shahrukh khan and fruit tarts

It's end of February. Two months down already for 2009. Per usual, I haven't accomplished much. Still in midst of reading Norwegian Woods. Still only a couple of pages in on writing new novel. Still living in a messy room. But hey, I did make mini fruit tarts yesterday:



The creamy stuff on top is a mixture of whipping cream and lemon curd. It turned out to be quite delicious. The only thing is, I think I should try to use tart dough instead of pie dough. Pie dough is a little too flaky for a fruit tart. I think it should have the consistency more of a cookie.

Anyways, tart making aside, February ends like this:

- Tom Brady married Gisele this past week in a surprise wedding (well, surprise to the media, who didn't know about it til after). I am not a big fan of hers. But congrats anyway, Mr. and Mrs. Brady. Now maybe Tommy can concentrate on winning another Superbowl. Speaking of which, the Patriots traded away Mike Vrabel and Matt Cassell - for reals? That's craziness. But in the Patriots I trust. I think.

- Adam is back home in Canada from Afghanistan. I think he is done for good. Phew. So freaking glad we didn't lose him in the madness that is war.

- U2 has a new cd coming out, and I couldn't care less. Bono calls Chris Martin a wanker during an interview. I think Bono is a pompous old geezer seeking attention.

- This past week's American Idol got it right with three worthy finalists. Kris Allen, Allison Iraheta, and Adam Lambert were all great. I am now just praying that Ricky Braddy get in thru the wild card slot. Well, not really praying, cuz I've got better uses for my prayers, but hoping.

- Supposedly Rhianna is back together with Chris Brown. The media is all on their back, criticizing how Rhianna is repeating the vicious cycle of many abused women. I say, leave the kids alone. We have no freaking clue as to what goes on behind closed doors. Nobody has even come out to say what really transpired that night.

- Much anticipated Watchmen movie is getting mixed reviews. I was not a big fan of Zac Snyder's 300 - I think it was a stylistic overkill. Actually is there any good movie coming out in 2009? I don't even know what are the summer blockbusters being released this year. I am completely meh about Star Trek or GI Joe.

- Much of Feb was dominated by talk of Obama's stimulus package (does that sound funny to anyone else, or is it just the nine year old in me?) and Octo-mom Nadya Suleman. She gave birth to octuplets, adding to her existing brood of six kids. Most people think the woman is nutso and obsessed with all things Angelina Jolie, including the need to collect kids as I collect action figures and Madonna magazines. She is on welfare and has no corporate sponsorship coming in. She was however just offered $1M and health insurance to star in a porn flick. Thank goodness for everyone involved, she had a temporary moment of clarity and turned it down. Still those porn guys should be going to hell any day now.

- Since Slumdog's conquest of Hollywood (all the way to winning Best Picture at the Oscars), Bollywood dancing and musicals are all the rage. So I searched thru youtube and present to you this - from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, a movie I saw at the Asian American Film Festival a few yrs back with Regina. It's cringe-worthy, weird, and yet strangely fun. Ah, good times...

l.a. is going to eat you alive part two

What? No American Idol tonight because of some Obama address to the nation. Uh, what can Obama possibly say to the nation that's more important than American Idol? Stimulus, schmimulus. The market's been tanking hard ever since the stimulus bill passed, so what gives? Yup, looks like no magic pill's gonna save this baby. We are in for the long, hard winter. So yeah, just let us watch our fluffy entertainment and leave us alone to our dreams of being famous rock stars, or famous pop singers who sings lame-ass ballads like This Is My Now or A Moment Like This or The Time Of My Life.

As predicted, Marisa Tomei, looking lovely by the way, didn't win. Boo. And surprisingly, Sean Penn beat out Mickey Rourke but actually gave an awesome speech to the audience of commie homos (hey, his words, not mine). Nobody's dress really stood out to me as out-of-the-ballpark, drop-dead gorgeous. I really hated what Miley Cyrus, Whoopi Goldberg, and Heidi Klum were wearing though. Oh you know who is so cool to me? Robert Pattinson. It's the hair (which is long and messy again - how did it grow so fast) and the British accent. I need to come back next life as a swooning vampire, or an actor who plays a swooning vampire.


(Is Marisa Tomei really 44 year old? Dang!!!)



I finished watching Cloverfield. It didn't suck at all. I wished for a different ending though. I mean, I think for a movie of this sort, I would like to know if the protagonists live or die. Next movie is Rock n' Rolla, by Mr. Ex-Madonna.

