Avatar 3-D

L, my brother and I had planned on watching the 3-D IMAX version, but everything sold out except the 1:15am show. Considering the length of the film, we decided to go for the 12:45 show instead.

Going into the theatre, I did not know the plot nor understood the buzz around the movie. Luis tried to explain that it showcased some new 3-D technology, but I know Edwards has been showing 3-D movies, including Up, for quite some time now. So what's the big deal?

During the movie, I shivered the whole time, either from anticipation, the awe-inspiring graphics, or the cold, I can't tell. I admit that the movie was exciting. However, on an intellectual level, the plot was just another rehash of the Pocahontas story, Disney style, replete with the Na'vi dressed in typical styles of "savages" and the huge technology imbalance along with all the right people dying at all the predictably right times.

The 3-D technology, while less nausea-inducing than Honey I Shrunk the Kids, was, practically-speaking, unnecessary to the overall story-telling. The only two places where it enhanced my movie watching experience were the control panels on ships where I instantly understood just how cool and futuristic they were, à la Vanilla Sky, or the main character walking through a field of falling ash where it made me feel like a part of his experience. Otherwise, the awesome graphics would have had the same effect on me had it been in 2-D.

On the plus side however, I applaud the imagination that went into creating Pandora. The truly beautiful and magical night visuals invoked a sense of child-like wonder and awe. As for the story and message, didn't the indigenous people and their nature-worshipping religion win? On 3-D technology, perhaps James Cameron or others will use it more fully to help the story telling as it develops.

New blog

Fifty-two weeks of 庄子 (Zhuangzi). My favorite dead Chinese philosopher. Have I ever mentioned that I hate Confucius? Anyway, Zhuangzi's stories are funny, irreverent with a tad defiance. At least, the ones I've read, maybe I'll find out differently. There will be Chinese. However, there will also be English translations of the stories. Feel free to browse and learn about Zhuangzi with me.

Christmas 2009...

was spent with some of my favorite people. Two friends of my parents whom I actually like, G and her cousin, my brother, and L.

My Christmas present. I really like it. It's shiny. =)

I helped my mom with some of the dinner preparations, but she mostly finished the dishes on her own while my brother, L and I pruned the roses for the year. We drove around the block the night before and checked a neighbor's yard who has a rose garden. They've pruned theirs so it's time to prune ours.

Dinner:

Potato salad (center), some white stick thing (top), mushroom medley, chicken, fish, stuffed jalapeno, slow-cooked meat, duck, fish. Later, mom cooked some spring rolls which she showed me how to make, that'll be another post.

Afterwards, we left the adults to go to AU79 for some boba.

Someone tried to get into the picture. I had a honey soy milk tea from their new menu. It was alright. The menu had fewer drinks and more snacks. I prefer the other way around.

Random event

As Gloria and I drove to the post office in San Marcos, we stopped in the left turn lane for a red light. I had Butters in my arms as he looked out the window. An old couple pulled up next to us and asked me, "Is that a bichon?" They then proceeded to tell me that they have a 5-years old bichon girl back home and that they are just such wonderful dogs.

I couldn't agree more. Butters is so affectionate.

Butter's wardrobe

Initially, I was indifferent to the idea of dressing Butters. I thought the only thing he needed was a big poofy pink bow because it would be a great joke on people since they already think of him as a girl.

As winter set in, I found him shivering when we are outside despite his fluffy coat. And thus his wardrobe.

It is just the cutest thing.

His collection:

a sweater, a coat, and a raincoat.

And now starring Butters in his first piece, the coat:

I made it myself. The main material is a piece of 1 ft x whatever width it is at JoAnn's reversible quilting material that was on sale for $8.99/yd. A package of green bias tape to close the edge. 2 ft of green ribbon. Velcro. And pattern cloth. I had to work it out by trial and error since I had a bit of trouble visualizing the 2-D shape of the coat. Will post pattern with adjustable measurements if I can figure out how. I have also yet to figure out how to make the coat reversible.

2nd piece: an indoor crocheted sweater. Indoor because Butters is so close to the ground his belly often gets dirty when he plays and walks around outside.

 

Crochet: chain enough links to easily slip over head. Note to self in the future, the top needs to the shortened while the bottom needs to be lengthened. Example: use single crochet on top while using double crochet on bottom. The chest area will need to be tightened as well about 4-6 chains.

And last but not least, his raincoat that I bought at Petco for $10. I was going to make one for him, and I think I still will, but this is a good starting point. I figured the cost of materials alone will be about or exceed $10.

 

Finally, just because he's an awesomely cute little dog that I love:

*sigh* He's so adorable.

The only thing that I will never make him wear are shoes. I don't think we've bred them to the point where they are so different from wolves that they need our help in walking attire. So no shoes for him.

Petco, Nutro and Orijen

We ran out of Nature's Miracle Odor Eliminator so I went to Petco to get more.

In one of the bigger aisles, there was a table set up for Nutro brand food. A middle-aged hispanic lady wearing an apron with Nutro logo stood by it to hand out coupons. As I approached, she stepped into the middle of the aisle and asked, "Oh how cute! Is he a bichon? Poodle? What's his name?" Upon answering all her questions, she asked the question I've been anticipating, "What food do you have him on?"

Ever since the bank, I can spot a sales situation three quarters of a mile away.

"Orijen, it's been really good at clearing his tear staining."

"Oh really? How to you spell that? My puppy is a bichon-poodle mix and her staining is really bad."

