Reel-me-in

One dish two ways - for the Omnivegitarian couple

2010-02-02T09:34:00.001-08:00

As a child, brussel sprouts were up there on the MOST HATED FOODS list along with innards, gizzards and chicken feet. Which is weird, because I was a pretty well behaved kid and generally liked most vegetables, with a particular fondness for cabbage. And sprouts are mini-cabbages.

Anyway, bizarrely, this winter seems to have been the rise of the brussel sprouts season, in both quantity and esteem. You've seen me roast them before, but when we were at NBs house for Christmas his mummy steamed some, and he loved those much more. One thing you should know about NB: he is of a household that doesn't particularly consume salt or... flavours. Ie oil and fried. He is also currently a vegetarian.

Here is the result: 2 dishes, zero extra work! And as a bonus, I will throw in a middle ground.

Steamed Brussel Sprouts

(You are probably noticing my thumb over the lens. Stellar photogs skills. It was too bright to see the screen!)

Ingredients: 1 bag of brussel sprouts, Water

Clean sprouts. This involves rinsing them, cutting off a little bit of the stem part and removing the outer leaves.

Bring one pot of water to boil (but not enough water to touch the bottom of the steamer part, because then it's boiling the vegetables), steam sprouts until they are tender and green. Easy peasy. I would say like 10 minutes? Watch out though, if you over steam those babies they will turn an unappetizing shade of gray-green.

Also, here's a tip for those who don't have a steamer: Use a metal sieve in a regular pot, cover.

Serve.

One step up: Lightly season and mix with a small pat of butter until melted.

For the fatty:

Pan Fried Brussel Sprouts With Bacon

Ingredients: Pre-steamed brussel sprouts, a teaspoon of minced garlic, 2 streaks of bacon

Ohh yea, you heard me. Bacon. So while the sprouts are a-steaming, fry up two streaks of bacon. You may want more, or less, depending on how fatty your bacon is. Mine was some budget Vons bacon, and did you know that price of bacon is inversely proportionate to amount of fat per streak? When the bacon is crisp, remove and set aside. Sautee the garlic in the fat, then add the steamed brussel sprouts (you could cut them in half - may I recommend length-ways? - first), season - but go really light on the salt, and pan fry until they are slightly browned. Serve with the bacon crushed over the top.

One step down:

Use a tablespoon of butter instead of bacon fat, thus making dish vegetarian and slightly less sinful.

So. There you go. Reclaim the sprouts!

The Red Pepper

2010-01-26T09:30:00.000-08:00

TheBigBoss is away this week, so I finally have time to catch up on my reading / procrastinating. You are probably wondering how one can have to 'catch up' on procrastinating - trust me, it takes many years of experience to get to this level. Think of it like sleep debt... if I don't get my 8 hours in a day, I have to do 10 the next. Only not quite as many hours.

Anyway, let me share with you the incident of The Red Pepper.

Last weekend, NB and I took a little impromptu road trip southeast. I give only the direction because there is mostly nothing there, except eventually we got to the Salton Sea.

Day 1, Gas Stop 1, there was a fruit stand by the gas station . They have bags of 25 avocados for $5! 25! But the 25 are very small. They also have 10 large for $5. Still very cheap. We go for the 10, not thinking about how there is no way we could possibly finish 10 avocados in the time it takes for them to ripen, and especially not thinking about how being shut in a warm car does something chemically to speed up the ripening process. (Don't question me on that one, it's part of the 'food magic' that I can't explain along with ripening avocados with apples and bananas and leaving the seed in the guac to keep it from browning.)

Naturally, we arrive home the next day and they are perfect. The bestest, creamiest, smoothest, non-brown avocados we have ever eaten. True Californian Avocados.

By Monday we realize that eating 9 avocados in the 2-3 days following would probably not be possible. As it is a public holiday for some, NB, Dad and I have a dude day with a Star Wars marathon and doughnuts. We decide to make it an even Dudier day by making some guac. The NB is sent to the store to get the supplies.

He comes back with:

3 tomatoes

1 red pepper

1 block of tofu (for other purposes).

And says: I forgot the lime!

And I am like... and the cilantro. And everything else. And WHY did you buy a red pepper?

NB: You said! You said to buy a red pepper!

Me: I most certainly did not.

NB: You said pepper! You said red!

Me: *Confused* Maybe I meant black pepper? But we have black pepper... what else goes into guac?

NB: You also said mint but I didn't want to.

Me: Cilantro... tomato... onion! I SAID RED ONION! NOT RED PEPPER!

NB: Oh.

So the NB was sent back to Vons to pick up, ya know, ALL the ingredients except the tomato.

Maybe you had to be there. But that red pepper was the butt of many jokes for the rest of the week.

You're the One That I Want

2009-12-28T23:28:00.001-08:00

And because nothing in my life is complete without a Glee reference. I also looked for the Short Cuts Ruth - Grease moment for Sonia, and Degrassi Liberty - Grease moment for Rona, but apparently my youtubing skills are not that good.

I've got chiiiilllllssss

2009-12-28T23:24:00.001-08:00

This episode was on today. It made me so happy. That 70s Show always did the best spoofs, and who doesn't love Grease? And also, Milla Kunis is so pretty.

I'm all by myself!!!

2009-12-28T23:18:00.001-08:00

The NB is away, the mouse will play! Vegas for new years. xx

Christmassy vid of the day

2009-12-21T11:57:00.001-08:00

This is from Babes in Toyland and is pretty irresistible. I actually wanted the version from the 1986 film starring Drew Barrymore and Keaunu Reeves, but couldn't find it.

If you haven't seen that fim, you should. Getchoo in the spirit.

xx

Stealing Christmas

2009-12-18T14:51:00.000-08:00

The best thing about being an assistant - an assistant to the big boss, too - is being the gatekeeper of the Christmas offerings. So far, I have pilfered:

- Box of peppermint bark

- Bouquet of flowers

- Basket, Rose's sweetened lime juice and bottle of Sour Apple Pucker schnapps

Yes, it is exactly like Devil Wears Prada, but without the designer bags / products.

Nine - Official Trailer [HD]

2009-12-15T11:43:00.001-08:00

As mentioned, I love Marion. I also dote on Kate Hudson, even when she's in shitty movies like Raising Helen and How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days. I like Nicole Kidman, pretty much mostly. I didn't used to like Penelope Cruz, because I thought she was a home wrecker (I guess she and Nicole are friends now? Or at least frenemies?) and she kind of grates on my nerves, but I am liking her more and more. And the old ladies are awesome. What movie isn't Judie Dench in? It's like always a toss up between her and Maggie Smith. I guess ol' Judes won this one.

Fergie... just looks like a hot tranny mess. As usual.

But I am so so excited for this. Super so so excited.

I'm not sure if there is a way that this can not win an Oscar. Guessing nominations for: Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Directing, Film Editing, Music (score), Music (song), Sound Editing.

Then again, it might disappoint.

Also, read this! Eek, two European thesps conversing is soups cute.

Cap ou pas cap?

2009-12-15T11:20:00.000-08:00

Can you guess who this is?

Surprisingly, it's not McDreamy.

Here's a clue:

Yap, it's Marion and Guillaume.

I adore that these two are together. It's terribly romantic. And if you haven't seen Jeux D'enfants (Love Me If You Dare), then you are full of fail. Especially if you are a girl. And you hate love. I love Marion. I love Guillaume.

Out of point, but:

J'adore la robe, aussi.

Also, is anyone not psyched for Nine?

Esoteric Inklings

2009-12-08T16:55:00.000-08:00

The words 'esoteric' and 'nefarious' have been floating around the office a lot this week. I know, whaaa? The only reason I even know the word esoteric is because of writing 340.

Anyway, esoteric seems to describe my ultimate Christmas wish. The other stuff is just cuckoo bananas items, business as usual. (Isn't the phrase cuckoo bananas just great? I picked it up from Degrassi a while ago and have only now resurrected it.) This Christmas List was done at the request of my darling Choops, but anyone else who wants to give me presents is welcome to. That's YOU, NB!

(Speaking of NB and presents, he did a wonderful job of getting me the microplane for our 2 year anniversary present. All the TV chefs have one, so of course, I believed that it was the only thing standing between me and great zest.)

The regular stuff first:

1. 2010 planner

I need a planner, because now that I am a grown up, I plan on 'doing drinks' and 'getting together' after 'checking my schedule' . And while the computer is all well and good, it is not as fun. I also associate it too closely with work.

Here are my requirements:

- Small-ish, and light. Must fit in my purse.

- Cute. Must not be embarrassed to take it out in public.

- Of good quality paper. Must be able to withstand personalization with highlighters and other office supplies.

- Must open to the spine (eg. spiral binding). I am left handed and if it doesn't open all the way it's realllly hard to write.

Inspiration: Here, and here, and here, and here. All are somewhat lacking.

(The picture is from Red Velvet Art - their stuff is sooo cute, especially the underpants. But no planners :( )

2. Feather skirt

I know, you are probably like errr... fashion faux pas. But I think they are so cute.

Requirements:

- A wearable colour. There is a hot pink one floating around the internet that I am not digging.

- A fun length. And by fun, I mean short. Not like teeny tiny, but you know, not matronly.

Concessions:

- This would also be acceptable in dress form, if the top of the dress is cute too.

(I am a medium, or size 12 uk, 6 us)

3. Rain boots

Granted, it rains maybe 3 days a year in LA. But boy, on those 3 days, I always wish I had Wish William's Wellingtons.

There was a pair from the Gap that I loooved a couple of years ago, navy with a pink trim. All gone now.

Requirements:

- Cute (duh)

- Not too colourful. I need to be able to wear this with whatever outfits, and probably my polkadot raincoat.

(I am a size 8 1/2 us... 39 eur... I think uk 7 1/2? I used to be 8 but my feet have been shrinking...)

Speaking of boots...

4. Motorcycle boots

So, my beloved brown Payless boots have a hole in the zip from four years of loving, a million spilt drinks and one winter of sledding (Yes, I went sledding in heels. The were wonderful ice picks). These Pradas would be an excellent replacement. (I also have my over the knee black Victoria's secret boots, but they are pretty whorish and not entirely work appropriate, and also, they make my feet feel a 19th C Chinese woman with bound feet... and a computer...)

Requirements:

- None, kind of. I mean, black or brown. Heel, or none. Knee-high or mid-calf. (Er, not ankle though. And mid-calf might look cankly, but I am open to your good taste).

5. Rolling pin

It's just one of those things that I really need but have never bought. I have been using a wine bottle (always available in my apartment) covered in clingfilm. It does the job, just not as well.

Other things that are always welcome:

Costume jewelry (or real, that's cool too), accessories (hats, scarves, gloves, over-the-knee socks, leggings, arm warmers, sunnies, umbrellas, weird hair things), clothing basics (cardigans, basic tees and tanks), kitchen things (fun cookie cutters, cook books, pie tins, weird shaped cake pans, holiday sprinkles, pretty jars for sugars and flours, cake stands).

Isn't this necklace sooo cute? From here!

And now, it's time for... the Ultimate Christmas Wish:

To be a Portland Housewife.

Let me explain. Portland housewives don't have to be from Portland, but they generally are, because that's where all the cool kids are from. They stay at home all day and bake and craft with their young children, then blog about it. They crochet and make cute stuffed animals out of felt and play dress up and have herb gardens. They shop at farmer's markets. They buy handmade. They go thrifting. They loiter around Etsy.

My first experience with the Portland Housewife was Amy Karol, and I believe she is actually a Portland Housewife. Then the Bluebird Vintage girl, who has a child and is crafty cool so qualifies, then the Red Velvet Girls and now I am just swamped with blogs to envy and projects to wish I was doing.

Anyway, seeing as I actually like my job (other than the whole waking up and having to work thing), and really only want to dabble in Portland Housewivery for now (although, in 5 years, I will be all over that shizz), I would like to craft more.

So what I need for that is: Patterns. A sewing machine. Books. Someone to teach me to knit. Someone to teach me to crochet. Cool wools. Cool fabrics. Needles. Buttons. Stamps. Inks. Funny-shaped hole punchers. Ribbons. Cute papers. A wicker basket to keep them all in.

Any contributions would be welcome.

HOW CUTE ARE THESE BOOTS?

2009-12-08T16:42:00.001-08:00

In the famous words of xmas years past, Peace Love The Gap.

xx

86 the rules

2009-12-08T16:38:00.001-08:00

This is why you shouldn't always fast forward the ads on the DVR.

Olivander Padfoot

2009-12-08T14:53:00.000-08:00

Meet the puppy!

This is Ollie's bed. He likes to pee in it.

This is Ollie's friend Luna. They aren't really friends, Ollie growled at her a lot. He laugh's in the face of danger - Luna is part Husky (and part Cayote, if you believe the fools in my 'hood...)

Ollie spends a lot of time asleep on the couch. So he fits in pretty well with our house.

Ollie's bear. Used to be Luna's bear for when she came to visit. He likes to bite bear's nose.

