news?

this seems about 6 months too late- the cocktail fad is already on it's way out.

beware

sunday late afternoon, the boy and i found ourselves recovering from an exhausting weekend of socializing. we watched a bit of venture brothers and munched on leftover meatballs and nuts when i noticed a VM left by momma V.

on one hand i had no energy to talk on the phone but on the other hand the guilt of ignoring her call would bother me. so i listened to the voice mail to mentally prepare for the conversation in store:

momma V: ni, i have something very important to tell you. call me back as soon as you can. it's your mom and it's sunday.

so like an obedient, asian daughter i called my mom.

V: hi mom, it's ni. how are you?

momma V: oh i'm so glad you called. i've been so worried.

V: why?

momma V: i heard on the news that there's an outbreak from pork meat in new york. so don't buy or eat any pork meat.

V: huh? (i hadn't read any news since friday) oh sure mom. i won't. that's easy enough, i don't eat all that much pork (except for bacon, prosciutto, and pancetta that is)

momma V: ok. that's all, you can go back to relaxing before work tomorrow.

V: ok, night mom. love you.

mommaV: love you too.

we enjoyed a bit of the beautiful weather and took a walk along the east river and enjoyed some 7-11 delights in the park. a little nap afterwards followed by wings from bar coastal and "science of sleep" rounded out the night.

work was crazy busy today. lunch got postponed until 5pm and i rushed out at 6pm so i could hit the gym and grocery store. on my way back home i noticed another VM from momma V.

that's really odd. she rarely calls two days in a row unless it's an emergency.

so i listened to the VM.

momma V: it's your mom. i'm so worried about the swine flu. call me back!!!

i decided to wait until tomorrow to call her back when my annoyance by her paranoia subsided. but then annoyance faded into sadness for my mom who lets fear restrict her ability to experience new things and live a fuller life. . .

wha the . . . ?!

another but perhaps underrated reason why "google" is one of the best things ever.

what kids learn in school

my nephew cracks me up whether he is hamming it up with goofy faces, silly songs, or dance moves. the highlight of the weekend was his "tooty tot" song with choreographed dance moves which he learned in school. . . it goes something like this.

a tooty tot a tooty tot, a tooty tah tah!

a tooty tot a tooty tot, a tooty tah tah!

thumbs up. elbows back. legs apart. knees together. bottoms up.

then, with his thumbs up, elbows pressed sharply back, legs standing shoulder length apart, knees close together and little body at a ninety degree angle, wes closes his eyes and sticks his tongue out and dances in a little circle. all the while grunting. . .

uh un uh uh. uh un uh uh. uh un uh UH!

it is one of the funniest things i've ever seen in my life. . . although i get the sneaking suspicion that his teacher is having the biggest laugh of us all.

what to do?

the boy and i got back to nyc sunday night around 7pm with a hankering to do something besides staying in. i wasn't really into the idea of the yea yea yeas so we searched the internet and tony for other options. the boy read about a free comedy show at three of cups so we decided to check it out.

we got there just in time to nab good seats and a table. by the time we settled in with drinks and an order of food, the MC came onto the stage. his introduction was painfully un-funny and made me nervous for the impending line up and show in store. to my relief, each comedian was progressively more funny than the last and definately had many laugh out loud moments.

the group definitely varied in experience and personalities as evidenced by the different styles of delivery, level of interaction with the audience and overall effectiveness. while i've been to a handful of "professional" comedy shows and truly enjoyed them, there was something quite refreshing and raw about sunday's performances. i would definately go again. and $4 glasses of wine aren't so bad either.

happy

that's how this song makes me feel.

mood swings

lately, i've come to think that my low-energyness is weather related.

because all i could think of doing on friday was getting home, going to the gym, and spending the rest of the night holed up with my honey and some dvd's. as soon as the heavy rain subsided and the sun peaked through friday at 6pm, i was singing a different tune!! i threw on my sneakers and ipod in hand, went for a nice jog along the east river where i contemplated dinner menus and what to do after dinner.

