Sunday, January 30, 2011

Restaurant: Scratch

Scratch-1
Lobster, oysters, shrimp go in my belly!
A couple of weeks ago I was reading the paper and pretending to be a hipster by suggesting to my friends we all go try a new restaurant.  Ok, not hipster, but pretensions to foodieness.  Everyone else in the world has a point about South Bay being the absolutely worst place in the Bay Area for non-chain food, low-brow, restaurants, because everyone here thinks Cheesecake Factory is the height of gourmet dining.  Still, not all souls have given up opening restaurants NEAR South Bay - there was an interesting bit about a newly opened place in Mountain View.  Which is technically Peninsula, I think.  Maybe the edge of South Bay.  It counts!

Sort of.  



Scratch-3
A long week deserves a drink in each hand.
Scratch specializes in upscale American - the comforts food kicked up a notch.  I felt so hip(ster), emailing my friends to try out a new place I'd read about, but at least it wasn't from an iPad and I didn't get there on my fixie bike.  We picked a Friday that was the tail end of a looooooooooooooong week for happy hour drinks and happy hour drinks could not be more needed.  Wei-ling and I had been planning to leave work early, but were foiled by meetings that ran way over.  After such a long week, we didn't care about missing the happy hour deals that much in our desperate grab for alcoholic relief.

It was a LONG week.


Wei-ling, Ben, Cari, Matt, Cyrus, Yuki and I decided to stay for dinner.  Next time, I'm going to bail out of work for sure to make it for the Happy hour specials.  We all agreed the food was a little overpriced, but good; nothing WOW, but tasty and solid.  The appetizers were the most intruiging (bacon wrapped figs, goat cheese souffle, salad Nicoise) so my plan is to go back for wine and to order three 1/2 price dishes for an early dinner and stuff my face.

Scratch-4
I can almost never say no to a some rare tuna.
Scratch seems made for the happy hour crowd, next time I'll have to get a shot of its circular bar.  It's in a cursed location that changes hands very frequently, so by the time I managed to get myself and friends together for another happy hour it might be gone...but hopefully not, so I can go back!



Saturday, January 29, 2011

Cardigan refashion


A few months ago I stumbled across this fun tutorial on Ruffles and Stuff, my new favorite crafty inspiration blog.  This project looked pretty easy, and I’ve been dying to try it for awhile now.  

cardican_refashion1point5

I used a chiffon shirt I never wear (a Forever21 purchase that I never liked the color of) for the trim and embellishment.  Originally I used the shirt to make a pleated edge and flowers around a different cardigan only to discover to my chagrin the colors clashed badly with each other and everything else in my wardrobe. Luckily I had an old shapeless tunic/shift/jumper thing that WAS the perfect color.  These shift things were all the rage a few years ago, but really…no one looks good in something shapeless unless you have a supermodel body.  I tried repurposing this thing as a dance cover up and then shoved it to the bottom of my drawer. 

cardigan_refashion-4I made a cut up the middle to transform it into a jacket and added a few chiffon flowers.  So simple!  I was going to go further and add the pleats along the neckline as well, but now I’m not sure.  It might get a little busy.


I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I figured that if I sacrifice two items I never wear anymore, and wear the result at least once, it’s worth it!  I got a few (unsolicited, I swear!) compliments on the end outfit, so I’ll be wearing it again for sure.  Here I’m wearing it with a pink shirt that perfectly matches in color (sniff…that shirt is basically falling apart but I love it so, and I’ll never find another shirt that matches so well), and a $3 Daiso scarf.  Woo!  It felt good to change up the jeans and t-shirt look, although next time I'll wait for a warmer day to wear the light spring layers.

The master plan of a super comfortable, yet nice looking Friday outfit: yes!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Up and Atom!

After a serious case of the Mondays, preceded by a rather frustrating week, I decided to get into work an extra hour early to try and get a few things accomplished.  I'm a terrible morning person but I have a reliable wake up call to get me going, a big mug of coffee, and anyhow, an hour of commuting to wake up so by the time I do get to work I'm actually somewhat awake, even if it's a bit earlier than normal.

(For the purposes of this blog entry I'm going to ignore the opposing negative of having to go to bed earlier to get up earlier, except to say; this would be fine, aside from the fact that I'm usually busy in the evenings doing stuff so this doesn't work out for me.  And it's not always just websurfing and watching tv!  Productive stuff.)

