On Vacation

I'm on vacation until next Monday. Blogging is on hiatus until I return. Have a good week!

Spelling Bee Champ

13 year old Kavya Shivashankar from Kansas is the new Scripps National Spelling Bee champ. She won after 16 rounds with the word laodicean. I started watching at round 6 and after a few rounds, it was kind of dragging on. These kids are really good though and I was thoroughly impressed.

I liked Kavya because she always spelled the word out on her hand so I'm happy she won. I also liked Kennyi Aouad because he was so goofy. My least favorite was the third place girl, Aishwarya Pastapur, who mispelled menhir. She had such an attitude when she was asking for definitions, pronunciation, etc. And then she cried when she lost, so hah.

At any rate, congrats Kavya!

[image via spellingbee.com]

Hungry, Hungry, Panda

I fell asleep after work yesterday and woke up around 8:30pm. It was too late for dinner so I just read my book and played around until I was sleepy again. This meant the last time I ate was yesterday's lunch. By lunch time at work today, I was starving so I was pretty excited to see what was for lunch: rice, mushroom, and shrimp in a soy sauce type sauce. Although the coloring is not very good. It was pretty tasty. Or it could have been I was just a really hungry hungry panda.

Artisan Bread

[image via artisanbreadinfive.com]
T baked a bread in the dutch oven last week. When it came out, it was not all covered in flour like I expected (see picture above), which is how I thought this artisan bread to look.

When I questioned him, he told me, "It used to be they would let bread rise in canvasses upside down, so they could flop it onto a pizza stone without the top sticking, but now it's just for looks."

You learn something new everything. I thought the flour look is nice though.

Are You Eligible For A Free Olive Garden Appetizer?

Last week, the Orlando Sentinel reported that if you paid with a credit/debit card at any of the Olive Garden chain restaurants from December 4, 2006 to August 10, 2007, you are eligible for a free $9 appetizer voucher.

This stems from a 2007 civil lawsuit against the restaurant in which they were accused of printing the last six digit of the customers' credit card numbers on receipts. Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction act, you are required to truncate the credit card numbers, but Olive Garden had not complied.

The final hearing will not happen until July, but Olive Garden is already offering the voucher. If you are an eligible customer, you can fill out a form at www.attorneyzim.com requesting a voucher. The PDF form is available under the heading "Class Action Notices." You can also call 1-866-890-4862. You don't have to provide proof of purchase but do have to sign a document certifying, under penalty of perjury, that you made the purchase. The voucher forms must be postmarked by June 4.

[image via olivegarden.com]

This Is What You Get For Having An Affair

The China Press and Sin Chew Daily reported last week that a 30 year old woman secretary was having an affair with her boss. They had their car parked in a Singapore park where she was performing oral sex on him. Suddenly, a reversing van slammed into their car. The impact cause her to bite down and bit the man's penis off.

The man's wife had hired a private investigator to catch him cheating. He said that after parking the car, the car started to "shake violently" and then it was hit by the van. The PI heard the woman scream loudly and her mouth was covered in blood. Gross! The PI being a good guy, called for an ambulance. The woman followed him to the hospital with his detached penis.

I feel bad the guy got injured, but hah! That's what you get. Cheaters never prosper!

[image via signs-of-a-cheater]

What's For Lunch?

Today's menu consisted of roasted duck, broccoli, and rice. The coloring does not look too good. My broccoli was very mushy. But the rice and duck was tasty.

Food Deals

I see on blogs or my friends email me free food deals all the time. I rarely use them, but I appreciate people sharing the wealth just in case I want to some day. Here are a few of the new ones:

-PF Changs: Free Lettuce Wraps with a purchase of an entree. Go to the link and register your email. They will email you a coupon immediately. http://www.pfchangs.com/briny/

-Ruby Tuesdays: Buy one, Get one entree free. Valid May 21-June 2. Click on the image below or click here to get the coupon.


-Krispy Kreme Donuts: May 23 (this Saturday) only, one dozen original glazed donuts for $.99.