after my run, i stopped by A&V and picked up groceries and the nearby wine store for a bottle of white. dinner consisted of mussels (incredibly fresh and big!) and oyster mushrooms cooked in a green curry broth and stir fried chinese vegetables. the boy suggested we go out for drinks so we headed down to flatiron lounge for a couple drinks where we enjoyed well made cocktails but was instantly reminded by the douche factor why i don't like going to "hot" places on weeknights.

the next morning, instead of sleeping in as planned, i was compelled by the bright sunlight spilling into my room to get out of bed and head to the gym. starving 75% into my weight session, i decided to cut it short and headed to east side bagels to pick up breakfast. back at home, i brewed some coffee and we ate our bagels while watching old episodes of "it's always sunny in philadelphia". the rest of the day flew by. some shopping for myself at bloomies. lunch in koreatown. bridal shower gift shopping at macy's which turned out to be one of my most maddening shopping experiences EVER. aliens & monsters in 3-D followed by bon chon at boka.

the next day was more relaxing with a bridal shower in williamsburg and an impromptu dinner with dandy and the boy at crif dogs. the evening rounded out with drinks at belcourt and more sunny.

an action packed weekend all in all!

that feeling

do you ever get the desire to procrastinate- simply because you have a deadline?

our first bookclub meeting- VK, celestial, and theng is tomorrow and i'm about halfway through the chosen book Wild Swans. so why am i blogging instead of reading?? good question.

ok, back to the task at hand.

lovely weekend

it's a constant struggle for me to find balance in my life, to get better at saying no and accomplishing/doing all the things i really want to do. instead, i find myself in one of two predicaments:

1. being so busy during the week with work, gymming and social outings that i'm too exhausted to do or want to do anything besides veg out

2. being so busy on the weekends with appointments, chores, and catching up with friends that i am too tired and unmotivated to do anything during the work week

this week, it's #2. i had an unexpected dinner with british dave at my place. both exercise-aholics, we both squeezed in workouts before an impromptu meal of chili, meatballs and red wine at my place. i have the notion that british dave is too polite to tell me he really wasn't too fond of the meal as he ate only one bowl of chili and one meatball but continued to devour the loaf of multigrain bread!! nonetheless, it was wonderful to catch up.

saturday i met up with celestial in chinatown where i had my first visit with dr D. i've been trying to find a good doctor in nyc for ages, and was happy celestial recommended hers. the experience was undoubtedly odd! on bowery, just steps away from my favorite banh mi store, you step into a commercial building. the two sets of elevators are readily spotted by a swarm of chinese people trying to enter/exit. in the elevator, there are two doors which are adjacent to one other but only one opens depending on which floor you are on. since dr D had gotten in late, appointments were over an hour behind schedule. celestial and i decided to kill time and go grocery shopping. by the time we got back, it was only another 15 minutes of waiting before it was my time to go in.

dr D was a nice, middle aged chinese woman with the kind of straightforward talk that only a middle aged chinese woman could get away with. over the course of the visit, she told me i had an "old person's name", fat people put talcum powder "down there" but that's bad because it may be linked to cancer, and that women used to grow their arm hair out and that was OK.

after the visit, celestial and i headed back to LIC and watched vicky, christina, barcelona. then celestial made a delicious feast of okonomiyaki, tofu with edamame, and stir fried squid. we listened to some music and got dressed for dancing. in the end, we skipped the birthday parties and went to la caverna to dance. hours later (forgot how much i love to dance) and even making a new friend, we went to schillers for a quick snack and evening recap before splitting around 3AM.

sunday was a more relaxed day. i met up with dandy at prune for brunch. a southwest bloody mary and butter crumbled poached eggs with spicy stewed chickpeas for me and a green lake bloody mary and soft scrambled eggs for him. the food is as well thought out and executed as i remembered. really, one of my favorite restaurants in nyc. after brunch we went to spa belles where we got manicures and i was so relaxed i could have fallen asleep. we walked back to union square, stopping by trader joe's for a bit before parting ways.

