Archive Page 3
keeping in touch
people are bound to eventually lose contact with at least half the people they have ever met in their lifetime–right?
i mean, i dont really remember a lot of people from my elementary school, middle school, and now, maybe even high school. even in college it’s difficult to keep in touch with all of these people that ive met unless we have a lot of mutual friends, many of the same interests, or have many same classes or something like that…
and while i try to keep as much of my friends as close to me as possible, sometimes it’s difficult to have everyone in my “circle of friends” rather than “random acquaintances”. but ive learned/experienced that those who i want to build stronger and sturdier relationships with are the same people who want to do the same with me, so it all kind of works out…
HOWEVER,
there are also some people who i really want to get to know better. who i want to hang out with because i remember having such enjoyable times with them even though they were short lived/lessless frequent than id like them to be.
so what’s the problem? i mean, it’s quite simple to call them up and say: hey dude, let’s chill like pills and eat food etc.
but it gets more and more difficult to keep in touch with these people when they do not give the same amount of effort, which sucks because I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR FAVORITE FRIEND MANNNN!!!!! WHY CANT YOU LET ME DO THAT?!
wow. i should control my outbursts.
Filed under: whimsical wonders | Leave a Comment
smiling&confidence
when i was in middle school i remember looking through all of my school pictures and realizing that i never had any good pictures. i mean, that is what school pictures are for, to show the wonderful awkward untimely smiles that you force out of your butt. but even when i was flipping through the family album, i saw how i just wasnt able to pull off a great smile–and having crooked teeth and braces didnt help either.
i remember telling my dad that i wasnt very good at smiling whenever someone was taking my photo, and that i didnt really know how to smile without looking terribly awkward or ridiculous. my practical dad then replied: why dont you practicing smiling in front of the mirror? besides, you have your mom’s mouth/lips.
after hearing this, i immediately felt oh-so-very relieved. i mean, it just made sense–practice! why hadnt i thought of this earlier?? and it wasnt like it would be too hard of a task to do either–no surgery or money involved in trying to achieve a better smile! (it’s strange and dumb how the human brain tends to exaggerate the small stuff that we worry about in life. or maybe it’s just my brain…)
oh, and to top it off, my dad said that my mouth was like my mom’s.
here’s the thing about my mom, she has a great smile. she has a big mouth (figuratively as well…), very straight teeth, and a million dollar smile. when she smiles, i think the sun gets brighter and flowers start shooting up from the ground…
so for my dad to tell me that compliment was enough to keep me flying high for the rest of my life.
it’s strange how one small helpful suggestion/compliment (whether it was intentional or not) can make someone feel that much more confident. while it wouldnt have been the end of the world if my dad didnt compare my smile to my mom’s, it sure does feel good to know that i have the ability to show off those pearly whites to the fullest extent as she can. however, the smiling and photographing transition wasnt instant. i still practiced (a lot) smiling/grinning/:D in front of my bathroom mirror whenever i could–until i was comfortable and secure with myself. i know everything about this blog seems ridiculous, i mean, “gaining a bit more self confidence because you learned how to smile better?!!”
yes.
anyway,
so if you ever feel like you have a few obstacles keeping you from smiling, just know that there is a mirror in your bathroom waiting for you to flash your teeth in front of 
“i gib diz a thumbz up”
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Tags: smiling
nail clippers and fingers
while i was braiding my hair today, i accidentally cut myself with my own nails.
im still not exactly sure how i did it, but it happened in the middle of hair braiding…
now my nails arent very strong or thick, however they are quite thin and so i guess it wasnt too difficult for them to slice through my finger skin 
anyway, i decided that i would give up trying to grow out my nails (they break at a certain point anyway. wait, why do i have such weak nails?!) and cut them regularly.
however, another problem arose while i was trying to cut them, it didnt matter how slowly or quickly i cut my nails, the left over finger nail parts would fly EVERYWHERE! i tried cutting my nails over a trashcan, and they still would miss it.