And now the most awesome news ever. Andy Richter is going to rejoin Conan on his new Tonight Show stint. Oh yeah! Reunited makes me feel so good. Maybe Conan will eat up L.A. after all!

l.a. is going to eat you alive

American Idol sucks, once again. The judges and audience are all hyped over Danny Gokey. He is a pretty good singer but wouldn't get nearly the attention/praise he's getting now if it weren't for the dead wife card. That's the truth, and you know it. Same thing goes for the Michael "I don't want to be an oil rig worker anymore and want a better life for my wife and child and this is my last chance" Sarver. Jesus, cry me a river. Worst of all, they got in at the expense of the best singer of the first round of semi-finals - Ricky Braddy, who sang A Song For You beautifully. They didn't even feature him during the audition shows, but I was immediately a fan. Such bullshit injustice.

The Oscars are tmw nite. I am rooting for Slumdog, Kate Winslet, Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, and Heath Ledger. Unfortunately, I think Marisa Tomei won't win because she hasn't gotten the buzz as Penelope Cruz has. But it's cool - the girl's won once and now been nominated three times. It's all good as long as she continues to work.

I rented Cloverfield from Netflix, and right in the third act, when they rescued his girlfriend from her apartment, the disc froze. So what the hell happens? I've managed to avoid all spoilers of the movie, so I have no idea why people say the movie sucks. I assume it has something to do with the ending. Oh well, I guess I have to wait til Netflix reships me another disc to find out.

Conan O'Brien's last Late Night is done. He is moving from NYC to Los Angeles for the Tonight Show gig. I love Conan; he is my favorite late night talk show host. Here is John Mayer sending a video message to Conan to wish him luck:


By the way, why is Gossip Girl on reruns? Isn't this Feb sweeps month?

a walk in the park

The other afternoon, I decided to take a walk from my house to Golden Gate Park with my camera. Here are a few random shots:

the airport incident

Oh this is why the internet and youtube were invented. Crazy woman alert - she was coming to San Francisco!!!

Here is a classic - the Bus Uncle!!!

say cheese

Ah this is the reason that Amazing Race is my favorite show. Tonight was the premiere episode of Amazing Race 14. I love it that the deaf guy and his mother came in first, and that we have another country bumpkin couple (remember the Kentucky folks from a couple of seasons back?) and the gay writer of School of Rock (Mike White) with his gay(!!!) dad and midget stuntmen. Of course we also have our typical assortment of blonde flight attendants, cheerleaders, dating couples, and old folks. The task where each couple had to deliver four 50-pound cheese wheels down a slippery hill was freaking hilarious. There is something that just tickles me about seeing a cheese wheel go flying down the hill whenever somebody dropped it. This all took place in postcard-beautiful Switzerland. I so want to go and do all this stuff. Some people dream a lifetime for fame and fortune; others for love. Me? I dream to be on The Amazing Race!!!

knowing your food

I made panna cotta with a strawberry sauce today. It came out quite delicious. The sauce was sliced strawberry mixed with sugar, balsamic vinegar and a couple of dashes of black pepper. I actually had no idea what a panna cotta was til a couple of weeks ago - it's just "cooked cream" set with gelatin. But served with a fruit sauce, it's kinda fancy dessert, and it's got a European name (Italian). Too bad I didn't have any heart-shaped ramekin, or else this would've been perfect for Valentine's Day.

Another thing that I had no idea what it was until recently was ceviche. It's a dish favored by contestants on Top Chef. They are always making ceviche this or ceviche that. Well I finally looked it up, and a ceviche is seafood marinated in citrus juice. It's usually raw; the seafood is "cooked" by the acidity of the citrus juice. It's a popular South American dish.

Finally when I went to lunch recently, my coworkers and I were debating what duck confit was. They thought it was some kind of duck liver; I didn't. I looked it up on my handy iPhone. Confit is preserving meat or fruit. Usually duck confit is preserved duck leg. It's a specialty of southern France. When I tried it at Chez Papa, I found it to be really yummy.

let it go, let it go

I am loving this song from Will Young - Let It Go:

I have never been
afraid of being alone
It's somehow typical of
being a man - I know
But I woke in the night
My body full of fright
Could I provide for you?
Everything you've ever wanted
Could I really be
the man I promised I
would be
And support you tenderly

Let it go
Let it go
Let it go
'Cause it's out of my control
Let it go let it go
Don't have to have it all
Grips so tight it shatters
Only thing that matters
Only got one life
Heaven knows
What I'm stressing for
Let it go let it go

It's the simple things
in life that bring me down
Like always being right
It leads to fights - oh no no
I'm running low on energy
The world keeps bugging me
And I keep thinking baby
How we gonna stay together
Can I really make a vow
I'm never gonna keep
See that's what's
bothering me - eee - eee

Let it go
Let it go
Let it go
'Cause it's out of my control
Let it go
Let it go
Don't have to have it all
Grips so tight it shatters
Only thing that matters
Only got one life
Heaven knows
What I'm stressing for
I've let it go

I know you tell me
that I always think
too much
And all that stupid stuff
Well, I've thought enough

Let it go
Let it go
Let it go
'Cause it's out of my control

Don't have to have it all
Grips so tight it shatters
Only thing that matters
Only got one life
Heaven knows
What I'm stressing for
Let it go
Let it go

are you professional?

