Spring Break

Jer and I must be immune to each other's germs, and we definitely run the gamut when it comes to the disease spectrum. We seem to catch what the other doesn't have. For the first part of my spring break, I caught a stomach bug during our Joshua Tree trip that lasted until a couple days after we got back, and for the second half of my spring break his sore throat got progressively worse until we finally went to Kaiser to get some penicillin b/c he had white pus on his tonsils. (GROSS! I wouldn't kiss him, and he got sad, haha.) Then, to add insult to injury, he got pink eye yesterday! Pink eye is pretty nasty, he was oozing green eye boogers. We had to make late night trek to urgent care for some antibiotic eye drops. Poor guy feels like crap. I've been doing the best I can to make him feel as comfortable as possible, and to let the meds do the rest. Sometimes I feel like some TLC isn't enough though, esp when he gets caught up in these coughing fits and I feel so helpless! This weekend was pretty tough, but I think he's finally on the road to recovery. I am seriously surprised I didn't catch pink eye b/c isn't that really contagious?

Aside from all the sickness-ish, it was actually a quite relaxing and productive break. I woke up naturally every morning, packed Jer's breakfast/lunch while he would get ready for work, went for a run, and then proceeded to do my tasks for the day, which included finishing up my taxes, organizing and post processing over 700+ pictures, visiting former AADAP folks at their "new" digs (I stopped working about a month before they moved offices), etc. It was so nice to welcome him home from work every evening with a yummy meal. Also since I would wake up naturally at 7, by 10pm I was really tired so we'd be in bed by 11, which meant my skin was super happy. I notice such a difference in my skin when I sleep by 11 as opposed to 1am. Anyhoo, we also cooked/baked up a storm! I made vanilla cupcakes, green tea yogurt cake, chicken pot pie (I made my own crust from scratch! (thanks for linking me to the recipe, Susan!) I love our new kitchen toy- a Kitchen Aid mixer given to us by Jer's cousin Jeff who is a cook at Firefly Bistro), mapo tofu, chicken/corn jook, bacon wrapped scallops, and a Japanese meal I threw together on a whim based on random stuff I found at Marukai Pacific Market.

Oden (from a pkg), soba noodles with seaweed, tofu, and a light shoyu to drizzle, and steamed flounder.

I also went to Jer's softball playoff game.

Here he is running from 3rd to home. I think he scored on his first at-bat. His team ended up winning with 2 outs during the bottom of the 7th! (Softball leagues play until the 7th inning or until one full hour, which ever comes first). Exciting game!

We also went to Hermosa Beach so he could practice beach vball with his partner from work. Love of playing vball is definitely not something we share. I am not immune to the pain caused by the stupid ball smacking my forearms repeatedly, but apparently his skin is too thick or he has no nerves in that area, haha. Still, I have no complaints about watching it though. The AVP tour is hitting the South Bay sometime this summer I think.

I also watched way too much TV. ABC Family was on my daily rotation. I watched way too many episodes of Full House, Sister, Sister, Gilmore Girls, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and What I Like About You. I also watched a bunch of March Madness games...man that Xavier/West Virginia game was crazy! And finally, I got addicted to Coffee Prince! I'm on episode 6 now. It's a really cute series with some good looking people. That website makes it so convenient to watch.

I'm glad I got to veg out this past week b/c this coming month is super busy! I'm in DC for work for 4 days, SD for a mini bday wknd getaway, SF/Berk for bach party/bridal shower, plus his sister/BIL/cute nephews are in town and a trip to d-land is in order.

Oh yeah, and school/work is starting up again tomorrow. April came too fast.

Joshua Tree

We went to Joshua Tree this past weekend...it was so nice to get away from the city: no phone, internet, tv, traffic etc. Just us and nature. And a gorgeous inky black star filled sky.

The trees aren't that pretty but they make nice silhouettes.

Playing around with the white balance.

We pimped out our tent with two layers of carpet, and a layer of super soft sleeping bag. We shared my sleeping bag as a blanket...except it was so cold apparently I kept stealing it, haha.

We ate sooo well. Kebabs, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, sausages, etc etc. I do not want to eat another kebab for at least 6 months. We packed 40 kebabs (sirloin and shrimp with bell pepper, pineapple, mushroom, and onion) and ate 20 the first night. The second night I caught some kind of stomach bug so I could barely eat. Jer tried to eat the rest by himself but he couldn't, so we gave some to our camping neighbors (a dad and 2 daughters from SF).

Looks like the sunrise, but it's actually the sunset.

We went on this 6 mile hike to Warren's Peak...except we made wrong turns at least 3 times which made it like 7 miles! Jer is trying to decide which way to go, haha.
It was pretty tiring, we were debating turning around a couple times. Luckily it wasn't very hot even though we were in the desert...there was a nice breeze throughout the whole hike.

The very top! It was worth it...right Jer?

The second night the moon came up pretty late so we got some night pictures! Check out the small dipper.

It was fun...but I don't know if I'd come back. There are so many other places to hike and camp in the world, so not enough time to revisit! Surprisingly I didn't feel too grossed out about not showering or washing my face properly for 2 days. The bathrooms at j-tree were the CLEANEST we both had ever seen. We also got a good campsite, not too close to people or bathrooms/water (where there's lots of foot traffic). If you ever camp there, pick site 79!

