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.