Yes, this is epic and brilliant!!!


BTW, I fucking heart Christian Bale. The guy's just fucking passionate, you know. What's the big fucking deal?

ten rules to becoming a good gentleman

Maintain an air of mystery - Always leave them wanting more.

Read a lot of books - it seems books are the greatest teachers of life lessons, particularly works of fiction. Go for the classics first. (If you want to learn technical know-hows, read non-fiction. But don't read self-help books to untangle life's mystery or to map out the human heart and soul.)

Master photography or an musical instrument (bonus points if both) - It's always cool to be able to make the world an even more beautiful place through art and music.

Keep your ambitions in check - Ambitions propel the world and life forward. Ambitions gone awry can destroy your integrity and lead to many a downfall.

Achieve good health through clean living, exercise, and sensible eating - Gotta stay around to do good things.

Floss - A personal hygiene routine that seems to get neglected often. (I mean, nobody forgets to brush their teeth.)

Travel - See for yourself the enormity of the world. Gives you worldliness, good topics of conversation, compassion towards the differences between cultures, and realization that we are in the end all the same. Oh, and the food...

Don't wear pleated pants (double jeopardy if you wear pleated and tapered pants)

Make it your life goal to make the world a better place in your own way - Most people spend their lives trying to make their own lives better instead of making the world better. Sometimes those are opposing goals. Yet paradoxically, they are also the same if you start with making the world better first.

Love with abandon - The Holy Grail of these rules.

in bruges and frisco

Weather: Chilly but clear
State: So tired I can barely open my eyes
Music: Sufjan Stevens' cover of You Are The Blood and Jose Gonzalez's cover of Cello Song
Last Movie: In Bruges (I freaking looove this movie!!! Who knew Colin Farrell was so good?)
Last Pleasure: 3-course fixed price lunch at Chez Papa yesterday (I had the cipollini onion tart, duck leg confit, and panna cotta - yum)
Last Worry: My damn kitchen floor tile grout
Looking Forward To: Watching Slumdog Millionaire this weekend
Not Really Looking Forward To: Another year of bad luck (that damn pizza ban is not working)
Tired Of: Work gossip and drama (oi!!!)
Gas Price: $2.159/gallon
Clothes: Checkered blue shirt with blue t-shirt, grey chino, black hoodie, and down vest over hoodie
Today's Headline: Obama signs bill extending kids' health insurance
Current Desktop Wallpaper: Ryan Quincy (see photo above)
Last Website Visited: netflix
Last Meal: Chinese takeout chow mein/chow fun/fried rice
Last Purchase: Taxcut software
Item Off My Wishlist: The O.C. Complete Series Collection dvd set
Latest Evidence It's A Beautiful World: The writing of Haruki Murakami

i, object

Randomness - object edition.

Ten random objects in my room:

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami: Finally bought this off amazon. On page 21 right now. I am a slow reader, so it's probably going to take me a couple of months to finish it. I usually average about three/four books a year. Too much tv and other things to do besides reading, which is not really my favorite activity. Thus I choose rather carefully. I last read Murakami's After Dark. I like that Norwegian Wood is at heart a love story. I like love stories - I am trying to write one myself, but then again, that's another story for another day.

Business card for Artist Hair Design: I've been meaning to try this place. I need a haircut soon.

Box for Rockband SE for PS3: I completely suck at this. I just have no coordination whatsoever. Which means I would suck at musical instruments too. This pretty much kills my dream of being a rock star, or even being the guy who plays his guitar by the campfire. My question is, is it possible that you can practice all you want at something and you would still never get proficient at it? I don't mean good; I just mean proficient.

Parking ticket: God, I hate this crap. Sixty freaking bucks for parking violation!!! It's highway robbery, on the street.

Postcard from Vietnam: Thanks Tat for sending this. I love getting postcards from all over. And I love that saying "Wish you were here" people put on back of postcards. (Not that Tat wrote this, nor would I want him to.) I want to go to Vietnam one day - beautiful scenery, delicious, cheap food. The only problem is, I can't stand the way the Vietnamese language sounds. I know that sounds rude, but really.

Lowepro DSLR camera bag: I got this from REI on clearance for $7. I really am a shopping expert. It's perfect for taking my DSLR places. Now I just need to go places.

New year's red envelopes: It's kind of embarrassing getting these now at my age. I wish people would stop.

Glass of soy milk: I love soy milk. It's probably because I drank Vitasoy growing up. But then again, is Vitasoy really soy milk?

Staedtler Mars Plastic eraser: Using this type of eraser since high school. Best eraser ever. You can erase all your mistakes without much of a trace. Need that in real life.

Dumbbells: Again, is it possible that you can put in all the hard work and not get any results???