DOANSTER

Since coming home

2008-07-09T11:44:00.001-04:00

Besides sprucing up the house, I found a job à la retail. So far so good.

I visited my sister in NYC. She lives in funky trendy Williamsburg now. I even brought my kid sister along for the trip. We enjoyed our ultra touristy geekiness. We all also tried soup dumplings, Korean food, and falafels.

I accidentally deleted most of the Netflix lists. Oops. Luckily, I found many more replacements.

It is way too humid.

I'm back in the US of A

2008-05-24T20:31:00.000-04:00

last week of work

2008-04-08T12:10:00.003-04:00

my time in paris is coming to an end fairly quickly. I spent a wonderful weekend with a couple of my teachers. They took me on a road trip a bit south of Paris to the Loire valley to visit the magnificent castles. It boasts some of the most beautiful chateaux in the world. I visited Chambord, Chenonceau, Blois, Ambroise. so magical and impressive historical sites where French royalty used to ponder about in their luxurious gardens and stone hallways. My ultimate favorite must be Chenonceau. Built on a river, it was split during WWII into the free zone and the occupied. People took advantage of this fact and would use it to cross to the other side. Switching hands from the mistress Diane Poitiers to Queen Catherine Medicis, it definitely had a womanly touch. Walking from room to room with massive lit fireplaces, the presence in the castle just engulfed all my senses.

Back to my teaching life in Paris, not even a week into my schedule, we come upon another student strike. this time it will continue onto Thursday. This means that I will only work one day this week. No complains here. oh, my beloved france.

I chatted with the german assistant today. we have been trying unsuccessfully to get together for a coffee or theater or something, but alas our encounters at school were enough to catch up and get acquainted during our stays in paris. She shared her experience with local parisians, which I was highly interested in considering we're both foreigners in this crazy place. let it be known her french is quite advanced so i was surprised to hear that even she had issues with customer service personnels. Here I thought it was because I wasn't fluent in french. it would never matter because parisians have it against anyone non-french! mon dieu!

i have quite a few things lined up before my time is complete. having breakfast in the marais with my brit gal, tutoring my fav grandma, live music in belleville with my german friend, and crashing on my fellow jumbo's couch. Then i'm off to the south of france. This time in Nice along the cote d'azur. You know, Cannes, Monaco, Marseille, Aix-en-Provence. Oh la la !

this must be my lucky day

2008-03-10T15:43:00.003-04:00

Why? You may ask. Well let’s start with the fact that I finally received my carte de sejour!!! This is the resident card that serves as proof that I am officially a working citizen in the country. It only took almost 6 months, but now that I have it, I can get my government reimbursement for my apartment!! Imagine one month longer and I would have got it the day I left.

Next, with a few clicks of a button, I opened an ING savings account in FRANCE for a better than great interest rate. For anyone who is lucky enough not to know the inner workings of French bureaucracy, the bank system is the centralized dumping grounds for aloof jaded customer service persons with red tape around every nook. So being able to open an account without all that hassle is absolutely amazing to me. just amazing.

As I was exploring my neighborhood tonight, I discovered my all-time favorite grocery store. It doesn’t seem much, but if you have ever been shopping in Paris, you can relate to the price gouging that is inevitable in any much sought-after city. If you want to be here, you gotta pay up. However at my little leader price, I get the selection that you can only fantasize about at rock bottom prices. I am in French foodie heaven. For starters, I will miss:

bourdin noir (sausage with yummy spices and bits of everything. In Ireland, they call it black pudding maybe??)
croquettes
dries dates still on the branch
yogurts of amazing flavors (crème brulee, rum raisin, chocolate mousse, crème anglais, caramel custard, etc)
puffy pastry shells for nothing
turkey & mushroom in sauce in a can
choucroute (sausage and sauerkraut)
caramel tea
mure tea (blackberry?)
prepared beets airtight in baggies for nothing
my favorite barley grains in the world
French bread seconds from the oven

All the things I have missed about Paris while I was traveling. All the things I will miss once I return to the US. Ah, Paris.

100th post!! Recap: Venice & Milan & Athens

2008-03-09T06:17:00.003-04:00

ok i am alittle hyped up on caffeine - accidentally overdid it with 3 expresso shots this morning while i was making polenta. i had this genius idea to make fried polenta sticks like giada would on the food network. except that i am not a professional chef, italian, or giada. so the polenta was too runny to fry, to salty to eat, and just plain yuck. instead i made good use of the hostel kitchen to jump start my day with café lattes!

I am currently in Milan, just back from my Venice trip. And before that in Athens. I will begin with the first. I heart greeks! My buddy, Nora, hosted me in her Athenian home. We went out everyday and hit up some cool monuments, the plaka area and a rocking nightlife. We went to a carnival party in a mansion on the hill and also slurped frappucinos on the beachside. The weather was perfect hovering around 20 celius - hotness compared to Paris and Milan!! I love my greeks so much that they might take up my offer in staying with me in Boston this summer!!

Milan: one of the fashion capitals of Italy. Beautiful people, great fashion, love the Duomo square and lovely church and interesting bombed out post WWII look. Stayed at probably the weirdest and crappy hostel here, but had very helpful and down-to-earth concierge, plus first place to have unlimited internet!! huge plus in scoring great train tickets to Venice.

Venice: Breath-taking. Little canals, boats everywhere, colorful building facades, people singing italian. it had a perfect village feeling. just amazing. plus it is an island, so how can you beat seclusion?

In all, I have learned that I love travelling by myself. I have never really felt lonely in the last week or for that matter my entire stay in europe ... perhaps i am just too busy absorbing my surroundings. Taking this chance to see Europe is one of the best decisions i have ever made !

the post you've all been waiting for

2008-02-29T05:11:00.002-05:00

Hi all, once again i am on a two-week vacation, formally known as winter break here. I just went down to Montpellier and Arles to see my family and have been chillin' otherwise in sunnyville. we have been going out nonstop. i have temporarily lost track of time and days as i sleep when the sun is rising and in a few hours wake up due to this incessant insomnia. it's good, i'm not complaining since i needn't work the following day. i just feel pity for those around me as i am in zombie mode ;)

I have been fairly busy meeting up and seeing friends before i or they leave the country. my good friend, luna, has return to roma for her exams for the next month. myself, i will be away entirely for the holiday break, which will include a short stint in Athens and then Milan. woohoo!

As i write in Athens, i am experiencing lovely summer weather in the 70's as i stripped off my parisian layers. the greeks are in the middle of their sort of pre-easter celebration, which consists of lots of meat-eating and breaking of a sort of meatless fast. as you know, greeks are orthodox christians so their holidays don't co-incide with americans' idea of easter traditions. either way i'm glad to experience something new!! i met some of nora's buddies last night at this gal's gorgeous house in Athens. they bbq-ed a massive amount of pork chops and chicken, fab curry dipping sauce, grilled pita break and feta tomato goodness. i also love greek iced coffeeeee.. it is sooooo good. like a strong cappucino with extra thick foam. trust me it is strong stuff! Anyways, i am here for another 5 days and i'll try to post some bits and pieces about life here.

In other news about my last two months, one of my teachers at school invited me to a typical French meal with canard confit (duck legs sitting in their own lard- ie artery clogging goodness). We had lovely french cocktails called a martini. it is not this vermouth gin business. it is much much nicer and sophiscated slightly sweet red or white wine sort of mix. lovely! Also, i attended a play called Animal Farm that my teachers took their students to to learn English. Luckily i scored an extra ticket, so i got to see a grand 5-person rendition of Orwell's famous story.

I went to Scotland about a month ago - good shopping, crappy weather, beautiful castles on top of the city. it looks like it's floating at night.

I went to Madrid a couple of weeks ago. synopsis: AMAZING shopping, beautiful people, great food - paella and churros dipped in hot chocolate, literally it is melted chocolate goodness... and lastly very dirty gypsies everywhere. oh, and very hot mediterranean men. like jaw dropping, seriously.

oh, i also moved apartments. i now lived in the southern part of paris near le quartier chinois - chinatown. i love it because it is walking distance from work, a more spacious apartment, not too many hills, easy asian grocery shopping, lots of sunlight in my 12th story place, modern high-rise apartments all around, and super close to the metro. i love it here. it feels like home for the first time.

Paris Unplugged

2008-01-17T16:02:00.000-05:00

This marks the first blog for the new year! Happy New Year!

Alas, it has been months since the last blog, but I haven’t really any updates. Except I have a tidbit about what you all may not know about France. Yes, France is beautiful. Paris is awe-inspiring. The fashion, the food, the history, the architecture, the ‘je ne sais quoi’ are completely oh la la - biggest cliché. However if I had a good friend who asked for my opinion about France, I would tell them, “Visit, but never live here.”

French bureaucracy has stolen my spirit and my last bit of patience. The amount of paperwork and hoops I had to jump through to apply for a resident card, social security number, apartment subsidy reimbursement, a medical card, to open a bank account, to get someone to rent to me, to get a medical reimbursement, to get an extra copy of an electric bill, to change a train ticket… I would rather give away my left kidney then to do it again. In the last week, I nearly had a nervous breakdown from all the inept employees clamoring around a computer and producing nothing, but “Sorry, it is not possible.” It has taken an average of 3 visits to any one facility to get one piece of paper (document of proof) so that you can bring it along with your other twenty documents of proof, so that they can get denied at its final destination because you didn’t ask the perfect question. Then there is a two-month waiting period… And well at this point, I won’t be seeing any social security number until after I leave France. Much use then.

Often times, it is as if you walked into an umbrella store wet from the rain and the clerk gets pissed off at you for not understanding what you need, so they tell you to get lost. That’s what living in Paris without perfect language skills feels like. Although my cousin who is French told me that she runs into the same issues and obviously her French is perfect. Ah yes, the difference is that she can tell them to fuck off and I am too proper to learn such phrases. haha By the end of this experience, I am bound to pick up a few things and it won’t be just fashion tips.

In other news, I am getting the heck out of my apartment. This drab cement block that some tenants call home has got a meter wide hole in my bedroom. Give me one moment to explain. First for those using the American system, that is a whopping 3.5-foot hole. Yes, it leads to the outside & it's winter. The stupid construction workers who bang on the side of the building every morning at 7:30am made this massive hole in my wall. I notified my roommate that I’m leaving the apartment due to it; at which point, she goes off in her wild tangents (taking personal offense that I am leaving, minimizing my concerns about safety, blah blah). So, that was really convincing. Sign me up for another year!

Fortunately, my teacher from my school has introduced me to a wonderful woman who will take me in. She lives in a lovely apartment on the 14^th floor (sunlight!) with huge windows and amazing views of the city. Howard Roark would be proud. As soon as I walked into the apartment, it felt like home… it’s unfathomable. Finally something is right.

Other things that will help take my mind off all the impending bureaucratic work are my travels! First, I have Edinburgh next weekend, in Madrid with Stephanie next month, I’m going to Athens and Milan during winter vacation. In the mix, I will find time for the south of France again and house-sitting for Stephanie near the Moulin Rouge!

A Typical Parisian Day

2007-12-05T07:52:00.000-05:00

I wake up at 10am to get ready for work. However, instead of the alarm waking me, it is the infernal banging of the construction workers fixing my apartment building for the hundredth time.

I get up, make myself a cup of tea with milk. Brush my teeth, comb my hair, watch a little French TV, and see another note from my roommate: 'give me 4 eggs that you owe me' Oh right, the eggs I used to cook appetizers for all your friends you had over the other night.

Then, I get dressed, head over to my metro stop, Chateau Rouge. As soon as I step onto the platform, the train arrives. It takes 20 minutes to make it to my connection, Raspail. Then, I hop onto the 6 for a couple more stops. I mozy on over to my high school in the 13th district to find that the students are striking ... again! I thought they settled this crap last week. In the last three weeks, I have worked a total of 3 days. They sure are making the best use of my English skills. I sneak around through the attached middle school door, which is only open between periods. I check to see who is around. Any of my teachers? I chat with a few to find out when they will open the doors. Everyone is kept in the dark. Sweet. I hang out in the internet room where I grade students' presentations and surf the 'net. Most students are average, some are very bad, and less than a handful are ready for their exam next year!

I catch up with Ctac because by that time, he has just arrived to work in the states. After grading, it is about 4 o'clock or 16 heures if you're in Europe. I start packing up and head home. I usually try to discover something new at this time because well, it can get quite boring at home, especially before Ctac had fixed the cable. There was literally nothing to do, but stare at the wall or my roommate. Usually, I prefered the wall.

Places I have gone during my leisure time after work and before dinner, Denfert-Rochereau, Seine River, Les Halles shopping mall, La Defense shopping mall, Chinatown (biggie), Rue Lepic (where Amelie lives and works), Les Galleries Lafayette for yet more browsing, the Latin Quarter, but mostly I roam around in any neighborhood, except the 19th & 20th. They are alittle scarier.

I get home. Sometimes do laundry, catch up on e-mails, make dinner, which is usually soup. I am still trying to perfect my mom's cooking. I think that I am missing the company. Then, I meet up with a friend at a bar for some drinks. Head home and sleep.

Very eventful :)

Toussaint vacances

2007-11-09T06:54:00.000-05:00

I’m back in Paris after my long Toussaint vacation. Most of which I spent with my cousin, Chi. She showed me around Paris because she has prior knowledge of this decadent city and let me in on some of its secrets. We went to an amazing Vietnamese restaurant that served incredible appetizers, like chau fown but with ground pork and mushrooms. Then, their grilled pork with sides of pickled vegetables and nuoc mam was perfect comfort food.

Later, with her encouragement, I took a quick train ride down to the south of France. I visited my uncle and auntie in Arles. Yes, there was even more Vietnamese cooking to be had – savory crepes, beef stew with whole boiled eggs, seafood hot pot, and fresh spring rolls. After bidding them farewell and promises to return very soon, Chi and I headed to Montpellier for some more touristy fun.

On the first day, I wandered about on my own. With the handy tourist information map, I was able to locate and see some brilliant sites. At le chateau d’eau (water castle), I made a traveling companion for the day, Haruka. She and I went to the Jardin des Plantes where we entered an ‘interdit’ (do not enter) area by mistake and got yelled at. That didn’t deter us from making use of this secret garden. There were some fabulous bamboo plants and autumn turning leaves.

That night after much nudging, Chi and I picked up our lazy arses and went out for some happy hour drinks at the Australian bar with three other girls. France is a very interesting place because no one gets checked/ID at the door, so it isn’t a surprise when you see some people pushing 16 years old. I was standing with the girls and looking around to be aware of the scene. And I do believe that a group of 18-year-old boys thought I was looking at them, but clearly I was looking past them. They mosey over and start chatting in incredibly fast French mixed with loud music; small talk wasn’t possible. I pulled my wild card “Desolé, mais je suis américaine.” To which they respond, “errr, I don’t speak English.” Oh, what a pity. However, I felt like a rock star because they wanted to take a photo with me!

The girls and I were dancing in our little nook. Then, this group of behemoth guys walks by and plant themselves next to us. This is a case where I teach my little cousin a new word – “meathead.” One of them strikes up a few French words with me; to which, I pointed out that my cousin is French. Then, she tells me that they all play water polo. Later I found out that this means that they are professional because in France, collegiate level sports aren’t very popular. Funny enough, most of them aren’t even French, but Danish and American. So, they were able to say a few clear English words to me.

The last few days have been unremarkable. I have been sick/hungover/tired/feverish. I came back to Paris to teach only one class on Thursday and to have another long weekend. You can say that the French inefficiencies are working in my favor. However, it can work the other way as well. Case in point has been getting proof of residence, ie an electricity bill, so that I can finish submitting my resident card application. Not happening when the woman behind the counter is a complete bitch and won’t help you because you don’t speak perfect French. Or maybe it is just Parisians who are bitches. Damn, I shouldn’t have ever left Montpellier.

More pictures!!

2007-11-03T06:57:00.000-04:00

With my cousins and pretty Paris

Parisian Adventures Post 2

2007-11-02T16:14:00.000-04:00

Here we meet again. Since my last post, I have slept, woke up, brushed my teeth, and showered. Hey, I am not that French yet! Although I am European enough to enjoy my two week vacation!!

My buddy from l’île de France invited me to her family’s house for a surprise birthday party and a traditional French meal of raclette. Essentially, a cheesy person’s dreams come true. Did I mention that I love cheese? Lots of thinly sliced meats and gooey cheese on top. My tummy flirted with calamity, but I prevailed.

In the morning, my friend’s 11-year-old sister and I were the only ones up, so we watched cartoons. I learnt many useful words, such as abeille (bee), le pouvoir (powers), enceinte (pregnant). Coincidentally, we were watching Superheros and then batman. The only problem with learning words this way is that I haven’t a clue how to spell them because French words look nothing like how they sound. So I just had to look them up in the dictionary to make sure I wasn’t making an ass out of myself.

