I couldn’t resist! I had to make something gold, Lakers Gold that is, for the Lakers vs. Rockets season opening game. I’ve had nothing but pumpkins on my mind and to me, any shade of gold (yes, goldish-orangish-pumpkin-brown is close enough to Lakers gold in my book) is cause for celebrating opening night. I’ve always had a love for pumpkin desserts. My first and most memorable experience with pumpkin is unsurprisingly pumpkin...
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It’s finally that time of the year!!! It’s Lakers season! A week ago Saturday, I went to a pre-season Lakers game at the invitation of my family friend. I like to call my friend M-kun, my “lil’-brotha-from-anotha-motha.” (Apologies for my lingo, but I couldn’t help it!) His Dad is like a 2nd father to me and his Mom is like a 2nd mother to me. His older sister, Aya-chan, is like the little sis’ I...
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As a Japanese-American child growing-up in Los Angeles, I was fortunate to be a part of a local Japanese community which provided the opportunity to experience a number of wonderful cultural traditions. My favorite summer-time tradition was, and still is, attending Obon. Long ago when I asked my mom about the meaning of Obon, she told me that it was a time during which we remembered and honored our family members that have passed on. In our...
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Did you know that in Japanese, ice cream is known as “ice cream” or more accurately, “aisukurimu”? It’s ice cream pronounced with a Japanese accent, “eye-sue-coo-reem-mu”. Does this mean that black sesame ice cream in Japanese could potentially be, “boo-lack-oo say-sah-me eye-sue-coo-reem-mu”? At this point, I’m fairly certain my bilingual English-Japanese friends who are reading this...
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CONGRATULATIONS LAKERS! We won! :) After a grueling, gut-wrenching, hair-pulling four quarters in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the Lakers overcame a 13-point deficit and beat the Celtics, 83 – 79, earning their Sweet 16 NBA Championship. The night before Game 7, Bebe Dada looked me in the eye and said, “We’re going to win. The Lakers are going to take it.” In my heart, I believed this too, and told him that I felt...
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Lakers ROCK!!! The Lakers took Game 6 of the Finals against the Celtics, 89 – 67, and tied the series 3 – 3, keeping the dream alive and getting us to Game 7 on home court. Thank you, Lakers! Thank you SO much for not letting us down!!!!! I must also thank the Lakers for maintaining a significant lead during the entirety of the game because this kept my stress level at a minimum. This was a HUGE relief after an anguishing...
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Game 5 of the Lakers vs. Celtics NBA Finals series was a complete disappointment with the Lakers losing, 92 – 86. The series is now 3 – 2 with the Celtics leading. Kobe showed-up to the game in the 2nd half with over 30 points, but the rest of the Lakers team didn’t “bring it”, and with the Celtics shooting at roughly 66%, we were doomed. If the Lakers can’t play championship-grade basketball, they...
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One of the best things about eating scones is the Devonshire cream. I love spreading a generous amount of this sinfully, fluffy cream all over a warm scone. It’s SO good! High-tea isn’t complete without Devonshire cream. I’m fairly certain, however, that all of the Devonshire cream I’ve tried at various tea salons throughout Los Angeles and Orange County is mock Devonshire cream and not the real, clotted cream made in...
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