you were always on my mind.

i have been craving kalbi for days. i am such a carnivore. perhaps tonight my hunger can be quenched. lately, all i've been thinking and blogging about is food!

green tea.

i genuinely enjoy green tea ice cream. perhaps one of my fave ice cream flavors, alongside red bean and vanilla. and when i learned that haagen-dazs created a limited edition flavor of it, i had to go get some. not quite as good as the varieties you will find at asian markets made by japanese companies but it will do. the other day i was craving green tea, so we went to pinkberry at the spectrum and i have to say i'm hooked. the first time i had it, i thought it was mediocre frozen yogurt. perhaps because i was craving it or my tastebuds are more refined, but i tasted the subtlety of the tartness of the yogurt and decided it was way better than all those dozens of yogurt shops that are popping up in OC. it was even better than Golden Spoon, which i often confused with real ice cream. however, i have to say the green tea flavor at Pinkberry really tasted more like the original tart flavor with green food coloring. however, my craving was quenched and i wolfed it down in less than a minute!

oink oink.

broiled pork loins with classic seasonings. steamed broccoli with salt and pepper seasoning. broil on each side about 6min. wala! i didn't even over-cook it even though i didn't broil it 4 inches from the fire.

lessons my broiler taught me.

i think the reason my meats cook too quickly is because i haven't been lowering the broiler pan. i was looking up how to broil pork loins and it kept saying to broil it 4 inches from the fire. lo and behold, i've been broiling food 0 inches from the fire!

the chef says, live and learn!

tomorrow, i will post up pics of my delish pork loins and broccoli. it was pretty damn good, if i do say so myself. :)

the secret to cooking..

is to make sure the dining party is hungry. :)

h2Omelon.

perfect for summer and all seasons! i bought a quarter water melon and could have singlehandedly finished the thing myself had i not shared it with d and friends. it's perfect after a hot run/walk or jacuzzi adventure. sweet enough to appease your sweet tooth. watery enough to quench that thirst!

don't be a chicken.

because you will find yourself cooked and on my plate ready to be eaten!

this was by far my greatest success, in my opinion. i broiled chicken breast fillets perfectly because they were tender, juicy and oh so good! 15 min. the juices were clear, as the instructions said. the stirfried asparagi were awesome too. i think this combo really did it for me. same classic seasonings of basil, olive oil, garlic salt, pepper and LOVE on both veggies and chicken. topped it off with bread which we dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegarette. bon appetit!

what's on the menu tonight? can you say, oink oink?

thai ice teahee.

thank u tigress for the refreshing glasses of thai ice tea you made for us. i have enough to make me happy..until i run out, of course. thanks also for the bag of ground thai tea. and the boba. u shouldn't have! :)

how and what to use for a glass of delish tt:

brew ground thai tea in coffee/tea maker

add loads of sugar when still hot so it can melt

when ready to drink, add half and half and/or condensed milk (i'm also going to try evaporated milk) to tea mix.

add ice cubes

add boba if you have any.

lastly, enjoy!

weeeeeeee!

we got the wii. can't wait to play mii.

boo boo.

the sign i ignored.

where we live, u need a gate code to get in. but to get out, if you walk, you need an electronic key or key. i have an e-key but don't bother carrying it with me out of sheer laziness. i usually stand by the gate and wait for someone to exit then run out after them through the open gate. the other day, i was trying to get back inside after exercising with my dog. i saw the gate slowly close as someone entered the complex. i know the gate code to get in but decided to chance it and run as fast as i could through the gate so i didn't have to punch in the code. bad mistake. very bad mistake. i was able to throw nibblet through the open gate but by the time it was my turn to get through, the opening was too small for my pudgy body. there is no give to the gate. it does not register a human body going through the gate. my poor musculature certainly did nothing as i tried my hardest to nudge my way through the gate while using my arms to keep the gate open. i was certain i was going to be crushed to death by the sheer force of the closing gate and be discovered as a bloody mess by the residents there. i could feel the black cushiony rubber quickly turn into the hardness of the gate itself, slam into my arms then my body. i was in pain, and barely squeezed my way through. ironically, a second later, a car entered the complex and the gate opened again. if i had waited about 2 more seconds, i would have been spared the trauma. my arms bear huge black bruises where i must have put up my arms out of reflex to keep the gate open. there are these warning signs on the gate, warning people of exactly what had happened to me. months ago, i recall wondering if anyone actually got lodged within the gate. ironically, i answered my own question. i am officially traumatized by closing gates. my laziness got the best of me.

