My favorite part of a fairytale wedding

I wasn't terribly interested in this whole royal wedding craze, but I happened to be up at the right hour and tuned in for a bit. I must say I am very impressed with the AP's live stream of the event. Very clear and no buffering required.

Although everyone is buzzing about the dress and the hats and watching the groom see his perfect bride and the whole ordeal being a beautiful coordinated fairytale wedding, those were not my favorite part. As the priest spoke about loving each other and living lives of Christian value, I realized this might be the first time many spectators have been in a church (or at least attending online). Weddings and funerals are some of the few times non-believers might even consider stepping into a house of worship much less listen to someone dedicated to a faith they have no interest in try to share a bit of the good news. And that alone made it a beautiful thing.

An estimated 2 billion people tuned in online. Can you imagine sitting in a church with 2 billion people? People from all over the world, royalty and commoners, speaking English and not, wearing beautiful gowns and in pajamas, in mansions and shelters, sober and not, gathered in awe at that moment.

That is my favorite part.

And I hope they live happily ever after. 

The End.

Forever Young

It started with Sand Tropez.

I purchased my first bottle of Essie nail polish a few weeks ago. 

My brother asked me why I would paint my nails the color of sand.

But I love the bold glossy look and am hooked.

I went to Ulta (buy 2 get 1 free!)  in search of Lovie Dovie.

No luck. But came home with some other fun colors.

Including, a red one! Called Forever Yummy.

I haven't tried it yet, but I am excited.

In my post-work haze, I thought it was called Forever Young.

Which means I had to get it.
Because it reminded me of them.
And the way they look at each other.
Love.

Check out all essie colors.

Be silenced

In a time when rant and rave across the internet the moment a thought pops into their head, I'm not sure the rush of dopamine of saying your mind or the possibility of being heard is worth the possibility of regret post-emotional high. You don't need to look to far to find a politician or celebrity who wished they bit their tongue on twitter because news reporters were having a slow day and decided to blow up a 100 character rant into a headline or try to instigate a feud. Hello drama.

I was watching this the other day.

Not the best movie, but some pretty good one-liners ("A toast to people who toast!").

One thing I liked was on the day Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon lost their jobs and ended up on a blind date together, and normally would have probably spent the entire date complaining and releasing their frustration to a complete stranger (in the above case, the stranger would be the entire internet), they instead decided to eat in silence. Be calm. Enjoy company. I know it's a movie.... but post-dinner he had a spring in his step instead of his head in his hands. Best conversation he didn't have had all week.

Is your head about to explode?

I'm totally feeling you right now. 
I haven't posted in a few days, my mind has been elsewhere.
And I'm trying something.

Holding my tongue and just trying to enjoy the moment.

Kitchen: Leftovers pizza

4/20 is officially over. Along with the $8 Pizza Hut groupon deal.
I was very close to getting it but then remembered my loyalty to Domino's and that I had leftovers pizza waiting for me in the fridge.

What is leftovers pizza?
It's very similar to my leftovers morning eggroll, which was leftover hashbrowns, peas, and bacon wrapped in a lumpia wrapper and fried. Why? Obviously you have never experienced leftovers wrapped in the thin crispy wrapper that makes lumpia portable, crunchy, and the official appetizer of the Phillipines (or so it seems). And because I was trying to buy dumpling wrappers but can't read so I bought the wrong one. But know I know, everything tastes better wrapped up in lumpia skin and fried.

But sometimes you just want pizza.
And sometimes you have already had too much Domino's and want to go all Mario Batali in the kitchen.

One game night at my pastor's house someone attended who was expecting dinner. Lucky for them the pastor's wife is an avid Costco shopper and has her freezer stocked. One staple I learned was Costco cheese pizzas. Not the CPK frozen pizzas. The other one. They come 4 in a box usually sell for around $9.99. Yes, that calculates to only $2.50/pizza! What a deal! And they are delicious! And pretty fool-proof. Quick, easy meal/snack for surprise hungry visitors.

I admit I am less Mario Batali and more How to Boil Water. I also have a bad habit of getting very excited at the supermarket, buying a trunkful of groceries, then getting very busy with something and forgetting about the groceries so they go bad. I used to buy pre-made pizza dough (found at Trader Joes and Whole Foods). But they would go bad in the fridge. Sad.

Frozen pizzas last much longer!

And the fun doesn't stop there. You can throw whatever you want on the pizza to disguise it's humble origins and create something most foodies will appreciate or make leftovers pizza.

