Temporary Egg

Caps

2009-08-18T14:16:00.001-07:00

Lots of caps, shirts, photos and other Angels memorabilia...

Memorial

2009-08-18T14:15:00.001-07:00

Nick Adenhart memorial going strong at Angel Stadium.

Dine

2009-08-18T14:14:00.005-07:00

Perfect food for an Angels game? Panda Express!

Snack

2009-08-18T14:14:00.003-07:00

Yum. Taiwanese style oyster pancake. Wish I were there...

Lights

2009-08-18T14:14:00.001-07:00

Fireworks at the Hollywood Bowl

Reunion

2009-07-27T11:46:00.001-07:00

Friends from high school, 10 years later.

Santouka

2009-07-27T11:45:00.003-07:00

LOVE the shio ramen at Santouka. The Costa Mesa location is definitely the best.

Beach

2009-07-27T11:45:00.001-07:00

This was the setting for Karen and Andrew's wedding. Gorgeous, right?

Sunset

2009-07-27T11:44:00.001-07:00

What a view!

Oatmeal

2009-05-31T22:29:00.001-07:00

A "healthy cookie." Oatmeal, raisins, walnuts, chocolate, and lots of butter and sugar.

Chocolate

2009-05-31T22:28:00.001-07:00

Chocolate chip cookies. Almost 3 dozen. Done.

Food

2009-05-24T22:16:00.003-07:00

My victory garden

Progress

2009-05-24T22:16:00.001-07:00

California Adventure is under construction.

Park

2009-05-14T21:19:00.001-07:00

Disneyland trip with Mom.

Andrew

2009-04-17T10:50:00.001-07:00

Kary and Daniel welcomed their new baby with a red egg and ginger party. Andrew is a little over 2 months old!

Test

2009-03-25T14:20:00.001-07:00

I got a sample of the new Via Instant Coffee from Starbucks. We compared the Italian Roast to a regular cup of Pike's Peak (I know, different type) to see how it would hold up.

Black - Pike's Peak is better
With milk - Via is better

Conclusion - Not bad!

Two

2009-03-09T09:57:00.001-07:00

Isabella is TWO!

Hollywood

2009-03-09T09:56:00.003-07:00

50 minute hike. Beautiful view.

Santouka

2009-03-09T09:56:00.001-07:00

I finally tried Santouka's shio ramen. Wow. Excellent broth, firm noodles and buttery pork! I can't wait to go back there again.

As far as I know, there are 3 Santouka restaurants in the LA area. They're all fast-food like shops inside a Mitsuwa Marketplace. There's one in Los Angeles, Torrance and Costa Mesa. I went to the one in Los Angeles at Centinela and Venice.

View

2009-02-19T15:52:00.001-08:00

Had dinner at Yamashiro a few weeks ago. The restaurant and view were beautiful. The food was good.

BBALL

2009-02-04T10:19:00.001-08:00

Saw the Clippers play the Bulls. Clippers lost - again - 95-75.

Sushi combo

2009-02-04T10:18:00.001-08:00

Dinner at Akasaka in Walnut. Unfortunately, the food was not as good as it looked. The crab handroll was all right. (But how can you mess up on mayo and imitation crab?) The fish was fairly fresh but not the best quality. The worst part was the sushi rice. It was dry and didn't stick together well.

Daniel

2009-02-04T10:17:00.001-08:00

Hawaiian artist Daniel Ho came to campus to perform. He was amazing. His music made me forget about my worries and I felt like I was far, far away.

Practice

2009-02-04T10:16:00.001-08:00

Passed by the University Theatre at Cal Poly Pomona one evening and saw these students dancing. They're part of some dance group/club, but I don't remember the name.

Tofu

2009-02-04T10:15:00.001-08:00

And this too.

(From Myung Dong Tofu House in West Covina.)

Sadly, the Hong Kong Supermarket in the plaza shut down a few months ago. Now, it's just a bunch of Asian restaurants and a couple of shops without an anchor store. I hope the restaurants don't follow suit and fold, too.

Bibimbop

2009-02-04T10:14:00.001-08:00

I'm hungry. I want to eat this.

Toy

2009-01-30T21:21:00.003-08:00

Is this not the cutest puppy ever?

