May the New Year bring more fun with Minami California!

A camera and Minami Cali are all I need to start a party.

Work and play

Minami thinks we went all the way to downtown LA to take photos in front of the crappy warehouse district. But I'm actually getting backplates for VFX work.

Scoops gelato LA: almond sake cream, caramel green tea, almond ume, yuzu pineapple!

Going with Asian theme at Scoops gelato LA: almond sake cream, caramel green tea, almond ume, yuzu pineapple... all really good! Minami just got chocolate.

Watch "Minami California Asian Lady Driving" on YouTube

We probably can't return to this Whole Foods after our little accident.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CsJoBcPuu4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Watch "Fairy Godfather" on YouTube

I like testing toys on Minami so that I won't have to buy them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN_ZSewH4gM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

This is what our check out looks like... not very echo for a Whole Foods... dig the irony?

I must admit to having fun tearing up the store with the kid's shopping cart. The Whole Foods employee that cleaned up after us wasn't happy.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning in Minami California.

Colburn kid's choir on the TV - Minami's music school.

Minami's music school, Colburn, on the TV.

Christmas Eve balloon fight.

This family's idea of a Christmas Eve party is a balloon fight.

Stop cryin like a twist Panda! The coppers will never take us down in this machine.

"Stop cryin like a twist Panda! The coppers will never take us down in this machine." Minami makes a quick get away with her accomplice.

Macau custard tart at Elite Dim Sum. Minami's favorite.

We ate a few Macau custard tarts in Macau. The ones in Macau were a bit bigger, flakier, and the custard more firm.

It's a Christmas miracle, Minami's 1st Christmas tree at home.

This year we've stepped up to a nice big Christmas tree thanks to Minami's aunty Kathy.

Minami Cali Luv

Minami Cali knows how to party - so many possibilities when you name your kid California. Testing slow motion on my Galaxy Note 2 and auto edit on Magistro.

Minami Cali Luv by Magisto

youtu.be

Created by Magisto - Magical Video Editor (www.magisto.com)

Watch "Holiday Show 2012" on YouTube

Minami's performance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlDRG1_HF6Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Minami's reward after a successful show singing.

The white dress worked but Minami originally wore a perfectly red Holiday dress but puked all over it. It was damage control just before her show.

Minami and Ms. Aida

Minami and Ms. Aida after the show. I don't know the boy's name to the right but he's hilarious and calls me Daddy.

Minami's fans.

Post show festivities.

Minami after her big Holiday Show. She sang her heart out.

Holiday Show

Holiday Show

My Hero

In another random incident, Minami saved me some embarrassment as I had just returned a shopping cart and was walking back to the car where Minami was waiting. But when I looked at her in the car window she was screaming and pointing behind me. Normally I would just tell her to chill out but I decided to look back and saw a whole train of shopping carts rolling down the parking lot with my cart in the lead. I ran back and stopped the line of 4-5 carts just before it hit a parked car. That was a close one!

Breaking Silence

So in Minami's music class, the teacher instructed everyone to be quiet while Minami softly sang a random song she knew. In that silences someone totally farted and who was the only one laughing: me. And yeah, it wasn't me that farted.

The paparazzi caught Minami California shopping on Black Friday.

The paparazzi caught Minami California shopping on Black Friday.

Rainy LB

Today's a bit rainy so we're staying in. But Minami always says, "I want to go somewhere."

Minami's holiday make-over, courtesy of her grandparents.

Black Friday for Minami became a pink Winter.

Char sui pork lookin glazened good, Minami putting the devil in the deviled eggs.

Feelin the burn of exhaustion and alcohol. Finished the bratwurst stuffing and meatless roasted sweet onion stuffing. Just have the gravy to finish.

6 louds of laundry from last week. What the heck happened?

I hate house chores but I hate a cluttered house even more. For whatever reason, last week's laundry resulted in one massive pile. All this sorting, folding, and storing is getting me down.

