Technology and Me

I have been on a Gmail organizing binge! While going through old e-mails and junk, I found this draft I saved from July 2008. I don't know why I saved it there but it was saved with the intention of blogging it:

I have yet to settle in at home again, since I haven't stayed home for a whole day yet and it is far too hot to do anything productive. Unfortunately, this does not affect my ability to destroy electronics. While trying to look up the Seven Deadly Sins to prove Daryl wrong (I was right, btw), I seemed to have broken my sister's computer just by pushing the power button. It's probably time for me to revert back to paper and pencil. I probably shouldn't even use a calculator. Seems too risky. Sadness.

Electronics are still not all too fond of me..

Winter Break

For the first time in my life, I was paid while taking a winter break, which was the cherry on top of a pretty good year.

As much as I love making money to sit around in my Forever Lazy, sometimes it makes me feel like a waste of space. Luckily, there was a wonderful balance of Lazy-ing and playing. Here is what happened over break in a nutshell (which unfortunately ended too soon on January 3):

I saw babies:



Okay, Bowser's not a baby, but he's just so cute!

Went to Disneyland:


And Disney's California Adventure:


Twice!


Made beer that I will be bottling soon:

Went to my dear friend Heren's wedding shower...

...where I received the cutest, craftiest wedding invitation I have ever seen and ever will see.

Found out later that night that another dear friend got engaged!!

Here's the story: We were told Anna would be late to our annual secret santa dinner/gift exchange because she was having some kind of "family emergency." When she arrived, Wendy asked how her family emergency was. Anna, sternly, says, "I don't know.." and sticks out her arm. Our immediate collective reaction is, OMG Anna's mom beat her! which she would totally not do, but since none of us have had to make this announcement before, Anna being the first to get engaged, this seems to be a more logical explanation for her making this gesture. We then noticed the amazing vintage rock on her finger and proceeded to make a bunch of congratulatory loud noises (aka FREAKING OUT) that disturb our neighbors at the restaurant we are having dinner at. I was her secret santa but all my gifts were completely overshadowed by the news!

I also did some barhopping in DTLA with H.C., Andy and Connie, which is when I came to the conclusion that my sister is a hipster hoarder. That was pretty much my break!

Happy 2012!!

Public transit--not just for us normal people

There are so many famous people who go on and on about being kind to the environment, offering tips upon tips on what to do to be green. This has always made me wonder.. How come I never have celebrity sightings on the Metro? Sure, there were plenty who were the firsts to get Prii (Plural of Prius. I totally called this in one of my linguistics assignments!) and I'm sure plenty of them even traded those in for the all-electric Nissan Leaf, but it still does not beat taking public transportation since they are probably driving alone and using gas/electricity most likely created from fossil fuels. Besides, look at this image I saw on The Source:

Even if all those cars were eco-friendly automobiles, the amount of traffic they would create versus public transit is cuh-razy.

Update: There are even better infographics here! From the 20s!

So, besides my brief brush with fame on a bus (ahem, John Scott), no sightings of celebrities taking public transportation were had (until recently!), despite there being a bus line that drops you off right across from Los Angeles Center Studios, where they film plenty of stuff like the Voice, Mad Men (which is totally being shot right now), and who could forget Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2? I decided to Google "celebrities taking public transit." The first link that comes up is a list called "19 Celebs Who Aren't Too Good for Public Transportation." Unfortunately, all these sightings are in New York. I wanted to see something at least in California, since we're supposed to be at the forefront of environmentalism. But the second link that comes up is a piece called "The Rise of the Bus-Riding Celebrity," which is about Vincent Kartheiser, otherwise known as Pete Campbell from Mad Men.

Image from GOOD

He is proof that there are famouses who take the bus. In fact, he is completely car-less. He mentions that he enjoys taking it slow and taking the bus gives him time to work on his lines instead of being stressed out in traffic. I totally agree! Just replace "working on lines" with "reading e-books."

Siel of greenLAgirl also wrote a piece on Seamus Dever (Detective Ryan) of Castle fame, who rides his bike to work and advocates using public transit. Castle is one of my favorite shows so I have since then been on the lookout for him to no avail.