Norm's

2009-01-30T21:21:00.001-08:00

If you like butter, go to Norm's. If you want to live a long life, don't eat there regularly. Everything on my plate - the mealoaf, vegetables and mashed potatoes -- were drizzled (drenched?) with liquid butter. Pools of butter covered the bottom of my place. To top it off, the meat loaf came with two slices of bacon.

Everything tasted pretty good. It's what you expect from a family restaurant/diner. The value is pretty good, considering you get soup and salad with your entree.

For my heart's sake, however, I don't think I should make a return visit to Norm's.

Decided

2009-01-30T21:18:00.001-08:00

For the first night of Dine LA Restaurant Week, we tried the Chaya Brasserie Restaurant in Beverly Hills.

For the first course, I ordered the cured salmon with dill. It was super yummy. The plate came with three super thin slices of salmon and I wish there were more.

My entree was orange roughy wrapped in a vegetable (kind of like napa cabbage) with balsamic vinegar. The fish was perfectly cooked. I didn't really like the balsamic vinegar. It was a little too much for me.

For dessert, I got the dulce de leche flan. I was a disappointed. The flan was very heavy and dense, having the texture of cheesecake. The flavors were nice, but it was definitely too rich and heavy for me to finish.

Sweets

2009-01-30T21:12:00.001-08:00

When in Vegas, stop at Bouchon at the Venetian. It's Thomas Keller's restaurant, and you don't need a reservation to have breakfast there.

I strayed from my usual breakfast order and got the French toast: Stacked brioche, custard, apples and maple syrup. It was super sweet, and I couldn't even finish half of it.

My friend ordered the omelet, which had broccoli raab and bacon. The egg was cooked perfectly and the flavors were so well balanced. Next time (and there will be a next time!), I'm going for a savory breakfast.

Dinner

2009-01-30T21:08:00.000-08:00

I flew Korean Air from NRT to LAX. For dinner service, one of the options was bibimbop. I was curious to see how they would pull this off. To my surprise, it was quite easy!

The food tray came with real metal utensils and a ceramic bowl that had an assortment of vegetables and meat. The pre-made rice came in one of those vacuum seal packs, and it was hot and fresh. The hot sauce came in a small tube, like what toothpaste comes in. There was even a small packet of sesame oil.

On the side, there were some pickled cucumbers and a bowl of seaweed soup.

YUM.

Good

2009-01-30T21:05:00.001-08:00

Best burger in town? If you believe the various blogs and web reviews, some will say that Father's Office in Santa Monica serves up the best burger.

A bunch of us stopped by for lunch one Saturday. From the outside, you really can't tell that it's a restaurant or a bar. In fact, you could miss it entirely if you weren't specifically looking for it. Inside, it's a small, casual bar with a wide selection of beer on tap. We ordered burgers, fries (potato and sweet potato) and root beers.

The burgers are huge. They're heavy and dense. You certainly get your fill of beef. Juicy and flavorful, the patties don't disappoint. They taste homemade and gourmet. I don't remember what kind of cheese was used, but it was very tasty and melty. The arugula is a wonderful, peppery complement to the meat and especially the caramelized onions. Actually, the onions were my least favorite. I know it takes a lot of time and some watchfulness to get the onions so soft and sweet, but it was too much for me. The burger was too sweet and didn't have enough acidity anywhere. I'm used to the vinegar-y mustard and sweet ketchup combo, so this was quite a change.

Best burger in LA? Maybe not, but it is pretty darn good.

Cuteness Overload

2008-11-06T15:15:00.001-08:00

Live webcam of Shiba Inu puppies

Free TV : Ustream

Gone?

2008-10-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

Is my allergy season over?

Allergies

2008-10-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

Recent bad news - I have seasonal allergies.
Recent good news - Claritin seems to work.

Cake

2008-08-29T10:17:00.001-07:00

Mango and strawberry wedding cake. Those are mango slices arranged as flowers! So tasty.

Eat

2008-08-29T10:15:00.001-07:00

Gyoza eating competition
Originally uploaded by esthereggy

Saw Joey Chestnut, the world's No. 1 competitive eater, gulp down 231 gyoza in 10 minutes!