Sriracha: From the Creator's Mouth

My sorority sister, D, sent an article that was in NY Times article about the delicious sriracha chili sauce. I've been using sriracha for a long time now, on dumplings, wontons, eggs, noodle soups, etc. It's neat to see it getting so popular. You can find it in your regular grocery store instead of having to trek out to the Asian markets like a few years ago. And where popular famed chefs incorporate it into their sophisticated menu and even chain restaurants such as Applebees, P.F. Chang's, Flemmings, have it on their menu.

The best part of this article was that the consumers are able to get some insight as to how the sauce originated. The creator, David Tran, 64, who comes from a Chinese heritage but born in Vietnam, began making chili sauces with the peppers grown by his older brother on a farm in a village north of Saigon. All the different sauces he made, he never gave them a formal name. The only consistency was the rooster on the bottle, which is Tran's zodiac sign.

In 1979, Tran had enough money to send himself and his family to America. The first week of 1980, Tran went to Los Angeles and began making sauce. He did not anticipate the popularity of his take on sriracha. He thought the sauce to be good, was proud of it, but still modest. The name Sriracha is a town in Chonburi Province, Thailand, famed for their homemade chili sauces, do not recognize Mr. Tran’s sauce as their own. Tran says, “I know it’s not a Thai sriracha. It’s my sriracha.”

Over the last decade, a number of imitators have entered the sriracha category; Cock brand sriracha from Thailand, Shark brand from China, Phoenix brand and Unicorn brand from Vietnam. Even with the competition, more than 10 million bottles of sriracha now roll off the line each year. As said earlier, even though the sauce is now popular amongst the general public, the company, Huy Fong, says, "We still sell 80 percent of our product to Asian companies, for distribution through Asian channels. That’s the market we know. That’s the market we want to serve.”

“I made this sauce for the Asian community,” Mr. Tran said.

[image via NY Times]

Obie Face

My sister has been at home the past few days in between school and work. The best part about it- she brought Obie with her!

I took him swimming yesterday and it was so cute. He looks like a little teddy bear.

What's For Lunch?

When I was a kid, my mother never packed my lunch for school. Now that I moved home after college and am totally capable of packing my own lunch, my mother decides its time for her to start packing my lunch. Thus, she wakes up at 6am every morning. I told her to just make it the night before so I can microwave, but she thinks microwaving is bad for my health. So she packs things into my little Asian lunch box that keeps things hot for a few hours. It looks like a thermos, but inside there are three circular boxes that can hold about 8-10 oz of food. Perfect serving size.

Another note would be that my mom is a terrible cook, whereas my dad is an amazing chef, so why she ended up making my lunch, I'll never know. Sometimes though, my dad will cook my lunch at night and then my mom will reheat it on the stovetop (rather than have me microwave it). Those days, my lunches are usually delicious. It would be chow fun, roast duck, or some other yummy concoction. However, on the days when my mom makes it herself, this is what I get:

Rice, some type of green veg (I'm not sure what kind, something Asian), and bbq pork with scrambled eggs. I mean it wasn't bad, but its not as good as if my dad made it. But free lunches with no work, I shouldn't complain. She also packs me two servings of fruit. Today, I have grapes and an Asian pear.

I definitely eat healthier since my mom makes sure I get fruit and vegetables and I'm usually not hungry by the time I get home for dinner because I had a full lunch and all that fruit. If I ever find a house to buy and move out (hopefully before the end of 2009), I will miss the free lunches.

Banana Disguised As A Gun

A 17 year old boy in Winston-Salem, NC went to an internet cafe last Thursday and demanded money by saying he had a gun. What he really had was a banana under his shirt.

The owner and a customer jumped the teenager and held him until authorities arrived. While they waited, the owner said the teen ate the banana. Deputies took picture of the banana peel and they joked about charging him with destroying evidence. The teen faces a charge of attempted armed robbery.

His parents must be so proud. A banana?! Really?!

[image via istockphoto.com]

Squash!

That is the squash from the garden T and I built together. I'm so proud of him for getting it to be so big! I can't wait to eat it! I must confess, besides building the box together and putting in the soil, I have done nothing to help the plants grow. Partially because I don't live in Tucson, but partially when I'm in Tucson, I'm too lazy and it's too hot to stand outside and be bothered by it.