soooo, i used my neat brain and decided to tape the edges of my nail clippers because i dont have the cool asian nail clippers that already have plastic edge covers…
oh yeah, im lying on my stomach and that in front of me is a pillow. after while of sitting like that, i have to rotate my body because it is difficult to breathe like that..haha
Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Tags: finger nails, nail clippers
(title for today’s entry is a song title by relient k)
i think it’s because of the summer weather, but i have been having a major case of chapped lips…
so,
ive been using my trusty Burt’s Bees chapstick. but that isnt even cutting it. i still wake up with terribly rough lips -_-
anyway,
i thought id share that with you fella’s.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 3 Comments
Tags: burt's bees chapstick, chapped lips
permmmm
i dunno why, but i really want to get a perm.
ER, not those crazy asian lady perms.
but the “wavy” type of perm. you know, when you tie your hair in a braid and then unbraid it the next day. it’s all curly and wavy and summery and beach-y
okay, so i am not so good at describing things, but if you know what i mean, then you know what i mean. if you dont, er sorry
IN OTHER NEWS:
I MOVED IN TO MY NEW PLACE
hehee, i just have to get all my big furniture back in there on thursday and then i will be doneee!!
wow i love unpacking
wow i am super excited for a great new year.
er, hopefully you all are too. sometimes i get annoyed whenever i see/hear someone having a fantastical time while i am feeling in the deep down dirty dumps because i want to be included in that whimsical state of mind.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments
books to read
i really think i am lucky to enjoy reading. some people just do not enjoy reading, and i really do feel sorry for them.
i mean, while it is extremely convenient to turn on the tv, once i do open up a book, i cant take my eyes off of it. err, unless it’s a dense read. then i just want to cry because i end up having to read the same sentence 23 times until i give up and continue reading…
anywayyy,
so here is a quick list of books i really want to start reading:
Outliers – malcolm gladwell (btw, i looked at a picture of him. he has interesting hair)
A Confederacy of Dunces – john kennedy toole
In Defense of Food – michael pollan
East of Eden – john steinbeck
Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe – edgar allan poe
Ender’s Game – orson scott card (err, the whole trilogy)
OOOKay that is all for now…
but i really want to read the first few books that i posted up ))
why? because i want to look smart.
just kidding.
sort of. HAHA.
aww i miss this little guy…
Filed under: Uncategorized | 4 Comments
Tags: books i want to read
positive people
i like being around positive people.
i guess it’s kind of assumed that everyone likes being around an optimistic, caring person, and maybe even more assumed that everyone in the end wants to be happy and be that happy person for others to witness…but sometimes that isn’t the case.
i used to hang around this one girl for a long time, and i later realized how stressed i would feel whenever we would walk to classes together/sit next to each other during the same classes/talk/etc. because she was not a positive person. she would feed off from being somewhat negative–about basically everything.
all we would do was talk about all the things we didnt like. it was strange, but i think the only thing we had in common was the things we didnt like about our high school, or about that one annoying person in class, or how far it was to walk from our PE lockers to our next class on the other side of school.
i think it was quite rare whenever we would talk about “normal” “light hearted” subjects…
i dont think i even know what her favorite color is. what she likes to do in her free time…
i mean, for a little while it was fun making jokes at the expense of others, but it gets old pretty fast. and i really am not the type of person who likes to continue to talk about how terrible a certain teacher is, or why is it cloudy today, or how awful that one outfit was on that girl.
but this girl i hung out with seemed to really badmouthing so i kind of just followed her.
after going our separate ways after high school, i realized what a huge relief it is to be around people who have an amazing flow of positive energy. it just makes me feel so much more relaxed and well, happier. it doesnt matter what kind of mood i am whenever i am around positive people, i just feed off their energy. i feel better–mentally. i dont have to worry about who or what else to pick on and dislike.
it is actually kind of hard to find something bad to whine about everyday…
we are just imitators:
ORIGINAL PHOTO:
Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Tags: negative people, positive people
District 9
I am not really a fan of science fiction/mythology/fantasy. I rarely like watching movies/tv shows that are dated in the age of “Merlin” where the townsfolk meet up with the wise old wizard to fight the invading trolls in their village. Or where the setting of the film is in some random planet where aliens abide in.