Orochon

2008-08-09T08:15:00.001-07:00

He finished the Special No. 2 ramen in under 30 minutes at Orochon in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. And he's still alive.

Isabella

2008-07-25T11:13:00.001-07:00

She's so grown up! (That's my bag she's holding.)

Journey

2008-07-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

If you were wondering, I am getting better. I started with a sore throat. Then a dry cough. Lost my voice. Moved into a productive cough. Lost the sore throat. Got a stuffy nose. Added a cold.

Now, I have a cold, slight cough, occasional stuffy nose and somewhat cracked voice.

Sick

2008-07-06T10:17:00.001-07:00

I'm sick.

I don't know how I managed this feat in the blazing summer heat. But yes, I'm sick.

Portions

2008-06-29T17:57:00.001-07:00

TGI Friday's has a Right Portion, Right Price menu -- slightly smaller portion and a not too expensive. Frankly, it feels like a lunch menu that's served all day. It's a good start. Portion sizes at chain restaurants are way too big, and it's difficult for a restaurant to suddenly dish out smaller portions. Under a healthy eating marketing campaign, this works.

I ordered the chicken and sausage penne and it was wasn't terrible. The portion was good. Definitely big enough for dinner, and very filling for lunch.

Wildlife

2008-06-29T17:51:00.000-07:00

There's a Japanese garden behind the building where I work. The other day, I saw little ducklings in the pond. Very cute!

Decorate

2008-06-13T20:02:00.001-07:00

This is the plant that's now living in my office. Beautiful!

Ouch

2008-06-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a pair of shoes I won't be wearing anymore. I've worn them twice now, and they've really really hurt my feet. I'm sad to have to let them go because they're so cute. Still, I think pain overrules fashion, at least for me.

I'm going to try selling them on ebay. Anyone wear a 7 1/2?

Window

2008-06-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

Here's the view from my office. Not bad!

Food

2008-06-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me today if I cook. I do cook. But rarely does my food taste amazing. And any attempt to make good Chinese food is usually met with much disappointment on my part. Every time I attempt to make Chinese food, I always think about and appreciate my mother's cooking.

Bike

2008-06-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I took my tennis racket to get re-strung. Now, I'm thinking about buying a bike and wondering how I'll pull that off. For one, does my Honda Civic support a bike rack?

Wasted

2008-06-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

Went to 888 Seafood in Rosemead for dim sum today. I was totally disappointed. The carts came by very infrequently, and for the longest time, it seemed like the only food available was the fried dim sum items carried on trays. Who wants fried food anyway? The siu mai was dry, bland and not very tasty. The porridge lacked a good pork or chicken broth base, and the BBQ pork buns had a strange sweet taste that reminded me of medicine.

Boo.

Next time, I'm sticking to Sea Harbor. Maybe Capital Seafood. Perhaps NBC. No more 888 for me.

Closed

2008-06-08T00:18:00.001-07:00

I went to Tampopo Ramen in Rowland Heights a few weeks ago. A few days after I visited, I found out the restaurant was going to close. How sad! I actually liked the restaurant a lot!

Here's a blog post I wrote on Bentorama.
And here's a dining review for the newspaper.

Taiwan

2008-06-08T00:13:00.000-07:00

I went to Taiwan last month for vacation, to visit my parents, to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom, to eat good food, to travel around the island, and to just get away.

Children

2008-05-15T00:11:00.001-07:00

This article about the children killed in the earthquake is heartbreaking. I can't begin to imagine the pain these parents are feeling.

Boston

2008-04-28T17:15:00.001-07:00

Went to Boston for a wedding this weekend. I had a great time and fell in love with the city. Of course, good weather, great food and wonderful friends helped make the trip memorable.

Meetings

2008-04-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

Went to the Sci Fi Grand Slam this weekend in Burbank. Very interesting. There were actors from Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and Smallville. I also so the Richard Kiel. (You probably remember him as Jaws from the 007 movies "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker.")

Here's Brent Spiner (Data from the Star Trek series.) He was funny, irreverent, intelligent, polished and very entertaining. You could tell he's done lots of these conventions.

