Sad Sasha and Spell-olympics Past

Unfortunately, I missed the women's free-skate last night. But fortunately, I missed Sasha's demise. So sad. In a crowd of wannabes and mediocre hopefuls, Sasha Cohen was supposed to rock the house. Especially when poor Michelle bowed out. Seriously, who cares about Sarah's younger sister, Emily? We need stars like Kristi Yamaguchi, Michelle, and Sasha to cheer on. But alas, Sasha lacked the confidence Kristi had. I remember watching Kristi in many years past and thinking, "my goodness, this girl NEVER falls!" It was like her confidence was iron-clad. It's so so rare. I always reflect back on my spelling bee career in the 4th grade and how I was such a good speller but collapsed under a bucket of nerves. I couldn't believe I spelled "invitation" as "invatation"! How idiotic! I cursed myself for years to come over this. And of course, the other Asian girl took home the gold - darn that Karen Kim! I never let her live it down! So yes, to survive the mounting pressure and spotlight on one so young requires an innate source of steel grace. And yes, I AM comparing my 4th grade spelling bee to the Olympics. ;)

Quote of the Day - 2.24.06

"Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them."

-Albert Einstein

Quote of the Day - 2.23.06

"Give someone a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach someone to use the Internet and you won't see them for weeks."

-- T-Shirt

Hey Ya Charlie Brown!

This is such a cute video! Chuck is the best =).

Everyone Loves Julian...(Or Is It That Everyone Loves NYC?)

Quote of the Day - 2.21.06

"The greatest freedom of all - is not having the fear of losing."

-Unknown

Nor'easter Blizzzzard!

Check out the BBQ grill and the chair!!!

Nick Stole From Me!

Anyone hear Nick Lachey's new song? It's called "What's Left of Me," a post-Jessica song. When I first heard it, I was like "Hey!! What a biter!" Check out the first verse (see below). He clearly stole my rear view mirror metaphor. Dude, I need a patent on that thing. Either that or cash in as a songwriter/lyricist. Well, I do like the song -- it's catchy, albeit a bit sappy and demeaning if you ask me. But what can one expect? Just adding some piano and acoustic guitars can only do so much to revive a former boy-band member's flailing career. Although I think this one might just do it...at least for now.

Watch my life
Pass me by
In the rear view mirror
Pictures frozen in time
Are becoming clearer
I don’t wanna waste another day
Stuck in the shadow of my mistakes

MP3 of "What's Left of Me"

Taipei En Vogue

Man, oh man...wish I could go back home! There's no place like it. Wafting scents of stinky tofu admist dirt lined streets, juxtaposed with gleaming towers and shopping malls. Oh, do I remember Cashbox KTV, nightmarkets, noodle stands, and street vendor supplied scallion pancakes with sesame seeds. Enveloped by sticky, humid summer night air and chugging sugarcane juice or licking red bean icees to chill out. Can't wait to go back sometime soon...it's been way too long. =)


NY Times Travel Pick: Taipei

WHY GO NOW In the last few years, Taipei — the sprawling metropolis of 2.6 million that is the capital of Taiwan — has leapt into modernity with a panache that puts the casino moguls of Macao and the skyscraper-erectors of Shanghai to shame.

It's not just the hardware — the tallest building in the world (for now), Wi-Fi coverage over more than half the city and a speedy and expanding subway system — that is sophisticated. The people, too, embody all the complexities of a country that is at once forward-looking and historically aware, internationally plugged in but diplomatically isolated, and as multiculturally hybrid (influences include China, Japan and the United States) as it is full of hometown pride.

That pride has generated what may be Taipei's most vibrant cultural movement. It's called "tai-ke," a phrase that originally meant "redneck" but has now come to encompass a youth-focused lifestyle that celebrates both the déclassé (flip-flops, Long Life cigarettes) and the haute (Gucci, Macallan).

But tai ke is just one subculture among many in Taipei — there are jazz fans and gay-rights activists, bohemians and aborigines, calligraphers and computer geeks — and whatever the group identity, the motto generally is: Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow ... we'll do it all over again.