Stuff like that isn’t very appealing to me, so i normally pass up on things like that in all media form (books, movies, etc.)
HOWEVER,
a week or two ago i watched: District 9 because of the positive views it got from all of my friends who did watch it, and i had to say that the preview of the film was slightly more interesting than others.
even after watching the commercial for that movie, i still wasn’t too sure what that movie was about, and even though it had aliens in it, as long as it wasnt one of those “aliens vs. humans, where mankind “saves” the world again from them” type of films, i figured that i would be okay with it.
boy did i make a good decision (woot!).
i think this is a type of film that i wouldnt really watch over again because i am not very good at handling blood, and it had some pretty intense drama moments that left my heart feeling quite heavy after i left the theater.
i guess i could go more in depth of why i enjoyed this film so much, but id rather not because i would for sure just spoil everything.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Tags: district 9
scones. SCONES! (&other news)
i made scones today! and yesterday…
but i made yesterday’s batch as more of an experiment, but dont worry–no food was wasted because my parents are now happily munching on the first batch of scones.
i am kind of glad i decided to do two batches because the first one was…interesting.
i mean it tastes all right. actually, it tastes pretty good.
to be more specific, i made blueberry scones with lemon zest (dang that lemon sure made the scone!)
the outside was toasty and crumbly while the inside was soft and fluffly.
are those how scones suppose to taste like?
i am still not too sure why there is even a category for scones. it’s like a mix between a biscuit and a muffin or something…
ANYWAY,
so this next batch i put more time and care into it.
i am not used to kneading out dough so i made sure i had enough flour on our wooden surface so that the dough wouldnt stick (haha it stuck like CRAZY during my first batch…).
i didnt put too many blueberries in like i did last time (the blueberries to dough ratio was off…but still good!).
and i added more delicious lemon zest. yum yum yum yum yumm…
oo, and i made my scones all small and pretty like. hopefully they wont go crazy and slightly explode into this globby triangle mess like the first ones did…
so i guess overall, my views&taste for scones have slightly changed. i think i would make a lot of these to eat in the morning but that would be it i think…
IN OTHER NEWS:
i am DRIVING BACK DOWN TO SOCAL TOMORROW! wheee i sure am excited…
er, but im not looking forward to the weather…
OH,
and i am trying out these new purple eyeliner. it’s the pencil type, and it’s dark and stays on my eye for at least 8hrs. niceee!
i like it. im buying one for you
Filed under: busy bakings | 1 Comment
Tags: almay purple eyeliner, blueberry scones with lemon zest
school supplies
i just bought a million cute notebooks for school–i am so excited!!!!!
i mean, cmon, if there is something that is going to motivate me to go to school, it is all the school supplies i get to buy.
i guess after a few weeks of meticulously taking well written notes in the notebooks, i do kind of start to get bored of the class and the new notebooks no longer motivate me to attend class…but at least once tests/quizzes start rolling around, i have at least a few pages of organized knowledge that i can study off of…that, and then i am eventually left with a bunch of doodlings and unfinished sentences in the later pages…haha
I MEAN SERIOUSLY MAN, THEY HAVE ELEPHANTS ON THE COVER..ELEPHANTSSSS!!!!!!
Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Tags: notebooks, school supplies
1. keys. keys are so finky sometimes. at least my keys are.
i have a lot of different keys that are used daily, i counted all the keys that i have and so far i have 6. 6 goshdarn keys that i have to look through to open the different doors/rooms i have to get into everyday. darn you keys. especially when i put you somewhere and then forget.
i am late to have of my morning classes, late to set appointment, keep people waiting because i am scrambling to find you keys.
2. cell phone.
while i would like to leave you at home to charge and confidently know that you are where i left you, i cannot. it’s not that i am so important and that many people are calling me…it’s that i need to contact many people.
and you tell the time, which is something i always need to see for some strange reason.