Later in the week, my French buddy had a get-together again with family and friend (me). They like this game where you hear a song and have to guess who the artist is. I was doing pretty hot during the R&B category, and then fell on my face during the classic French songs… haha Then, I introduced ‘Mafia’ to the group. It was a hit! Apparently, Mafia is a ghetto version of a French game called “Werewolf” because you have to buy an actual board with proper cards. Not with Mafia, we found some scrap paper and scribbled some C’s, P’s, & M’s. There were a couple restarts because I would tell the Cops to wake up and a Citizen mistakenly thought they were cops. Oops, in retrospect, I should have scribbled the initials for the French equivalents.

In the midst of feeling at home here, I have decided to throw a little party at my apartment next week. And as you know, there will be the usual Susan affair – lots of Asian food!

For the last four days, my cousin from the south of France and I have been running around town seeing cool Parisian stuff. She introduced me to some amazing Vietnamese restaurants that rival my mom’s cooking and some great shopping destinations. We went to the rooftop of the department store, Printemps, which had a fantastic view of my home, Sacre Coeur, and of course, the Eiffel Tower. Then, I wandered le Commerical Centre Italie 2, Lyon train station that reminds me of Harry Potter boarding his train for Hogwarths, and a different side of Parisians. She introduced me to her former L’Oréal coworkers, all of which are very stylish and intelligent. One took me shopping at La Défense and we chatted away using half English and half French for the evening. Apparently, she needs to be fluent in English in a week. I suggested that we do a language exchange :) I always have great ideas!

On a funny note, I felt like seeing a movie, so I did my research of English-speaking movies in its original version (VO) and found "Two Days in Paris." I was thinking it was perfect because I love Paris, comedies, and romance. I got to the theater early, sat happily in the perfect angle from the speakers and waited through the previews. The first 10 minutes was all in French - and no subtitles. I waited another 10 minutes. Oh, an American comedian I recognize, this must be when the English parts start. Then, more & more French. I can understand what was going on, but is it worth $14 to have a headache after a movie and miss the subtle jokes? I run out of the theater, asked one of the workers what I could do. They told me to go into another theater playing "Si j'étais toi" (If I were you) with David Duchovny, which was never released in the US. It was a creepy movie that played with the idea of incest and how far love could push you, but David did a good job portraying his character. It was set in Massachusetts and made me ponder home for a second.

On the way home, I realized how lucky I am. People tend to think so negatively about the world, but I always find amazingly nice people. The people at the movie theater could have told me to go to hell, but they helped me find another movie and they even showed me where the new room was located. My first day in Paris, I was carrying my over-sized luggage up and down the stairs throughout the metro stations and at least three people gave me a hand. On my first day in Paris, I got locked out of my friend’s apartment. I stopped my soon-to-be-friend on the street for directions for the nearest internet café. Then, she offered her internet at her apartment not too far away. And on craigslist, even when a ton of people have showed interest for an item, often times the owner will choose me after chatting with me. Today, on the way home from the metro station, a man who recognized me from several weeks ago in the TATI department store checkout line stopped me. He was selling bread and gave me a loaf saying that it was so good that I will return. (btw it was really good) He mentioned that he and his American girlfriend would love to have me over for dinner. Perhaps, it is happens to everyone, but I feel like things align just right sometimes.

So, I am off to Arles and then, Montpellier next week. The south of France has a reputation of the sun, beaches, relaxation, lavender, and a fine retirement plan. We will see if I ever return.

Paris Week 4

2007-10-21T06:54:00.000-04:00

After popular demand and instead of me relishing details of my life over and over in creative insightful ways, let’s mass-produce my dailies with one punch.

Here we go. Rubgy. Poor France should have made it into the championships last weekend but lost to the evil English. I was there! Well not at the stadium in Paris because they are hosting the games this year, but at the Champ de Mars, or the grassy area, by the Eiffel Tower. Massive TV screens were put up and everyone sat obediently on the lawn and watched the game. Oh, that’s until my friends and I tried to get to the center to picnic that we got insulted and screamed at to “assieds-toi!” or “Sit down!” Oh what darlings, you Parisians.

In other news, I worked a total of 2 hours this week. Thanks to the ever-punctual France transportation strike. The strike occurred on Thursday and dwindled a little on Friday; nevertheless, the French school system hasn’t given me a real schedule yet and only booked me for Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday for work. Lovely! After “working” just three weeks (including this following week), I get two weeks paid vacation! Gotta love the French school system. So I might be off to Montpelier to visit my cousin.

We hit up Truskel near metro Strasbourg St. Denis. It was a typical smoky crowded bar. Some thing was up because over 75% were male. And still my friends complained that they couldn’t find a guy. Oh, poor singletons… I met this dance troupe of 4 bboys (breakers) and wanted to see them perform, but my friends weren’t interested in chatting with people if it didn’t involve going home with them. So, onwards!

With a hookup from a fellow Tufts Alum, I met up with Bertrand at la Coeur Couronne near Les Halles to watch the final rugby match. South Africa won, duh, but it was a great game. Also, we met up with three Chinese expatriates through my roommate because she taught English in China for a year. So, my head might had exploded with the English, French, Chinese going around, but it was good fun.

On the metro ride home, an old rowdy group of Scotsmen were jeering with bellowing songs at another group of Englishmen at the end of the train. I was laughing because nothing they said sounded like English, just muffled letters. They spoke more Scottish to us and then, proceeded to give my roommate earmuffs because she actually understood their mutterings and blushed.

In other news, I have some photos up, so check out here and here.

Paris

2007-10-18T13:44:00.000-04:00

I have arrived safely to Paris. No need to worry about yours truly. I have luckily moved in, got myself situated in the grande ville, Montmartre to be precise. If you have ever watched "Amelie" or "Amelie Poulain" as she is known here, you will be quite thrilled that her neighborhood is just outside my doorstep. I look up and I see le Sacre Coeur. Very splendid at night. I have tried to take as many pictures as possible, but these riffraffs keep jumping in front of my camera trying to tie string around my fingers and then hassle me for money. I feel bad for those poor souls who fall for this one.

Good friends have helped me get comfortable. My pal from my Australia days let me bum for an unprecedented two weeks before I moved into my flat. A very nice flat of hers indeed. You know that saying that all you need to know, you learned in kindergarten? Well this is how I feel about my pal’s flat. I learn that Parisian apartments all have punch codes before even entering the lobby. Then, once you’re in, you also learn that they are super conscious of electricity costs because there are little buttons in the hallways that turn the light on and automatically shut off in a couple of minutes. How quickly you learn when you’re shuffling through your purse for the key to the door and then, “click” you’re in the dark in an all-of-a-sudden creepy hallway by yourself in a city you don’t know and the smells and feel are all so different.

Anyways, even the French doors are different. There aren’t any door knobs here. There is nothing you turn besides the key. Afterwards, I learned that due to old-fashion electrical wiring, there are many light switches that lead to nothing. So for the first week, I sat in the living room in the dark, except for the huge streetlights filtering through the room. After my pal returned from her trip, she showed me how plugging a lamp into a special outlet and turning on a switch across the room magically lit up the room. It was quite a trick.

Anyways, onto more absurdities of Parrreeee. There is shit everywhere. Luckily, I haven’t stepped in it. Somehow I have escaped life’s surest thing. Most streets are literally covered in old, relatively old, and very fresh droppings. Pet owners really don’t give a shit (haha, get it?) when it comes to cleanliness. I saw the hugest pile in the Latin Quartier – about 3 lbs of it. It must have been a large dog because I think a small dog could have been buried in it. And worse yet, it was right in the center of the sidewalk. Terrible!

I have started teaching at the high school in the 13^th district. I teach terminale students, which are students in their last year of high school who need to take a final exam, or the baccalaureate, or BAC for short. They need to take this test in order to get into France’s grande ecoles or best universities. I essentially help them with only a small portion of their test, the English oral exam. The groups vary widely in their capabilities. I have students who are already bilingual and some who are completely in the dark. I want them to succeed, but in the end, they decide whether they do.

I have also started tutoring a little grandma on her English. She takes classes at a local university, but wants an added private lesson to gain some confidence. Also, it helps that she is loaded. I have never seen a larger or more centrally located apartment in my life. It is a corner apartment overlooking one of the most splendid gardens in Paris. Plus, there are two door codes before you get into the lobby. So guess what that tells you.

bon voyage

2007-09-20T08:43:00.000-04:00

With less than a week of my final departure, I am getting more and more antsy about my future location. Living in Paris has been a dream since I was in high school This unbeknownst teenager never dreamt that anything like this could actually come true. However, low and behold, I have created better than imaginable possibilities for my life.

I have gotten married, bought a home, made a life in Boston, have a wonderful family and even more wonderful husband. I would say that is a full plate for anyone - not to mention a 25 year old. Nowadays, I don't look back on life and regret because everything I hold in my head and heart come from all that I have learnt in the past.

Soon I will embark on this new teaching journey. Interestingly, it won't take much of my time in Paris, which will allow me to discover the magical beauty and secrets she keeps. I have befriended a fellow teacher assistant whom I will share an apartment.

I am already preparing for a different career when I return to the States. I highly recommend the Myer-Briggs personality test, which essentially revealed everything that I already knew about myself, but didn't neccessarily knew that others perceived as well. Even more entertaining were the career suggestions that came at the end. Physician, psychologist, couseling, fashion merchandising, teaching, and management. See any accountant there? Didn't think so. Well how about that.

Until the next journal. Au revoir!

The Good Life

2007-06-04T11:54:00.000-04:00

Could I have fallen, bumped my head, and awaken to a dream sequence?

Good people of America, bring your fatigued bodies and minds and gather around my soapbox. I have good news for you today. Imagine a world where you are given 7 weeks vacation for seven months work. Imagine scheduling your next vacation while you are still enjoying your current holiday. Imagine counting down the days, not months, until you can lie back on the beach with the celestial skies warming your face. Imagine all this – guilt-free.

I have discovered the other side of life. The leisurely side.

Come autumn 2007 – spring 2008, I will be strolling European cobblestones, witnessing the art galleries of centuries past, sampling gourmet cheese and wines. I will be teaching a very relaxed schedule, a quarter of the regular US full-time work schedule, which will grant me freedom to envelope myself with the pristine wonders of French life.

Freedom, copious amounts of free time, a paycheck, French cuisine & art everywhere. I cannot envision a better existence for seven months of my youthful life.

Living for now

2007-05-28T11:30:00.000-04:00

Something that has been plaguing me over the last few months. My health.

Some have noticed the rash, the hives, the weakness, the sorrow in my eyes. They have asked, "What's wrong?" I would simply lie saying, "Oh, allergies" not wanting to get into something even experienced doctors cannot explain.

Quite suddenly in April, I was hit with what at the time I thought was the flu. However, when the flu became permanent hives, then debilitating joint pains, persistent bright red rash covering my entire body, and daily high fevers, I comtemplated that this wasn't just the flu.

Seeing specialist after specialist and then, having the entire department of dermatology study my case, I still haven't gotten an answer. This is a complicated case. A case that has stumped three specialists and intrigue the rest of their colleagues.

In the meantime, we have discounted a virus. With one more scan test, hopefully we can discount cancer. Which leaves us with an autoimmune disease, but which one? Perhaps, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis? In case you have not heard, autoimmune disorders occur when a person's overactive immune system starts attacking tissues in the body.

Based on that assumption, I have started on various medications and have started to feel better, except for the side affects of nausea, dizziness, and jumpy feeling. I have recently returned to work as well.

With thoughts that this illness may be terminal, I began considering the quality of my life. Am I happy? Is this exactly what I have dreamt of doing? Am I doing all I can to love my life? Then, the thoughts turned to my job. Working 10 hour days, frequent overtime, high stress, high exposure, little support from team/boss/higher boss. Have I bought into this fallacy of immediate sacrifice for the bigger payout too easily? When will I benefit from my life?

Don't get me wrong. I have plenty and more. I am simply curious about when I will have more time to enjoy them. And how.

Short of leaving my j o b, I am taking the small steps towards improving my life. Presently, whatever time I have available I must maximize until I figure out a way to increase it. These may seem insignificant to others, but they bring small bouts of happiness in my eyes.

1. Ctac and I reorganized our apartment's set-up last night. It feels much airier and I smile inside everytime I see it.

2. After my shower yesterday, I slathered on extra body lotion. Why save it when I can enjoy it now? A little decadence goes a long way.

3. I bought six pairs of shoes over the weekend. My black boots with small buckle are beautiful. My sparkly pink ballet flats are whimsical. My over-the-knee black seude boots are hot.

Finale. Got accepted. In Paris.

Live with no regrets.

American Youth

2007-05-16T12:26:00.001-04:00

If you know me, you will know how I feel about the American education. Simply, lacking.

Case in point:

This past weekend my little cousins came over to my parents' house. I suggested a game of Taboo because they had tore apart my racket set already.

If you have never played Taboo, it is a game of describing a key word to gain a point without using certain obvious clue words. Sound easy? Think otherwise.

Our group consisted of my cousins, 8 and 12, and my sister, 15. I have never heard my 8-year-old cousin say anything more to me than a whispered 'bye' and flash out the door. So instead of making her uncomfortable speaking, I had her sit next to me to keep me in line or buzz me for all you Taboo-gurus.

All was going well. Cos12 and Sis15 were guessing really well. Got 'brew,' 'polka dots,' 'JFK, jr.,' etc. Then, I got 'Saddam Hussein.' Mind you, I couldn't say, 'Iraq' or 'dictator.' No problem for a seasoned Taboo veteran. This is how it started:

Me: Okay. We are at war in this country.

Sis15: Iraq!

Me: Good. He was the leader in that country. You could even say president.

Cos12: [blank stare]

Sis15: hmmm. I don't know. Saddam bin Laden?

Me: WHAT?! uh, close, but you guys can do better than that.

Cos12 & Sis15: [blank stare] We don't know!

Me: Think harder.

[one minute later]

Cos8: The US took him and kill him recently. Even I know that.

Me: [my eyes popping out of head] to self: "I didn't even know what she sounded like until now."

Sis15: Oh yeah, Susan, did you see it on u-tube? It was really controversial.

Me: Your guess?

Sis15: Saddam bin Laden. I don't know who else.

Me: Sis15, you have two peoples' names in your guess. We're going to sit here until you figure it out because you both should know this.

[five minutes later or eternity in Taboo time]

Sis15: Saddam bin Laden! We don't know, Susan! Just tell us.

Me: Fine. Saddam Hussein. Have you heard of his name? You should know it.

Cos12: Well if my school doesn't teach me, I don't have to know it.

Sis15: Yeah, I am taking World history next year. I didn't learn it.

Me: I agree that school covers a lot that you should know, but school shows you only an outline for your knowledge. You need to fill in the pieces by going to the library and read on the internet. Don't count on school for everything.

I came home that night and told Ctac about this. Laughing, he said I had to blog this. Although a little bit ashamed, I hesitantly did. What do you think?

The only good part I could see about this is my Cos12 started asking questions about Bush's Iraq war, terrorism, and the Bush regime. Maybe he might get involved in his own learning.

'cuse me?

2007-05-12T23:33:00.000-04:00

After a quick conversation with the top person at my work, she says "Holla back if you hear anything." From our short meeting, I believe she was an older woman maybe with a couple of teenage kids. huh?

This was as surprising as the first time my dad tried using "cool" in a sentence. This really freaked out the teenage me hoping to be cooler than the folks. But now I know they are uber "cool!"

So cool that they are taking my sis and grandparents back to the old country. It is interesting that they spend so much time visiting one country, but have little interest in discovering the surrounding areas while they are out there. Different people, different goals.

By the way, Ctac bought a juicer and I am very concerned about how little fiber we will be consuming after all the yummy pulp gets discarded.

And in other news, I took my neighbor and his almost-one-year-old daughter, Sophia, out to an Asian lunch. She is so precious and almost walking and talking, repeating "Hi Su-san" in a shrieking manner.

A side I haven't seen

2007-04-08T10:58:00.000-04:00

After some investigation, I have discovered what my skin condition is called. Dermatographism is actually quite common, but I am still hoping that it will go away for good. Although from what I have read so far, it is a condition that has not found an antidote or cause for it. In the meantime, I am taking an over-the-counter daily anti-histamine that minimizes the itchiness and about 90% of the hive response.

For someone who has never been allergic to anything including any foods, seasonal plant debris, dust, or animals, this skin allergy comes as a complete surprise. I am going to try some experimentation to see if I can curb the effects, such as changing my diet, minimize stress, sleep more, work less hours, or maybe change my occupation.

My pal from San Diego made a good recommendation about an international luxury brand company that I will look into. Although it looks like I already have a leeway into an internal position by working my professional relationships. Isn't that always how it works?