Here's Brent Spiner signing autographs of his new project, "Dreamland" an audio musical. For $3o, you get to shake hands and meet Brent Spiner, talk with him, and get a personalized autographed copy of the CD. (He really does look like Data!!!!)

Grace Park from Battlestar Galactica at the convention, too. She was less experienced in talking at conventions, but she was very geniune, candid and humorous.

Question

2008-04-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

What is going on here? Why does the horse seems so down?

Spring

2008-04-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

Giants vs. A's exhibition game at AT&T Park. Why can't every ballpark be this beautiful?

List

2008-03-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

This list just keeps getting longer....

Table 8
LAMill
Intelligencia
Hungry Cat Cafe
Ortolan
Versailles
Red White and Bluezz
Luscious Dumplings
Mission 461
Urasawa
House of Pies
Sushi Go 55
Orochon
Elite Restaurant (formerly New Concept)
Sushi Nowaza
Sushi Gen
Hide Sushi
Dumpling 10053 (new addition)
101 Noodle Express (new addition)

Me

2008-03-24T22:45:00.000-07:00

Here's what I wrote for a profile page on a web site:

I love trying new restaurants, exploring the greater Los Angeles area, traveling around California and taking pictures. I also love drinking boba.

I'm also a homebody, somewhat techie prone and a huge fan of Tivo.

I want to vacation in Hawaii -- TOMORROW.

Should I change "TOMORROW" to "TODAY" or "NOW" ?

EC

2008-03-24T22:11:00.001-07:00

This was my first egg of the night. The stickers weren't my idea. Someone else thought it would be a good idea ....

Craft

2008-03-24T22:10:00.001-07:00

Third annual Easter Egg painting party. This year, we painted around 90 eggs!

List

2008-03-21T07:37:00.001-07:00

Here's the updated list of restaurants to try:
Table 8
LAMill
Intelligencia
Hungry Cat Cafe
Ortolan
Versailles
Red White and Bluezz
Luscious Dumplings
Mission 461
Urasawa
House of Pies
Sushi Go 55
Orochon
Elite Restaurant (formerly New Concept)
Sushi Nowaza
Sushi Gen
Hide Sushi

Sigh

2008-03-19T22:11:00.003-07:00

Things that make me sad: A really Mavericks team that's playing very poorly.

Spring

2008-03-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

Spring in LA is the best time of the year. In fact, it's the only time of year when the air is clear and fresh and blue. Now, I'm looking forward to a summer, fall and mostly winter of smoggy gray-brown skies. Boo.

Supper

2008-03-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

Went to Ritual Restaurant and Nightclub in Hollywood. Clockwise, from the top: steamed lobster dumplings, coconut shrimp skewers with mangi chili, teriyaki filet skewers with sesame and scallions and tempura squash blossoms with ricotta & porcini mushrooms.

If it weren't an upscale Hollywood restaurant, I'd rate this place a 7/10. But for its location, price and expectations, I think a 5 or 6 is more accurate.

List

2008-03-16T10:46:00.001-07:00

Before I forget, here are a few restaurants in LA I want to try:
Table 8
LAMill
Intelligencia
Hungry Cat Cafe
Ortolan
Versailles
Red White and Bluezz
Luscious Dumplings
Mission 461
Urasawa
House of Pies
Sushi Go 55
Orochon
Elite Restaurant (formerly New Concept)
Sushi Nowaza

Finished

2008-03-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

29:34!

Cable

2008-03-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

Here's the problem with late night movies on cable TV. You get hooked, but it's late so you can't finish the movie. This was my problem a few weeks ago.

I started watching "The Perfect Man," starring Hilary Duff and Heather Locklear but I was too tired to finish the entire movie. Plus, there were too many commercials and I was getting late. I went to bed half-way through the movie.

For the next few days, I had a burning desire to finish the movie, find out what happened. Yes, it's a cheesy teen chick flick that has a predictable ending, but I simply had to watch the ending.

Here comes the impulse buy: I bought it on Amazon. Used, fortunately. But there went $6!