Since I was feeling so dejected and unmotivated at the end of yesterday, I really needed a kick start to the day.  So I thought of the words of the great Tami ("Dress up for your day, and it will dress up for you!") and decided what my day really did need was a little dressing up.  Er.  *I* needed some dressing up, to feel ready to take on the day.  I'm still in a serious jeans and t shirt phase to work, but this is where the 27 minutes of train commute time come in handy!  AND....drumroll please...a portable curling iron.

I'd bought this thing about two months ago from Target; a small portable curling iron powered by a gas cartridge.  It heats up in about 2 minutes and disassembles into an extremely portable (in a backpack or midsized and up purse) little unit. The barrel is small, at 3/4" (I think), and about 5" long.  Still, it works on my hair, and I have a LOT of hair.  It just takes like 2-3 times around the wand for each curl....but it curls your hair really fast.  I get a lot of odd looks on the train, in that, OMG is that girl really curling her hair on the train?! kind of way.  Well.  Yes.  I also apply my makeup on the train too.  Hey, it's 27 mins more time of sleep in the morning. :)  Hopefully no one is too offended by this type personal grooming in a public area, no doubt I'm breaking a ton of Miss Manners rules.

 I've only used this thing two or three times since I got it to do the train-hair-curling.  Today I didn't put any product in my hair before I left so it'll probably be all straight by lunch...but I don't care!  Curly hair = a more cheerful me = more productive and energetic.  And that's a win win win!

P.S. Since it took like 20 attempts to get a self portrait I liked, I really only got to work an hour early instead of the potentially 1 hour and 15 minutes.  But that's ok.  Curly!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Is there a level zero?

 Huh.  I signed up for an aerial fabrics class a few weeks back and at the time I'd had some thought that I'd be kind of, you know, a natural. All that dance experience and flexibility should count for something, right?  Turns out I'm having a bit of a humbling experience.  I look a lot like that cat, except uh...more on the ground.  What's going on?  This isn't like snowboarding where I can accept I'll always suck.  I should be better?

See, I am having trouble with the MOST BASIC move...climbing up the fabric!   And then the second basic move, how to keep yourself stationary on the fabric while you do tricks.  We've now had two classes and I've only just learned the trick of how to get a couple of climbs up the fabric while everyone else has advanced to hm, 5 tricks?  That fabric just had a horrible way of sliding through my hands and feet! (I partially blame my very dry skin, most people say their hands get slippery when they start to sweat, I need that vital moisture to get a grip.  As an aside, I'm 90% sure this is why I've never been able to nail doing hand fart noises.) 

As it became more apparent that I'm on the slow track in this class, (I'm left all alone on the "beginner" fabric...on the upside, I don't have to wait as long before I struggle again) I started having some serious flashbacks to grade school when I'd be the last person picked for basketball or whichever horrible sport we were forced to do.  (yeah yeah...I'm not "sporty"  At least not with anything that needs hand-eye coordination.)  Serious flashbacks and some anxiety...because I'm learning about 50% slower than everyone else in the class.  Gah. So much anxiety about sucking that I kind of wanted to quit. =p

But hey, maybe I'm moving past all the insecurity because I later thought...well, who CARES if I'm the slow one (uh...aside from me.  I can admit I care.)  But no one else does!  So I can always just take the beginner class again! :)  With my work discount it's really cheap anyway.  This session is only 10 classes long being on the quarter system...that's hard enough sessions anyway. :)  At least, hopefully long enough for me to get this climbing thing down.  I still have some hope that when I get UP high enough on the fabric the flexibility and dance experience will kick in so that I can look pretty in the poses. ;)

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Book Review: In the Company of the Courtesan

Plot Summary: A courtesan flees the fall of Rome with her dwarf companion, and sets up shop in Venice, surviving by their wit and charm.

Almost? 

That’s my main opinion of every most aspects of this book.  It almost is compelling, it almost wins me over with lush narrative, it almost has characters that win me over.  It almost has a plot? 

Almost doesn’t mean bad; if you liked Sarah Dunant’s other book The Birth of Venus, you’ll enjoy this one for sure.  I think her characters (Fiammetta the courtesan and Bucino the dwarf) are fun enough.  The story is told from Bucino’s point of view and the prose is easily readable, not too flowery, and I always love a historical setting.  Throw in some references to art (the artist Titian makes an appearance), and Venice in the 16th century and you’ve got good potential. 

