Yes, I'm back. Sort of. My computer was right there when my glass Pyrex dish exploded, and it was such a surprising, frightening and amusing incident, that I had to share with someone. So, you, whoever you are, if there's anyone out there still checking my blog after months of absence, you are that lucky someone.
Does this mean a return to regular posting? We shall see, we shall see.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
The lesson for the day
Today's lesson is "Don't apply direct heat to glass Pyrex ware." BAM! Looks like I won't be walking barefoot in my kitchen for a while.
(By the way, while I might not be an expert in the kitchen, of course I KNOW not to apply direct heat to glass Pyrex ware. And now I know to be more careful when putting on the back burner to actually put on the BACK burner, not the front one. The whole problem would've been solved if I had gas instead of electric, but, oh well)
(By the way, while I might not be an expert in the kitchen, of course I KNOW not to apply direct heat to glass Pyrex ware. And now I know to be more careful when putting on the back burner to actually put on the BACK burner, not the front one. The whole problem would've been solved if I had gas instead of electric, but, oh well)
Friday, June 29, 2007
Car stories
I meant to post this earlier, but I forgot (as usual), and it's 2 am now, so I'll keep it (amusingly) short.
I got a car. Awesome. It kicks ass. I got a Galaxy Mica Grey Mazda3 hatchback. If you're curious what it looks like, go to mazdausa.com. Not the fastest car in the world, but for the money, it does great. Plus, there's a "manumatic" transmission, which means its usually an automatic, but when I want to I can shift gears myself (for better acceleration or just for fun). I love the look; both the exterior and the interior are really sporty. And you wouldn't believe the amount of room in the back (thanks to the hatchback).
Anyway, my car rocks, my daily commute sucks. 45 minutes on a good day, but around an hour most of the time (one way, of course). One of my classmates is working at the same place this summer, so we started commuting, which helps a little bit.
But yesterday I spent 3 1/2 hours driving. An hour and a half in the morning (traffic sucked), an hour and a half to San Francisco in the evening and then half an hour back to Berkeley (now that I think about it, going out to lunch added another 15 or 20 minutes to that total).
Today, I ran out of gas. For the first time EVER. And only 8 blocks away from a gas station. I know, I know, I guess I'm lucky that I didn't run out of gas on the freeway, but I'm not THAT stupid. I knew I needed gas, I just thought I could make it to the station. I didn't realize I needed gas THAT badly. I was SO DAMN CLOSE!! 8 blocks. Half a mile. In retrospect, I should have gotten gas BEFORE picking up my friend. Although, really, it was stopping for coffee that did me in.
On the way back from work, traffic was pretty slow on the highway. I was pretty close to stopped, and glanced out the window at the car next to me, only to see it accelerate and slam into the truck in front. We stopped and got out to make sure everyone was okay (they were). The woman driving was wearing heels... and said her brakes stopped working... um, yeah. Whatever.
Her car didn't look too bad off, all things considered. But she popped under the truck, which completely ruined her hood and windshield. I left my info with both drivers in case the insurance companies needed anything.
Nothing like a little road-related excitement to keep the commute interesting....
I got a car. Awesome. It kicks ass. I got a Galaxy Mica Grey Mazda3 hatchback. If you're curious what it looks like, go to mazdausa.com. Not the fastest car in the world, but for the money, it does great. Plus, there's a "manumatic" transmission, which means its usually an automatic, but when I want to I can shift gears myself (for better acceleration or just for fun). I love the look; both the exterior and the interior are really sporty. And you wouldn't believe the amount of room in the back (thanks to the hatchback).
Anyway, my car rocks, my daily commute sucks. 45 minutes on a good day, but around an hour most of the time (one way, of course). One of my classmates is working at the same place this summer, so we started commuting, which helps a little bit.
But yesterday I spent 3 1/2 hours driving. An hour and a half in the morning (traffic sucked), an hour and a half to San Francisco in the evening and then half an hour back to Berkeley (now that I think about it, going out to lunch added another 15 or 20 minutes to that total).
Today, I ran out of gas. For the first time EVER. And only 8 blocks away from a gas station. I know, I know, I guess I'm lucky that I didn't run out of gas on the freeway, but I'm not THAT stupid. I knew I needed gas, I just thought I could make it to the station. I didn't realize I needed gas THAT badly. I was SO DAMN CLOSE!! 8 blocks. Half a mile. In retrospect, I should have gotten gas BEFORE picking up my friend. Although, really, it was stopping for coffee that did me in.
On the way back from work, traffic was pretty slow on the highway. I was pretty close to stopped, and glanced out the window at the car next to me, only to see it accelerate and slam into the truck in front. We stopped and got out to make sure everyone was okay (they were). The woman driving was wearing heels... and said her brakes stopped working... um, yeah. Whatever.
Her car didn't look too bad off, all things considered. But she popped under the truck, which completely ruined her hood and windshield. I left my info with both drivers in case the insurance companies needed anything.
Nothing like a little road-related excitement to keep the commute interesting....
Sunday, June 17, 2007
update (?)
So much has happened in the past several weeks, that its almost shameful that I haven't updated my blog lately. And I will.
But what's gotten me writing this entry is not the major changes in my life, but another hillarious excerpt from my favorite newspaper (well, magazine, really, but they call it a newspaper), the Economist.
If you've never read the Economist, the letters to the magazine from readers, all of which start with "sir", can be informative, interesting and sometimes downright amusing. Case in point:
"Sir -- Marriage is 'a wealth-generating institution'? I can only assume you have not had the opportunity of meeting my wife."
I couldn't help but laugh out loud....
But what's gotten me writing this entry is not the major changes in my life, but another hillarious excerpt from my favorite newspaper (well, magazine, really, but they call it a newspaper), the Economist.
If you've never read the Economist, the letters to the magazine from readers, all of which start with "sir", can be informative, interesting and sometimes downright amusing. Case in point:
"Sir -- Marriage is 'a wealth-generating institution'? I can only assume you have not had the opportunity of meeting my wife."