Santouka

2008-03-10T23:46:00.000-07:00

I love ramen. I'll go out of my way to try someplace new. After I read about Santouka (the Irvine location, actually), I didn't waste any time to visit the one in Los Angeles on Centinela, just south of the 10 Freeway. (Los Angeles is closer, and more fun, than Irvine.) Santouka is located inside a Mitsuwa grocery store. Strange? Maybe.

I hear that the shio ramen is the signature dish. But what do I go for? The Miso ramen. Perhaps that was my mistake. I had such high hopes for this ramen, but I felt ramen was too salty and too oily. The soup was rich and creamy, but the excessive oil and salt detracted from the broth. The noodles were at the right consistency, but again, I couldn't get past the oil and salt. As a food court dish, the miso ramen is solid and at a great price (around $5 for a small bowl.) However, I don't think I'll be making any more special trips to Mitsuwa for the ramen.

If you live clsoer to a Mitsuwa, it is a GREAT place to shop. Otherwise, go to Nijiya Market.

Santouka
Inside the Mitsuwa food court
3760 S. Centinela Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90066

If you want more opinions about Santouka, try out these blogs:
Monster Munching: "The hot milky soup simply filled my mouth with so many complex flavors. It is sweet, porky, salty, savory, peppery and creamy, all at once."
The Ramen Blog: "Santouka’s shio is good, but there’s a generic flavor to it that doesn’t excite me."
Rameniac: "rich and luscious, santouka's asahikawa-style tonkotsu shio broth is the reigning champion of world class ramen in los angeles."
Oishii Eats: "Daaaaaaaaaaang! That broth is on point. It's like drinking pork flavored butter. Their shio broth puts me in a place of utter happiness."

Change

2008-03-10T08:14:00.001-07:00

I really hate the "Spring Forward" part of Daylight Savings. I should have gone to bed earlier.

Purchasing

2008-03-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking about getting a new cell phone. Currently, I'm with Sprint, and I have a really really old phone, circa 2003. I'm thinking about switching to Cingular and considering the new RAZR. I'm tempted to get the Blackberry, but I'm not sure I need all those features, and I definitely don't want to pay an extra $30 for them.

Maybe I should stay with Sprint?

One

2008-03-04T07:56:00.000-08:00

For Isabella's first birthday, her family planned a big big big party with lots of people, lots of food and a whole table of gifts.

Chosen

2008-02-29T07:37:00.001-08:00

This is pretty cool. My photo of Soldier Field was chosen for the Chicago Schmap!

See here!

Brackets

2008-02-23T19:29:00.000-08:00

This is pretty cool. LA Magazine has put together its own March Madness bracket -- the 64 Greatest Things in L.A.! Check it out.

The magazine missed a few things, but how can you cram all the great things of LA into only 64 items?

Missing: UCLA, Lakers, Dodgers, UCLA-USC rivalry, Rose Parade, Queen Mary, diversity, beach to mountains proximity...

Disappointment

2008-02-23T15:55:00.000-08:00

The last movie I saw in the theaters was Juno more than a month ago. (I LOVED JUNO, btw.) Since then, I've been wanting to see another movie, but frankly, nothing good is out. At first, I wanted to see Jumper. (Has Hayden Christensen ever made a good movie?) And then Vantage Point. Maybe 27 Dresses. Then I read the reviews. Terrible for Jumper. Not too kind for Vantage Point either. And 27 Dresses lost its luster after the first two weeks.

What's next? Maybe Semi-Pro, maybe The Bank Job. But probably not. I can think of better ways to spend my money.

Guacamole

2008-02-18T08:32:00.000-08:00

I made really good guacamole this weekend. It's easily the best guacamole I've ever made. A friend gave me instructions (not a recipe, exactly), and it turned out really really good. Of course, when he makes it, it tastes even better.

Again

2008-02-17T16:21:00.001-08:00

Tulip

2008-02-17T16:20:00.001-08:00

Snow

2008-02-12T22:28:00.001-08:00

Photos from Snow Summit this weekend. What a perfect day to go skiing!

Unfortunately, everyone else had the same idea. The slopes got really crowded around noon, and we had to leave. Navigating through all those bodies is tiring. I'll be back, on a weekday next time.

Start

2008-02-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

My morning routine includes making toast. I prefer Sara Lee or Orowheat.