"Yeah, a lot of food including Nutro has beet pulp or tomato pomace which contributes to their tear staining. See?" I pointed to the back of the package which listed beet pulp, even in the organic line.

"I've got to try that for her."

...I left feeling awesome that I took charge of the situation.

Running log

I finally decided to start running again because of all the fast food I ate on the SF trip. We were on the road for roughly 4-5 meals, and I noticeably gained weight. It's kind of crazy actually. Anyway, so two days ago, I ran three miles at 6 mph. Yesterday, I was really sore and even though I can breathe ok during the run, my leg muscles just couldn't move any faster than 5 mph. I was really proud of myself however because even though it took forever, I still finished my three miles. And today, I felt pretty good again and did 3.5 miles. I figure my goal is to run about 5-6 miles each day. I really miss the figure I had in high school when I was in xc. I never quite appreciated that.

Summary: 3, 3, 3.5
Weight: 131.5 (my goal is to eat whatever the hell I want, sticks of butter included, and be at 120, without throwing up)

San Francisco trip 2009

L and I went to SF to visit G and his girlfriend.

I left Friday at 4 to pick up L at work. Got there by 5 because of all the traffic. Had dinner. Left at 6 and got to SF by 2am. We would've gotten there sooner, but had to take a detour because of work on the Bay Bridge. 5, 605, 210, 5, 580W, 80W and right into the city.

The next day, we slept in, I finished Butters' sweater, then went to Chinatown. It was raining pretty much the whole day. Being in Chinatown just makes me smile. I love the little stalls. I love the bustle. I love the little trinkets.

We went home when the sun set and watched movies. Yarb.

On Sunday, it drizzled off and on. On our way to the Golden Gate Park, we stopped by Japan town and had ramen.

The noodles were handmade, but was not quite as al dente as I thought it would be. Still the soup was pretty good.

On the other hand, the okonomiyaki was extremely good. I think I only had it once before. It's a flour and egg batter with cabbage and a layer of crispy pork on top.

Just as I finished eating, a rainbow appeared and we had the perfect view.

We then went to the park and it was beautiful. Full of greenery. Away from the road that cuts across the park, there were dirt trails through an almost wilderness. It's almost like hiking but in the middle of the city. We walked around Stowe Lake where Butters made his acquaintance with squirrels and water fowls. He seemed more afraid of them than they were afraid of him. He also found a pit bull puppy to play with on the island.

(In the little triangular patch of white to the left of my head, we could see the Golden Gate Bridge. Unfortunately, it doesn't show up in the picture.)

On our last day, I have been looking forward to hiking again on the trail that Dana showed us last time when we went up to Ukiah. So I googled fern and red woods. All the red woods were along the coast. Instead of asking for directions, I took a guess and chose the Van Damme State Park by Mendocino.

The drive was 3 1/2 hours there, 80, 580, 101, 128, 1. Way longer than I expected. On the other hand, the drive up was beautiful. As we got closer to Mendocino on the 128, we drove through beautiful red wood forests.

We pulled over to the side of the road and admired the view. The forest was so quiet and devoid of human and artificial noises. We also found clusters of gigantic mushrooms by the side of the road. They were bigger than my hand. G picked some in a plastic bag to show his girlfriend.

Onwards we go! As we left the forest and merged onto the 1, a lake appeared on my left side, catching me completely by surprise. When we looked on a map later, we found that it was with us the whole time.

A bit later we came to the state park. We parked in the beach parking lot and crossed the street to the trailhead.

This was posted by the parking booth. 

L walking on a log. The wood was surprisingly spongy and soft. Must have been all the moisture.

In addition to the tons of mushrooms we found, we also found another creature. Can you guess what it is?

It totally camouflaged with the mushroom it was eating. It was a slug. L didn't even think it was a slug. At least now we know that mushroom is non-poisonous. Except maybe the slug was poisonous too and specifically eats poisonous mushrooms for its poison.

We also found another all yellow slug eating something that looks like spinach. I wonder how that taste.

Note to self for the future: Mendocino seems like a good place for a nice vacation. Coho salmons spawn up river. There are camping grounds in Van Damme state park. Tons of trails. Canoeing and kayaking. There are also sea caves to explore.

Tuesday, left at 8:30 got to LA at 1:30. Not too bad at all. Had a wonderful time there visiting.

DIY: Starter fail

I guess it has just been too cold last week or so with all the rain for the starter to grow. It has a bit of bubbles and the right smell, but it just doesn't want to rise at all. =( I'll try again when it's warmer.

Crocheting again and vanilla beans

A couple of projects that I'm working on:
Everyone's Christmas presents
A different Christmas present
Butters' coat
Two baby presents
...and food related projects that I've already started (I really hope the starter will be ready before I leave for SF)

I finally bought the fabric for Butters' coats. I found some quilting material at JoAnn's. They are reversible as well. Initially, I was going to buy a flannel/fleece middle piece, and two cotton squares at Wal-Mart and make a quilting material myself. However, this saves me a bit of work. Plus, they were on sale too! Now I just need to find matching colored ribbons and threads and Butters can go walking at night. Maybe, I'll add a raincoat in the future. It'll have to be red to match mine.

At the checkout, the price turned out to be not the sale price. The guy at the counter was really cool though, he just used a 50% off coupon. I mentioned that it was for my little dog, and he said that I probably treat the dog better than I treat L, who was with me at the time. And L agreed. What a butt. I just don't have the skills to make him clothes. If I can buy sheets and modify them a little bit and throw it over him and call them shirts, I would, but I can't.