Anyways, as a funny side note, last night I got a text from an unknown number with the following message, "When can u start eating yeast again? my friend's a bad jew." My internal dialogue start wondering, "When did I become a jew expert? I am Asian." So I called up the number and the dude on the line says, "It's [so-&-so]. I guess you don't have my number. I see how it is." What?! [so-&-so] surname, please? OOOOoooooh my little sister's ex-boyfriend from two years ago whom she broke his heart into itty bitty pieces, but still asked to drive me and Ctac to the airport in Rhode Island before sunrise and get her a cute maltese puppy just for fun. Oh, hey there, [so-&-so]. I think you have the wrong Susan. However how is university going (where you're half way done with business school, but getting offers from consulting firms that more than doubles my current paycheck). I am thinking I need to be extra nice because this dude was so extremely nice to my sister and absolutely perfect to add to my family because he understands Asian culture and everything that goes along with it, unlike some current individuals. However, my little sis chooses the path more difficult. As always. Anyways, we cleared up the misunderstanding. He figures out that I am Asian and am not an expert on Jew-related lifestyle or yeast schedules. I bid him best of luck with college and cross my fingers that my sister wakes up soon.

The second reason for the heading above: Ctac's new face on 'life.' We recently bought a home depot mice electrocutor. The box promises that it is very humane. Anyways, every morning since we got it, I haven't seen such explicit joy on someone's face like Christmas gift opening as the look on Ctac's face. It has caught 5 mice to date, but it feels more like 20 because I am always the one to notice the black box bugger blinking light signifying another capture. Once I was baking cookies and it must have crawled it way up to my top floor to enjoy the warmth. As I was watching TV a few feet away, I hear a weird zzzz zzzz zap zip for a couple of seconds and figured it was the TV show I was watching. I was actually present for one of the slaughters! It reminds me of the "Green Mile" with Tom Hanks when the little French dude's electrocution mishap. How so very sad!

Anyways, I am sort of thankful someone is able to toss out this little creature because I surely can't even stand the thought of stomping on a cockroach.

Single continuous line of events

2007-04-05T09:18:00.000-04:00

Let's start with Wednesday of last week (March) when I woke up in the middle of the night with a fever. ai-ouch And proceeded to shake vigorously for the next two hours, thereby awaking not too surprisingly to a major headache and huge under eye bags. Great, just in time for a huge meeting with my Section Manager who is impossible to schedule any personal time with because he works from a different state than mine.

Go in, it went bad, but not terrible (story of my work life), I leave early because of said flu symptoms and proceed to get worse for the next 4 days. Fever, chills, migraine, pressure behind my eyes, body aches. I blame Ctac for all his ailments the prior week and spreading his disease all over the apartment! And by taking care of me, he gives me one tylenol instead of the normal two pill dosage because he thinks if one makes you better, you should only take one ---- hello!!! Having the above kind of fever requires 30 pills if necessary!

Anyways, my health required lots of rests and orange juice, but I am finally rid of the flu. The very next day, I get to work and do my normal routine. For lunch, I make a shrimp salad with chickpeas, cucumbers, spring lettuce tossed in a mild Thai viniagrette. Moments later, I am breaking out with a terrible rash all over my body. By the end of the day, it is spreading to my face. I have a food/environment allergy. I think it was the shrimp. Today is the fourth day of having this rash and has subsided from my face, hands, and arm. However, my legs are still the worst looking like I rolled around in poison ivy during a frollick in the forest.

Today, along with my skin allergy, I have a sore throat. Drats, Ctac!

workplace weirdos

2007-03-27T08:40:00.000-04:00

It's still early, but there is enough observations to share with you on weirdos in my area:

1. dude clipping his nails
2. dude who hiccuped loudly, but just once & only once on a daily basis
3. dude from number 2 who excessively sighs repeatedly like he just finished the nasty - throughout the day
4. dude #2 who gives a big fat laugh exaggeratedly after his own comments and most definitely when no one else is laughing around him
5. dude #2 laughs inappropriately at the Boss - eeekk
6. people who leave their phone ringers on with a not-so-cool melody and it rings often
7. a manager who enjoys tapping people condescendingly on top of your shoulder a couple of times whom I haven't stopped yet because he sneaks up from behind
8. the super delegators
9. the dude who stays late every night, but he only has one account - "what is he doing?"

see you later, decorator!

2007-03-09T09:59:00.000-05:00

I am absolutely enthused with this episode series on Bravo. On the surface, you would not think there was much to a show called "Top Design." Design of what? Fashion? Car modeling? After that last thought, I got turned off. Then, I caught a short glimpse while surfing through the enormous offerings of Dish Network Satellite. Goil, the quintessential quirky Asian, shot up on the screen for a sec saying something clever/design-nerdilicous, yet adorable. oooh he reminds me of Stan's good friend who recently married! This tv dude though has impeccable sense of structural beauty with a touch of fun and originality. My next favorite has got to be Matt. This laid-back fella is a dad who broadcasted in the first episode that none of this show really matters. What art is to him is going to a pumpkin patch and picking out a pumpkin with his daughter, bringing it home and placing it in their house. Aahhhhoooooohhhhh. Is he not the most endearing guy ever? Plus, he is pretty handsome in the cruffy, smiley, hardworking sort of way.

I love this show. Not only is it complete eye candy on screen, it gets you thinking, "What can I do around here [your home]."

Happy Birthday Ctac! (and more randomness)

2007-03-06T08:28:00.000-05:00

Ctac and I may have found the house. We are making the proverbial dash for it because which ever house we touch, turns into gold (or a goldmine).

In other news,

Happy Birthday, Ctac! He has joined the quarter century club. Let me tell you a few things about it from all my experience of the last two months. Some enter resistantly, but to no avail. The grim reaper always makes his mark. To make the transition alittle bit smoother, realize what is in your head and heart are far beyond your youthful years ;) (if you are lucky). Everyone has (has already or will) reach this milestone. You aren't alone. And finally, there is always 40 to cackle at. Happy B-day, stas-ula!

To all those Lost-obsessed TV-viewers: if you cannot get enough of your favorite characters, get your fixing at TUFTS. Home of the Jumbos conducts an experimental college course on the marketing (Dharma-Int)/communications (polar bear=global warming)/interactive viewing qualities (vote off a character) of the future in which Lost became a phenomenon. I guess $40K a year doesn't amount to much these days.

odds and ends

2007-03-02T16:48:00.001-05:00

Some of my many recent thoughts:

Lidia's Family Kitchen show rocks! Who else shows off how to cook the ugliest fish: skate, monk fish (poor man's lobster), etc.
Jacques Pepin's cooking showcases easy, quick French culinary tips. Though everytime I watch him, i am saddened that Julia Childs is no longer cooking with him.
Both of the above are amazing to watch because they cook like real people. They use everything. They scrape the pan for all the goodies. They aren't afraid to use the same pan or utensils for various plates. They aren't hampered by having to cook "prettily" like Giada or Ina Garden. For instance, they use regular plates as pot covers. They don't have a million little cups of each ingredient. They cook family style dishes, not stupid tiny bites of food. That irritates me. They use whole pieces of meat attached to the bone. En papillote (food steamed in a foil tent) - completely UN-fussy!

House-hunting is extremely difficult. Houses in New England are mostly over 50 years old, have wet basements, and issues with the roof, electric wiring, walls, land, support beams (pick one). Althought I am starting to consider any of these houses more and more because having to deal with apartment neighbors sorta sucks (even if you like them). If I have to listen to the continuous humming of my neighbor's stove vents for an entire night one more time or their obsessive need to keep the bathroom fans on, i am going to scream. They seriously need to quit eating dinner and taking showers at 11pm.

Also, when can I get a moment of silence? I don't believe that they actually have jobs. Every Friday that I stay home, I either see them leave their apartment at 11am or hear them on the computer in the middle of the afternoon (their computer is on the other side of the wall in my bedroom). I hear everything!

And then, there are the neighbors on the other side. When they play their booming messages on the answering machine, I feel like screaming, "Don't forget to call them back!"

It's venting day!

Chuc mung nam moi!

2007-02-19T08:34:00.000-05:00

Back to work & back to my French radio. Listening to le mouve. Sorta strange broadcasting with funny high-pitch character dialogue, but nevertheless, more interesting than the culture broadcast. If I hear one more thing about eee-raK, I'll pop my top.

As many as you know, we have passed the first full moon of the lunar calendar meaning it was time to celebrate the New Year. This particular time of year is more eventful than Christmas or Thanksgiving. This is when real Vietnamese family get together and go from house to house to wish each other love, peave, and happiness. Along with the warm ties to family, much of the focus is on the children. Each adult gives a little red envelope stuffed with lucky money to each children (or unmarried person, although it occasionally has a max age-limit like past college age). This gift is used for fun and happiness in these kiddies' lives for the upcoming lucky new year.

Growing up, my sisters and I hardly got many lichee (red envelopes) because my parents were the first ones from their families to come. There was a small Vietnamese community, but nothing that compares to the one now. Now we actually have enough members to fill the Bayside expo center for music & dance show, plus a car show display. Participating in this for the last couple of years, I have noticed the growing interest of non-Vietnamese members of the Boston community. Looks like kids are bringing their school friends, and spouses their spouses along with their little mixed children. Our times are a-changing indeed.

So, yesterday included hanging with my parents and their cousins' family. The tiny tots were dressed in their New Year's best: traditional dresses complete with hat. We ate lots of spring rolls, eggrolls, bbq pork, and pork patties. Hmmm I love pig platters. Then, there was seafood, and thinly sliced meat hot pot... cognac, wine, etc.

Overall, it was a good time minus some ignorant comments from non-new year celebrators (not ctac). saying the 4 & 8 year old cousins were too young to receive the red envelopes and then, complaining the cognac was served in the wrong cups.... hmm geez. Note to self: limit invitees to not stupid people.

oh, when the weather is frightful, but oh the world is so delightful

2007-02-15T08:58:00.000-05:00

.... or something to that effect.

If you have got your head stuck in the ground for the past few days, you would know that New England got a huge pounding of snow, sleet, & rain. Our first little Noreaster.

And here we thought we would get away in 2006/2007 without a lick of ice. Au contraire, mon frere.

In light of this wonderous Valentines's gift Mother Nature bestowed onto us, ctac and I made the most of it with martinis, margaritas, and a slippery walk to a local Mexican restaurant we both like. With the mean vodka apple martinis ctac concocted, we enbraced ourselves for the hard onslaught of hail. Our once lively, laid-back artsy neighborhood became slick shine of ice and muddy puddles. People were huddling in the Citizens ATM and hiding in the tiny hallway of our favorite Italian restaurant.

We got to the resto, got seated in a nice spacious booth close to the electrical fireplace, and thawed out alittle. We started with a huge heaping of super nachos with splendid chili. I detected a tinge of sweetness, which did a great job of balancing out the hot and saltiness. Fresh sour cream, oozy mix of cheeses on every crispy chip. It was perfect. Ctac got steak tacos and me fried fish tacos. My favorite since my trip from San Diego last year. Stuffed with a large fried haddock piece (sorta like the English fish & chips), then topped with cabbage salad with tangy mayo. It was a delicious melody of acidic, sweet, hot, savory, crunchy, crispy, soft taco shell.

We have this tendency of going out all the way or not at all. By george, we did it again. For the second straight year, we crawled back home, took a diesel nap, and watched Lost on DVR. Nothing could have gotten in the way of our lovely evening. Not even alittle snow.

la mode fraiche

2007-01-26T15:11:00.000-05:00

As some of you know, i have submitted my application to the French Embassy to teach little kiddies English along with a side of American culture. Hearing only raving experiences teaching abroad for programs, such as the JET program, I am more than ready.

I pulled a few strings to help me get place in my first choise: Paris, France. Having a designated accommodation, entrance into a study abroad education, or participating in a few classes apparently nudges you into one school district rather than another. So, is it not to my advantage that I have famille en France, specifically Paris. bon chance.

In preparations, I have posted casual language partner activities and just starting to obsessively listening to French radio. Oh yes, la guerre en Iraq, culture, le pied en terre (hitting the pavement for real voices), etc entirely en francais. Dude, I catch about every other phrase. I have a ton to learn.

In light of my giddiness around my travels, I have begun collecting antique French, Italian posters, calendars with vintage-looking brands. It is pretty nifty because once the month ends, I can frame and hang fabulous new artwork. tres cool.

movin' and shakin'

2007-01-12T08:14:00.000-05:00

the day-to-day grind is getting old. nothing to really enjoy, just a steady stream of annoyances.

so i am doing something that i have only dreamt of. i am making living in europe a real thing. i am in the process of applying for a teacher's assistant. with a background in education and the handy skills of english, i am incorporating love of kids, teaching, travel, salary, living like the natives, and meeting new people. yes indeed. miracles can happen.

while i'm out there, i will check out potential companies and get a better understanding of the corporate world in europe. who knows, i might find myself tenting out on the seine with a glass of wine, brie, and baguette.

Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

2007-01-01T17:43:00.000-05:00

I made these ctac-approved cookies hoping that his fiber intake would increase. success!

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 granulated sugar
2 extra large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cups packaged finely shredded unsweetened coconut (toasted)
6 oz dark or bittersweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup dried cranberries
any kind of nuts - optional
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat together butter and sugars in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until just blended, then beat in almond extract, baking powder, and salt. Add flour and mix at low speed until just blended. Stir in oats, coconut, chocolate, and craisins.

Arrange 2 TB mounds of cookie dough about 3 inches apart on a SILPAT sheet (about 8 cookies per sheet) and gently pat down the mound. Put cookies into HOT oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes total.

Cool cookies on sheets 1 minute, then transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies in same manner.

Makes about 24 little (2 bite) cookies.

Happy New Years!

2007-01-01T17:31:00.000-05:00

In light of many celebrations, my little sis' birthday dim sum outing, dancing at redline for an out of town college friend's birthday, and lastly a better than expected New Year's Eve party with lots of Harvard Law School students who surprisingly know how to party. haha At first I was apprehensive about going because these people were mostly strangers. plus it was cold out and i was feeling a bit lazy. it turned out great. i met this really cool funny girl who wants to meet up with me, she says definitely soon. how could ctac tuck her away for sooo long?! oh right, it was self-inflicted since she just got out of a suppperr long relationship. she's freee! free to have fun with me!

at the party, we jammed to this guitar video game. ate tortilla chips with seven layer mexican dip. tickled a little kitty. and tried yummy champagne, wine, and minty chocolate drinks on ice. hmmmm thanks sarah! i am still a kid at heart.

my mom called to wish me a happy new year. called my little sis to see how time square treated her (well)! this is a great way to start the 2007!

beauty must

2006-12-28T22:43:00.000-05:00

oprah is our modern day savior for all women. she finally covered a topic i feel very passionate about and upset that so many women are ignorant about. their eyebrow shape

i kid. seriously though, i see so many decent looking women walking down the street with this humiliating toothpick line that they call an eyebrow. yes, we pick and pluck to find a shape or an arc that matches those magazine covers. however do we ever achieve those results. clearly, many have failed. all these commas: yes - eyebrows that start back an inch from where the eye begins and then do a little half loop resembling commas - shouldn't exist if you are a dignified woman!! "comma" example:(girl on left)
it took me awhile to find a clear example of the "comma" eyebrow because honestly they scare the hell out of me.

Then, there is the "twig" eyebrow. Pretty much everyone either knows someone with this condition or slapped themselves out of it when they realized full brows are beautiful, natural, and not to mention flattering. for kicks and giggles, check out "twig":
(2nd & 4th girls)
And don't get me started on people who are holy hell afraid of any and all eyebrows. verging on the point of shaved brows.(3rd person from the left)(first person from the right)

i forgot all these people's names except for the last. she's a friend. i'm pretty sure she'll find it humorous. that or she would quit rubbing off the brow powder i apply on her before we go out on the town! *hands on hips* you know for all i do, what do i get? ppl who don't listen to me when i'm right. *huff* geez i shouldn't expect much anyways. even their eyebrows quit on them.

check out this lovely site for further tips and diagrams. finally, a woman who knows her brows.

ouch

2006-12-22T15:20:00.000-05:00

for my birthday, my sis got me a fun little tool from William & Sonoma: the microplane. great for quickly zesting that lemon peel into a capinelli or have a little orange zing in a drink. well i am creating that lovely portuguese sweet bread as xmas gifts and while zesting my lemon, i accidentally zested my thumb knuckle. ouch!! my worst kitchen nightmare.

it was not as much as i once dreamed it would be. I washed the microplace, finished zesting the rest of the lemon, went to the bathroom to disinfect my hemorraging thumb. about 10 minutes and three bandages later, the blood stopped gushing.

now the only thing alittle nerve-wracking is when i change bandages. the jaggard edge white flesh where skin used to protect gives me the heebie-jeebies. though i can't help from staring.

holidays

2006-12-22T09:01:00.000-05:00

yay. my sis is coming from NYC for the holidays. we get to mingle with a Nobel Prize winner tomorrow night at a friend's holiday/engagement party. then, there will be mad dash to finish up those last minute shopping adventures at our local mall. luckily this year I have been pretty well organized enough that i collected nintey percent of my gifts over the last six months. can't wait to see ctac's face when he gets his!

some of my many ideas gone array - gift for ctac's parents. i found this great large framed mirror for their home. too bad at the last second before checking out, i found a tiny scuff on the frames' edge. then i was going to make chocolate truffles for my work mentor, but never made it to the grocery store because my car is in the shop. not having a car and relying on rides from workmates, parents, & fiancee require lots of patience and certainly gratitude!

i'm off to the grocery store on foot. i am making portguese sweet bread and (cayenne, grand marnier, coffee, or raspberry - all or some of these flavors) chocolate truffles. yum!