I think you know where I'm going with this.
Have half an onion left from making a fancy something. Throw it on the pizza.
Have cheese that oozed out from that grilled cheese sandwich? Scrape it off the plate and throw it on the pizza.
Bag of potato chips got crushed in your backpack? Throw it on the pizza.
The combinations are endless.

Plus, I bet pizza hut can't make you a pizza topped with onions, mushrooms, pulled pork (leftover from sliders and no more buns),  KFC mac and cheese, and parsley. Yup. That was my dinner. Though the KFC mac and cheese is probably better on its own. It's easier to taste the flavor (aka butter).

Cheese pizza topped with mushrooms, onions, shredded pork w/ Jack Daniels bbq sauce and mac and cheese.

 

Plus parsley. It's green! It must be healthy, no?

 The other pizza. Mushrooms, onions, bell peppers and garlic.

 Quick, easy dinner is served!

Need ideas? Here are some winners. Mix and match.
Mushrooms . Onions . Basil . Tomatoes (sliced in rings) . Bacon .  Avocado . Chicken in BBQ sauce . Sausage (chicken apple, linguica, hot links) . Chorizo . Pineapple . Peach . Apricot . Eggplant . Brie . Parmesan . Mozarella . Gruyere . Sharp Cheddar . Artichoke . GARLIC!

Now what have we learned today?

Tip: Always keep frozen pizzas stocked.

Myth: Librarians are quiet folk

My dad was the youngest of six children... six girls. He never had to watch younger siblings and entertain them. Thus, when he had to watch me and my brother, we were usually left at the library like the babysitters to entertain ourselves while he went back to work. Good thing I liked the library, I spent a lot of time there.. One summer my brother and I spent practically every single day at the library. My brother was in middle school and many of his friends were serving as volunteers in the library. We helped them shelve books. I liked to pick up lost books and help them find their way home. I probably read at least half the picture books in the children's section (it wasn't THAT big). This also helped us have high book counts for the summer reading program. I liked seeing my name on the strings of colorful construction paper.

At some point I told my brother I wanted to be a librarian.
His response was something along the lines of

"You can't be a librarian! You're too loud!"

At some point I must have run out of Brian Jacques books to read and paid more attention to studying and other things rather than hiding in my closet to read and raiding the school library every other day.

But I always thought it would be fun to talk about the adventures and mischief of characters in children books and recommend more titles to another greedy pebble of a kid trying to carry a boulder-size stack of  books. I remember thinking it was such an accomplishment reading Dr. Doolittle in 3/4th grade all on my own. It seemed like such a BIG book at the time. I don't remember much about the content of the book anymore. But I do remember the bright pink cover and picking the fattest book on the shelf of my school library and being completely lost in his world.  There is something magical about books. The library is just a portal.

Myth: Librarians are quiet and reserved.

Tonight I went to hear a panel of librarians discuss their profession.
What a chatty bunch. Most of them didn't even need the microphone. Each passionate about shepherding others towards desired information with a clear love for their profession. Clearly from their plethora of things to say and the volume of their voices.

Myth Busted.

Three Things Tuesday

1. Special Delivery

It's here! It's here!
My housemate and I played Kinect Adventures last night and I'm already feeling it.
It's not too late to get the bundle!

Weighing in at 13lbs.

My new baby.

2. Breakfast

Lately, I've been getting bagel sandwiches in the morning.

Having a hearty breakfast to start the day makes such a difference!

I especially like bialy (onion + garlic) and asiago spinach bagels from Bagel Street.
Half a chicken melt can keep me full till dinner!

Veggie sandwich with avocado on Spinach Asiago bagel.

 

3. Yifat Oren

I know it's not really cool to talk about weddings unless you're planning one (which I'm not).

And even then sometimes don't want to hear about it.

But this is the planner and I love seeing people's beautiful creations.
See more of her creations here.

At first I thought this was an asparagus.
Can you imagine a completely waste-free wedding?During cleanup, everyone would help eat the boutonneires and flower arrangements.
That would be some kind of awesome.

Black | White

BLACK

1.

I'm rarely on my computer when I'm at home.

But it's tax time and I have research to do.

Pandora is on the background and JayZ's Black Album keeps coming up.

It's been out awhile but I'm still feeling it.

I love it when hip hop songs use string instruments in the beat.

[Terror Squad's Lean Back anyone?]

When people journey outside the norms of their genre.

2.

I am staring at a gift bag from Black as Chocolate.

I would love some chocolate cake about now.

A Border's near me is closing.
I was looking for a children's bible but wandered into the cooking section.

I was good and didn't buy anything. 

But my Amazon wishlist is now a lot longer.
I am especially craving this.

 WHITE

1.

I talked to an old college friend on the phone today.