Anyway, my vanilla beans from Beanilla Trading Company came today. Very exciting. I bet they smell delicious. I was surprised how fast that was. I must have ordered them, at most, three days ago.

I have been having the hardest time finding appropriate bottles for the extract. A small part of that is my horrible conception of volume, i.e., I have no idea how much 8 fl. oz. is. I don't know if that's good for what I need or not. I'm trying to decide between 8 and 10. Normally, I would just get 9 oz. However, these bottles are even rarer. Go figure.

I'm taking up crocheting again because I have some awesome ideas revolving around that. However, I can only find one of my six crochet hooks. I have no idea where the others are. I'm going to use my Michael's 40% off coupon to get them. Anyway, look what I made today!

According to the crochet book from the library, it's called an Irish Lace Flower. I can see an art project out of this. Imagine me, creative! Ha!

(I've noticed posts are always more interesting with pictures. Sometimes I have this fantasy of talking in pictures, where half of my post is illustrations, sprinkled in among the words.)

DIY: Starter 48hrs

There are so many bubbles in there. Something exciting is going on!

It no longer smells like flour. Has a bit of a sour smell, but also a little stinky. It is also a lot more watery than it was. I think I might pour out the extra water next time.

(1st picture is pre-stir, and 2nd is post-stir.)

After stirring, got rid of 1 1/2 cup to 2 cups of mixture, and added 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup flour.

DIY: Starter update 24hrs

It looks like something is happening. There are signs of air bubbles in the golden liquid. And when I stirred it, I can see a lot more bubbles rising (see 1st picture). It also doesn't smell like just flour anymore.

I threw away about 1 1/2 cup of the mixture and then added 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup flour. Stirred everything in and returned it to previous state (2nd picture).

DIY: honeyed lemon

Why:
It makes a great tasting tea. And maybe L will like it too since he has a major sweet tooth and also loves lemon. He can go sprinkle his chili powder on it if he wants.

Concept:
As I've mentioned before in a previous post honey has natural antibiotic properties. That combined with the acidity in lemon juice should keep away unwanted micro-critters despite the sugar and water content of the honeyed slices. Thus, make sure to get out any air bubbles that might be trapped between slices and also thoroughly coat all slices with honey.

Starting materials
A jar (wide mouth works best)
All-natural honey
Lemons

Note: The limiting reagent (yay chemistry!) will be either honey or lemon. Whichever runs out first.


Process
Slice lemons as thin or as thick as you'd like, probably no more than 1/2cm. Discard the tips of the lemons.

Cover the bottom of jar with honey.













Add a layer of lemons.
Build alternate layers of lemon slices and honey.
Use a spoon or other utensil to help push out air bubbles and layer the lemon slices.

Semi-final product
I ended up using only two lemons since I'm almost out of honey. Plus, if the whole thing did mold or ferment or something, at least I didn't waste everything.

Stick the whole thing in the fridge for a couple of days at least before using.

I usually like to take out a few slices and dump a whole bunch of the juice into a mug and add hot water. No sugar needed.

DIY: Starter & vanilla extract update

Starter update: 12 hrs
The water has separated a little from the flour. It has a bit of a golden color. Decided to leave it alone. The whole thing still smells like flour. I wonder if the lid is on too tight? No sign of activity yet.

Vanilla extract update: 24 hrs
Getting some color already. I've kind of been shaking it throughout the day. I just couldn't wait.

DIY: Sourdough starter (attempt #2)

The concept of the sourdough starter is to cultivate and use the wild yeast around us to make bread. (Though what I kind of don't understand is why are the little flour-eating yeasty guys floating around in the air in my apartment. I mean what are they doing? Hoping to find someone making a starter?) Humans have been selecting and cultivating yeast for forever in order to make bread. It's not quite an exact science. Everyone's experience will be a little different since our air and water and flour combinations are all different.

I decided to make the starter in the morning so it will have a whole day in the warm room before it cools off dramatically at night, giving the little guys (wild yeast) as much of a head start as possible.

Starting materials:
1 cup of drinking water ~70-80 degrees Fahrenheit
1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour*
1.5 qt bowl**
plastic spoon***

*According to the websites I read, the less processed the flour the better since they are supposed to have wild yeast in them. However, the unbleached (Gold Medal. $1.50 for 5lb at Wal-Mart) is the best I can do at this moment, so I'll see if it works.

**The one in the picture is smaller than 1.5 qt. I forgot I need a bigger bowl to give it room to rise.

***Some websites said that metal is not good, including utensils used for stirring. So I used my cute little plastic Yogurtland yogurt spoon. I love those spoons. So handy. (The only thing that worries me about them is that they are supposed to be biodegradable. I don't understand degradable plastic. All plastic degrades, with time. Is something supposed to eat and digest it??)
Process:
+ flour into bowl
+ water into bowl
Stir

Note: The mixture will be a little lumpy. Don't worry too much. From my experience, with time, the flour will soak up the moisture and mellow itself out. Scrape down the sides a bit to avoid dried crust streaking the sides of the bowl.

<-- That's the top view. Many more lumps hidden underneath. A few air bubbles from stirring. Nothing going on.

<--Side view. Note the level of the mixture.

To finish:
Cover loosely with lid, towel, or plastic wrap and place in a warm place.