What prompted me to write about this, though, was my recent Metro sighting of the ultimate eco celeb, Ed Begley, Jr., the man who makes his toast with bicycle power! I thought it was so appropriate for my first public transit sighting. But, to be honest, I'm always so busy trying not to make eye contact with crazies on the train that I probably wouldn't have noticed him had Tom not said something. For all I know I am on the train with famous people all the time but am afraid to look up for fear of being forced to donate money to that gypsy family with the accordion.

It's obvious why celebrities wouldn't take the the train when they can afford to be driven in the privacy of their very own spent vegetable oil-powered vehicles, where they won't be bothered by the aforementioned gypsies or adoring fans. But think about it, famous people, paparazzi may not want to shell out the $1.50 to stalk you and if they follow you without paying they'll most definitely be slapped with a fine. You are also less likely to get in a car accident from being trailed too closely. Plus, it'll up your environmental street cred.


Taken at the Hollywood and Vine Metro Station

Finished scarf

After many moons, I've finally finished my chain link scarf on the hottest day of Autumn! Perhaps not the best color to be wearing since the scarf is black, but I'm too lazy to change. Crafting is exhausting work.

Hooray for hats!

This past week I finally finished a project that has been on hold for a couple years...

MY HAT!


Once upon a time about two years ago, Meeshella and I got the idea in our heads to make fun vintage looking hats. She got very resourceful and made one with a ceramic plate. I was extremely impressed. She was under pressure to finish since she actually had an event in mind to wear it to. I, on the other hand, was just making one for the sake of making one so it remained unfinished for years because I never got around to deciding on the embellishments.

Michelle got the hat base at a craft store. We went to a fabric store near our apartment in Westwood where I just bought some plain black fabric I found in a bargain bin. I don't remember if the lace was in there too or if I actually splurged on it because it felt so nice. Either way, I probably made Michelle rub the lace on her face because, man, it feels awesome. A late night trip was also made to a 24-hour WalMart for feathers and other pretty things. The actual hat construction is a bit of a blur. My best crafting moments in college happened in the middle of the night when I was completely out of it and unaware of what I was doing anymore. How I got the lace to stay on the black fabric, I do not know.

Anywho, last week, I decided it was time to finish it. I think I got inspired because I want to wear a hat to Heren's wedding in March. I went to a craft store last weekend to grab some flower making supplies, only to realize when I got home that I already had them because apparently I got the idea in my head to make paper flowers last year too. I whipped out my copy of Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts and made the flower above. Actually, I made a peony first but things got out of hand. The flower became huge and kind of stuck out funny. This was very upsetting since it took me all week and a lot of floral tape to make. I then went back to my original plan of making simple bubble-petaled flowers and it worked out quite nicely, if I may say so myself.

R.I.P. Amy Winehouse

This morning as I was watering my balcony garden, Tom peeked out the window and told me Amy Winehouse was just found dead in her London home. It felt like one of those movie moments where I freeze mid-pour and my plants drown. But I would never do such a thing to my plants, nor would I be able to bring myself to waste so much water. I was, however, extremely shocked then overcome with sadness. She is one of my favorite singers. I am upset mostly because she passed at such a young age and never got a chance to get her act together for a full-on comeback. I have been rooting for her for years, waiting for her to get and stay clean, hoping she would realize she could only push herself so far.

Yeah, yeah, everyone's talking about the 27 Club. I had just learned about it earlier this year on my visit to the Grammy Museum so that was one of the first things I thought too. It's unfortunate that there have been so many musicians that died at that point in there lives, but I guess your body can only take so much and at that point you either wake up and change your habits or keep pushing yourself further. Perhaps they lived recklessly but they were also passionate.

In my opinion, Ms. Winehouse was one of the most talented singers of my time. Her soulful voice, her ability to transform her heartache and pain into amazing music, and her great signature beehive will surely be missed. I'll never fully understand what she went through but at least now she doesn't have to suffer anymore. Rest in peace, Amy.

Back to Black

Valerie (my fave). Kinda loud so you might want to turn down your volume.

Ditching shampoo..maybe

"What are you going to deprive yourself of next?!" my sister's boyfriend asked me at the beginning of this year. Hm. Good question. If you have been following along, or if you simply scroll down the first page of my blog since I don't write that often, I went on a clothing diet for a year, which ended last November. The reason he asked the question above is because I had just told my sis and her sig fig that I was now cutting shampoo out of my life.

