1 more day

Hannah has one more day until she's done with the bar exam. I think this means that our daily blogging will end soon.

Go hannah go!

we live in LA suckas, part 2

We had an earthquake yesterday. I was in my office, which is a converted 1940s firehouse. My desk is on the second floor in a cubicle set up. When the shaking started, we all thought it was some big truck driving by, as they do almost everyday. The windows always shake and building creaks because it's old. I'm sure the building isn't up to code as it's owned by the city and we "rent" it.

Yesterday, when the shaking didn't stop, we realized it was an earthquake. The door to the cabinet at the entrance to our cubicle space opened up and things spilled out, our cubicle walls started shaking. My interns were under their desks but my co-worker and I were just standing in the middle of our space and looking at each other like, "what the hell do we do now?" After the shaking stopped, we got the hell out of there. The receptionist's cubical wall fell down. Overall, the earthquake wasn't that bad... barely any damage in the region and it wasn't as big as I've felt in the past.

But at work, the earthquake felt like the big one. I think we probably work in a death trap.

for j.d.

Over 3 years ago "J.D.", as we are now calling her, was one of my bridesmaids and here's what I wrote about her on our wedding website. She's going to take the bar tomorrow and so I am going to devote the next few days to writing what I know and love about my girl, Hannah:

Hannah is one of my future sisters-in-law. I remember hanging out with her during my senior year at Northwestern when she was just one of the freshman girls. Now she’s going to be family! Hannah is really smart and sorta crazy. I think Hannah’s gonna be somebody someday. You just wait and see.

Get it done Hannah. We are rooting for you.

we live in LA suckas

Today I saw this sign hanging from the front of our apartment complex: Yes, they're filming on our street on Tuesday. I got really excited when I learned what they are going to be filming:

Yeah, they're filming ent0urage on our street! How cool is that? I'm considering "working from home" that day. I wonder if I'll get to see Vince, E, Turtle or Johnny Drama. Living in LA is pretty exciting sometimes.

Rural Juror

I've been having my own 3o R0ck marathon, trying to catch up on the episodes that I missed from season one. It's so funny I keep laughing aloud and exclaiming, "That's so funny, i love it!" even though no one is around.

Jungle Fever-haver. Ha ha.

new blog ideas

Minsoo left for comic c0n today. Luckily I have Domo 2 to keep me company. I was thinking of creating a domo 2 blog so he can recount his adventures in our apartment... and beyond. He could post pics of himself in various exotic locales. Unfortunately, there's a lot of competition out there -- a lot of other domos also like to take pics of themselves and post them on their blogs. Silly domo bloggers.

Speaking of blogging, I'm thinking about starting a restaurant blog. It wouldn't be for other readers, but simply to help me record the different restaurants that I've been to and what I think about them. This will hopefully address the "where should we go?" dilemma whenever friends or family come into town. I'm still trying to decide what to name it. I'm thinking wai-linghateslinesandnosigns or wai-lingisapickyeater...

3 years

Yay!

uh oh...

Domo 2 is getting too comfortable.

getting more confortable

Domo 2 wants to be like Minsoo. Here he is, trying on Minsoo's new shirt... and glasses:
Yes, that is a pac-man blanket in the background. We are grown ups.

a new addition

I think our new friend Domo 2 has been busy exploring our apartment. I keep finding him in random places. For example, I think he's trying to make friends with my other stuffed animals:Silly Domo 2.

old friend

I was never really into stuff animals, but when my ceiling collapsed on all my worldly possessions back in 2003, I lost my modest collection of random stuffed friends. One of them was a brown animal called "Domokun" (he's the mascot of a Japanese tv station). Today, I finally bought a replacement, Domo 2, if you will.

I forgot how much I loved Domo 1, but now that I have Domo 2, I feel like I found an old friend which is kind of weird.

He's so ugly, he's almost cute:

There he is, spending time with minsoo. Yay Domo 2!

spent

I had a long week because we had three days of a staff meeting. On Thursday, I wanted to punch out a few of my coworkers.