Every 24 hours, discard 1/2 of the mixture. + 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup flour.

Starter is successful when it has a sour smell and is bubbly.  (I've never reached that stage yet, so I'll be posting my progress.)

Note: since it's winter here, I'm guessing the ambient temperature in my living room is between 70-80. That should keep it happy.

To be honest, I don't even really like sourdough bread. I think this is much more of a science experiment to me. What? Cultivating wild yeast in our air that eats flour and poops CO2? I'm in! It just so happens though that L and others like sourdough bread. Maybe I'll learn to like it. Certainly saves me from buying yeast all the time. Also, have you seen the bread prices recently?

Oh, one more thing. I forgot to wash the measuring cup after using it to measure vodka for yesterday's vanilla extract. Since the vodka is 80 proof, I guess it should have evaporated. Maybe there's some residue essence of vodka in there. Who knows? It will be interesting to see if that helps or not with the starter.

On no shampoo...

I give up. To be honest, I didn't even really try. I just couldn't stand the idea of hair grease on bath towel. Compromise? I just bought a bottle of Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap in almond.

It smells great and has many different uses, one of which will be washing my hair. My only complaint about it is that it's not very thick at all (think water), so I'll have to find some way of transferring it from the bottle to my head since my hands are not good vessels. Maybe one of those restaurant ketchup/mustard bottles.

DIY: Never-ending vanilla goodness

I stumbled upon a page describing how I can make my own vanilla extract, and that with minimal effort, it can pretty much last me forever. So here goes:
Starting materials: 
Vodka*
Vanilla beans**
16 oz Jar (thank you Laura Scudder All-Natural Peanut Butter)
Measuring cup (or eyeball)

*Vodka or rum or some other 80 proof alcohol you'd like to try. I decided to go with vodka since it has a more neutral flavor. Perhaps in the future, I will try rum since it's supposed to give it a more fruity, sweet flavor.

**I used bourbon vanilla which has a more creamy classic vanilla flavor. There are others available. Will explore in the future. Maybe.

Note: you do not need a little dog. Or a big one. A cat perhaps.
Preparation:
Slice the vanilla beans in half, length-wise, leaving an inch at the tip.
Pour 2 cups of vodka.



Notes: The beans were pretty oily. As soon as I opened the bottle, there was a very strong smell of vanilla. Inside the beans were greasy little seeds. You can see a bit of the oil on the plate.

Putting it all together:
Put beans in jar.
Pour vodka in jar, making sure the beans are fully submerged. (In a 16 oz, they will be, with the amount of vodka I added.)
Close lid of jar.
Shake.

Note the little specks that are seeds swirling around. =) Vanilla apocalypse in a jar! It's raining black flecks!

Store in a cool dark place and shake once a week or whenever I feel like sneaking a peak. Extract will be ready in 6-8 weeks. Or go by color.

Here's to forever vanilla extract!

Tomorrow: attempt #2 at a sourdough starter, because I'm too cheap to keep buying yeast and store bread.

Neutering Butters

It is probably the single worst experience in my ownership of Butters.

L and I dropped him off at Centers Vet Clinic on Mira Mesa Blvd. I got a call less than two hours later letting me know that the procedure was complete and he's recovering from the anesthesia.

I picked him up in the afternoon around 3. When they brought him out, he looked absolutely miserable. His body was limp. He had a cone around his head so his puffy head hair was pushed forward. The fur around his jaws was stiff with either throwup or something.

When I got home, I put him down on the floor next to my desk so I can keep an eye on him. He was so out of it that he just sat there non-responsive with his head drooping. He finally lied down to sleep. When he woke up, he tried to move, but because he couldn't hold his head high, the edge of the cone jabbed right into the carpet. It freaked him out and he flopped around like a fish on dry land while yelping like someone is cutting his balls off. After that, I put him on the couch, and arranged the dining room chairs with the backs to the couch so they formed a wall to prevent him from moving around too much.

The paper said that it takes a few hours to a few days for the anesthetic to wear off. Give him painkillers every few hours by mixing it in with his food.

However, much to my worry, he didn't eat or drink the first day at all. I had a hard time even giving him his pain medication. The poor thing was so out of it that he didn't even react when he peed on himself while sleeping on the blanket. When I lifted him up to put him in his kennel, the right side of his hindquarters was all wet with his pee along with the blanket where he was lying and he hadn't noticed at all.

The second day, he drank a lot of water when he woke up. Whew. I don't mind too much that he didn't eat, but not drinking worried me a lot.

The third day, he ate a little bit and drank.

By the fourth night, when we took him to the Perkins, he finally started acting more normal. Reactive towards his environment. We had to prevent Mona from picking on him by biting his behind since he can't reach her because of the cone.

He was finally back to himself on the fifth day. I was so incredibly relieved. I had been so worried and so stressed. This was the first time I ever went through a neutering with a pet. It seemed like Butters was on the longer end of the normal range of recovery time. If I could, I will pay someone to go through this with the dog, so I don't have to go through it again. Alright. I don't mean that. Maybe just a little bit.

It was all I could do to keep his cone on till the 10th day. As soon as I took his cone off, he proceeded to rub and scratch his eyes. I realized then that the corner of his eyes were red and swollen. The vet concluded that the accumulation of dried crusted tears irritated his sensitive skin. It just needs to be cleaned and it will heal on its own.

I am so glad he's back to normal.