The garden is looking really good though. I will post more picture the next time I'm down in Tucson which won't be for a month or so though...

Cankles and It's Not Pretty

I went to S' graduation party on Saturday evening and it was outdoors. I got bit by mosquitoes 32 times on my left leg and 12 times on my right. My right leg from the knee down is two times its size and I have CANKLES on both my right and left legs!!! It's so bad in terms of looks and comfort. I'm so itchy! And my legs are soooooo ugly. I'm so sad.

My mom has been giving me stuff (ancient Chinese secret) to help bring down the swollen bites. Even she was shocked by how swollen everything got. I'm just hoping everything will be back to normal by this weekend.

Why I Love Dogs

Yesterday, the Bronx ABC news station reported a really cute story about two yellow lab chow mixes. I saw this on Jack Gray's twitter (CNN producer that I like). It was so sweet and protective. I love dogs and I really miss having one at home. Steph is bringing Obie to me on Sunday though, so yay!

At 6:30am during rush hour, the female 9 year ran onto the Major Deegan Expressway and was hit by a car. The other dog, her son, ran onto the highway to rescue her. He would not let anyone near her and would bark at oncoming traffic and at the police officers who were trying to help.

Finally, officers got close enough to lift the injured dog onto a sheet and place her gently inside a cruiser. She was brought to animal care. The owner of the dog saw the drama on TV and went to the vet center right away and took her to the animal hospital, where they found a broken left leg.

When police tried to get to the other dog, the dog protector took off. There was a slow-speed chase, then a high-speed chase. The dog dodged vehicles, changed direction and ran head-on into traffic. Police backed up the highway, not sure which way the dog was going to break next. Finally, after about 45-minutes, the dog was given a police escort onto an exit ramp, and traffic flowed again.

The owner told animal control that the other dog, who he also owns, is home now. The owner says the relationship between the dogs explains a lot."It was heartwarming, they look out for each other," she said.

Awww. They didn't have a picture, so here is a picture of my first dog, the gentle giant, Dim. :)

Going to See the President

I am going to leave work at 4pm today to head over to ASU to see my best friend, S, graduate with his master's degree in broadcast journalism. Not only am I really proud of him for getting his master's in only a semester more than it took me to get my bachelor's, I'm really happy I'll get to see President Barack Obama give his commencement speech.

I am not looking forward to the long wait to get through security (the news said it could take up to an hour and half) and then sitting in the Phoenix sun for a few hours before his speech at 7:45pm. It is one of those once in a lifetime things, so I am glad I got a ticket. But with the long lines, heat, and waiting through other boring graduation speeches, Mr. President better bring one damn good speech.

This will be the second Democratic President I've seen in real life. President Clinton being the first, which was awesome being that it was so up close and personal. And that I had to thank S for that also since he's the one who got me in. Back to Restaurant City!

[images via asu.edu]

No Blogs Today, Too Busy Playing

Restaurant City!! Just taking a break to quickly apologize for lack of blogging right now. I'm obsessed with Restaurant City on facebook. It's so much fun! Except now I'm starting to have trouble with it staying connected, which is irritating. It was fine all morning so ahh!

Teachings: Epictetus

"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters." Epictetus (c. AD55-c. 135)

Footloose Reprised?

Taylor Frost, a senior high school student at Heritage Christian in Ohio, went to his girlfriend's public high school prom this past Saturday. To attend, his girlfriend's school required that he received approval in signature from the principal of Heritage Christian. Which, Frost did.

According to Yahoo! News, his principal acknowledges signing the form, but told Frost that there would be consequences if he went because he would violate the school's rules that forbid dancing, hand holding, and rock music. Not only was he suspended for attending, he will also receive an "incomplete" on remaining assignments and will be banned from graduation ceremonies.

Frost's father said he plans to file a lawsuit against Heritage Christian because the suspension is unfair and unwarranted. The school rules should not apply outside the school.