2006-12-20T13:22:00.000-05:00

thanks to all about mipmup

1. what year was the best year of your life? 2001 or 2002. for taking control of my life and moving to Australia and for meeting my Ctac.

2. one animal or insect that noah should have left off the ark? armidillos were on there, right?

3. do you make a wish before blowing out your birthday candles? unfortunately not. I'm not superstitous

4. do you generally open your bills on the day that you receive them? everytime

5. how many pillows are on your bed? 3: two orthopedic ones and one long body peee-llow

6. favorite ice cream flavor? pistachio

7. what is the most dominate color in your wardrobe? black of course. pink is a close second

8. have you ever seen a ghost? nope

9. would you rather go to a carnival or circus? I hate both, but if I must choose, carnivals because the animals always look so desperate and pathetic at circuses.

10. favorite meal: breakfast, lunch, or dinner? lunch

11. your favorite fictional animal? anything flying or the winnie the pooh's friend kangaroo

12. have you ever flown first-class? nope, just business class

13. would you go on a reality show? no

14. are you more optimistic or pessimistic about the future? optimist

15. pancakes or waffles? pancakes - thin big ones (crepes)

16. if you could own a home anywhere in the world, where would it be? in Paris

17. your favorite soup of the day? mushroom soup

18. what site is a must see for all visitors to your city? the red brick trail

19. can you recommend a good restaurant in your city? plenty! north-end restaurants, chinatown ones, french ones. my favorite -- dimsum at imperial garden

20. you go to the zoo; what is the one animal that you want to see? penguins.

21. potatoes, rice, or pasta; which is your favorite? pasta

22. what is the best movie that you've seen this year? borat

23. one of your favorite books when you were a child? various babysitter's club

24. what in your life are you most grateful for? having a close and supportive family

25. you are home alone and use the bathroom; do you close the door? yep

26. what is your favorite small appliance? coffee maker

27. salty snacks or sweet treats? salty snacks. salty - bugles (salsa favored), combos (regular cheese), or cape cod chips (salt only)

28. are you usually a little early, a little late, or right on time? quite often late

29. what is the most daring thing that you have ever done? got up & moved to Oz, then traveled on my own around the country, & skydiving in New Zealand

30. have you ever met someone famous? if yes, name one. the black guy in the wheelchair from the HBO show "Oz"

31. what was one of your favorite games as a child? pretend with my stuffed animals or a dance off

32. at what age have you looked your best? 19.

33. one person that never fails to make you laugh? ctac

34. what was the first music that you ever bought? spice girls

35. if you could change one thing about your family life when you were a child, what would it be? not being such a brat to my parents

36. what is the one thing that you cook that always receives compliments? my lasagna

37. from what news source do you receive the bulk of your news? bbc

38. in the last calendar year, how many people have you told that you love them? 4

39. who received your first kiss? gary f.

40. the single most important quality in a mate? sense of humour

41. what do you value most in a relationship? understanding

42. do you believe that you have a soulmate? if yes, have you already met? no, don't believe in 'soulmates'

43. do you consider yourself well organized? yes, in a messy way

44. on average, how many times a day do you look at yourself in the mirror? 7

45. did you ever make a prank phone call? yep, left messages on ppl's machines about their partner's infidelity. I was 11 or so. really dumb

46. what one quality do you seek in a friend? good listening skills

47. have you ever killed an animal? no. well actually perhaps a fish or crab I accidently left out of water for too long.

48. when you were 12 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up? a doctor

49. do you believe in a afterlife? no

50. what would you like to accomplish with the remaining years of your life? travel and plant a garden

perfect 10

2006-12-14T14:00:00.000-05:00

Inspired by mipmup's entry, I would like to share my continually rotating dishes du jour.

pan-fried salmon with curry couscous
congee with slight chicken stock
yogurt with honey drizzle and Trader Joe's vanilla almond granola
baken chicken thighs with garlic and rosemary
home-made chicken soup with plenty of vegetables
thinly sliced cucumber sandwiches with a bit of mayo and dash of salt on toasted bread
rigatoni with red sauce, sliced carrots, & leftover meat
Afghan sauteed livers in cumin and curry spices
lasagna with layers of grilled eggplant, ricotta, and ground turkey red sauce
mini yogurt crepes with nutella and jam for Ctac

What is your top 10 dishes?

what can't you bare to live without?

2006-12-14T11:37:00.000-05:00

Inspired by my fav site, I wanted to share my super neurosies. Items I cannot bare to be without, for life wouldn't be as pleasant.

blistex lip balm
pho
garlic
daily dose of music
pumas
Lubiderm lotion
olay SPF 15 facial moisturizer
snowflake pajama pants
the internet
Blind Date - show of tasteless ppl shoved into small quarters. My all time favorite!
Will & Grace reruns
my celly
food network television
English black tea with milk
Equal sweetner
bloglines
sriracha
my engagement ring
earrings

what are your obsessions?

Me & more me

2006-12-11T10:10:00.000-05:00

Inspired by mipmup.
grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. write down what it says.
page 18 is actually blank, but page 17 reads, "How is a project organized differently than a functional organization?" from Project Management Using Earned Value by Humphreys & Associates Management Consultants.

stretch your left arm out as far as you can. what do you touch first? my office cabinet

what is the last thing you watched on tv?
food network's 'Good Eats' on xmas cookie decoration

with the exception of the computer, what can you hear? chatter on office intercom

when did you last step outside? walking to zee Lexus this morning

before you came to this website, what did you look at? waxing articles

did you dream last night? not that I can remember

when did you last laugh? Last night when Ctac kiddingly frowned after my mean comment when he confessed he had been taking me to a friend's wrong house when I was looking for my sister and her car to borrow this entire year.

what is on the walls of the room you are in? fiscal work calendar, Ctac & my vacation pictures, certificates of training completion, watercolor of some dude rowing a boat in a lagoon

seen anything weird lately? a car had a worn sticker above the car's brand emblon, but it looked like a British crest

what is the last movie you saw? Borat

if you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first? my parents' retirement

tell me something about you that i don't know. my top lip can touch my nose

george bush. if he weren't my boss..... I would drop him in the middle of the Afghani mountains and see what happens.

imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her? oh crap. Actually, I am not having kids.

imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him? double drats. junior of course.

would you ever consider living abroad? Of course. I have already.

hmm hmm Lemon Cake

2006-12-11T08:51:00.000-05:00

Ctac went about baking at 10pm last night and arrived at his, yet again, wonderfully moist and flavorful lemon cake. So far I can tell he used plenty of olive oil (lipid of choice) and lots of lemon zest & some rind until I mentioned that people don't usually use the white stuff. I am very proud of my fiancee. After fending for himself all weekend while I was vacationing in NYC with my family, he has inspired my next eager arrival home to my cozy, pastry-ambrosia apartment with Ctac in an apron & nothing else. Oh, just me daydreaming.

To be Asian-American

2006-11-29T14:07:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking about the differences between being Asian and acting Asian.

I thought these two were nearly the same until I began living with Ctac. He shows me how Vietnamese I am. For example, when he gets sick, the first thing I do is grab the yow sen (excuse me for the spelling – I spelled it out phonetically), which is similar to 'White Flower Oil.' It is the green spearminty oil that does what American Vick’s vapor rub does. Then, I cook him some cháu or congee.

He must think I am crazy when I dot a bit of funky-smelling oil under each nostril and then thrust a heaping hot bowl of viscous white mush. However, he never complains about how much better he feels after!

Further, there is a profound happiness when I go grocery shopping at an Asian supermarket. I can find bamboo shoots, canned quail eggs, century egg, big miso bags, cantaloupe soy milk, instant phó noodles, and drinks with young coconut meat. yum Though when I look back at Ctac, he ends up trailing me around the market, asking feverishly, “Can we go yet?”

There is one Asianique agreement we have. We love Asian décor. Fresh green walls, plenty of Buddhas in bitty to larger sizes, room separator screens, simple furniture, the elegant curves of Asian dining table and chairs. Plus, I want a Koi pond in the backyard. That is one thing I am sure he would love too!

You know, I surprised myself how Asian I am.

Black Friday Sale

2006-11-25T22:10:00.000-05:00

Boy, I am on a roll! One entry per month!

After much rest, I have fully recovered from the car accident. My neck is much better, now having full capacity to turn and have more than a 90-degree full peripheral vision. My co-workers all commented on how grand it must be to be young and see speedy recoveries. How great it is.

Also, I have returned safely from Vegas with Ctac. We spent four splendid days in the wonderland for adults. All I can say: I love Paris & their nostalgic replica. We climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower (again) taking in the views of the LV boulevard. Showed Ctac around the Fremont experience. Even better, I left Vegas with a profit. I hit it big on the roulette table! haha

Finally, the reason for my inspired entry: Black Friday sales. For the third year in a row, I have braved the lines, mob emotional tendencies, and the pitch darkness of the wee-early morning for that unprecedented deal. Only this year I was working sans Ctac because he had to work (and his alarm forgot to wake him).

With my bitty list in hand, I realized I was going to make slightly pricey purchases. Weighting my options, it became clear that instead of shopping in MA, I could drive 30 minutes north and purchased in tax-free NH. How wonderful.

There I was, driving I-93 at 5am arriving at the local over-the-border Wal-Mart with the entire parking lot full and people streaming in herds. Excited, but slightly wishing I brought my own crew, I swished around the shopping carts pile-up causing a commotion and found the photography area in the back. I analyzed the line, watched customers purchase their items right there in the photo department instead of the front cashiers and waited, and waited some more. An employee announced there were only 100 more cameras (the one I wanted: Samsung 5 mega pixel for $88 (no tax)). Fingers crossed. I inched closer to the front of the line and laid my happy fingers on my first cherished deal of the morning. Using my $50 gift card my company presented me for my great work, I definitely pulled one over this store.

At the end of this leg of the Black Friday festivities, I left with my wonderful new digital camera, sewing machine (to make my own clothes), women's mountain bike, stereo system, and microwave (for a friend's housewarming party). All for under $200. Crazy right?

The most interesting part of this whole experience was definitely observing all the 'crazies' (for deals)…. packs of teenagers awake at 5am, graying men searching for where the line starts, a fat guy riding around in his mobilized cart carrying all his deals in his front basket, even a French-Canadian family whose father-figure came over to help me put my huge mountain bike in my shopping cart. I bet they took one look at me and wondered how "crazy' I was. Desperately needing two carts for all my purchases, but no way! This mighty Asian girl isn't going to let something, such as a five-foot box and bulky sewing machine and microwave keep me from my maneuvering toward the sales!

Quite satisfied, I ventured to the nearby Rockingham mall for a little peek at others' offerings. Not much in comparison, but I did see a huge majority of Indians at Staples and dramatically less at Target. Coincidence? Peut-etre.

Then, I returned home and went shopping with my sisters. I am so glad my sister came home from NYC. We always have a grand time joking and being quite silly. She has a wonderful sense of humor, very light-hearted and unexpected. Too bad the holidays are so short. Though x-mas is around the corner and I get the whole week off! I have one of those companies that completely shut down until after New Year's Day.

Anyways, I bought home a classic fitted blazer from Sigrid Olsen et knick-knacks. Fun-filled day as usual.

flexeril ...

2006-11-02T22:06:00.000-05:00

makes me feel loopy. I couldn't type my usual speed without a million spelling mistakes. Or correct myself at all. So you might have caught several errors in the last several post, but no more. Ctac teased me enough to motivate my improved grammar. Thanks, hun!

I had buffalo wings tonight at Whiskey's. hmmm the best wings for 10 cents in the world. Even Ctac ate them without wiping off the hot sauce! Really, that good :) The next best thing is finishing off with a cold beer. Only if I had caved in, I would be hallucinating right (with the meds & all), so I opted for soda water. Double yum!

car accident

2006-11-01T08:54:00.000-05:00

Things I have learned:

1. Car insurance with collision is good

2. Traversing 3 lanes of highway is bad

3. When your brakes lock, go with whatever direction you're in. Don't try to turn out of it.

4. People you have hit are nicer when they're driving a rental car (that's two in my lifetime)

5. Cops are mean

6. Cops have worse penmanship than some doctors

7. Cars are just hunks of metal - meant to protect you (replaceable)

8. The safety of ME (my body, mind, limbs, soul) are irreplaceable

9. Highway guardrails stop cars

10. Hitting immoveable objects (say, guardrail) is worse than hitting moving (say, car)

11. Physics was never my strong point

12. Tow trunk people are strange and have very bad rationale explaining why I can't leave my car somewhere else

13. Whiplash is scary and unpredictable

14. Stan is my hero

15. Winchester Hospital is efficient with exam, x-rays, and magazine selection. Almost too quick - no time for coffee

16. Friends and family calling to wish me well - Priceless!

2006-10-31T16:23:00.000-05:00

I hate Boston drivers! One nearly hit me on the highway yesterday and after a string of other events, I ended up hitting the guardrail in the middle of everyone's morning commute.

I quit driving for now. Might as well open up my art gallery here in my apartment and have patrons come to me. That way I won't need to deal with these weekday drivers! Check where you're merging!

flattered

2006-10-25T20:01:00.000-04:00

I recently visited these really interesting girls' site, Claire and Lara, and saw my website link. I am so flattered! One because I am so happy for their adventurous ambitions and enjoy vicariously sharing their experiences. And two, no relative stranger has ever linked me. yay for new www-connections.

In a celebratory way, I will share my deepest desires for what I would enjoy doing "when I grow up." In no particular order:
1. Travel writer - just like Lara & Claire!
2. Food critic
3. Flight attendant minus the service side - Stevens' family, please adopt me so I too can employ your mom's comp
4. Clothing buyer
5. Professional gardener
6. Fashion designer like Marc Jacobs or Christian Dior
7. real estate mogul
8. Restaurant owner
9. Gallery owner
10. Almost forgot - Children's Literature Author

As you can deduce, I love food, travel, and the arts. Therefore technically my current lame, but well-paying, government job is a means to an end. The end being, whatever I chose, I will surely be poor & struggling ... Of course, why wouldn't I start now?

Another day, another job. Although today, things were slightly entertaining. The normally harsh finance department was actually decent and humane. When did they hop off their pedestal? Anyways, I am still proceeding cautiously, but as always, like my silly self - I made an off-color joke to my co-workers. One of Ctac's Russian innocuous jokes popped into my head and necessitated its existence. Only it started this big discussion how my engagement/marriage to Ctac might be a source of pain when I go for my top secret clearance. You mean, it was not an issue when they learned I was Vietnamese? However, Russian/the Soviet back when Ctac was born is an issue? Aren't they from the same communist regime family? Well anyways, I wonder if anyone really pays any particular attention to what I do. Honestly, my job doesn't require much more than summarizing month after month's big topics. Nothing exhilarating here, guys. We aren't say... CIA or anything.

I contributed to my neighboring town today. I donated/paid for overdue DVD fines for movies I never got to see - Alfie & American in Paris. Nevertheless, Winchester desperately needs funds to build yet another swanky commuter rail station? (note - this is one of the wealthiest towns in MA. One of which has TWO commuter rail stops in a 3/4 mile stretch).

2006-10-25T12:31:00.000-04:00

Someone is snoring very loudly in the next cubicle. Should I wake him?

Lest us not wake him with all this loud typing!

2006-10-18T09:23:00.000-04:00

HOW COULD WYNN DO THIS??

My favorite painting is ruined. I will pay a tribute by imitating my own version. oh my poor painting... Le Rêve, we were so close. A measly month more and we would have been together in Vegas again. Stupid Wynn and his loud gestures.

Little surprises

2006-10-16T16:33:00.000-04:00

My roses Ctac gave me survived the weekend at work! The last two are tilting towards me with their large lionesque heads, still full and soft. How sweet.

I have been completely MIA in my blogging. Lots has been going on, but I've been way too lazy to mark it here. Mental notes are way easier.

tidbits: got my engagement ring back. It is beautiful! and fits perfectly. Princess-cut, 1-carat, flawless diamond. How did mr. financé figure all this out? Clever guy, I must say.

Then, I have a secret stash of CDs I finally received to add to my own collection: Putomayo presents Paris, Brazilian Lounge, Asian Lounge, World Music, French Playground, Italian café, & Pink Martini's 'Hang on Little Tomato.' These are all titles I have been dying to have in my own collection, but could never bring myself to shell out 100 bucks on music I would hear occasionally. However, I have figured out a way to get all this music free (fyi: does not involve illegal downloading either). Leave me a comment and I shall reveal.

Another surprise I care enough to share with all of you would the best thrift/bargain shopping in the world, but may induce fainting spells in people, such as Ctac. HERE If you are ever in Cambridge near Kendall Square and you're not afraid to get down and dirty to find some pretty sweet deals, you must come here. How I could live down the street from this place for 5 years and never revisited since that first time back in high school '94 with my girlfriends, astounds me. But no more, because in the last two days, I have encounter riches I never thought possible.