3. wallet. id cards. moneyz.
the one time i was without any sort of credit or money was the time i wanted to eat a delicious frozen yogurt. never again will i make that same mistake again. oh how sad i was to walk out of that shop and back home to sulk that i had left my wallet at my apartment.
and unfortunately, i have many important key cards that allow me to pay for my laundry, print out papers from school, get into certain buildings…
so those are the most essential items i cannot leave my apartment without or else i would make myself grudgingly trek back home. it is not really fun to realize that you forgot one of the above items when you are almost on your school campus…
Filed under: livid lists | Leave a Comment
Tags: things i cannot leave the apartment without
photography
one of the many reasons why i love reading and looking through foodblogs are their pretty photos that are taken throughout the process of whatever they are making, and then the long awaited for picture of the actual result(s)!
i like seeing the crisp clear pictures taken of whatever the person happens to be making, and realllllly like how the quality of the picture is so…nice.
everything seems to be in perfect focus.
it kind of makes me think that if you want to have a convincing foodblog entry, you kind of have to have well taken photos of your food–i mean of course! blurry dark pictures arent as aesthetically pleasing as those bright colorful ones…
which got me thinking…i need to edit my pictures more often. or i need to find better ways of taking photos of my food.
every time i post up an entry of whatever i baked i cringe because the quality of the photo is so terrible. everything is a bit dark/random shadows/not as clear as it could be…i dont even really have good angles -_-
gah, i need to hire a photographer. HAHa
i kid. i kid.
BUT, i really am thinking about using good ol’ Picasa. or something to make the photos i take look better (no it is not the camera unfortunately. i would love to blame my camera but it is way too good (at least way too good for me, a canon powershot 1000) )
anyway, in other news:
i am going to make scones. this is kind of a big deal for me because…
1. i do not particularly enjoy scones. i would rather eat a crumbly cookie than eat a scone–and believe it or not, i dont really like crumbly cookies.
2. my mom made scones before, and they were okay…
3. this scone recipe i am going to try looks pretty darn complicated, but it got rave reviews so, i have to try it by default, right?
oh, so why am i making scones?
i mistakenly told one of my friends that i will bake anything that she is craving and she said scones.
darn you scones!
Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments
YES, you definitely read that title correctly. today, i tried making a recipe from the blog site, Joy the Baker (another joy, not me heh) that was a vegan chocolate cake (i just made them into cupcakes) that used avocados IN the cake batter and IN the frosting as well!
so what was the results? *drumrollll*
SO
DELICIOUS
so moist and dense and yummy! the cupcakes were really good, as good as any “normal” chocolate cupcake, maybe even better because of the elimination of butter. the frosting was a nice touch as well! although at first you could taste a bit of an avocado after taste, i added about a tablespoon of orange juice (i ran out of lemons) and it had a refreshing slight tang. mmm..
if only i could eat all of them, but these cupcakes were not for me.
they were for this little boy that i babysit who cannot eat milk and eggs because he is allergic to them. it’s so sad to see him unable to eat birthday cake and icecream
anyway, hopefully he will enjoy these. heh..
here are my pictoral results:
the boy on the left!^ …okay, so you cant really see his face, but at least you can see how tiny and small he is. no little kid should be deprived of sweet chocolatey goodness.
mmm avocados. so buttery and good.
all the dry ingredients.
wahh so pretty…(btw, the avocados should have been mashed -_- as you can see, they are NOT in this picture…but the cupcakes still came out good!
two frosting colors
one bunch of deliciously frosted cupcakes.
Filed under: busy bakings | 1 Comment
Tags: joy the baker, vegan avocado frosting, vegan chocolate avocado cupcakes
the other day i found that someone in our house (or maybe not even from our house) was throwing away a few yards of mesh-like cloth/screen cloth. i forgot what you call it…
ANYWAY,
so of course i had to take it because an old (not an original though) idea came up to me.
when i visited a family friend, she showed me a skirt that she made for her niece a few years ago that was much cheaper than if she were to buy it. it was basically the same exact skirt that was being sold at the local children’s store, except much, much cheaper.
