a year in the life

Happy Thanksgiving!  This year I am thankful for:
-  Gilmore Girls reunion.  Stars Hollow - this is the America I want to live in.
-  La La Land - ok I haven't seen it yet but I already love everything about it.
-  Family - even though it's been a hard year, I am grateful to have another year around the table with the people whom I live for.
-  Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - season two theme song not as great as original and Greg leaving is just unacceptable, but man, I am so happy to have a season two of Rachel and Paula and Darryl and White Josh and Heather and even Valencia.  Oh, and Josh just happens to be there.
-  Grocery Outlet - I love bargain hunting.  Going to Grocery Outlet on Saturday mornings for grocery run has sort of become my routine.  Yes, my transformation into an old housewife is now complete.
-  James Blake and Bon Iver - Both came out with amazing new albums this year.  In my opinion, James Blake and Bon Iver haven't yet put out one album that's anything less than masterful.  It's music that's modern and soulful and touches me in all the right places. 
-  The return of Green Day - I remember seeing them back in the day in Berkeley, so it's awesome to see after all these years they still have with a fire lit under them.
-  i-Tea and Bambu - for satisfying my boba and dessert drink cravings.
- b Patisserie - I still dream of your banana chocolate croissants and kouign amanns.
- Work-at-work - I honestly don't know how I can ever have to commute five days a week to work again.
-  James Corden - my favorite talk show these days.  His joy is infectious.  Reminds me of Rosie O'Donnell when she had her own talk show.  I guess I like my talk show hosts to sing.
-  The social media star season of Amazing Race - I enjoyed this past Spring's season a lot.  That French Alps (or was it Swiss Alps, it's hard to tell with all that snow) episode was the best in a long while.  Damn CBS for not doing a fall season this year.
-  Coupons - Thanks JCP, Eddie Bauer, eBags, LLBean, and Kohl's for your $10 or $5 off coupons!  Keep them coming please.
-  Stock market not crashing - yet...
-  2016 almost ending - just one more month and we would have made it out alive.  Wounded but still kicking. 

there is a crack in everything

Oh Leonard Cohen - I hear ya.  You are going to do your thing from up there instead of here, on this earth that doesn't deserve your poetry and beauty.  We human beings are worthless.  We cannot have nice things.  We let the darkness in.  We let evil tap into our fear.  That ugly nature of ours will always show up.  Yet, I suppose we must still ring the bells that can ring.  Carry on with the good fight.  RIP where you are.  I am sure it's nicer.



 
The birds they sang
at the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
has passed away
or what is yet to be.
Ah the wars they will
be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
bought and sold
and bought again
the dove is never free.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

We asked for signs
the signs were sent:
the birth betrayed
the marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
of every government --
signs for all to see.

I can't run no more
with that lawless crowd
while the killers in high places
say their prayers out loud.
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
a thundercloud
and they're going to hear from me.

Ring the bells that still can ring ...

You can add up the parts
but you won't have the sum
You can strike up the march,
there is no drum
Every heart, every heart
to love will come
but like a refugee.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.

election randomness

It's over sooon. Just three more days, and my phone will stop ringing and my mailbox will not be stuffed.  It's a soda tax, it's a grocery tax...guess what, I don't give a damn...I do care that it is getting to the end of the year.  2016 has been hard.  The thing with my mom's apartment and her health.  The house leaks, Chi Young's job prospects, and my left knee pain.  All have been extremely taxing.  As Buffy said, living is hard.  But it's over sooon too.  Not life, but at least 2016.  You gotta have hope that a new year brings new beginnings...The favorite movie I've watched lately is The Nice Guys, with Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe.  It's a funny, witty and charming throwback to those buddy action comedies. And both Gosling and Crowe, along with the girl who plays Ryan Gosling's daughter, are terrific...I am on a shopping spree again.  It's that time of the year.  I just cannot help myself.  The things I buy these days though have shifted away from electronic gadgets to things like a waffle maker and a wok/steamer set.  I also just got the Funko Pop Golden Girls set for Chi Young.  We love watching Golden Girls reruns on the Hallmark channel.  Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia are the OG...Crazy Ex Girlfriend is back for season two.  I didn't love the first episode and the new theme song, but second and third episodes have totally brought me right back.  Rebecca Bunch is really crazy...I just read that Michael Buble's three-year-old son Noah has cancer.  Damn that's tough.  My prayers are with them..We fall back an hour today.  An extra hour - what to do with it?  Write a blog post...I am enjoying new Green Day album.  Outlaw, Revolution Radio, and Ordinary World are particularly great.  I love it when people I am a fan of since the beginning continue to put out good stuff.  I am also liking the new stuff from the Hamilton Leithauser and Rostam collab - they used In A Black Out in an iPhone 7 commercial...The other pleasure of my life is of course food.  Winston and I went to visit Howard in San Jose two weekends ago, and we went to Grand Century Mall and had pho, sugar cane juice, and pandan waffle (thus the waffle maker I just bought - I want to be able to make all different types of waffle, like the HK style street waffle with sugar, peanut butter, and condensed milk).  Then we went to Pop Bar near Howard's place and had a gelato popsicle.  Food days are awesome.  I am also enjoying that new food places are popping up all over now.  They just opened a 85 Degree bakery in Serramonte and will open a Steak 'n Shake in Daly City very soon.  And I also like these individual hot pot places that are popping up in the Richmond and Sunset this last year or two.  Also, I recently made really good chicken thighs and pork chops from recipes I found online from The Pioneer Woman and The Kitchn respectively.  I am building a good repertoire.  The one thing I really wish I could master is Chinese turnip cake.  Cannot find a good recipe where my turnip cake doesn't turn into mush.  Don't know why......The Chicago Cubs have won the World Series, after a 108-year old drought.  They won in extra inning in Game Seven.  I don't really follow baseball, but I appreciate how momentous this is.  Sometimes good things happen, and things are right in the world...I don't know how the presidential election will turn out.  It's actually turned into a nail-biter.  May God be with us on this one, even as we march ourselves straight into hell