By the way, I'm so glad that Pr0ject Runway has started up again. I'm also glad that Sarah is back in the Yusa! These two things made up for my sucky week.

colonial gardens

Our apartment has a courtyard that's filled with overgrown random trees, bushes and plants. There's also a huge ass tall green bush-tree that shoots up above the second floor apartments. It's at least 50 feet high -- you can see the tree sticking up above the roof when you drive by the building. Everyone who visits wonders what the crap this weird tree is doing in the middle of our courtyard.

Anyway, they're re-doing the plaster on our apartment (re-colonial-izing it?) so they've been cutting down some of the bushes and plants on the sides outside our building. When I arrived home today, I walked through the gate and saw people cutting up pieces of wood. I looked up, saw the blue sky and realized they had cut down the big ass tree!! For those of you who have been to your apartment, you'll know that this is a big deal -- the tree is gigantic and blocks natural light from our courtyard. Yay!

A few days ago, Minsoo and I were debating whether or not the big tree could ever be cut down. I think I won the debate.

neighborhood drama

This morning, I drove by an accident in my neighborhood. An old guy driving a white mazda miata drove over the curb, knocked over a fire hydrant and crashed into the front yard of a home and into the handicapped ramp leading up to the door of the house. There was water shooting up like 20 feet in the air onto the home's front lawn and the street. The fire department was there, blocking the entrance to the side street and the police were arriving when I rolled by. The driver was still sitting in his car, looking dazed. A crazy scene at 8am. I immediately called Minsoo to describe the scene to him. I think you had to be there to appreciate how chaotic it was. It looked like a movie set or something. I half expected to see a film crew you know, because it's LA. Unfortunately the accident was very much real. Bummer for the homeowner.

geeking out

Yesterday we watched a preview of the new batman movie. It was pretty awesome. It was on IMAX so the screen was huge! We got there an hour before, but still had to sit fairly close to the front. When we were searching for seats, I asked an asian guy if the seats next to him were taken and he said yes. When I walked away, I realized that guy was a local newscaster! TV journalists aren't movie stars, but kind of like local celebrities.

There were a lot of movie geeks at the screening too. You'll recognize them based on few features:
1. Scruffy beard meant to look "hip" but looks more disheveled. Beer Belly, mostly from sitting in front of screens all day.
2. Stripped or patterned button down over the special edition movie tv
3. Talking to companion about movies, comic books and comic book movies. Loudly. Authoritatively.

We saw one guy with tons of comic book character tattoos on his arms... and of course, a Chinese character tat on his neck. Because you know, no one is completely "inked" until they have a tattoo in a language that they can't understand.

if only....

I have such a crummy attitude when it comes to work. Of course, I always feel worse when the dreaded "should" (as in, I should be grateful I have a job at all) creeps into my vocabulary and then I get totally guilty for feeling crummy. It's a vicious guilt/sadness cycle. I don't know how to get out of it.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about work as a means to an end. What if I lived more simply and in a place that didn't require money? Could I do it? Would I do it?

Unfortunately I like electricity, shoes, showering and sleeping indoors too much. Damn you capitalism. My friend once suggested that we go back to the bardering instead of currency. I'll trade your shoes for my.... my.... sense of organization? My GIS mapping skills? My pumpkin cookies? This is when bow-hunting skills comes into play. I should have learned that at girl scout camp.

happy birthday hannah!

Because J.D. is spending her birthday studying for the bar exam, I going to bequeath the fortune cookie message I received today to her (pictured left):

"Everyone around you is rooting for you. Don't give up." Word.

ice capades?

I recently made a new mix tape for myself to help me get motivated at work. It's a random mix of songs that make me feel good -- OutKast "So Fresh, So Clean", Ben Lee "We're all in this together", "Suddenly I see" KT Tunstall, along with some Mary J... random huh?

I struggled with putting these songs into order. Do you categorize by type of music? By theme of lyrics? By gender? I've never been good at ordering mixes.

I remember those days when people recorded music off the radio. Many of my mix tapes had horribly taped songs with the DJ's voice introducing the song during the instrumental intro. There was no flow or order... you just recorded the song when happened to be on the radio.