[I'm pretty awful at keeping in touch if you haven't noticed.]

I never just "talk" on the phone anymore!

But her internet is out and she doesn't mind
me half talking half chowing down on dinner (into the phone).

Marks of a good friend.

She said it was refreshing 

to talk to old friends 

who weren't obsessed with marriage.

Yup.

The sun is high.
People are pulling on their White dresses, exchanging vows and saying "I Do".

2.

Gilt is running a wedding shop right now.

Complete with gowns, bridesmaid dresses (with color schemes like Pink/Red, Blue/Green, Ivory/Black), jewelry, beauty essentials, wedding favors, wedding experiences, honeymoon destinations, oh and stuff for the groom too.

 Valentino Pleated Tulle Dress. Gilt.

Isn't the point of wedding to publicly announce the union of Mr. & Mrs.?
Are all the experiences and trinkets and scheming necessary?

3.

I recently read a book with lots of short blurbs on the history on weddings.

I forgot the blurbs but I was utterly in love with the book.

You know sometimes you have a feeling you can't quite put your finger on?

Something there you can't quite name. You can't seem to conjure up the appropriate words.

But then through some magical chance of serendipity someone else captures the feeling with words you could never piece together?

You can find them here.

 

Fitness Program

I do not believe being in shape requires donning body-skimming spandex outfits and running nowhere on a track  surrounded by fellow sweaty spandex-clad fitness buffs. Remember the age of innocence where running, skipping and jumping were not intention, but rather just the way you preferred to travel. Physical activity was not led by an instructor that charged a fee. Activity was fun. It was play. And it happened no matter where you were or what you were wearing.

Apparently the greatest danger to your health is sitting.
My (and many others) 9 to 5 routine is what will be the death of us.

I believe it.

When I first entered the cubicle world, I couldn't sit still.
My body was conditioned to speed walk between classes.
To walk everywhere. All day.

It is time for change.
No Mr. 24, I do not desire a fitness program that makes me unnaturally lean, rippled with muscles, nor a future Olympian. The purpose of my fitness program shall be FUN.

Amazon has a deal going. The new Xbox 360 4gb + kinect + kinect adventures for $299.99. 

BUT 

that is not all.

Also receive $50 amazon.com credit.

 Which can be used for games like...

I declare it the return of recess.

Take a break from sitting (aka the silent killer).

I believe Mikey, Spinelli and TJ would all agree.

(What is up with this formatting?)

Green Tea

I know what I need to do today.
I was very excited yesterday.
I planned to sleep early to be energetic and ready for the day.
But that plan got trumped by Professor Layton.

If you enjoy logic puzzles, you must play this game.
I believe there are 5 out now.
Go on craigslist and buy yourself a used DS, yes,  just for this game.
It is that good.

Be warned- it is incredibly addicting and possibly time-consuming.
Last time, I received Diabolical Box around the time I went on vacation with my mother. I knew if I didn't finish the game during vacation I would not be able to think about work or school. So every moment I wasn't eating, sleeping, or touring, I was glued to my DS. I think there is no better way to play than laying out on the beach in what felt like paradise. Our stay was only for 3 days. So... I think I finished the game in 4-5 days.

Anyways, I'm wishing I slept a bit earlier last night.

I plan to meet up with my brother for the Green Festival today.
(last time I went as a volunteer and spent all day sorting compost vs. recyclables... it's one of THOSE festivals) JBear discovered tf you purchase something from Rainbow Grocery, you can use your receipt for free entrance! This means I for sure get to go to RG, a place I love. It's a grocery co-op in San Francisco with a row of peanut/cashew/almond etc. butter makers and first introduced me to veggie chips! The Cheesemonger book I half read last year was written by an employee there.
Check out the Green Festival.

Speaking of green, the purpose of this post was suppose to be green tea.
I like the convenience of the leaves in the bags.

Have you tried the Lipton kinds that come in pyramid bags?

They are some kind of wonderful.

But the smoky taste of the powder type make me think of traditional tea ceremonies (and my old Japanese tutor). They come in small cans or bags. 

 

I have this one at work.
Amazon.com has it for $15.45.
Mine was purchased at a Korean grocer for less than $10.

My brother says the proper way to drink this kind is to use this tool.

We saw one at a small Japanese store last week and (naively) thought we could get a better price outside the city. I cannot seem to find it down here. I went to Daiso and Mitsuwa. Maybe I shall have to revisit that hole in the wall and wrestle my brother for it.

Japanese beat

Coworker showed me this clip of beat boxing in a Japanese film from 1957 movie The Lower Depths.
I love any show/movie/flash mob that breaks out into song/dance.
Sigh. Disney really needs to bring that back.