Veterans Day Blues

Technically Minami has school today even though many schools are off for Veteran's Day (which we celebrated on Sunday by visiting her great grandparents grave). But Minami woke up with her right eye a little swollen - similar to the "eye acne" she had before. So we we're off to the market to get some eggs to boil and place on her eye. From past experience I've learned that being agressive with putting warmth on her eye is important to minimize swelling and scarring and it drains fluid. I think this was a result of her hair being too long and in her eyes which provoked her to touch it and infect her eye. So I'll also be cutting her hair today as well - I should've done it a week ago.

お墓参り

Minami is visiting the graves of her great grandparents and great great grand parents and great aunt.

Minami Cali Country

Minami can go country.

Puppet show

Today's story is Fox Tail Soup.

Story time

Minami participating.

Story time

Minami participating.

LA library

Story time.

High 5 for poop!

Something to celebrate on Minami Cali's Mama's SoCal birthday - for the 1st time Minami verbally admitted that she needed to poop before going in her diaper. So we rushed to the toilet just in time for her to "pinched a loaf." Of course I was asking her every 10-15 minutes and have narrowed her general pooping time to be in the evening, usually after dinner. Basically it's the 1st time she pooped in the toilet by her own will. She's very proud of her accomplishment.

Minami's Thanksgiving art

Thanksgiving is coming.

Minami eating her mama's Birthday cake (while her mama is on Hong Kong).

If we have a Birthday cake, it's most likely going to come from Bonjour bakery in Torrance.

Happy Birthday Mama

Happy Birthday to Mama in Hong Kong.

Minami California Clear

Minami is doing fine this morning - there doesn't seem to be any reason to be concerned about her head bump the other night.

Minami Art 2012

Minami Art 2012

https://picasaweb.google.com/106015782049065724014/MinamiArt2012?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

This evening Minami took a fall off the side of the sofa - she jumped on the arm rest to sit on it and fell back, hitting her head on the carpet below (next to the piano). It was a pretty loud bump so obviously I freaked out, but after a good 15 minutes of tears and screams she seamed ok. This would be the 2nd time she fell off the side of the sofa, the other time she fell off the opposite sofa arm (perhaps a year ago) and landed on a set of her wooden blocks on the ground, giving her a distinct square bruising on her face. But this time it was a straight fall onto carpet so at lease the hit was padded. I'll be keeping an eye on her but the general consensus is that if she didn't loose consciousness at any time and doesn't experience any nausea or dizziness then she should be fine. It's been an hour since she hit her head and she's playing as if nothing happened. In fact I caught her sitting on the sofa arm once again and warned her she could fall again - she promptly got down.

Poop problems

I ask Minami if she needs to poop and she says no. Literally a minute later she's pooping in her diaper. Very frustrating.

Loli Pop Kid and Cup Cat, illustrated by Sam Bam Yano and colored by Minami California

Minami and I made a comic at the LB Comicon workshop.

Churro sundae lunch and kangaroo jerky snacks, cuz I'm an awesomely bad role model for Minami

Best churros in Long Beach at The Funnel House, and House of Jerky at Shoreline Village!

Minami with artist Chris Kawagiwa at the LB Comicon

We must've walked past Chris Kawagiwa's booth like 3 times but missed it. But we got our photo... mostly to make Matt Dow feel like he missed out.

Churro sundae lunch and kangaroo jerky snacks, cuz I'm an awesomely bad role model for Minami

Best churros in Long Beach at The Funnel House, and House of Jerky at Shoreline Village!

Minami geeking out...

Not very many photo ops here at the LB Comicon.

Finally something to compete with her iPad.

Minami is now participating in a comic making workshop.

Comicon or Home & Gardening Expo? Quite frankly we could swing both ways.

Some dude just tried to swipe our LB Comicon program. Fortunately this crowd is easier to intimidate than, let's say, a Harley Davidson convention. I told the would be thief to bug off. 

I think Minami is more a abstract artist.

The LB Comicon is pretty small but then again I may be spoiled by memories of the San Diego Comicon.

Minami can't go out and play until all her toys are put away!

Oue home is a mess thanks to Minami California.

Some FEA peeps at Langer's Deli in LA

I had the corn beef hash at Langer's to try something new... I wish I had ordered the pastrami - yeah, it's that good! Oh and some Cal State LB friends were there too... oh and Minami too. Darn, I really should've gotten the pastrami on rye.