I remember that I was really into taping Janet Jackson songs. When Escapade was the song of the moment, I used to tape it several times onto one tape until I got it just right (very little/no DJ voice over, etc.). I remember that I couldn't figure out all of the lyrics and once thought the title of the song was "Ice Capades." No really, I did. I think I only figured it out when I actually bought the actual tape and looked at the titles.

mean girls

Dude, I'm watching this show called "Queen Bees" that's about mean girls. They all think they're totally beautiful and rule the people around them.

Unbeknownst to them, their friends and family nominate them and the most "reformed" will win $25K. Several of the girls were nominated by their MOMS! It's a sad day when moms will rat out their daughters for being horrible human beings. Message to moms: it might have been your fault that your offspring sucks as a human being. Duh!

In this episode, to win, the girls have to impress blind judges. Ha ha! I love it.

Minsoo thinks I like watching this because "those bitches need to get what's coming to them." I guess I'd agree... a little. But then does that make me a mean girl?

sneakin' in

I had a meeting at city hall today, which is a fairly regular occurence. Since it's such a large city and a huge city hall complex, there are a bunch of security measures that you have to follow which include pre-arranged parking, getting badges for your car and yourself, showing your bag and drivers' license. Normally it's a bit of a pain in the butt, but oh well, I deal.

Everytime I go there, it's the same routine. I'd say I've been there at least 20 times. But today, it was different. There were NO security measures. I drove right into the parking complex without an ID tag (the guy asked me my name and then waved me by), I didn't have to go through the metal detector in the building (he was flirting with my coworker instead). It was weird and although normally I think the measures are a pain, when I didn't have to deal with them today I almost felt... unsafe.

Today was an awesome day to sneak into city hall, if anyone was so inclined. Ooo, So fun... Oh look it's the chief legislative analyst! Is that the public works commissioner? Ohmigod, it's the mayor!!!

nimby

Today we got a letter in the mail from the city planning department. When you get a letter like this, it most likely means that there's a new development happening in your neighborhood and it's most likely going to be huge and/or obnoxiously different from the rest of the neighborhood. I didn't need to open it up to know that it's going to be a pain in the ass.

A 48-unit apartment building down the street from us is being converted to a 92-unit with 201 parking spaces. I guess I shouldn't get all NIMBY (not in my backyard) since I am only a lowly apartment dweller, but this new development is going to suck ass. Not only is it going to be noisy but the traffic and the parking!

And of course, because public participation is *sooo* important, the public meeting is at 10:30am on a Wednesday morning at city hall downtown. What bull crap. I'm going to be at city hall that day, so mmmm. I could represent like the Yu family did.

Or maybe, as minsoo suggested, we should just see if we can move there...

bumming around

Today I was craving some pumpkin pie to feed my job sadness. I know, it's not Thanksgiving! Luckily the awesomest pumpkin pie is available year around at a cafe in Santa Monica (it's outdoors too!). They serve huge slices of spiced pumpkin pie with a yummy sugary thick crust. So basically this place is my favorite place in all of LA because it serves up three of my favorite things: pumpkin pie, dining alfresco and yummy green tea. This is why LA rocks my face off (for all of you LA haters.) Anyway, I digress...

So anyway, I really wanted pie. However, Minsoo was watching a movie so I was scrounging around trying to find someone who would go with me. It's not like I couldn't go by myself, but it's much more fun to eat pie with other people, especially when the piece of pie serves more than one person. I couldn't find anyone to go with so I just ended up at my second favorite place in LA: the shoe store. Then I went home, unbuttoned my pants and ate half a container of green tea ice cream. Ah, another productive Tuesday night that I should have spent working.

I'm so bummed because this time around, the stress of work is going to make me chunky, instead of thin, like last time.

Now I'm watching that america's got talent show... there's an asian girl without an asian name (and has a white mom) who's on stage doing chinese acrobat-type things. Is she adopted and now being exploited for her "exotic" talents? Something about this act makes me feel yucky.

strange white dude dancing video

That where the hell is matt video is addictive. If you haven't seen it, just go to youtube.

At first, I thought it was lame, but the more and more I watch it, the more I like it. It's oddly moving. It seems like it was something he was meant to do and is loving it.