Day 3 of No Shampoo

I failed miserably. I went as far as rinsing my hair with hot hot water. However, in the end, I couldn't stand the film of oil covering my finger tips, and had to use shampoo. I don't know how people do this no shampoo thing. I understand the concept, but I just don't see the viable execution.

And tomorrow, I'm going to start my handmade Christmas present for all the awesome people that I know...who also enjoys cooking.

Parental abduction

Recently in the news, there's a story of an American man who went to Japan to retrieve his kids, kidnapped by their Japanese mother, his ex-wife. He was arrested by the Japanese police after taking the kids, just steps away from the American consulate.

The backstory: they were married for 14 years. Had two kids, 6 and 8. Lived in Japan for a long time, then came back. He had an affair. They divorced. He married the woman he had an affair with. Gave the ex a divorce settlement of $700K plus alimony, education funds, etc. Had joint custody for the kids. He always believed that his wife would take off with the kids, but the judge believed her. And now she has.

When I first heard the story without all the details, I sympathized with him. As the story of the couple came out, I can't help but feel for the wife. I don't know if it's because I'm Asian, or if it's because he cheated, but I feel like he in a way deserves this. I suppose it's very heroic what he's trying to do, knowing that the odds are against him. Still, where's the ex-wife's story? It's a very American thing to do to publicize your own story to let other people know.

I wonder what the resolution to the case will be? Whether any politicians will step in to try to resolve it as a diplomatic case?

The future of food

Just read about eating insects will be better for society because they are more nutritionally balanced and better for the environment. Growing them takes less food. They can eat our leftovers. And they can grow in a small space.

I wonder if due to global warming, depleting resources, and overpopulation the future sources of protein will be biomeat and insects. I can picture it now: in every home, the fridge contains mass-produced biomeat, rotating containers of insects grown for food (hmm...cockroaches and spiders), and a kitchen compost.

It'll be very hard for me to get used to the idea of eating insects. Hairy caterpillars. Hairy spiders. Crunchy spiders. Crunchy everything. And I think it is very much a socially-bred disgust towards them. With my kids, it might be fun to change that. Give them bugs to eat so they don't develop as strong of an aversion to them.

Saturday morning

Woke up to a beautiful foggy morning. Took Butters out to his morning ritual and found the swimming pool wrapped in fog. What is it about fog that makes it seem so mysterious? Perhaps it is the expanded personal space we feel since fog blocks and muffles our surroundings. It reminds me of walking to early morning classes at UCSD. I miss those days.

Rule 2 of 48

Currently reading The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene (tip of hat to Mr. Perkins).

In rule 2: Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies, frankly, I just don't get it. If you are supposed to be using enemies, then doesn't that imply a degree of confidentiality and hence trust and friendship? So once they become friends to a certain degree, am I supposed to ditch them and treat them as enemies?? So my whole life will be a cycle of turning enemies to friends and friends to enemies? Am I not getting his point?

Dog day

Took Butters to the dog park today. We told him to sit and stay in the unleashing area which he managed to do with a little excited whining. We released him from the command once we were inside the park itself. A couple saw us and was very impressed with that considering he's four months old. Unfortunately, Butter's good day lasted about ten minutes as he angered a little black chihuahua dog and was chased. He then became very grumpy and vicious. His usual playmate the French bulldog repeatedly barked at him for no apparent reason. In his play with Achilles, the Pembroke corgi, he viciously growled while standing over him. I've never really seen him like that before. So I took him to the other side of the dog park and played chase with him for awhile, but he was just done with the dog park. Before I left, the lady whose 10-year old bichon died last June came over to me to give me the pictures that she took of Butters the other day. There was one picture of him standing while the French bulldog chomped down on his back leg. It was cute.

L and I went to watch 9 at the Edwards theatre. I thought the ending was going to be different from the way it came out. Also, I realized that from futuristic movies that deals with machines vs. humans, I am now very afraid of classic machine noises like their metallic clackings and creakings and wooshings as they move and slither about. Also, why do we use metal weapons against their metal bodies? It just doesn't seem evenly matched because knives and guns are supposed to be for the flesh. Since metal bodies are supposed to be more resistant to physical damage than naked flesh, I think we should have more advanced weaponry against that. Maybe something like targeted EMP that shoots like a laser.
Analogy:
guns: flesh:: EMP laser: machines

There! That looks better. =)

Bow and arrows

I loved archery when I was introduced it in PE class back in junior high. One of these days, I think I'm going to figure out a way to get a traditional looking bow (instead of the crazy stuff used in the Olympics) to practice shooting. That would be lots of fun I think. Maybe I'll make one myself.

Butter's 3rd vet visit

5 lbs and 12 oz. Jeez Butters. I would call you a fat ass, but I know you are not. Muscle developing properly, and the puppy teeth should come out any time now. Possible ear infection, got ear drops. Everything else checks out properly. I'm so happy that he's done with shots. Now we can take him to dog parks. Yay!

I must say that I really like our vets at the Rose Canyon Veterinary Hospital. They are fairly priced, awesome people, and are not pushy about anything. They are also extremely patient and has always answered all of our questions. The vets take the time to try to get the dog comfortable. Highly recommend them.

I'm thinking that the first time he goes to the dog park that we keep him on a leash and make him sit when meeting people/other dogs. I wonder if that's excessive?

The Great Honey Experiment

One of the very first lessons in immunology is the various types of immune systems. We don't understand any of them completely. One of them is the natural anti-bacterial properties of honey. We don't know what it is, but honey can keep for a long time even after the bottle is opened.