So, being a kid myself, i had stored away that skirt memory in my brain for future uses.
well, the future had come, and i was going to make that skirt–i call it my “fairy skirt” because i think that is what other people would have seen it is.
so here is the final product:
unfortunately, i spent well over 15$ on the overall skirt. the fake flowers and ribbon were a bit more pricey that i expected, i should have stuck with the boring tiny white flowers. in any case, i am satisfied with the result and WILL wear it to school. muahahaha
so that was an eventful 1hour…
Filed under: Uncategorized | 3 Comments
Tags: fairy skirt
hmmm
i guess after a couple more minutes of thinking, i realized/decided that making a food blog is kinda of…unpractical for me to do. it is unrealistic for me to think that i can bake/cook something delicious at least once or twice a week and make an entry of it.
i know it doesnt sound like a lot, all you do is make something, take pictures of it, and tell the world how yummy that creation is (or isnt).
however,
i am a student on a budget (like everyone else), and after drawing out my academic and outside activities schedule, i really do not have time to do that sort of thing in a regular basis. and people like things on a regular basis. people like consistency. i, however, would not be consistent sooooo i guess making a food blog is a no-go for me right now.
but of course that doesn’t mean that i wont stop cooking and baking! most of it will just be put on hold once school starts again!
hehe
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
…and life goes on
text from my frined:
Good work joy. Got the update on fbook. U must have nothing to do.
hahahahhahahaahaahahaa
this is my friend who sent the text. he is at least 1.5 feet taller than me. it’s quite freakish how short i am.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
a couple days ago i came across this youtube tutorial for curling hair the old-fashioned way. yes, with hot small rods of iron that you actually wrap your hair up in (make sure you are wearing gloves on your hands when handling the extremely hot rods) and tie with a rubber band.
no. just kidding. totally not how you do it.
you use strips of paper bags (cut vertically) and roll your hair up and tie it!
now that my hair is getting a wee bit longer, i decided to try this new way of curling hair. i thought it would be fun and interesting to see the outcome.
so here is how i looked before i went to bed, quite “american” eh? i felt like i belonged to a character in Little House on the Praire or something like that.
and the day after! (now i have to say that i do look like an asian version of Shirley Temple. Seriously. i wanted to buy tap dancing shoes and sing a song or something. however, i was pretty pleased with the results, even if it did look like i had a minor perm accident! and the next day, my hair was pretty wavy which it normally is, but more curly i guess. anyway, it was a fun experience. but i dont think someone who would have expected “salon quality” curls would have enjoyed it, they may get a minor heart attack when they see how curly their hair can get. hehe)
okay, so these are actually pretty terrible pictures, you cant really see my hair nor judge the amount of curliness it has…
anyway, this is a picture of how my hair normally is, not blow dried or straightened.
my eyes can see into the past…
O_O haha
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
baking cooking and stuff
i think i already touched upon the topic of possibly become a baker, possibly opening up a small cutesy bakery cafe, possibly waking up at 5am every morning to create sugary delectables for the rest of the world to nibble on during the day…
however,
my answer to that so called dream was “a pass”. ill pass. ill skip it.
why?
because while i enjoy baking and cooking and whatnot, it is not my passion, and i only do it because:
1. i like eating
2. it kills time
3. it is a hobby. a fun hobby. nothing more, than a hobby.
anyway,
so today i realized-ish why baking to me is a hobby. i mean, i could do both music and baking–right? it’s possible. while it would take time to be successful in both areas, i can still do it.
i am a young single person with too much time on her hands anyway, so baking a bit more during the school year shouldnt be too bad–right? i mean, i dont have to necessarily go to culinary school for it…
but today i realized-ish that the type of food i bake and even cook, they arent anything extravagent. i am not making tirimasu cakes, 8 layered chocolate cake with alternating raspberry creme and dark chocolate fillings. i am not making a grandious dinner with bacon wrapped file mignon topped with rosemary and mint.
i am seriously just making a lot of yummy home cooked meals and desserts that do not require an enormous amount of different ingredients. i am seriously not here to impress the world with all the edibles i stir around in a pot.
i mean, can you seriously see me making my own pizza dough?
heck no!
i would never make my own philo dough either. or any type of dough for that matter…
yes i do go that strange extra step by making my own icing, fillings, and whatnots, but that is because i do not like the taste of icing in a can. actually, i do, but not always…
so in conclusion (that statement brings back memories from high school…),
i am going to label myself as your “down-to-earth-chill-as-ice” type of baker, and cook.