It has been about half a year since I started and I can't say that I'm 100% convinced that this is the best route to go. The reasons are great: no shampoo = no packaging or bad chemicals = saving the environment and money. But let's face it, for an Asian, my hair sucks. I think I've said it before and I'll say it again, a professional hairstylist once deemed my hair "nightmare hair" and this hasn't cured it. It already sucked before cutting out shampoo and I think it might suck slightly more now.. BUT it could possibly be because of what I did when I first began this new regimen. Let me tell you what happened...

So any green news type website has probably had an article or blog post that deals with cutting shampoo out of your life. I have come across this same topic several times over the years, each time thinking, I can't NOT shampoo! My hair needs it! So I would go on trying a gazillion different types of eco-friendly shampoos. There was only one I liked but I was a little iffy about the ingredients so the search went on to no avail. I considered making my own but after trying and failing at making laundry detergent I was a little afraid of my DIY skills. Finally I thought, Why do I think my hair needs shampoo/conditioner? I decided to give in to those articles. I read through a bunch more of them as well as the comments from people who have tried it to figure out how I wanted to approach this. One story by Sean Bonner (I haven't used soap or shampoo in a year, and it's awesome: personal experiment update) stood out. He went an entire year without soap or shampoo and he loved it and is sticking to it! If you think about it, long ago, people didn't use products on their body or hair. They would simply rinse and maybe put on essential oils. They also only bathed like once a month and probably had a higher stench tolerance, but that is besides the point.

I wasn't quite ready to give up soap but I attempted Sean's approach of simply rinsing my hair and doing nothing else. I lasted five days. It felt terrible. I'd never known such nappy hair before and I was so self-conscious about it. It's so different for girls. Most of us have more hair! I kept wondering if anyone noticed or if it smelled funny. Connie said it looked extra messy, her boyfriend said my hair looked like it was rebelling against me, and Tom called me a dirty hippy on more than one occasion. Wah. I had to try something else. I began sprinkling my hair with baking soda and then rinsing it out when I showered. I felt so clean! But upon touching it, it felt almost just as terrible. And split-ends were developing like crazy. This lasted maybe a week. I dissolved it in water thinking maybe it was too strong alone. Another week. It was now semi-nappy, semi-clean.

What was I doing wrong?? Oops. I didn't read the comments thoroughly enough. I was supposed to use apple cider vinegar to counteract the baking soda. I bought a small bottle right away to salvage my nightmare hair. I read that unfiltered ACV works best but Ralphs only carried the filtered kind at the time. Unfiltered definitely makes a difference.

So this is what I have been doing since then. I went a few months following the formula strictly: one tablespoon to one cup of water for each ingredient and used the two solutions like I would use shampoo and conditioner. My hair still felt pretty dry but not as much as before the ACV so I stuck with it. I kept reading that it could take up to a few months for a person's scalp to get find its new balance and after that it's supposed to be smooth sailing. That would be ideal.. but even after a few months I still wasn't happy with the results. I would be all dandruffy after some washes, sometimes less so because I used extra ACV. Then I began playing with the baking soda solution, hoping cutting back would make my scalp less dry. One tablespoon to two cups was too little but 1.5 to two cups seemed to be the right amount and this is the formula I have stuck with.

So why am I not totally convinced? Maybe I am being nitpicky. My hair does feel clean for a few days between washes so I still wash every three days or so as I did in my shampooing days and it looks decent. The problem is, on the day that I wash, it gets extra frizzy and when it dries I feel like my head is a giant ball of fluff. My co-worker once asked me why that was. I just said that I didn't know and that was that. Also, it is a bit 'druffy. BUT the good thing is no one has noticed at all that I am not shampooing or the dandruff (at least no one has said anything..) so I don't really feel self-conscious like I did in the beginning. I have saved a lot of money by not buying shampoo and conditioner. I went through what I already had left over of one box of baking soda and maybe 20 ounces of ACV, neither of which are very costly. I am also not absorbing or washing harmful chemicals down the drain so that is another plus. AND I got Tom off shampoo too. It's easier for him since he has short hair. He uses our (eco-friendly!) body wash sometimes instead but it's a start.

I am going to wait and see how my hair feels after a trim and if it turns out the split-ends are not continuing with my current routine and my hair is less fluffy, then I will probably stick with it for the rest of the year and reassess the situation then. If it is causing more splits then I am reconsidering the option of homemade shampoo. Wish me luck.