I'm realizing more and more that I'm not doing what I love doing... and that maybe if I did what I loved, the rest of the details of life would fall into place.

Ugh, I sound like that stupid color of your parachute book...nevermind. Back to work.

i heart dining alfresco

I have a love of eating outdoors. And of course, LA has a ton of outdoor cafes. I think I love eating in restaurants with patios that feel like you're eating in someone's backyard because my parents have a backyard deck and I remember some of my favorite family meals were held outdoors.

Sometimes, I think food even tastes better when you're eating it on a warm summer day. I think I'll eat almost anything if we're dining alfresco.

I also have a love of macaroni salad. Since I didn't post yesterday, my next post today will be about mac salad.

summer addiction

I think I have a problem. I love macaroni salad.

Okay, so loving mac salad is not a problem. Some may say it's merely a gross food preference. But for me, it's more than just a preference. It's an addiction.

Every summer, it starts out innocently. I'm at the grocery store shopping for a dish to bring to a potluck bbq and I see it in the deli aisle. Instead of buying the smallest serving, I opt for the larger size, because you never know how many people will be there. Of course, the mac salad is always one of leftovers (because no one eats THAT much mac salad, right?) and I end up bringing at least half the tub of mayonnaise-y goodness home.

The real problem begins the next day. I begin the long long journey of trying to finish the tub of mac salad all by myself. One bowl turns into another one, which turns into eating more than one person should consuming in a week.

Yesterday, I ate A LOT of macaroni salad. So much, that I felt nauseated for at least a few hours after it. We went out to see a movie and I had to stick my head out the window to get some fresh air and make sure I didn't toss my cooki... mac salad. Ewwww.

I should have known better. I'm sure you all are grossed out right now. I know I am. Maybe this post will help me get over this obsession.

4th of july thoughts

I appreciate these thoughts on how to be a different kind of "patriot" during this holiday, from activist J0e Navarr0....

"...How can one demonstrate "zealous love" for this tradition? As an American citizen, who is also a Native American and Chicano, I prefer to celebrate the heroes who have resisted and opposed oppression domestically and internationally.

Instead, I honor African slaves who rebelled against slavery, and white abolitionists who dedicated their lives to end the barbarism; I celebrate the original people of this land who fought and resisted genocide and the Mexicans who battled against a mighty military force to defend their lands from a brutal annexation; I admire the women who have tireless fought for women's rights to vote, for reproductive choice and for equality; I honor Chinese, Japanese and other Asian immigrants who have survived and resisted severe racism, ostracism and unlawful incarceration; I celebrate civil rights and human rights activists who marched, protested and fought for equality in education, employment, housing and healthcare, and expanded democracy; I honor people who strive to uncover the truth about this nation and peace activists who protest in the streets to let the world know that imperialist aggression is not supported by everyone.

So, on the Fourth of July, I will not be a blindfolded flag waving patriot. I will honor and celebrate all the people who have fought (and died) to defend people from oppression and who worked to expand democracy in America."

Oh snap, I'm beginning to think I'm a good cook

I've been told that cooking with a crock pot is fool-proof. All of my married friends rave about it, but I've always been scared to use it. Apparently you put meat into a pot with some water and seasonings, leave it all day and then presto! A meal. I was pretty skeptical.

Tonight I made some sort of beef dish. I didn't use a recipe, and instead used salt/pepper and a variety of seasonings and sauces I had in my kitchen, browned the meat, dumped it into a very sketchy sauce, said a little prayer and then hours later, presto! A meat dish that was actually sort of good. Tender meat, tasty & thick sauce/gravy. Yay!

I think that cooking with a crock pot is similar to wearing A-line skirts: it works for anyone and always make you look good. I can't believe I just compared cooking to clothes. Oh well.

hot asian men!

I just watched Lust, Caution. One word: Whoa.

Tony Leung is ridiculously hot. Definitely at the top of my list.

Also, apparently one of the actors is Asian pop star Wang 1ee h0m, who is very very pretty, and one of those Asian Americans making it big in Asia.

Next steps: y0utube (so i can check out the pretty dude's musical stylings)

days since crying at work: 0

I broke my pathetic 13 day "no crying at work" record.