With my girlfriend and kid sis in tow, we ventured out to that side of cambridge (the one away from Harvard Square) towards the other university and found ourselves in a muck of pink plastic bag toters. Let's check it out I inspired them as we quickly found a lottery parking spot, hopped on out and peered into the first floor airy room. This is what we saw: ridiculous mountains of clothes. Not even hung up on hanger, just in random piles. You can only imagine what the regular person off Newbury street would think. Wait a minute, am I in the right place? Hell no.

My friend, sis, and I pushed forward. We opened ourselves to the graciousness of others' leftovers. What we soon discovered was pure gold. Anne Taylor skirts, tailored jackets, cute tees, Banana Republic gray work pants, shoes, Nordstrom sweaters, Brook Brothers button-up collared shirts, and my proudest moment: Chanel boutique mini dress circa 1995. ultra mod.

Plus, did I mention that you pay by the pound? Yep, $1.50 That is ONE-dollar & FIFTY-cents per pound. I wouldn't have broke my five if it weren't for the Martha Stewart curtains, heavy trenchcoat, Calvin Klein double-breasted peacoat. Fancy thrift is my new moto.

annoying coworkers

2006-10-12T08:10:00.000-04:00

geez,

Top Ten Annoying Co-worker Habits

1. whistling

2. pound their keyboard

3. leave their computer sounds on (their freaking 'you've got mail' ding keeps going off)

4. steal your booked conference room

5. while walking by your cubicle, stare at your monitor - every time

6. work closely with you on one thing, but never show up to your other meetings

7. give you wrong information

8. talk only about themselves

9. over-laughs over anything, especially after their own comments

10. sends you an e-mail only saying, 'stop by my office' nothing more

Reason for the web update?

2006-09-21T13:56:00.000-04:00

... because I am bored. I like how only a few lines are in pink and the rest are in soft, easy colors. Plus, small fonts are fun and cute. I'm a dork. I get that already.

Anyways, this is way cool!

Tickets are booked...

2006-09-18T12:48:00.000-04:00

... for a winter wonderland in Vegas!

Not that I will not have enough gluttony on Thanksgiving, but who could think of a better vacation spot than our country's Adult Disneyworld. Hooray!

If you might be pondering this, there won't be any quickie marriages involved ;)

- - -

On a side note, yesterday's going-away party was a success. Many good friends arrived. Of which, a few came on time (or early by others' standpoint) catching my sister by complete surprise. "What are you (friends)doing here?" Followed by "So we're not going to your (mine) engagement party?"

We caught a break with the most lovely weather - sunny, warm, mid-80's. Chillin' on the porch surround by surburban grass and a backyard! Ctac made a fabulous sangria with fruit soaked vodka. Only I witnessed the whole bottle of vodka poured in... oh poor Melissa.

I prepared an assortment of dishes: lamb with a rosemary, mustard marinade. Korean barbeque chicken. curry couscous. Norwegian potato salad. Deviled eggs topped with smoked salmon. Chips with red bell pepper/eggplant dip or spinach dip. cheesecake with sliced plum. And watermelon slices.

Later, we pummeled each other in the battle of all battles of DDR/mario-kart/chud-i-dy. This card game lasted nearly 5-hours!

However, before the evening was over, I presented the gifts for my sister and her boyfriend. IKEA gift card and fancy soaps. Guess which one she went for. Slowly opening the card that everyone signed. Oh, that's nice. Reading the IKEA IOU (in the mail). That's cool. Then, SOAPS!! AAAAAaaawwww thank you thank you thank you! oooohhhHHhhh fun... so many cool scents. I love almond! ooohh more almond handsoap... oh more bars ;)

We must part...

2006-09-14T12:35:00.000-04:00

Shopping for my sister's perfect going-away gift has not been so difficult. I know she'll be living in the land of opportunities, Manhattan, moving into a shoebox, starting a new job, and will have the best times of her adult life in the city that never sleeps.

Besides luxury soaps to perk up her air-draft bathroom, I have been surfing the IKEA website. I absolutely love their approach in introducing their products in fun, convenient, intuitive colors and styles. They are fresh, young, hip, and not stuffy about their products, unlike other furniture stores. (Jordan's Furniture) And to those naysayers, that calls IKEA crap. You're fucking idiots I'm paid to nod at understandably anyways.

I have found a cool new tool: the interactive IKEA catalogue. It literally flips the page with you. Built with this multimedia thing (that's the extent of my technical software knowledge). I am just happy using it! flip flip flip...

flip flip flip... awe, that's one cool living room arrangement (pg 94-95). full of light, spunky, fresh, innovative. I could look on with awe, but it takes a braver person to actually commit to this style and implement. I'd be the person sitting in the corner calculating the appropriate light levels in order to determine the optimal furniture color scheme, spacial arrangement, and accessories.

If I ever have that 'let's wing it' mood, I better use it wisely.

Over the last five years

2006-09-14T10:37:00.000-04:00

9/11 Commentator. I found this quite moving.

2006-09-09T16:01:00.000-04:00

I love my coffee and the arts, but who could have thought up this one!

2006-09-05T11:41:00.000-04:00

In Paris, at an internet cafe. Awaiting my favorite restaurant, Pot de terre, in the Latin Quartier to open because apparently eating is not necessary until 7pm. ohh my voracious tummy is giving me lip...

Jàdore Paris. It is everything I have ever imagined. The beauty, immaculent culture and history, the most delicious food in the world, all wrapped into this magical place. Ctac and I have been having the most amazing luck ... as soon as we arrived. Obtaining the most saught after hotel reservations in the city`s premier best worst-kept secret on the lìsle de la cite; then, as soon as we step onto the platform, our train arrives, simply walking aimlessly through the quaint neighborhoods and stumbling upon a breathtaking monument, structure, or most recommended street for shopping & eating. Absoluting magical...

The secret continues as we have our own...

Completed, done, finito, finis!

2006-08-30T14:28:00.000-04:00

I'm going to Paris, I'm going to Paris.

I cannot be more excited that I am going away, away to a faraway land where foreign foods, people, and architecture, culture rule. Could this get any better?

I have already promised friends lots of photos of me. In return, I will promise to have a pastry in my mouth in every photo. My gastronomic senses are running wild.

Ctac and I are attending a special exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts titled, "Americans in Paris." Can you say coincidence?

Another reason to celebrate: I completed a major presentation at work and not only did I know what I was doing and what I needed to get everything done and ready the way I wanted, it was a million times less stressful than the last 3 months' cycle. I only spend one late night (until 8pm) working on this at one point insurmountable project.

Yet, it was done, complete. Only minor corrections on D-day. At the end of it all, my big boss could only remark: "This is the best presentation package so far!" (Someone else ran this task for the last year and a half before me. However, when I showed up, I made the changes that got the thumbs-up.) Afterwards, she stopped by my desk to personally congratulate me, which was pretty wonderful. Not only that, but the super Finance dude (who got promoted to even bigger dude) congratulated me on a job well done.

This is personal accomplishment for how long it took. All the blood, sweat, and tears... *pat, pat on my back

2006-08-24T15:36:00.000-04:00

ooohh kitties!

Ouch, my feet have been hurting for weeks now. I wonder if I need more arch support. Perhaps I have flat feet? nope, just checked. Do heels have arch support?

2006-08-23T09:56:00.000-04:00

eh, light-headed. I gave blood yesterday after work. And never had I had any unusual spells of missing-blood syndrome. I thought it was all proproganda giving hypochondriacs an excuse to seek attention. However last night at the library, I was squatting by the magazine aisle reading Rolling Stones issue, got up in a quick jump to find my lil sis, only to almost pass out. I've never passed out before, but I sure as heck realize how strange it would be. A sec of 'not realizing what's going on' mixed with 'I can't think of anything - fuzziness' and 'I cannot keep my body standing.' flump.

Only me. I guess I was tagged by Ctac for a poll of stuff not belonging to me? I wasn't sure how this worked until I did alittle research and found the original JudeandSerene poll. Thanks mes dears.

What is a tag? The childhood game you used to play with your imminent crush, so only to allow for a moment of contact. Oh that was only me. Or Ctac might have a little crush on me ;)

Thanks, Ctac. I will amuse you all.

5 things in my refrigerator
1. Seven Japanese eggplants
2. Miso mix from ages ago (does it ever go bad?)
3. Lots of mustard bottles (I love all kinds: grainy, yellow, hot, honey, English, French...)
4. Sriracha
5. Fresh basil - love herbs

5 things in my closet
1. Lots of clothes
2. Plenty of shoes
3. bags, bags, bags
4. scarves
5. ab roller (collecting dust)

5 things in my purse
1. Car keys
2. blistex
3. cell phone
4. sunglasse
5. credit cards

5 things in my honda
1. a trash bag
2. CD player
3. tampax
4. pile of fashion magazines
5. Five seats (5 golden rings!! had to)

5 people we're tagging:
1. Can I re-tag fellow bloggers?
2. no technologically savy friends

Time to celebrate

2006-08-21T12:12:00.000-04:00

Eleven days until jet-setting off to the Europe.

New goal - take every possible photo angle of the Seine River. Oh, how romantic.

And now, Susie shall nap a bit.

2006-08-07T08:28:00.000-04:00

Just got into the office. They installed new soap "cobra," which dispense a foamy handfull. Sweet!

Arrived tres tard last night (nearly midnight) from NYC. Really random. Saw a former Tufts-mate on the Fung Wah bus. Chatted for a sec at the intermittent stop. Finally arrived in the South Station bus depot and caught up alittle more, then he gave us a ride back to our apartment. Fun guy. Allowed us to listen to his new rap singles, which he'd been producing in NYC with other jumbos. What is truly amazing is that he created the whole thing himself! Quite talented and not to mention, charming! He and his cute Japanese girlfriend came right up to our apartment, talked about Anna's, Mike's, how no one ever realizes that there are apartments right above our favorite restaurants, and a sundry of other topics that would have been otherwise quite ordinary if it weren't for Cloyd (and his Tennessee accent) and chill girlfriend. I thought it was funny that she noticed my instant miso packets. Apparently she is introducing Asian delights to her boo as well.

Successful weekend in NYC. We ran over late Friday evening only to grab food and pass out at Ctac's bro's new place in Brooklyn. With the morning sun streaming through the windows, we finally got to see what two young'ens can find over the Brooklyn bridge. Literally, this place is triple my apartment. A long rectangle in shape with a spacious living/dining space and a real bedroom that allows for more than a queen bed. The idea! Quite an adorable place. Heather has this incredible knack for decorating à la Parisian sophisticaté. Which gives me a wonderful idea for a going away package for my kid sis (who shall be moving to Manhattan in less than a month)!

Upon waking and bathing, I strolled about and found their rooftop. You have this ray of sunshine coming through above their kitchen sink. And you only want to know, "How can I get closer to that (whatever that is)?" Which led me to the rooftop! Plenty of potential for amazing rooftop parties with a view of Manhattan no less. Lots of refreshing air and people-watching opportunites. However we must eat!

We took a walk further into the neighborhood and by chance (well that's how I like to think of it) find this young, lively street with all kinds of restaurants. We sat ourselves in a French bistro, readying ourselves for the onslaught of brunch! Delicious moules frites (sautéed mussels & french fries), pitcher of sangria, and I was done. Or at least I thought I was. I stole a few bites of Ctacie's open-faced smoked salmon, poached eggs breakfast. I was in heaven. This makes me unbelievably anxious for French bistro food in PARIS! (we're down for the count: 25 days)

Afterwards, we visited the neighborhoods of Nolita, Greenwich Village, West Village, 5th Avenue i.e. The land of FABULOUS shopping and beautiful people. Everyone is a struggling model/actor. Amazon women shopping for the exact same top as you; it makes you think twice about needing it afterall ;) We visited this nifty "young designers' market," which was held in a school's gymnasium! Apparently, before they hit it big in boutiques or department stores, they show up at these nondiscreet tablecounters. Look for your next successful designer near you.

Then, we walked our tired arses down to the Rockerfeller Center area and proceeded to our ultimate destination: Central Park. Unfortunately, there was an amalgamated force hindering me. No, it wasn't Gene's nearly fainting from walk exhaustion or Ctac's looming sunburn or even my asthmatic episodes to the NYC pollution. ZARA. Why must you have 75% off clearances for all the items I need/want/LOVE!! Okay, I am not quite complaining about the sales, but it did stand in between me and the green pastors. I spent a good hour or two (time flies!) shifting through heels, pants, tanks, sweaters, gorgeous autumn full jackets *oh I love black tweed* I feel fuzzy inside thinking about wearing them with black leggings. Eventually I limited myself to a business sweater for fall in every color: black, pink, grey, white, blue, and a crop sweater, which I don't really need for work, but who knows when I might?

We took a taxi back to Brooklyn, plopped myself onto the couch while Ctac and Gene played videogames. I couldn't bring myself to a nap, but boy, did I sorely need it. Having not eaten since brunch early that morning at 10:30am (it was now 7pm), I thought perhaps all I needed was a bit of substinence. Heather recommended their favorite sushi place down the street. We got to this trendy, relaxed restaurant with soft lighting. oooh soft lighting makes my eyes cloooossseee. oh right! Then we sat in the renovated patio in the back with funky pillowseats. We ate crosslegged. How fun! Although I could name what I ordered (spicy tuna rolls and salmon skin salad), I couldn't tell you what was in it or what color anything was. By the looks of the shapes, I am guessing julienned bamboo shoots and seaweed with a drizzle of sesame sauce. The tuna roll was minced with a side of sriracha and a mysterious dark mustardy-color sauce, which I believe was more sesame sauce. not bad. However that could all be speculation.

So with a tuna roll and small salad under my belt, I could conquer the world. Well at least for the next hour, then my sugar levels plummeted. Not to fret! There was sure to be high caloric booze to come. We gathered ourselves into our party gear and met up with Sunny and Inga (the cutest Manhattan couple). OOOOOoooohh Inga was puppy-sitting a tiny shaggy-haired fella. I'd say it reminds me of sis' Luka, but isn't a maltese. Bacon (inga's pup) has the most interesting coat. White with lowlights of dark brown and sandalwood. I want one now!! Super happy and playful at first, but I guess these tykes tire quickly and soon passed out on the couch while everyone was chatting. He was kicking alittle while dreaming. ooooohhh Little sis, get a puppy faster!! As bonafide auntie, I can babysit :)

Losing my inertia, I forewent any drink knowing how many of nights I have ended with the combination of empty stomach, exhausted, and even two drinks: Sleeping at the bar. At a dance club on Lansdowne street, I literally sat on the steps leading to the dancefloor and took a nap next to the speakers. I was in dreamland until Liz tapped my shoulder and yanked me to the dancefloor. The only thing holding me up this night in NYC was Ctac's persistent jerking, I mean dancing. 'Naked Lunch' was fun. Lots of room for dancing and easy access to the bar counter. If only, I could have used it to rest my elbow and close my eyes for a tiny second. hehe. I loved seeing old friends, catching up on who's moved where (to Jersey?), and when's the next Maine retreat, or who's passing their dirty leftovers to buds. Quite entertaining! Even more so was the cab ride home. Someone's grappling the handstrap two-handed to rest their peaceful drunken head only to fall off at every turn. Going to bed, I remember lying there thinking, "I'm so hungry..... & so tiired.." passed out. I notice a trend. Do you?

In the morning after we learned everyone was well and luckily arrived home safely the previous night, we went for lunch. YUM! Another corner cafe for coffee, but this time poached eggs & smoked salmon atop a toasted croissant. Heavenly. We strolled toward the waterfront from the financial district and did something unusual of city people. Sat and relaxed for a few hours. haha Perhaps I'm not such a cityslicker afterall.

Before we knew it, it was time to go. We took a pleasant Vietnamese dinner at 'Nha Trang' in Chinatown (new to my knowledge). I could see Ctac's unwillingness to let go of his buddy. *tear. I shall be back. Soon enough. I heart NYC.

2006-07-13T18:11:00.000-04:00

Is it a bad sign when you forget how many hours you worked today - Was it 12 or 14? hmmmm (at least LOTS of bonus $$ in the paycheck)

2006-07-13T17:58:00.000-04:00

What to do... What to do...

So I have the option to come hang out in DC next week with free hotel, hang with friends, play some frisabee (I can see it already - I'll get the frisabee and get tackled by 250lb Matt. He'll get up, brushed himself off, and in his southern draaaawwlll will say, "Sooorry, Suusaan. Idid-ent meeanda knoockyaa dooown lack thaat." Then, smile and frolick off. Good times good times. sign me up!

With the workweek, I just accomplished, I got through working 40-hours by half the week (working weekends), pelting people for information when 80% of my company was away on vacation, presenting, get intensely negative feedback in return. Funny enough, I feel great unlike my financial counterpart. They fell apart after the up-teen meeting of how we all need to do better, work together smarter, redo this & that, etc. All the fists slamming on the table didn't phase me. Me? I am a tough gal. Peaceful as can be.

