So far, I've narrowed down my ideal dog to three choices, based on various factors:
#1 - Golden Retriever
#2 - Dachshund
and #3, my favorite so far: Norwich Terrier
Which dog do you like the most? Why?
Monday, September 7, 2009
What kind of dog should I get?
I've been researching different dog breeds for several months now. There's so much to consider - each dog's individual personality, health issues, training, food, exercise, shelter, vet visits, etc. I never realized how much work went into taking care of a dog. The more I research, the more confused I get. The only thing I know for sure is that I'd adopt the dog from a shelter.
So far, I've narrowed down my ideal dog to three choices, based on various factors:
#1 - Golden Retriever
#2 - Dachshund
and #3, my favorite so far: Norwich Terrier
Which dog do you like the most? Why?
So far, I've narrowed down my ideal dog to three choices, based on various factors:
#1 - Golden Retriever
#2 - Dachshund
and #3, my favorite so far: Norwich Terrier
Which dog do you like the most? Why?
Sunday, September 6, 2009
aftermath of a breakup
Today, I can contemplate a future without you and I am just as happy. I still think about you and still believe in your worth. It's time for me to move on, to hold onto a happy heart, to not feel guilty when I'm tasting a luxurious dessert or swimming in the ocean or just enjoying life.
I want to start over fresh. I still have a lot of moments where I feel like I can do it, but then I revert and crash and feel ashamed and weak. I hear a song that brings me to hidden tears. Just the mere hint of you and I'm shattered. It's hard to keep that under wraps, to pretend that I'm fine and to put up a nonchalant front, to hold things in and to deny, deny, deny. It's hard to hold everything in and to not talk about it because I'm afraid. And it's not fair to anyone else because they are competing with the ghost of a relationship. I wouldn't want to be second-best, either.
I learned that I really don't need anything else. I've got me, I've got my ambitions and ideals, I've got a pocketful of family and good friends, and I have the memory of a wonderful and sad and awful and chaotic love.
For the first time, I can really understand why my aunt, my brilliant, hippie, tenured Berkeley professor of an aunt, has never married and yet still lives a full life and is now retiring to Hawaii. My family used to pity her. Now I can celebrate her for living a fulfilling life.
Maybe it seems like I'm the epitome of one of those starkly feminist women, the ones that don't ever need men. That's not true. I'm open to someone interesting and wonderful and happy. It's just that he doesn't have to live in your shadow anymore.
I want to start over fresh. I still have a lot of moments where I feel like I can do it, but then I revert and crash and feel ashamed and weak. I hear a song that brings me to hidden tears. Just the mere hint of you and I'm shattered. It's hard to keep that under wraps, to pretend that I'm fine and to put up a nonchalant front, to hold things in and to deny, deny, deny. It's hard to hold everything in and to not talk about it because I'm afraid. And it's not fair to anyone else because they are competing with the ghost of a relationship. I wouldn't want to be second-best, either.
I learned that I really don't need anything else. I've got me, I've got my ambitions and ideals, I've got a pocketful of family and good friends, and I have the memory of a wonderful and sad and awful and chaotic love.
For the first time, I can really understand why my aunt, my brilliant, hippie, tenured Berkeley professor of an aunt, has never married and yet still lives a full life and is now retiring to Hawaii. My family used to pity her. Now I can celebrate her for living a fulfilling life.
Maybe it seems like I'm the epitome of one of those starkly feminist women, the ones that don't ever need men. That's not true. I'm open to someone interesting and wonderful and happy. It's just that he doesn't have to live in your shadow anymore.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
LOL
I've sent this picture to just about every female I know, but I still need to post it for all to see:
(from http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/)
I can't stop laughing at their hilarious expressions, especially the toddler. Also, I loveloveLOVE the fact that the older kid is using tampons as tiger claws. Someday, I hope to have children who will do silly, inventive, and hilarious things like that. When it does happen, I'm going to snap tons of pictures so that every time they talk back to me, I can find new ways to humiliate them. I can't wait!
(from http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/)
I can't stop laughing at their hilarious expressions, especially the toddler. Also, I loveloveLOVE the fact that the older kid is using tampons as tiger claws. Someday, I hope to have children who will do silly, inventive, and hilarious things like that. When it does happen, I'm going to snap tons of pictures so that every time they talk back to me, I can find new ways to humiliate them. I can't wait!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
stuff
A heat wave descended upon Southern California last week. It was the perfect weather for the beach. I spent a glorious weekend in La Jolla and Coronado. On Saturday, I "taught" my friends how to boogie-board. On Sunday, Andrea, my classmate and friend, and I spent FOUR hours straight in the water. Water warriors!!! Now I've got some toasty almond color in my skin.
A few days later, I got food poisoning from some bad milk and a homemade donut. No, I did not make the donut myself. I snagged it on my first day at work (job #2). I can already tell that I will enjoy working there. The staff is very nice and the clients are adorable. Another plus is that the food there is FREE and it rocks. Today, I ate my weight in toasted bagels and homemade pastries.
