superfast jellyfish

Alicia Keys sang it well

2011-01-20T04:03:00.000-08:00

'Tis so much easier walkin' outdoors in the cold with a cuppa hot beverage in hand. Or cigg 'tween lips.

I loved the sudden inflow of so much new information - little white plaques enriching an experience - detail pointed out, traced, explained - things that surround me on a day-to-day basis, but I never gave a second hoot - mean so much more now, knowing their history/context.

Frog closure: A sewing notion which can be used like a button to close a garment. Frogs are usually highly ornamental, designed to enhance the garment they are sewn onto in addition to acting as a closure. Cloaks, jackets, formal uniforms, and Chinese-inspired designs often use frog closures instead of buttons. The name is probably a reference to the fact that a frog closure splays out across a garment, like the limbs of a frog. In addition to being ornamental, the splaying knotwork of a frog closure also distributes pressure, which can be valuable in a tightly buttoned garment.

Never would have guessed they refer to those corded-ball clasps which seem to be gaining popularity everywhere, especially on outerwear.

Jodhpurs: In their modern form, jodhpurs are tight-fitting trousers that reach to the ankle, where they end in a snug cuff with reinforced fabric protecting the inner calf and knee from rubbing. In an era before the invention of stretch fabrics, the thighs and hips were flared, a traditional oriental style possibly to help with bodily cooling in a hot climate, and also allow free movement of the hip and thigh. Jodhpurs are worn primarily for horse riding.

Mori Girl: The mori girls (森ガール) belong to a Japanese subculture. 'Mori' means forest in Japanese, and mori girls look like fairytale forest wanderers in their loose dresses, vintage prints and quaint accessories. Mori girls choose to live their lives on their own terms, stopping to appreciate the little things that others overlook amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life.

Think Free People and Anthropologie.

Cummerbund: A broad waist sash, usually pleated, which is often worn with single-breasted dinner jackets (or tuxedos). First adopted by British military officers in colonial India as an alternative to a waistcoat, and later spread to civilian use. The word Cummerband which entered English vocabulary in 1616 via languages of the Indian subcontinent such as Hindi and Urdu, is originally a Persian genitive phrase (Persian: کمربند) comprising kamar (waist) + Hindi bandh (band). The word cummerband and less commonly the German spelling kummerbund (translating to 'ribbon of sorrow'), are often used synonymously with cummerbund in English.

Stupid slow shuttle turned me into a Sammy Slurpee. My hands are always cold, but it was a whole different level of chill I experienced today. When my body freaks out on me, I arrange the odd sensations into prose in my head and enjoy the literature so my mind doesn't equally freak out.

Freak out. Something I'm still trying hard not to do.

~The End~

2010-12-02T08:21:00.000-08:00

Part 1:

I did a double take when I glanced at the upper right-hand corner of my laptop last night and realized it was December the 1st.

'Missing In Action,' you say? Oh, I've been kept on the sharp and nerve-wrecking edge of action all right. As Kim teased, "Oh no, Sammy. You went over to the dark side." Aah... ~~Young one~~ Old man... Untrodden pastures only appear more treacherous!

I take that back. 'Tests' were an armful (and a bucketful of tears). I have seen the cruel side of Woman. I think that inside every she, lurks a Medusa. When was the last time you had a bad hair day, gave someone a stony glare, and earned yourself a bad reputation? But everyone's crabby when tired, cross or unfed. When hurt is purported... That bugs the shit out of me. This is rarely the case; perhapstances are 99% paranoia, though they actually cause more harm than flat-out attacks. Guess what though? Going through the shitstorm with my fellow pledgies really bonded us tighter than an S&M victim. "Persecuted together, sidekicks forever." Heard that one before, but scoffed. Ran through the minefield hand in hand... Now I have friends to show for it.

SoCo, Emerson, Holden
Rory, Roxy, Sawyer

First Greek Night out :o)

Part 2:

I sit here with 2 cupcakes, but only 1 coffee. I am single.

Which isn't to say, I'm notx2 seeing anyone.

A large part of my will to blog died along with my 9-month relationship. But I'm not pointing fingers; I know I do that too often. No excuses about not having time, though it's true (*see Part 1). This semester has been simply loco. But no matter how busy you get, it's possible to accomplish something if your heart is really set on it, given slivers of time in between wake and slumber. Sometimes by means of premature wake or completely eliminating slumber.

A shiver of thrill ran down my right forefinger as I clicked on [New Post].

Was it the uneasy knowledge that he would rake through the contents of whatever I'd written to find a clue as to why things fizzled faster than a firecracker hitting water?

A part of me would feel guilty circularizing my present joys...

But no one should be able to deny me my happiness. Not even myself.

Part 3:

A free-spirited photographer.

A visiting monkey.

Mi deseo.

Available parking spot.

Surprising circumstances & twinkling lights.

Slow, steady, Spanish.

The way I know I really like someone is when I want to write about him.

You know it's gonna be an awesome day when the first balloon that floats past you is 20-foot high Hello Kitty.

Much ado about privates (not the rank)

2010-09-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's French class necessitated a run-through of parties du corps (body parts). Our new professor is either v. cool, or thinks his Intermediate French pupils are ready for 'adult material.' Le vagine and le pénis/la verge were not in our syllabus last semester. I just want to point out the irony of how vagina is masculine (indicated by the le adjective). An indignant female classmate complained out loud, "It's a man's world."

Mmphft...

Lastly, an entry from fmylife.com:

"Today, I realized my name in French means 'penis'. This wouldn't be as bad if my dad wasn't fluent in French. FML"

#12332692 (281)

I agree, your life sucks (26392) - you totally deserved it (1866)

On 08/05/2010 at 2:24pm - love - by kiki - United States (Massachusetts)

Kesian dia.

Paradisiacal doesn't sound pleasant for what it implies

2010-09-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

The last time Life felt this Whole was precisely Five years ago.

Aaaand...
Here's a somewhat related picture which rings with the optimism that I feel:

Good stuff

2010-07-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

America is good for me. I've been told that I emit a happy glow; definitely an improvement from how a friend described me some years ago - she said there was an 'aura of sadness' about me. I'm more comfortable in my own skin and less conscious. A karaoke session with my high school cronies at Red Box, The Curve proved that for sure; I crooned without caring if I sounded like a nightingale or a bullfrog, and didn't stop singing from the moment we arrived till our session expired.

Speaking of which, that karaoke outing got me thinking how certain songs are lyrical rubbish, while others are works of musical maestros. Some musicians who wow me with their words are Owl City and Katy Perry. Lyrics are often taken for granted. Or maybe it's simply harder to pay attention to words with so much sound filling our senses. This also happens vice versa, meaning that words distract listeners from sound. Listening to International music sung in foreign languages is a queer pleasure for me; it evokes the same feelings as when I choose to read a book instead of watching its movie adaptation. You visualize what you want.

My parents and I went through quite a lot of hassle to make sure I got all the immunizations required for my volunteer program in Ecuador next month. The yellow fever vaccine is only proffered in limited quantities in KL, so that was the most mafan to gaotim, but we finally found a clinic that keeps it in stock. The painless injection left a huge purple-green bruise on my left arm. Adversely, the slightly painful Hepatitis A injection on my right arm left no mark. It's not weird at all that your doctor asks your dad for bar recommendations WHILE drawing blood from your arm -_-"

This trip to Ecuador also requires shopping for so much stuff that I would never buy otherwise. I've been kept busy stocking up on insect repellent, compiling the contents of a First Aid kit, looking for rain pants (wtf are rain pants??), et cetera. Have yet to buy my travel pack and hiking boots! RARH! On top of that, I have to do some thorough reading on the country and its culture before the trip commences. But I keep telling myself that all this effort is worth it, because I'm going to have an unforgettable time in Ecuador :o)

No holiday is perfect; I had my down days too.

As opposed to what most people think, I tend to spend a lot of time by myself. An especially good time out with friends throws me off course my habitual routine. I've noticed that I actually experience withdrawal symptoms the day after being surrounded by a ton of jovial activity: boredom, depression, scattered thoughts and indecision.

It didn't help that Jim and I got into a rift over Skype and stopped talking for a week. Long distance was making me edgy. I spent the next few days in a frump. Pouring out my concerns to mommy made me feel much better; she makes me see the sensible side of things. Dinner with Chew at the new French restaurant in BSC, 'The Press Room' was the happiest I'd been all day. Unfortunately, supper with him the very next day didn't go as well. I broke down in the middle of dinner owing to stress on different levels. Jim and I still weren't talking. However, we finally resolved things (also over Skype!)

Lucky I'm in love with my best friend :o)

The following are mostly photos on my laptop that help draw a picture of pleasant memories from my recent 'balik kampung' trip.

NEW CAR
In the driveway of Number **, Jalan Batu Laut 2, Taman Bukit Seputeh:
Me: Where's Chili Baby?

My friends & baby (the sexy one in fire-engine red).

Mom: Um........ Didn't we tell you? Nah, here's your new car! Actually, it belongs to everyone.

Roll your eyes at me for saying this, but I was NOT pleased. I was looking forward to driving my Yaris. Isn't it natural to have a soft spot for your first car? The Yaris was super fast and fiesty. I definitely had some good times with it.

But then I discovered the Mini's 'SPORT' button.
Fuyohhh... Syok betulzzzzz!
Let's just say that any mata or polis could have flagged me down and (almost) rightfully demanded a generous tip.

NOSH

Donashi (how inventive) from Big Apple Donuts :D I had to get a box to satisfy my affinity for stuff that looks like other stuff :o) It came with extra large chopsticks and a dessert 'soy-sauce' (dipping chocolate)!

'Sake' and 'Toro.'

The bowl of noodles that made me want to compose an ode to cod. I think bee hoon has a very unique flavor. Simmered in soup flavored with preserved vegetables, and topped with melt-in-your-mouth chunks of cod fish...^_^ Then again, at RM32.10 for a bowl of noodles (about $10), it should be good!

Cod fish Bee hoon can be found at my favorite haunt.
Any true-blue KL lad or lass should immediately recognize this eatery :o)

Newer establishments are borrowing an idea or two from Delicious.

For Goodness Sake, the first izakaya I've seen in KL, has the best fries. The accompanying Tom yam Mayo is more creamy than spicy, but it definitely has a good flavor. Hints of lemongrass play peekaboo on your palate. Which reminds me... I've yet to visit Pomme Frites in St. Marks. I know they have a wide array of dipping sauces, but I've no idea if they have anything Tom yam-flavored. I'd like to see who does it better.

Yam + Red Bean ice blended drink which had to be sent back; it wasn't blended well enough. Rough shards of ice in any blended drink are an annoyance.

Although I constantly convince people that you can get basically any kind of cuisine in New York, it's not completely true. When it comes to some things, the 'motherland' does it better.

Like growing durians.
Your olfactory senses can confirm it's legit stuff.

Aunty Lilee and Mommy.

Kings.

KAWAN-KAWAN BAIK

It's touching how my friends watch out for me even in the smallest ways.

Seth & I over SMS ~>

Me: I'm at a durian buffet! :o)

Seth: Imagine if Jim were beside u. His expression!

Me: Yeah! He would take 1 whiff of my breath n dump me.

Seth: He woudnt dare. I'll rub durian on his bed.

Me: Aww... Thanx!

One of my fondest memories of being home last month is the night Seth and Hwang welcomed me to the boys' favorite haunts with open arms. Analysis of football tactics at Kayu Nasi Kandar, lok-lok with dangerous squirting pork-balls, sirap bandung out of flimsy-to-the-eye but secure plastic baggies, cybercafe and Left4Dead 2! AVOID THE NOXIOUS GREEN TOXIC.

I certainly find it easier making friends with boys. I don't compare myself to them, and I don't care if they judge me.

Pic 'borrowed' from PB&J ;o)

Meeting friends old and new was definitely one of the most rewarding pleasures of my visit back home. There's a cutesy story behind how I met Lih Ren; it was through the use of Twitter's failed nemesis - Plurk. Genuinely nice guy!

PB&J, Ren & I met up at a World Cup event sponsored by Amarula. I'd tried Amarula some years ago during a party at Deborah's house. Back then, you could only get Amarula from Africa or countries than imported the liquor. If you're into cream-based liquors, it's worth looking into Amarula; it's got a more sophisticated flavor than Kahlua. Anyhow, I chanced upon this video about the Amarula fruit. It's a pretty silly clip and I'm not sure it's just for gags or real, but those animals behave a lot like my friends when they're drunk, so I'll assume it's real!

Abby & her new bestie.

I didn't get to hang out with Shann as much as I'd have liked to, probably because she met Mike. I know it feels like life's pretty much complete when your boyfriend is also your best friend, so I don't really blame her.

