My Mei

I am watching Jessica & Krystal on Hulu right now and it's making me miss my baby sister.

MUCHO.

The way the Jung sisters laugh and eat and goof off reminds me so much of me and my sister.

It's making me nostalgic for the days when we used to laugh hysterically together, go on eating adventures, lay in bed to girl talk, and just be silly doofuses together.

Now we live in different cities and it's harder to do that.

Why do you live so far away, 妹?

Come back to NYC!

You know you want to. What can I bribe you with?

My little sister, my 妹, Tiffany, lives in San Francisco.

Isn't she beautiful?

Tiffany is sixteen months younger than I am.

But most people think she's older than me.

I have no idea why.

Do you?

Here's my sister at the Getty Villa in L.A.

My friend was getting married in Santa Barbara and it was the perfect excuse for me to fly out to S.F.

Tiffany and I roadtripped down to L.A. together and spent a day seeing the sights around town before heading to the wedding.

We went to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, stalked the Kogi Truck - where we ordered almost the entire menu (BEST food truck ever!) - and of course, went to the Getty Villa. It was beautiful there. I'd highly recommend this museum to people visiting L.A.

And if you happen to find a statue in the museum, why not pose next to it?

When Tiffany graduated college, my mom sent the two of us on a trip to China together.

I'll never forget this trip as long as I live. It was our first time visiting China and I'm glad I got to do it with my Mei.

We went to the Great Wall.

Where someone wanted me to catch her.

We went to Xi'an to see the Terracotta Warriors.

Where someone did some kissing.

In December 2011, my sister and I went to Vietnam to vacation with our aunt.

We landed in Hanoi.

Where someone asked the fruit lady on the side of the road if she could borrow her hat and fruit.

The fruit lady was puzzled.

We went to visit a temple, then traveled to Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It was easily one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

After spending a few days on a boat, travelling the bay, we went to see the Thanh Chuong Viet Palace.

Where someone rode a horse.

That someone later found her spirit animal.

Sisters are the best!

I hope we get to travel together more, Tiff! And, soon! I miss you.

Avocado Tomato Salad 3-Ways

I love tomato season.

Currently, tomatoes are so juicy and sweet and full of flavor, they don't need any other adornments to make them divinely delicious.

I love it!

The other day at the grocery store, I saw some mini heirloom tomatoes and knew I had to make something with them.

Enter the avocado.

I cut up a small, ripe avocado.

Halved and quartered some mini heirloom tomatoes.

Mixed everything together...

And promptly shoveled spoonfuls into my mouth.

It looked so good, I couldn't help myself.

The juices from the tomatoes were sweet and citrusy, acting like a dressing all by themselves.

So good!

If the plain rendition doesn't appeal to you, sprinkle on some salt and pepper, toss, and inhale.

I did.

And it was good.

If you're feeling adventurous, instead of salt and pepper, pour a little bit of good soy sauce onto the tomatoes and avocados, and revel in the complex flavors. My grandmother loves avocado with soy sauce so that's where I got my inspiration from.

And there you go! Three different ways to make an easy salad for a quick snack or as an appetizer.

I feel a little silly putting a recipe down here but if you want to know the quantities, this is what I used:

Avocado Tomato Salad 3-Ways
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pint mini heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
• 1 small avocado

Optional
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce or more, to taste

Directions

1. Quarter or halve the tomatoes. Reserve the juices, if any.
2. Peel and cube the avocado.
3. Mix tomatoes, avocado, and juices.
4. Option A: Serve plain.
5. Option B: Sprinkle salt and pepper, to taste, on tomatoes and avocados.
6. Option C: Instead of salt and pepper, pour soy sauce onto tomatoes and avocados. Lightly toss. Add more soy sauce if desired.
7. Enjoy!

How My Mom Exercises

Mom: I'm going to try that exercise video your aunt told me about.

Janice: Okay.

-Two minutes later-

Mom: Exercising is too tiring. I'm going to stop.

I think I know who I got my lazy genes from.