Prezzies for Ollie!

1. Snowman chew toy. Screams when squeezed.

2. Chew stick. Ollie has smelly breath, the lady at the shop told me this would help.

3. Mini harness. For when Ollie wants to go rappeling. J/K, he's just too little for his collar.

4. Dinosaur butt chew toy. Could not afford head.

The best thing about Hollywood is that there are a million couture dog shops.

Kid From Glee Totally Wearing Twilight Shirt

2009-12-08T09:31:00.001-08:00

Look out towards the end of the vid. Uh, Forks Spartans? Don't pretend like you didn't get that in a swag bag.

Also, I looove that his house sucks. That's the realilty of Hollywood. Your house sucks until you marry up.

<3

Spot on?

2009-12-04T18:43:00.000-08:00

Aaron Karo's Ruminations:

-Recently I’ve been running into a perplexing breed – girls still dating their boyfriends from college. You know how this generally works: they’ve been dating on again off again since sophomore year, he cheated on her, she takes him back, they took some time off after graduation but now they’re back together because she can’t be alone, it’ll never work out long-term but it’s convenient for now, blah, blah, blah. Ladies, guys, it’s time to move on – free up some ass for the rest of us.

-Another strain of female I have learned to be wary of is the girl who has no girl friends. Advantages: tends to party harder than your standard chick, more likely to let you spend time doing guy things (i.e. playing video games and watching PTI on ESPN). Disadvantages: doesn’t bring out other hot chicks for your friends, more likely to be surrounded by dudes at all times. Conclusion: definitely a keeper, just watch out for that old college boyfriend of hers.

Crutchfield Electronics

Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

2009-12-03T14:19:00.001-08:00

Here is an update on my life through iPhone pictures:

My first peppermint mocha of the season. Nom nom nom.

Also, 99c Advent Calendars from Trader Joes! Whee!

(I don't know why it comes up sideways. It's fine on my computer. Stupid)

Here is my HouseElf, aka NB, leaving photos of himself on my phone.

Having a HouseElf is useful because they do things like:

Laundry/Making the bed

(Uh, yes, my room is a hot mess)

Putting up pictures on wall.

As you can see, my HouseElf is not trained in uncrookeding pictures, so he artfully decided to stagger them.

He also does dishes and bathrooms.

The End.

Happy Songs

2009-12-02T10:27:00.001-08:00

Remember this? Awww. Watched Juno with NB again last night. I forgot how amazing Ellen Page is.

Incidentally, do you remember this part:

Juno?
No it's Morgan Freeman, got any bones that need collecting?

I always thought that was hilarious, so it just about broke my heart when I discovered that Morgan Freeman wasn't in the bone collector!! It was Denzel, y'all!

Turkeys go in and (apple) pies come out.

2009-12-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

Let me start this by saying that my pies were not inedible. But they were not awesome. Sad face. Why yes, that is a sense of foreboding you are getting.

I got the bright idea (no sarcasm, it really is a good idea) from some blog or site to use turkey leftovers to make turkey pot pie. Nom nom nom.

I found these adorable little disposable pot pie pots, so I could make individual servings and bring a couple to work for the boys that drive me around (long story resulting in no car this week) and feed the roommies. And I used kind of a hodge-podge of recipes, because I figured it was a left over pie, you don't need to follow rules!

What I did (makes 6):

The innards:

Made turkey stock with my carcass, 2 onions, a bag of carrots and a bunch of celery. Also added thyme, oregano, salt n pepper.

Made a roux with 2 tbsp of butter and 3 tbsp flour. Added some roasted garlic, courtesy of thxgiving*. Added 3 cups of stock, with as many carrots as I could gather and as few celery bits as I could (I don't like the idea of celery in my pie. Peas and carrots only please). 1 cup of milk. Seasoned. Added 7 chopped up white potatoes. A cup of frozen peas. 2 cups of chopped up left-over white meat turkey. Simmer until potatoes are tender.

I found that the sauce was too thin so I took all the bits out after and reduced the sauce til it was thicker.

The Outards:

I had a big debate with myself whether to make a regular pie crust or use pre-made puff pastry. Puff pastry won. There's just something so enticing about a puff pastry top. I used one package of puff pastry, but then I threw away one sixth of it because I didn't flour the board the first time and then it stuck to everything and was a giant faily fail. Laziness really kills. I then had to streetch my other pastry out to make it fit 6 pies.

Got the pie crust in, tried to distribute the insides as evenly as possible, covered them up. Dabbed some eggwash (one beaten egg) on each top. Baked for 25 min at 350F.

Here are my results:

I know. Pretty failyfail. Especially when all viewed together. I was a little embarrassed about bringing them to work to give to people, but then I remembered they are boys and thus not picky.

Ah well, learn from my mistakes...

Lessons learned:

- NEVER STRETCH PUFF PASTRY - it shrivels back to size, or doesn't rise and is just generally depressing. It also gets holes in it really easily and then the sauce gets under the pastry and then the pastry shell is all goopey. So use flour aplenty to stop it from sticking and getting thrown away. I would also advise cutting the dough before rolling - a pack of puff pastry usually comes in 2 sheets which are folded in 3, which is pretty perfect. Cut each strip into 2 (one side slightly bigger than the other) and use the bigger for a base and the smaller for the lid. Roll the bigger one so that it is about 3/4 of an inch more in radius for the rim of the pie. Throw it in the pie tin as a square, fit it properly (without STRETCHING!) and then trim whatever falls over the edge.

- I believe you are also meant to cut a little slit in the top to let the steam out.

- Use a brush to do the egg wash. I used my fingers, and it was not even, so my pies were not beautiful and brown and shiny, they were just even more sad.

- For the insides, the biggest piece of advice I can give: cut the carrots and potatoes up, steam all the things separately and put them in the shells, then add the sauce. Why? Well. To ensure perfect cooking of each element. My peas were kind of an olive green by the time all the potatoes were cooked, and my carrots were not so vibrant. My turkey was also kind of dry by the time it had stewed... This also ensures that you get the desired amount of each food, not say one piece of turkey and 9 potatoes.

- Chopping: It really helps to cut things pretty small here. I am a lazy and there were giant chunks of potato and turkey and carrots... which was fine, but would have been better small.

- Aluminum pots are not so great to bring to offices that only have microwaves, because then you have to take the pie out and put it on a paper plate and then the crust gets even soggier.

Back pats:

+ The stock: My soups are generally delicious, and this was no different. Although one roommate has voiced complaint that even our bathroom smells like turkey now.

+ The potato: Using a waxy variety is a good plan because then it doesn't disintegrate in the sauce.

So. Go forth and prosper, children.

In other news, I slept with wet hair and am now experiencing a truly horrible hair day that even a hat couldn't fix. My bangs look like a mullet.

* I have noticed a lot of faux-hip mom-aged peeps throwing this little gem around the emails. They think they are sooo with-it.

'Up in the Air'

2009-11-24T11:46:00.001-08:00

Yes, I am on a roll here.

This is the legit movie that Anna Kendrick aka Jessica from the Twi series in. With George Clooney, the director of Thank You For Smoking and Juno, and Oscar buzzing... this is a win.

SUPER DELICIOUS

2009-11-24T11:30:00.001-08:00

And this is the genius ad that had us all calling everything "super delicious".

Yes, I do watch too much tv. It's research.

BumpIts - As Seen on TV Network

2009-11-24T11:26:00.001-08:00

For my darlings abroad / who don't watch TV, here is a bump it. Yes, it is the most hilarious invention since the Snuggie (now available for dogs). I know a girl who has one, and it actually looked ok.

I DIY'd a bumpit the other night out of one third of a paper towel roll. On the third attempt, it looked pretty great. But definitely could not go out knowing there was a recycled cardboard tube giving my hair its body. Because it would probably fall out.

Bangs

2009-11-24T10:53:00.000-08:00

So in the end, I did get bangs. Half out of love for bangs, and half out of a desire not to maintain the brows.

This is me playing with photobooth at work. I chose the thermal effect because then you can't see how deathly grey my skin is in natural light. Instead, you can see how oily my nose is.

Anyway, note that I am wearing a headband. Most days I have to wear a headband, or hair pins, or have it up, or back comb it, or have it curled... So I can look like this:

(And OMG, isn't Lily Cole super adorable / delicious here?)

And not like this:

Or:

Which I do, if I just brush my hair and do nothing else. Am seriously contemplating investing in a Bump It, so as not to have to spend so much time / stolen hair products on back combing. Not sure if I could suffer through the humiliation.

Thoughts?

Work Woes

2009-11-19T12:49:00.000-08:00

Today my boss pretended to stab me with my scissors in a Psycho-esque manner. Then he put them in my coffee cup. Looking confused as he spotted my pen holder right next to it, he asked "Wait... does this not go in there?"

"No," I responded. "That's my coffee."

Embracing English Roots

2009-11-18T17:06:00.000-08:00

In the last week, I watched 2 indie films (which I believe were pretty mainstream in the UK), and zero blockbusters. (I have absolutely no interest in seeing 2012, for some reason. Oh, probably because I think that John Cusak and Amanda Peet are the most irrelevant has beens to cast as romantic leads in any film after 2004. Don't get me wrong... I loved John Cusak... when I was 10).

The Boat That Rocked (Or, to American Audiences: Pirate Radio)

I have been anxiously awaiting this one since I saw the trailer when I took my 15 year old brother to see the Hangover as an attempt to buy his love back after not picking him up at the airport.

Anyhoo, what's not to love? The peeps from Love Actually (which I made NB watch in prep for both this and Christmas), with particular hearts to Bill Nighy. Jack Davenport, aka Steve from Coupling, who is showing up everywhere these days, most notably Flash Forward...

...And that hottie mc hot hot, Tom Sturridge, who you might remember from previous posts as being the hottie son from Being Julia, Robert Pattinson's bff (apparently he was sleeping on his couch in NY?) and also from briefly dating Camilla Belle. (Side note: on LaineyGossip, she had a hilarious posts about "why is?" and one of them was Camilla Belle which I thought was dead on). Except Holy Mutha I thought he had a monobrow when he first came on. But it's ok, it was just his greasyEnglishboy mop of hair.

Thoughts on Talulah Riley? I just can't decide on her. She was in St Trinians, which I loved, but I didn't love her. She was in Pride and Prejudice (the Kiera one) as the sister that no one remembers. She was in a little movie with RPattz (there's that cinema incest...) which I didn't see but she looked annoying in. She was the love interest in this. IDK. She's ok. She's pretty. I feel like she's one to look out for, if anyone is interested. Bet you she makes it big.

Oh. Right. The film.

The plot: A bunch of dudes operate an illegal rock and roll radio station from a boat in the English Channel and have to thwart the government peeps who try to shut them down.

I liked it, it was hilarious. The dialogue was super snappy, and it was really fun and campy. I had some issues with the story... it was just kind of like... whaa? The whole bad guys trying to shut down the radio thing felt like it was just thrown in to give some kind of structure to the happenings on board. Most of the attempts by the bad guys were shut down by a line from Bill Nighy ("Well, I hired this awesome DJ, so our sponsors will give u

s money from abroad since it's illegal in the UK..."). But whatever, who really cares about a little thing like emotional investment in the plot? I'm just rooting for the boy to get laid.

Although I did cry in the end. NB hinted that he might have gotten misty-eyed also. Here's a hint: they might have borrowed some shots from Titanic and The Perfect Storm. Yeaaaa.

An Education

LaineyGossip told me to watch this, and apparently I take whatever gossip blogs say to their millions of readers as personal messages à moi. Oh, also I saw the trailer on iTunes and it looked trés bien.

At first I was hesitant about Carey Mulligan, because I think she looks slightly lesbionic with her new haircut for Wall Street 2, but now that I've seen the film I'm thinking she is way too awesome for Shia. Not that I don't love him. But... I love her more.

Jenny, a swotty 16 year old trying to get into Oxford, decides that school isn't that awesome when you can just marry a rich, exciting older man.

I loved this movie because Jenny was so so so real. At the beginning of the film, I was like ugh, she is so much cooler than I was because she's clever and witty, and drops little bits of french into her speech, which I remember being the thing to do at that age but my accent was always dreadful. Hers is perfect.

Then she goes out with Peter Sarsgaard's friends, and meets Helen who is all sophisticated and chic and does her hair and wears jewels and in real life was a Bond girl one time... and Helen says she got her fur from King's road, and Jenny says something like "c'est trop cher pour moi." Very subtle, I like it. But Helen looks at her like she is a complete alien and goes "What did you say?" and Jenny says "I said it's too expensive for me." and Helen says "No you didn't." and Jenny says "I said it in French." And Helen says...

... Why?

And it is like whooosh you are a little embarrassed girl, and it's not like Helen is being rude, she is just genuinely perplexed. I was right thurr with Jenny.

Also later at dinner, Jenny gets all excited about the art and has a burst of enthusiasm and gives her very adult, flippant view on art, and they indulge her and make it so so clear that she is such a child playing grown up. And her man would tease her about being so bourgeois while doing ironically bourgeois things like drinking champagne at dinner and going to auctions.