Ache

2008-02-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

While running the other day, I felt a funny twinge of tenderness -- bordering on mild pain -- in the arch of my left foot. It hasn't gone away. It's not painful, just annoying. And I feel it occasionally when I walk. In search of answers, I surfed the 'Net to put a name to the pain and find a solution. So far, no luck. But a lot of the home-treatment suggestions include an ice pack.

Rainbow

2008-02-02T08:20:00.000-08:00

Between one heavy rain shower and another, I saw a rainbow while driving to work. It was very dangerous to fish my camera out of my purse while driving and then try to take a photo. At some point, I came to my senses and pulled over to the side of the road to take this picture.

Rain

2008-01-27T16:41:00.001-08:00

It's been raining all week. I'm ready for the wet weather to come to an end -- at least for a few days.

Show

2008-01-26T09:43:00.000-08:00

I went to my very first Garth Brooks concert last night at the Staples Center. WOW. I'm not a huge Garth Brooks fan or a country music fan, but that concert was really amazing and a lot of fun. I know only a handful of his songs, but I even enjoyed the songs I didn't know!

Garth was playing a series of 5 charity concerts in 2 nights to benefit the firefighters in Southern California and victims of the wildfires. I heard the Staples Center donated the venue, although I'm sure they more than made up for it from concession (including beer) sales. I went to the 2nd show, a 10 pm concert on Friday night. The crowd energy was out of control. It was LOUD. People were dancing in the aisles. Everyone (but me!) was taking lots of pictures. The audience sang along with every song. There was cheering, whistling and clapping -- all the time. It was like a huge indoor party.

Sometime during the show Garth said 10 pm was the latest start time he's ever had. And at the end of the show, he would come back and play another late show because it was that much fun. He also said that it was a night he'd never forget, adding that he's never made that type of statement before.

There were 5 highlights:

I was in the 5th row, right in front of the stage. I don't know how I did it, but Ticketmaster was very kind.
Trisha Yearwood (his wife) came out and sang two songs with him: "In Another's Eyes" and "Walkaway Joe." (I highly recommend listening to Walkaway Joe.)
Huey Lewis was a surprise guest, and they sang: "Working for a Living" and "Bad is Bad."
"Friends in Low Places" -- if he sang only this song, the concert would still be a success. (Unfortunately, this YouTube link doesn't include the infamous third verse.)
Garth played a 1/2-hour encore. It was the most intimate part of the show. He got out his acoustic guitar and just played. It was all very impromptu and spontaneous. He'd talk about a song, a musician and just sing and play. He talked about his musical influences -- all country artists I've heard of but whose music I'm not familiar with -- and how they shaped his own musical style. He played songs by George Strait, George Jones and Jim Croce. Then he played his own songs, and I heard how they grew out of what he heard and admired. Through music, he explained his upbringing, his life experiences and his early years as an aorist.

Great fun.

Lemons

2008-01-25T07:35:00.000-08:00

What do you do when life hands you lemons? Make ice cream! I got a hold of a few Meyer lemons this week, and I plan to put them into good use. The LA Times recently published a food story about 100 ways to enjoy a Meyer lemon. One of them is to make Meyer lemon cardamom ice cream. And that's exactly what I plan to do.

More running

2008-01-20T22:20:00.000-08:00

Tuesday - Off
Wednesday - 1 measly mile! =(
Thursday - Off again -- And I had popcorn shrimp for dinner. Not very healthy
Friday - 2 miles
Saturday - 6 miles - WITH HILLS!
Sunday - 3 miles.

This upcoming week? Hopefully 9-10 miles during the week. We'll see what happens.

Run

2008-01-15T07:08:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to get back into a regular running schedule. Yesterday, it was a slowish 3 miles.

Happy New Year

2008-01-13T14:38:00.000-08:00

It's 2008! What's going to make this year different from last?

Eat healthier.
Clean house.
Thinking ahead.
More exercise.
Less frivolous spending.

Cookie

2007-12-25T18:40:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Molly's birthday.

Traffic

2007-12-22T20:08:00.000-08:00

Who knew traffic on the freeway would be so crummy today!