who couldn't use a laugh

compliments of BD!!!

only in newport blues

look closely

DC trip

left work early so the boy and i could head down to DC for the william elliot whitmore show a DC9. unexpectedly bad traffic made the drive particularly stressful although we managed to make decent time once outside of new york. while we missed a handful of songs, WEW was in even better form than i remembered making our trip well worth the effort! after the show, the boys bought memoriabilia and i queued to talk to WEW. got a nice little handshake and the chance to share how much i love his work.

after the show, we headed to ben's chili bowl for a late dinner which was absolutely delicious but totally negated a week's worth or working out. we had a quickish drink at a nearby bar before heading back to gangsta's apartment. we chatted for a bit before i retired for bed and let the boys play.

next day was a lazy start- a little reading, hanging out, and watching t.v. the plan had been to meet up with my gradeschool friend reesy for dinner. turned out her wonderful hubby was able to join as well- the question was where to go? after calling one restaurant after the next, it became evident that dinner reservations for a party of six were not to be had. so gangsta and i decided to cook dinner. we bought groceries from eastern market and harris teeter.

we whipped up a nice little dinner of bacon wrapped shrimp, arugula salad in a lemon dressing, wild mushroom risotto, skirt steak, and a small plate of cheese & prosciutto. everything turned out nicely and i was excited to see seconds being taken on the risotto. . .no better compliment to the cook! turned out that gangsta and reesy knew some common folk and conversation flowed smoothly. all around a nice evening.

sorting through

the mood has been strange of late and i can't help but feel affected. the economic downturn has turned into a stressful environment at work. everyone is working at least twice as hard for fewer returns. to make matters worse, there is an undercurrent of fear- for getting laid off at worst and never getting promoted at best.

a colleague's boyfriend passed away this morning. . . i feel terribly for her and the sadness weighs on me.

at the same time, her loss reminds me of how extremely fortunate i am, leaving me with a sense of guilt. while my life is far from perfect- i have family, friends, a partner that are all in good health and who i love immensely and continue to enrich my life. and so i feel compelled to demonstrate my gratitude and appreciation to all of my loved ones and savor every shared moment and memory.

"once around" feels quite apropos and a poignant reminder to focus on what is really important in life.

first pass

there are many foods that i love but never try to make- indian, chinese, mexican, and etc. . these are all foods that are best eaten in hole in the wall restaurants or someone's home.

but given that it's so hard to find cheap, delicious mexican food in nyc (c'mon, i was spoiled by southern california!) and the boy's affinity for it, i decided to try my hand at making it from scratch. for the past couple weeks i scoured the internet for authentic recipes. . . thereby happening on a chowhound discussion about the best carnitas recipe which reminded me of the fact that the best home cooked, ethnic foods are often made without recipes. at least not the carefully measured, precisely spelled out, step by step variety. rather, the general description of ingredients and loose guidelines. thereby leaving the success of the meal to the inventiveness and taste of the chef.

after rounding out the menu with guajillo salsa and queso fundido, i was pumped up!! after a full day of lazying, the boy and i took the bus to east harlem (or shall i call it food heaven) to get groceries.

good quality meat and produce for cheap!!! something possessed me as i can barely remember what i bought and vaguely recall just grabbing at things i might need later on. a couple hours later, we headed back home both happy- the boy armed with coconut drinks, the biggest beer EVER, and me with enough food to fill my tiny fridge to capacity. we got home, watched the "secret lives of altar boys", then feasted on chorizo arepas before falling asleep.

dinner came together relatively seemlessly and while my guests did not complain about the food i was not really satisfied. while quite fragrant and hearty, the carnitas was lacking in "bite", the consistency of the queso fundido went from too watery to too sticky, and the salsa while having a fresh and smoky flavor, was not nearly as spicy as proclaimed. . . think i'll have to try, try again.