Anyway, those were my two favorite moments. And also this white and red dress that she wears.

Also love: Olivia Williams as her teacher, and Emma Thompson as the head mistress. This was set in the 60s, by the way, which was interesting because the only thing women could do with a degree was go into public service or teach, and it was pretty normal to be insanely racist...

One thing I did not love: again, the plot was a little weak, or rather the overall lesson was. It was basically one big PSA to stay in school and not have sex. Um, that might clue you in on how it ends.

Hmm. It seems Emma Thompson shows up in both of these. Also bangs, which made me very analytical of my own. More to come on that topic. I also found myself sounding more English for a good half hour after... then I lost it again.

Speaking of Gossip Girl

2009-11-11T10:53:00.001-08:00

Eeeyoh, the two main girls in the Plasticines have adorable desirable enviable hair. I think it's time to get my bangs back.

Anya Marina - Whatever You Like cover (Gossip Girl)

2009-11-11T10:41:00.001-08:00

This was on Gossip Girl on Monday and gave NB and I a good case of the giggles.

I know, I am on a blogging spree.

If You Don't Already Love Quinn Fabray...

2009-11-11T10:36:00.001-08:00

You should now. Know that my roommates and I once spent an entire drunken evening doing this song and dance around Korea Town. It was really ugly.

Girl Crushes

2009-11-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

1. Olivia Thirlby

Have loved her since Juno. Saw New York, I Love You last weekend and while I can't say I appreciated all of the films (uh... someone please explain the Shia one to me), I loveddd her in it with that dorky kid from Star Trek and the newest Terminator.

2. Dakota Fanning

Already expressed my adoration for her pretty recently, but her Teen Vogue shoot was BEAUTIFUL. Tell me her eyes weren't retouched. I'm excited for Joan Jett and the Runaways, and also for New Moon. She is the perfect Jane, with that creepy perfect child star face.

3. Diana Agron

Oh Quinn Fabray. How can anyone not love her? She's pretty, and skinny, and hilarious. And she can sing. 'Nuff said.

4. Candice Accola

Vampire Diaries is a dreadful show full of bad story and cheap rip offs of other vampire things that shall remained unnamed. Saving grace: Handsome boys and the hilarious things that Caroline says.

Oh wow, also, she was in Juno as the female lab partner. Was she the chick who had to go lie down in the nurses office who was bitching at her boyfriend for having a wine cooler at his brother's frat house? My love deepens.

5. Anna Kendrick

I know, I should be ashamed, 2 of the Twilight chicks made it on here. But she cracks me up every time I see Twilight. "Oh... you're so... funny... heh..." and "She's right though, my boobs do look awesome in this."

And apparently she is pretty legit in whatever real movies she has coming out between the Twilight saga stuff. Am excited.

Hmm... It would appear that other than D Fanning, all my girl crushes are the pretty, bitchy, occasionally bimbotic frenemies. Can't help it, they get the best lines.

Other mentionables: The Emmas: Watson and Roberts. I will always love you both. KStew, I love you but just not quite as much.

Lady Gaga - Still Bat Shizz Crazy

2009-11-11T09:33:00.001-08:00

This video is like the 5th Element meets Thriller meets Alien meets several BSB vids (Backstreet's back? ALRIGHT!).

Weird - the shoes she's wearing at 3:30... I swear I read a blog yesterday with the python ones saying that Lady Gaga will probably fight JLo to wear them first. I guess Gags won.

Perspective - very small tree = far away?

2009-11-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, there was a PSA in Singapore that encouraged looking away from your computer every 45 min and out to some greenery in the distance. It's meant to rest your eyes or some balls. The only window I can see from my desk is behind me and all I can see through that is a wall. Solution:

My daddy bought me a bonzai tree and book on bonzai care for either xmas or my birthday quite some years ago. At the time, I was like whytf would you think a teenaged girl would want this small tree thing over something like say a bottle of tequila? The maid took care of the tree for a while, then she left and it died and the next maid used its little pot to grow some other crap in it.

When my eyes started to ache after two hours of being a working woman, I remembered both the PSA and the bonzai incident. Taking advantage of my papa's fondness for buying me doodads, I requested another bonzai and he obliged. My theory is this: When you look out a window into the distant trees, they seem very small. Perhaps I could just have a very small tree placed closer, to give the illusion of large trees in the distance.

One problem: Small pumpkin has been displaced and now sits sadly on a pile of scripts.

Candle in the Wind

2009-11-09T14:40:00.001-08:00

Speaking of smelly things, I bought a scented candle from the cute little store across the street - Jonathan Wright and Company. That is not a very cute name for a store, am disappointed now that I have checked the receipt. But they had a cute little poodley dog running around that looked like a very small lamb with a bald patch on it's rump. And their website is cute. So I guess it's ok.

My tropical chutney or whatever from Bath and Bodyworks has been running down, and as I said, NB has very smelly farts, so I decided I needed to invest in a new candle. I only like citrussy ones, don't ask, just personal preference. This is 'Goji & Tarocco Orange' by Voluspa and it smelt quite delicious, but now that I have it lit I can barely smell it at all.

Still, at least it is brightening up my lonely office and keeping my mini pumpkin company. When is the appropriate time to throw away a mini pumpkin? Should I keep it through Thanksgiving? It doesn't seem to be rotting yet.

*Update -- two coworkers have said that my office smells rocking the stockings so I guess it's just my nose. *

Sprouts

2009-11-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

Here is my champion weekend purchase from Trader Joes. I don't even like brussel sprouts but it was like $3 and who knew they came on a vine and were such freaks?

Roasted with EVOO, salt and pepper... for an hour... on 400F. A bit of a failey fail, the house was very hot and the outsides were a little black and the insides were a little raw and the stalk did not cook at all even after another 20 min sans sprouts. That was sad. In the end, we should have just plucked em off and roasted them so they would be cooked evenly. But that seems like such a waste.

Now everyone is farting sprout farts, which are similar to cabbage farts but stay in the air longer.

Oh, yes, that is NB in the background. He bicycled all the way to LA from Washington state. I know, what a crazy. Now he is all hairy and all his clothes have holes and his shoes are smelly and actually orthopedic shoes for elderly women. My receptionist is going to queer eye him this weekend.

Bring on the Waterworks

2009-11-06T16:48:00.001-08:00

Bad news guys.

Nicholas Sparks + Army movie + Handsome Man + Karen from Mean Girls = Tears for SURE x I'm a mouse, duh.

Did you miss me?

2009-10-29T14:13:00.001-07:00

Of course you did.

I'm a real working girl now. With my own desk. And computer. That means that I can blog again! About pointless things! Hoorah!

To celebrate, let's have a nice stolen picture from JustJared.

This is essentially what brought me back.

Above you see Kellan Lutz, aka Emmett ''My Monkey Man'' Cullen from Twilight, making kisses with AnnaLynne McCord, aka some chick from 90210 that isn't Darcy from Degrassi.

I like this photo collage because it is very cinematic. It looks like a scene from a movie, where someone is hiding in the bushes taking pictures of someone he is going to kill. But really mostly because I think it is really creepy that AnnaLynne is making eye contact with the camera, and that made me stare at it for a long long time.

Anyone else wondering what could be in that box and why she would be carrying it herself? Anyone else find themselves fixated on her bony feet and shockingly bright toenails?

Anyone else out there?

New Show Alert! - NYC Prep

2009-06-23T22:48:00.001-07:00

Is basically real life Gossip Girl. So like, uglier. And less witty.

Initially I only liked Camille, because I think she has a really interesting face. And she is basically Blair. But now my favs are Kelly and Sebastian. Kelly reminds me of Emma Roberts, and she's all cute and funny. Sebastian thinks he's a player (actually, he is, you should see the way girls fall all over the place for him) and comes up with gems like 'my passion is really... hooking up with girls', and 'Kelly could be my girlfriend, but I would rather hook up with as many girls as I want'. Winner.

Plus... looks like Dom, no? Same age. Luckily he has a gf.

Do not like: The blond girl. Her name is Jessie, she's obnox and not very attractive, but mostly I don't like her because she reminds me of someone else I don't really like. JBabyB for those in the know.

Get on it.

Juno Temple

2009-06-18T16:21:00.000-07:00

We should all start loving Juno Temple right now.

You might remember her as bitchy redhead kid that got James in deep shizz in Atonement. Or bitchy wife who got Natalie Portman in deep shizz in The Other Boleyn Girl. Bitchy annoying child in Notes on a Scandal?

As you can see. she has generally only played bitchy horrible children. But now:

She's also in year one, looking very blond-chick-from-the-TingTings.

Adorable. Must now try and watch her in Wild Child with my other girl-child crush, Emma Roberts.

Lucky

2009-06-09T03:14:00.001-07:00

NB complains that I do not say good things about him, with particular regards to my journal. Which he read. Easy to confess once you leave, right?

Anyway, since it seems to be not adieu but ttfn, here is something nice.

Um, does anyone else think this is the worst music video ever? Awful editing, zero story, clearly just an excuse to go on holiday.

Grease is the word

2009-06-02T20:55:00.001-07:00

For every emotion you will ever feel, Grease will have a song for you. That's probably not true, but it has always worked for me.

Bye bye NB.

Dream Dream Dream

2009-05-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a weird dream I thought I would share and interpret. I am just that bored.

So, I was very pregnant, and my water broke. I was put on this white couch to give birth and I was all freaking out that they only gave me one towel, and it's a white couch, and it was going to get dirty. No one seemed to care except me. Then I was actually giving birth. You will all be glad to know that it hurts only slightly more than a very constipated poop. Easy birth, gooey baby. But then I got worried about my placenta being broken, because in Bio in secondary school our teacher told us about how if its not complete then the pieces left behind can rot in your uterus and make you sick. But I guess it was fine, and the baby was fine. Then the baby and I went with cousin Alex, Aunty Cyn and Uncle John to some super secret safety deposit box thing where I wasn't allowed to go in. I don't remember that part very well. But we were in a lift.

So, here are some interpretations:

To dream of reclining on a couch, indicates that false hopes will be entertained. You should be alert to every change of your affairs, for only in this way will your hopes be realized.

To dream of giving birth can represent the beginning of a new project or stage of life.

A baby signifies innocence, warmth and new beginnings. A love may be blooming for you in your near future. You will also make fun new friends. Babies may also symbolize something pure in your own inner nature. If you dream of a crying baby, part of yourself may feel deprived of attention and affection.

To see a placenta in your dream, symbolizes dependency and reliance on other people. It also suggests that there is something in your life that is no longer needed. You need to let go of some of the unnecessary burden.

Riding in an elevator means that you are looking for help with a specific problem, or you want to achieve your goals in a hurry without putting much effort into it. Riding up in the elevator means social and professional advancement.

To see a bank in your dream denotes your desires for financial security.

SO. Let's interpret.

Because I have recently graduated from college, a new stage in my life is beginning. Also because NB is moving home. I am slightly in denial about the fact that I will probably never see him again in my life. That's a kind of hard thing to accept. NB is probably the placenta, and the false hope couch. That bastard.

And yes, I would like to become a producer with not much effort, that would be sweet, or even just to have an assistant job. So there's my elevator. And really, who doesn't want financial security?

What the family members have to do with it I do not know. Perhaps I want to use family connections to get ahead with little effort and have money? Sounds about right.

What have you guys been dreaming of lately? Anything this weird?

Unemployment is the new summer

2009-05-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

I am so so so bored. I have expired all the Hollywood blogs, the last romance novel I read has made me think maybe I've lost my enjoyment in them, TV sucks and NB is out drinking with his friend but even if he wasn't, I'd be bored. Bored and annoyed.

For a while, I was trying to find some ac/sc gossip blogs, and then I remembered that everyone I know graduated long ago and as such I really couldn't care less about the people featured on the blogs I can't find anyway.

So if anyone has anything for me to read, please, let me know.

Here is a little gem for you guys: Real Blair's Blog. I don't know if any of you follow Leighton Meester on Twitter, but the girl is effing nuts. She says things like 'is a wild naughty child'. Makes for good reading.

Enjoy and return the favour.

xoxo

New Show!!!

2009-05-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

Everyone, get on Glee. New on Fox.

Some Summer Dos and Don'ts

2009-05-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

DO: Watch Star Trek.

Okay, okay, it wasn't the best thing I've ever seen. It was the best Star Trek I've ever seen, but I was always biased against Star Trek because I thought you had to be exclusively dating either Wars or Trek and I had chosen Wars. Now I know better. Whatever, it's worth a look for guys and girls. But not for my Mum, she'd hate it.

a) It's hilarious. How could it not be, with Simon Pegg in it? Also, Harold aka John Cho. Guess he has to start acting in real things now that Kumar has run off to the White House. Even without Simon Pegg, it was much more funny and with it than I had expected.

b) Half the shots I swear were homages to other greats like Star Wars (on Hoth) and Transformers (in the desert, when that monster comes out).

c) Sylar was Sylaring around the place. This is neither here nor there but worth mention.

d) Some great cameos: Winona Ryder. Tyler Perry. Enough said.

e) Eye candy. You know, Chris Pine? AKA Princess Diaries 2, and Just My Luck guy? How can you not love that face? Adorable.

