Labor Day Weekend Luncheon

Aloha Everyone,

My sister invited us to her house for an impromptu Labor Day weekend luncheon. She prepared a feast including BBQ pork spareribs, big salads and fruits plates. She also had a chocolate layered cake and ice cream. We purchased 14 pcs of Chow Siu buns from Chowking. These are favorites of her grandsons and always appreciated. 

I saw Taho & Sago at Chowking and thought this would be of interest to the boys. They are somewhat similar to boba, gelatin and liquid tofu. Everyone tries a little including my niece, but all replied “Yes, that was very interesting!”

Oh well, some things aren’t universal and must be an acquired taste.

Aloha -- Cathi

Medical Checkups

Aloha Everyone,

Medical checkups with Alyse Hernandez, PA and PT at OPTUM went well. No major news regarding our state of health. We both have to adjust our current medications, and we will have our Annual Medicare Checkups when we return to Torrance early next year.

We cannot defy the aging process. Mornings are when J.J. and I are most energetic. A siesta after lunch is now part of the daily routine. Afternoons are leisurely and bedtime is before 8:00 pm. We still wake-up around 4:00 am to use the internet and attend to chores. J.J. does a total of 2 miles walking while I continue with my 5 plus miles. Add to that being mindful regarding what we eat and drink. We also drink a lot of water.

Aloha -- Cathi

Big Shopping Day

Aloha Everyone,

Our need to replace winter jackets and J.J.’s polo shirts happened to coincide with Labor Day weekend sales. He is comfortable with Nautica Classic Fit. J.J. hates shopping even more than me. Amazing we were able to purchase 7 different colors but same design shirts. Discounted price by 30% from the original price was a great incentive.

My replacement walking shoes is Sketchers.

Both of us had given away our 20 plus years old winter jacket. J.J. found a great fitting Hilfiger jacket with a hood in the color he likes. I purchased Style & Co jacket in adult size S.

All in all, today was a big shopping day.

Aloha -- Cathi

Lunch at Szechuan Restaurant

Aloha Everyone,

We invited my sister, Irene, to our favorite restaurant located on the Pacific Coast Highway. Dim sum style dishes are served piping hot as your orders are ready. J.J. selected 9 different dishes including 3 dessert items, all of them were delicious.

Our conversation centered on grandchildren - she has 4 boys and we have 1 girl. 3 of them will be graduating next year - 2 from high schools and 1 from college. Mixed with happiness and nostalgia for their childhood days. We wondered where did the time go?

Aloha -- Cathi

The U.S. National Park System Received a $100 Million Grant

Aloha Everyone,

J.J. and I love U.S. national parks. We have visited nearly all of them. Some are well known but others aren’t so well regarded.

With lack of funding, often paid showers have limited water availability and forget about hot showers. Stories of wild animals roaming are common. When we first started our RV trips in Honu, there was an occasion where we were surrounded by wild American bisons. Another incident involved a mother bear and her cub. It makes me shudder to think how it would have felt if we were napping in our small rented Nissan Sentra.

To supplement for lesser known national parks, Lilly Endowment recently donated $100 million.

Lilly Endowment is a Lilly Family Foundation with the company located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company’s primary revenue comes from diabetes drugs. Lilly was also the first company to mass-produce polio vaccine and insulin.

This morning the two of us went to get the flu vaccine from Walmart. To the pharmacist’ a woman walked up and asked how much is the cost of vaccine shot. The woman has no Medicare and no medical insurance. The pharmacist lowered his voice and pointed to Eli Lilly catalog. I believe it basically states that vaccines will be provided at no cost. Our annual shots are paid by Medicare.

As of 2024, Eli Lilly is ranked 127th on the Fortune 500. Recognized as the top entry level employer in Indianapolis. Glad to see that this is a good healthcare company with a heart.

Aloha -- Cathi

Costco Shopping with my Sister

Aloha Everyone,

It’s not where we go but the idea of simply having my big sister’s company is enjoyable.

I was looking for replacements for my yoga pants. I found black and blue colored pants, slightly different design than Danskin brand I’ve been using. For me the ability to find the size is important.

My sister wears HEAD touchscreen running gloves and suggested that I get a pair. I haven’t gotten hang of them. Trying to answer an incoming call, I had to remove one glove. My sister told me that they come in handy in all kinds of weather conditions. I need some practice.

COSTCO is a membership store and for an annual fee, products are sold at incredible discounted prices. The problem is that you cannot just buy a small quantity. 

For my shopping, I paid $70, a small amount. I can see how some people get carried away by the low price tags and over purchase.

Aloha -- Cathi

Hair Salon Appointments

Aloha Everyone,

Fantastic Sam’s store near Del Amo Fashion Mall was empty of customers. Cindy, our regular hairdresser was waiting for us. She likes to work on our hair simultaneously and within 90 minutes we were done. Only three other stations had customers. 

Cindy confided that it has been very slow. Some people choose grocery shopping to have their hair done.