If anyone has any tips, please feel free to comment. Or if you feel it necessary to call me a dirty hippy, go ahead. But let it be known that I am not dirty, I just found safer way of cleaning!

Here's a drawing of what happens on hair wash days. I'd put up a real pic but the camera malfunctions every time I try to take one on those days. It's the weirdest thing.

Spring has sprung

As confusing as the weather may be (we've been having scattered showers and yesterday felt like LA winter!), it is spring and spring brings lush gardens and pretty things! A couple weekends ago, I decided to do some intense balcony garden upkeep and figure out why the succulents weren't looking too hot. Turns out they were getting overcrowded, roots were growing like crazy, and they were shedding, desperately needing some TLC.

I never asked for them...they were just kind of forced upon me when my mom found out I was gardening on my balcony. She figured giving me plants that are hard to kill would be the best way to go. I still managed to kill one of the aloe vera plants she gave me, though. These succulents, however, have proven to be very sturdy, and seem to be the gifts that keep on giving!

My mom told me she actually stole her first one from the Golden Gate Park in San Fran many, many years ago. Shhh. They've continued to grow and grow since! See, the way they continue their legacy is by growing little offsets down by their roots, which is where these guys above came from! They were the tiny cute guys I found when I de-potted an entire pot of big ones. Upon discovering them, I decided to put the cute ones in their own pots 1) for crowd control and 2) to give as gifts! This particular one went with Tom to work and has been named Herbert Hoover.

After some confusion and a little investigating, I found out they are a type of echeveria. I can't figure out if they are echeveria secunda or imbricata. I am leaning towards the former. At first I thought they were a type of aeonium. Sorry if that offends any succulent enthusiasts out there!

Cham demo & Kimchi and SPAM pizza

Back in November, I was lucky enough to go to a kimchi-making demonstration at a jeans factory hosted by Cham Korean Bistro. Does that sound weird? I know I was really confused when I got there.


Well, it turns out that Cham Korean Bistro was actually started at this factory, sort of. Let me explain: The CEO of !iT Jeans, Kimmy Song, wanted the workers at the factory to have the comforts of home, since they were spending so much of their time there. Translation: DELICIOUS KOREAN FOOD. So after having much success in pleasing the tums of employees, they decided to start a restaurant, Cham Korean Bistro in Pasadena.

We toured the factory's facilities a little bit and discovered exercise equipment, ping pong tables, Dance Dance Revolution, and of course, the huge kitchen/cafeteria.

(here's a 360 of our "classroom" that H.C. aka LAOCFoodie shot.)

These people have it made! I would definitely want Kimmy as my boss. She was so nice and made sure everyone was enjoying themselves. And that, we did.

They fed us (Oh my goodness, tofu pockets!), clothed us....

then taught us the magic of making kimchi...


...and then they fed us again!!



Our instructor, Martha, walked us through each step and at the end it was our turn. I got a little overzealous and stuffed too many ingredients into my napa cabbage and was scolded by the teacher. Whomp whomp. For the impatient people, there are types of kimchi that can be made fresh. Since it was in season at the time, they made persimmon kimchi. They also made a fresh kimchi with napa cabbage (pics above).

I never really thought about it, but I was really surprised that kimchi is not vegan! These little shrimpy things are the key ingredient in the fermentation process!


For a detailed tutorial, check out Kimchi Pickling 101 with Chef EJ Jeong of Cham Korean Bistro by GastronomyBlog!


So after all that, I got to take home my jar of kimchi, but then I had to wait an agonizing 20 days before I actually got to munch on it. So what did I end up doing with it?

Well, I kind of just snacked on it a little at a time for a while. I knew I wanted to do something with it besides eat the entire thing, which I would've had I not restrained myself. Then I went on this pizza making binge earlier this year, so I decided making kimchi and SPAM pizza would be perfect! Why SPAM? Uh, why not?



(from left to right: 1. opening kimchi, 2. rolling out the crust, 3. adding an 8 0z. package of mozzarella over a light spread of tomato sauce, 4. throwing on the kimchi, 5. adding some onions and the SPAM cubes, and 6. putting it in the oven)

I pretty much always use this recipe from Simply Recipes as a reference but then make it up as I go along. I added a little rosemary to the crust for a little more oomph. I used an entire 8 oz. package of fresh mozzarella because it covers the 12-inch pizza perfectly. Then I just loaded it up with toppings and voila! Kimchi and SPAM pizza.