The school's principal Tim England said, "For the parents to claim any injustice regarding this issue is at best forgetful and at worst disingenuous. It is our hope that the student and his parents will abide by the policies they have already agreed to."

Whoa, how Footloose is this? No dancing?! No rock music?! I don't even understand why the principal signed the form if he was just going to suspend the kid afterward anyway. And also, who says high school has jurisdiction over you after you leave campus? It wasn't even a school day! I hope the family wins. How crazy, how sad, and how completely old school. I love dancing and rock music!

[image via cafepress]

I've Became a Big Ryan Reynolds' Fan

I always thought he was good looking, but he totally won me over as Deadpool/Wade Wilson in the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie. Well, now there has been an official confirmation that there will a Deadpool movie coming out, with Ryan Reynolds reprising his role as the assassin.

The film is said to be a complete exploration of this unique character, his origins and his emergence as the Merc with the Mouth. According to Wikipedia, Deadpool got this nickname due to his wisecracks, black comedy, and satirical pop-culture reference. The Wikipedia content on Deadpool is actually really interesting and detailed.

Fans have said that the best supporting role in the Wolverine movie was Reynolds character, so I'm sure it was no surprise that this spinoff was in the making. But apparently, it has been in the making for the past five years. I'm very excited because he was my favorite character in the movie, except for Wolverine of course. And Ryan is major eye candy, I'll take a piece of that. Hottttt!

[images via Insider and io9.com]

Would You Like a Snake Head With That?

An unsuspecting diner who visited a New York T.G.I. Friday's got more than he paid for with his side vegetables. Jack Pendleton noticed something gray mixed in and then realized it was a snake head with a part of its spine attached the size of his thumb.

The Associated Press reported that he took a picture of it with his phone and called the waiter over. The meal he had with his girlfriend was comped. He has no plans to sue the restaurant and a spokeswoman for the chain restaurant says they are investigating.

Gross. That's why I hate eating at those type of places. I have heard so many horror stories! How would a snake head end up in the restaurant anyways and how did the cook or the waiter not notice? That is definitely not ServSafe- hope he didn't get sick!

[image via T.G.I.Fridays.com]

Another One Bites The Dust

I was looking for my keys to run an errand for work and so I looked in my purse:

And this was what I found:

Sad, especially since my eyes have been bothering me for the past two days. You would think working somewhere where ophthalmologist are our most popular clients, one of them would give me a freebie Lasik surgery. My boss said he's working on it. I guess I could just do this for awhile...

Obie Gnocchi Turns One

Today is Obie's first birthday! We haven't had him for a whole year (our gotcha date is June 7), but in this past year, he has been a very good puppy. And I love and miss him. If only I could steal him back from my sister.

These photos are in chronological order, so you can see his many looks from different haircuts.





He's so cute!

Bird Smuggler

The Daily Telegraph had a strange story today. Sony Dong was caught with 14 birds strapped to his legs. He was smuggling them from LA to Vietnam. Custom officials noticed feathers and droppings stuck to his socks. Um yuck!

Federal police has been tracking Dong since December when they found a suitcase checked in and abandoned by Dong was found with 18 birds inside, 5 of them were dead. The Feds saw that Dong had planned to travel to Vietnam in April, so they waited for him to get off the plane and busted him.

Dong has been charged with three counts of illegally importing wildlife, three counts of importing goods by means of false statement and conspiracy. If convicted, Dong could do up to ten years.

Is bird smuggling a really good money maker? The way he strapped those birds to his leg seems very strange and sad. I can't imagine that the trouble is worth the profit. I also can't believe he was going to travel with them like that all the way to Vietnam. That's got to be at least a 10+ hour flight. It cannot be comfortable.

[image via The Daily Telegraph]

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Cinco de Mayo reminds me of St. Patty's Day. A holiday for all us Americans to just get wasted, but instead of drinking pints of beer, we drink tequila and margaritas. But, let us thank the Mexican army for beating the French army on May 5th so that the people have a reason to "celebrate" and can get drunk tonight. I do remember reading on Wikipedia a few years ago that there is one city in Mexico that does celebrate today, but the celebration is really just voluntary.