It's been, what? 12 years of friendship!

Faradilla Hanim drove all the way from Pahang so we could catch up! She also insisted on buying me dinner, to make up for not being able to attend my birthday party. As we parted ways at the KLCC LRT station, she pulled a gold gift box with a sparkly red bow out of nowhere, thrust it into my arms, gave me an awkward hug, and dashed into her train.

EVERYTHING'S CHEAPER!

I thought I'd be visiting Malaysian movie theaters on a daily basis for cheap movies and better popcorn, but as it turns out, I only caught 3 movies :( Ice Kacang Puppy Love, Shrek 4, and Toy Story 3. Awesome, awesomer, and awesomest! My mom and brother was stunned to see my blotched face and red-rimmed eyes when the theater lights came on at the end of Toy Story 3.

I also finally got that massage I'd been wanting ever since Finals period. I thought it would be nice to 'give back' while receiving, so I decided to go to a blind massage center in Brickfields. The place was old, but ridiculously clean. My masseuse was very generous with the amount of odorless oil she slathered all over my body. She wasn't rough, but she did fumble at times. I realized that one of the hardest roles to play is that of a blind person. They have absolutely zero flinch reflex. I had to hold myself back from going, "Tee hee," several times.

Awesome manicure for 1/3 the price in NY!
*Cookie dough tub-like lip balm not included.
Again with stuff that looks like other stuff! :p

To Ilikeloofahs Blog, www.blogger.com, The Internet.

2010-06-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog,

It's been FOREVER.

What's new? Seeing anyone? Boss still an A-hole? Sister got married? Dog had puppies?

I'm writing to you from the same place I did last time: Jim's home in Connecticut. The last time I blogged was the day before I left for Malaysia. Today is the day after returning from my short vacation in Malaysia.

Much has changed in the Lim residence since I was home 1.5 years ago. Our study and the maid's room has been renovated and converted to a bedroom for the brother. 20-year old Tivo was replaced by a younger, sexier, wider, flatter model. The living room is much cozier than it's ever been. I only saw ONE cicak in our house during my entire stay; they used to be everywhere - hiding behind the water flask, lying in wait for the best time time to sneak a taste of any food left on the table, dashing across your feet as you walked by the refrigerator, falling from the ceiling or walls if startled badly, dropping on your bed... *Goosebumps* Jim calls them geckos and thinks they're adorable. Sure they got rid of bugs, but they also bugged the shit out of me. Which is why I can't believe I'm saying this: I kind of missed the little buggers. The background sounds of my house were incomplete without that familiar 'clack-clack-clack.' The lizards aka geckos united Sarah & I in our disgust of them. Speaking of which, isn't it curious how strong dislike for something or someone can be the glue that holds relationships together? Sharing contemptuous thoughts aka bitching equals bonding time. Humans are so judgmental, but judging becomes communication.

Anyhooow. The insecticide my mom bought didn't just drive all the lizards away from our house; my blogging bug must have been stupefied too. Coming back to NY cleared the air of pesticides, hence here I type :o)

The first few weeks I was home, the following question kept buzzing in my mind: Am I too old to kiss my dad? Feeling more like a grownup made me feel self-conscious. I used to plant little pecks on dad's cheek before hopping out of his car when he dropped me off at the mall. How many Malaysians kiss their parents? My high school chums used to wonder at how affectionate my family members are with one another. One particular conversation sticks out in mind; we were comparing how often we kissed their mommies. Me: Just about everyday. Them: Mother's Day & mother's birthday/Once a year/At the age of 6/Never. On Father's Day, I put aside my bashfulness and kissed the dad twice - once in the morn as he sat on the couch watching AFC, and once after buying the family dinner at Namaste ("Gourmet Indian cuisine"). Like the sweetheart he is, Jen chipped in for half the bill even though I told him to keep his money for manga.

You probably can't relate since you don't have blood kin, blog, but it's great when you get along with your parents and siblings. Sure we have our Kardashian family moments, but on the whole, we're pretty fucking awesome. Jim pointed out that we're a quirky lot. I couldn't agree more; we do have something special. A lot of it pertains to a similar sense of humor, a shared past from growing up and growing old together, as well as having inside jokes. Mom & dad are 'modern' and extremely lenient, a trait especially rare among Asian parents. I have the greatest gift which men prize above everything else, and have done so for centuries - freedom.

I'd almost forgotten how utterly amusing the other Lims can be.

While Sarah & I were discussing how fast food differs worldwide, I commented that McDs in Australia supposedly serves up one of the best burgers since they're renown for cattle.
Sarah: Yeah!!! They have Agnes beef.
Me: Eh? You mean Angus beef?
Sarah: No wonder it didn't sound right.
LMAO. AGNES!

Adik lelaki I is quite the Romeo now. He gives lady advice to his friends. We overheard him asking a friend over the phone, "How did it go with mermaid?" After he hung up, my mom, always the kaypohchee, asked if my brother's friend's crush was hot. Jen answered, "Just the top-half. That's why we call her mermaid." I thought it was damn funny lor.

Dad used to hold the trophy for 'Lamest Individual in the Family,' but mom has pried that trophy from his fingers.
Brother: I wanna watch G-L-E-E!
Mom: Cannot! School tomorrow. Can only have S-L-E-E-P.

Oh, but there's more.

In preparation for the volunteer program which I'll be doing in Ecuador, I had to get immunization for yellow fever, which is a big hassle in KL, because very few medical centers carry the vaccine. With regards to the matter, Mommy went:
"For the ang moh so easy. They have yellow fever by nature. Like Jim."
Jim kantoi!!!

I think mom likes to make light of trials or troublesome situations for the sake of cheering us up. Ever since getting Lasik, my eyes have been going through a slow recovery. She tried to dispel my concern by saying:
"But it's getting better and better. Soon you can see through walls."

One of my favorite things about being in KL is having late lunches with the daddy. We're comfortable in each others silence. Our extended family members get nervous around him, but I understand his demeanor. Whether through genetics or by means of observation and implementation, I've definitely inherited some of his traits. People tell me that I'm intimidating during my long periods of silence, but the truth is, silence doesn't necessarily mean I'm secretly stewing. Daddy's the same way. I think another perk of eating out with him is that he always takes me somewhere new.

A few weeks ago, he took me to an old coffee shop in KL for the best beef tripe noodles ever. Similar to Wantan mee, but beef tripe takes the place of dumplings. Pickled vegetables boost the taste of tripe gravy, and when eaten together with pickled green chilies, provide a fun combustion in your mouth. I never really pondered the fact that vegetables in Asia are so varied from those in the US. When Jim was visiting, he said that he'd never seen most of the greens that we ate at Chinese restaurants. My family's always been one for coffeeshops. I was the black sheep of the family in that sense. I would sulk that we weren't going for Western fare. Whenever available, I'd opt for kopitiam-style Western food (fries, bun, slice of ham or luncheon meat, baked beans, sunny side up egg, chicken chop, lamb chop) over oodles of noodles or dishes with rice. Maybe it's because I haven't had kopitiam in over a year, but I'm more appreciative of it this time round. I find everything about the typical kopitiam charming - linoleum green tiled floors, beer ads featuring skanky Chinese girls undressing you with their eyes, menu board with mistranslated Engrish, little pots of chili padi accompanying bottles of soy sauce on every table, cheap pink serviettes that are barely absorbent. Low overhead fans whirl slowly, distorting any light shed by LED lamps, creating an underwater ambiance.

The break in Malaysia served as a wonderful opportunity for me to get in touch with my artsy fartsy side. Heaven is the freedom to indulge in sewing projects, scrap-booking, and graphic design whenever I want. My hands grew familiar with the feel of measurement cups and whisks, and my fingers became deft when it came to the fastest way of sifting flour and 'folding in' the batter. Delicacies which left my kitchen included Blue Cheese-Rhubarb Muffins, 7-fruit Sangria, Hokey Pokey, 'Malaysianized' goodies such as Milo Cupcakes with Condensed Milk Frosting, and Kaya Cupcakes with Margarine Icing. On a literary aspect, I didn't read and write much. Am currently crawling through 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.' Profound, but draggy. The best of literature usually is. The staunch religious messages pounded into James Joyce's alter ego, Dedalus, struck me how religion was drawn up for man's own happiness.

Speaking of leisure activities, I think it's kind of cute how roles were reversed in the Lim residence as opposed to the Thomas/White/Smith household: Granny would look over my shoulder as I baked, and got the first taste of any goodies which emerged from the oven. Our living room scene was of me working at my needles, while she indulged in soap operas on the telly.

Well, blog... That's it for now. I could write a book, or even a trilogy about my trip back home, but I have errands to run. Don't fret; I won't be MIA for long. Take care! Until we meet again!

Hugs & kisses,
Sammy

P.S: Isn't it cool that I can call two places on the globe home? Upon touch-down at John F. Kennedy airport, my lips mouthed the words, "Home sweet home," before I knew I was doing it.

Top 10 Most Embarassing Moments of Your Life

2010-05-16T14:15:00.000-07:00

No. 1:

While helping you move out, one of the cardboard boxes your boyfriend and his dad are carrying falls apart. Of course, it just has to be the one containing the raunchy gifts your friends gave you for your 21st. Boyfriend tries to reduce the awkwardness of the situation by holding up your penis-shaped 'Soap-on-a-rope' and saying, "Embarrassing item number one!"

You can never look your boyfriend's dad in the eye ever again.

Hooray for May!

2010-05-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

Dreary, neither 'here-nor-there' April is finally past.
May 1st was a blast!

This year's Music Fest kicked last year's in the butt. Bazaar stands, freebies, impressive games - jousting, an anti-gravity thingamajig, bungee cords, and a side stage in addition to the main performance stage.

Jellyfish Treasures - exoskeletons of real jellyfish preserved in glass. I contemplated getting one for a nature-loving uncle.

Obstacle course reminiscent of 'Legends of the Hidden Temple.'

Gisele and Max trying to get away from the ground.

Fair surfing conditions. This shit is way harder than it looks!

As you can see, Jim needs some work on his photography.

Ghostface Killah from the Wu-Tang Clan.

Cris & I had a surprise for our boyfriends that night. Actually, Cris did tell Joey about the event, but it completely slipped his mind. A good thing, as he might have spilled the beans to Jim. I donned my fuzziest pajama pants, and Jim wracked his brain, given the clue. Cris tossed her blanket to Joey to carry. He wrapped it around himself without question. We drove to Astoria.

The secretive event was held at a studio called Wonderland.

There you have it: Blanket Forts organized by Newmindspace.

3 adjectives to describe the event = artsyfartsy, ubercool, and wickedchill.

TV installations. 'Peter Pan' was on.
The whole place was basically a giant art project!

The blanket invokes the memory of a funny story ~>

Freshman year:
I wake up sometime around midday, feeling surprisingly refreshed after a hard night of partying.
Before dozing off for round 2 of shut-eyes, I blearily take in my surroundings...
Funny, cause it doesn't look like my room at all...
.....
THIS ISN'T MY ROOM.
I glance down at the bed.
!
THESE AREN'T MY SHEETS.
There's a repeated pattern of racing cars on the comforter; something only a boy would be likely to own.
*Whine*
I peek under the sheets.
Fully clothed.
*Big sigh of relief!*
*Cristina's snores from the bunk above me...*

Turns out that Cris's ex roommate uses hand-me-downs from her brother.

There were no midnight snacks, hot chocolate, or smoothies as advertised...
However, there was a full bar.
Rum & Cokes then!

We're gonna show this pic to Nikki as proof that we attended an orgy.

Listening to Louis Carroll's, 'The Hunting of the Snark.'
Our storyteller was rather eccentric; her glasses were held together with wire. I thought her breath kind of smelled.

Watch out for lumps and bumps and random bulges. A pile of carpets started moving of its own accord, startling me much. A head popped out, made a comment about the story, and retreated in between layers.

Obstacle course.
As the building started to fill up, our foursome lay beneath the hoops and told curious newcomers, "We're part of the obstacle course." They tiptoed over our lying lying forms.

Louis, a perky gay fellow joined us. The conversation soon led to the topic of why there's no Hispanic Barbie. Why, there's even a Malaysian Barbie! Kebaya Barbie as I recall.We tried to picture what Jersey Barbie would look like. Bright orange skin and big hair!

I befriended a penguin with a hole in its butt. Itchy fingers started pulling stuffing out of my new found prize. Cristina: "It's got a hole in its butt?! You know where that's been, right?" A squeal of horror. The sexually-abused penguin flew from my hands. But its cuteness called out to me... Within seconds, I'd pulled it back into my arms.

We left Wonderland around 2:30am.
The best part about getting back to my dorm was not having to change out of PJs... :)

LOL at this xkcd comic strip! :)

More rendez-vous

2010-05-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

Free trip sponsored by the Hofstra Student Activities dep!