OH THAT REMINDS ME.
so korean barbeque is quite delicious and quite expensive, whether you buy it at the asian grocery store where they have all the meat+marinade in a plastic bin, or if you were to go to a restaurant and order it.
however, a couple days ago my mother showed me how to make the meat marinade–which essentially MAKES the korean barbeque so delicious. it is that delicious sauce that cooks with the thin slices of meat that makes everyone drool to just the smell of it…
anyway,
i will be happily eating korean bbq during the rest of my college days once i go back to school.
man i am lucky to have parents who still cook korean meals. they are seriously so delicious, and so easy to make.
except i have to say, i sometimes dont like how they just say “just put a little bit of soy sauce and some sugar”. rather than “a cup of soy sauce and 2/3 cup of sugar”.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Tags: baking cooking, career, korean barbeque bbq
the weekend
i know the last thing people want to read is about how great someone else’s weekend was. and 9/10, when you do read what that person did during their “glorious” 3 days, it turns out to be extremely boring and quite frankly, odd.
but too bad for you, im going to start write about my weekend. muahaha
friday:
1. i babysat for 3hrs (aka i was a slave to children for 3hrs), it was actually quite fun. i realized that i like babysitting one kid at a time not because it’s easier (well, that is true), but because you really do get to become nice friends with the individual child. unless you are one of those babysitters who just turns on the tv for a few hours
2. i drove to berkeley to play in Berkeley’s Summer Symphony Concert that we had that night. we really did have an amazing program, it was pretty intense because we had two big pieces to play instead of just one, so the audience were real troopers in being able to stay for the whole concert and not falling asleep (well i did see a few children and adults snooze, but that would have happened to me as well)
we played: Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espangole, Dvorak’s New World Symphony No.9, and Shostakovich’s 9th Symphony.
i could literally go on and on about how great each of these pieces are, but you can find out for yourself by looking it up and listening to it
saturday:
1. woke up extra early to bake Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting. yummy. I also had to run to Safeway to buy charcoal, lighter fluid, and a lighter. why? because…
2. around the afternoon i went to a park for a bar-be-que! it was the first time ive ever tried lighting/making my own bbq without a gas type of grill! even though everyone who showed up were not females, it took a very long time to get the coals cooking. haha
i was pretty satisfied with the overall result of the bbq/picnic in the park, and i think my dog enjoyed it more than i did because he got a change of scenery and more attention from people.
3. ran home to shower and then drive back to berkeley to play at the concert again.
sunday:
1. woke up/and got out of bed/dragged a comb across my head. haha…
okay so on sunday i didnt really do anything except watch Conan o’ Brien all day.
so i’ve really been into The Tonight Show With Conan O’ Brien and before that, The Late Show With Conan O’ Brien. there is something about that white 6′4″ red-haired man that makes laugh like no other. i think i really it whenever he travels somewhere and does a quick segment about his “adventure”.
anyway, so watch it!
okay, after reading about my weekend, it really wasnt that spectacular on the internet. but in person it truly was! it was!!! i think it was the busyness of it all that made me think that i had accomplished many feats…
i have seriously been watching a water bottle of some sort for the past 6 years. maybe even more. and ive never gotten one until now, and i am glad–why?
because plastic water bottles just arent the shizzy right now. it’s all about the metal looking ones. ones that you can attack other people with if they look extra-sketchy.
anyway, i just wanted the world to know that i am hip and cool and totally going wid duh flowwww.
and for those of you who recognize whre i got it and say: you dont go/attend berkeley.
i will say in retaliation: IKNOWGOAWAYBEQUIETGAHHHH! i just happened to really enjoy Strada cafe. if i ever came too early to rehearsals (that were in berkeley), i would go to that cafe and sometimes i would order a drink. most of the time i would sit outside on one of their benches and watch tiny birds walk on the ground.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Tags: uc berkeley summer symphony