See more kimchi pics on my Flickr!

Please note: many of the photos from the demonstration were taken by H.C. of LA and OC Foodventures, my partner in kimchi-making crime.

Travel Tuesday: Sweet Auburn

In honor of Black History Month and MLK, Jr. Day last month, I'm going to talk about my venture to Sweet Auburn, the birthplace of Mr. King himself. Sweet Auburn was once an affluent neighborhood, where middle and upper class African Americans lived and thrived, but now it is quite the opposite, being considered one of America's 11 most endangered historic places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Many of its historic landmarks still stand and it is indeed a beautiful district of Atlanta rich with history, but I'll admit, it is not a very safe neighborhood, especially for a couple camera-happy Asian girls. Let's just say that when someone is insistent on taking a picture for you in front of the Center for Civil and Human Rights, do not be surprised when that smiling face suddenly disappears and turns into a threatening grimace asking for money.

My trip to Atlanta with Heren was educational in more ways than one. It is where I learned that people can be made of butter, salt, and sugar, Coca Cola is awesome, Southern hospitality is like nothing I've ever experienced, and any condiment you can think of can come in a convenient squeeze bottle.

But one thing is for certain, Sweet Auburn was one of the more memorable parts of our trip. It was haunting, in a good way.

Walking into Sweet Auburn was a little eerie. The streets were mostly empty save for the few cars and buses driving around. Remnants of the once-prosperous neighborhood remained but all its inhabitants had moved elsewhere.

A construction worker walked past us at this point, nodding, "Ladies." In LA, it is more common for construction workers to stare at you until you were uncomfortable and occasionally say inappropriate things. I felt I could totally get used to the well-mannered gentlemen of the South.

We tried to find something to eat but all the restaurants in the area seemed to have picked up and left. We had to turn around and go back towards where we came from to eat at Kenley's on the Georgia State University campus. This is where I learned that "vegetables" actually means sides, because last time I checked, mac 'n' cheese is not a vegetable.

Restarting our trip to Sweet Auburn, we stumbled upon a tiny bakery, where we got a sweet potato cheesecake. It is indeed as delicious as it sounds. We then headed to the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, a farmer's market of sorts, where one can buy all the Georgia peaches their heart desires.


They also sold Georgia White Dirt, which apparently can be used for many purposes from consuming for stomach ailments to making ceramics...


Upon walking in my eye was immediately caught by this cute shop that sold green/organic goods. They sold all sorts of fun things, but the most interesting thing about this stand was the woman selling the goodies. This is where we met Gigi, a woman displaced by Hurricane Katrina, who has been dying to go back to New Orleans as soon as she can afford to. She had nothing but good things to say about Atlanta but she missed her home. That was the first humbling experience of that day but it wasn't the last.

There are many churches in the area, but only a few stuck out.




The first one was Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, mainly because of the giant "Jesus Saves" on the steeple. Turns out it is a pretty big deal, having been founded in 1847. In 1879, the first public school for African Americans in the city was founded in its basement. It eventually moved to another location. Two years later, Morris Brown College, started by African Americans, held classes in the basement before moving to a campus. It was also known for quite some time as "Sweet Auburn's City Hall."

The second was Ebenezer Baptist Church, MLK, Jr.'s home church. Several of his family members preached there over the years and MLK, Jr., preached there from 1960 until his death.

It eventually moved across the street to the new Ebenezer Baptist Church (third pic) and the old church became part of the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site.


Also part of Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site are...

his birth home,

(There are like 16 rooms in this house! Can you believe that?!)

his (and the missus') tomb and the Eternal Flame,


and the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.


This is where we spent quite a bit of time, watching video clips, reading stories, absorbing history. Having been a prodigy, MLK, Jr., did so much in such a short amount of time, including being the youngest person to receive a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in ending racial segregation. All the while he never stopped practicing non-violence even though his life as well as the lives of those associated with him were constantly in danger.

The center also had a special section depicting how involved Jewish people were in the Civil Rights Movement, as well as many foreign people, which was never really publicized.

I was affected not only because of what he fought for but also how he did so. He was the ideal activist, never straying his principles. His response to violence and threats was non-violence, which is unlike many activists these days who seem to think fighting fire with more fire will solve problems.



Happy Black History Month. Thanks to everyone who stood up for what was right and forged the path for other minorities to fight discrimination and not accept it as the norm.