The Bronx Zoo is ginormous; the animal cages and exhibits are so far apart. I was exhausted from walking!

Golden Lion Tamarins - one of my new favorite animals. Squeal-worthy!

I swear, I shared a moment with the Snow Leopard.

Finally made it to Tim Burton @ MoMa! Ever since missing the chance to spy Daniel Radcliffe in his birthday suit on Broadway, I've become even more kiasu. I knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to come vis-à-vis with Burton's less-known works, so I kept a hawk's eye on ticket availability online. Weekends kept selling out like hot cakes, so I finally reserved 'timed-entrance' tickets for a Wednesday. Sayang & I rushed to the city after classes. I genuinely want to petition against early museum closing hours in New York! Geram betul... It was well worth it though ^.^ Jim & I particularly enjoyed seeing Burton's early sketches; notebook pages filled with the artist's doodles were actually put on display! It's cool how his dark sense of humor was prevalent even in his teens. I also loved his drawings based on verbal puns, cause I heart grammar. Sowee, no pics to share, as photography wasn't allowed.

Burton's exhibition is over by now, but you can still catch the following exhibit:

Took the above picture of 'The Artist Is Present' against museum rules. In my defense, I wasn't aware! It's confusing how particular exhibits are camera-friendly while others aren't. 64-year old Maria Abramovic looks much younger than I expected. Learn more about Abramovic's feat here. Or here's the short of it: For several months on end, Abramovic will sit still at a table in the MoMa, without saying a word. Performance art is so strange!

Grabbed some Himalayan food after the museum. "Spicy chicken."

Jim *nomming*
He had his beloved falafel from Bereket across the street.

When I lay down to sleep and try to recollect all the good memories I have of spending time with Jim, stuff that I'd forgotten about always pop up:

Games of chess at Witches Brew Café...

What I like about chess is the intensity.

Molasses and honey; little jar steadily getting shallower; into my mouth by way of loving tongue.

I'm such a dunker that in little time, cookie crumbs litter the bottom of the cold pool in my teacup.

How many boyfriends will...

do their homework with one arm encircling your waist, the other scribbling away furiously;

drop by the office with gifts of pink-themed foods - watermelon & a scone-like-pastry splattered and spattered with pink icing;

read to you in bed?

Thank you, sayang. You know you're the puppy on the right, right?

Skydiving for Sharlene

2010-04-27T06:34:00.000-07:00

This one's about ducks.

Dim sum girls~ ;p

Contemptuous.

Strange decor for a Chinese restaurant o_O"

Linden Place is super duper tacky! But I was more tickled than appalled. More on my Yelp review.

Purtey Nikki~

Mike C & Joey.

Hahah... Cris & Daniela.

Nikki's wallet.

Not the kind of bird dim sum goers are used to...

Chickens feet is outdated lah... I first heard of Ducks feet on the Food Channel! :D

Never thought Jim would be the kind of bf to do the corny photo-kiss. Lol.

SKYDIVING~!

In the absence of mamak pakoras and Milo panas, an oil drenched Zucchini pancake and cinnamon hot chocolate did the trick of revving me up for an exciting day!

Signing our consent forms. Our 'instructions' came in the form of a seemingly 10-year old video. Amidst static, a lawyer informed us that if we ever tried to sue LongIslandSkydiving, we would not win.

Our 'First Tandem Jump' package cost $225. Everyone coughed up an extra $150 for photographs and a videotape, but I opted out. Poor college student :(

Getting aboard the tiny, rickety plane felt reminiscent of the first time I rode a helicopter in Melbourne. Each person was assigned to a pro-diver. While everyone got a John, a Mike or a Julian, I was told that I'd be strapped onto 'The Texan.' Pretty kinky, huh? Half-expecting an eccentric someone sporting a Moe-hawk or donning a cowboy hat, I was surprised when a pleasant-faced ginger came up to me and shook my hand. We were bounded together so tightly, I couldn't move without affecting him and vice versa. I prayed not to feel a hard-on.

Plummeting 10,000 feet through the air.....

Q&A time~

"So skydiving... What was it like?"

"Oh em eff gee..........

Absolutely. Terrifying."

I was way more terrified than I expected to be. On the other hand, Simon & Jon claim they were less scared than they'd imagined. The first thought that went through my mind was, "Snap! Since I'm putting myself through this, I might as well have gotten the video." The Texan kept probing me to do the 'rock-on' sign as were falling, but I felt stupid and stopped. The free fall was very quick, only lasting less than a minute. Meanwhile, the parachute part took up most of the ride - about 4 to 6 minutes. However, it was the latter part of the experience that I liked best. I got the gist of being a superhero! Contrary to what I've always fantasized... I think I'll pass on the power of flight :p It's cool how everything is Polly Pocket-sized. I knew that everything was far, far away, but it really felt as though I could pick up the little cars and farm houses. I landed with my hair in a snarl of tangles.

We were absolutely famished after the experience, and thought we deserved some steaks. Drove to J&R's Steak House, a mere 5 minutes away. I had the 'Chop House Special' - an intimidating inch and a half slab of grilled pork chop. So satisfying~! The rest of the day was dedicated to exploring Long Island by car.

Watching the landscape unfold before my eyes reminded me of Lolita's plight - the never-ending road trip across America with that pedophile of a father, Humbert Humbert. Imagining being in her shoes... What I would do. I used to have dreams about being kidnapped by taxi drivers. If the creeper had put the safety lock on and wouldn't cease driving, I'd write SOS on the glass window with bright red lipstick.

First road-trip sighting:

Sharlene really wanted to see this duck. I giggled much at Simon's grumbling.
I commented that it was such an American thing to build random structures or funny-shaped buildings out in the middle of nowhere. I find it incredibly tacky and charming.

Look at Simon's pouty face.
*Quack!*

Another thing on our to-do list is 'Shark-diving,' also available on Long Island. We were thinking of carrying it out the week after. Being in the vicinity, we went to check out the aquarium where the shark's at. It's no Great White though. In fact, it looked kind of boring, so we're crossing that off the list. For now.

Having 2 hours to kill before dinner (Sharlene's surprise dinner!), we kept busy (and tipsy) at Macari Vineyard.

Situated on the North fork of LI, Macari has some pretty spectacular wines. Par example: the 'Don Aguas' (2 waters). Since the sea retains heat in winter, and remains cold throughout summer, the vineyard is subject to 2 different climates at all times, hence the unique quality of their grapes. The tasting flight was delish... I should definitely do this more often! After settling on a mutual favorite, we bought a bottle of red and took it outside to relish. We also got a box of olives, crackers, and assorted cheeses to go with the wine. One of the cheeses that stand out in mind was named the 'Drunken Goat.' T'was goats cheese fermented in red wine, giving it a pinkish hue.

~_~

I slept so much in the back seat of Simon's rented Zip-Car over the course of the day. Bestnye~! By the time we got back to the city, everyone else was already waiting for us at Jing Fong. Or was it Golden Unicorn?

That weird chicken symbol thing is supposed to be a hand waving farewell.

"Speech! Speech!"

The sky-divers were pooped, but drinks are almost always a must after dinner. So we headed to B Bar.

Sharlene and I met at Han Chun's first epic 'Wine Tasting Party,' which has become a tradition ever since. I remember thinking that she was the prettiest of all the girls present. It's not unusual to feel intimidated by her, as she's kind of quiet and serious. But beneath that exterior is an extremely goofy girl. She knows when to be playful, and when to take matters into her own hands. Sharlene's the most responsible person I've ever met, and her qualities are definitely something I look up to.

I foresee a change in our group dynamics after she leaves. As the organizer and down-to-earth big sis, Sharlene pretty much holds everyone together. I'm going to miss her terribly.

Skydiving was our farewell gift to Shar. After living in NY for a some good long years, she's decided to move back home to China. I was flabbergasted when I first heard that she was leaving. New York really seems like her oyster. I always assumed she was utterly confident when it came down to work, but after reflecting on things, I realize that there have been cracks in the surface for quite some time. She gets more time off than Han Chun, that's for sure... But her job still seems pretty darn stressful. It wasn't uncommon for her phone to buzz in the middle of dinner or drinks. She'd take the call outside and spend long minutes on the phone with her boss. She even quit her previous job for a lighter workload, but I guess it didn't do much for her. She said so herself; she's taking time-out to do some soul-searching. Sharlene seems like a thinker, so her decision makes sense to me now. I hope she finds what she's looking for.

Meatball Curry & Magic Brownies

2010-04-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

You'll notice that my adopted tone of voice in this blog entry is considerably cheerier compared to last time. Jim and I have moved on from being moody to chummy. By now, we're back to being all grabby & kissy again. As you can see:

Helping me find a lost earring.

We organized a dinner party of sorts last week. The entree was a Malaysian-Eurasian recipe:

Jim was assigned to dessert: Serimuka kueh. The recipe calls for the kueh to be cooked using a microwave. FYI, the simple kitchen microwave tops my list of best modern inventions everrr.

Just awhile ago, I was curious as to whether or not I could pull off making my own beef patties. That cooking night put me to the test. It's hard to go wrong with hearty minced beef, lots of chopped onions, and cilantro. Every scrap of Granny's Meatball Curry disappeared down the throats of our hungry comrades. However, I wasn't satisfied with the curry itself... Too bland. Could have used some salt and ajinomoto! The recipe could certainly use some tweaking here and there; I ended up with way too many potatoes, and I had to eliminate an entire onion (probably due to the fact that we bought 'GIANT POTATOES' and 'MONSTER ONIONS' instead of just 'potatoes' and 'onions.')

There also wasn't enough curry stew to cook all the potential meatballs, so we ended up with more than a pound of meatball-mix. To optimize our left-over ingredients, we cooked the remaining meat in a variety of ways. For instance: making heart-shaped burger patties, which weren't as kawaii as I expected. Jim's idea was way better.....

Out came the kinky cake pans again!

Just stick 'em in! The microwave.

Tadaah! Penis Meatloaf.

Talk about real meat XP

Alex Press is always adventurous about 'mixing-it-up.'

I would not touch that with a 10-foot pole if it was real.
Can you say... Yeast infection?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cheek upon silk... Head melding with pillow...
Well, at least that's what it feels like; electric currents flowing from my cotton brain to fabric.

Flashback 7 hours earlier:

Hofstra has its own rendition of Saturday Night Life, which goes by the name of Thursday Night Life or TNL. Totally original! I only started attending TNL live because almost all my friends are TV and film majors. After the last show of the semester, we had some serious partying to do.

College-bought brownies are waaayyy more potent than Amsterdam goods!

G = the cutest stoner you'll ever meet!

They look so good together!

Alex's ex-girlfriend.

Hahahahahhahah!!

Gay album cover.



1st cue: Heightened thinking speed. Check! Thoughts ricochet against my skull...
2nd cue: Parched throat. Check! Even though I hadn't planned on mixing weed with alcohol, I ended up drinking a bottle and a can of beer because they were oh, so cold...
There  was a  massive bubble lodged in the triangle below my  breast plate the entire night.

This is the only picture of the house party that I have on my camera. LOL.

What I lack in pictures, I'll make up for in words:

I remember some details of the night, but it's all coming back reallllly s..l...o....w.....l......y. On the way to 'the house right by McDonalds,' I thought that Mike C seemed pretty uptight. Being the only kid who doesn't partake of liquor, does he feel like his sacrifice is worth it? I tried to engage in convo with him, but he looked at me as if I was crazy. Well, obviously. Why on earth would you try to describe Hitler's grotesque sexual habits to anyone? Making one's niece take a dump in one's mouth? I'm not a sicko! The context was relevant at the moment. I just can't remember why. I came out of my stupor long enough to make myself quit yakking. It felt like raising myself up with my forearms after lying down on my bellybutton.

Annoying chick gashed her toe on the gravel. G & B walked on because they got a phone call that the party was 'poppin.' I would have hated myself for being intentionally unkind, so I waited long enough for her to put on a band-aid.

It was 'poppin.' Watched some kids play beer pong in the basement. I know that Joey & Alex had a close match with two guys, but ended up losing when Joey's determining shot made a nice curve in air, swooping way above the target. That one awkward chick being as awkward as possible. Collapsing with laughter in Jim's arms, both sniggering unkindly. A house party serves as a good observation deck for different levels of drunkenness and awkwardness.

I remember Jim telling me that I'm the girl for him.

Then it was back upstairs, and we sat in a corner of the dining hall with Gisele. I felt as if I ought to engage in conversation with people, but didn't think it right to leave Gisele by herself. Her head was stuck in a haze of mushroom clouds. So I took the opportunity to people-watch. G claimed to have been doing that all along, but it sure didn't look as if she was invested in the present goings-on; quite the contrary; she was in her land of unicorns. And her eyelashes were matted with tears. At one point, she started shivering uncontrollably.