I gashed my finger pretty bad while bbq'ing over the Labor Day weekend, stripping off a slice of skin on my left index finger. Without the strip of skin to cover the exposed dermis underneath, it really hurt. I thought that healing will take awhile too since cells have to slowly close the gap as opposed to "glueing" the two sides together. I put a band-aid on to keep it from hurting, but I also needed something else to keep the moisture from providing a good place for the bacteria to grow. What to put? Neosporin? Honey? Am I certain enough about the anti-septic properties of honey that I will risk the possibility of my finger rotting and falling off? Yes, why not? No, in biology, in theory things should work, but in reality, they never do. After much mental debating, I decided yes. It's not as big as a cut to the bone, let's try it. The thick viscous liquid will seal the wound, preventing air and moisture in, and who knows? Maybe the famed anti-bacterial properties will kick in and actually help.

The first time I put it on, the finger throbbed for a good while. After that, whenever I replaced the band-aid as it got moist, it only tingled. After two days, I am without the band-aid and painfree. The wound it mostly closed and sealed except for the deepest part. There is not redness or puffiness or other signs of infection.

Of course, this is one data point. It could totally be my awesome kick-ass immune and repair system. Or it could be my sterile technique. Or it could be me really trying to rip it open whenever I put on or take off the band-aid. Or it could be honey. Either way, it certainly didn't do any harm. And I think in the future, I will try again.

Remember the band-aid commercials, or perhaps it's the Neosporin commercials where a kid falls and the mom rubs on the anti-septic or puts on the band-aid? I am going to be the crazy mom that puts honey on the wound and tells him to beware of ants.

Word & Books

Word of the Day: holt - a small woods

Finished A Zookeeper's Wife. Am currently preparing to read The Canterbury Tales. Also on the reading list (besides my current library books): The Elegant Universe and Metamorphoses

Also, the auto-didact's course catalogue from Johns Hopkins Magazine.
Of interest:
American Constitutional Law & the Supreme Court
Quantum Physics
Business management
International affairs
Biochemistry & human evolution
Classics
Social stratification
Everyday design
...among others that are maybes.

Apple sauce

I had some apples sitting around since beginning of August when L decided to get his wisdom teeth pulled (I thought I'd make smoothies). After realizing that there was an inverse relationship between the time the apples are in the fridge and the likelihood of them being eaten, I found a recipe for apple sauce written down on the back of an envelope in my cookbook. The results were great. Sitting around the fridge dehydrating actually concentrated the sweetness. It was so sweet that I had to add juice of half a lemon to it to give it a bit more tart flavor.

3-4 lb of various apples/qt of sauce (ex: red delicious, gala, fuji, rome)
water
sugar/lemon juice to taste

1. Peel, core, and slice the apples and put in a pan.
2. + 1 in of water on the bottom.
3. Heat on high with lid on till boiled.
4. Turn the heat down to simmer till apples are soft.
5. Mash w/ potato masher or food mill.

I processed it with a blender and I think the texture was a little too smooth. I'm thinking of getting a food mill sometimes.

After I made it, I also tried canning. I steamed the jars upside down with the lids for 20-30 mins. Removed the jars when ready to pour the sauce. Closed it right away. We'll see how long that keeps. I need something to grab the hot jars.

Dinner: Pork with cole slaw & cream of mushroom soup

Cream of mushroom soup
4 servings

1 lb of mushrooms, thinly sliced with stalks removed
1/4 cup margarine
3-4 green onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/3 c flour
4 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup of light cream
salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt half of the margarine and stir in green onions, garlic, and thyme. Cook until garlic is golden.
2. + mushrooms, a little bit of salt and pepper, cook till the mushroom flavor is brought out.
3. In a separate pot, using the rest of the butter, flour, and broth create a roux.
4. Add to the mushrooms and simmer for ~10 min.
5. Add cream and simmer for 2 minutes.
6. Finish with salt and pepper to taste.

Variations to try: tarragon instead of thyme. white mirepoix (1 stalk of celery, the whites of one leek, 1/2 of an onion) cooked in step 1, + lemon juice in the last step (~1 tsp)

Rice noodle with vegetables, pork and shrimp

First time cooking it. Didn't turn out the way I envisioned it, but good nonetheless. However, will be making changes next time.

Lesson learned: rice noodles WILL absorb liquid. All of it. And become very very mushy.

Solution: cook the noodles separately from the toppings.

Ingredients
Rice noodles
Broccoli
Carrot
Bok-choy
(or whatever vegetables that are available in the fridge or about to go bad)
Pork
Shrimp
(or whatever other protein that's in the freezer or about to go bad...j/k)
Chicken broth

1. Stir fry the noodles and set aside.
2. In a separate pot, cook the vegetables in the broth till ready. Add starch.
3. Stir fry the proteins.
4. Combine.

Yay food!

My rant for the day: healthcare

I hate Republicans for their craptacular fearmongering, blatant dishonesty, and sycophantic obedience to the corporations and industries.

I hate Democrats for their spinelessness, inability to adapt and confront Republican tactics and do the job that we elected them to do.

I hate the two-party system because the third party will never be able to really effect any change that changes people's lives for the better.

I should have voted for Dennis Kucinich.