The other person, well let's say they were this close l l to putting in their two-weeks' notice. In the midst of this heartfelt conversation, they mentioned that they were hired at a level 1. LEVEL 1?? hmmmm The entry-level of entry-levels. haha They said they were pissed to hear that following new hires were offered level 2, even ones with mutual fund experience. hey, that's me! haha Well let's say, I am not level one. I would have been out the door already. Life is fair afterall....

Anyways, I do not feel guilt anymore. I deserve a freaking vacation after this week. Period.
I'm going shopping tonight & Ctac is treating.

2006-07-11T15:55:00.000-04:00

Boy, it is storming out. We haven't had rain since months ago when we were ridiculously deluged with floods for 8 straight days. I have this really sweet spot by the windows, so I get the latest on the thunder and lightening, oh the raindrops on the windowsill. Kinda calming. And now, I see lights again. New England, go figure.

You know lately I have been the most lazy friend. I go through these periods when I don't want to see anyone, then I begin to think that I don't need anyone. Evidently, growing up in a large family makes me not need people out there. These are the only people that I honestly care about. Funny, eh?

I might be going to DC next weekend. I have some extra hours saved up from work, so I can take it off without using personal time off. Sweet! Love DC. Ctac's company is treating us and if I come around to it, I might visit old friends from Oz... oh Kez - Maybe it'll be fun to catch up!

This friend from work told me his salary. hmmm kinda weird because I make what he makes and he's an engineer!

2006-07-05T09:45:00.000-04:00

I just managed to acquire an 'out of stock' phone just by dialing. Plus, I got a ridiculously nice motorola l2 for free just because I work here! And an amazingly cheap monthly phone bill due to my corporate discount, plus whoever else I feel like associating with my good company?

Good news! Good news!

2006-06-30T15:37:00.000-04:00

Time to celebrate. I have six paid days off from work.... whoo hhooooo!

You will find me out by the lake either tubing or waterskiing! I love vacationing with friends and at their country homes/inns ;)

2006-06-30T15:21:00.000-04:00

In preparations for a long weekend in Maine up in the heart of woodsy wonderland, I had the brilliant idea to wax! Woo hoo. Being a girl who loves to swim and bask in the summer sun, this is one of those tortutous rituals every girl must face.

I grabbed my box of Sally Hansen 'special' brazialian formula and microwaved my tiny plastic container. Ctac happened to work from home today and couldn't steer his eyes from a nude Susan frollicking about the apartment. Remembering the ozzie's few helpful hints about waxing - spread wax with the hair growth, yank off close to skin and opposite the hair growth & VERY quickly. I thought I had this covered. After Ctac's tenth question about this and that and what's happening? why? how does it work? Can I touch? Will it hurt? What is it going to look like? blah blah blah I thought, "why not get him more acquainted with my female kind?" Guess what happened next.

I set a thin layer of wax on my right bikini side, set a cloth strip and applied pressure in a few strokes, had ctac come over, showed him where and how to pull while I held the skin down. YANK --- Aaaawwww. a bit of hair came off, but clearly not all of the waxed covered area. Not enough pull. To his credit, he did not know how sticky and plastered it was to my body. When in doubt, pull harder!

So I ardently pointed to his corner and he returned to work. god-foresaken hair, that really stung. Luckily, after having to deal with worst possible initial pain, the rest was a breeze. Finished a couple of minutes later.

Word to the wise: when it comes to waxing, man is no gal's best friend.

2006-06-27T09:20:00.000-04:00

Here is another funny, yet sad, bit about ignorant Americans. When I was traveling Australia, I went to this party where we were playing drinking games. This girl from New Caledonia was seated next to me and was very friendly, wanted to play, but knew very limited English. So, being the helpful person I am, I described the rules of the game en francais.

During a-hole, this American kid who studied at Michigan undergrad, I believe, kept on repeating, "You know French?! Wow! So you know English and French?"
I replied, "Sure, I studied it in high school & college and spent a couple of summers in France."
"So, you're like bilingual?"
"Actually, I'm tri-lingual. I speak a bit of Vietnamese."
"Wow." He shakes his head, like it really rocked his mind.

Later that night while we are all waiting outside on the sidewalk. He seriously ponders, "I can't believe that you speak French. That's crazy."
Me: with eyebrows raised, "uuuuh huuuh. yep ;)" Who would have thought - an Asian-looking person knowing a language other than 'Asian.' haha

2006-06-27T08:57:00.000-04:00

One of my co-workers recently returned from their work-related trip to Japan. Happily strutting down the aisle, he offers gifts to buddies in the Japanese fashion of when on travel, gimme something cool on your return. Sometimes money is given beforehand (if you're lucky); other times there is no money, but the expectation is still there.

I like how one of my other co-workers who spent some time in Taiwan has vocally become the Mr. Knowledge about everything Asian. Oh, when the Taiwanese put their chopsticks on their rice bowls like this, it means they are finished eating. Oh, when I offer my business card, I hand it to them like this. oh, chinese is read from the top-down. Of course, these particular items are true.... in Taiwan. Some fail to notice that Asia consists of many countries/cultures. The blatant misconception often enough is Asia = one country. Obviously, because we all look alike ;)

During our Japanese Culture Awareness meeting, I sorta sit back and smile when interactions such as these happen. I appreciate how proud he is of his knowledge from living there. He is there to provide feedback about how Taiwan lives. However, mostly what we deal with today concerns Japan, not Taiwan. Of course, they are the same thing, so what is the difference, right?

It is quite hilarious because in my mind, if we were talking about say... Germany. How Germans carry themselves, what they expect from visitors entering their country, what sort of food you would see in German restaurants, how they dressed, the social, economic and political differences compared to the US. Then, I burst out about how Portuguese people eat sweet bread and love soccer and their mothers. Would anyone bat an eye? Probably. When you do this with Japan-Taiwan - does anyone notice? no.

ugh. I suppose traveling does not open people's minds. Only people can open their minds.

2006-06-26T14:00:00.000-04:00

Completely random. Everyone has heard of a tupperware party, but have you been to a candle party. I did yesterday and it was one of those awkward moments. A company friend asked me to come and even promised home-made creme brulee. I should have known something was fishy (har har).

I arrived. First one there. Made small talk with the mom, brother, brother's girlfriend. Helped myself to some french onion dip, baked chips and carrots. Sat and flipped through the candle catalogue. Surprisingly, they had some interesting, cute and sophisticated holders. Before drowning in the candle smells, people FINALLY arrive. About 6 more girls. All of whom were pretty ....well.... boring. Except for my good friend who invited me to begin with. Not too chatty, not particularly engaging. Just plain old preppy, surburan white girls. umm. The cookie cutter sort.

Then, the Sunday afternoon commenced. The candle connosoir began her spiel with what does, "hug, snip, tuck" have in common. Oh man, this is gonna be a long afternoon. But you could win tickets for a raffle at the end. So I was all for it.

After a few more games of pass the candle and candle trivia, we had the candle holder presentation. Someone find an odd number of candles, now a multi-height holder, one enclosed in a container. At the end, we were left with an unsettling pressure to buy. This is the part that I hate the most. When you come to these parties, the party holders feel an obligation to the presenter to bring together people to purchase their products. No matter how inferior they are to what you could find at the mall. Especially because we are all 'friends'. Really now, my tastes are way too picky to make a sudden purchase.

I got the same feeling when I went to a fake designer purse party. I do not want to buy a tacky looking Louis Vuitton for $50 with tags that say it was made in China and plastic handle. During the party, someone said, "I hope that people bought enough. I hope they (the presenters) made enough money." Honestly, if they are doing this for a living, they should go back to school or find a technical degree instead of 'stealing' money from post-college kids. I am telling you, you can get this cheap crap anywhere in Chinatown NYC for $20, not the $50 they are pressuring you.

Anyways, back to the candle party. At the end, when people were making their purchase requests: the host was waiting patiently, not saying a word because she was listening in on everyone's transactions, calculating her 15% cut from the profits that go towards her free gift. umm this was extremely strange for me because there was literally 10-minutes of silence in a room of about 10 people. So, guess what I did. I chatted. About nothing. Because I could not stand it. After about 5-minutes passed, I settled on dessert. A puff pastry and a slice of strawberry cheesecake. yummy. Afterwards, I rewarded myself with the creme brulee promised to me from the beginning. yay!

2006-06-15T09:54:00.000-04:00

damn, I just overwithdrew my checking account. Sometimes I'm more irresponsible than I would like to admit. damn damn damn overage charges.

The feeling of serenity every night when I lay myself to sleep hearing the pitter-patter of raindrops on my windowsill somehow gets shoved into my perverbial mental closet every time I must spend another day cooped up in my office building. No nature walks for this gal.

There has been word of sunshine this weekend. Though only a girl can hope for a relaxing weekend away in Cape Cod.

You know when you smell something funky when you first walk into a room. I got a strange wiff of something dirty in my cubicle and immediately wondered if it were me I was smelling. OK, I just opened myself up to huge ridicule. Let it rip ... perhaps my dripping umbrella?

Oh by the way, Memorial day weekend was a blast. Fort Lauderdale & Miami are great beach communities. No wonder people flock there for some sun and sands, best of latin cuisine, and gorgeous people watching. However, I hope no one was watching while I was changing into my bathing suit in the rent-a-car. But boy did my face turn red when that trucker guy caught a glimpse when I stepped out of the car. Living in a truck, I am sure they've seen more at trucker stops.

You cannot beat free hotel, unlimited sun and fun and outlet shoppping. I'm still dreaming of you Burberry scarf!

it's okay to be a venter

2006-05-23T08:49:00.000-04:00

so not all of my job here sucks, it just seems that way from the infrequent posts and quite frequent negative ones.

I like having one friend my age working in the mini-cafe around the corner. We have our mid-day 'tea time' where we sit and munch on muffins and cookies. Plus, she hooks me up with gourmet salads. yay for not needing to remember lunch-making.

I don't mind the lunchtime walks. Although I work in a corporate business parkway, I found a path on the cement over to the semi-quiet intersection and wrap around towards the commuter rail and back around the stone wall where the canadian geese and their ducklings settled.

Besides that, there is not much more.

i luv my aussie

2006-05-23T08:48:00.000-04:00

Linda has been quite bored in the mid-west (not surprisingly) so she frequents the super walmart in her neighborhood. She has slowly created a lively aquarium of creatures. During one trip to walmart, she collected a blowfish and came to the checkout counter where the store clerk proceeded to search for an equivolent fish in price. He finds a gold fish with a few spots for $1.99. Linda takes two. She returns home and throws the two blowfish in the tank with the other regular fish. In the middle of the night, she wakes to fetch a glass of water and sees some peculiar activity in the tank. One blowfish races from the bottom to the top of the tank. She looks over and realizes that it had been snacking on a small goldfish carcass and hid it behind a rock. Now she goes to walmart everyday for goldfish to feed her blowfish.

praise who?

2006-05-22T08:27:00.000-04:00

There is another thing. I walked outside from training and what do my eye focus on: a crowd of people with an announcer on a microphone. What sort of greeting or work-related news could we have here during our lunchtime break? All I hear next shoots me a chill down my spine. They are praising the lord, praising the great president we have today, praising the jobs we have, how Bush gave us this job, praising the good life he has given us, thanking our lucky stars. OMG. should we thank him for rising gas prices, for biased tax reforms, for deluding our society with anti-Muslim ignorance and hate, for teaching Americans that the Middle East is one collective delinquent country? We can do better than this. We're not the south.

i'm surrounded by...

2006-05-22T08:18:00.000-04:00

FOOLS. everywhere I turn, people are stumbling on themselves trying to make themselves appear busy, staying 'late' because there is so much work to do. creating crappy powerpoint presentations and wonder why the main audience, our client, does not attend.

Here in my office, I encountered the worst of offense. privacy invasion. I let a coworker help me on excel at my desk. He was clicking around looking searching for 'something' that involved maximizing all my windows and a short pause when gmail opened. A pause at my start tab's 'document' history options. Okay, whatever you say, right? Then, he maximizes my company inbox, sees that someone sent me a new message and opens it!! F*ing nonchalantly. I would f*ing get him fired if i wasn't such a forgiving soul. F-him. he's off my kind list and now on my F*ed list.

Then, this other hotshot who accidently brushed my breasts has the nerve to announce to everyone at the meeting, my collegues, that i'm not knowledgeable enough to go to. that they should come to the finance team with their questions. where does all this hostility, competitiveness comes from. Why are people all about defacing others? What happened to teamwork?! This place is F*ed-up. I am counting down the days until one year passes.

J'adore rever...

2006-05-16T18:55:00.000-04:00

Ctac and I continue on our worldwind tour. Sunny, beachy Fort Lauderdale scheduled for this coming Memorial Day weekend (extra long because my company gave me that Friday off).

Then, we have Les Chateau de Versailles, L'Arc de Triomphe, Les Champs-Elysee, le Tour Eiffel, les arrondisements, Le Sacre Coeur, guiness, Trinity College. You guess it - Paris & Dublin. We are taking over Europe for another wonderfully cultural and heavenly sightseeing. I hope I will have enough stamp pages in my passport for all this traveling.

Insect-festation

2006-05-02T08:49:00.000-04:00

You little buggers better watch out!

Yesterday after coming home from a desperately long day at the office and then at the hospital (2-hour wait - luckily had a page-turner and pecan pie to fill the gap), I arrive to my itty apartment. While climbing the back staircase, what do I see??!! Three freaking cockroach carcasses scattered about. I was pretty skeeved out with the first two, but after seeing the third one, I screamed. Honestly, after seeing the first bunch, I did not expect an encore.

Ctac comes running out of the apartment to the rescue. Grabbing tissues and flushes those body bits down the toilet. I make him wash his hands and he hugs me.... ooohh I had a tough day.

Smart ruskie makes a death trap of shallow red wine on a plate for them. I transferred it to a short carton box for a larger surface space, so those darn buggers cannot run out so easily. Little ozzie mentioned this last time she was here saying they are attracted to the sweetness of the red wine, but get too drunk and drown themselves. Isn't that sooo cool?

It is way better than leaving poison out for them and later having to find their dead bodies everywhere! I remember living at my prior apartment and we had a mouse problem. Our options at the time were leaving out mouse traps, sticky paper, or poison. I really hated all these "solutions" because you still had to do something with the body! My roomie caught one in the trash can and he just stucked the bag in the neighboring Hess gas station garbage. Clearly, it nibbled its way out of the bag and back into our apartment because the rodent problem never resolved itself. It probably told all its little beady-eyed friend about the party in my apartment. Damn, creepers. I would squash you myself if you weren't so crunchy or fuzzy!

Happy 1st day of the month!

2006-05-01T08:22:00.000-04:00

The week before the Monthly Review. Dahn dahn dahn!

I got to see sunny California Kathy. She made it over after zee conference in Montreal ended. Hooray! We got together yesterday before her flight and hung out in Fanueil Hall. saw some crazy breakdancing acts, people turning in the air on someone's head. Then, we got some grub in the smoldering quincy market. Who knew with all that cooking and little ventilation, the visitors would enter a indian/chinese/italian-food suana. ack!

I got a creme puff and iced coffee. Perfect summer weather food. Thank goodness Boston rocks over Montreal. For one, we have sun. Two, English. Three, we're american. ah!

Besides, my Montrealian friend did not return my call. *cry* I guess we are even since I stood her up last minute before (genuinely not my fault, but the fault of some imbecile). doucee.

Busted! Came into work and had to move my car outta the visitors' parking. This place has got to find better hobbies than watching me. Seriously, there must be some Enron-esque folks up on the executive level! Well whatever. I am getting tired. check y'all later.

oh canada

2006-04-28T09:36:00.000-04:00

I have returned in one piece from Oh Canada. Montreal is be exact.

All is well. After figuring out that oh Montreal was so-so in zee shopping department, I gathered up my strength and settled myself in the hot tub. For hours with frequent dips in the pool beside it, then dry sauna, followed by dip and zee hot TUB.

I had major cramps, so this was incredibly relaxing. Yeah, yeah, alittle too much info, but it was a significant part of the trip. My legs get all cramped up as if I had run a marathon causing me to schlep along tailing the crowds. Ctac keeps asking me, "Are you okay?" or "Do you want a cab?" I meagerly whisper, "No, I will be okay" and cry inside.

It figures that I was far from being prepared for this. I desperately searched my purse only salvaging a thin liner. I think “what the hell.” Stick it on and head out for coffee with Ctac. God, it is like an avalanche. The maxi liner had no clue what was coming. Plus, my favorite pair of light cream trousers… avalanched.

I ran to the washroom trying to gather what little hope I had before making it back to the hotel. I even asked strangers from my little stall for an extra “you know.” After an awkward moment of silence figuring either no one knew English or no one cared to help… someone handed two mini pads. I would have embraced her if it didn’t look like I attacked someone with a chainsaw.

So, I am better now. No drugs, no yelping.. just sleep and hot tub – ça va bien, merci.