Food

2007-12-20T18:09:00.000-08:00

My friend came to visit me this past weekend. To sum up the visit: lots and lots of eating. Here are a few photos:

Excellent sushi from a small sushi restaurant in Santa Monica. It really is the best sushi I've had in the United States. The pictures are a bit funny-colored because the restaurant was dimly lit.

One of my favorite dishes: monkfish liver. Creamy. Smooth. YUM.

Miso-marinated cod and green beans. The fish was really buttery, tender and had great flavor. The green beans were cool, crisp and really tasty. The fish and the green beans really complemented each other very well.

Dim sum. A weekend isn't complete without this very important meal. For some reason, this restaurant puts five pieces of har gow shrimp and siu mai in each order. I'm not complaining.

Tasty BBQ pork buns.

Frozen yogurt from Red Mango. This one was my friend's. She put chocolate chips and banana slices.

Weather

2007-12-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last night, my car registered 41 degrees! That's almost freezing!

Amazing

2007-12-08T15:36:00.001-08:00

So far this weekend, I cooked two amazing dishes. A creamy penne pasta with vodka cream sauce and the fluffiest scrambled eggs. Not in the same meal, of course.

If I have time tonight or tomorrow, I'll try to tackle apple muffins and key lime pie. The pie I've made before; the muffins I haven't.

Party

2007-12-06T19:41:00.001-08:00

Today was the holiday luncheon at work. Every year, they have several raffle prizes, and I've never won. This year, the big prize was a flat-screen television.

And guess what?

I didn't win!

Several of my coworkers won -- a stereo, a tool kit, a free vacation day... Maybe next year.

Tickets

2007-12-01T09:35:00.000-08:00

Wow. I feel as though I just ran a marathon. Garth Brooks is coming to town in late January, and tickets went on sale today at 9 a.m. It's a beneift concert and tickets cost only $38 each. Buying the tickets was absolutely crazy. I was at my computer, waiting waiting waiting... and when it was 9 a.m., I clicked as fast as I could.

No luck. Tickets were mostly sold out, except for single tickets. Then, a second concert was added. I tried again. Again, no luck in getting a pair of tickets. However, I did manage to score two very good single tickets. One is font and center on the floor, sixth row. The other is just right of the stage, row 7.

I just checked StubHub, and tickets are already going for $125 to $2,999! Absolutely crazy.

Complaints

2007-11-28T19:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know it's only 45-50 degrees out there and it's not yet winter, but it's never too early to complain. Here are the reasons why I don't like winter:

It's cold
My hands are cold
My skin is dry
I'm very thirsty
My feet are cold
Sweaters can be itchy
Boots are harder to put on than sandals
I can't wear sandals
Coats are heavy and bulky
I have to wear socks
Scarves can get dirty very easily
Running outdoors can hurt my throat
My apartment is too cold
The office is very warm
The line at Starbucks is very long

Here are the reasons why winter is cool:

Winter coats are beautiful
Sweaters are cute
It's a good excuse to drink coffee/tea
I like wearing scarves
I can get away with shaving less frequently
I don't sweat as often
The air smells roasty/toasty
Football gets more exciting (some seasons)
I can buy new shoes
I like soups, stews and noodle soups
Warm clothes are so comforting
You can keep the groceries in the car a few minutes longer (maybe?)

Aging

2007-11-13T13:47:00.001-08:00

This weekend, I found two long, white hairs! I quickly pulled them out. Scary.

Skipped

2007-11-06T15:37:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is over. That is, if you believe what you see in the stores. If you go to Target or Michaels, you'll be hard-pressed to find Thanksgiving decorations, table settings, etc. Workers are busy stocking the shelves with Christmas and holiday decorations, wrapping paper and table settings.

Review

2007-11-06T11:45:00.000-08:00

I wrote a review in our weekly newspaper about Flappy Jacks, a restaurant in Glendora.. I'll post the review once it publishes....

Basketball

2007-10-30T23:55:00.001-07:00

It's the start of basketball season. Let's see how the Mavericks do...

Fires

2007-10-23T23:22:00.000-07:00

It's hot. The air is ashy. The skies are orange and red. And my throat is scratchy. It's fire season, and the wildfires are burning all around us. How scary to think about the nightmare so many people are going through right now.