Green onion pancake, grilled king mackerel, and cole slaw

I've been craving green onion pancakes for awhile now. I miss the delicious aroma of fried green onions when they are hot. Today I decided to make some. So I googled and found this recipe from Nook & Pantry and prepared it with some minor adjustments.

Green Onion Pancake (葱油饼)
8 4-in servings

2 1/2 cup AP flour
3/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 tsp salt +more for mixing with green onions later
~4 green onions
oil for frying and mixing with green onions

1. Combine flour and salt, add hot water, stir to combine. (The mixture will be crumbly.)
2. Let the dough cool a bit then +cold water. Knead till smooth, ~3-4 min. (The dough is pretty wet.)
3. Let the dough rest for ~1 hr in an oiled bowl, covered. (This allows the flour to really soak in the water. Did not see any significant rising.)
4. Green onion mixture: thinly cut the green onions. Add a little salt ~1/4 tsp and mix in with hand. Crush the green onion a bit while mixing. Add enough oil to coat the green onions and mix again.
5. Roll the dough into a log and divide into 8 pieces. Take one and leave the rest covered.
6. Roll the piece out to desired thickness. (The thinner it is, the more layers the final pancake will have.) Spread 1 tsp of green onion mixture on top.
7. Roll up the dough tightly and coil it. Seal the end by tucking it underneath the coil.
8. Hand press the coil to flatten it and use a rolling pin to finish rolling it to desired thickness. (The dough will stretch and break. It's ok.)
9. Repeat with the rest of the pieces.
*At this point, you can freeze the pancakes by putting them in between layers of plastic.
10. Heat the pan to medium to medium hot. Add a bit of oil in the pan and fry the dough till golden brown on both sides.

Notes: Next time I think I will probably triple or quadruple the recipe. 1 of this is enough for 2 people. However, it'll be nice to have some frozen for use during the rest of the week or have something bigger than coaster sized pancakes.

For dinner: King mackerel and cole slaw
Sprite made cole slaw last night with the goal of replicating the delicious KFC cole slaw. The vegetables soaked overnight to absorb the flavors. Turned out pretty damn close.

As for the mackerel, I was shopping at 99 Ranch when I decided why not try some fish? I'm usually not a fish person, but grilling can't be too bad. Plus, a fillet of it was only $2.50 or so. Lets try it.

I found a recipe on google. Super easy and really delicious.
Clean and season fish with salt, black pepper and garlic. While grilling, place lemon slices on top. When serving, garnish with lemon slices as well. It's good.

A note on cooking mackerel in my cast iron pan: Cook on medium. Place skin side down to cook till opaque ~60-75% through on the thickest part. Flip and cook for 2/3 the amount of time used to cook the first side. Fish, unlike terrestral meat, is ready when there's a little bounce in the flesh when pressed. This worked out well for now. Will do more fiddling with cooking time.

(I really need to take some pictures of these food.)

In Butters News: On food and nutrition for dogs

Right now there's a can of Iams wet dog food that I'm trying to get rid of because Butters is certainly NOT eating that crap. However, it is hard to give it away because I can't tell people the reason I'm giving it away is that it's not good enough for my dog. I DO hate to see it go to waste though.

Yesterday, Sprite and I went to Pet People to find treats for Butters. He is definitely more interested in obeying us if we have tantalizing treats. I'm not a fan of dog biscuits because I read that carbohydrates are not part of a dog's natural diet. It defeats the whole purpose of buying awesome dog food that doesn't contain wheat and corn only to have them pop up in doggy biscuits. So in the end, I settled on Real Meat Beef Jerky Treats and Fruitables Pumpkin & Blueberry Mix. The latter serves in place of biscuit treats because the main ingredient is pumpkin instead of some type of flour.

My main criteria when selecting food for Butters is that it has to be as close to natural as possible. Neither one of the treats has artificial preservatives and the Beef Jerky Treats, after I cut it up to little pieces, will last us a long time.

On dog food, currently Butters is on Blue Buffalo's puppy formula. I will discontinue that as soon as he's done because it contains tomato pomace (pomace is the leftover pulp, skin and seeds) which can stain bichon, maltese and poodle's hair since these breeds typically have tear staining problems. Otherwise, I think Blue Buffalo's a pretty good brand. I have a $5 coupon that expires at the end of this year if anyone wants it.

On switching dog foods: there's a lot of debate on the level of sensitivity of dogs' digestive tracts and the ensuing debate revolves around whether they should be fed table scraps and whether they should always eat one type of kibble. In my opinion, I don't think table scraps encourage begging or upset their digestive tracts, too much. Begging is a behavior that can be corrected with discipline and upset digestive tracts...well, how much human food is the dog really ingesting each time? Moderation is key. Plus, my experience in China showed me that dogs that eat table scraps have gorgeous gorgeous shiny coats that amazed even me. Subjectively, sharing food is a chance to bond with them and train them.

As for eating one type of kibble, I just don't buy it. Are modern dogs really so pathetic as being able to handle only one type of food all their lives? I read somewhere that it's a good idea to switch kibble and rotate the main type of protein in the listed ingredients to prevent dogs from developing an allergy to it. I don't know how much eating one thing really contributes to future allergies, but on getting more nutrients out of food, it certainly makes sense to rotate different types of food. I don't like it when half of the ingredient list is made up of added vitamins and minerals. If the food is well rounded, then vitamins and minerals should be part of the food already without being additional ingredients.