Don't: Read the Manny.

It's really dull. Like the Nanny Diaries, but from the POV of the Mom who thinks she isn't the same as the rest of the Upper East Side, so even duller. There's a handsome man in it and a few funny sidekicks but mostly she bitches about how stressful it is to work part time and have three children and three staff, how her husband is a shallow tool, how her Manny is hot... Spends entirely too long on the subplot about her job as a news producer. Really, no one cares.

Here's the sums: Boo hoo, I work so hard and my kids feel neglected, especially my son who effed up in his basketball game and is pretending not ot care. My husband is a lawyer making lots of money but is all bummed that he isn't making enough for a private jet, and thus has no time for our son. I will hire a handsome man to hang out with my son. I totz have a crush on him but I'm too good a wife to do anything about it. Bitch friend went down on him in the closet at a playdate! I hate my husband, also, maybe I should leave him, but sometimes I like him. Oh also boo hoo work sucks I have such a good story coming out that it has been such hard work. Gay men like to give me advice on how to be less frumpy but I don't seem to understand. I love being frumpy. But it's ok, my manny loves me, I figured it out when I went to his birthday party and this really cute girl who had a crush on him told me he was head over heels with 'someone' and someone else told me he had made big bucks off this software he was developing but didn't quit because he didn't want to... ditch my kid? He loves me and now he's really rich. But I have work and fam, so sorry manny. I just caught my husband eating my other friend's vag. OMG. I should get a divorce and hook up with my manny, but not immediately. I don't understand why my manny is so upset I don't want to hook up with him, upset enough to run to California?? Actually I'm just going to take the kids away for a weekend. Manny came to visit! We had hot hot sex, but not that hot. Husband came to visit too! I blackmailed him because he has been doing some dodgy things with his law firm and is in trouble, and now I am free. Manny says I need some time alone, so he will meet me in our spot in central park in precisely 6 months. He did.

(That was the actual last line of the book... 'and he did.' Or something Similar.)

The worst thing about this was that it referenced Britney Spears' Manny and thus means it wasn't even a fresh new idea. It means that it was already old news.

The best thing was that the main chick was advised by a friend to 'always blow your husband'. Hahaha. Every morning apparently. Rona and I discussed it and decided it was a gross but genius plan. From Rona's POV: He'd never cheat, unless he got horny at lunch. From NB's POV: How could he say no to anything? You just gave him a BJ. From my POV: His friends would mock him if he ever complained about anything, because the rest of them only have sex once a month.

Don't: Read Lucky

For some reason, we've been getting a subscription to Lucky for free. The just keep showing up. And they kind of suck. For instance, the May issue assured me that crimping hair was back in. That is a damn lie. Less offensive, but still not great in a fashion mag: Everything is kind of old news. Gladiator sandals, hobo bags... is that stuff still in? Weren't they soo last summer??

Most importantly: No horoscopes. Whaaaa?

Graduation Groans

2009-04-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

I have come to the startling realization that my degree is useless. That's not entirely true, but my career of choice is really childish. And like... teeny. Because (with any luck) I am going to be an assistant, answering phones, getting my boss coffee and driving his/her car to get the oil changed, and things that I could have done when I was 16...

I don't have a problem with that. It's the path I must take. But then I remember that my classmates at home who are graduating are going to be like... legit lawyers. And accountants. And actually have responsibilities. That mean something.

And that is pretty scary.

I should at least write my cover letter soon.

Pretending to be Indie-Musicy-Cool

2009-04-14T09:39:00.001-07:00

Last night, I skipped class to go see Jenny Lewis with NB. She was amazing, her vocals didn't waver at all throughout the night, unlike Fergie who sounds frugging awful live. Not that I've seen her, but when she performs at award shows she's pretty bad. The chick from Paramore had great vocals too but she almost sounded like a recording where as Jenny Lewis somehow sounded much more... there.

Anyway, she's sexy as hell. Actually, she looks like some Mischa Barton Jennifer Garner hybrid, but she is adorable and makes me want to go out and buy a hat and cut my bangs again. I think I will visit supercuts this afternoon.

Please enjoy this youtube performance of Rabbit Fur Coat from her first album, which she tried to play last night and messed up on. Apparently it's a true story.

Alfred Hitchcock - Notorious (1946) - Part 1 of 11

2009-04-12T23:27:00.001-07:00

If you don't feel like renting it... the whole thing is right here on youtube!!! Fantab.

Notorious (the Alfred Hitchcock version, not BIG)

2009-04-12T22:41:00.000-07:00

I have always maintained, a little arrogantly, that I hate Alfred Hitchcock. There's a couple of reasons for this: (1) I saw Birds, and bits of Psycho, and they are def not my idea of an enjoyable afternoon. (2) He and Quentin Tarantino are the gods of the pretentious film student, and I try to stay away from their stereotypes.

But pairing Ingrid Bergman with Cary Grant? Well played, Alfie.

I had to watch some clips of this in my production design class, and I paid special attention since in my production class I have been all Noir-obsessed. The three clips I saw kind of fit in with my short film's story really well, so I could steal some of the cinematography. Tonight I finally got around to watching the whole thing, because NB wouldn't let me have the TV on (it was distracting him from work) and I wanted to feel like I was doing homework without actually having to do anything...

Anyway, I would strongly recommend this, for when you are in the mood to feel cultured but watch trash (let's face it, these things are essentially thriller pulps...), and when you want to cry about how people back in the day were so much better than they are today. Especially the men. And the women had sweet clothes and got to be drunk all the time... oh. No change there.

Plotty: After Alicia(Ingie)'s German-sympathizer-actual-German-war-profiteering-or-something father is thrown in prison, Devlin (Cary), an American agent, recruits her to use her connections to dig up dirt for the Americans. Her job is to seduce Alexander Sebastian, an old friend of her father's who happens to already be in love with her and is also a big bad German. Natch, she and Cary have fallen in love so things go all topsy turvy.

I don't want to give a good/bad, because all the things that I might consider bad are so retro-fun that they kind of make the movie for me. Such as long panning shots where you can feel the camera man walking around. The 'binocular' viewpoint. The rear projection for the exterior 'Rio' shots that were actually filmed on a sound stage. And that point at the end of the first act when the two leads proclaim their love for each other and everyone in the modern audience is like ... whaaa?! Didn't you guys JUST meet???

Other than that awkward moment, the romance was fantabulastic. I adore Ingrid, yes, because she had a great trenchcoat in Casablanca, and who can resist a good trenchcoat? I'd like to say I love Cary Grant, but as it turns out, I haven't seen anything on his IMDB. Although he is 'First Sailor' in a movie called Singapore Sue, so that gets him mega props right there. Whatever it is, the two of them make a great couple.

She is all 'I love you and I know you love me, I won't sleep with this other man if you say so...' and he's like 'I won't say I love you, see if I care if you sleep with him, if you want to sleep with him GO AHEAD' and she's like 'fine eff you I will!' and then he is all bummed. In real life (um, the real lives of my friends?) this situation either ends with her going 'oh no I would never' and he continues to not love her, or she says FINE and then... he really doesn't care.

(Actually, it's probably movies like these that make women believe that men are more noble than they are when they are being douchey. Because we/I would love to believe that they are pining inside but have to hold their feelings in to be manly, when actually they have completely forgotten about you since they have some weed and video games to hang out with instead...)

(Yea... I got pretty personal with all this... projecting...)

Even as individuals, they are pretty bad-ass. She is drunk all the time and taunts him by hinting about sex, and he is completely blase about the fact that she is drunk driving him around town, or that he just made a HUGE mess and has 5 seconds to clean it up before the bad guys catch him. Speaking of, the bigbad, Sebastian, is quite a sympathetic bad guy. He is quite genuinely in love with her and romantic, and doesn't seem terribly evil. And his creepy-ass mother is also pretty understandable. She might be a bitch, but she's always right. And she wants the best for her son. So... characters? Thumbs up.

And the best thing about thrillers, especially the ones where you know everything is going to be alright in the end: those moments where you are literally squeeling with worry, 'no, no, you STUPID cow! He's going to see you!'... and that sort of thing.

Ok, ok, the actual bad: The 'mystery' plot is pretty thin, like many James Bond's. 'Hey pretty lady, go um... find out... something. German.' 'Oh wow, (magical discovery), well at least now we know what's going on. Now you... find out where they're getting it from.' Really, does knowing they have uranium really tell me anything? Is this a secret no one let me in on?? But really. That's the only kind of annoying thing about it.

YAY! Because even if you don't like it that much, you can always go hang out with a crowd of film students and be all 'oh yea, I love the use of size in Notorious, you know, that was an enlarged model so they couldn't show her drinking out of it without cutting...'

Lots of ' ' and ... today. What's up with that?

What's for Dinz?

2009-04-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

Lemon-thyme-garlic chicken and mashed cauliflower.

(I didn't take a picture, but it's not like it would be a good picture anyway.)

Now you know what I needed my cauliflower for. Mashed cauliflower sounds weird, but I was inspired by one of the Food Network Chefs who said it was a great substitute for mashed potatoes. No carb, ya know? I want to say it was Bobby Flay, but I don't really know, I was far away and I can't find the recipe on foodnetwork.com, so no clues there. I had to wing it, only knowing that I was meant to boil the cauliflower in milk for 20 minutes.

So here you go:
(serves 2)

Cauliflower:

1 head of cauliflower, cut into fleurettes
2 cups of milk
2 cups of water
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp crushed rosemary
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp parmesan
salt n pepper

Bring the milk, water and nutmeg to a boil. Simmer the cauliflower for 20 minutes. Strain it, leaving a little of the liquid behind. Stir in the butter, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper in, and mash it all together. It'll be a little soppy, so return to the heat, stirring until it's your desired consistency. Top with parmesan and stir.

Chicken:

2 boneless chicken thighs / breasts
2 tsp thyme
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
salt n pepper

Marinate the chicken in all the ingredients over night. Pan fry the chicken for around 5 min on each side. (Mine took a lot longer because it wasn't totally thawed yet, so that was a guesstimate... I might be wrong)

Ta da!

No Wonder Poor People Are Fat

2009-04-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

And by poor people, I really mean lower middle class. And starving college students. And um, people hit by the depression, and general depression. Because being poor makes you depressed (don't deny it, money can't by happiness but it can by lots of things that combat unhappiness, like cable tv, chocolate and pedicures) and being depressed makes you want to eat comfort food. And comfort food is fatty food.

But I'm not even talking what you crave. I'm talking what you can afford. With less money, you are just destined to either starve or eat badly.

First, eating out. Fast food is like zero dollars for something fattening and delish, like a double cheeseburger for $1.20 or something. The tacobell menu is also amazing and generally under $2 for pretty much anything. In comparison, a salad at a fast food place is like $4. Why the eff would you buy a salad at a fast food place, you ask? Fair enough. A regular deli has sandwiches and salads for $6 plus plus plus depending on where you go. So obvi, fast food wins.

But then, everyone knows that to save money you must eat at home. Fine. Let's go grocery shopping. I'm not even going to LOOK at the organic food and free range beef, because that is waay out of the budge. I am talking simple matters of veg vs carb, fresh vs preserved. A head of cauliflower is over $3, a pack of mushrooms is like $2, 2 leeks is again over $3... which isn't a LOT of money... but an ENTIRE bag of potatoes? 99c. Frozen vegetables are way cheaper and last longer. But the best: Ramen (slash instant noodly yummy nom noms) is 20c a packet. How can you beat that? Seriously healthy food, HOW?

MSG doused carbs are clearly the way to go here.

Just a little friendly rant. Your thoughts?

A BoyCrime Against Girlhood

2009-04-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

The biggest boycrime is a boy with abs having his shirt on. That's how you know that Legend of the Seeker is a good show. Richard only wears a shirt when he absolutely has to.

Babyface used to have a hot bod. I don't know anymore, because all his pics as of late have been shirted. I think he might be having body issues because he's always the only shirted boy amongst a sea of flesh (and also sea of ocean, or sea of an effing hot sunny day). It's not like all of them have great bodies either.

Poor Babyface.

Turning Japanese

2009-04-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

Have I raved about JustBento yet? I love it, although I wish they updated more. It makes me want to make bento boxes every day, except I usually eat at home unless I'm interning so I really don't need to. I made this miso chicken last night for dinner, it was like 5 min prep time and 15 min cooking. And cheap. Do it.

Overheard by the lot

2009-03-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

Girl: And he is like 35... and I was like, oh my God, you are old enough to be my dad!

Friend: Not really. How old was your dad when you were born? 15?

J'adore listening to people out of context. I assume this 35 year old was trying to date her.

Not quite there...