Doubling up at Gisele getting attacked by Becca and Joey's butts from either side. When I'm infused with substances, I feel like I understand Joey's humor better. Which is not really a good thing. It could be that feeling so good-natured enables me to get on board with anything. I also realized that Jim was absolutely right about G being colonial. I love it. Marking the stark contrast between Gisele & Becca; the quiet little old woman vs. Becca being Becca. B bemoaned the irony of traded places.

It would have been nice to savor some quiet time, and process my thoughts. Your mind is the most interesting thing there is when you're blazed. But being around people isn't that bad either. At least it distracted me from that blasted bubble.

G claims that friends don't let friends get Popeye's when they're drunk. But it's so good! At least it's protein, and not carbs, the likes of peetza... Eating when you're intoxicated is such an experience. "Soaks up the alcohol." Suuuree... I just feel gross after. Nursing my Pizza Bites while the girlfriends compare snack mix. They must have brought up the subject of Ben's height at least a zillion times that night. I feel especially sympathetic, because my own parents are tiny. Not wanting to forget the night. Immortalizing it makes me feel better.

Tips for Banishing the Blues

2010-04-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

"Swimming in sadness, but not swamped... At least I'm still floating..."

...sums it up just nicely. Authorship isn't even necessary; the 2nd sentence, which rings with optimism, serves as my signature.

Being sad doesn't quite cut it for me. I lose the will to do anything; the thought of curling up in bed for all eternity becomes excruciatingly enticing. However, doing so brings on the tears and feelings of self-pity. I won't lie; a good cry feels amazing once in a while. But what really scares me is the possibility of having a good cry, and not feeling better. Wallowing in insecurities, but not being able to get out.

When the sentence, "I-truly-hate-the-world-right-now," surfaces in my brain, that's when I know it's gotten severely bad. I never feel like that anymore, so it's frightening when I do.

BUTBUTBUT (see, not all buts are bad) I've discovered a couple of fail-proof quick-fixes for when I slip into sadness. This post is called, 'Tips for Banishing the Blues.' I shall combat them with gold.

(1) The city
always cheers me up. After a spat with Jim last Sunday, I found myself gravitating towards Manhattan.

(2) Finding humor in the everyday
On the way to catch the LIRR that would take me straight to the heart of Manhattan, I spotted an AA franchise for the very first time. It was situated right next to 'Dominican USA Salon.' Gritty green print read:

Alcoholics Anonimos
Grupe Alegria de Vivir

Every single member of the shady bunch loitering in front of the building was Hispanic. 1 female. She'd brought her kid along. Amused horror. Break time must have come to a close, as they started shuffling back in. Alcoholic madre hustled her little boy ahead of her. It'd be kind of funny if the kid was the admitted alcoholic :D

(3) Tapping into your interests

There is always stuff to do in the city, and not enough time to do it all. My 1st agenda on Sunday was to watch the new Banksy movie which opened in NYC on April 16th, the same day as Kick Ass. I was delirious with excitement when I first found out about it. I spoke about it a little on my design blog.

Man of mystery.

Speaking in an Englishman's accent, the guy queuing up behind me also requested tickets for 'Exit Through The Gift Shop.' I'm sure the movie will do better in the UK, since Banksy's a British bloke.

'Exit Through The Gift Shop' wasn't what I expected; it certainly highlighted Banksy's reputation, but the plot mostly revolved around an individual whom I'd never even heard of before: a Mr. Terry Guetta.

Terry is also a street artist. Kind of. Short in stature with a permanently dim expression on his face, Terry is a fumbling, bumbling, and endearing character. And all the other street artists are furious at him.

I shan't say too much, but I will provide an inkling of the situation: Banksy himself said that Terry broke the 'rules,' but the problem is that there aren't any. It's hard to waggle an accusing finger at Terry, because all he ever did was worship Banksy; his only wrong was idolatry. You can tell that he means well.

I realized that Lady GaGa and Terry Guetta share something in common. Grace Jones refuses to collaborate with the sensational pop star because she's peeved that Gaga's one-of-a-kind style is an obvious 'cut-and-paste' version of what she does. M.I.A. is also of the opinion that Lady Gaga is unoriginal. Quoth M.I.A.: "She's not progressive, but she's a good mimic... Respect to her, she's keeping a hundred thousand people in work, but my belief is: Do it yourself."

I never understood the hype over Lady Gaga, and never liked her from the start. This may come across as coarse, but it's frustrating to see how so many people are so easily duped. Lady Gaga's predecessors are the real deal. Old MTV clips will validate my point.

But enough clamor; back to surveying my day...

The Landmark Sunshine Cinema where I saw 'Exit through The Giftshop' isn't any run-of-the-mill movie theater. It passes over large-scale Hollywood productions, and only screens independent and foreign films. Despite being ancient, the establishment is well-maintained.

If feeling munchy, bag a bag of popcorn - supposedly better than most - or sneak in a baked knish from Yonah Schimmel Knishes right next door. They offer the largest variety of knishes I've ever seen, including sweet knishes.

(4) Nosh

I HEART JEWISH FOOD.

I paid for a Cherry Cheese Knish, which was warmed up and popped in a white paper bag to go. There is a dine-in area, but the space is so decrepit that I suggest avoiding it at all costs. They also charge you extra if you order your food to stay.

Cherry Cheese Knish

I'm considering starting a blog just for food; shared recipes, restaurant reviews, gastronomic adventures, anything about everything *nom* worthy. But I hesitate, because I don't want to make eating like a 'job.' Besides, I can still do all that here, as I've always done, or go more public on Yelp.

Boqueria
53 West 19th Street, New York

I am extremely fond of warm, orange lighting, which is what drew me into Boqueria. This comfortable and classy Spanish joint has been surveyed by local and international press. I passed over the selection of paellas since I was dining solo, evaded the brunch menu, and settled for a selection of various tapas. Good things come in small packages.

Pimientos de Padron

Blistered burns or injuries are unwholesome, but Blistered Shishito Peppers with Coarse Sea Salt are truly gratifiying! It was my favorite tapas of the 3. I find it interesting how we reflect upon past experiences to make better sense of future exposure. For instance, the slight bitterness of the peppers dusted with salty crystals (ooh, how my mouth waters at the memory!) brought Sri Nirwana's fried bittergourd to mind.

Datiles con Beicon

Dates stuffed with almonds and Valdeon, wrapped in bacon.

Valdeon is a variety of pungent blue cheese. I actually texted Cristina to ask her if 'bacon' really translates to 'beicon' in Spanish. Apparently not. The right word is 'tocino.' I thought that this dish would have fared better with the absence of blue cheese. It's not that I'm not a fan of blue cheese, but it overwhelmed the subtle smokiness of the bacon and the faint sweetness of the dates.

Cojunudo

Fried quail eggs and chorizo on toast.

I'd only ever had quails eggs hard boiled, so I was excited for my miniature sunny side ups! I knew that the dish was going to be cute, even before it arrived :D Taste-wise, the eggs were unexceptional, but the chorizo made the dish. I wonder why the chorizo I once fried at home wasn't quite as sweet; there might be different kinds of chorizo.

(5) Shopping
Aside from noshing and watching un film, I chanced upon a Rock&Republic Warehouse Sale, where I found some awesomeawesomeawesome jeans - my 1st pair of torn jeans! They're made of frayed denim, and have dark vertical stripes running down the bottom-most part of the legs. I have to be extra careful when putting them on, for fear of smashing my toes through the holey knees and ripping open 2 gaping spaces.

(6) Catching up with friends
I asked Han Chun if he would like to grab dinner while I was in the city, and he invited me to join him, Sarah, Gan and some other chums at Riki's. Sarah and Gan are still the same: loving, lovable, energetic, and lots of fun.

But the mingling and distractions come to an end when it's time to go home. Jim was darling enough to offer to pick me up from the train station. Vinegarish dispositions aren't easy to dispel though, especially when you've been in a pickle the entire day. That mingled with exhaustion from having been in the city since morn resulted in yet another day of delayed reconciliation.

I couldn't sleep. I needed to speak.

(7) My best gay friend
I think that girls who try their hardest to acquire a best gay friend are superficial. But can you blame them? Having a gay guy in your life and on your side makes you feel like the both of you can conquer the world (in style)! He's that funny, sarcastic, stylish, horny, and sweet girlfriend you will never have. Ken offers me insightful advice on everything from fashion to love.

(8) Xiaxue.com
She's so, "Fuck the world. I'm awesome," it's awesome. Her misadventures tickle me pink (as does her blog).

Here marks the end of my tips for banishing the blues. I might have rediscovered more, had I not decided to follow my GBF's advice (so practical, yet so hard to instigate!) of asking Jim to meet up and talk things over face-to-face.

Spring Break

2010-04-06T05:52:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't do anything remotely similar to the chicks on 'Girls Gone Wild.'

But I did have the chillest Spring break everrr. Most days consisted of lying in the sun and reading. The plan was to finish an entire book that I don't actually have to read for class. The choice was Lolita, and an excellent choice it was. But I do feel like I should travel next Spring break. Last year, I remained in town too. No regrets though... This break brought Jim and I closer. And it was so chiiiilll... Am not ready to immerse myself in assignments and quizzes at all! :(

Monday and Tuesday - Meet the Thomases Part 2.

Jim cooking me breakfast.
My Blackberry's cam is absolutely horrid! But I just had to snap this pic, because my heart was swelling with adoration. I've decided to put off buying an iPhone. Can't wait to get my free Blackberry upgrade on the 27th!

Wednesday - Science makes me tear up.

In a good way of course. Twas my first time at the Museum of Natural History. Jim and I wandered from exhibition to exhibition with hearts and stars in our eyes. Geek love.

The meteorite that Colbert licked.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Neil de Grasse Tyson

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Reform

My favorite room - Marine Life. I recognized it immediately from a scene in 'The Squid and The Whale.'

Squidgy pink jellyfish.

This one's a girl cause it's wearing a skirt.
In case you couldn't tell, I'm currently obsessed with jellyfish.

Not quite a jellyfish, but could be mistaken for one. Here, I'll read to you: "The Parrotfish secretes a mucus cocoon around its entire body. Though too flimsy to stop an attack, the mucus conceals the parrotfish from predators that hunt for prey by smell or taste."

Night At The Museum does no justice to this place.

Here are a few other interesting facts I learned:
! Moose are bigger than bison. Not just taller, but wider as well.
! Not all kinds of male lions have manes.
! I saw the bark of a tree that was wider than my maid's room. Horrible, but true.

Thursday - Je me suis bronzé.
Sayang & I did the same thing for 2 consecutive days, but in different surroundings. Past the lacrosse fields on campus, fresh white blanket on a mound of green. He took his shirt off. Said that his white back was probably visible from space. We lay there soaking in the sun, reading and kissing. That night involved facials (not the pervy kind).

Friday - À la plage.
We drove to Jones Beach on a sudden whim. On the way there, I was overcome by an unusual feeling. It bubbled somewhere in the middle of my chest, and spilled over into my face and limbs. I didn't recognize it at first, because I hadn't felt it in a long while. I didn't dare belief it. Slowly but surely, I realized with increasing wonder that I was experiencing the rare pleasure of completely unadulterated happiness. I was excited, yet calm. We were doing something I hadn't planned, and it was going just peachy keen. Other ingredients that went into this recipe for paramount joy were the azure blue sky, and 2 particularly good songs which played consecutively on the radio.

Le soleil chaud, l'air frais, et la mer froide...
Pardon my showing off. I must practice, you know.
With every wave that lapped at my bare feet, I may as well have been standing in snow. He showed me how to skip rocks the way his dad had taught him. I scavenged for seashells to paint. It was too chilly to lie facing the water, so I let my feet get acquainted with the view of the sea. Lolita's tale in mind, Math in his. His hand curiously smelled of Horlicks.

His shadow's posture reminds me of King Neptune. And thinking of King Neptune brings 'Spongebob the Movie' to mind. Lol.

The break started off slow,but it ended with multiple bangs! (Again, not the pervy kind.)

Saturday - Sugar, spice, and everything nice.
That's what girls are made of ;o) Got a new hairdo, shopped for a party outfit, and went clubbing with my girlfriends! (Btw, Jim does a great impression of bimboness.)

$12 turquoise corset!

It's easier not being the assigned photographer for the night, but I prefer being in charge of the cam!

Webster Hall may be a teenybopper hangout (you snobs), but I like it. Circus night has gotten even better!