When he told me about it, all I could think of was the ending to Zatoichi (the one with the blind samuari).
Completely random ending (considering the rest of the movie) but completely AWESOME!!!
As if a Broadway producer suddenly took over the ending.

BTW Stomp is coming to San Jose. April 12- 17 @ SJ Center for Performing Arts.
(I typed "san jose tomp" and Google autocompleter thought "san jose temp". They really need to hire some new Autocompleters.)

[Does funny hand clap and bangs trash can lids together.]

Happy Thursday!

Moustache smile

I saw these at whole foods.
Totally made me smile.

I wonder how many people believe in love at first sight.
I'm reading a book where one of the characters believes you can learn everything you need to know about them in the first 5 minutes.
I remember on an episode of scrub Turk was telling JD no one acts like themselves on the first date. I think I side with him.

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Three, errr, six things

1. Mossimo Sateen Dress

Target. $27.99

The store I stopped by last night had it on sale for $17.99 (normally $27.99).

I'm in love. The design in front covers up the post-holiday rice (and bbq, curry, cotton candy, etc.) belly AND IT HAS POCKETS! I got Olive. There are petite sizes online.

I am very impressed with Mossimo lately.
Remember when they used to sell grungy t-shirts in department stores for $30?

2. Pack and Carry Fire Pit

Tortoise General Store. $189.95
Anytime is a good time for smores and silly songs around a campfire.


3. OXO 360-Degree Travel Mug
 
Amazon. $12.99
I have been looking for a pop and seal-type coffee mug since my last one fell to its death a few years ago.
I picked up a green one at Whole Foods (for the same price as Amazon!). Love at first sight. 

I was so excited to have a travel mug again. I am very picky about these things. I washed it last night. Made coffee and filled the mug to the max in the morning. Then left it on the kitchen counter. Oh well. I'll try again tomorrow.



4. Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon
 
Amazon. $9.99
I know it's old. Jbear got the cd recently and I am totally digging it.

5. E. Guittard - Ambanja Bittersweet
   
Guittard.
In college, I was a dedicated fan to the Chucuri Bittersweet. Study breaks meant walking down to Andronico's or the student store (if I was on campus) and picking up a new bar of chocolate (or block of cheese) and skipping all the way back to my books. I haven't been eating too much chocolate in recent months but this variety is a good reason to restart.

6. Dooney & Bourke Patent Venus Collection

 

 QVC. $195

I really like patent leather but it's hard to make a patent leather purse seem not too tacky or tough-looking. This bag does a good job looking classic (without all the zippers and studs) with lots of fun colors.

I especially like this bag in blue/turquoise.

My favorite place

This weekend I get to go to my 2nd favorite place...twice.

The museum!

I love museums! Any museum. Err MOST museums (not that one hole in the wall that I stumbled into because it said museum on the sign but actually contained disturbing pieces art... think halloween, tim burton and voodoo dolls but not kid friendly).

After years of passing by the purple building with the giant yellow ducky on top and telling my mom "I want to go theeeeeeeere!", I am FINALLY going to the children's discovery museum. Did I mention I LOVE museums? I volunteered at a science museum geared towards kids when I was in high school. I love how hands-on everything was. You can touch and mess with anything. And it's actually encouraged. It's fun to see how entertained children can be by the simplest things. (Tip: If you have a group of rowdy kids, turn on a bubble machine. It's like magic!) I also love seeing the adults letting their inner-easily-mesmerized child out too.

So the plan is a touchy, go-crazy museum on Saturday. And an adult no-touching museum on Sunday. The De Young opened their Balenciaga exhibit last weekend. I'm a girl. Therefore, I too enjoy ogling over beautiful fashion that is way out of my price range.

I know it hasn't happened yet. I shouldn't get my hopes up too high. But I have twinkle toes right now and can't really wait.

My favorite place? Just FYI...

The Library 

(The one with lots of books. Not the bar conveniently named "The Library" so when your roommate's parents call and ask where Sue is you can say "Oh, she's going to be at the library until late tonight" and they say "Oh that's good I won't disturb her then." Every college town seems to have one.)

Did you know the New York Library (the one with lions in front, I loved this planner) is hosting an overnight scavenger hunt for 500 people? You hunt for objects like the copy of the Declaration of Independence written in Thomas Jefferson's hand, or Charles Dickens' letter opener and are prompted to write a love letter. Going to that would be like Willy Wonka's factory and winning a golden ticket. Kind of geeking out. It's May 20. You can follow participants online too.
http://game.nypl.org/