Anyway, I felt much better today. The world seems like such a better place when you're not hovering over the toilet or lying on the bathroom ground waiting for the next wave of nausea to hit. Right now, I'm in bed with a steaming bowl of soup, watching a cheesy soap opera and shrieking with laughter.
I just wanted to remember this moment, that's all.
A few days later, I got food poisoning from some bad milk and a homemade donut. No, I did not make the donut myself. I snagged it on my first day at work (job #2). I can already tell that I will enjoy working there. The staff is very nice and the clients are adorable. Another plus is that the food there is FREE and it rocks. Today, I ate my weight in toasted bagels and homemade pastries.
Anyway, I felt much better today. The world seems like such a better place when you're not hovering over the toilet or lying on the bathroom ground waiting for the next wave of nausea to hit. Right now, I'm in bed with a steaming bowl of soup, watching a cheesy soap opera and shrieking with laughter.
I just wanted to remember this moment, that's all.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Lhasa, anyone?
I'm in a bit of a rut, figuring out my next step. Thankfully, I don't feel as restless as I did when I was a bit younger. I think I'm just trying to find a place that feels like home.
I've discovered that I'm happiest when I have plans and goals in mind. So while I plan my next career move, I'm simultaneously setting a new, non-career-related target so that I have something else to work toward and look forward to.
I decided that I'm going to go to Hong Kong and Tibet some time in the next two years. I don't know how or when but it will happen!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
grandmas
I have a lot of respect for my grandmother. She worked as a history teacher when most women living in the Qingdao area (China, same as the beer) were not even educated. She played basketball in high school. She escaped the Communists by dressing in a soldier's uniform and moving to Taiwan. She is intelligent, strong-willed, healthy and disciplined. She's the kind of lady who solves problems and gets things done.
Unfortunately, she started to go blind a few years ago due to glaucoma. It was really difficult for her to learn to relinquish control. It's been difficult for us to see her deteriorate physically and mentally. She lives a few hours away from me, in the same senior citizen center she has lived for several decades, because she knows exactly how many steps it takes to go from one point to another. She still insists on cooking for us.
This weekend was her 90th birthday (in Chinese years). We congregated in her tiny apartment, uprooted her from her schedule, and planned our weekend around restaurants. I haven't eaten this well since... well, since the last time I went home, but I'll save my food descriptions for a different entry.
Since the onset of the glaucoma, my grandma was forced to stop painting and writing calligraphy, two hobbies that she used to enjoy immensely. For her birthday, she wanted to write some characters for us to frame and keep. We helped her line up the words, soak the brush in ink, and place the brush in the correct starting position.
She was sweating from the effort it took to write. If you focus on the wall, you can see the calligraphy that she wrote before she went blind.
I guess I'm trying to hold onto as much of her as I can, while I still can. Part of the reason why I am so obsessed with improving my Chinese is because I want to finally tell her what's in my heart.
Unfortunately, she started to go blind a few years ago due to glaucoma. It was really difficult for her to learn to relinquish control. It's been difficult for us to see her deteriorate physically and mentally. She lives a few hours away from me, in the same senior citizen center she has lived for several decades, because she knows exactly how many steps it takes to go from one point to another. She still insists on cooking for us.
This weekend was her 90th birthday (in Chinese years). We congregated in her tiny apartment, uprooted her from her schedule, and planned our weekend around restaurants. I haven't eaten this well since... well, since the last time I went home, but I'll save my food descriptions for a different entry.
Since the onset of the glaucoma, my grandma was forced to stop painting and writing calligraphy, two hobbies that she used to enjoy immensely. For her birthday, she wanted to write some characters for us to frame and keep. We helped her line up the words, soak the brush in ink, and place the brush in the correct starting position.
She was sweating from the effort it took to write. If you focus on the wall, you can see the calligraphy that she wrote before she went blind.
I guess I'm trying to hold onto as much of her as I can, while I still can. Part of the reason why I am so obsessed with improving my Chinese is because I want to finally tell her what's in my heart.
Friday, August 21, 2009
pizza
I've been doing a lot of fun and novel things, like snorkeling, eating cake for dinner (twice!), sleeping in until an embarassing hour. Next thing on the list was making and eating our version of Luigi's pizza. Luigi's is a local pizza joint where my classmates and I used to go after studying (http://www.pizzerialuigi.com/). When the going gets tough, the tough get going... to Luigi's!