I just need to point out something random: I realized that if you take away the strobe lights in any club, the remaining situation is pretty lame. Guys flopping about, girls with holes in their tights, wet, filthy dance floors.

What I do find pretty cool is the fact that the building has a heart beat.

Sunday - Happy Easter!
I can't decide who brings more happiness - The Tooth Fairy or the Easter bunny. One leaves money while the other brings chocolates and sweets. Imagine if they collaborated... Chocolate money :D But I hope they never do. Melty chocolate under your pillow? Gross!

Gisele is so close to her parents, I don't know if it's cute or weird. She shares everything with them! After sleeping over at her apartment, I took on the city for some 'me-me-me time.'

Noshed at a quaint Italian tapas bar and chatted with the pixie-like female bartender.

I'd heard a lot about Economy Candy, known for its stock of old-school and old-time favorite sweets. What better day than Easter to pay a visit to the candy center? But it didn't elicit as many oohs and aahs as I'd hoped. The shop was disappointingly small and cramped. And people had actually torn open wrappers to sneak a taste here and there =/ Dylan's Candy Bar on 3rd Ave still blows me away.

After returning to college, the gang went to Friendly's for food and to catch up.

Jim had gone home again to spend Easter with his extended family. He brought back for me, a gift basket (or bucket) from his mom. (I've been munching on the contents while typing this post.) Aunty/Lori/Mrs Thomas/Mom? put it together herself! Clearly personalized for me, seeing as a box of Hello Kitty band aids were among the contents >^.^< She is so sweet~! When she knew we were coming on Monday, she baked Tasty Kakes because she knows I like them. I've already friended her on Facebook.

Monday - More sugar.
I met up with Ju Ean, a friend from Bangsar Gospel Center. She was visiting the Big Apple with one of her friends from HELP University. Jim came along as my plus 1. Ju said it felt weird to be hanging out with me in NY, but I didn't think so. Could be the fact that NY feels like home to me. There are pictures, but in their cameras. I will add them here if they ever make it to Facebook! We went to Andy Warhol's favorite cafe!

Weekend of Catching Up & Chomping Down

2010-03-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

I love dinner parties at Livia's. Aside from the opportunity to keep in touch, they're always a classy event to look forward to. Guests can expect an overflow wine and to be stuffed with Italian food. Gracious Italian hospitality! Li hosted another memorable dinner party last night, but it was the first time our Taiwanese friend, Barry, took the position of head chef. Jim was invited too!

Classy event~
His slim face makes mine look so wide when we're side by side... Meh!

Li prepared a simple yet innovative appetizer of Asparagus tips & Goat cheese, drenched in an experimental Jam sauce.

Barry, the Iron Chef.

Our Menu was:
Asparagus Tips & Goat Cheese with Jam Sauce
White wine + Lobster over Risotto in Seafood Broth
Blush wine + Tarto di Frutto.

Dessert was just as delicious as it was gorgeous. One of the nicest Fruit Tarts I've ever had, without a doubt! Jim couldn't believe that Li had made it herself. We all told Li that she ought to cater her pastries to restaurants in Little Italy.

Pastry chef!

No closeups of Barry's ridiculously fancy Lobster and Seafood risotto dish :S The sly dog never told us he works as a chef for Jean Georges!

Compliments to the chefs and our photographer, Yuri :D

Rather than go back all the way to LI, Jim and I had made plans to rent a room in the vicinity of Manhattan. That way, we were able to make a day trip out of Saturday. We found accomodation through Airbnb, an extremely useful website that lists sublets by the night. Since the only rooms available in Manhattan were above our budget, we opted to stay in Woodside, Queens. We got lost trying to find the apartment, because I'd taken down the wrong address. The slightly sketchy neighborhood made Jim jumpy, and I teased him about it. It didn't help that our room was kind of dingy. Suspicious vintage suitcases were stacked on top of a boarded up section of the room. We both thought the same thing, but I voiced it out first - "Is that where they keep the bodies of their other tenants?" Jim was not amused. Even the shower was odd; it had 4 knobs instead of the usual two, 'Hot' and 'Cold.' I joked, "The extra two knobs are to turn on the gas chamber." He couldn't even fake a smile. On the plus side, our sleeping space was sooo comfy! I slept like a baby. I wish I could say the same for Jim. He barely slept a wink.

The next day was absolutely beautiful out!

Woodside, Queens.

Paleta de Caramelo con Leche de Cabra.
(Caramel flavored goat milk lollipop)
I could taste the goat's milk!

Funny fish-shaped handbag at a flea market in the West Village.

Barrels of pickles. I love gherkins.

Light b'fast from a food vendor = Plantain split down the middle and filled with a mild cheese + a chicken empanada which was delicious! I think we got conned though; the little Hispanic guy manning the stall charged us $8!

Bleecker Street Records Store.

Indonesian cuisine for lunch at Satay Junction with Nina, Mariko, their respective hubbies - Amri and Wan, Kim, Cynthia & Joseph. I was excited, as I hadn't seen all of them in a long while. Most of the following pics were kidnapped from Kim's photostream on Flickr. Thank you, Kim!

Keropok Putih/Udang. Plan tapioca and shrimp crackers.

Es teller - young coconut juice, seaweed jelly, young jackfruit & coconut milk - before and after stirring.

Grilled toufu.

Siomay (not Siu mai): Steamed cabbage and Indonesian fish balls in a peanut sauce. I prefer springy Chinese-style fish balls. Indonesian fish balls are somewhat gummy.

Jim & I shared a mixed selection of lamb, shrimp, tofu and pork satay. Where can you get pork satay in Malaysia! :p

Satay Junction
28 Greenwich Ave
Between 10th St. & Charles St.

I won't go into details about the food here, but you can read my review on Yelp.

Jim and I share geek love. He'd never been to The Strand - Manhattan's biggest bookstore, so we paid a visit to Union Square.

Before heading home, I managed to grab a slice of Chocolate Pizza from Max Brenner. Even though it's somewhat of a tourist attraction, locals adore it just the same. And it's no wonder; their chocolate is the right stuff. This chocolate lover's paradise is always chaotic every time I pay a visit, but it sort of adds to the crazy 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' ambiance.

Milk chocolate + White chocolate + Mini marshmallows.

It was interesting, but not as good as the Peanut Butter & Jelly Pizza that I had in Philly. Unlike the PB&J pizza, the crust of the Chocolate pizza was savory, meaning Max Brenner uses the same dough for their sweet and savory pizzas. One woman in the takeout line ordered 8-10 whole Chocolate Pizzas to go! Presumably for a party~

If you think Max Brenner's Chocolate Pizza is inventive, you should check out their other stuff. I was extremely tickled by the sight of a group of small boys feeding on Chocolate Syringes. Yup, it's exactly what it sounds like. Worst idea ever. The kids were injecting sugar into their system straight up! Through their mouths of course. As if little boys aren't hyperactive enough.

Ooey gooey luscious...
Possible lyrics for a Lady GaGa song.

My Photography 'Skillz'

2010-03-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

I just logged on to my Flickr account - something that happens once in a blue moon - to see if Nina had posted up any pictures of lunch at 'Satay Junction' (which Kim has done; pics coming up soon!). There was 1 new message in my Flickr Inbox, so I clicked on it, and received an extremely pleasant surprise:

"One of your photos has been short-listed for inclusion in the tenth edition of our Schmap New York Guide, to be published early April 2010." :O

The picture they have in mind is the one below:
I used it in one of my blog entries last year.

I don't even think it's a particularly good picture. I just had a look at other members' pictures of the Apple Store on 5th Ave, and some of them put mine to shame. Plus, I used a mere point and shoot camera!

I suspect the lady in the tight blue dress with the rockin' bod did it for them. Thank you, mysterious lady!

But it does feel good to be acknowledged for excellence, especially when it concerns something that you personally strive to be good at. I've gained a genuine interest in photography as of late. In fact, I'm taking a photography class next semester. Will be exposed to the secrets of the darkroom, usage of mysterious red light, etc... I've also ~~hinted to~~ told my mom that I'd like my first DSLR camera for this year's birthday. Have been talking to people who own professional cameras, and there seems to be a very clear divide between those who advocate Canon and those who prefer Nikon. Some of these peeps have pretty fierce brand loyalty, and they'll try to convert you to 'Canionity' or 'Nikonism'! I remain torn, but I'm sure that when I hold the one that's right for me, I'll know it.

Oh! Joey is 21

2010-02-27T10:26:00.000-08:00

Lookie what I won at a Sex Toy Raffle last weekend! >

It was put to use for Joey's birthday this weekend.

It's funny how lucky I got; I'd always wanted the cake pan, but never bought it. It was only a matter of time before I did, but now I don't have to! :D I invested about 3 dollars worth of raffle tickets in the cake pan, and kept my fingers crossed. I was so surprised when my number was called out, that I didn't respond immediately. Jim had to nudge me and say, "It's you." :DDD
The both of us practically milked the event for all its worth. Freebies and whatnot. Whee!

Recipe from Cristina's iPhone.

Cristina: "The rum can be the sweat, and the frosting... You know."

Joey's alter ego. Inside joke ;)

J is for Joey!
The Mikes did a great job of decorating the lounge.

Cristina bought the most gorgeous raspberry and chocolate mousse cake from an Italian bakery that her sorority sister works at.
Surprisingly, the penis cakes were the first to go among the GUYS.

Alex Press: "Can I get a copy of that? For masturbating of course."

{Alex, Sammy, Gisele, Mike T, Cris}

The awesome guys on my floor {Kyle, Mike D, Dan}

Knocked up :p Mike's a playaaa

Joey Oh! The birthday boy :P

I guess it makes sense... But Math Majors really don't get out all that much.

It was my first time meeting Dennis (center), a classmate of Joey and Jim's. The kid is strange. He was drunk as hell, yet continued pushing his limits just to outdo everyone else. Kiasu!

Caitlin & Nakia Neff.

Ladies~

"The dirty-peace sign." Mike T was cracking up at my 'tulan' face.

Macho sial. Why's Mike so emo?

After one too many rum cakes...

the atmosphere got a lot more lively.
Nikki's face! Heeheehee

Am knocking myself on the head for not taking any good pictures of JD, Ethan, Michelle, the Sarahs, and Daniella's posse :S

So Dennis, the kid I mentioned earlier? Yeah... He brought the party to a close when the smell of acrid puke filled the air... We located the source - him splayed out on the ground. NOT good, seeing as we were in one of the common rooms. No one knew where he lived, so we had to call PS to come to the rescue. Malu, especially since his dad works at Hofstra :\ Ironic how both Cristina and her boyfriend's 21st birthdays involved ambulances. Loool.

Am thankful to Dan for bringing Kyle back to his room immediately when he sensed that Kyle was drunk. I don't think we could have dealed with 2 drunkards that night. When I stopped by Mike and Kyle's room later, I heard Kyle singing himself to sleep. Of course, it had to be a Bruce Springsteen (his idol) song. X'D

I confess, drama makes me giggly.
Close-knit ones relaying the night's events in Cris's room.
:p

Lovely articles about the Americana/Mannahatta life

2010-02-17T17:29:00.000-08:00

From the New York Times' annual 'Reasons To Love New York, 2008 edition':

No. 20: Because These Sentences Were Published About New York This Year

Published Dec 14, 2008

"Sometimes to walk in shaded parts of Manhattan is to be inserted into a Magritte: the street is night while the sky is day."
Netherland, Joseph O'Neill

“At three-thirty in the morning, the scene in front of 27 Eldridge was fairly typical: the last of the last-call stagger-zoo, many of them walking as if it were their first time on ice skates; a kid in the back of an open-doored taxi staring at the knot of damp cash in his hands as he tried to make sense of the meter; and up the block a shirtless, bearded man sticking the top half of his body out of a sixth-floor tenement window and screaming at everybody to shut the fuck up and go back to New Jersey, then slamming his window down so hard that it rained glass, the people below whistling and applauding.”
Lush Life, Richard Price

“Two short blocks, from One Hundred-sixteenth to One Hundred-fourteenth, but during that brief trajectory, very close to the beginning, with perhaps the tenth or twelfth step we took, your grandmother slipped her arm around mine, and the thrill of that moment has lingered in your grandfather’s heart to this day.”
Man in the Dark, Paul Auster

“ ‘You know: where are all the baby pigeons? It’s the burning question on every New Yorker’s mind.’ ‘They’re everywhere. You just have to look,’ says Ralph, who seems not to have heard the urban myth that pigeons arrive on the earth full grown and ready to be despised—or that they perform a backward version of human migration: raise babies in the suburbs, then move into town.”
I See You Everywhere, Julia Glass

"The street was covered with that steamy mist or fog that hits the city on humid nights and swirls around the lampposts. Only something like the purple fluorescent night-lights in a plant store window punctured this fog. Manhattan was barely visible across the river: a few skyscrapers, like giant, smudged gum erasers or bits of charcoal, shone in the soupy night."
Two Marriages, Phillip Lopate

x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o

Letter From London

By GEOFF DYER

Published: December 31, 2009

The first thing I ever heard about Americans was that they all carried guns. Then, when I came across people who’d had direct contact with this ferocious-sounding tribe, I learned that they were actually rather friendly. At university, friends who had traveled in the United States came back with more detailed stories, not just of the friendliness of Americans but also of their hospitality (which, in our quaint English way, was translated into something close to gullibility). When I finally got to America myself, I found that not only were the natives friendly and hospitable, they were also incredibly polite. No one tells you this about Americans, but once you notice it, it becomes one of their defining characteristics, especially when they’re abroad.