Masshole Drivers

What is up with these Masshole drivers??? Twice this morning, a car cut right in front of me. First one did NOT signal and the second one signaled AS he was crossing into my lane. What the heck? I think half these people need to retake their road tests...I'll bet you all of them would fail miserably and it would humble everyone into safer drivers. I mean, does everyone have a death wish? Don't they know my reaction time is not that quick?? Literally at least once a day, I have my heart jump out of my chest. Not a good feeling when all I want to do is enjoy my morning drive...the only time of the day I feel at peace in my own little cocoon with my own private concert hall. Why does everyone else have to ruin it?? =(

The Great Mother-Daughter Divide

Interesting article about mother and daughter communication. Nope, my mom ain't my friend and yes, it is a Chinese thing and a language as well as cultural barrier. Can't imagine sending my Mom cards and love notes...she'd freak. But ahh, talk about our kitties and she melts with delightful approval. Dysfunctional? Perhaps. Endearing? Of course. =)

Deborah Tanner Applies Linguistics to Mend Mother-Daughter Divide

Q. Your immigrant mother grew up in a different universe. Are some mother-daughter conflicts rooted in the fact that modern women often live different lives from their mothers?

A. The rapid pace of change in women's lives definitely ratchets up differences. But interestingly, a lot of baby boomer women I interviewed said they had better relations with their daughters than with their mothers.

Their daughters were likely to describe them as their best friends.

To see this relationship as both mother-daughter and a friendship is new — and perhaps particularly American.

There's a study of 12-year-old Austrian and American girls. None of the Austrians described their mothers as "friends," while all of the Americans did.

V-Day Haiku Poetry Slam

Here's for the anti-valentine's day segment:
Breakup Girl Haiku Masters

Winners and Runners Up

2006 Haiku Master:
iPod Nano love
Cool and shiny and new
Quickly obsolete

-- Karen Kanter

Haiku Master's Apprentice:
Is it still stalking
If I type your home address
into Google Earth?

-- Asher Hung

Haiku Practitioner:
He looked fat, how fat,
like depressed fat or stressed fat?
Please, not happy fat.

-- Daphne Uviller
(haha....hilarious!)


Best Use of Poetic Apostrophe:
'twood not be enough.
To drown in a whole ocean
of Chunky Monkey.

-- Asher Hung


The "I wish I knew how to quit haiku" award:
Not sure when you changed.
Maybe it was when we saw.
That Brokeback Mountain.

-- Asher Hung

A William Blake V-day

"Love seeketh not itself to please,
Nor for itself hath any care,
But for another gives its ease,
And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair"

-William Blake


Happy Valentine's Day!

Blizzard '06

Good God! Can we say 26" of snow??? Yes, I braved our historic blizzard...all for you Jules!!! You had better appreciate it! Pics and more car disaster stories to come! = P

Honing My Craft As a Chocolate Sommelier

Just Call Me Koko Sommelier...

When I retire, my aspiration will be to become a chocolate sommelier, and a cheese one part-time, of course! Interestingly enough, the article mentions chocolate from São Tomé, which is actually my favorite bar from the Parisian confectioner, Richart. (So yes, I actually kinda know what I'm talkin' about!!!)

Chocolate That Flashes Its Passport

"So it has come to this. Chocolate, a comfortable world that for many people exists between the downscale joy of a Kit Kat bar and the exhilaration of a well-made ganache, now requires a sommelier.

It is no longer enough to understand the difference between milk and bittersweet. Even the know-it-all chocolate cowboys who brag about eating nothing less than 85 percent cocoa bars are out of their league.

Now, the game is all about origin. As with olive oil or coffee, knowing where one's chocolate came from is starting to matter. Even the most casual wine drinker can name a preferred varietal, and the neophyte cheese fan understands that Brie is French and good Cheddar comes from England.

Mr. Miller's job is to help the baffled but curious make sense of it all. His tools are a tray of foil-wrapped chocolate wafers from several countries, a glass of water and a little bowl of tortilla chips — he prefers unsalted — to provide a palate scrub.

One day last week, he walked me through a $35 tasting. We pondered the snappy break and acidic finish of chocolate from the African island of São Tomé and discussed how growing cacao trees in the soil of a former mango grove might result in chocolate with a faint flash of the fruit. We contemplated the raisiny ways of a bar from Papua New Guinea, which Mr. Miller suggested would go well with port."