Mon français has gone to crap. I hadn’t needed to use it at all in Montreal since everyone switches so seamlessly. So why bother right? Well at the Aldo liquidation store, you would be surprised! I grabbed a lovely light pink open-toe sandal and scanned the back – no prix. I knew they were on sale, but by how much. Ask the woman next to me who happens to be trying on my same pair. Non, no compris… fuck….. *here goes* “Est-ce que tu … sais .. c’est combien?” (what the hell was that? My high school French teacher had a stroke somewhere.)

Anyways, we got to understanding “la prix” and that went well enough. I got a hat and gloves instead anyways :) Ctac thinks they are very cute on moi.

Furthermore, zee strangest and simply sweet thing happened to me on this trip. While I was walking down St-Catherine trying to locate an entrance to this elusive underground mall, this older man in his late 50’s says, “Tu es très jolie. Yada yada have a wonderful day (Can’t remember the exact French words.” Me: “hmmmm merci” *run away*

Seconds later, I am hanging out at the flower stand picking out which color I adored most for the lovely ladies of CHI2006. The etranger sneaks up and poses the offer of whichever I wished. Honestly, I was like “dude, it is okay. I got them. You don’t have to.” This went on three times and ended up getting a dozen roses for me anyhow. Peculiar, yes? Then, he escorted me to the underground mall, which is simply impossible to locate because there are NO signs for it on ground level.

Next thing you know, he took me out for lunch. I had Canadian pea soup and toast. Yummy. Ironic how when I woke up that morning, I hadn’t a clue that this would happen.

He offered me a tour of le vieux-Montréal. Though I declined. Thank you etranger for zee company!

Ctac’s response was unusually entertaining. He never brews. He brewed with chaste jealousy ;) so adorable.

Living zee good life

2006-04-19T00:02:00.000-04:00

These last few days I have on the move! New York City was fabulous as usual. We went to random no name restaurants. One of which had simply a brick wall exterior and a sketchy random door. Though once you enter, you encounter this artistic red room with tennis balls streaming along the wall, congregating along the ceiling. They serve amazing new American food with pizzazz and interesting flair. Ctac’s brother and girlfriend and my ozzie friend were in company. Some of the interesting plates included roasted duck with couscous, filet mignon with thin crispy onion rings, salmon with a wasabi crumb, fried plantains, roasted red pepper soup, and I had hot tea (allergies suck!).

Like the admirable man he is, Ctac treated us all with his generosity. He is always caring for those he loves. Afterwards, we found ourselves at some random bars: one with a Detroit car/ punk with a go-go dancer flaunting her stuff by the window, then a unassuming balcony bar (I love air over smoke any day!).

The next day we did quite a bit of shopping and sightseeing with aussie gal. Met up with college friends. It is always fabulous seeing my birthday buddy and former roomie/government reference! She gave me hope for winning this ‘weigh off’ at work. She won last year with her work (all $250) at the odds of her being this tiny thing. I will win :)

So, I have arrived to Chicago yesterday and finished one training session thus far. I have been especially fortunate – upgrade to first class with complimentary cocktails (I smuggled a few for my ctac), found my hotel wonderfully patient for my restless body, took the entire evening strolling Michigan Ave in and out of every shop. I enjoyed a peaceful supper at Café Lux. Then, purchase this gorgeous blue Zara and Robert Graham summer dresses. I am genuinely looking forward to summer.

Does it mean something that this hotel has a thirteenth floor? What if I am staying on that floor? Then, I learn that this prestigious hotel is booked solid because --- guess what --- there is a transvestite pageant occurring this week – in my hotel.

In regards to hotels, I love that I can run my bath with boiling hot water and jump into waist deep water and just stare at the ceiling for an hour. I love how the shower curtain follows a wavy ceiling support when I close them. It feels so decadent not having to worry about all the heat and hot water I am using.

While we are on the subject of extravagance, I went to Whole Foods today for lunch and got whatever my heart desired. I guess my yearning soul ain’t cheap because I bought a $17 salad today from the salad bar. I have never spent that much on lettuce and toppings outside of a restaurant. Plus, I had to have salmon sushi. Good thing work is covering all my expenses. It is nice not having to worry :)

2006-04-12T09:24:00.000-04:00

I<3 NYC -- especially this long weekend!

Chicago work week sponsored by my company: Yes, siiiir!

Montréal vacances en deux semaines (subsidized by Ctac’s company): mais oui!

Non-stop traveling for the next two weeks. Then, when I arrive home, I have my own sweet baby maltese waiting for my kisses.

realigning ourselves

2006-04-10T08:48:00.000-04:00

This weekend I went to the most amazing dinner party. Ctac accompanied me to this massive vintage mansion of sorts in Wellesley. When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by twenty smiling, interesting faces. My workmate offered us drinks & off we went socializing our way through the crowds. We sat among the laughing and storms of conversations and helped ourselves to the hors d’oeurves of seaweed salad, fresh grapes, and sumptuous chicken gizzards with a special sweet/spicy soy sauce. At this point, we realized our timing was impeccable when the main courses shortly arrived. Grilled minced kebabs full of coriander, cumin, & other glorious spices. My dear workmate’s Afgani stewed lamb and potatoes. Her sisters’ garlic infused eggplant with a tangy yogurt sauce and fresh Afgan flat bread. Our Tibetian host’s vegetable and chicken-stuffed dumplings. Clearly, I was enjoying my fill of exotic tastes and pleasant company. I sat next to a man who has lived in Asia, working as a strategic development consultant at Vietnamese universities and government and published books on his finds. He married a lovely German woman who spoke with a gentile British accent and introduced us to an eccentric independent filmmaker. Years ago, this man traveled around western China where he fell in love with his friend’s sister. Her father vehemently disapproved of his dubious character. They came to a compromise agreeing that if this young filmmaker could prove his character by returning to this country in one year, he can finally marry his daughter. In exactly one year, he came back for her & they married, now with two children.

Across from me sat this admirable man with somber eyes and a brilliant smile that reminds you how far he has come. He experienced tumultuous periods of his younger days in Tibet. Today, clearly he survived, though his eyes and scars all tell a deeper story of what he must had seen. We all were fortunate enough to listen in on his flute performances. As a professional artist performing at Harvard University and Boston’s music halls and recording his first album, I was extremely pleased to encounter this private solo. He presented nearly ten various flute variations, some of which he created himself, others given to him by wonderful artists like himself. The songs he wrote could bring you to the mountains of Tibet, remind you of the wind, or simply translate a somber period in your life. It was quite incredible.

After cleaning up a bit, I helped my workmate with assembling her strawberry shortcake desserts. Slicing the cake biscuit, spoon syrup & strawberries, plop some fresh sweetened cream, top with other cake half, plop, drizzle: Perfection! Along with that, we all received a slice of almond tart (my fav!!!) and our choice of four Chinese teas. Ctac has a better recollection of this since he was present while our host poured (I was puttering around in the kitchen). Teas & dessert: this is my heaven :)

After a bit more conversations, I was slightly glum to leave. All the welcoming festivities, I could almost set aside the other exciting night planned out already. However, I did & readied for dancing the night away.

2006-04-06T07:16:00.000-04:00

cell phone: currently unavailable to stalkers.

Thank you.

2006-04-05T10:17:00.000-04:00

It is snowing! Are we not in spring mode yet?

On a side note, I am attaining my secret security clearance. whoopie!

On another note, zee ozzie is here visiting. My tummy and wallet are yelping for a break from dining and shopping respectively. I purchased this wonderful white Coach double-breasted trench coat. Just fabulous.

Spring cleaning

2006-03-27T14:51:00.000-05:00

Work? What work? Anyways, I just had a giant juicy strawberry. From leafy top to pointed bottom, it spanned half my hand!

Okay. Enough about food. Let’s get down to business. My poor mommy has been a concern in my life. She is the epitome of selflessness. Giving often and freely, she has raised four beautiful girls and has not looked back at herself in ages. My sisters and I had to do it. We ransacked her drawers. What we found may horrify you. Those with back or heart problem need to step off.

My mother requires a 12-step program for hoarders. As some call, pack-rat syndrome. She has been stockpiling clothes older than I have been alive. We found clothes, which have shrunk or discolored in the wash. Some so short, it would make Britney Spears jealous. There were plentiful sweatshirts and hoodies. Faded blacks and stain-speckled colored tops from years of cooking. Some with holes and hair-color stains. We even found clothes my sisters and me have tossed away, nearly forgotten, which my mother has stowed away in case she could incorporate into her wardrobe. Obviously, most were extremely ill-fitting and inappropriate for her age.

On the bright side, during our scavenger hunt, my mother discovered clothes that she had been ‘saving’ for an unforeseen occasion that were truly decent. These rare items she would never have seen with all the surrounding junk. Articles of clothing my sister and I gave her on Christmas or Mother’s day, which we had not seen on her since that day. ‘Saving’ because she did not think she deserve such nice things. ‘Saving’ because she didn’t realize that later should be now. ‘Saving’ because she never has had such nice things in her life.

In the end, we donated two garbage bags filled to the brink to Salvation Army. And we hopefully opened her eyes to the gleaming diamonds left behind which she truly deserved.

happy little chica

2006-03-24T10:38:00.000-05:00

So much has been happening. Sorry for failing to inform my stupendous audience. Luckily you are still with me if you are currently reading. I have made a fantastic friend. It is quite a joyous occasion because post-college, essentially it is all down hill. Everyone becomes secluded with their own circles, or friends move away and others drift apart. However, since I am endorsed with pleasant qualities, it has not been terribly difficult to find exquisite and fun-loving people.

My sweet little friend and I have had lunch numerous times this week. On Monday, she took me to La Pâtisserie, a wonderful French bakery, not too far from work. She introduced me to the current love of the week: puffy almond croissant with powdered sugar and spinach/boursin croissant. She has a lovely demeanor about her: scholarly, level-headed, kind-spirited, and the most important, strong. She is what I see in myself on a good day ;)

We have been sharing recipes and discussing politics so often. She feels like an amazing sister from another hemisphere. We have similar childhood experiences and familial backgrounds: families fleeing our violated homelands, all the risks involved, and the lost and dislocated family members. Plus, she comes from a large family of women!

She enjoys feeding me her many recipe concoctions: Irish soda bread with New Zealand sweet cream butter, Irish roast beef and potatoes, Persian dill spinach and beans soup, imported Swiss hazelnut chocolates. Very thoughtful indeed. I am very fortunate for her because work would be utterly conventional otherwise.

IDEO

2006-03-23T23:24:00.000-05:00

I am stuck with a bunch of idiots.

I was involved with this Six Sigma training. Fantastic you say? Of course, if you are familiar with the efficiency and maximizing part of project improvement within company X. However, if you are regarding the people I must work with, well you are wrong. I am surrounded by narrow-minded inside-the-box-thinkers. I am in hell.

The entire class was given the dilemma of constructing a creatively new shopping cart. You know, the ones we would find in the grocery store. With an unlimited budget and little constrictions from the owners and a few helpful interviews with the typical “soccer mom” shopper and single person shopper, we were off!

In my little team of five, we documented all the necessary material. I looked at it and suggested that we perhaps install two-tier basket configuration that could be added upon depending on the users’ needs. For example, a soccer mom could add one or two more to the existing basket(s). That was shot down in a second with the follow, “That would cost too much money. If I were a customer, I would go elsewhere because I wouldn’t want to pay extra for the owner to purchase a whole new supply of shopping carts” or “who would want to construct their own shopping carts?!” To which I replied, the added convenience of building your own would attract more customers thereby increasing profit, which would off-balance the added costs of purchasing these new shopping carts. And well, the second rebuttal is just plain ignorant. Did they learn nothing from the “Encouraging innovative ideas,” big visions, have fun?

Anyways, I should start looking into a job with those IDEO guys. They would appreciate my creativity.

ZARA Woman

2006-03-16T09:46:00.000-05:00

I like keeping this running tab of what is going on in my life, especially for pleasant reminders down the road. Though some things only require a mental note, such as Paaarrrrr-eeee! J’adore Paris.

Anyways, back to the good news. I am in love… with Zara. Sorry gals, I am not swinging that way; though the offers are flattering. I am speaking about the European clothing store. There exist two in NYC -W 34th Street, the other on 5th Ave/ 18th St. I am surprised that this brand has not exploded like H&M did. Honestly, they make beautiful clothes. I first set my bright brown eyes on Zara on the Champs-Élysées in Paris 2002. Looking at the window display, I thought, "Oh là là. What a wide assortment they have." L’amor au coup d'oeil. The styles range from trendy and cute to sophisticated modern business woman with a bit of zazz.

Let’s say that due to the excellent dollar exchange at the time, I made the fine decision to BUY, BUY, BUY. Because incidentally now when I find myself at one of two Zaras in my 200-mile radius, the prices tend to be a bit steep (actually painfully). Clearly, this store veers towards accumulating the essentials and less about grabbing trendy seasonal items.

So my my my. No longer are the days of excellent dollar-Euro exchanges or accidentally stumbling upon a location in Puerto Rico or DC. This gal must strategize high and low, here or there for zee bargains. Hey, anyone can buy crap for $20 or more crap for $100 at Abercrombie. However, I sure as hell will not. I make way to the nearest TJX retailer (handling that pay stub my friend gave me with delicate care for added discounts).

My luck has it, occasionally I might browse the women’s section and find one 'Zara Woman'’s tee. Oh, so they carry this brand. At other times during my sabbatical, I noticed the clearance aisle thicken in the middle of the week. Might it be due to their recent shipment, so now they are attempting to clear out whatever floor inventory they have. Ah, interesting.

In other words, I arrive après le travail hier soir to simply return a couple things. Imagine my excitement when I found two untouched mini racks on the forefront of the store with ZARA!!! Business blazers, collared button-down shirts in beautiful colors, simple summer dresses and tanks. These racks still in tact with small sizes because apparently no one has taste in Mehfaaa (ghetto, though fun neighboring town). Joyous me!!! I quickly dotted over to a carriage, swung it around towards my two racks & started loading. In the dressing room, I had to make five trips because they only allowed six items at a time. You do the math. I was in ZARA heaven.

If you tried the above link for Zara at all, you will notice how lovely they design for the modern woman. Though unfortunately, you cannot witness the impeccable seam job and detail that went into the lining, corners, and collars. They truly turn a regular decent clothing item into that of quality. I would not dare say of Chanel status, but it imitates it well. I could not find photos of my final purchases, but I will try my darnest to describe them.

Cream, woven Chanel-like button-down business jacket
Contemporary black interview blazer with silk lining
Another cream woven Chanel-like button-down, form-fitting, short blazer with deep / . \ neckline and short raised collar.
Sleeve-less medium-brown long form-fitting dress with slight texture and long slit in the back
Pristine white babydoll top with doiley straps that meet in center of back
Red/maroon long sleeveless top with delicate faux sleeves and ties in the back
Cotton sailor-inspired white and turquoise horizontal striped ¾ sleeved thin sweater

Let me just say: I did not spend a fortune. Barely broke one hundred bucks. *exhales*

Job Perks II

2006-03-15T10:15:00.000-05:00

Lately, no one has been around or has been too busy to show me much. So, sitting by in my cubicle, typing away, and drinking my water has been fun, but not for long. In the mean time, I have discovered seemingly silly, though very amusing, things. For one, in the women’s bathroom, there are free and unlimited tampons and pads. You think this is no big deal, but just wait until the next time you need to ask a stranger if she is packing extras.

Since everyone is sitting in on an all-morning conference with free breakfast, imagine how I am spending my time. Nope, at the free coffee station. One thing that I quickly noticed about this small benefit is that the coffee is pretty weak. Staring at my numerous options of coffee/tea flavors, I thought perhaps one kind would be better than another. In this indecisive mode, an older lady asked me if I wanted to go ahead. I shook my head, but then asked her which one of these she preferred. She answered, “Any, I just like mine strong.” Bingo! She showed me this espresso option, which basically requires two regular coffee packets for one cup of joe. Smooth.

In other news, I am slightly addicted to myspace.com. Updating my site had been an enabling pursuit to create and manipulate fonts and indentations, colors and photo array, personal info about me and humorous ones. If you are interested in checking it out, I am here. Though I must add you as a friend, if you wish to view me. Sorry!

The flight is booked and in just two weeks time, my all-time best friend from Oz is staying in my humble abode. I am saving her from the evil wretches, which is the Midwest. Specifically, bo-dunk Illinois and quite recently, Indianapolis. I will never return to anything resembling that again as long as I live. Not unless there is another free Formula One race or nearby shopping centers of monumental proportions.

She has finally found her backbone and is leaving her money-stealing irresponsible unemployed thirty-year-old loser of a boyfriend by booking her one-way ticket to freedom. Yay! I am happy when people can take care of themselves. Not so happy when they cannot, when they are not their own person.

On a happier note, I made a friend on my floor. Someone very pretty, smart, and has her act together. Hooray for no psychos in sheep’s clothing.

New Beginnings - Kittens & Lent

2006-03-13T10:38:00.000-05:00

We are searching for a kitten to add to our family. Though it won’t happen until the beginning of summer, so I learned when we arrived at the shelter. I am excited anyhow. I would really prefer a Persian kitty, dark in color or light tannish body with dark brown ears and paws. I think they are so gorgeous and elegant. I will do my best to pay special attention to their notable breathing issues and nappy fur. Brushing twice a day! Plus, she will have a friend to pay with next door – Pumpkin – Tammy’s long-haired friend.