Richard, my friend and classmate got his hands on the recipe for Luigi's Spinach-Ricotta Thin-Crust Pizza and suggested that we try making it from scratch. (http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/aug/12/save-your-dough/?features&zIndex=147798)
Although Disha did all the work while Richard and I watched, we all took credit for what turned out to be a fabulous, crunchy, amazing pizza. I was so pleased with the results that I posted the recipe below:
Luigi's Spinach-Ricotta Thin-Crust Pizza
Makes 2 (12-inch) pizzas
DOUGH
1 (0.25-ounce) packet active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups water, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
TOPPINGS
3 ounces fresh spinach
4 ounces ricotta (we used about twice as much ricotta)
8 to 10 ounces mozzarella
1/8 cup grated parmesan
2 cloves garlic, chopped (all three of us like garlic a lot, so we added about 3x the amount of garlic that the recipe suggested + granulated garlic)
Dissolve yeast in water and add sugar. Mix well and set aside. Place flour in mixing bowl. Return to water and add the salt and mix well.
With your fingers, make a small well in the flour and slowly pour about a third of the water into the well. Mix with one hand. Add another third of the water and continue to mix. Add remaining water. Work the dough with your hands until it is smooth and firm and still a little sticky. This could take about 10 minutes. (If you are using a mixer with a dough hook, mix in about 1 cup of the water to begin with. If the dough, once mixed, seems too dry, add the remaining water.)
Cut the dough in half. For a true thin-crust pizza, the dough should weigh about 11 to 12 ounces. For a slightly thicker crust, 14 ounces is good. Knead the dough for a few minutes, form it into a ball and seal the bottom.
Place the dough on a plate and cover with a smooth, damp towel and let rise for about 25 minutes. Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 15 to 20 minutes. When you take it out of the refrigerator, dough can be used right away. Alternatively, you can leave it covered in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes. Flour both sides and put it on the countertop. Flatten the dough with your hands and use your fingers to create a rim. Continue using the heels of your hands to flatten and stretch the dough to form a 12-inch disk. You can also use a rolling pin.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. (If using a stone, preheat it for about 45 minutes to an hour.) Lightly oil a metal pizza pan and place the dough on the pan. Top first with mozzarella, then parmesan. Scatter spinach leaves on top of cheese and dot with spoonfuls of ricotta. Last, scatter chopped garlic. (If using a stone, place the pizza on a floured pizza peel, add toppings and then slide the pizza directly onto the stone.)
Bake for about 10 minutes. Check the underside of the pizza and the edge of the crust to make sure it is golden brown. Leave pizza in oven longer if it is not brown enough.
Richard, my friend and classmate got his hands on the recipe for Luigi's Spinach-Ricotta Thin-Crust Pizza and suggested that we try making it from scratch. (http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/aug/12/save-your-dough/?features&zIndex=147798)
Although Disha did all the work while Richard and I watched, we all took credit for what turned out to be a fabulous, crunchy, amazing pizza. I was so pleased with the results that I posted the recipe below:
Luigi's Spinach-Ricotta Thin-Crust Pizza
Makes 2 (12-inch) pizzas
DOUGH
1 (0.25-ounce) packet active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups water, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
TOPPINGS
3 ounces fresh spinach
4 ounces ricotta (we used about twice as much ricotta)
8 to 10 ounces mozzarella
1/8 cup grated parmesan
2 cloves garlic, chopped (all three of us like garlic a lot, so we added about 3x the amount of garlic that the recipe suggested + granulated garlic)
Dissolve yeast in water and add sugar. Mix well and set aside. Place flour in mixing bowl. Return to water and add the salt and mix well.
With your fingers, make a small well in the flour and slowly pour about a third of the water into the well. Mix with one hand. Add another third of the water and continue to mix. Add remaining water. Work the dough with your hands until it is smooth and firm and still a little sticky. This could take about 10 minutes. (If you are using a mixer with a dough hook, mix in about 1 cup of the water to begin with. If the dough, once mixed, seems too dry, add the remaining water.)
Cut the dough in half. For a true thin-crust pizza, the dough should weigh about 11 to 12 ounces. For a slightly thicker crust, 14 ounces is good. Knead the dough for a few minutes, form it into a ball and seal the bottom.
Place the dough on a plate and cover with a smooth, damp towel and let rise for about 25 minutes. Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 15 to 20 minutes. When you take it out of the refrigerator, dough can be used right away. Alternatively, you can leave it covered in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes. Flour both sides and put it on the countertop. Flatten the dough with your hands and use your fingers to create a rim. Continue using the heels of your hands to flatten and stretch the dough to form a 12-inch disk. You can also use a rolling pin.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. (If using a stone, preheat it for about 45 minutes to an hour.) Lightly oil a metal pizza pan and place the dough on the pan. Top first with mozzarella, then parmesan. Scatter spinach leaves on top of cheese and dot with spoonfuls of ricotta. Last, scatter chopped garlic. (If using a stone, place the pizza on a floured pizza peel, add toppings and then slide the pizza directly onto the stone.)
Bake for about 10 minutes. Check the underside of the pizza and the edge of the crust to make sure it is golden brown. Leave pizza in oven longer if it is not brown enough.