To me, this book never takes any of these elements far enough to make it REALLY interesting.  For example, the premise of setting up shop in a new city?  The story takes you right up to her first few struggles and then BAM, suddenly 8 or 9 years have passed and she’s already super established.  What happened to all the drama in between?  There’s a second subplot that pops up about then that gets resolved shortly thereafter but I feel the novel loses steam because there’s not the sense that any of this has a point, or is building up to a climax.  Stuff just happens.  And, there’s no really steamy scenes despite the subject matter.

I picked up In the Company of the Courtesan because the back cover made me think I was going to get a variation on this movie, only with a dwarf (it’s not really like this movie at all besides having a 16th century Venetian courtesan):

Eh.  I think the book is pretty forgettable.  Maybe a beach read? 

<3 <3

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Book Review: Lives of the Monster Dogs

I must admit here on my blog, that I have an addiction:

I buy a lot of used books.
I can’t help it!  Paperbacks for $2? Hardcovers for half price?  Flea market finds for $1?  At all such locations I feel as though they’re practically giving books away, so whenever I find myself in this situation I transform into a slathering bibliophile with no higher brain function as I grab every book that remotely looks interesting and head to the cash register.  In college it was Shakespeare’s Books, Moe’s, The Other Change of Hobbit, and Pegasus in Berkeley (with 4 used bookstores, that just started then confirmed the addiction.)  These days I make up excuses to head to Book Buyer’s in Mountain View, or that on in Campbell with the bookstore kitty named ISBN.  Apparently it’s my life’s mission to convert my bookshelf to the used Sci-Fi/Fantasy section (yeah well I never said I liked high literature, did I?) of an entire store.

What it currently means is I have a really big stack of books to get through and I’m really trying hard not to buy more until I get through all these.  I never used to be a person with a list of 10 books on the to-read pile, but times change and so do I, so now I’m that person.  It’s my mission to get to the bottom of the stack…so I can go get more! 

All this reading has some social value, I promise!  I also enjoy vetting books to friends with similar tastes.  Most of that pile is probably not really spectacular (after all, someone decided they didn’t want it anymore), but I feel quite determined to wade through my pile and I’ll post up some reviews here.

First up: Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis

 Quick plot summary: Mysterious genetically and cybernetically enhanced dogs with the culture from 18th Century Prussia appear in New York.

Ok, that tagline makes this sound ridiculous; this isn’t comedy; it’s more like, a dispossessed, dying race comes to modern day New York – part of the book is a “memoir” of that time, and the other part is written as research notes as to how these monster dogs came about. It is, in fact, terrifically tragic in tone. 

I preferred the sweeping historical segments of the book; those are the parts I stayed up late reading.  There’s a mad scientist villain element, but reading his history was probably the most fascinating part of the book.  Where the narrative falls a bit flat for me would be the modern day memoir.  It's not badly written at all; I just don't like the main character.  About 1/3 into the book, you realize that the narrator is a stupid with youth and easily manipulated, which, since that’s the point of the character I suppose means the author has completely succeeded.  At some points, the narrator finds herself in situations where I wanted to shout, “WHY ARE YOU STILL THERE?  GET OUT!” Sort of like in a horror movie.

To give fair warning, this is one of those books where you don’t completely understand what happens at the end; but, the author gives completely fair warning with the narrator stating at the beginning that she will never be able to make sense of the events so I didn’t feel as bad about that as I normally do. 

End conclusion: I don’t think this is a book I would re-read, and I don’t know that I liked it.  However, it is very good, and it managed to both grab me and I know it’ll stick with me for a long time to come. 

Heart scale:
<3 <3 <  

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

We're the dancers...

 

It's here, it's here!  Fresh off the dvd rip, video of our dance recital last year!  Ah, looking back on the video is like getting your SAT test scores in the mail several months later.  I see all the things that we did better in practice or wish I'd gotten right (my shoulders! ack! so tense in the beginning) but aside from the bobbles I'm really pleased.  Cyrus and I worked really hard on this dance, and I see that too.  I loved this choreography the instant I saw it, so I'm really glad I had a chance to perform it. 

AND here's Wei-Ling and AJ's duet - super cute and super athletic, they performed it so well!  Job well done, ladies!