This is very strange, or at least it says something strange about the way that perception routinely conforms to the preconceptions it would appear to contradict. The archetypal American abroad is perceived as loud and crass even though actually existing American tourists are distinguished by the way they address bus drivers and bartenders as “sir” and are effusive in their thanks when any small service is rendered. We look on with some confusion at these encounters because, on the one hand, the Americans seem a bit country-bumpkinish, and, on the other, good manners are a form of sophistication.

Granted, these visiting Americans often seem to have loud voices, but on closer examination, it’s a little subtler than that. Americans have no fear of being overheard. Civic life in Britain is predicated on the idea that everyone just about conceals his loathing of everyone else. To open your mouth is to risk offending someone. So we mutter and mumble as if surrounded by informers or, more exactly, as if they are living in our heads. In America the right to free speech is exercised freely and cordially. The basic assumption is that nothing you say will offend anyone else because, deep down, everyone is agreed on the premise that America is better than anyplace else. No such belief animates British life. On the contrary. A couple of years ago a survey indicated that British Muslims were the most fed-up of any in Europe: a sign, paradoxically, of profound assimilation.

If the typical American interaction involves an ostensibly contradictory mixture of the formal (politeness), the casual and the cordial, what happens when one moves beyond the transactional? Like many Europeans, I always feel good about myself in America; I feel appreciated, liked. It took a while to realize that this had nothing to do with me. It was about the people who made me feel this way: it was about charm. Yes, this is the bright secret of life in the United States: Americans are not just friendly and polite — they are also charming. And the most charming thing of all is that it rarely looks like charm. The French put a rather charmless emphasis on charm, are consciously or unconsciously persuaded that it is either part of a display of sophistication or — and it may amount to the same thing — a tool in the service of seduction.

You can see all of this in operation on flights back across the Atlantic from America to Euroland. At first we are under the spell of America. Instead of plunking ourselves down next to someone without a word, we say “Hi.” Maybe even indulge in a little conversation, though this American readiness to chat is counterbalanced by the fear that once we’ve got into a conversation we might not be able to extricate ourselves from it. By the time we’re mid-ocean, a kind of preparatory freeze has set in. As the flight stacks up in the inevitable holding pattern over Heathrow, we begin to revert to our muttering and moaning national selves. But, for a week or so after landing, a form of what might be called Ameristalgia makes us conscious of a rudeness in British life — a coarsening in the texture of daily life — that had hitherto seemed quite normal.

For example. I pay a considerable sum of money to play indoors at Islington Tennis Centre. Eighty percent of the time, the next people to play indicate that your time is up by unzipping their racket covers and strolling on court, without saying a word, without a smile, without acknowledging your existence except as an impediment. In America that would be not just unacceptable but inconceivable.

What is the relevance of this anecdotal trivia to a serious debate about the status of America in the world?

Most of my American friends were depressed and gloomy about the Bush years. Several said that if Bush were re-elected in 2004, they would leave the country. He was and they didn’t. The bottom line is that given the choice, Americans love it rather than leave it. Day to day, American life remained as pleasant as could be expected, even in the midst of considerable economic hardship. There was even a bonding, anti-Bush feeling similar to the kind of consensual opposition that we experienced under Margaret Thatcher. A visiting American artist like Patti Smith found that while the usual torrent of name-dropping — Rimbaud, Mapplethorpe, Kerouac et al. — got a smattering of appreciative applause, a single gibe about Bush brought the house down.

At the same time, either sterling went up or the dollar went down (I don’t really understand this stuff), and as a consequence, Americans felt poor when they visited our rainy little island. So, for a brief period, we felt richer — planeloads of us went to Mannahatta and bought up everything in sight — and ideologically and ethically superior. Man, that felt good. We had a less blinkered attitude to Israel, didn’t drive big gas-guzzling S.U.V.’s, and if we were chilly of an evening we put on a sweater rather than turning up the heating (or, more accurately, turning off the A.C.). Sure, Blair went along with invading Iraq, but wasn’t that partly because he hoped to restrain the crusading fundamentalism of Bush? Now the dollar is back up — or down, or whichever it is — Europe is no longer expensive, and with the election of Barack Obama, the brief cushion of political superiority has been permanently deflated.

The Obama election was a real kick in the teeth, because although we Britons still seethe with class hatred, we pride ourselves on our highly evolved attitude to the question of race that has consistently undermined the American dream. The slight problem is that racial intermingling in Britain is most conspicuous in the ethnically diverse makeup of the groups of yobs — Asian, black and white — who exercise their antisocial behavioral skills without any kind of discrimination as to whom they happen to be terrorizing. In this regard, as in so many others, we seem to be leading from the bottom up.

Across the board, the grounds for all our feelings of superiority have been steadily whittled away. It turns out that the qualities that make us indubitably British — that is, the ones that we don’t share with or have not imported from America — are no longer conducive to Greatness. They actually add up to a kind of ostrich stoicism that, though it can be traced back to our finest hour (the blitz, the Battle of Britain), manifests itself in a peculiar compromise: a highly stylized willingness to muddle on, to put up with poor quality and high prices (restaurants, trains), to proffer (and accept) apologies not as a prelude to but as a substitute for improvement. We may not enjoy the way things are, but we endure them in a way that seems either quaint or quasi-Soviet to American visitors.

A tiny example. There’s a fashionable gastro pub near where I live. You scrum at the bar, desperate to get the attention of the barman. After a while, he will raise his eyebrows and glare at you. Unschooled in our rough ways, a visitor from America might assume he is being threatened, but actually the glare means that your order can now be taken — as long as you’re quick about it. When a friend from California had managed to order, he was handed the credit card terminal, which showed the amount and the option to add something for service. Americans are predisposed to tip, but my friend was slightly taken aback because, far from being in receipt of anything that might be described as service, it felt as if he had been fighting for a place aboard the last lifeboat on the Titanic. “Welcome to England,” I said.

Geoff Dyer’s latest book is a novel, “Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi.”

Call me biased, but the first article heightened my love for New York, while the 2nd completely voiced my inner thoughts on European vs. American culture.

Gong Xi Ca Fai, I Love You

2010-02-14T17:28:00.000-08:00

A snow storm raged last Tuesday, which meant that classes were canceled! Happens at least once every winter session.

The next day, Jim helped me build my first ever snowman!

I was totally revved up for it! I bundled up warmly, put on my silver nylon gloves, and fetched my yellow rain boots. While some people got prepared, others went into the snow with HOLEY SHOES. As only to be expected, Jim froze his feet off.

Hofstra is practically a reservoir for squirrels, bunnies, and interesting species of birds. The squirrels are extremely bold and annoying, whereas the bunnies and birds are sweet and shy. Which reminds me of the following story: When Yi Wayn visited me in NY last Spring, we sat outdoors eating cupcakes, fruit, and potato salad out of plastic containers. A squirrel came right up to us, so I offered it some fruit, which it REJECTED. What it wanted was Wayn's leftover cupcake frosting. It even gnawed on the plastic container like a starved drug addict. No wonder animal mutation occurs.

Back to building my first snowman. I'm still traumatized by something that occurred right before that:

Sammy: I was wondering earlier today... Where do all the bunnies go in winter?
(Ngam ngam hou, Jim spotted a bunny)
Jim: There's one.
We stopped in our tracks and stared at the tiny, furry form a mere foot away from us.
Sammy: Is it... Dead?
His silence spoke louder than words.
Sammy: *Shrieks*
He quickly walked me away.
Jim: It's okay... It's okay...

The irony was horrible yet hilarious. My worst fears were confirmed on the spot! The squirrels can freeze for all I care, but the bunnies! T_T Jim tried to convince me that it had had a full life, but I argued that judging from its size, it was certainly a baby. Later that evening, I walked by the same spot and it was gone. I cheerfully told Jim that it hadn't been dead after all. "It must have hopped off to its burrow!" He just shook his head solemnly and wouldn't even kindly lie to me; he said that someone had probably informed the janitor, who took the corpse away. I knew that, but was trying to sustain some hope. There's no mistaking a dead creature when you see one. The bunny's eyes were an infinite black, and glazed over.

On to happier things.

I am such a feminist. The first snowman I made was a snow-woman. In truth, Jim and I were simply too lazy to make her upper torso and head larger, so we pretended that her child-bearing hips was a billowing gown.

A cold tit.

Meet Yuki. ^_^ I gave her Asian eyes.
Her leaf-lips took forever to stick on.
She was barely 2 feet high, because someone was too cold to continue, (hmph!) but I'm still proud of her.

Warming up in the lounge :o)

Valentines Day + Chinese New Year was yesterday, and it was absolutely everything I could have asked for.

Sayang and I started off the special day by rising at 6:00am to watch the sunrise. Another first for me :) We parked by the side of a highway, and sat in his car, observing the sun creep over the horizon until our retinas couldn't take the glare anymore.

That was followed up by a romantic breakfast at a diner. Heheh

Gift-exchange!

My pressie to him: Vintage Bongo drums :o) I'm so glad I managed to find them! His reaction was absolutely priceless.

Jim always does this nice thing of getting me several small gifts instead of just one gift. For X'mas, I received the softest pink and orange toe-socks, a Sudoku book to keep my occupied on my journey to Amsterdam, and Coraline the graphic novel. This Valentine's, my gifts were themed: a box of assorted coffee-flavored chocolates, a set of fruit-shaped ear studs, and most interesting of all, a Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert book. Cause I'm 'sweet' and I love sugar ;p He put much thought into making the compilation. I LOVE YOU, SAYANG!

Seeing how often I'm in the city, it's funny how Jim and I have never hung out in Manhattan by ourselves. That is, until yesterday. We hustled to Chinatown to catch the Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival in Columbus Park. We weren't late, but the park was devoid of any CNY activities by the time we got there. There were just elderly men playing Chinese chess, and a guy doing tai chi. This Jackie Chan wannabe wasn't even doing anything impressive, but a crowd of people was staring at him. They too, must have missed the event and were probably picking at remnants of interestingly 'Asian' activities. At least tai chi guy looked like he was enjoying the attention.

Lady Luck must have thought Jim and I made a cute couple.

On our way to get some Malaysian food at Nyonya, we caught up with the lion dance troupe who were headed in the same direction. So we did get to see the lion dance after all (a new experience for Jim), and even joined in the parade.

Nyonya has moved across the street. Jim got Nasi Lemak and I had Salted Fish Bee Hoon. I also ordered an appetizer - Curry Young Taofu - and 2 drinks for us to share - Carrot Juice w milk & Kopi Ais. The food was yummy (it always is at Nyonya), and it was fun watching Jim sample a new cuisine. I leered at him until I caught myself doing it. I felt almost like my grandma when she gleefully watches my family eat her cooking. Jim must have said, "I think I just like curry," at least 5 times.

We walked along Broadway, heading uptown towards Soho. Newmindspace, the awesome people responsible for organizing 'Pillow Fight NYC' every year had a Valentine's Day project the day before, and I was curious to see how it had fared.

Volunteers had drawn chalk hearts all along the sidewalks of Broadway, starting from Canal Street and ending at Houston.

Am glad I finally got to show Jim The Evolution Store, which I knew he'd like :) I love sharing parts of Manhattan that I love with loved ones.

He was getting sniffy from the chilly wind, and I was slowly crashing, so we headed home while still on a high note. Poor baby has a cold now. Hope he feels well in the morning!

Word of the Day

2010-02-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

Adding on to my library of vocabulary; I picked up a new word today from watching 'Maid in Akihabara':

LOL. Otaku = Japanese geek.

My Favorite Superbowl Commercial

2010-02-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

Not a single actor nor actress, yet easily understandable. Applicable to anyone who uses a computer (everyone), elicits "awws" all around room, instills warmness in heart.

Ahh... The power of advertising. Material like this makes me reconsider returning to copy writing.

Memorable close to Winter break

2010-01-23T06:44:00.000-08:00

Spicy has eyebrows.