miles away and worlds apart

i grew up in a small town in south-eastern virginia. which makes transitioning back into suburban life relatively easy. in fact, most of my trips to smaller towns whether it be wynnewood, PA, or gainesville, FL offer welcome respite from the city. the convenience of target, trader joe's, and affordable, huge grocery stores is undeniable!

so i was a little taken aback when i couldn't answer my uncle's question about whether i felt culture shock visiting great falls after living in new york for the past few years. to be honest, life in northern virginia is far different from any place or kind of life i have lead.

whenever i visit NN, it feels like home and never seems to change dramatically. however, northern virginia is vastly different from the environment i grew up in. in NN, i was among a handful of asian kids (almost all the other vietnamese ppl in my middle/high school were relatives) and the dominant minority was african american. in a good way, i quickly acclimated to "american" life and was quite comfortable in non-ethnic settings. in fact, i got so accustomed to being the only (non-hispanic/black) ethnic minority that i often felt out of place when i was surrounded by a large number of vietnamese folk.

on the otherhand, in NOVA, the ethnic communities are quite strong. so strong in face, that my grandmother got without learning a lick of english in her entire 20 year tenure in the USA. in sum, the expectation to adhere to vietnamese customs, values, and traditions is significantly higher: e.g. pursuing a medical related field (doctor, dentist, optometrist, etc), going to vietnamese establishments (restaurants, churches, etc), dating/marrying someone vietnamese, and etc. . . while i try my best never to judge, i find this way of life so limiting. . . and am grateful to have parents that have supported a more liberal lifestyle.

monday off with the girls

while valentine's weekend was all about quality time with the boy, president's day was focused on playing catch up with my girlfriends.

the day started with a lovely brunch with theng at penelope, a charming little restaurant that felt out of place in murray hill. . but in a good way. i had poached eggs with smoked salmon on a pumpernickel bread with a side of greens. theng had the spinach pie. while neither were mind blowing, the food was good and hearty, the service was friendly and fast, and the atmosphere was cozy. after brunch, we went to see "he's just not that into you". i enjoyed it, but then again, i had absolutely no expectations except to be entertained and to get some eye candy. mission accomplished.

afterwards, i stopped by work to run a couple reports then was off to meet celestial for dinner at our old standby, kura sushi. funny how not seeing her for a few days or a week while she was on vacation in cancun felt like a long time. guess it's just indicative of how close we've become over the past year. . .

wine, fashion and tapas

it's a beautiful thing when you meet someone and thing just click. such was the case thursday afternoon when i happened to stop by a colleague's office to drop something off. bengla and i had previously met on a couple occasions but never had the opportunity to discuss anything outside of work stuffs. what was intended to be a short exchange wound up being a half an hour discussion about work, our backgrounds and etc. wanting to continue our conversation but feeling the need to get back to work, i suggested grabbing drinks one night after work.

instead, bengla suggested attending a launch party for pyndela, a new, young designer of chinese-thai descent. luckily meg was game to check it out rather than eat dinner at my place. so the four of us, including one of bengla's friends, went to the roger smith hotel to see what all the fuss was about. the spring 09 line of mostly dresses, party tops, and retro hats was mostly fun and flirty however sometimes veering into the sleek and elegant. while the designer was clearly still developing in her design aethestic, i was impressed by a couple of standout pieces: an above the knee length number that evoked the flapper spirit and a white flowery, bohemian number that is the perfect summer dress.

after meeting the designer, taking in the clothing, and enjoying the open bar we decided to head to bar jamon. stepping into the small, dark restaurant i was immediately transported back to barcelona. the only thing missing was the communal plates of tapas ready to be devoured! two glasses of cava later, meg and i headed back home, sated by an unexpectedly delightful night.