T sent this to me probably a year ago. In light of "celebrating" the Mexican culture, here is a love song:

Busy Weekend

What a weekend! I drove down to Tucson on Friday to go to my sorority's formal which my real sister had planned. Right after, I got to hang out with one of my bffs, N, and met her ex-boyfriend, which was interesting. A bunch of our other friends came out too, so it was pretty fun. And I never drink anymore so it was an added bonus. I went to bed around 5am but woke up at 6:30am and could not fall back asleep. So I called a cab and had him take me back to my car in downtown Tucson.

While on my way back to the house after getting my car, I was driving behind one of those semi's towing a semi. I kept expecting a man to pop up in the driver seat. Maybe it was because I was only half awake or something, but it was really creepy.

Got back to the house and it was only 7:30am. I was so bored. Watched Clueless and the end of She's All That on TV. N wakes up and chats with me for a few minutes but then falls back asleep in the span of 15 minutes I think. I finally fall back asleep around 10:30 am.

Woke up around 2pm. Sad I wasted all morning/afternoon. T and I had 5pm Stomp tickets so I finally dragged myself into the shower. Stomp was really good. I would never be able to do something like that; remember all the numbers, make that kind of music. During the part where they have audience participation, I didn't even want to clap because I always have a hard time keeping beat. I have no rhythm whatsoever. Sad, I know.

After the show we went to get sushi, but after ordering everything, I realized I was not hungry so really I guess we just wasted food instead. We had to go to Home Depot to get new fertilizer for the garden. T said the kind we had was crap. By Home Depot, there is the El Con theater so we decided to drive by just to see if there was a lot of people in line.

I really wanted to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Luckily, there was no line, which was a surprise. And no one sat next to me (I really hate sitting next to strangers in the movie. It makes me uncomfortable). I really liked the movie. The effects were cool. I was totally engaged in the movie the whole time. Ryan Reynolds was so cute, and of course, Hugh Jackman was really hot.

Finally went home, I was pretty tired. Woke up early on Sunday to drive back to Phoenix to help my mom out at the restaurant. It was a strange day. There were a lot of weird people wanting Chinese food apparently. I even had to yell at this kid:

I never yell at people and especially not kids, but something happened with this little boy. He was crying and yelling at his sisters. And then started banging on the table. Everyone was looking around and quite honestly, I was just embarrassed for him and scared he was going to break stuff. So I finally walked up to him and scolded him. Then walked back to my spot so I could take a picture with my phone, passing it off like I was just texting or something. His sisters apologized for him and then they left.

I went home after working and passed out 30 minutes later. It was a short weekend, but overall, it was fun. I'm going back to Tucson this weekend (even though I rather stay in town) because my pledge mom is coming to visit from NY. I can't wait to see her!

Office Doors

My male boss just got back from a business trip and decided he needed to change his shirt in his office. Meanwhile, I'm walking down the hall to hand him a contract. This is what our office doors look like:

His shirt was not completely off, but it was not a pretty sight. And slightly awkward.

20 Male Facebook Poses

C shared this on facebook and it is funny. It's from the 2birds1blog blog back in 2008, but its still so funny and so true. I don't want to get any copyright infringements, so I'll just share two and post the link for you to check it out yourself if you want to see more.

#9: The I Don’t Know if you Know, But I Work Out Shot


This is an extreme version, but I had to share. Usually this shot is of a guy who just happens to have his shirt off and who just happens to have a 12 pack and just happens to be flexing at the moment someone randomly took their picture.

#17: The Future Pedophile of America Shot


What the fuck? Are you trying to tell me that you don’t have one friend who could take a picture of your creepy ass? Not one person? You’re just forced to sit there in a dark room, creepily lit up by your computer monitor and take it yourself with your web cam? And are you so into your porn and/or Myst game that you can’t be bothered to look in the damn lens and smile? These make me want to take a shower immediately…

If you get ten minutes free, go to her blog and read the rest:
http://www.2birds1blog.com/2008/04/20-male-poses-of-facebook.html