moral of the story: the gates will close, with or without you between them.

the MRI.

d recently got an MRI. the doctor found a bulging disc which looks exactly like this picture. it might even be the same area. so i'm gonna be a good house-gf and brush up on my cooking and TLC skills, esp. if he does end up undergoing surgery, which the doctor recommended. it's nice to know the problem because now we can focus on the solution. and the MRI photos were so interesting. i'd love to see my insides while still alive and kicking, unlike the plastinated bodies i saw over the weekend. we'll make it through together, d.

where's the beef?

broiled steak is supposed to be easy and delish to make. i seasoned it with garlic salt, salt, pepper, basil and olive oil. d told me the last 2 ingredients weren't supposed to be added. he said if there is oil on it, it cooks it too quickly and the salt does not absorb into the meat. 6.5 minutes on each side. but if you ask me, it tasted delish, with all the marbled fat. then i stirfried yellow and white squash in expensive garlic olive oil (which d later told me wasn't to be used for cooking but for dipping), and added pretty much the same seasoning as the steak. a bit on the greasy side but oh so good. after eating the entire plate, i was still hungry. i'll blame it on my supposed increasing metabolism, because i did put in more than 5 miles yesterday. definitely one of my faves and easy too!

"love is blind" says the pot calling the kettle black.

i have to say i've been pretty surprised at the decisions people make given their life experiences. my friend who is a divorcee has made a very poor decision when it came to love. for some reason, i had great faith that she had learned from her failed marriage so that she may never repeat her mistakes again or at least learn from them. but the lesson i've learned is that love seems to make you blind or maybe just plain stupid. is that the same thing? i think people get into trouble when they have high expectations or are too hopeful and these expectations and hope cloud their judgment and reality, for that matter. that's what happened with k. but it's so hard to take a chance at love and not be hopeful and expect the best. and a similar thing happened to Tigress with the lawyer. especially with being emotional creatures as women, we're really at a disadvantage. i know that if i was single, i would fall into the same trap, even after the insight i gained from watching my friends make mistakes i never want to make...again. i guess i'm just the pot calling the kettle black.

if love is blind, women need to learn to remove their blindfolds.

kiss the cook.

this was my first home-cooked meal, made by yours truly. broiled salmon and broccoli. it was a bit bland but i learned the miracle of adding extra sea salt. d said it was good. and he hasn't died of food poisoning yet.

my second meal was turkey sausage with yellow bell pepper over rice. cream of chicken as appetizer. i didn't get to take a picture of it but it pretty much looked like what it sounds like. i thought it tasted pretty good. but i'd like to use actual turkey loins next time for health's sake. those sausages are so fattening!

next up, chicken and steak.

Deathnote-my final thoughts.

when it comes to slow reading, i take the cake. it took me about 7 months to finish the Deathnote series. it's not that i read it everyday. i had dry spells where i wouldn't read at all. but all in all, it took me 7 months from the time i opened to the first page in volume 1 to the time i closed the last page in volume 12. this was my first manga series, where i read the whole thing. i have to say, anime just goes by a lot faster, esp. at my reading speed. and i do enjoy animation that comes to life. so i would probably stick to anime if i had the choice. so my final thoughts:

it's a good story. i enjoy cerebral stories. i enjoyed the plot, the twist after twist. you just never knew when each plan would be thwarted by a better one. i enjoy the moral diatribes that the main characters would give. i enjoyed the artwork alot. i enjoyed the characters, esp. L, who they killed off rather early. i enjoyed Light, up until they killed him off. the thing i didn't like, was the ending. frankly, if you knew Light's character at all, he wouldn't grovel like a coward at the end. he wouldn't fear death like he did at the end. he would have a plan, a better plan. or he would die with dignity, because after all, he's Kira, he's the god of the new world. if i were to write the ending, he would be able to write Near's entire name in the Deathnote just before the SPK gunned him down in an effort to stop him. ultimately, both Light and Near would die. the two heros would die simultaneously. both would have won, both would have lost. my other alternative ending would have Light write his own name in the Deathnote, because he would rather die with dignity at his own hands, than be taken to prison, or live in the shame that he failed as Kira.

all in all, it was a great story. manga is cool but a bit too slow for me.

Goodbye Olympics 2008.

i'm actually kinda sad now that the 18 days of Olympics is over. now all sports on TV seem so blah, ordinary, and un-olympic in comparison. and what was up with the closing ceremony? it was as long and elaborate as the opening. and it dragged on and on with ever increasing horrible chinese music. they brought out the big wigs and superstars but sadly, they seemed to sing worse than what you would see on Chinese Idol. i think as a 3rd world country, they couldn't seem to let go of their 18 days of international fame. now it's back to their real social issues such as censorship and poverty and political unrest and all the stuff they still can't seem to address successfully. well, at least they are one of the first 3rd world countries to host Olympics, as i recall. congrats China on rallying your "volunteers" and on the display of fireworks, both real and CG. i'm sure the residents behind the "wall" appreciated the view.

Riverside.

i think everyone's eyebrows caught on fire!

d drank this sake all by himself. well, almost.

some of my food. the rest of it was in my belly before it even hit the plate! i was starving!

saw this banner at Game Stop. don't know the game. just thought the little brown zipper man was cute. :)

i always enjoy alcohol containers, esp. sake bottles.

bottom's up

prepare for the sauces

the million dollar menu. and i'm talking about the prices!

corvettes are cool, esp. when you can afford one.

look at those guns!

my favorite display cus it reminds me of the Batmobile

d's company's pride and joy! Order up!

i think this was the first time i visited Riverside. and where was this river it's named after?? the city wasn't as ghetto as i imagined it to be. but i think Riverside Plaza was the hub of the town, so it was all done up to appease tourists. i've also heard that it's an up and coming town, but that could be said just to make residents there feel better. there was a car show there, hence the cars. we went to Ooka for d's friend's birthday. the food at Ooka was ok. i think Benihana and Kobe out-do the food and cooking show. afterwards we went to Lounge 33, where i enjoyed a nice cold glass of...water. :) i think the asahi at Ooka made me sick. i might be allergic to beer. :(

Body Worlds 3

We went to see Gunther von Hagens' Body Worlds 3, The Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies. If you can look past the fact that these are real dead bodies and organs that were put through the ringer and lots of crazy chemicals to be plastinated and immortalized internationally, you'll see the beauty, art and science behind the intricacies of the human body. It was amazing and not at all disturbing. Of course, if you ask d, he would disagree. The most fascinating part was the series of embryos as well as the fetuses. It's amazing that von Hagens was able to collect a series of chronologically developing humans. Many many people must have donated their bodies to plastination science. At the end, they had a plastinated giraffe, which was monstrous as well as an ostrich. Imagine a plastinated Noah's Ark!
My ratings on a scale of 1-10:
Fascination: 10.
Cost: 7. Not the cheapest way to spend a Saturday afternoon. But you never know when you'll get the chance to see cadavers in such a tasteful way again.

nikeplus.

as much as i enjoy trying to stay in shape and feeling better about myself after i upload nikeplus data, i'm really in it for the trash talk.

the truth about pugs...

is that they look like this after their owner makes them run/walk 2.5 miles in the scorching heat then have to carry them home.

introducing the ab roll.

the cheapest most effective ab exercise apparatus you'll ever need. and i don't have the abs to prove it ... yet.

the truth about cats and dogs...

is that sometimes they do get along.

the real D&D

my cool die.
dungeon tile
our gang

sugar