California’s average cost of living is $53,082 per year. Californians spend $298 per month on groceries. That’s above the national average. The cost of utilities at $438 per month is also higher than the national average. Biggest expense is rent.

Cindy and her husband own a house, own two cars, but said they feel trapped by the high cost of living in California. Cost of her services is established by the owner of the franchise. We noticed that there hasn’t been any increase since our last visit, nearly 7 weeks ago. She told me that her business has been slow. She only comes in with prior appointments & expressed her appreciation for our business.

Aloha -- Cathi

Australia & New Zealand Dollars

Aloha Everyone,

This will be our first trip to Australia & New Zealand. In a preparation for this exciting new adventure, we ordered currencies from Wells Fargo Bank. While most countries we visit on cruise ships do offer foreign exchange either on board or at the pier, rates are not always good. Ports with a smaller population have no banks, limited ATM machines.  Many taxi drivers prefer cash.

There are similarities in size and quality and no wonder Australia prints bank notes for 15 other countries including New Zealand. The bills are made of polymer, extremely durable, strong and difficult to duplicate.

Aloha -- Cathi

My New Sunglasses

Aloha Everyone,

J.J. and I overslept this morning and by the time I was trying to complete my 2nd hour of walking, the sun was already too bright.

Necessity of getting a replacement pair of sunglasses was imminent.

My new sunglasses are duplicates of the ones I’ve been using. 

Foster Grant Polarized lens is heavy duty, scratch resistant and perfectly suited for how I carry my sunglasses — in my Norwegian backpack where everything tends to get thrown in.

The price of $19.95 plus taxes is still affordable. These glasses are made in China and are “guaranteed to break” at the most in-opportune times. I purchased two to keep one as my backup.

Decided to change our takeout menu and purchased Chinese steamed buns with  pork filling. From the next door Seafood City, J.J. purchased vegetable lumpia, pansit Bihon and chicken skin (Tori kawa) plus kropec (fried rice chips - Singapore style). All were delicious except for the Filipino version of spinach. It was too spicy that neither of us could tolerate even a tiny amount in our mouths.

Aloha -- Cathi

Manicure & Pedicure

Aloha Everyone,

For us, getting manicures and pedicures are necessities. But to many, they are affordable treats.

When the two of us walked into the Lovely Nails storefront, only a handful of pedicure stations were being utilized. We had no prior appointment, so we were asked to wait until the business officially opened at 9:00 am. 

By the time J.J. and I were invited to take our places, there were two dozen chairs still available. 

There’s very little communication between us and the operators. The owners are from Vietnam and their employees are mostly non English speaking operators from Vietnam. 

It took us 45 minutes to get our manicures & pedicures done. We were satisfied and paid $100 for the two of us plus $40 in tips for 4 operators. When we walked out, the place was filled and there were people waiting.

Aloha -- Cathi

Profound Quotes

Aloha Everyone,

Here are some of my favorite profound quotes:  

“Write it all down. Think in ink.”

British political strategist Alastair Campbell 

“The difficulty lies not in learning, but in unlearning.”

Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli

 “Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it.”

Lebanese-born writer Khalil Gibran (1883-1931)

“Happiness is a direction, not a place.”

American journalist Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986)

“Think thoughts that make you feel good; make choices that make you feel good; and take actions that make you feel good.”

American writer Cheryl Richardson

“If Plan A does not work out, the alphabet has 25 more letters.”

Sign at London’s Sea Containers Hotel 

“This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.” 

American author and poet Maya Angelou (1928-2014) 

“Hope is itself a species of happiness and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords.”

English writer Dr Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

Aloha -- Cathi

Resolution of Discount Coupons

Aloha Everyone,

Our prescription medications of same items at Walmart used to be $40.35 for J.J. and $24.75 for me. The new prices were $46.50 and $92.99 respectively. Helpful advice from Jasón, one of the Pharmacy Associates, we procured discount coupons and were able to reduce our medications to $18.85 and $23.36. They are even cheaper that the new increased prices.

Aloha -- Cathi

Torrance, Week 1 Dining-in

Aloha Everyone,

For convenience, J.J. and I go out to do our food shopping every two days. His choices are heavy on ready-made bento boxes and I try to get fresh veggies, tofu, natto and protein bars.

Here are some of our meals during our week 1 back in Torrance.

Aloha -- Cathi

Making One Pot Sukiyaki Meal

Aloha Everyone,

The basic recipe called for a package of Shirataki Konyaku noodles, thinly sliced Sukiyaki meat (beef), tofu, veggies, mirin & soy sauce plus bonito flakes. 

Using a small cooking pot, it took me about an hour to make our dinner. Konyaku is gluten free, low in carbs and calories. Like tofu, Konyaku gets its taste from other foods. The time it took was the noodles to simmer. The result was better than the both of us expected. In general, Japanese food tends to use lots of sugar and soy sauce. Doing your own cooking using one of Japan’s superfoods is more healthy option for us.

Aloha -- Cathi