The day before yesterday, I met the Thomases. It was my first time meeting a boyfriend's parents, unless you count that one encounter in Secondary 2 (7th grade), which didn't fare too well; I vividly remember his mom telling him that I was fat. At least I got an ang pow out of it.

Jim & I drove to his home in Connecticut on Friday. My head felt heavy from sleeping badly the night before. Before that, I hadn't even realized I was nervous. But I managed a power nap, and we stopped for caffeine at a gas station. The town of Brookfield, Connecticut is a great place to raise ADD children; you can never run out of places to go exploring. I liked that no two houses looked alike. Jim pointed out Candlewood Lake, one of America's largest man-made reservoirs; it flows through 5 towns.

Spicy was already there to greet us as we pulled into the driveway. She's the first dog I've ever seen with eyebrows. We said hi to his siblings, had a snack, and watched Jim's daily dose of the Daily Show & Colbert Nation. Later, he brought me to a quaint arts & craft store in the neighborhood because he knows I like that kind of stuff :) Brownie points for that! The store was located above a wild-looking stream. As he had a cig, we walked down to the water, and I spotted a ditch that looked exactly like the one where 'It,' the clown had lived. Naturally, I freaked out. We also visited Stew Leonards, a supermarket with talking mechanical animals. That was quite trippy. We left the mart, and I accompanied Jim to get a haircut. He's even sexier now.

When we got home, I finally met the whole family. It was out of their norm, but everyone ate dinner together at the dining table. I was painfully shy, even though they were beyond nice. Homemade desserts are swell :) Jim showed off the gift I'd made for him to his brother & mom. Shyyy... We watched Talledega Nights before bedtime. You can never go wrong with Will Ferrell.

I feel quite guilty, being partly responsible for the flooding of their basement the next morning. Grandma was in hysterics. I wish I'd given her a hug. I had a doctor's appointment in the city that afternoon, so Jim drove me to train station. We got there too late, and I had to catch the next train.

Lunch - takeaway from the Grand Central Market.

I got steroids injected into my chest.

$200 to see the best dermatologist in New York! Yikes! But I couldn't resist scheduling an appointment with the doctor who's never failed to receive 5 out of 5 stars on every single Yelp and Google maps review. Ah... Vanity. The doctor's clinic is located in the Financial District all the way downtown. Figures, since he's probably making just as much as, if not more than most Wall Street tycoons.

I was asked to strip down to my bra & panties, and handed a smock (20% cloth, 70% paper, 10% miscellaneous material). I kept my skirt on. As I slipped my arms through the sleeves of flimsy smock, I puzzled over its color. I always thought that Tiffany's Blue was a protected color trademark. Perhaps Tiffany's had simply stopped paying royalties. It reminded me of Popeye the Sailor man's fate when the character's copyright expired in the UK in 2008.

Dr. Bobby Buka has one of those faces that you can't help paying a second, third, or even forth glance to. His light brown eyes and semi-Asian features make it sorely tempting to ask where his parents originated. The sports shoes on his feet were a stark contrast to his clinical outfit, which matched mine in terms of color. He was so smooth and clean cut that he gave off a slightly feminine aura. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he were gay. Bobby Buka (I love the sound of his name), celebrity dermatologist, is busy busy busy! In most cases, you walk into a doctor's office to get treated. In his case, he moves from room to room where patients already await him. The moment we were done, he flashed me one last perfect smile before striding out. A tall African American nurse remained in the room the entire time. She put up a tough front until the very end; she gently dabbed the spot where I'd been jabbed, and asked in a soft voice, "Are you okay?" I am very brave with needles.

Window shopping.

One thing I share in common with my favorite artist is our passion for sugar. I'm currently reading Andy Warhol's biography, and in an interview with a reporter from Vogue, he said, "Food dos not exist for me. I like candies. I also like blood."

Chocolate bread pudding with bacon custard sauce.

It all started with an intense craving for bread pudding last summer, which built up to a hunt for the best Chocolate bread pudding in New York. All sources pointed me to the Dessert Truck. Unfortunately, their license had been revoked! I settled for second best at Gramercy Tavern.

Gramercy Tavern's Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding with Cocoa Nib Ice cream.
The bread pudding itself wasn't completely amazing; too soggy, and not rich enough. However, the experience was divine... Service was impeccable, and my waitress spoiled me with free goodies. I drained every single drop from the glass of Riesling I'd ordered to complement dessert.

So everyone knows that chocolate is tasty. But what happens when it's fused with one of the tastiest meat products ever?

Whoever thought up the Chocolate + Bacon combination should be given a big fat hug :)

The first time I tried these two sinful delights together was during a class excursion in Freshman year.

Everyone with the exception of Tamlyn & I shied away from the 'exoticism.'

From cynic to devotee.
Both Tam & I gave our word that it was heaven on our tongues. It tasted caramelized; almost like sweet meat.

My 2nd chocolate-bacon experience was at the Redhead, a gastro pub in the East Village. Their chocolate cake came topped with actual bacon bits. I think DT Work's Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bacon Infused Custard is more inventive, which I will speak of presently.

For some reason, I went back to the Dessert Truck's website a couple of weeks ago and read the latest update about finally starting up their first dessert shop. I emailed the owners to ask if it was already in business, and received a reply that it would be ready in 2 weeks. A few days ago, a Susana Garcia - presumably someone running the Dessert Truck - emailed me to say that the grand opening was on Saturday. Anyone unfamiliar with the Dessert Truck's prestige ought to know: they are so good that Bobby Flay actually had a throwdown with them. This documented account of the Dessert Truck's throwdown with Bobby Flay is a interesting read. DT lost, but I say duhh. Bobby was with the press.

Good things start from humble beginnings.

"Have you ever been a cashier?" asked the tall Asian guy working the register. The way he fiddled around with the cash machine made it especially obvious that the establishment was new. Later, I found out that he was Jerome Chang - graduate of The French Culinary Institute, ex pastry sous chef of Le Cirque, and founder of The Dessert Truck.

"Doesn't it come with a manual?"

He grinned and pointed at the thin book laid open in front of him. As he slowly punched in my order, I congratulated DT on finally opening their own shop. He asked where I was from., and I answered Long Island. All the way! Yup, I'm an avid foodie!

Their signature Chocolate bread pudding comes with either Vanilla or Bacon Custard Sauce. I also got cold bottled water to wash down the cloying chocolaty goodness. For some reason, it completely slipped my mind to mention that I wanted Bacon Custard. The Vanilla sauce was pleasant enough, but it's just not Sammy! If there was brain and chicken on a menu, I would go for the former. A great chef once said, "Cowardice tastes like chicken." I wish I remembered who it was.

So I went back to order another one. One of the people behind the counter, a lady (Susana Garcia?) offered to give me bacon custard on the side for free, but I declined.

"I'll just get a fresh one. To support you guys!"

"She knows what she wants!" said Jerome. He also argued with the lady that it wouldn't taste the same, as the pudding would have absorbed the Vanilla custard. When I checked my Debit account later that night, I realized that he hadn't actually charged me for the 2nd bowl! How nice!

DT Work's Chocolate Bread Pudding.

With Bacon Custard Sauce (left) & Vanilla Sauce (right).
Practically indistinguishable, except that the Vanilla Sauce has tiny specks.

DT Work's signature is toe-curl worthy and elicits oomphs... Rich chocolate mousse encased by a chewier wall. Exterior looks just like a round molten chocolate cake. Sure beats Gramercy Tavern's chocolate bread pudding, even with the exquisite service at the latter. Known F&B principle: hole in the wall eateries sometimes put the fanciest restaurants to shame. The taste and smell of bacon in the infused custard was exceptional; not the barest hint (I find it lame when an unusual ingredient is barely discernible) nor overpowering potency; it was juuust right.

DT Work's desserts sure nip the pocket, but you're paying for top-notch stuff. They're all $6 including tax.

DT Works
6 Clinton St.
New York, NY 10020

Kim and I had made plans to watch 'Legion' that night. The plot goes, "God gives up on mankind and sends a legion of angels to destroy a mother's unborn child, destined to become savior of the world." It was suckier than a starved leech. If God saw this movie, he would give up on humanity. And of COURSE it had to take place in Los Angeles. Dinner after at Korea Street. As I type this, I'm eating leftover pine-nut porridge with bulgogi duck.

Joey told me that someone made fun of her discounted book on TV, but it was even more hilarious to actually see it for myself at some random bookstore in Penn Station!

Cause a volleyball just won't do it for me

2010-01-09T21:46:00.000-08:00

"The Top 5 and Last 5 People
I Would Choose To Be Stuck On An Island With"

TOP 5 PEOPLE

1) Macgyver

"I shall construct a boat out of seashells and coconut husks, as well as a radio transistor using these fish bones, salt extracted from seawater, and a strand of pubic hair."
I estimate we'll be home in at least 3 days.

2) My Boyfriend
Duh.

3) Adrien Brody

Sorry, Jim. You know I sayang you :D Fantasy only... The chances of me being stranded on an island are impossibly low anyway.

4) A puppy

And I will name her Sandy. Ok, so Sandy's obviously not a person, but logically speaking, I think I'd actually last longer on an island with a faithful mutt for companionship. Strained human relationships would simply wear me down.

5) Bobby Flay.

Delicious and exotic island concoctions, anyone? If I die, at least I'll die with a full and happy belly :)

LAST 5 PEOPLE

1) Nicolas Cage
Super annoying!

2) Jackie Chan

Actually, that's not such a bad idea. With his martial arts skills, he could protect me from the cannibals living on the other side of the island. Or should provisions run low, I could club him on the head using a large rock in his sleep. Make note to memorize recipe for kung pao chicken and play around with ingredients to cook kung pao Jackie. If you cant beat the cannibals, join 'em.

3) My Grandma

Only because she's so frail and I love her so. Trying to keep her comfortable and watching her suffer would break my heart.

4) Frank Liew

This disgusting creeper from my high school who once blew his nose on his hand and spread his mucus over our classroom desks. He is also mad horny, so any female trapped on an island with him should fear rape. If I caught some kind of island disease and predicted my life was drawing to a close, I would jump off a cliff and dash myself to pieces on the jagged rocks below, leaving no tangible form behind, for fear that he's cool with necrophilia.

5) T.M.

Another ex-classmate whose name I will not reveal here because I am a coward. But if I had to listen to her rant in that monotonous and droning voice year after year, I would also jump off a cliff. In fact, I might even make the giant leap in mere months.

Be prepared for all possibilities. Think ahead.

A Barnes & Noble date and other Niceties.

2010-01-05T06:29:00.000-08:00

She picked up a chocolate curl and placed it in between her lips. Wisps of white steam partially obscured her boyfriend's left hand. His mop of curly brown hair fell into his eyes, behaving similarly as her stubborn black bangs. While she was still settling into a sense of composure, he was already engrossed in knowledge.

She had learned to appreciate life without having to austerely keep track of it in words. However, she'd forgotten just how pleasurable writing could be. In fact, it provided a '+' after the 'A' in her report card; subject - Living.

Favorite soy latte warming cold, red fingertips, person elle adore looking cozy in a moss green armchair opposite her, a pile of art & craft books on the coffee table in between the two... How much better could it get?

A temptress was throwing seductive glances her way; the minx wore a black corset top over a red-burgundy chemise, and her platinum blond tresses swirled at the peak; her name was Red Velvet. It was fun ignoring the treat for as long as possible. Meanwhile, he pulled a spinach & feta stuffed soft pretzel apart with his fingers, each piece of deliciousness finding its way to his kissable mouth.

She extracted what she could from a book on collages, read an adorable poem by Elizabeth Spires about Sims: The Game, browsed through a book on artists' studios (and tried to justify her hoarding OCD), and bemusedly observed how the lady seated across from them freely engaged in conversation with the cute young grad student, but openly went back to her laptop when a less attractive male took his seat. Ah... The Alpha and Beta male complex! The Beta male will only get the cavewoman when the Saber-tooth tiger overpowers and kills the Alpha male during hunting season.

Outside, there was snow snaking on the ground. She had never seen snow move like that before. The snow serpents made long wavy patterns that prominently contrasted with the black tar road. She felt as if she were in a desert, only snow had replaced fine grains of sand. "It's the same concept," the boyfriend remarked.

There are perks to dating a smartypants. Last night, they sat on her bed, flipping through a magazine she'd picked up in Amsterdam. Her eye fell upon a delicious looking recipe and she sighed, "I wish I could understand this." He glanced through the text once, and started translating the whole thing word for word, word by word. Albeit slowly, but with surprising accuracy. She was suitably impressed.

I know you said no silly pics on Facebook, but I don't think it counts if it's on Blogger, right? =x

The both of us, we differ in every way imaginable. I can't think of anyone else more unlike me.

