is considered one of the most expensive teas in the world because it is more scarce than the other traditional teas.  White tea leaves are picked and harvested before the leaves are fully open and the buds are still covered by fine white hair.

White tea buds and young tea leaves have been found to contain lower levels of caffeine than older leaves such as green and black tea.   When white tea is harvested, it is allowed to withered and dried unlike with black or green tea.

Red tea comes from  the Cedarberg Mountain wilderness just north of Capetown, South Africa.  The plant is named “Aspalathus Linearis” and has needle-like leaves.  During the plant’s ripening process the leaves develop a reddish brown color, leading to the name “red bush”.

Like green tea, Rooibos is high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  Red tea is more like herbal tea and contains no caffeine.  It has a lightly sweet but astringent flavor making it a great tea alternative.  You can find loose red tea sold by the pound at places like Whole Foods.  If you can’t get your hand on Stash’s red and white blend, you can always make your own cup by brewing each type of tea and adding them together. Read the rest of this entry »