2009-03-25T00:47:00.000-07:00

I have this book. And I love it because all of the pictures are delicious and the recipes easy-ish. But I've only tried two of the recipes, and neither have really impressed me. You know, good in theory, mediocre in practice.

Tonight I tried to make summer berry tartlets.

Problems:

1) Crust kind of dry and not super special delish tasty.

2) Vanilla cream was lumpy (my fault) and too jelly-ish, not creamy enough. And not as white and creamy as they imply.

3) The whole thing was very disproportionate. The recipe for the crust claims to make 20 mini tarts and they must be frickin tiny because I made 12. And then there was only enough vanilla cream for 10. (Though the leftovers went fab with strawberry yoghurt. Kind of like eating graham crackers and yoghurt.)

4) My blueberries were kind of sour. I guess it's not summer yet. I was just so anxious.

However, they did look really pretty with the sugar dusted on.

E-Postcard

2009-03-24T10:53:00.001-07:00

I'm bummed this is so pixellated. And small. After all my efforts :( Oh well. You can just click it.

Santa, baby, forgot to mention one little thing...

2009-03-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

A hedgehog!

I really really really want a hedgehog. I was going to get one in Portland, because apparently they are illegal in CA. However, it turns out they are in the price range of $75-$300, rather than the $10-$25 that I had been expecting.

Why do I want a hedgehog?
a) They are so cute.
b) They are not as expensive or high maintenance as dogs/chinchillas.
c) They eat spiders, of which I have many.

So please buy me a hedgehog.

The Birthday List

2009-03-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

Get excited, y'all, it's that time of the year again. The time where you buy me presents and I do stupid things like wear a dress everyday despite the cold because Heidi Montag told LC she should back when they were friends.

So here we go:

1) Twilight DVD (Release date: 21st March)

There's nothing better than special features and deleted scenes of making out.

2) Polaroid 600 film

I have always wanted a Polaroid. I found one in a thrift store for $6 so I just had to have it. Natch I jump on the band wagon way too late, because they've discontinued the film. But the guy at the store assured me this camera shop would sell it. He was wrong. So now I have a cam with no click flash zoop. Please help.

3) A new pair of everyday flats.

Mine are in a depressing state, you know, holes in the bottom and the sole falling off.

4) Mani/pedi

My nails have been looking pretty ragged lately. That's actually Rona's foot like two years ago, but whatever, you get the gist.

5) Hugs and kisses all round. Or alc. Ooh, a trip to Vegas?

Ok that is it. For now....

Eavesdropping?

2009-03-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

Is it called eavesdropping for an online conversation? Because.... it's like listening. With your eyes. Eyedropping? Ah, eavesdropping has nothing to do with ears, apparently. Learn something new everyday.

Anyway, girl next to me in production design yesterday:

Friend: Yes, always leave them wanting.
She: Especially if I want him to take me on his weekend away fiasco.

(I might have the words wrong, but you get the gist)

And later:

She: Grrrrr... I want the boy!!!!

Bahah. This made me so happy. The story in my mind was that she didn't stay over at some boys house (presumably a frat boy) despite wanting to, because no one wants to buy the cow if you're giving the milk away for free, right? (Buying the Cow has been on TV a lot as of late. Before, I would have used 'no one wants to buy the ice cream truck when you're giving the popsicles away for free' from Never Been Kissed) So obvs she didn't stay over because she wants to lure him in and trap him into taking him away on the big away weekend invite. I can almost guarantee that.

First thought: Must be a sophomore. While I believe Jrs capable of the scheming, I don't think they would use the grr thing. Too much desperation in the voice. You should be a little more jaded by then. Or in a relationship. Or at the point where you're like, eff it, let's just do it, we both know you ain't calling back.

Second thought: Aww, I miss the games and flirting and scandals and walks of shames. Tip to girls considering walk of shame: Much better is the drive of shame where boy either drives you home, or your roommates come and pick you up. Even better is where he bikes of shame home. (In 1st and 3rd cases, see: face,Baby. In 2nd case, see: Shame, Carpool of, whereby one roommate drives around the neighborhood picking up all the strays)

Just a little story for all of you to enjoy.

Spotted: Baby face and the Greasy Italian Falcon

2009-03-06T16:54:00.001-08:00

Because Rona requested some good old fashioned bitching...

Yesterday as I was walking to class, BabyFace and his roommate Greasy Italian Falcon rolled out of the building. Metaphorically, you understand. Except it was actually literally in BabyFace's case, because he is looking quite round. Not spherical, you understand. More like an m'n'm.

But why is Mr Manhatten always naked in his lab?

2009-03-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

Baha. Apparently, a nine year old girl asked Zach Snyder that during a Watchmen Q&A. Yup, that's right. In class this week was the Watchmen. I thought I should blog ASAP since having seen this might actually give me some street cred. I didn't read the books, so I don't know if I would have liked it more or less if I had...

Story: (Attempting to have no spoilers) It is 1985 (for the most part), America and Russia are on the verge of nuclear war and the vigilantes of the past have been banned. The Comedian, a member of a retired group of superheros, is murdered, and Rorschach (another superhero who still wears his mask) believes there is a conspiracy to kill all of the masked men. He goes to warn the others who mostly think he is a crazy paranoid and have better things to worry about like using Dr Manhatten's nuclear powered body to solve the world oil crisis and end the cold war. Natch, they're wrong.

The things I've heard the most criticism about are: the soundtrack, and the very hyper-sexy-sex and visceral violence of the story. People booed the soundtrack for having too many (bad?) popular songs on it. I don't know, I enjoyed it. I thought the songs were a good indication of what time period they were in, especially in the beginning montage where they jumped around so much. Rona was impressed with the music budget. And it's kind of fun to take a few seconds to bop around to a familiar song. As for the sex/violence... Snyder said it was intentional because it was meant to be an overturning of the traditional superhero comic, where you can't be explicit with sex, and you don't show blood, so it was meant to be an ironic statement or something. Personally, I didn't think it was out of place. My understanding of graphic novels (which is extensive, having read at least three) as compared to comics was that they are now much more about the anti-hero who has no qualms bloodying up the page. I know the target audience, his name is Nick, and there is nothing he enjoys more than bad-assness and people getting shot in the knee caps.

Alright, now that I've dealt with that, here are some things that I did have problems with:

Most importantly, dialogue. The same thing happened in Sin City, where the script is full of comic book speak, which is super cool and edgy on the page but actually sounds really really retarded when it is read out loud and often makes people laugh. (Your finger is like licking a battery????)

Dr Manhatten's nudity. Actually, his 'costuming' in general. The shiny blue penis was awkward, but his 'battle briefs' were way worse, and seeing him in a suit seemed unnatrual what with all the glowing. I don't know, there's no way out of that one.

While we're on Dr Manhatten, I think we spent a leeetle too much time emoting on Mars. It was very pretty and stuff but it got old fast because there wasn't much to look at.

I also spent a lot of the beginning confused: I didn't realize that they got new people to take over their superhero roles, I thought they just got awesome makeovers. Also, they are super strong right? How did they find other super strong peeps? The whole hero mythology was not well explained.

Most of all, I hated the bright yellow. Now that I've seen it, I get it, it's a cultural AND character reference. But I still think it's gross and tacky.

Some things I noticed that didn't bother me too much:

Rorschach's mask's (I kept thinking his name was Volcheck - OC reference anyone?) inkstains were sliding around all over the place and I really wanted a clearer indication of what they meant, or if they were just random.

Laurie Jupiter had man shoulders (that's just a little Mean Girls for you). Really, she had a very square face. And then during the sex scene I yelped "SHE HAS A TERRIBLE BODY" which I didn't mean to be quite so loud. Actually, her body wasn't awful, but it was definitely not Hollywood. She was kind of flat chested and not toned at all, which is weird because you'd think a superhero would get a lot of cardio in. Also, her costume required a good brazillian at all time because she was def flapping out.

At the end, Ozymandias had this weird animal that they never explained. I guess it was a fanboy secret.

Some things I adored:

The opening montage was quite beautiful, with lots of remakes of pop-culture moments. Flashback scenes in general. Costumes. Hair. Makeup. Sets. Visual effects. The fact that Denny (from Grey's and PS I Love You? aka the Comedian) was alive! The fact that Raoul from Phantom was pathetic as usual, the guy the chick runs to from her freaky true love. He's like the new James Marsden in the slightly more messed up version of every romantic plot. Sally Jupiter and how adorable she was and then aged into an alcoholic. Awesome. I was also quite fond of Ozymandias, there was something quite pristine about him and his golden hairband.

DENNY! You're alive!

I think you can see, generally, the movie LOOKED amazing.

Yay or nay? I liked it more than the batman movies, but they left me very bitter. Yay for the fanboys and gamers and the fans of gore, nay for my mother and maybe if you're bored for the girls who don't really care.

A***** likes to...

2009-03-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

I've decided not to be all cryptic with my name, seeing as I've mentioned it before. Plus, it's not like it's not the 3rd most common girls name of the 1990s.

1. Go to Google and type your name likes to in quotes (ex. "Meghan likes to")
2. Report back on the first 10 results
3. Be sure to paste the directions at the top

(I got a lot of 'dance' so I skipped the repeats)

1. Amanda likes to distract herself with silliness
2. Amanda likes to write
3. Amanda likes to dance
4. Amanda likes to do it in her community
5. Amanda likes to meme (?!?!?!)
6. Amanda likes to party
7. Amanda likes to poop (baha)
8. Amanda likes to photograph in a non traditional environment
9. Amanda likes to sing, dance and act
10. Amanda likes to manage dump cycles

And no 11, because it's so good: Amanda likes to drink.

One Hour Left!

2009-03-04T15:57:00.000-08:00

Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real...nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.

1. What is your name : A***** (if you don't know my name...you don't need to)
2. A four Letter Word : Arms
3. A boy's Name : Adam
4. A girl's Name : Alexandra
5. An occupation : Assistant
6. A colour : Aquamarine
7. Something you'll wear : Armor
9. A food : Aubergine
10. Something found in the bathroom: Ants
11. A place : Amsterdam
12. A reason for being late :
13. Something you'd shout : AAHCHOO!
14. A movie title : Apocalypse Now
15. Something you drink : Alc. Duh. Come on.
16. A musical group: A1. A Teens. I can't decide which to pick.
17. An animal: Anteater
18. A street name : Alameda
19. A type of car : Audi
20. The title of a song : Anything For You (you know that I'd go anywhere, for your smile, anywhere... Oliver Twist)

Facebook Entertainment

2009-03-04T15:06:00.000-08:00

When work is slow I oft find myself perusing people's notes on facebook. Sometimes I get bummed that no one has tagged me in them so I don't have an excuse to continue the chain (case in point: 25 things, and also those Mr Men pictures going around). Today, I have decided to just blog some. Take initiative and all that.

This one is from a girl from secondary school : The BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 out of the 100 books here.

Instructions:
1) Look at the list and put an 'x' for those you have read.
2) Star (*) those you plan on reading.
3) Hex (#) those you've never finished
4) Tally your total at the bottom.
5) Put in a note with your total in the subject
(and because I'm special, I am going to put a % for the ones I've seen the film version of)

1 (#%) Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (I read the abridged v in pri 6. To this day, I maintain that I hate J.A)
2 (X %) The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 (X ) Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 (X %) Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 () To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 (#) The Bible
7 (X %) Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (has anyone else seen the AWFUL MTV version???)
8 () Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 (X %) His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (<3)
10 (# % ) Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

Pitstop Count: (X) - 5, (*) - , (#) - 3, (%) - 6

11 (X % ) Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 ( %) Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 () Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 (#) Complete Works of Shakespeare (Just the ones we did in school...JC, A&C, O, Merch of Venice. And I saw Titus and R&J)
15 (* ) Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 ( X) The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (maybe.. since i've read the others)
17 ( ) Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 () Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 (X) The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 ( #) Middlemarch - George Eliot

Pitstop Count: (X) - 3, (*) - 1, (#) - 2, (%) - 2

21 ( X %) Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 ( X ) The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 ( ) Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 ( # ) War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 () The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 ( * ) Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 ( ) Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 ( ) Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 ( X %) Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carrol
30 ( % ) The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

Pitstop Count: (X) - 3, (*) - 1, (#) - 1, (%) - 3

31 (* %) Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 ( ) David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 (X %) Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 ( ) Emma - Jane Austen
35 ( ) Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 ( X %) The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (How IS this not under Narnia? - I didn't write that, but I agree)
37 ( X) The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 ( ) Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 ( X %) Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 (X %) Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

Pitstop Count: (X) - 5, (*) - 1, (#) -, (%) - 5

41 () Animal Farm - George Orwell (saw the play)
42 (X %) The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 ( ) One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 ( ) A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 ( ) The Woman in White - Wilkie Collin (saw the musical)
46 (X %) Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 ( ) Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 ( *) The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 () Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 (#%) Atonement - Ian McEwan

Pitstop Count: (X) - 2 , (*) - 1, (#) - 1, (%) - 3

51 ( *) Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 (X %) Dune - Frank Herbert (well, I saw Children of Dune. OW OW JAMES!)
53 ( ) Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 ( ) Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 ( #) A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 ( ) The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 (#) A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (abridged version again)
58 (X) Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 (X) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
60 ( ) Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez Pitstop (does it count if I wanted to see the movie?)