Monday, January 10, 2011

Gingerbread house time lapse



Am I obsessed with making time lapses or what?  This is my brother and I (me baking, him constructing) our annual gingerbread house.  Normally our sister is in town to make this thing (I always say I'll help but will wander off to take a nap), so normally it does look a little better; don't know why all those candy decorations kept sliding off!  We were a bit rushed this year because we like to make the house a little something different each year.  We'll have to wait till next year to make it a package delivery company!

The music is set to Ella Fitzgerald's version of "Muffin Man" in honor of my nephew Wiggly, who listened to it endlessly the Christmas before.  We also decided to make the street sign say "Drury Lane" (my brother wanted to write "Forclosed" but I nixed that idea.)

Friday, January 7, 2011

Awkwaaaaard....


No really, this happened.  In every small group or duet dance, there seems to be a ton of awkward moments. during rehearsal that makes us all glad we're very good friends!  I guess it says something that Wei-Ling, AJ, and I pick dances, somehow we always end up either rolling around on the ground together (Green Snake/White Snake), groping each other a WHOLE lot (Vine - Branch - Leaf), or climbing onto each other (Cow Dance.)  This last week, my butt was perilously close to Wei-Ling's face; granted, it lasts for like a second in the actual dance, but in practice we just kinda stopped there.  And were told to go lower. =p

We started  learning our new trio choreography this week!  The dance is really funny, it took a lot of time to grow on me, but the title translates to "Frolicking" or "Playing", but what I think of as "The Powerpuff Girls Dance"; basically, three little kids are playing and goofing around.  The movements are very caricatured and almost doll-like, and at first I couldn't get into being so cutesy!  They also each have a different color costume which I adore; makes me think of superheros.  The cuteness did win me over, especially when contrasted with a more modern, angst-ridden piece I'll be dancing with Cyrus.  The major winning aspect, this dance will be the most technically demanding piece I've ever tried!  

Aside from the fact, these three kids are goofing off, falling, and laughing...that's just like us in reality? :D

Wei-ling made ups matching hoodies as a Christmas gift, I love them!  Not only are the drawings SOOOOO cute, it's like having a team jacket!



P.S. I'm blue!  Just like Bubbles of the Powerpuff Girls, who happens to be my favorite!





Sunday, January 2, 2011

2011

Hello 2011!

Now that I’m safely into the first day, I think I can do my retrospective of 2010. 

2010…blew..monkey…chunks.

The year that actually sucked was either my entire year of being 29, with a big lead in and lead out taper spanning November 2009 – 2010.  It’s been awhile since I’ve had such a bad year of unremitting unpleasantness.  In fact, something about all this year made me downright superstitious; but I say, if there’s any logic to superstition then the change of year is over and I’m leaving all that badness behind.  Like…

I miss my Cousin Ronald.   That was the overall worst thing that happened this year.
Spending about six or eight months in a mild depression. 
The Great Kitty Health Scare.  Thankfully kitties love overprotective mommies that run after them all the time.
The Malingering Foot Injury That Just Won’t Heal

Not that there weren’t bright spots; but since they mostly revolved around very good things happening to OTHER people it was a bit like trying to claim credit for something I didn’t do.  But, to be fair, here’s the great things that I did enjoy about 2010:

Baby Kennedy!
Baby Owen!
Baby Fabian!
Fulfiling my dream of dancing a pas de deux, thanks Cyrus!

I’m still a little superstitious, so instead of rehashing the disappointments of the last year, I’m thinking looking ahead is the way to go!  In 2011, I look forward to:

- (gulp) househunting.  I think this will take up many months.  I expect to be very very broke soon.
- Learning to sew! (see previous blog entry)
- Getting fit again! The foot is slowly slowly healing.  I’ve picked out my spin class times, more Chinese dance, and a potential Aerial Ribbon class!  This year I’ll work out my core and my arms, and not just my legs.  Woo being proportional!
- For Chinese dance – doing a fun trio with AJ, and Wei-Ling where we portray 3 kids goofing off while wearing horrendously loud clothing (this is different from reality HOW?), another pas de deux with (gasp!) emoting and seriousness, and a Xinjiang dance with pretty gold shoes!
- depending on the foot, easing into some endurance type event.  I really miss that.
- watch out for a joint comic strip effort with the Wei-lingster!

Yup, 2011 has some excellent prospects that I’m very much looking forward to and I can hardly wait!!