reassessing values

i read this article during my mini lunch break today.

two hours later another acquaintance of mine was laid off.

i have a hard time feeling sorry for someone who can't afford to hire a personal chauffeur.

restless

i've never been a great sleeper and in fact always thought that sleep was a waste of time. as i got older and perhaps somewhat influenced the boy, i've discovered how delicious and important a good night of sleep can be.

after a tiring day of work, i was oh so looking forward to an early night. i cleared my schedule, ate an early dinner and relaxed at home. around 9pm, i promptly removed myself from the internet and distractions. i took my herbal supplement and drank a glass of water and went to bed. i tried listening to my heart beat then the sound of my breath rising and falling, hoping that the steady rhythm would soothe me to sleep. unfortunately, sleep alluded me and as i continued to toss and turn i grew increasingly frustrated.

what are your tricks for falling asleep?

the big 3-0

turning 30 has been on my mind as of late. strangely, it is with a sense of excitement and relief that i prepare to embark on this new decade. . . maybe it's because i have gotten to a point in my life where i know my mind and am comfortable with the person i have become.

nonetheless, challenge and new experiences lead to growth and evolution. since i believe in continual self-improvement and cultivation, i have made a few personal resolutions. ranging from the unabashedly superficial (rock a seriously fit body by my 30th birthday) to practical (be more frugal) to the silly (get used to ctrl+T and better at importing music to itunes).

so far so good- i've managed to finally get over the exercise hump and reincorporated strength training back into my routine and cut back on eating out on weekday nights. now, if i can just save up enough money to do some traveling, i'd be all set. . .

tough times

tonight i recalled something mikey said over dinner. judging others does not make any sense because you are making an assessment on one moment in time with no real idea of what motivates that person's actions or the many factors influencing his life. in essence, no knowledge of all the things that weighed in in his thought process.

i try to remember that and find the patience and insight to understand those around me facing difficult situations.

comforting words come easily.

i am sorry for your loss . . . i understand . . . things will get better.

do these words offer any solace? often things get worse before they get better. and sometimes shit happens- death, illness, loss- for no reason at all. there is no one to blame. though war and depression, life goes on.

and so in the end, the answer begins with oneself. it is with the knowledge that we are all immensely resilient in the face of adversity. that we make the choice to continue to live our lives and determine our future by summoning the courage and strength to pick up the pieces and start again. . .

getting outta town

while i love new york, there's something nice about leaving town for a weekend. perhaps the simple change of scene and slower pace. the delightfulness of the get-a-way was intensified after a painfully slow week.

the occasion was the boy's high school buddy, gangsta's, 31 st birthday weekend. we arrived at our destination some time after midnight and had a nightcap and easy conversation before all crashing to sleep. the next morning was an early start and venture over the Eastern Market's breakfast spot, The Market, for breakfast. the boy and i both got the "brick"- a breakfast sandwich who's sum is greater than its parts- a fresh, yeasty roll filled with choice of meat (thick cut bacon, delicious sausage, ham), cheese, egg, and fried potatoes. a cheap, hearty breakfast providing enough calories to fuel a day of manual labor or put you into insta-food coma!

after dropping gangsta's wife home, we toured gangsta's work place and then went shopping in georgetown. for once i showed considerable restraint while the boy had much luck finding new pieces around 5:30, we decided to freshen up and relax a bit before going out for dinner at sakana sushi. it was a wonderful evening filled with many delectable rolls of sushi, glasses of sake, and conversations with new friends. the evening ended as easily as it began, a bit early but feeling just right.

sunday was a later start. the bright spots were incredibly tasty ethiopian food at etete on 9th at u street. the boy and i shared yekwanta firfir, essentially beef jerky mixed with injera and a whole fried fish in addition to sampling gangsta's rare kitfo. the yekwanta firfir was perfectly seasoned, bursting with flavor and leaving me hankering for more meat and less injera. the fish was flash fried and quite fresh. simply prepared and delicious with a squeeze of lemon. i was intrigued with the idea of kitfo as i had only had raw beef in south american and korean cooking. perhaps gangsta's rave reviews had me expecting too much but i felt somewhat disappointed. while certainly a solid and moreover an interesting dish, i felt the beef lost too much flavor being uncooked. all in all though, etete reminded me how good ethiopian food can be!