Count: (X) - 3, (*) - 1, (#) - 2, (%) - 1

61 ( * ) Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 (X %) Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 ( ) The Secret History - Donna Tart
64 ( X) The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 (% ) Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 ( #) On The Road - Jack Kerouac (reading it right now! bought it for NB but really so I could read it)
67 ( ) Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 ( % ) Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 ( *) Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 () Moby Dick - Herman Melville Pitstop

Count: (X) - 2, (*) - 2, (#) - 1, (%) - 3

71 ( %) Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 (# %) Dracula - Bram Stoker (abriiiidged... man I had a lot of abridged classics as a kid)
73 (X % ) The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 ( ) Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson (they have this at my mum's shop)
75 ( ) Ulysses - James Joyce
76 (*) The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 ( X %) Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome (and then I made myself a bow and arrow)
78 ( ) Germinal - Emile Zola
79 ( # %) Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 ( ) Possession - AS Byatt Pitstop

Count: (X) - 2, (*) - 1, (#) - 2, (%) - 5

81 ( X %) A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (did you guess abridged?)
82 () Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 () The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 ( ) The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 ( X ) Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 ( ) A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 (X) Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 (* ) The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 () Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (No, but I WROTE a spoof, that should count)
90 ( ) The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

Pitstop Count: (X) - 3, (*) - 1, (#) -, (%) - 1

91 () Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 ( X ) The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint Exupery
93 ( ) The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 ( X% ) Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 ( ) A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 ( ) A Town Like Alice - Neil Shute
97 ( #% ) The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 () Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 ( X %) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 ( ) Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (saw the musical!)

Pitstop Count: (X) - 3, (*) - , (#) - 1, (%) - 2

Total: (X) - 31, (*) - 9, (#) - 13, (%) - 32

I'm pretty proud of my numbers. I mean, generally, I've read most of the things that I want to read. And the ones that I never finished... usually means that I got bored half way. Sometimes I might have been a little young at the time I attempted to read them (Like A Suitable Boy and Atonement) It's a little embarrassing that I've seen more movie versions than read the books, but I am looking into Hollywood, so I guess that's okay.

Now you try.

Quotable quotes:

2009-02-27T14:27:00.001-08:00

"James, don't you think the girls here in LA are hotter than they were in the ivies?"

Younger boss, Yale grad.

Cinnamon Palmiers

2009-02-25T21:40:00.000-08:00

I was feeling fancy one afternoon, plus I had a leftover sheet of puff pastry in the freezer, so I decided that palmiers were the way to go. Esp since they are so easy peasy. And called elephant ears, so cute! I've made savory ones before, (honey mustard and prosciutto) but they were kind of fail fail. Anyhoo, inspired by the recipe on joythebaker, and all these pics I've been seeing lately of cinnamon buns, I made these.

Brought them to class, great success. Except NB was like 'why are they burn't?' and I was like 'they aren't fool, that's the cinnamon and sugar'. ANYWAY. I did get 'these are really good, where did you buy them?' That's pretty legit right?

Makes around 24 small pastries.

1 sheet of puff pastry
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

You'll probably have extra sugar.

Roll out the puff pastry sheet, using some of the white sugar instead of flour to stop it sticking. Mix the rest of the sugars and cinnamon together, and sprinkle generously onto the sheet. Roll the pastry in tightly from both sides. Wrap in cling film and fridge for half an hour.

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.

Take roll out and cut into 1/4 inch slices, place on tray. I sprinkled some extra sugar on top of each one. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool on the sheet.

Done!

Technical Difficulties

2009-02-25T21:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long hiatus, for those who care. I had trojans. It was kind of fun because when I googled stuff whatever I clicked on would turn out to be an ad page, even wiki. But then I couldn't use email or facebook, and that was lame. So NB re-whatsitsed everything on my computer for me, and then I didn't have office, or flash, or PDF reader... whatever, it's all good now.

Onwards!

Hung Over At Work

2009-02-20T12:18:00.000-08:00

Things I need to blog on:

-Vday weekend to Hearst Castle

-Cinnamon Palmiers

-Movies I've seen: Frost vs Nixon, Coraline, International (don't do it!), He's Just Not That Into You, ... there are more...

Looking through old pictures...

2009-02-18T00:04:00.000-08:00

Am reminded that while their faces are very different, NB and the first BF (Maggothead, I am leaning towards...) are very close, physically. Which suits me just fine, especially since NB is slightly taller so I can wear heels and still be shorter.

Funny picture, because Maggothead (understand that this is not an insult so much as a reference to a time that maggots crawled on his head... Su and Sam will remember this...) was in the army and had sand in his ears and his lip was all banged up and his shoulder all scarred. And was wearing my pink aviators. It was our first real date, I guess, to Swensons at PS. When we were all hush hush secret secret. Heh. Oh, memories.

It's nice to be able to look at a photo and still be in love with the moment, even if not with the person.

Runners up:

At prom, where MH is looking more like gay stylist than potential boyfriend.

In boxers, my sunhat and white sunglasses. Cannot seem to find picture taken on same day where a bra replaces sunhat in some kind of bizarre Mickey Mouse parody.

In changing room at Tangs, trying on an incredibly tight pair of skinny jeans (him, not me).

Strangely, have two pictures featuring... 'Pen pen', as he affectionately named himself. Fear not, Nick, your number will always be higher. Also one of Sean Marc. (Sorry, lah, he does not need a code.) And a really great one of Dom being a nerd. And of course, tons with Su, Adelle and Sam.

Aw.

Rainy Day Lentil Soup

2009-02-16T20:44:00.000-08:00

It has been bizarrely cold in Los Angeles this past couple of weeks. Today it was rainy. Rain always puts me in the stewing mood, and I had 3/4 of a red onion, carrot and celery sticks left over from my weekend roadtrip with NB, and some parsley from a couple of weeks ago... and best of all, a bag of lentils in my cupboard from some time last semester when I was sure I would make a lentil soup but never did. So lentil soup had to happen. Inspired by Ina Garten but mostly just what I had in the kitchen.

Lentil Soup

Serves 6-8

(What I used)

3/4 red onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bag of dried lentils (1 lb... I hope you appreciate that I just dug through the trash to find that out)
2 carrots, diced
3 sticks of celery, sliced thinly
4 sticks of asparagus, sliced (kinda weird, but they were in the fridge...)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp ground cumin seeds
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder (optional, obv, but as an Asian I feel the need to add chili to everything)
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/2 gallon hot water
1 tbsp fresh parsley
3 tbsp red wine
3 tbsp grated parmesan

If I had been shopping specifically for this, though, I would have also had:
More carrots / onion / celery
Thyme
2 tbsp tomato paste / some fresh tomatoes, diced
Chicken stock in place of water

Rinse lentils and soak in hot water. Heat olive oil in soup pot (for lack of a better word...). Sautee garlic and onions until soft, 3-4 min. Add carrots and celery (and fresh tomatoes, if you have them), sautee until soft, another 7 minutes ish. Add seasoning minus 1/2 the parsley (and the tomato paste, if you're using that...). Stir in 2 tbsp red wine. Drain lentils, add to pot. Add asparagus. Add water / stock. Bring to a boil then simmer on low heat for an hour, stirring every... 10 min? Check the seasoning to make sure it's tasty.

Serve with chili flakes/parm/drizzle of red wine/drizzle of olive oil/parsley.

MmmmMMmmm nom nom noms. Easy peasy and makes the house smell great.

D. Fanning - Stamp of approval

2009-02-10T02:31:00.000-08:00

So you know who I used to think was a scary little witch child? Dakota Fanning.

But recently, she has been appearing all kinds of pretty and stylish. She and Emma Watson should hang out in like the cute-classy tween club. (As opposed to the cute-but-deathly-annoying-tween club, president: Miley, co-pres: T-Tay, Treasurer: Demi Lawhatsists). (It occurs to me that 'tween' is actually 'teen', because they were actual tweens when I was an actual teen... no longer...). I was about to write up on Coraline, but I have to wake up soon so I shouldn't. Push looks awful, but Camilla is in it, and I need to screen stalk her a bit, so I might see it anyway... And she is going to be in Twilight, probably, playing the devil witch child that she once was...

Back to it:

(stolen from justjared)

Really, adorable. You better be saying that with the french inflection. Pretty pretty pretty.

My Very Own Fan?!

2009-02-10T02:06:00.000-08:00

Doodguysforsrs, I think I might have a real live reader. You know, someone who isn't Rona/Sonia/Nick/Alex/Su/Adelle/Bev/Drei. I have just knocked my readership into 9! Score.

I know it's lame to be so excited, but I got the first comment in like, 3 months, and it was from someone I am pretty sure I don't know. (Be prepared for some really detailed stuff about this stranger's life that might sound really creepy and stalkerish) I went to her blog, and she loves all the greats: Ben Barnes, Star Wars and Twilight. Um, except she likes Jacob and thinks Edward is ugly (?!). And while her review of Prince Caspian looks suspiciously familiar, judging by the fact that she has a science teacher and remembers summer camp, I am guessing that she is at the age where changing words in a sentence totally makes it not plagiarizing. And as Rona said, 'I still do that.' Indeed.

So here's lookin' at you, turtle_moose19. Please don't leave me. And if there is anyone else out there, leave a comment and I swear I'll blogstalk you back. It's what I live for.

Sunday Family Dinner - Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Puffs

2009-02-08T22:42:00.000-08:00

Second weekly dinner was a success! We were missing Mels, but Rach's cousin took her place at the table. And this week I had co-pi/sous chef Rona.

I guess picture, as usual, lacks fab, but I assure you this is easy and well worth a try. The innards are easy to change around, if you want to make it vegetarian or would rather put something else in it.

Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Puffs with Cream Sauce

Makes 8 puffs

1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 leeks, washed and cut in 1/4 inch slices
1 pack sliced mushrooms
4 chicken breasts, cut into 1/3 inch cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter + some melted for greasing the sheet
1 tsp nutmeg
2 boxes/4 sheets of frozen puff pastry dough
2 tbsp ++ flour for dusting
8 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp parmesan
1 tbsp parsley
1 egg, beaten

For puffs:

Preheat oven to 400F.

Heat olive oil and butter. Sautee onions and garlic until tender, 3-4 min. Season with salt/pepper/nutmeg, 1/2 tbsp parsley. Add chicken, sautee. Add mushrooms and leeks, cook until tender. Add cream. Simmer for 1-2 min.

Roll thawed pastry into squares, then cut diagonally twice to make 4 triangles per sheet, dusting to stop them from sticking to each other.

Grease cookie sheets and lay half the triangles out (you'll probably need 2 sheets unless you have some kind of ENORMOUS sheet... maybe even 3... I used 2 next to each other and then the oven couldn't close properly). Spoon chicken/veg mixture onto the middle of the pastries, leaving 1/4 inch around the edge. Try not to get too much of the liquid oozing around the place, leave it in the pan for the sauce. Coat the edge with the egg mixture, then cover with the leftover triangles. Use a fork to press the sides together. Coat the tops with egg. Put tray in oven.

Bake for 20 min, until golden brown. Serve with parsley and cream sauce.

For cream sauce:

Simmer the cream mixture left in the pan (and it should be quite a bit...) with the parmesan, stirring, until of desired thickness. Yes, it is pure fat with fats, and it is delish, thanks.

Overheard in the Movie Theatre

2009-02-08T22:13:00.000-08:00

Today in Coraline (3D), sitting next to a family:

Dad puts on 3D glasses.

Mom: *snigger* Look at Dad, he looks like a dork!

Child #1: What's a dork?

Mom: It's someone who's socially awkward?

Child #2: What's socially awkward?

Mom: Someone who isn't good with people.

Dad: Like your Uncle Bill.

Reasons for Being Broke

2009-02-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

Have just discovered that every overdraft coverage transfer from my savings account to my checking account has cost me $10. And apparently that happened 13 times since the beginning of the school year. I never noticed, because I never check the 'savings' account, just 'checking'. $130. OMG. That is a reasonable amount of money that I didn't need to have wasted. I could have bought like 13 cocktails at the 9-0.

Another review:

2009-02-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

"These are the best cookies I've ever tasted!" - Gabe from work.

Winner winner, chicken dinner. Or maybe a job.

Paella tips

2009-02-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

I know you are probably bored of the paella talk already, but in case you haven't tried but are planning on it, here is something to consider:

I told my Daddy about making paella, and seeing as we bond over the most bizarre things, he also shared his war stories. His thoughts are that you either burn the paella or eat raw rice. Then he brought up the possibility of cooking it in a rice cooker. I told him I had done something similar but Asian in Home Ec back in the day, so he ventured to try it. He says it is pretty good, and also awesome that you don't have to stand there stirring. (Which you are not meant to do, according to paella lore. Risotto is to be stirred, paella is to be left alone. But I didn't mention this to him.)

So ya, there's your tip. Fry all the veg/meats up, stir in rice, put in rice cooker with stock and wine instead of water, leave to cook. No burns!

Rave Reviews - Chocolate Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-02-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

I don't have pictures of these, but I thought I'd share anyway. And trick you with a stolen google pic of some chocolate chips.

As of late, I have been on a mini-mission to make good chocolate cookies. I make good chocolate chip cookies, because I cheat and use the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip packet. My roommates affectionately call these the 'salty cookies', because they aren't super sweet. But they love them.

Last weekend, I tried making a modified version of these, with white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and chopped pecans. I used her base recipe, took out the M&Ms and substituted with a cup of each chips and 3/4 cup of pecans.

The experiment was kind of a fail fail. The cookies were okay, but they weren't great or anything. They were a little dry and cakey. Plus the pecans were from my Costco spiced trail mix because I was too cheap to buy real nuts, so they made the cookies taste a little strange and peppery. I should have known not to trust a recipe with no salt and only one type of sugar.

It occurred to me last night that to 'chocolate' most recipes just involves substituting half a cup of flour for cocoa powder. Duh! Back to the Tollhouse recipe. Tried that, with 1 cup milk chips and 1 cup white chocolate. Success!

Here are the reviews:

"Oh my god, these are so good." - Shannon, the New Roommate.

"Your best yet!" - Adam, from Work

"These are by far my favorite." - Adam, from Work.

"These are really good." - Adam, from Work.

"Ngyrumsfds *mouthfull of cookie*, thanks." - James, from Work.

As you can see, Adam was a big fan. So yea, y'all should try that out, if you get all sweet toothy. They are really easy to make, especially with a KitchenAid. Heh. Product Placement. But not really, because they didn't pay me, I just want to show off that I have one.

Lumos!

2009-02-04T12:27:00.001-08:00

When did you get so adorable, Hermione?

From the Vs shoot, pic stolen from here.

Irony

2009-02-02T15:25:00.000-08:00

Is smashing a spider with your 'Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media'.

Fist Weekly Family Dinner - Vegan Paella

2009-02-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

Everyday at the co-op, 2 people are in charge of making vegan dinz for the whole house. When I first heard that, I was green with envy, looking at all these fun vegan recipes on tastespotting and stuff. Then I remembered: I have my own house of people to feed.

Thus began the new (actually, renewed) tradition of Sunday night dinners. This week, we had

Veggie (for Rach, which in this case is also Vegan) Paella.

You might remember I was a little obsessed with making the perfect paella after my Spanish Summer. I haven't revisited it in a while, but this time was by far the best.

Ingredients:

(feeds 4-6, depending on how fat you are)

1 brown onion, diced
3 tomatoes, diced and deseeded
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red/yellow/orange bell pepper
6 stalks of asparagus, sliced
1 cup of peas (I used frozen)
1 cup of artichoke hearts
2 1/2 cups of medium grain rice
1 cup of white wine
5 cups of vegetable stock
2 tbsps of olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp saffron, crushed
salt & pepper, to season

Heat olive oil on med heat (I added a pinch of chili flakes for an extra kick). Sautee onions and garlic until the onions are transluscent, then add the tomatoes, and sautee together. Add paprika, and seasoning. Add bell peppers, more sauteeing. Add rice, artichokes, asparagus and peas, and stir them all together so the rice is evenly coated, then add wine, stir until it cooks off a bit. Season again. Add vegetable stock, then cover and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer for another 10 minutes so that the stock boils down.

Try a spoon of rice from the side to make sure it's cooked. If it is and the stock hasn't evaporated enough, try scraping the sides in to let the liquid run through the rice a bit more. Turn up the heat for the last minute to slightly burn the bottom of the rice. (Like bibimbop, the burnt rice is considered a delicacy. I failed at this part because I walked away to watch the end of the superbowl and the bottom ended up very black. But the rest of it was good!)

You know you're from out of town when...

2009-01-21T14:24:00.000-08:00

Today, while I was on my lunch break, this FOBby middle-aged Indian guy stopped me on the street.

FOBMAIG: Excuse me, are you a model or something?

I shake my head, amused. Good line, sir.

FOBMAIG: Are you sure? I swear I've seen you on the cover if something.

Me: Definitely not.

FOBMAIG: Oh... thanks.

We continue on our paths.

That was my brief encounter, but what a great come on. I'm like 16 million sizes too big to be a model 'or something' in Hollywood. But maybe he was distracted by my trendy blue $6 forever 21 wayfarers, or the fact that I was a young girl on Sunset Blvd.

Wait... No butter?

2009-01-20T02:42:00.000-08:00

The NB has moved into the co-op, which is a large orgy full of hippies and pot and some cats under one roof. They do cute community-type things like have a roster for who cooks dinner for everyone one each night. There are 16 of them, so this is no small task. And, three (or more?) of them are vegan, so all the dinz have to be vegan. You know, like even more than just vegetarian, like zero animal products? No eggs (bye quiche), no milk or cheese (bye lasagna, grilled cheese, everything good in this life) and no butter (um... goodbye Paula Deen's entire stock of recipes.) So it pretty much goes without saying that there's no bacon.

No bacon???

Anyway, because I love to win the hearts of new people with baked goods, and because I wanted to play with the KitchenAid, I ventured to make vegan chocolate cupcakes.

Love of my life...

Here's the recipe. If anyone is ever feeling vegany.

Vinegar in a cupcake?? Let curdle?? BLEARGH!

Here they are before being iced. I didn't take a picture of the after-icing, because first I delivered most of them to the very greatful hippies who happened to be inflicted with the munchies when we arrived, and the few that I left behind were attacked by ants before I could take a picture.

Speaking of icing, I don't think her recipe is quite right. Hers makes 12, so I doubled everything, but the buttercream was WAY to thick. It wouldn't go through my piping tips ( :( no trial run there...) even after I had soy-milked it down, resulting in me spreading the icing rather than piping. Then I checked the KitchenAid cookbook which gave a similar recipe only it was 4 cups of icing sugar (instead of 5) and zero cocoa (which one might need to make it chocolate...) so that kind of explains why it was so thick. So yea, if you do make these, take that into consideration.

Melissa came down halfway through the baking and said that it smelt like bacon, which is ironic, n'est pas? But other than that, both Dad and NB said that they were delish. The hippies also, but they were high so I don't imagine that they were very picky at that point.

The Pageant Results Are In!

2009-01-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

In case anyone was dying to know the outcome of last night... it was D) none of the above.

I was all planning on not saying anything, but then I also hate to go to bed somewhat angry. So I shared with NB, gently broaching the topic with 'maybe I shouldn't go tomorrow, I feel like I'm intruding on your boys' night out' and ending with 'it's not MY fault you dropped her, she wasn't even here when we hooked up! She should hate you, not me!'

NB concludes that while BWB is the only one of his friends who cares, mayhaps I should not go. This is obvs not the answer I was digging for, but whatevs.

I have decided to go for my zen approach. Not care. I'm an Aries, quick to anger but also quick to get over it.

The facts are these:
-NB doesn't have feelings for her, and never had enough feelings for her to actually date her.
-I would never want him to tell me that I couldn't hang out with a guy friend, even if we had had a history at some point.
-I would like to be friends with his friends, but she is very much an integral part of their group.
-We don't even know if this biz is going to last past graduation.

Conclusion:
I have better things to waste my mind on, like Bridezillas on WE. And really, if I'm not bff with his bffs, I won't die. So, whatever, girl. Keep playing that great Avril song in your head (Girlfriend, duh.), it ain't happening.

To The Mattresses!

2009-01-16T00:02:00.000-08:00

To 'go to the mattresses' is the Godfather way of saying go to war. Not that I watched the Godfather. But You've Got Mail is on TV fairly often, and Tom Hanks references it a bunch of times.

Why, you ask? Why would a lovely, sweet, peaceful girl like me go to the mattresses?

Here's the story:

I'm in this class that is a really massive and also one of the most desirable electives in USC. As such, everyone and their dog is enrolled in it. (Except Rach). This includes many hot faves such as Facebook Foul (aka 2 week boyfriend, aka 'go stand over there'), GhettoFabButActuallyRichAndAsianGirls, WooStalker, BW and many many more. (Not BabyFace though, oddly). Natch, that means that Mom, Dad, Rona, NB and I all get to take a happy family class.

But you know who else is in it? The previously unmentioned BitterWannaBeExSomethingButAtLeastThey'reStillGoodFriends of NB. Boy that's long. We'll shorten it to BWB, because that's the important part.

(And why am I so sour, you ask? Those who know me know that I am generally quite rational and not unreasonably jealous. But this BWB HATES MY GUTS. Like for serious. Case in point: "She can't come to my party, NB, she's not on the guest list. But you're still coming right?" Which made me SO mad because really, what kind of girl doesn't know that as the Still Good Friend you are meant to play the fake nice card?)

ANYWAY.

I left for the bathroom before the movie started (oh, I gave it away...) as did many other girls. I saw BWB and a friend of hers coming down her aisle and they were walking right next to me, but I pretended not to see her. Then, she and her friend are standing behind me in line for the bathroom and I hear:

BWB: Oh shit don't turn around, I don't wanna say hi to her.

*mumble mumble*

(I'm thinking... she can't be talking about me, but that's fine, I'll just pretend I don't hear...)

BWBF: Oh, but its NEIGHBOURBOY! You should go say hi!

BWB: Haa... whatever, I already saw him yesterday, I don't need to *mutter mutter*

BWBF: But it's NEIGHBOUR! You should introduce me!

(In my head: OMG bitch, do you think I can't hear that you're talking about my boyfriend while you're standing behind me?)

BWB: Whatever, I'm used to not having him around...He used to be around all the time, but now *mutter mutter* So I was with NB's ex roommate right, and we were planning this thing with like dinner, movie, comedy club, and we called up (name) (name) and (name) and NB *mutter mutter*

(Note: NB and I were attending this event, and I am fairly good friends with NB's ex roommate seeing as he was also a NB if not THE NB.)

BWB: *Mutter mutter* and NBER and I were like 'since when have we hung out with her', *more muttering about how I should not have been invited*

So what do you think guys? I am totally in the right at hating this BWB, right?? Because, you know, I was RIGHT THERE. And she wasn't talking quietly. Which makes me think that she wanted me to hear.

Here were my options, in order of appearance in my mind:

1) I'm going to sulk back to my seat, and tell NB that his horrible BWB is bitching about me in the bathroom and say that I don't want to go because obviously she has something against me.

2) I'm not going to say anything to him and just say I don't want to go/act busy tomorrow.

3) (The apparent winner) TO THE MATTRESSES! Don't say anything to NB and show up for this shindig and be amazing and sparkly while she is short and somewhat frumpy.

3a) Tell NB after the event, so that he can take appropriate action.

Book List

2009-01-12T12:25:00.000-08:00

Read a fair amount over the winter, so here is my little list, if anyone wants to play ketchup.

1) An Equal Music by Vikram Seth.

About: A classical musician who is in love with this chick he dumped ten years ago and hasn't seen since.

Cup of tea: Not really. It's very pretty in the prose, as he tends to be, but I wasn't very taken with the characters and it's one of those stories that is doomed from the get-go, which is kinda depress. I think I would have liked it a lot more if I knew anything about music, because then I could maybe understand when he talks about a great playing of Bach.

2) The Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs

About: A 15 year old Princess is told that she's going to marry the Prince that wins some competition that her father has cooked up, and decides to go and save the dragon, witch and bandits that the Princes are after.

Cup of tea: I kind of loved it. It's a YA book with lots of womans lib messages like don't sit around in a tower sewing and waiting for a Prince, and witches have feelings too. Obvs, I'm too old for it, but it was a nice throwback to the sec 1 days. Sonia, I dedicate this to you.

3) The Girls Guide To Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank

About: Anecdotes from a woman's life that have shaped her romantic life.

Cup of tea: Easy read, and the stories were quite sweet and poignant. Interesting narrative because it wasn't linear and managed to convey big portions of her life without telling you what happened in between. Still, pretty much chick lit.

Honorable mentions:

- Several romance novels not really worth documenting.

- How To Marry The Man Of Your Choice, a horrible book from the 80s full of advice like 'dress for men, not for women', which was $1 from a used bookstore in Boston so I had to have it. Comes with a warranty: full refund if not married within 2 years of purchasing book. Offer expires in 1994.

Am now working on The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis.

First BabyFace Sighting of the New Year

2009-01-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

Walking into the Ralph's parking lot (carpark!), NB's arm snugly around me. Was taken quite by surprise as did not get the spidersense.

Small wave.

He was alone, unless you count a large cart of food. No wonder he is getting round.

Ha, BabyFace, ha.

Straight out of a teen comedy

2008-12-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

So... I'm spending the holidays visiting with cousin Melsie. Until last night, we had been squatting at her bfs house, but yesterday we moved to her real house.

I stayed up past everyone else last night (watching Will and Grace and SITC), then staggered upstairs, somewhat groggy, to brush teeth etc. Could only find toner and moisturizer on the counter by the sink, so I checked the shower for facewash. Found a bottle marked 'dermatologically tested' which also said something about not drying skin and that sort of stuff. It had a weird cap, not like a flippy one, but the kind you just pull up a couple of mm. Like a fancy water bottle. But I got it. Awesome.

This morning, in the shower, I reached for the same bottle. THEN I decided to read it properly. It was 'intimate wash', which I didn't really get until I saw (right after derm tested) 'and gynecologically tested'.

OH MAH GAWWWWD.

It's like a scene from American Pie or Superbad. Except it would have been a guy and they would have woken up with a yeast infection in their eye. Or something. Or like meangirls where they gave Regina George a bottle of foot lotion for her face (but all it did was make her face smell like a foot. And Aaron Samuels loved it, smells like peppermint...).

Face still looks like a face, not a vagina. Although I guess that's subjective. Looks no more like a vagina than it did yesterday. Will keep you updated.

I miss Roswell, too!

2008-12-21T19:49:00.000-08:00

I was just reading the JustJared history for Shiri Appleby (does anyone else get shocked every time you read that she and Zach Braff are dating? I do!), and he says:

"Scrubs star Zach Braff and Roswell actress girlfriend Shiri Appleby flirt between the windows of Zach’s Porche as he gases up his car during a rainy Saturday in LA. How romantic! (I miss Max and Liz, sniffles.)"

Hahaha. How adorable.

(In case you forgot why you loved Roswell. Because you did. And still do.)

PS. Shiri is a Trojan, woot woot.

Boys Say The Darndest Things

2008-12-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

This was a text I got last week (from NB):

"I have an advent calendar but instead of days before xmas its days before amanda and instead of chocolates i just masterbate"

Rekha thought it was the funniest thing she had ever read, and nearly choked on her coffee. Rona was pretty grossed out, as was mom, but kind of bemused. Rach thought it was really romantic.

Thoughts?

Stocking Stuffers

2008-12-14T04:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some financially realistic things:

1) Cookie Cutters

I only have hearts and people. Which is all very well, but how can I make pretty snowflake cookie ornaments?

2) A black scarf

Starlets always look so cool and layery, and I want to be cool too. But the only scarf in that vein that I have is maroon and a little bright... taking away from the layering. If ya get me.

3) A grey/black knit cardigan / oversized hoodie. Either / Or.

Because I have one I love that's brown, but I wear so much black and they don't match. And then all my black ones are kinda fitted.

4) CDs

I don't have the new Killers, and I want it. I'm sure there are other things I would listen to if I was given them. I still don't have the 2nd maroon 5 album, which makes me a fail fail. I want Circus. but I can steal that off roomies.

Uhh... I could also do with a new bag, in the oversized and (p)leather variety. One of those wool hats that people perch on the back of their heads that somehow don't fall off. A beret? A wallet.

Maybe I should start thinking of summer clothes.

I love lists.

22 Days

2008-12-14T04:02:00.001-08:00

And no more long dist texts :)

Speaking Of...

2008-12-10T22:10:00.000-08:00

I had totally forgotten that the Mormon Moron was an extra in some D movie a couple of years ago. He is also on IMDB. Oh my life. Guess who else is in the movie? Cam Gagandet.

Future Movie Star or Straight to DVR?

2008-12-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

Speaking of Stoned-Anakin, he is in 2 movies, not 1. Both sequels to some American Pie-type teen movies of the 90's/early 00's.

You can IMDB him, if you know his name. It's kind of strange. That's the first person I legit know who is almost kinda sorta famous.

Huh.

I can almost bet that Mormon Moron will LOVE the films and be BFF with him.

This Soup Is Too Salty!

2008-12-10T15:28:00.000-08:00

I made me some Teriyaki chicken for lunch, using a bottle that was allegedly marinade and glaze from Ralphs, and I followed all the directions - 10 min, and it looked very nice and succulent and stuff, except that it didn't thicken and glaze like they usually do, so a little watery, but ok... and I was all thinking, how can anyone say that they can't cook when it is SO easy to make this sorta thing? Even if it doesn't really count as cooking...

But it frickin TASTES LIKE SOYA SAUCE CHICKEN!

I am not happy.

If I wanted soya sauce chicken, I would have marinated my chicken in the free little packets of soya sauce we can get at Panda Express, not bought Teriyaki sauce. How can Teriyaki be not sweet at all? Very confused. Am eating it with sweet Thai chilli sauce to balance it out, but is really kind of a bizarre mix of flavours. Oh wells.

Fail lunch.

My 2 Front Teeth

2008-12-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

Here is my list! I don't know why I act like y'all have been waiting with bated breath, I guess I just like to be dramatic.

1) A KitchenAid Artisan Mixer

So I don't get blisters trying to make the egg whites form stiff peaks.

Arrived this morning, courtesy of the East Coast branch of the Family.

2)A Not Too Short Not Too Long Double Breasted Cowl Necked Grey Pea Coat

So I can look like Edward Cullen, but a girl. JK.

I believe that is on the way, many thanks to Choops and the Singapore Friends.

3) A piping set

So my cupcakes will look cool.

4) A Killer Interview Outfit

So I can get a job at an agency. Comme ca? Maybe, but I really wanted a frilly blouse with it.

5) A MacBook Pro

So I can be all trendy-mac-cool and also so I can woo without having to attach this embarrassing alien eye to my computer.

Ok, that's all I have right now.

All I want for Xmas is...

2008-12-09T00:09:00.000-08:00

3 months rent

My side mirror on my car to get repaired

My plates renewed

My car insurance renewed

Health insurance for when I graduate

A job, also for when I graduate

When did life get so grown up?

I guess, in less depressing but still unattainable goals:

A spring break vaycay

A computer with a battery that lasts for more than 20 minutes

Real list coming soons, I swears. I know my #1 is arriving tomorrow anyway :)

27 days

How D-grade Movies Survive

2008-12-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

They go straight to TV, where lonely housewives + Rona and I watch them. Why?

It's all in the handsome handsome men.

So here are some horrible things to watch to make you very happy:

1) Flirting with 40.

Is basically a movie romance novel about some 40 year old divorcee running off to Hawaii over Xmas and hooking up with a 27 year old surf instructor.

Here's why you watch:

Robert Buckley, Ladies and Gents. Or just ladies. Adelle will like this, he's the guy from Lipstick Jungle. And the genius writers basically make sure that he is shirtless in EVERY scene he's in. Also that Heather Locklear is getting krunk in EVERY scene that she's in, but that's just a hilarious bonus.

5 stars.

2) Legend of the Seeker.

Based on a book series by Terry Goodkind, it's your typical fantasy 'you are the chosen one even though you think you are a peasant, I am a wizard let's go kill the bad guy who tried to kill you when you were a baby because it was written that you would one day kill him' thing. It has the production value of Xena or Hercules.

Reason to watch:

Craig Horner. Adelle will also like him, because he is some Aussie actor. While he is not shirtless in EVERY scene, I believe that they make a point to have him shirtless at least once an episode. You know, oh I have to practice my sword fighting, must remove this constricting garment.

3 1/2 stars.

I have done all you women a great service today, unless you are lezzie, then you can check out Heather Locklear, who is quite foxy usually, and Bridget Regan, who is fairly pretty. This may also apply to straight men.

Baby It's Cold Outside

2008-12-08T00:48:00.000-08:00

Here is what is making me happy at this moment:

1) I finally got my Advent Calendar off Ex-Arty-Neighbour, and it is more glorious than you can imagine. Little windows with chocolates somewhat resembling the Lindt Truffle Ball Things, and a 3-D tree! Plus, because it was the 7th, I got to crack open 7 little windows and share :) I know, I'm so nice.

2) We did our Secret Turkey exchange. Yes, you heard right. The roomies and I have a little tradition going on where before Thanksgiving we do a secret-santa like thing with a $10 maximum, then we switch gifts after. Mel had me, and she bought me some large underwear. It is a running joke with us that I wear a lot of giant underwear. Which really, I do. Sexay.

3) The Ex-Neighbours had their annual x-mas party, and I got a French for Children book from the white elephant. I love it, because even though I took French for more than 10 years, I am still at child level.

4) I got to talk to NB on webcam for a fairly long time, and laugh at his horrible hair and tufty facial fuzz.

5) The Irvine non-relations sent along a bag of 22 romance novels that Rona and I are working our way though.

Here are some things I am not happy about:

1) I have a final due tomorrow morning that I am only starting on now. There is a long story behind this, where everyone in my class thinks our teacher is an idiot, especially after he announced over Thanksgiving that he changed his mind about not having a final, please make ourselves available on the last day of finals to do a group presentation. Horrendous uproar from class ensues, because half of these people have already booked tickets home for before that, ecstatic to have no final. He settles on an email final, which is grammatically incorrect.

2) There is never enough sleep.

Here are some things that I am neither way about, but that I am sure you will find interesting:

1) The 2-week boyfriend, here on known as Facebook Foul (much like Party Foul, so named for his question upon being broken up with: what will we put on facebook?), drunk texted me on Sat with what suspiciously looked like a booty call. Luckily, I was too enthralled with my romance novel to be even slightly tempted..

2) The Spanish Summer Senor Facebook chatted me about how he wants to get married and have babies, but is lacking the woman and job. This will probs surprise a lot of you, but that's just how he is. He likes to be affectionate.

Silver Fox

2008-12-04T23:29:00.000-08:00

How can Bryan Singer be 43?! He's kinda hot, for a director. Esp compared to Chris Nolan. I def had 'I'd do him' kind of thoughts when he talked to our class tonight.

Spotted

2008-12-03T22:45:00.000-08:00

I guess spotting my old flames is the theme of the semester. One day, I should put up all their pictures. It's really only because it's what I would honestly like to read on other people's blogs. The man stories are always the best.

Today, it was Stoned-Anakin of Freshman year screenwriting. He will always be fondly remembered for complementing my suede boots. And for being formerly hawt. His looks/charm went downhill over the years as he smoked more pot and grew his scraggly facial fuzz. Stoned-Anakin is an aspiring actor, and has a pretty big role in some kind of C-grade straight to DVD movie. Rona and I IMDBpro'd him, it was pretty exciting.

Group meeting on the row. While attempting to not // park, a jeep came up behind me. I was all eff eff, I'm not leaving, but Jeep deftly swooped into a far smaller spot. I got out and wondered off to K's Frat (which is, in fact, a sorority), but then realized that I couldn't call my group mate because I left my phone in the car. Walked back, and Jeep boy was out there. OMGzorz it's Stoned-Anakin.

Me: Hey

SA: Hey... Amanda, right?

Yesss.

Me: You're in that movie right?

SA: Yea... how did you know?

Me: Oh... facebook.

SA: Oh, like my pictures?

Me: I guess. *shrug shrug*

Have totally established myself as a stalker. Fab.

SA: Are you graduating in May?

Me: Yea, are you?

SA: No. I took a semester off.

Me: Oh, how come?

SA: To do the movie.

Me: Oh. Right. Well, I have to get my phone out of my car, and I can't find my keys...

Awkwardly shawk over to my car. He engages in a convo with some man who is probably trying to buy drugs off him. I shawk off to my project, and instead of listening to the others practice, decide to blog.

32 Days.

Of Former Romantic Interests

2008-12-02T23:18:00.000-08:00

I saw BabyFace today. Or rather, he saw me, and I said 'hi' back, totally unphased. At Crocker, as usual. No spidey senses tingling, which is strange. Perhaps I am over it. Or perhaps I was stressed.

Also saw the GoldenBoy in class. No props for anticipating that one, because he is also in the class. He is looking golden as always, though somewhat scruffy, but I think I like the scruff. I am balls awk in that class, I never talk to him even though we are technically friends and I spend a great deal of time staring at his sockless shoes (and also handsome face).

Mormonmoron said some moronic things, as usual. Then he tried to schmooze with the guest speaker. But at least he dresses quite nicely.

Don't worry kids, all is well with the NB. Although he did get stung by a jellyfish. And no, he didn't pee on himself. He poured vinegar on the sting. I know, lame. I was a most unsympathetic GF, gaffawing away as he told me how scared he was that it was some kind of treacherous poisonous one that could kill.

Why do Jellyfish look like spacemen?

33 more days.

Best Day Ever

2008-12-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

The fact that I have 3 presentations and 2 papers this week is completely outweighed by these wonderful things:

1) Arty-Ex-Neighbour has purchased a Starbucks Advent Calendar for me, on sale and staff discount (I think).

2) 35 more days.

3) At work today, Chief Assistant gave me my lunch 'allowance', then paid for lunch, then bought me a coffee on the company card.

4) I made mini-quiches last night using Thanksgiving leftovers, and they were a moderate success.

5) After almost an entire semester without the News I love to hate, I have found its new home, foolishly posted on the Editor's facebook page.