So, I am in the midst of scheduling my international journeys. The surprises keep coming. Next month, I am vacationing in Montreal. In May, we will be seeing Russia via wedding extravaganza. Then, Ft. Lauderdale in Florida and Paris – oh la la! I love getting my kicks of culture and sun in installments.

Even though I would consider myself completely un-religious, I have always been inquisitive of this Lent tradition of abstaining from an unnecessary dependence. Just for forty days of pure will, people keep this tradition of refraining from soda, myspace.com, red meat, frivolous spending, etc. I wanted to see what this was about, seeing how it is a personal decision. I have elected to refrain from carbohydrates. When I told my youngest sister this, she exclaims, “But you are Asian!”

We will see how it goes. If I can stay away from rice, it will be an indicator of my determination.

No regrets

2006-03-13T09:24:00.000-05:00

I have given a lot of thought to how I have arrived to this point in my life. I mean, after finishing college, it was tough finding a job. I landed one that at the time, was tough to come by after searching for months. So, what did I do? I stuck it out for one year and ten months. Did I like it? no. Did I persevere? Hell yeah. I got promoted from Accountant I to Accountant II to Performance Analyst. Along the way, I did what I had to do. I dealt with lots of petty jealous girls, shitty irritating bosses, indolent “mentors,” and retarded co-workers. Not to say that I was perfect. I guess occasionally they rubbed off on me. What can you do? I had to fight fire with fire. Eventually, my fire became a frigid stare. I stopped caring.

So, I became promoted & got to study performance. Almost immediately I knew I was working with the wrong people. These back-up choices who were mostly lemons, but with time, blended in with the workforce. Cannot say that I blame them, but personally I knew there was more out there. So, I did what any girl would do. I surfed for a new job on company time. They were not paying me well, supervisors were annoying me – the kind who lacked cognizance that they were not cool only because of their nifty title. They did not give me challenging work, plus they surrounded me with plentiful idiots. Can you imagine why my work moral dropped?

Who would have guessed? I disliked my job. However at this point in my life, I believe that even though it sucked badly, it helped me get to where I am today. I believe that the caliber of my experience is rare, in addition with it being me, really helped me land two offers simultaneously, plus a third possible job at a hospital. I suppose looking back, taking what was available in 2003 was not the worst decision I could have made. It was not a total loss and perhaps more good came out of it than anything. I believe I have experienced a lot over the past few years than I did over the course of college. You could say I am a late bloomer. My academic intelligence surpassed my emotional and maturity capabilities at some points. I get it. There are shitty times and even shittier people. However, I am still me and will be no matter what happens. I am not defined by my belongings or how people perceive me. I am who I am based on what I decide, my choices, my experiences. No one knows it better than those I choose to hold close by my side.

Friday hangover

2006-03-10T10:22:00.000-05:00

Oi, I am officially a little elderly person. One and a half beers later, we are visiting hangover-ville in office space. Though there were suspicions of MSG in our chicken wings. Perhaps, that is the actual culprit of my worn-out-dragged-into-work ass. I promise I am still happy as can be with this mild migraine. What happens to people when they ingested too much MSG? How do they actually know they have had it? I guess that I have always amounted any negative response after a meal to something else that happened in the day. Am I just kidding myself? Ha.

Anyways, it is a wonderful Friday with a bright weekend ahead. I had my free morning coffee. Another tremendous bonus to working here. This was discovered only earlier this week, after I shoveled out lots of morning teas and coffees since starting. Hey, better late than never! I have great mentors here. I am learning how thoughtful and considerate they are for my future career development. One evens stops by my office every other day or offers a coffee run to see how I am doing. Making sure I am not totally bored out of my mind. It is quite lovely to feel so loved.

Everything is great right now. I sent out my taxes last night. I helped out my parents with their taxes by organizing my sister’s college tuition exemptions for their tax amendments. I make enough money now to help my parents buy a bigger house. Plus, I have a pretty sweet retirement set up where my company matches 100% of my contribution. I met up with a good friend last night for some beer and chicken wings. Having a lunch date with a high school friend who I have not seen in eight years!! I am heading to the gym tonight, then DDR-ing until I pass out with my sweet and infatuated-with-me Ctac. I can honestly say, life is good.

Business Trips

2006-03-01T18:59:00.000-05:00

I am on my first all-expenses-paid-for business trip. While I am young sans les enfants, mortgage payments, student loans, I am going to live up this lifestyle. I am quite cozy in my gorgeous hotel room avec le lit roi. KING BED. What shall I do with this immense space. I remember now. Sleep diagonally. Because I can. That’s right :)))

Hier soir, my company informed me of this worthwhile training program in Newport, RI. Let me add, people come to Newport for vacation: to see the mansions, sample the seafood, have wedding ceremonies, beaches!! My company is paying me to spend time here. What next Hawaii? Well actually that could be possible… So I have completed a day’s training and shall stay until the end of the week. I really cannot get enough of this hotel. I love the huge bed, a bathroom all to MYSELF, living area, and free high-speed internet! All the amenities for my high maintenance ass.

I shall visit downtown now and rack up a hefty seafood dinner tab since my company has graciously offered. Ctac is visiting me à demain and sharing this luxurious fantasy.

Happy One-Week Anniversary

2006-02-27T13:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Ctac took me out Friday to celebrate my first week at X. We went to this little spot on Mass Ave. in Arlington for the first time. We absolutely love sushi! Ctac got all dolled up in a crisp white-collared shirt. He is so adorable when he swoons me.

So we skipped on over to the restaurant, picked out a few items. We started off with the grilled calamari with a mellow dark dressing (couldn’t pinpoint what the heck that was). Then, my shrimp tempura roll arrived gloriously decored into a mini-dragon avec tail. I love tastefully-done food art. I snuck a few bites of Ctac's sushi chef special, which had samplings of everything on the menu. Though I needn’t ever sneak much since Ctac is so generous with everything.

Oh, the fresh and tender pieces of salmon, maki, squid, red snapper... hmmm I wish I could take a snapshot of my first bite of this fatty salmon. The combination of luscious fish and tangy mustardy-hot soy sauce were masterfully conjoined only in heaven. I love that Japanese food is so complex.

I always look forward to the mini-fish eggs popping in my mouth. Most people would hurl at the thought, but I find that it slows my chewing enough to really relish in my experience. It is a delicacy. Pop pop, roll, burst of salty-fishy goodness.

Ctac really wanted me to have the full dining experience by ordering my choice of dessert, even though he never ever touches it. I declined politely. Instead we returned home snuggling on the couch on a beautiful snowy evening.

Perks I

2006-02-27T11:15:00.000-05:00

I have accomplished the most difficult part of this job: my first week. Thankfully, I am getting the hang of it. It is not even about what my job duties are. I have known what they were even before I started. What I am talking about is all in the details. What are my co-workers like- busy, talkative, approachable, helpful. With this, I can gather who I should meet to get what I need & how to go about it. I figured out that my big boss makes her rounds in the afternoon to see how my life at X is coming along. I know she cares when she does this. Also, I enjoy this because it is one of my only chances to chat with her one-on-one without me having to interrupt her super busy schedule.

Then, there are not-so-obvious accommodations that I particularly like, though not necessarily need to improve life here. I like having my own cubicle. I like that there are complimentary sanitary toilet covers in the WC (not mandated in MA). I like the spacious kitchenette set-up with two huge refrigerators and water filters so that I can make my lovely milk almond teas. This so happens to be next door to the coffee shop making stealing milk very simple. Besides this obvious bonus of free milk and splendas (never having to remember to carry much), I get to chat with the salespersons behind the counter who are very sweet.

Ironically, I feel freer having a routine and boundaries, knowing where I can go and who I can go to for that extra social perk of the day. I like knowing what to expect throughout my day or even throughout my career here. My super director personally called me today scheduling a time to meet to discuss my first year’s worth of training and career direction. I am so fortunate to belong to this organization.

What happened on your bday?

2006-02-24T15:32:00.000-05:00

Find out how special you are based on your birthday.

By the way, I survived my first week! Thank you for bringing a warm welcome to the new Cost Account Manager.

First Week at X

2006-02-23T11:53:00.000-05:00

Have not been able to blog lately seeing how as some of you know, ctac got me DDR. Besides that, I have also started my new position this past Monday. And boy, have I got a million things happening simultaneously. After my nearly half year sabbatical, I have lost track of what “working life” once was for me. Waking early, working late, lunch time at my desk, absorbing everything like a sponge, mastering your craft. Geez, good thing they pay me well!

Luckily, I arrived during Engineering Week. They serve free hot coffees and teas all week long. It is quite a nice pick-me-up, especially since I have not acclimated to my new sleep schedule.

Plus, I really like my new coworkers. They are definitely nicer and more knowledgeable than my prior dim-witted colleagues. This is the way real careers progress. Where was this three years ago? Ironic how life works.

I really love this company, the atmosphere, the freaking building is brand new! It has gym facilities with spinning classes, salsa lessons, everything. The newest and best offerings in the cafeteria out of all the locations in this state. My coworkers are all much older than me. Some of which have children my age. Funny how I am consulting them about their financial needs.

I have my cubicle set up with my laptop, pertinent schedules and appointment software and notices, calculator, updated my profile, and gathered CDs to catch up on current company’s activity. We are one busy organization working!

I am really fortunate.

So Sweet

2006-02-17T20:54:00.000-05:00

Ctac is the most loving, thoughtful, sensitive boyfriend ever ever ever. He gave me DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) for Valentine's Day. If I fail to post entries, you know where I'm at ;)

Necessary Job Preparations

2006-02-16T12:22:00.000-05:00

Great News!! I am starting job orientation on Monday, February 20^th. Talk about quick response. I interviewed for this position less than two weeks ago & they completed all the security clearance and checked my ten-year span of work experience. I guess they really wanted me. Well I could tell just by their compensation offer. Ha! Financial freedom feels great.

I have already spent at least one month's worth of checks since learning about my fabulous new job. I have a wonderful new wardrobe with sexy, well as sexy as Ralph Lauren collared shirts can be, & waaayyy-beyond-rationally-priced facial creams for night and day and everything in between. I actually tossed all my cute boxed-up bottles onto my bed so that I could play with them. I opened them one by one keeping the boxes fully intact, & placed them according to their skin care needs, in order of usage at night after washing my face, in the morning when I first rise. I love playing with my little purchases almost as much as first picking them out at the department stores. Yes, I am dork.

You cannot imagine how bad it gets until you see me return home with shoes. I would strut around while baking or frying up pork chops. Side note: btw, I do not consider wearing them around the home as the most offensive violation of Asians’ rule number uno: “no shoes in house” because these shoes have not one scuff on the underside from those dirty sidewalks & street. Perfectly acceptable :)

God I am bleeding. Damn shabby knife. One moment….

Okay, I am back. This morning I was butchering whole chickens and separating them into large baggies for later use. You know, dividing them up into dark meat, white, and bones for dishing up soups. Anyhoo, this knife was not the sharpest in the bunch when I first got the set, but now, after all this time, and it being the chef knife (most frequently used) it is almost useless. So I am shopping for a new one, but has anyone seen those prices? Like 60 bucks for ONE good knife. Ha, crazy. I would pay that for a cream, but a knife hahaha. Anyways, my considerate and very attentive boyfriend noticed my Williams-Sonoma catalogue & got me a shopping spree there for Valentine’s. I will need to make a tiny pit-stop in the near future. Thanks honey!! He obviously made the correlation between the fewer fingers I have, the less likely I could make him dinner. Smart man!

The Fish Sauce & the Monkey

2006-02-15T23:07:00.000-05:00

I met up with a sweet girlfriend, got some anna's taqueria, & caught a movie. I really love this gurl, so genuine, sweet and up-front. One brave woman.

We saw The Squid & the Whale. Honestly, I knew zippo about this movie going into this, but have a new found understanding of how strange and grotesquely-twisted male teenage angst can be. Not to self: point for no kids. eeeeeeewww I will have nightmares about cashews and library books.

Anyways, it was entertaining, yet filmographically shaky. I nearly hurled by the end of the movie. My head still pounds after 15 minutes. I am home now & will try to rest it off. Oh goodness, thankfully my life is better than that.

What's that mark?

2006-02-14T14:28:00.000-05:00

Let’s talk about periods, ie menstrual cramps, moodiness, aching joints, and never having enough black underwear.

……Are all the men outta here yet?

Okay, ladies. This is a matter that has been lurking in the back of my mind every morning I get dressed and every time I go shopping: the correct bra measurement. Hopefully, all the bras you own are supportive, pretty, and does the job right. However, could you be one of millions of women wearing the wrong size?!

Oh no! That would be horrible. The pain, the suffering, or those not-so-perky breasts. Let’s get you out of that commotion. I have been researching quite a bit lately on how to measure yourself properly so that you get a nice snug fit. Seeing how just a fluctuation of five-pounds could bump you up or down a cup-size has had serious ramifications on my delicate brassiere collection. I have started noticing my tiny perks are not so tiny anymore. Actually, they are bursting out of my regular gear making wonderful cleavage, but not so wonderful neck-bruising.

So what have I learned thus far? That there are a million different ways to measure, which gave way to a couple tedious answers. First off, there are two ways to measure your band size.

Take a measuring tape and strap it right under your armpits and across your chest. If this is an odd number, add 1 inch. This is a possible band size.
Option number 2. Take the measuring tape and strap it snugly around your chest, right under your breasts. If this number is odd, add 5’’. If this number is even, add 4’’. This is another possible band size. Hopefully this number shall be the same number as above. *I shall further deliberate possible complications below.
Finally to solve your mystery cup-size. Strap your measuring tape around your chest across the fullest part of those boobies. Take down this measurement. Now subtract this number with either number gathered above (pre-addition to those adjusting 1”, 4”, or 5”). The following difference will determine your cup size. See below for your appropriate cup size.

Cup size Chart:

A = 1”

B = 2”

C = 3”

D = 4”

DD = 5”

I had a good run until, well essentially until I started.

*If you are a petite frame as I am, it is typical that you will run into two different bandwidths. I am either a 32” or 34”. Since these two figures are different, two conflicting cup-sizes will arise. So I am either a 32D or a 34C. More likely, the 32D because I own many, upon many 34C and I am just spilling out and the band seems too loose.

Lovely are those days when I could pick any bra off the rack and not care whether it was a B or a C. On the contrary, I have passed into the D-zone. *Alfred Hitchcock music preludes* haha the horror. At least, some people, particularly men, care to notice. My girlfriends are in shock. Like Sues, your boobs are huge!!

Good luck in your bra-scapades!

Thanks, Terrible!

2006-02-08T10:17:00.000-05:00

Inspired by ms. terrible

I have donated blood numerous times, usually at my university's blood drive or downstairs in my company's building. Honestly, I have had an excellent experience everytime. It is an amazing feeling knowing that someone will eventually require my blood-type baggy. I think it is an important matter because in developing countries, these things just do not exist and too many people die everyday because of the deficit of available blood.

I have suggested friends and family to donate as well because I know a few who have O-positive blood (which would help plenty more than mine could). Also, there is another consideration seeing how the US has restrictions on those donating not to have lived in prohibited countries for more than three months (such as the UK, certain Latin American countries, Asian countries, etc). This I am quite understanding of because US is virus/disease-phobed and would not want to pass onto unsuspecting patients. You wonder how HIV spread rampantly in the early 80's, because those donating were not responsible enough to protect thy brothrens and hospitals did not thave sufficient tools to test every sample and were ignorant of the epidemic.

I have had my share of mishaps. I believe one time the nurse fiddled with the needle so long that it left a tremendous bruise all around my elbow crease (case of the tiny vein). Then, there was another time that a nurse told me that my donation was taking standardly too long and that they may not be able to move forward (case of the low blood pressure). Everything turned out fine in the end. Now I know I have itty-bitty veins and to immediately ask for the head nurse and that I have blood pressure that could send the dead racing.

In my attempts to spread the word about helping others, I have encountered many road blocks. There are just so many people with so many excuses not to help. The excuses have really ranged from "takes too long," "don't like needles," "Why do you keep donating?!" Take for example my former friend. Her anorexic tendencies liked reminding me that she couldn't donate because she did not meet the 110lb weight minimum. I swear everything about her was her weight.

So, I have a few tips about donating blood. Most of the time nurses return to the same sites. Therefore, if you were fond of your prior experience, return to that site and check for your nurse. Also, after a couple of times, you begin to memorize what sets things off during your initial application/questionnaire. For instance, I always know that the member of the staff always needs to check whether Australia is on the "OK" list of countries to travel/live, which it is. Finally, the snacks really varies. Most places have the usual animal crackers, vienna finger cookies, cranberry/apple juices, etc. Yet, this one place in my hometown always had hot cheese pizza. Not only do you score by feeling better about yourself by helping others, you get a nifty snack in the process!