But hey, here's my
Quote of the day that applies to you:

“Sometimes it’s a form of love just to talk to somebody that you have nothing in common with and still be fascinated by their presence." ―David Byrne

Whether it's belittling videos of 'Top 10 Nicolas Cage movie scenes,' walking to Kennedy's Fried Chicken at 4 in the morning, or deciphering recipes in Dutch, we make good memories all the time. When we hang out, the invisible glass dome of a time machine silently encases us. Someone then flips the switch marked, '1/2/3/4 hours later,' much to our obliviousness. Which reminds me, we have yet to finish watching, 'The Fly.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

O vunderful day!

Earlier that morning, I discovered that I could fit into my gray jeans again!

However... By night, they were uncomfortably tight again. Nyeh! No thanks to hot pot and beer.

Befriending the crustaceans before letting them get more intimate with our bellies.

'Little Lamb Family Restaurant' in Flushing, Queens. Thanks for recommending, Kim O! :) Must meet up for a movie/dinner soon, ok papi?

The restaurant's namesake was everywhere. Lol.

Half-herbal, half spicy broth.
The spicy broth was FIERY, even for my standards! Awesome for a bitter cold winter's day.

It was everyone else's first time having hot pot.

We had lamb, seafood, dumplings, straw mushrooms, lotus root, etc...

Etc = Pig's brains!
No joke. When I say I eat anything, I mean it :D

Brain food anyone?

It wasn't as yummy as the lamb's brains I had in India. As opposed to stir-frying, boiling only added to its already spongy texture.

Joey takut. He swallowed it whole followed by a shot of soju.

Cutest couple ever!

Sammy & Man Woong.

Sayang~

We also received a private presentation when we ordered the 'Special Noodles.' Roti-canai style: the chef came out and started flipping the noodle dough around. She proceeded to tear the dough into uneven strips - almost like pan-mee - before dousing them in the boiling broth.

Later, we hung out at Man Woong's new apartment. He recently moved into a smaller unit with his girlfriend.

"Shake the nunchuk!"

Killed alien life form on his Wii and Bullshitted each another with playing cards.

Got home way beyond my bedtime.
Im's a grouch when I's fuzzy in da brain...

1 Day Before Finals

2009-12-14T01:05:00.000-08:00

Blogging from Vander Poel's kitchen on the 13th floor:

While everyone's busy cramming for exams, I baked cookies & fed them :)

Mike found a 'Jungle Ambience' iPhone app; coupled with Christmas jingles on Cristina's laptop, it felt like Christmas in the jungle.

People seem to hate Rachael Ray and her iconic way of saying, "EVO," but I think her recipes are delicious. The first time I tried out one of her recipes - 'Orange-Balsamic Chicken Thighs with Pecans and Sage Butter Pasta' - was last semester; I cooked a special dinner for Livia Solustri because she did the same for me.

It was gooood~! I'm a thighs (wo)man when it comes to chicken.

This time it was 'Pecan Caramel Surprise' from her Holiday Cookie Blowout issue.

Ehmm... My cookies sorta imploded in the oven, because the caramel chews I used were too large. I should probably have halved them. I fed one of my RAs a cookie, and he totally fed my ego by saying it was one of the best he's ever tasted! :) He could have been just polite, but his white lie made my day :) 2 strangers studying outside the kitchen also begged for some cookies.

They're supposed to be dusted with confectioner's sugar, but I don't think the sugar does much for them; they actually look and taste better without.

So here I am, surrounded by the people I love who are pulling another all-nighter and fueling up on black coffee and cookies. I'm the only one not doing any work, and I'm starting to have a growing suspicion that I'm going to regret this. But I figured I would enjoy my last day of freedom before j'étudie langue française demain. Btw, I love being able to understand a decent amount of French when watching French movies nowadays.

Someone in our company brought up the question of what our kids would look like, and another person piped up that there was probably a website for that. This led to Cris and I spending an indecent amount of time on www.makemebabies.com and freaking Jim out.

Step 1: Upload a picture of you and your partner's pictures.
Step 2: Crop your heads to fill the screen.
Step 3: MAKE BABIES.
*Note - You may chose the sex of your child AND skin-tone. Wtf to the latter.

Meet little Shaniqua,
Offspring of Cristina El-Shahawi & Sammy Lim.

Terrible!

I suspect the application simply pulls random pictures of actual babies.

But if I thought that was bad.....

Product of Jim + Sammy

Carrot top???
Who was unfaithful! Probably the mom :p Irish blood runs in his family though, so I guess there is a slight possibility of this being our child.

But Cris & Joey's kid definitely takes home the trophy >

So special.

Joey said he doesn't mind, because his kid will probably be a genius (secluded loner who drowns self in studies).
Cris said they are never ever having kids.

Sigh...

J'aime mes amis~!

Earlier, Mike was listening to another soundtrack on his iPhone called 'Water Sounds.' After awhile, he had to go pee. LMAO. I wonder if he even realized it.

Meanwhile, Joey is currently brushing his teeth (in the kitchen). For some reason, he carries his toothbrush and toothpaste around in his backpack. So I told him he might as well brush his teeth here instead of going to the bathroom on his floor.

It's 5:15AM. I should definitely sleep. Argh... Messed up internal clock! G'night, all!

Gros bisou! (Big kiss!) ;x

Pushed to the Edge

2009-12-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

I made someone I care about highly anxious yesterday.

I have no one to blame but myself for my own insecurities...

Or do I?

Sometimes I feel like I'm Belle trying to love the Beast. With your 'dickish' tendencies and 'better than thou' attitude.

By the way, I really hate the word 'dick.' Dick person, dick move, dick this, dick that... You're the dick!

But I was mostly at fault. Who am I punishing but myself by treating you badly?

Your description of me as an emotional sponge is pretty perfect.

I soak up little bits of sadness and heartfelt feelings without depositing them.

That's why I need someone like you to take me into your arms and squeeze me when I'm overloaded. It felt so good when we finally did hug it out.

I'm sorry...

I will never ever walk away from you again the way I did to another 4 years ago at Chee Cheong Kai.

Selamat Terima Kasih <(^.^<)

2009-11-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

Cute tote!
Spotted while online shopping. Would have bought it if it hadn't been just the day before Thanksgiving. I do heart pumpkin pie~!

Dan Wang hosted a Thanksgiving potluck in Jersey City on Thursday. I was very undecided about what to contribute to the potluck, so I merely told Shar I was bringing 'Gourmet Dessert.' Lol.

Brut, Cordon Rosado - Pink champagne from Spain.

Sharlene told me that she was making 'Beer Butt Turkey.' To go with the whole alcoholic theme, I was set on making some kind of cake containing liquor :)
I got the following recipe off 'Allrecipes.com' >>>

Champagne Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup champagne
6 egg whites

Coconut Filling:

1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon white wine
16 large marshmallows
1 cup flaked coconut

Fondant Frosting:

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 drops red food coloring
6 large marshmallows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter two 9 inch round pans.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, and then blend into creamed mixture alternately with champagne.
In a large clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining egg whites. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool. In the meantime, prepare coconut filling.
Coconut Filling: Over boiling water in double boiler, melt 16 marshmallows, butter and wine. Remove from heat and add coconut.
Put cakes together with coconut filling in between.
Fondant Frosting: Sift powdered sugar in top of double boiler. Add corn syrup and water. Stir over boiling water until smooth. Add the vanilla, salt and almond flavoring. For pink champagne effect, add 2 or 3 drops red food coloring.
Keep frosting warm so it spreads evenly. With spoon, carefully pour fondant over top and sides of cake. Slice marshmallows into 4 rounds each, dip in fondant and place at random on top of cake.

*~Bubbly~*

I must say, the aroma of melting marshmallows, butter, and champagne is one of the most divine smells you can ever imagine.

Food coloring packaged like crayons :D

Looks like a sandwich, no?
Almost done; just in need of frosting & deco.

Voila! Le gâteau rose de champagne!

I used sugar roses from a Betty Crocker decorating kit as a finishing touch instead of garnishing it with sliced marshmallows as the recipe suggests, because I recalled Janet telling me that she detests marshmallows. I'm the complete opposite; I could be president of the Marshmallow Fan Club.

It was a bad idea to wear a little black skirt into the city that night; my butt was getting frost bite. I also couldn't stand the way creepy guys leered at me. Eeeee! So I walked into the first Duane Reade I saw to buy black tights. What a small world: I heard someone call, "Sammy," and spun around to see Valentino Dao! Val was one of the first friends I made at Hofstra. She was accompanied by her boyfriend, Sam. The both of them transferred out of Hofstra this semester; financial issues on her part, while he joined the army. We had a little catching up session in a narrow aisle, much to the annoyance of other shoppers who were trying to squeeze through. It was nice to see Val again although we parted on slightly chilly terms last semester. I disapprove of some things she did to cause unnecessary drama. But that's all in the past... I must learn to drop all grudges and adopt the Thanksgiving spirit of being grateful for friendship! After we'd said our farewells, I headed to Jersey City.

At Dan's:-

The Tin Man.

Good plan! Sharlene mummifying Dan's hands with kitchen towels and foil so he could safely carry the turkey.

Grilling the turkey on Dan's sky deck, Manhattan skyline in backdrop.

The beer can which went in the turkey's butt.

I was astounded when I saw the recipe for the turkey; I've never made anything that required so many ingredients! On top of that, Sharlene had to marinade the ginormous bird in beer overnight, causing her fridge to almost flood with alcohol.

'Beer Butt Turkey'

One of the most flavorful turkeys I've ever tasted.

So Asian; someone had to bring a Chinese dish!

Janet's standout Australian Meat Pies.

Green Bean Casserole.

I've seen the recipe for this dish printed on cans of mushroom soup all the time, and have wanted to try making it. It wasn't as delicious as I imagined though.

Lol. Poor stretched out turkey.

Eujern was entrusted to the task of carving the turkey. He Googled how to do it. LoL!

Pictures from last Thanksgiving: This is the giant turkey leg that my ex roommate's German grandfather urged me to finish! Since the leg is dark meat, it's saltier than other parts of the turkey. Most people are divided between white meat and dark meat, but I couldn't say which kind I prefer. I think it's nice to alternate between both to balance out the different flavors and textures.

Cozy fireplace in my ex roommate, Ashley's home.

It's a pity we're not in touch anymore. I heard from Carter, who was in the Hoftra cheer leading team with her, that she betrayed the cheer team big time. Scandal!

This year, I got the turkey neck. It's supposed to be one of the best parts. I do like the chewiness of the tendons :D~

Janet & I ^_^

Eujern's turkey carving skills failed, so everyone pitched in, hacking at and sawing away at the humongous bird.

I insist there was whiskey in the mashed sweet potatoes that Eujern made this year!
Everyone called me an alcy for detecting liquor in all food, but I stick to my conviction!

I also made the stuffing this year! Bread, chicken stock, butter, dried cranberries, heaps of herbs, chopped liver and gibbets, etc etc... It was definitely one of my favorites. I had one too many helpings. Aside from it being delicious, there was the pride factor of having made it.

3 kinds of desserts - Caramel Apple pie, Pumpkin pie, Tiramisu & Champagne Cake. I applaud Simon's Apple pie! The crust was divine.

Joseph looking very satiated.

Janet, being an absolute sweetheart, offered to let me bunk at her new place that night instead of going back all the way to LI. Her new apartment is so quaint. Me loves! Funnily enough, having her apartment all to myself that night was one of the most enjoyable memories of this weekend. I can't wait to have my own apartment in the city too.

I had an absolutely dreamy time in the city on Black Friday~ It was extra chilly, so I bundled up & ran errands in familiar parts of the city which I'd come to miss.

Chanced upon a Christmas bazaar, found cool gifts for loved ones at the HBO store, had lunch at Tao...

Shopped, breathed, lived.

I was highly keen on viewing the Tim Burton exhibition at MoMa, but the museum was a mad house, and tickets for the special exhibit were sold out. A pity, especially since Janet had lent me her Parson's student ID which enabled me to gain free access to the museum.

'Belted' building.

Wrapping up shopping with an Eggnog Latte & Polar Bear Cookie.

It was one of those strange days which made an impact upon me. I spent time by myself, relished in my own company, and took joy in the world. I had time to think clearly, revise my goals in life, and mature like fine wine. The best thing was being reconciled with the writer in me. I have a good idea of what I want for my future, which is a tremendous relief after being lost for so long. I know I can do whatever I want to do, be whomever I want to be.

Do it do it

2009-11-25T21:43:00.001-08:00

Just finished watching 'Amelie' for the first time.

Sometimes interference is necessary to set things in motion.

Maybe life isn't a Magic 8 Ball, but an Etch-A-Sketch.