I couldn't help but laugh out loud....
Saturday, May 19, 2007
okinawa here we come
I'm in Tokyo right now, visiting Panda chan. We're getting ready to head out to the islands of Okinawa for a week of rest and relaxation (followed by a little more relaxation). We're going to spend most of our time on two islands: Hateruma, which is the southernmost island in Japan, and as such, only has a few thousand people, and Iriomote, which is sometimes known as "the Galapagos of Asia". I'm looking forward to both. I just hope it doesn't rain too much.... (its the rainy season down there right now)
Given the relative isolation of both islands, I don't really expect to have internet access, so further updates will have to wait until we get back. But trust me when I say, it's gonna be an awesome trip.
Given the relative isolation of both islands, I don't really expect to have internet access, so further updates will have to wait until we get back. But trust me when I say, it's gonna be an awesome trip.
Monday, May 14, 2007
1 down, 1 to go
It's hard to believe, but I just finished my first year of business school. Time really flew by -- it seems like yesterday that I was meeting new people, and having to tell the story of what I did before b-school 457 times every day (now it's a manageable once or twice a week when I meet someone new at a party or dinner).
Overall, it was a really good year. I had some ups and downs, with a few "what the hell am I doing here?" crises, that have since been resolved. I've met a lot of amazing people, learned quite a bit, about business and about myself, and had way more fun than I was expecting from the experience. It's still a bit weird, though, being back in school. As I left our end-of-the-year party on Friday (which was a little disappointing, save for the rockin' Haas band, JoJo and the Babymakers), the common phrase was "Have a nice summer!", which is something I haven't said in over 10 years.
While I've definitely enjoyed being in the bubble that is known as grad school, where life is cushy and reasonably free of real responsibilities, I have to admit that I am sort of looking forward to getting back to the "real world". Of course, the promise of a paycheck is enticing, but there's something more to it then that. It's a little hard to pin down, but I think it has to do with the idea of progress. I know that I have the rest of my life to get on with the rest of my life, and so I'm definitely enjoying these halcyonic days while I can, but business school does feel at times like I've put things on hold. I'm sure once my summer is over, I'll be glad to be back in school, safely cocooned away. But for now, I'm looking forward to the regularity of an internship, to the dream of 9-5 which was so elusive in Tokyo, to being "done" when the work day is over and not having to worry about homework, and yes, to the paycheck that for once sees my checking account go UP, instead of DOWN DOWN DOWN.
Of course, to do all of that, I need to FIND an internship, which is easier said than done. Actually, I'm sure I could have already had an internship, if I wasn't looking into such niche areas, solar energy and private spaceflight. There have been so many job postings from school about internet-related companies, it's ridiculous. But such is life. I'll just have to keep plugging away, hoping that I break through and find some company somewhere that actually has an internship, or is willing to create one for me. Worst case scenario, I always have a plan C (which will remain unreported for now....)
Overall, it was a really good year. I had some ups and downs, with a few "what the hell am I doing here?" crises, that have since been resolved. I've met a lot of amazing people, learned quite a bit, about business and about myself, and had way more fun than I was expecting from the experience. It's still a bit weird, though, being back in school. As I left our end-of-the-year party on Friday (which was a little disappointing, save for the rockin' Haas band, JoJo and the Babymakers), the common phrase was "Have a nice summer!", which is something I haven't said in over 10 years.
While I've definitely enjoyed being in the bubble that is known as grad school, where life is cushy and reasonably free of real responsibilities, I have to admit that I am sort of looking forward to getting back to the "real world". Of course, the promise of a paycheck is enticing, but there's something more to it then that. It's a little hard to pin down, but I think it has to do with the idea of progress. I know that I have the rest of my life to get on with the rest of my life, and so I'm definitely enjoying these halcyonic days while I can, but business school does feel at times like I've put things on hold. I'm sure once my summer is over, I'll be glad to be back in school, safely cocooned away. But for now, I'm looking forward to the regularity of an internship, to the dream of 9-5 which was so elusive in Tokyo, to being "done" when the work day is over and not having to worry about homework, and yes, to the paycheck that for once sees my checking account go UP, instead of DOWN DOWN DOWN.
Of course, to do all of that, I need to FIND an internship, which is easier said than done. Actually, I'm sure I could have already had an internship, if I wasn't looking into such niche areas, solar energy and private spaceflight. There have been so many job postings from school about internet-related companies, it's ridiculous. But such is life. I'll just have to keep plugging away, hoping that I break through and find some company somewhere that actually has an internship, or is willing to create one for me. Worst case scenario, I always have a plan C (which will remain unreported for now....)
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Piece of crap
I rented a car today. It was a Dodge Nitro, a small-ish SUV (although the front end is HUGE).
Total piece of shit...
Total piece of shit...
Sunday, May 06, 2007
A little Sunday afternoon excitement
I'm sitting in a cafe around the corner from my apartment, trying to study. I like this place because the woman that runs it is really friendly, and they have a 2nd floor patio -- on a day like today, it's perfect, because it's shaded enough that I can still see my computer screen, but it's outside, so I get to enjoy the amazing weather.
I've been sitting here for about an hour, trying with limited success (as always) to get some work done, when just a few minutes ago I heard a really loud "SCREEEEEEEEECH!!!!!" and saw an old Nissan 300ZX turn the corner and come fishtailing down the street. "This cannot end well" I thought to myself, and sure enough, a second later there was a loud "CRASH!!!". I quickly peered around the corner (along with everyone else in the cafe) and saw that the Z had smacked into another car, which was thankfully parked and free of people, but which is now LYING ON ITS SIDE!!! My guess is that because the Z has a low front nose, it probably snuck under the other car and popped it over.
Thankfully no one looks hurt. And double-thankfully, they hit a parked car instead of a pedestrian or oncoming traffic. Mental note to self: don't ever park on this block...
I've been sitting here for about an hour, trying with limited success (as always) to get some work done, when just a few minutes ago I heard a really loud "SCREEEEEEEEECH!!!!!" and saw an old Nissan 300ZX turn the corner and come fishtailing down the street. "This cannot end well" I thought to myself, and sure enough, a second later there was a loud "CRASH!!!". I quickly peered around the corner (along with everyone else in the cafe) and saw that the Z had smacked into another car, which was thankfully parked and free of people, but which is now LYING ON ITS SIDE!!! My guess is that because the Z has a low front nose, it probably snuck under the other car and popped it over.
Thankfully no one looks hurt. And double-thankfully, they hit a parked car instead of a pedestrian or oncoming traffic. Mental note to self: don't ever park on this block...
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Politics, Eastern European style
You gotta love how people in other countries handle their political issues. It usually involves masses of people marching on some square or another. And unlike the demonstrations that recently happened here on May Day, they're usually angry people.
Case in point: this quote from the Economist magazine (one of my favorite reads, by the way)
"After the Estonian authorities sealed off the monument last weekend, hundreds of people, mostly from the 300,00-strong ethnic Russian population, rioted in Tallinn. They attacked the main theatre of the Academy of Arts, chanting 'Fuck Estonia,' and "Russia, Russia.'"
Dunno why, but just the image of a bunch of Russians chanting "Fuck Estonia!" is kind of amusing....
Case in point: this quote from the Economist magazine (one of my favorite reads, by the way)
"After the Estonian authorities sealed off the monument last weekend, hundreds of people, mostly from the 300,00-strong ethnic Russian population, rioted in Tallinn. They attacked the main theatre of the Academy of Arts, chanting 'Fuck Estonia,' and "Russia, Russia.'"
Dunno why, but just the image of a bunch of Russians chanting "Fuck Estonia!" is kind of amusing....
Friday, May 04, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
update
So, I thought I'd just post a quick update of what I've been up to, leaving out (most of) my general smarminess to save time.
1. Classes. (Strategy, Ethics, Introduction to the Management of Technology, and Energy Markets)
2. Searching for an internship. (Hopefully at a Solar Energy startup)
3. Procrastinating. (avoiding the two above)
4. Working on Orientation Week for next year's incoming MBA students.
5. Playing FreeCell (see #3 above)
6. Reading Questionable Content (see #3 above)
That's about it. Plus the occasional night out drinking, eating, listening to a concert or general rabble-rousing (after all, you're never too old to rouse some rabble...)
1. Classes. (Strategy, Ethics, Introduction to the Management of Technology, and Energy Markets)
2. Searching for an internship. (Hopefully at a Solar Energy startup)
3. Procrastinating. (avoiding the two above)
4. Working on Orientation Week for next year's incoming MBA students.
5. Playing FreeCell (see #3 above)
6. Reading Questionable Content (see #3 above)
That's about it. Plus the occasional night out drinking, eating, listening to a concert or general rabble-rousing (after all, you're never too old to rouse some rabble...)
Amazing
Continuing the luck I've had recently, with concerts turning out even better than my expectations, last night I saw Lura at the Wheeler Auditorium on campus. I kind of bought the ticket on a lark, not really knowing much about her, other than the fact that she's from the same place as Cesaria Evora (Cape Verde), and therefore often compared with her.
I had listened to a few 30-second snippets of her music online, and it was pretty good. So, given the fact that tix for students are half off, a friend and I decided to see her show.
Wow.
The music was great.
Her singing was great.
She was great.
But, three things REALLY stood out in my mind, and left a big impression on me:
1. Her singing seemed so effortless. I think the fact that she was singing in a foreign language might had something to do with it, but it's probably more the amazing quality and clarity of her voice. Either way, singing up there on stage just seemed to be the most natural thing to her.
2. That woman can DANCE!! Holy crap, that was some of the most amazing booty-shakin' I've ever seen in my life (and I don't use "booty-shakin'" in the metaphorical sense, but in the literal sense.)
3. I've never seen someone who appeared to be having so much fun on stage! She was laughing and smiling and it really seemed like she was enjoying performing, as opposed to just doing it for the cash, which, frankly, a lot of bands seem to do. You know, they've been touring around so long that they don't care anymore and just want to get it over with kind of vibe.
Anyway, I ended up buying her cd, partly because the music was great, but mostly because she was signing cds after the show. :)
I had listened to a few 30-second snippets of her music online, and it was pretty good. So, given the fact that tix for students are half off, a friend and I decided to see her show.
Wow.
The music was great.
Her singing was great.
She was great.
But, three things REALLY stood out in my mind, and left a big impression on me:
1. Her singing seemed so effortless. I think the fact that she was singing in a foreign language might had something to do with it, but it's probably more the amazing quality and clarity of her voice. Either way, singing up there on stage just seemed to be the most natural thing to her.
2. That woman can DANCE!! Holy crap, that was some of the most amazing booty-shakin' I've ever seen in my life (and I don't use "booty-shakin'" in the metaphorical sense, but in the literal sense.)
3. I've never seen someone who appeared to be having so much fun on stage! She was laughing and smiling and it really seemed like she was enjoying performing, as opposed to just doing it for the cash, which, frankly, a lot of bands seem to do. You know, they've been touring around so long that they don't care anymore and just want to get it over with kind of vibe.
Anyway, I ended up buying her cd, partly because the music was great, but mostly because she was signing cds after the show. :)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Wow.
This is an amazing article. I should be writing my Strategy mid-term, but I couldn't help reading the whole (long) article.
Kind of a sad statement, though... Makes you wonder, what would YOU have done? I listen to my iPod all the time on the way to school, so unfortunately my reaction probably wouldn't have differed too much from the norm.
Kind of a sad statement, though... Makes you wonder, what would YOU have done? I listen to my iPod all the time on the way to school, so unfortunately my reaction probably wouldn't have differed too much from the norm.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
I'm back
So, I got back from Tokyo on Tuesday. It was a lot of fun, although I did get a cold, and unfortunately Panda chan had to work quite a bit (you know those crazy Tokyo hours -- "hey, you're home early! It's only 1:30 am!").
Besides hanging out with Panda chan and eating at my favorite sushi restaurant, I also got to see some old friends, attend my friend's beautiful wedding, and play Nintendo Wii for the first time (everyone was cracking up at how much like me my Mii looked...).
But, now I'm back. Back to the daily grind of the three dreaded C's -- classes, clubs and career (first two are going fine, don't ask about the third....). After an all day meeting yesterday, I had quite the adventure out in the City. I went with some friends to see the movie 300, in I-Max (the ONLY way to see it -- I DEFINITELY plan on seeing Spiderman 3 there...).
The night was going along fine, until my friend's car got a flat tire. We spent 30 minutes unsuccessfully trying to get the tire off the car (yes, we DID remove the lugnuts first...), until my friend finally called his insurance company (note to self: whenever you end up finally buying a car, get roadside assistance!). 30 minutes later and the guy finally pulled up, only it wasn't the big burly guy in a Ford F150 that you would've expected, but this young Asian American guy in a BMW 3-series. Anyway, he had this long piece of metal which he used as leverage to successfully pry the tire off the axle (it was probably rusted on), and we were finally able to continue the rest of the night. Two hours, 1 delicious burrito and some drink-free time at a bar later, and I was safely back home in Berkeley...
Besides hanging out with Panda chan and eating at my favorite sushi restaurant, I also got to see some old friends, attend my friend's beautiful wedding, and play Nintendo Wii for the first time (everyone was cracking up at how much like me my Mii looked...).
But, now I'm back. Back to the daily grind of the three dreaded C's -- classes, clubs and career (first two are going fine, don't ask about the third....). After an all day meeting yesterday, I had quite the adventure out in the City. I went with some friends to see the movie 300, in I-Max (the ONLY way to see it -- I DEFINITELY plan on seeing Spiderman 3 there...).
The night was going along fine, until my friend's car got a flat tire. We spent 30 minutes unsuccessfully trying to get the tire off the car (yes, we DID remove the lugnuts first...), until my friend finally called his insurance company (note to self: whenever you end up finally buying a car, get roadside assistance!). 30 minutes later and the guy finally pulled up, only it wasn't the big burly guy in a Ford F150 that you would've expected, but this young Asian American guy in a BMW 3-series. Anyway, he had this long piece of metal which he used as leverage to successfully pry the tire off the axle (it was probably rusted on), and we were finally able to continue the rest of the night. Two hours, 1 delicious burrito and some drink-free time at a bar later, and I was safely back home in Berkeley...
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
only in Japan
I'm in Tokyo right now, enjoying my Spring Break. I think it's because I no longer live here, but even being here only a few days, its easy to remember some of the things that make this country so special.
Last night, I did something kind of silly. Leaving a very late dinner, I heard a "thunk", and noticed my book (The Botany of Desire) had fallen out of my bag. It wasn't until a phone call half an hour later (once Panda chan and I were already home), that I realized the "thunk" was mostly caused by my iPod, which had fallen out along with the book, and which the restaurant was now (thankfully) holding for me.
I would hope that in the States, if I had accidentally left my iPod in a restaurant, and if they had my phone number from my reservation, that they would call me and let me know they had found it. I went to Ginza this afternoon to pick my iPod up, and thanked them profusely for finding it and holding it for me. And, here's the kicker, the waiter apologized to ME! For not noticing sooner (in which case, I wouldn't have had to make a separate trip back to the restaurant to pick it up).
Only in Japan.
Last night, I did something kind of silly. Leaving a very late dinner, I heard a "thunk", and noticed my book (The Botany of Desire) had fallen out of my bag. It wasn't until a phone call half an hour later (once Panda chan and I were already home), that I realized the "thunk" was mostly caused by my iPod, which had fallen out along with the book, and which the restaurant was now (thankfully) holding for me.
I would hope that in the States, if I had accidentally left my iPod in a restaurant, and if they had my phone number from my reservation, that they would call me and let me know they had found it. I went to Ginza this afternoon to pick my iPod up, and thanked them profusely for finding it and holding it for me. And, here's the kicker, the waiter apologized to ME! For not noticing sooner (in which case, I wouldn't have had to make a separate trip back to the restaurant to pick it up).
Only in Japan.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Weekend in the City
It's still Saturday night (well, technically early Sunday morning), and I've already spent a good part of my weekend in San Francisco. I tend not to go into the city (which, yes, refers to SF, NOT Oakland) very much, because I'm lazy, and because while taking the BART is relatively convenient, it does require a 15 minute walk and a train transfer, for total time of almost an hour. This weekend, though, was different.
My mom was visiting me in Berkeley this past week, but she left yesterday morning. After doing a bit of necessities shopping at BevMo (yes, Newcastle Brown Ale DOES qualify as a necessity, especially when it's only $10 a case!), and taking care of some school stuff, I headed into the city for a night out with my friends Josh and Eric. It was Eric's birthday, and we were celebrating with a big group of his friends at Espetus, a Brazilian steakhouse. I hadn't been to a Churascarria in several years, and in preparation for this meat-eating festival I skipped lunch. Wise move. I gorged myself on several different kinds of excellent meat (and even some veggies) and a couple of caipirinhas (great Brazilian cocktails), but managed to avoid going so over the top that I had to be rolled home.
I had some shopping to do near Union Square today, so I crashed at Josh's place. I got an early start this morning, but ended up spending more time than planned. This was NOT a result of the St. Patrick's Day parade, which only distracted me for a few minutes, because, frankly, it sucked. Mostly just a bunch of kids dressed in green walking down Market Street, followed by the occasional "cable car" full of drunken union members. Anyway, I finished up around 3, making it back to Berkeley a little after 4. After a bit of reading for school and a light nap on the sofa, I headed BACK into the city for a concert.
Bloc Party, one of my favorite bands of late, was playing, and one of my classmates' husband had an extra ticket. Lucky! Ironically enough (for this post, at least), their latest album is called A Weekend in the City, and it rocks as much as their first one, Silent Alarm. The reviews I had seen online for the venue didn't lie (note that the top review was written TODAY, as in, after tonight's show), and it did indeed suck. But the band rocked. They played both of my favorite songs ("So Here We Are" from the 1st album and "Sunday" from the 2nd), and had a great mix of songs from both albums (unlike a lot of bands that tend to only play stuff from their newest release).
Tomorrow, I was SUPPOSED to go see Barrack Obama speak in Oakland, but I realized when I got back home this afternoon that it was actually today. Bummer. But, the upside is I have all day tomorrow to catch up on work, and maybe, just maybe, actually get my summer internship search in gear. Finally. One can only hope....
My mom was visiting me in Berkeley this past week, but she left yesterday morning. After doing a bit of necessities shopping at BevMo (yes, Newcastle Brown Ale DOES qualify as a necessity, especially when it's only $10 a case!), and taking care of some school stuff, I headed into the city for a night out with my friends Josh and Eric. It was Eric's birthday, and we were celebrating with a big group of his friends at Espetus, a Brazilian steakhouse. I hadn't been to a Churascarria in several years, and in preparation for this meat-eating festival I skipped lunch. Wise move. I gorged myself on several different kinds of excellent meat (and even some veggies) and a couple of caipirinhas (great Brazilian cocktails), but managed to avoid going so over the top that I had to be rolled home.
I had some shopping to do near Union Square today, so I crashed at Josh's place. I got an early start this morning, but ended up spending more time than planned. This was NOT a result of the St. Patrick's Day parade, which only distracted me for a few minutes, because, frankly, it sucked. Mostly just a bunch of kids dressed in green walking down Market Street, followed by the occasional "cable car" full of drunken union members. Anyway, I finished up around 3, making it back to Berkeley a little after 4. After a bit of reading for school and a light nap on the sofa, I headed BACK into the city for a concert.
Bloc Party, one of my favorite bands of late, was playing, and one of my classmates' husband had an extra ticket. Lucky! Ironically enough (for this post, at least), their latest album is called A Weekend in the City, and it rocks as much as their first one, Silent Alarm. The reviews I had seen online for the venue didn't lie (note that the top review was written TODAY, as in, after tonight's show), and it did indeed suck. But the band rocked. They played both of my favorite songs ("So Here We Are" from the 1st album and "Sunday" from the 2nd), and had a great mix of songs from both albums (unlike a lot of bands that tend to only play stuff from their newest release).
Tomorrow, I was SUPPOSED to go see Barrack Obama speak in Oakland, but I realized when I got back home this afternoon that it was actually today. Bummer. But, the upside is I have all day tomorrow to catch up on work, and maybe, just maybe, actually get my summer internship search in gear. Finally. One can only hope....
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Comedy Platinum
If there was such a thing as a monopoly on comedy, the writers at Family Guy would have it. I can't believe I had never seen this show until recently. Granted, the whole "out of the country" thing didn't work in my favor, and Family Guy isn't really the type of thing that people would likely get in Japan (I think the Simpson's are mildly popular there, but I'm sure that the different levels of comedy and social satire don't translate very well...).
Anyway, now I'm doing my best to catch up. I came across this clip today, while I was sitting in a cafe taking a break from my homework. I think the people at the tables around me were probably looking at me funny because I was having to contort my face to prevent from busting out in hysterical laughter. It's not comedy gold, it's comedy platinum. 100% hillarious.
Bonne Anniversaire!
Anyway, now I'm doing my best to catch up. I came across this clip today, while I was sitting in a cafe taking a break from my homework. I think the people at the tables around me were probably looking at me funny because I was having to contort my face to prevent from busting out in hysterical laughter. It's not comedy gold, it's comedy platinum. 100% hillarious.
Bonne Anniversaire!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Food blogs
So, lately I've become a bit addicted to perusing several different food blogs. Yes, that's right, blogs about food. Awesomeness.
Most of them are recipe-based, and sometimes I even end up skipping over all the boring "writing" stuff, and going straight for the recipes. I've been cooking a lot more lately, because a) it's healthier b) it's cheaper and c) the previously-mentioned Berkeley Bowl (now that my class schedule is changing a bit, hopefully I'll have time over the next few months to start going to a local farmer's market, too). While I have a few cookbooks, some of which have some really good recipes, they are a bit limited at times, and it's always nice to find new ones (I think I finally understand a TINY bit of my mom's obsession with buying new cookbooks...)
Anyway, I thought I'd share a couple of the blogs I've been reading, if any of you are curious.
http://www.slashfood.com/ -- the grandaddy of all food blogs (in my mind). This kind of got me started in the whole food blog universe. Sometimes recipes, sometimes food news, sometimes pics, always entertaining. I probably check this 2 or 3 times a day (LOVE the food porn...)
http://www.101cookbooks.com/ -- great collection of healthy recipes (all vegetarian?). The author lives in SF, and is an amazing food photographer, to boot!
http://www.thefoodwhore.com/ -- just found this one today. About a caterer and the troubles she has. Not recipes, but pretty darn entertaining.
http://myhusbandcooks.wordpress.com/ -- pretty good looking recipes (the pecan & chocolate chip cookies turned out great) and an amusing theme/title.
http://www.tastespotting.com/ -- mmmmmmm..... food porn......
Most of them are recipe-based, and sometimes I even end up skipping over all the boring "writing" stuff, and going straight for the recipes. I've been cooking a lot more lately, because a) it's healthier b) it's cheaper and c) the previously-mentioned Berkeley Bowl (now that my class schedule is changing a bit, hopefully I'll have time over the next few months to start going to a local farmer's market, too). While I have a few cookbooks, some of which have some really good recipes, they are a bit limited at times, and it's always nice to find new ones (I think I finally understand a TINY bit of my mom's obsession with buying new cookbooks...)
Anyway, I thought I'd share a couple of the blogs I've been reading, if any of you are curious.
http://www.slashfood.com/ -- the grandaddy of all food blogs (in my mind). This kind of got me started in the whole food blog universe. Sometimes recipes, sometimes food news, sometimes pics, always entertaining. I probably check this 2 or 3 times a day (LOVE the food porn...)
http://www.101cookbooks.com/ -- great collection of healthy recipes (all vegetarian?). The author lives in SF, and is an amazing food photographer, to boot!
http://www.thefoodwhore.com/ -- just found this one today. About a caterer and the troubles she has. Not recipes, but pretty darn entertaining.
http://myhusbandcooks.wordpress.com/ -- pretty good looking recipes (the pecan & chocolate chip cookies turned out great) and an amusing theme/title.
http://www.tastespotting.com/ -- mmmmmmm..... food porn......
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Sci-fi is cool
Looks pretty darn good. Although I just read that it's been pushed back to this December.
Watching this got me thinking about the future, and our vision of what it will be like. It's kinda funny how 40 years ago, Star Trek had this great vision of what the future will be like, and while it's still entertaining to watch, the whole buttons and dials thing just seems silly. 25 or so years later, Star Trek: The Next Generation came out, and it seemed so high tech and futuristic. But even though we don't use computers in that way (random touchscreens), IT too already seems a little old and outdated.
Just goes to show that thinking about the future, especially the FAR future, is really tough. And envisioning it and representing it is even tougher. And I'm sure we're ALL getting it wrong. But it's fun to try...
Watching this got me thinking about the future, and our vision of what it will be like. It's kinda funny how 40 years ago, Star Trek had this great vision of what the future will be like, and while it's still entertaining to watch, the whole buttons and dials thing just seems silly. 25 or so years later, Star Trek: The Next Generation came out, and it seemed so high tech and futuristic. But even though we don't use computers in that way (random touchscreens), IT too already seems a little old and outdated.
Just goes to show that thinking about the future, especially the FAR future, is really tough. And envisioning it and representing it is even tougher. And I'm sure we're ALL getting it wrong. But it's fun to try...
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Connections
A few months ago, I was perusing the Wall Street Journal (Hey, I'm in Business School!), when, lo and behold, there was an article on the front page about a girl I used to go to High School with. Talk about random! Apparently, she's now a big-time socialite in NYC. The article had her picture, and even mentioned the name of my old high school.
While not quite as solid or close as a connection, (okay, it's tenuous, at best), I was still pretty excited to see this article in the New York Times. I've known about the Gyroball for two years or so. That's when I interviewed Ryutaro Himeno, the scientist mentioned in the article, about the pitch for a work-related project, well before the pitch became news in the States (the project, unfortunately, never went anywhere, but I still have the video). Random, but cool, nonetheless. For me, at least.
While not quite as solid or close as a connection, (okay, it's tenuous, at best), I was still pretty excited to see this article in the New York Times. I've known about the Gyroball for two years or so. That's when I interviewed Ryutaro Himeno, the scientist mentioned in the article, about the pitch for a work-related project, well before the pitch became news in the States (the project, unfortunately, never went anywhere, but I still have the video). Random, but cool, nonetheless. For me, at least.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Rock 'N Roll, Old Skool Japan style
On Friday night, I went to my first concert since coming to the Bay Area. Earlier in the week, I was sitting in a cafe, perusing one of the local weekly "alternative" newsrags, when I came across the name "Yoshida Brothers" in the concert listings section. The Yoshida Brothers I knew were two brothers (naturally) that played the shamisen, a traditional Japanese 3-stringed instrument. They had gained quite a bit of fame in Japan for their style, both of playing and looks.
It turns out these were the same Yoshida Brothers (really, how many groups could there be with that name?) and they were playing at Yoshi's a jazz club/sushi restaurant in Oakland. After doing a little digging, I found out that some of the Japanese students in my program already had plans to go, so I invited a (non-japanese) friend along, and we went to the show.
I'd heard a few of their songs before, and had even used one as background music in a video I created for my old company. Plus, as I found out from one of the Japanese guys I went with, they have a song in the new TV commercials for the Nintendo Wii. Anyway, I thought I kind of knew what to expect going into the show (although, my friend had no clue), but I was totally blown away. Basically, they rocked. While the set was pretty short (just over an hour), and a few of their songs were nothing special, they had several songs that were amazing, both more "traditional"-sounding ones, as well as the more modern take on Shamisen for which theyre known. The coolest was probably this awesome shamisen-drum "battle" between one of the brothers and the percussionist they had brought along. And at times, the way their fingers were flying over the strings it really seemed like they were playing guitar, not an instrument that's hundreds of year old.
It turns out these were the same Yoshida Brothers (really, how many groups could there be with that name?) and they were playing at Yoshi's a jazz club/sushi restaurant in Oakland. After doing a little digging, I found out that some of the Japanese students in my program already had plans to go, so I invited a (non-japanese) friend along, and we went to the show.
I'd heard a few of their songs before, and had even used one as background music in a video I created for my old company. Plus, as I found out from one of the Japanese guys I went with, they have a song in the new TV commercials for the Nintendo Wii. Anyway, I thought I kind of knew what to expect going into the show (although, my friend had no clue), but I was totally blown away. Basically, they rocked. While the set was pretty short (just over an hour), and a few of their songs were nothing special, they had several songs that were amazing, both more "traditional"-sounding ones, as well as the more modern take on Shamisen for which theyre known. The coolest was probably this awesome shamisen-drum "battle" between one of the brothers and the percussionist they had brought along. And at times, the way their fingers were flying over the strings it really seemed like they were playing guitar, not an instrument that's hundreds of year old.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Funny Japanese tv clip
This is obviously a really old tv show, but that doesn't make it any less funny. In the last clip, someone shouts "Look out!".
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Whoops
A couple of months ago, I finally got a wok. After my cooking class in China, I really wanted to start using one, and cooking Chinese food in my little fry pan just isn't the same.
Today, in light of the Chinese New Year, I decided to have Chinese for dinner, and so I decided it was finally time to season my wok. For those of you that don't know, if you have a carbon steel wok, you have to "season" it. Old woks get really dark, because the oils and flavors have built up over time (supposedly, this is a really good thing).
Everything was going well, until after two turns of adding oil I decided to turn up the heat to kind of "sear" the oil in, as one particular site suggested. This wouldn't have been a problem, except for the fact that the wok was SO hot that when I touched a paper towel to it, to spread some oil around, the towel started to smoke. I quickly took it away, but didn't realize bits of the towel had apparently come off into the wok. So when I added a bit of oil from the bottle, the inside of the wok caught fire.
Fortunately, the fire went out on its own. I just hope there's no damage to the wok. I'd hate for tonight's stir-fried vegetables to taste like paper towel.
Oh well, at least I know my smoke alarms work....
Today, in light of the Chinese New Year, I decided to have Chinese for dinner, and so I decided it was finally time to season my wok. For those of you that don't know, if you have a carbon steel wok, you have to "season" it. Old woks get really dark, because the oils and flavors have built up over time (supposedly, this is a really good thing).
Everything was going well, until after two turns of adding oil I decided to turn up the heat to kind of "sear" the oil in, as one particular site suggested. This wouldn't have been a problem, except for the fact that the wok was SO hot that when I touched a paper towel to it, to spread some oil around, the towel started to smoke. I quickly took it away, but didn't realize bits of the towel had apparently come off into the wok. So when I added a bit of oil from the bottle, the inside of the wok caught fire.
Fortunately, the fire went out on its own. I just hope there's no damage to the wok. I'd hate for tonight's stir-fried vegetables to taste like paper towel.
Oh well, at least I know my smoke alarms work....
Mmmmmm..... Bacon!
My Dad doesn't eat pork. Not only that, when I was little, he stopped allowing pork in the house. So, with the rare exception of breakfast/brunch outside the house, I grew up on Turkey Bacon.
If you've never had turkey bacon, it's kind of like a mix between greasy meat and cardboard. Sounds appetizing, huh? Now, in what surely must be some kind of Freudian development, I'm a bacon fiend. I mean BACON, the real stuff. The stuff from pigs.
For the past several years, my policy has pretty much been "Anything tastes better with bacon." Hamburger? Check. Pasta? Check. Salad? Check. Ice cream? Well, maybe not, but I did have a bacon-flavored cookie at a restaurant in Tokyo last month (to go along with the mango and cream "egg", but that's another post).
Despite this fact, I don't really cook bacon THAT often. I guess it's a result of not eating breakfast very often, a habit which I'm trying to change, on the weekend, at least. A few weeks ago, I was up at Tahoe with one of my classmates, Jun, and Jason, the husband of another classmate. Being three guys, it only made sense to have a big breakfast on Sunday morning, before our second day of snowboarding, which, of course just HAD to include bacon.
Jason was in charge of breakfast, and he turned out bacon that was so crispy it crumbled. When I asked him the secret, he said he learned from his Dad to cook it really slowly, so that all the fat cooks out (I think that's why). I had always thought you cooked bacon at high heat (which, admittedly, might have also had something to do with my impatience and desire to EAT THE BACON NOW!!!)
This morning, I tried it the slow method. It probably took 20 minutes, which was just KILLING me. But my my my my, was that some good bacon! Definitely worth the wait! The amount of grease/fat that came out was borderline disgusting, though -- it practically filled the pan! Guess in the past that was all going straight through my system.
I still have one slice left, as well as a few slices in the freezer. Yesterday, I found a recipe online for kale and bacon. Guess what's for dinner tomorrow night?
If you've never had turkey bacon, it's kind of like a mix between greasy meat and cardboard. Sounds appetizing, huh? Now, in what surely must be some kind of Freudian development, I'm a bacon fiend. I mean BACON, the real stuff. The stuff from pigs.
For the past several years, my policy has pretty much been "Anything tastes better with bacon." Hamburger? Check. Pasta? Check. Salad? Check. Ice cream? Well, maybe not, but I did have a bacon-flavored cookie at a restaurant in Tokyo last month (to go along with the mango and cream "egg", but that's another post).
Despite this fact, I don't really cook bacon THAT often. I guess it's a result of not eating breakfast very often, a habit which I'm trying to change, on the weekend, at least. A few weeks ago, I was up at Tahoe with one of my classmates, Jun, and Jason, the husband of another classmate. Being three guys, it only made sense to have a big breakfast on Sunday morning, before our second day of snowboarding, which, of course just HAD to include bacon.
Jason was in charge of breakfast, and he turned out bacon that was so crispy it crumbled. When I asked him the secret, he said he learned from his Dad to cook it really slowly, so that all the fat cooks out (I think that's why). I had always thought you cooked bacon at high heat (which, admittedly, might have also had something to do with my impatience and desire to EAT THE BACON NOW!!!)
This morning, I tried it the slow method. It probably took 20 minutes, which was just KILLING me. But my my my my, was that some good bacon! Definitely worth the wait! The amount of grease/fat that came out was borderline disgusting, though -- it practically filled the pan! Guess in the past that was all going straight through my system.
I still have one slice left, as well as a few slices in the freezer. Yesterday, I found a recipe online for kale and bacon. Guess what's for dinner tomorrow night?
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Yes, I'm well aware
I know, I know. I've been awfully quiet these past few weeks. Chalk it up to part laziness, part business, and part trying to get this thing I call a life in order. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to my (semi-)regular updates sometime in the near future. Until then, check out these websites to take a look at some interesting seminars I've been involved in at school lately:
http://marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/
http://www.areyoureadytosucceed.com/
http://marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/
http://www.areyoureadytosucceed.com/
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Disappointing
So I've caught a good part of the game (I was cooking chili earlier, so missed some of it), and if not all, at least most of the commercials. For once, the game has been BETTER than the commercials. The first quarter was pretty exciting, but I've only seen a few commercials that I thought were decent, and a bunch of crap. And, I'm not sure if this is just a local thing, but there's been a ton of really really bad local commercials. Not sure what the deal is there, but I find it hard to believe that some cheesy law firm in Reno paid $2.5 million (the going rate for a :30 Superbowl spot).
As an ex-advertising industry guy, it's downright painful! Maybe next year.
As an ex-advertising industry guy, it's downright painful! Maybe next year.
Tahoe, Baby!
I'm in Tahoe right now (South Lake, to be precise), watching the final quarter of the Superbowl. I came up yesterday with two other guys, one of my classmates and a classmate's husband. A bunch of us rented a cabin for the season, and this weekend has been my first trip up.
We spent yesterday and today at Kirkwood, a mountain resort nearby. I recently bought a new snowboard and the other day finally bought a helmet and a beter pair of goggles. I've been really looking forward to getting a lot more time on the slopes, as opposed to just going snowboarding once or twice a year, so I'm really excited about having the cabin and a season pass. We only boarded 3 or 4 hours each day, but I could already feel I'm getting better. And despite the fact that I'm ridiculously sore (and I know it's only going to get worse tomorrow), it was a lot of fun.
Hopefully I'll be up next weekend, too. And the next. And probably the next. And the next after that, too.
We spent yesterday and today at Kirkwood, a mountain resort nearby. I recently bought a new snowboard and the other day finally bought a helmet and a beter pair of goggles. I've been really looking forward to getting a lot more time on the slopes, as opposed to just going snowboarding once or twice a year, so I'm really excited about having the cabin and a season pass. We only boarded 3 or 4 hours each day, but I could already feel I'm getting better. And despite the fact that I'm ridiculously sore (and I know it's only going to get worse tomorrow), it was a lot of fun.
Hopefully I'll be up next weekend, too. And the next. And probably the next. And the next after that, too.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Another great line
"Is the Vice-President Evil?"
--Jon Stewart, speaking with former press secretary Scott Mclellan on the Daily Show
I'm thinkin' the answer is "yes"...
--Jon Stewart, speaking with former press secretary Scott Mclellan on the Daily Show
I'm thinkin' the answer is "yes"...
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Now THIS is a website after my own heart
Can't stand the stuff.
Japan update to come soon (hopefully -- I start classes today, so things are gonna get a bit busy).
Japan update to come soon (hopefully -- I start classes today, so things are gonna get a bit busy).
Sunday, January 07, 2007
The best foods ever?
Ice cream -- Tough call, but definitely one of the haagen-dazs flavors available in Japan. While I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the one cup of seasonal banana that I haven't seen since, my current fave is hazelnut. With real bits of hazelnuts. And unlike the stuff in the States, no worries about corn syrup or other crap, just all-natural ingredients. (Banana Caramel tart is pretty darn good, too, as is espresso, and for a different texture, the azuki, or red bean, can't be beat).
Pizza -- Back in my college days, Antonio's was the best pizza in the world. Years later, at my five-year reunion, I realized that while certainly good, this wasn't really the case. Part of the reason was probably because I flew from Tokyo, where I had some amazing Italian-style pizzas. After having Savoy’s pizza for the first time in several years (why oh why didn't I go back more???), I'm convinced it doesn't get any better. Watching the pizza master make each pie individually is pretty cool, too. Total time from start to finish -- about 2 1/2 minutes. First, he pulls a pre-measured amount of dough from a drawer at his pizza making station, then flattens it out into the proper shape and adds the simple ingredients (they only have margherita and marinara pizzas). Then, the pizza is cooked in a wood-burning oven (one at a time), which is so hot that it takes only 1 minute (exactly!) to be cooked to perfection.
And in the "defies any category" category -- The Foie Gras Toast at Gessekidoh, one of my favorite restaurants in Tokyo (the world?). Holy duck liver, Batman, this stuff is amazing. I'll try to upload a pic over the next day or so. I can't really describe it, though, as my brain is currently having a mini-seizure from just thinking about all the deliciousness it experienced earlier tonight. Perfection!
Pizza -- Back in my college days, Antonio's was the best pizza in the world. Years later, at my five-year reunion, I realized that while certainly good, this wasn't really the case. Part of the reason was probably because I flew from Tokyo, where I had some amazing Italian-style pizzas. After having Savoy’s pizza for the first time in several years (why oh why didn't I go back more???), I'm convinced it doesn't get any better. Watching the pizza master make each pie individually is pretty cool, too. Total time from start to finish -- about 2 1/2 minutes. First, he pulls a pre-measured amount of dough from a drawer at his pizza making station, then flattens it out into the proper shape and adds the simple ingredients (they only have margherita and marinara pizzas). Then, the pizza is cooked in a wood-burning oven (one at a time), which is so hot that it takes only 1 minute (exactly!) to be cooked to perfection.
And in the "defies any category" category -- The Foie Gras Toast at Gessekidoh, one of my favorite restaurants in Tokyo (the world?). Holy duck liver, Batman, this stuff is amazing. I'll try to upload a pic over the next day or so. I can't really describe it, though, as my brain is currently having a mini-seizure from just thinking about all the deliciousness it experienced earlier tonight. Perfection!
Friday, January 05, 2007
F*!k
I don't usually cuss in my blog. Especially since my parents read this. But it's taking all of my willpower to avoid a long string of swear words in this post.
I just spent the last 20 mintues writing a great post on the world's best toilet, only to have my damn computer suddenly reboot for aboslutely NO reason.
I had two other great posts to write, too, but now I've lost all motivation.... Stupid windows. Knew I should've stuck with a mac...
I just spent the last 20 mintues writing a great post on the world's best toilet, only to have my damn computer suddenly reboot for aboslutely NO reason.
I had two other great posts to write, too, but now I've lost all motivation.... Stupid windows. Knew I should've stuck with a mac...
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