tribute to bacon

i consider myself a foodie. the boy has even taken to calling me BE for "big eats" because the majority of my social activities revolve around food and/or eating out. i am more than happy to spend a pretty penny and a while away a day going from store to store getting the right ingredients and cooking.

however this is a level of foodie that is simply beyond me.

standup economist

i'm not sure if i would have thought this was funny had i not spent 7 years studying economics. . but i did and there you go.

enjoy!

thanks for the tip theng.

all a buzz

you can feel it in the air and the words are on everyone's lips.

change.

today is a special day. this inauguration holds the promise of a better america lead by a man who has captured the public's imagination and inspired citizens worldwide in the belief that we can make the world a better place. it's a great start. . . .

disconnecting => reconnecting

in need of cleaning up and maintenance, my lappy has been out of commission for the past week and change.

i felt somewhat lost without my main modes of staying connected- email, facebook, blogs and gchat. i missed the convenience of looking up movie times, restaurants, and directions instanteously. i missed my nightly gchats with the boy. i missed catching up with the day's news while eating dinner in front of the puter.

what i gained, was long stretches of time which i found to be incredibly productive and therapeutic. after an exhausting day of work, instead of whiling away the time and decompressing online i cleaned my apartment, wrote letters, went to the gym, cooked dinner, and read. i could be quiet and at peace. without the opportunity to catch up over email and chat, i found myself enjoying phone conversations and outings with friends.

now that my lappy is back in working order, i feel slightly apprehensive. i suppose only time will tell whether my routine will continue as before or if i will succeed in finding a new equilibrium.

to all the fobs out there

an interesting take on the old your momma joke. . but this feels somehow endearing and definately laugh inducing! and my fellow children of immigrants can most assuredly relate.

breaking with tradition

after some thought, i've decided to break with new year's tradition and not make any resolutions. . . partially because i have the tendency to be over zealous in my goals and then find myself at year end feeling depressed for maintaining zero of said resolutions.

while some things are easy to change- where you live, your job and who you choose to spend- truly changing oneself is quite difficult. it requires constant attention, dedication, and getting back on the horse after you inevitably fall off. don't get me wrong- i'm all for the quest of self-improvement, believing that even when change does not happen in the way we want- there is something good that transpires from that effort.

so where does that leave me?

feeling fortunate for the life i live and open to new challenges, experiences and friends that 2009 will bring.

to the test

not too long ago, i came across an article in the times about making the perfect chocolate chip cookie. i've never had a great love for baking and have always much preferred cooking. however, i was a bit intrigued. supposedly, the trick to making the perfect cookie is to let the batter rest for not 12 or 24, but 36 hours. only then, does the cookie take on an interesting complexity of flavors.

having an unusual abundance of free time this week, i decided to give it a try. after dinner with celestial on monday night, i came home and whipped up the cookie batter making some of the usual tweaks (kicking up the chocolateyness by adding a bar of lindt chocolate truffle) and not so usual changes (coconut extract vs vanilla). like every instance while mixing dough, i cursed the fact that i don't have a handmixer and that brown sugar always seems to harden too much. after i beat out all the lumps, i layed out a sheet of wax paper and shaped the batter into a cylinder that would faciliate refrigeration and cutting at a later date.

wed afternoon, i brought out the batter and baked the cookies. the differences that i noticed were batter that tasted more like shortbread- richer and more butter. beyond that, they were just as chocolate chip cookies should be . . . crunchy, chocolatey, and tasty. hmm. maybe i'll have to try again and do a blind taste testing. . .