I'm lost in the world of fencing

 For many kids, typical after-school activities involve soccer, basketball, or dance. But for my daughter Happy, her interests have always veered off the beaten path, leading her to the intriguing world of fencing. Since the tender age of six, she's been captivated by the sport, a passion that, for a long time, felt out of reach. Here in San Diego, most fencing programs were tucked away in exclusive neighborhoods, making the already expensive hobby even more of a luxury.

Thankfully, things have changed! Recently, one of the recreational facilities here in Chula Vista started offering fencing classes. While it's still an investment, the cost is much more manageable than before, though the essential equipment remains. as expected, quite pricey. Despite the expense, seeing Happy pursue her unique passion is incredibly rewarding.

I finally had the chance to take Happy for her third lesson, and I was completely new to the sport, Coach Sergei patiently explained the fundamental mechanics and basics to me. I was struck by how technical and refined fencing is. It's not a high-energy, all-out sprint like some other sports; instead, it demands precision, strategy and mental agility. It truly brought to mind the intricate swordplay training of ancient soldiers - though  thankfully, without the kingdom-conquering part!

Cheap paradise

 Amazon is our go-to [virtual] place when it comes to books. And I guess 80% of people for that matter.

 But no matter how convenient online shopping can be, you still need that feeling of being able to touch the thing you've been longing to buy, to see it in person and gauge how big/tiny or what material it's made of, before you eventually decide whether your hard earned penny is really worth spending on it.

  

 A few months ago, we happen to stumble upon Book Off. We've been ignoring this place for the  longest time. It's a Japanese chain store that sells mostly pre-owned items. Whether it's DVD, electronics, toys and even instruments. But they carry mostly books which was the next best thing besides Amazon, as I mentioned.

 Zion, Prime Grill, K-Bbq, Kura, Somi-Somi, Mini Cooper, Bonchon, H-Mart, Murakai, Costco Business and etc. We have added Book Off on our long list of places to go in Clairemont as another "excuse" to drive up. In fact, the drive does not matter when most of the things or stores we like are all located in one place. And it's a soiree of our so-called cheap paradise.

Address: 4240 Kearny Mesa Rd #128 San Diego CA 92111
Website: BookOff

Pirates vs Zombies

Our costumes this year were easy. Happy wanted to be a pirate and Adi for some reason wanted to be a Target employee. His reason: because they carry walkie-talkies.



However, we did not want it to be too simple!  So added a twist and made him to be a zombie... from Target! Anna and I wanted to step into the dressing part too since it was an easy DIY costume. We even came up with a back story for him on how he became a zombie.



We did our trick or treating by Mater Dei's parking lot where they had "Trunk or Treat" event going. There were activities and tons of kids. And it was just walking distance from our house so we did not even have to go far.







On our way home, the kids decided to the do the real trick or treat: knocking on everyone's door in our neighborhood. Now this was their first time, and even ours. We weren't even expecting that most houses would have candies.

It took us about less than 2 hours to get things done and by then it was already dark outside/  To our surprise in that short time, their bags were filled out all the way to the brim all from our tiny neighborhood. They even handed out their own candies to other kids that they passed along the way.



And when we got home, we had to let them know that 80% of their candies will be given out. They were happy since they both know it was too much candies and they don't get to eat much, too, anyway.  Like I always say, it's the act and feeling of having earned all these candies that satisfies them. Not having to eat and over indulge in the sweetness.

Another reason to love Amazon

After watching The Greatest Showman a few weeks ago, both kids are now obsessed with its soundtrack. We have iTunes for our music library, unfortunately they'd rather listen to Alexa with our Echo devices. 

They've been listening to the tracks, but Alexa was only able to play samples and bits of the songs. Feeling bad, I felt that I should do something since music plays a big part in our household. 

We have Prime and I felt we're not maximizing the full extent of it. I discovered that there's Prime Music and that there's an IOS app. Upon downloading and logging onto our Amazon account, it showed me all the CD's I've purchased in the past years. And to my surprise, it gave me all the digital copies of them all!

I then bought a physical copy of The Greatest Showman soundtrack and was ecstatic to see the digital copy. But I was doing these all during my lunch break at work. I was bit frustrated since what I can do is very limited given that I am not home at the time.  

Come night time, the kids were so excited that they can now listen to every music of the soundtrack. Alexa opened new doors again. A huge array of music playlist. Songs that we listen to and some even comes with lyrics. Karaoke mode at the gym? We even set Alexa to play our playlist  to wake us up in the morning.

This maybe old news for a few, but there are still some out there, like me, are just missing so much. Smart homes are here to stay. And this would be another reason to love Amazon.

The Elf on the Shelf... and on the bench..... and on the board..... and on the.........

 Having Adi and Happy clean up after their mess (mainly toys) is such a struggle. We constantly have to remind them that they need to tidy up. There must be a better way for them to remember, and I think we found a way. Enter the Elf in the Shelf.



 Days before Christmas, Happy found one of the Elves still in it's box. She would actually talk to it, whispering her wishes for whatever she wanted from Santa everyday. Two days before Christmas, I took the elf out of it's box and put it on the tree. When both kids woke up, they eventually noticed that the elf was missing from it's box and went out looking for it.



 From then on, we started moving the elf. On Christmas day, the elf brought Santa's gift. But it never stopped there. We then had an idea to keep the elf movin everyday. It was fun for Adi and Happy for a few days, but closer to New Year, both kids are getting scared, since we told them that the elf maybe after their toys now.



 Adi would wonder why the elf hasn't made it's motif clear. But a few hours ago, I started putting some of their toys in a paper bag, dressed up the elf as if its about to leave. I then set my GoPro to record the upcoming events.