All this to say that for Butters, I think I'm going to rotate through Orijen and Innova. The presence of tomato pomace in many dog foods helps me narrow things down quite a bit. I am such a huge fan of Orijen food. Price-wise, it is comparable to a lot of the higher-end dog food. OTOH, one can actually read/pronounce most of the ingredients on the list. According to the company, the ingredients are fresh and never preserved. Other than the puppy and senior formula, the company also produces an Adult formula, which is like a different formulation of the puppy formula based mainly on chicken, Regional Red with a focus on red meats, and 6Fish which is self-explanatory. Orijen also has the advantage of containing higher calories/kg than most dog food, so dogs can eat less and feel more full. And Innova is a decent substitute.

As for real food, we found that Butters is not a fan of carrots, but definitely likes cabbage, mangoes, avocado, shrimp, and pork. In moderation, of course.

Trouble with me as a cook

I don't think I have a very good imagination when it comes to putting ingredients and spices together for food. I know what dishes I like, but then I quickly forget them. So in addition to my goal of buying whatever is on sale for the week and putting them together in new dishes, I am going to try to log my weekly menus so I can refer to them later by ingredients.

Tonight's dinner: Shandong ramen with bok-choy, shrimp and marinated pork slices in chicken broth.

1. Prepare the pork by slicing and marinating in soy sauce, starch and sugar to taste. May add garlic and ginger if available.
2. Defrost shrimp.
3. Clean the bok-choy. Tear in half the bigger leaves.
4. Get the chicken broth boiling.
5. Cook noodle according to instruction. Rinse with cold water and set aside.
6. Add green onion to saute pan and saute the shrimp till cooked about half way on one side, then flip. After it is opaque through half way, take it out and let the heat to finish cooking it.
7. Saute the pork slices. Cook until 3/4 done. Flip and finish when cooked on the other side. Take out and set aside to finish cooking off-heat.
8. Add a bit of oil to the chicken broth and drop in the bok-choy. Cook for a few minutes and turn off heat.
9. Putting all ingredients together and voila! Deliciousness.

I hate tough to chew meat or shrimp and am trying to figure out ways to cook them so they are still juicy and tender. I think I've succeeded this round. It's always a balance between tenderness and possible e. coli poisoning. =)

I still haven't quite figured out the correct salinity of the soy sauce I have, so it still tastes a little salty when I cook or marinate with it.

Reviews from both: it was pretty good and worthy of serving to guests.

Puppy's day two: name

All new parents go through the difficult task of naming their offspring/pet/body part. (j/k on the last one.) Sprite and I agonized over the puppy's. If he had been a girl, which we originally intended, the name would've been Sandy (in honor of getting her in San Diego). Since he was a boy, we were left with our imaginations.

As we got to know him more, we found him curious, bold, and playful. He was fluffy. He also waddled. Big time. Some candidates: Wadsworth (for his cute-as-hell waddling), George (for Curious George), Max (sounded strong), and Albert (Sprite's middle name). Yet, none of them really suited him.

As the afternoon went on, we tried various names. Sprite called him Butterball a number of times. It suited him, but I didn't want to call him that. So I suggested Butters, Butterball and South Park reference. Plus, his personality is relatively similar to Butters', naive, curious, good-natured, and adventurous. Butters he is. =)

Also, Sprite loves the fact that he can say, "Butters, you are grounded!" when Butters does something bad.

Detailed adventure on getting puppy

Woke up at 1pm because I stayed up all night. Though I know that bichons are "not in season," according to one breeder, I decided to check the San Diego Union Tribune anyway. To my surprise, there were two listings for bichon. Sprite called the first one and reached a lady. The lady asked him a few questions and seemed to be really concerned about finding a good home for her puppies. We decided right away to check them out.

When we reached the lady's house, we were greeted by the two parents. They barked at us, but stopped after the owner came out and greeted us. The vietnamese lady asked if we lived in a house or apt, we told her apt, and she seemed unhappy about that. She showed us the boy, who was born first. He was an active little guy, standing on his hind legs repeatedly to play with us. The girls were much calmer, even a bit timid. We were there for about two hours, discussing the dogs, the puppies, and our lives. We found out that she got the parents in 2003. She wanted to have puppies so that she will have a next generation when the parents got old. However, right now, she has three adults and three puppies, and can't possibly keep all of them. Hence, she's selling the older two.

During the middle of the visit, two old ladies who also owned bichons came over. The old ladies really liked how we interacted with the puppy as well as our puppy raising philosophy. I think they really helped change the lady's mind about our desirability as new parents. After they left, we talked a bit more and decided to go ahead and get the puppy from her. The fact that the lady is so reluctant to let go of her puppies showed that she really cared about her dogs. In addition, the puppies and parents were in great shape and well behaved.

She kissed the puppy all the way out the door with him in my arms.

After a visit to Petsmart, we drove home and put the boy in a crate to sleep. He was tuckered out. Upon waking up, we fed him and played with him and placed him in the crate to sleep with my fingers through the door.

Proclamation to the world...

World, Sprite and I present to you...Butters, born May 13, 2009 in Point Loma, CA. He is quite a fluffy butterball.

First picture ever: he was so tired when we brought him home that went straight to sleep where we propped him down, which happened to be the bathroom floor. I thought, "Hey, he's going to be crate-trained anyway, why not stick him in while unconscious?" So here he is:


Butters and his first toy: a squeaky carrot. Sprite picked it out. Puppy really loves it. I'm very happy.


Sleeping with us on the blanket before banished to the crate: