Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Haircut

Compare my inspiration to the end result.





I like it.

Jayne Cobb Hat

I knitted a Jayne Cobb hat for my roommate this Christmas and I am very pleased with how it turned out. I like that I can knit well enough to modify a given pattern in order to make something more like its original. Here's what I attempted to make:



I had to diverge from the original pattern by using smaller needles, more stitches, different lengths for the orange and yellow section, and a different pattern alltogether for the ear flaps. I really wanted to recreate the earflap curl shown in the original picture. See how it looks like an icord? Well, it isn't! Behold my finished product and the happy recipient!

Christmas Decorations



Albert and I made snowflakes out of tissue paper to decorate my office. Tissue paper only costs $1-2. And my officemates loved the snowy detail!

Annual Eye Exam



Check out how big my iris is. Yay for pupil dilation.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Spot Cleaning

Lately, I've been using a bag I purchased from VeryPurplePerson and just today, I spilled some Thai food sauce on it. Noes! When I got home I immediately dumped out the contents and spot cleaned it using warm water, detergent, and makeup sponges and hung it to dry. We shall see in the morning whether my methods were successful.

My bag is a combination of the patterns shown in Row 3, #5 and Row 3, #6.


(Image from VeryPurplePerson's etsy shop)

Monday, November 30, 2009

Thanksgiving Break '09

Wednesday - Left work at 3pm. Picked up 2 cheeseboard pizzas to take back to Orange County. Ran into Jimmy and Cat! Left Berkeley @ 8pm.

Thursday - Arrived 3am. Went into LA with Mom and Tina. Ate spicy Thai food. Picked up new Thai CDs. Had dinner with Albert's family, played Texas hold 'em and ping pong with his cousins.







Friday - Went to temple early in the morning. Took pictures of temple cats. Shopping at South Coast Plaza with Mom and Tina. Acquired new knit hat! Ate at mediocre seafood restaurant with Mom and Tina. Worked out with Tina and Tana at 24Hr Fitness. Downloaded Thai music from the internet.



Saturday - Chilled at home. Watched Bruce Almighty. Had dinner with Aiko, Ben, and friends and family. Sang karaoke, played pool. Left at 10pm.

Sunday - Arrived in Santa Cruz at 4am. Woke up 11am to attend tuna cutting demonstration at Mitsuwa in San Jose. Purchased stuff from Mitsuwa. Arrived in Berkeley at 3pm. Ate chu toro, oh toro, and akami grade tuna sashimi from the freshly cut tuna - INSANELY DELICIOUS! Spent time with Albert. Danced crazy!



Monday, November 16, 2009

Weekend in the OC

Albert and I made a weekend trip to the OC to spend time with our families. I ate a lot of good food, mostly Thai food and seafood!


Rice with "sour curry" and "jungle curry."


My mom had rice with spicy curried pork and "bland soup." (It's literally called bland soup in Thai, but it's still delicious and a great counterpoint to spicy food.)


Mussels, opilio crab (can you hear the theme for Deadliest Catch?), slipper lobster, sausage, potatoes, and corn at the Cracked Crab in Pismo Beach.


My terrible version of Mr. Crabs from memory.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Visit the Dentist

So after ~10 years of not visiting the dentist, I finally decided to go. Prognosis? I need to stop grinding my teeth (already knew that), I need to get my wisdom teeth taken out (already knew that), and I have two cavities. But here's the kicker...THESE ARE THE FIRST CAVITIES I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE (SO FAR)! Oh, I have pretty thick enamel. So, all in all, not a bad time at the dentist.

Teeth cleaning is next week, fillings and extraction is in the future.

And since this entry is tooth related, here's a link to one of the cutest blogs on the interwebs: My Milk Toof.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Dress Better

I enjoy seeing how other people dress themselves. Due to so many bloggers posting photos of their outfits, I thought I would give it a shot and see if I can think outside of my wardrobe box. Here are a few so far:





Sweets!


I use this elderflower syrup to make a sweetened soda that reminds me of dining at Chez Panisse.


Asian milk flavored cookies made by a Thai company, S&P.


Pandan flavored cookies, also by S&P. (The Thai word for pandan is my Thai nickname!)


Oreo cookie crumble, chocolate coated Pocky

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Reorganize Room

I live in the living room of a one bedroom apartment. My room has to have a sleeping area, book storage, clothes storage, work desk, entertainment center all in one room while maintaining some space for maneuverability. I rearranged my room recently and, while it's not 100% finished, it is definitely more organized and styled.









Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Play: Personal Trainer: Cooking - Chickpea Curry

So this is a mix of Play and Eat in that I played a Nintendo DS game and, as a result, got to eat. Personal Trainer: Cooking is a Nintendo DS "game" that is essentially a cookbook on the DS. This week, I decided I would give it a go and use the software to make chickpea curry (aka chole), one of my favorite dishes.

With my DS in hand at Berkeley Bowl, I acquired each ingredient to make the dish, marking the checkbox until I purchased everything I didn't already have at home. Canned chickpeas? Check! Four tomatoes? Check! Turmeric, ground coriander, and chili pepper? Check! Check! and Check! When it came time to cook, I received step-by-step audio instructions from a soothing (American?) male voice. I could advance to the next step by either pressing the button on the DS or by saying "continue" although I stopped using voice command when the sound of my chopping would inadvertently trigger advancing to the next step. I also got to use the timer when the curry had to simmer for 5 minutes (warning - do not close the DS because the timer doesn't work in standby mode). After about an hour or so, I finished the curry and ate it with some naan from Trader Joe's. I also got to put a stamp on today's date and the game saved my stats.



My assessment? I was afraid the curry would be bland, but the seasoning measurements suited my taste. Using the DS as a shopping list and pseudo sous chef also appeals to my nerdy side. I think I will try gazpacho next time.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Wuji Mala and Karaoke

This is what you can get at Wuji Mala. Chinese style personal hot pot. You can indicate how spicy you would like the food from Level 1 to 5. (They also have a 0.5 for suckers like me.) Level 3 kicks my butt.


Went karaoke-ing at Gamba Karaoke on Saturday. They are open during the day!!! And they only charge $4.99 per hour per person!!! (Way cheap!) And they have Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Filipino language songs!

Most Notable Songs from this session:
Love is a Battlefield by Pat Benatar
Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler
I Don't Love You Enough by Andy Lau and Kelly Chan
Barbie Girl by Aqua
Wild Horses by Garth Brooks
Get Low by Lil Jon & Eastside Boyz

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Japanese Masking Tape



I just purchased it yesterday and have started using it for labeling purposes.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Breakfast Enchiladas and Tequila Sunrise Sangria


Used Trader Joe's jalapeno chicken sausages and red sauce. Skipped the tequila in the sangria. Yum!

Recipe from Sunny Anderson's Tequila Sunrise episode.