Frivolous Grammy Gossip

So who saw the Grammy's last night? They've wised up in recent years, cutting down the award giving boredom and upping the number of performances. I was shocked when I saw Madonna. There is no reason a 50 year old woman should look like that! What the heck? Ok, she looked fabulous in her lavender corset get-up, go-go boots, and Farrah Fawcett flippity-do. But man, those thighs and her butt - it sure ain't all yoga and Kabbalah livin'. I guess in this day and age, when you've got the right plastic surgeon, 50 is the new 40 and 40 is the new 30, and so forth. So I should look, what, 18 right? ;)

And oh, Mariah, I'm glad she covered herself up with her long hair extensions so there was less spillage than usual. Mimi's back with her award-winning self...loved her rendition of "We Belong Together." And oh, Kelly Clarkson, can we be more star-struck and wide-eyed?? When you've actually become a bondafide pop star, at least act like one. Oh, but I love her anyway. I still remember when Destiny's Child won their first Grammy's, they were just as choked up. Always nice to see, which is why no more Grammys for the likes of Bonnie Raitt and old fogeys like Sting. =) What else? What else? What was up with Joss Stone's multicolored hippy dress? Ok, so it was supposed to be Janis Joplin-ish and part of her musical act but I would have much rather have had her sing by herself and wearing something more flattering. Oh, and that Teri Hatcher....yikes! Can we please lose another 5lbs? When that happens, she'll probably evaporate. Scary looking!!! This makes me appreciate all of Mimi's fleshiness.

Ok, enuff mindless banter. That's my post-Grammy wrap-up. Oh yeah, check out this NY Times article about JD and how he single-handedly revived MC's career but alas got snubbed by the Grammys. And also note his penchant for strip clubs as his source for divine inspiration. =)

"Please Spay Your Blog"

Geez, everyone has a blog these days and you know it's pervasive when lil' ol' me puts one out. I guess every blog has its purpose and I like mine because I can put anything and everything on it, depending on my mood. There's something about imprinting your persona and publishing out to the great unknown cyberspace....or maybe I'm just a real girl geek at heart. =)

Check out the stats:

Technorati's David Sifry has issued one of his periodic State of the Blogosphere reports. According to Technorati's stats, the current average reproduction rate for blogs is one every second of every day. The site now tracks 27.2 million blogs, a population 60 times bigger than it was three years ago, and one that is doubling every 5.5 months. Of course a new blog is a lot of responsibility, and some new owners end up abandoning them to a friendless life of content starvation. But Technorati found 13.7 million bloggers still posting three months after their blogs were created, a rising rate of retention. The big issue (aside from fake blogs and spam pings) is cutting through the cacophony -- a job for voluntary tagging, as Technorati is trying, or more of the kind of intelligent filtering that memeorandum does.

Sunday Market

What a beautiful day it was for a drive yesterday. The kind of day you roll your windows down think to yourself how you're glad to be alive. There were many joggers and bicyclists doing their thing along the Charles. Bostonians sure know when not to take a nice day for granted. I for one, already had plenty of exercise last week (my old bones could barely keep up) so just watching folks enjoy the weather was good enough for me. Z and I opted to go to Russo's, a new market he discovered. What a find! Fresh produce of every kind and homemade mushroom ravioli and local award-winning gelato...I was in heaven! And it all tallied up to be less than a trip to the Stop & Shop. We made fresh vegetable soup with leeks, onions, potatoes, peppers, cabbage, pasta shells, and yummy stock. It was the best veggie soup I've ever had. We topped it off with his corn bread and some smoked cheddar I bought at Russo's. Yum. Forget wings and pizza on this Super Bowl Sunday....who's playing who again?? Anyhoo. Next time I have to try making my mom's oxtail soup again. But alas, where does one find oxtail in the suburbs of Boston?

Confessions of a New Driver

Here’s my driving journal of happenstance and near-misses. (Don’t be scared! I’m really a natural!):

• October 2005: Failing my driver’s test because of several stop signs (DOH!)

• November 2005: Test driving my Mazda 3 and almost colliding into car in right lane because I forgot to adjust my mirrors before departing (rookie mistake! =) )

• December 2005: Backing out onto a pretty busy Storrow Drive at 1am after accidentally exiting onto a closed off parking lot

• January 2006: Traversing San Fran in a rickety rental on Lombard Street (the curviest street in the world). Alas, that was not the difficult part! Upon stopping at the top of a steep hill, we started rolling backwards so I hit the gas hard. As we screeched past the stop sign, a cop car happened to be headed towards us. Both cops stared at us menacingly, contemplating whether to flag us down. Beads of nervous sweat followed.

• February 2006: Driving in 4 inch heels. Backing up into a neighbor’s parked car in my parking lot (shhh!). [See, I’m getting better!]

More stories to follow (keep your fingers crossed for duller ones!) =)