Quick Getaway

Jer fell in love with this camera. He wants a Mark III...but by the time we can afford it it'll be a Mark 10, haha.

Went to Kathleen and Minh's wedding in Palo Alto (his HS friends)

It was a fun wedding! We took all these pose-y prom shots but they are on someone else's camera.

We also went around Logan HS...they had all these murals up. His HS is huge!! His friends were telling me stories about how he was such a nerd back then. I still think he's a nerd now.

He also took me to Cal. I really like the campus! I love the area around it too.

Huge lecture hall!

We also made spring rolls for his dad's bday lunch potluck. His nephews helped out every step of the way...from washing the herbs to dunking the wrappers in water, and even wrapping the rolls themselves.

His family's really nice. Jer and I slept in the room that he and his brother used to share (man, it was hard sleeping on a twin when you're used to sleeping on a queen or a full), and the first morning he was still sleeping so I went downstairs and ended up having breakfast with just his parents. It seemed natural and I wasn't nervous at all! Also, his nephews are so cute! Can't wait to go to D-land with them next month. Jer was counting the number of times I've been up north, I think it's only about 7 times. Looks like it's gonna be more from here on out. :) I really like it up there...if I didn't have a zillion family members down in so cal, I wouldn't mind settling up there.

It was so nice to get away for a weekend! Even though I was in the midst of papers and finals I gave myself a mental and physical timeout and allowed myself to enjoy every moment of that weekend. As you can see, school is not my priority. :P My mental health and well being is!

Mission 261

Even though I had a paper due at midnight, there was no way I'd say no to meeting up with my Hawai'i/Cerritos/NYC (and soon to be Mich?!) gal Susan. We decided to go for dim sum at one of my favorite restaurants, Mission 261 (where the other Susan is gonna have her reception!).

Black bean spareribs...tender and on a bed of taro.

Fried turnip cake...tasty!! Best I've ever had.

Imperial Dumplings- sticky and a bit sweet/savory at the same time.

Mushroom abalone dumplings- SUPER TASTY

It was soooooooooo good. MY FAVORITE

Shrimp and cilantro dumplings. I liked the wrapper.

Noodle shrimp...yummy but portions too small =(

Siu mai...yummy!

Susan's favorite- the bao...so fluffy and good!

Chicken feet...spicier..and also good.

Crystal steamed buns dessert...each had a different filling- mung bean...egg....etc

Green tea sago jello. Really good and refreshing!

This is a fancy place. The tea cup has it's own holder!

Mission 261
261 S. Mission Dr.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
626-588-1666

We went on a weekday, so 20% off our bill! With tax/tip it was $34 total and we had leftovers!

Musical March

Earlier this month we went to see Linkin Park at Staples. They are awesome live!!

Chester has so much energy!

It was Jer's first real concert. He had loads of fun singing along with Mike and Chester. Our favorite song is "Bleed It Out!"

*note* Linkin Park is extra special to us. When he picked me up for our first date, "In Between " was playing in his truck. I really liked his parking spot (he parked right in front of my place), so I decided to hop out and move my car to his spot. When I got in my car and turned it on...the exact same song was playing in my car. Such a coincidence, but I took it as a sign. =)

During finals week, Thu and I went to see Rachael Yamagata at Hotel Cafe.

She is also great live! Her voice is gorgeous. She sang some new songs from her upcoming album, as well as some of my favorites- Worn Me Down, The Reason Why, and Be Be Your Love. Thanks for inviting me out, Thu! We were lucky we got tix when we did, it was sold out soon after. Oh, and Mandy Moore was there too! Rachael is opening for her...so she probably came out to support her. Mandy Moore is soooo pretty in person. Tall too! Btw, I'm digging her new album, Wild Hope.

I think I prefer smaller, intimate venues to larger arenas. Although I think it very much depends on the performer. It was fun rocking out to LP at Staples, but also fun to just chill at Hotel Cafe.

Bedtime Conversation

She said: "Non profit salary sucks!"
He said: "Well babe, someday my money is going to be your money."
She said: "Awwww. Are my loans going to be your loans?"
He said: "We'll talk about that later."

Hahahhahaa.

Well, all humor set aside, I heard from my friend that UC fees could go up 7%-30% in the 2008-2009 academic year. 30%, I know! How ridiculous. I certainly am not getting a 7%-30% raise at work...so that means more loans to make up the difference. I'm planning to pay off my loans interest free by 6 months after graduation, but Jer says that I can enroll in JC and stay a student indefinitely. I'll take random classes like swimming and sewing so I can keep deferring my loans, ha! Luckily I don't have any extraneous monthly bills such as undergrad loans (paid off already!) car payments (paid in full when purchased), credit card debt (since I always pay in full) or a mortgage, so my primary concern after I graduate is to find a job that will allow me to slowly but surely pay off my loans, contribute to my Roth, save up for a future house (houses on the Westside are so pricey but we love the neighborhood) and travels, etc. Oh and food. Very important. I may be poor, but I will never be hungry. :P

March Madness

I can't believe March is already here. With 2 weeks left in the quarter, I've never been more relieved for spring break to come (I get 13 days off b/c I end finals on Monday- my cohort and I are going to be at Acapulco, find us there!). Even though it's not a completely free break b/c I am planning to put in some work, I'm still glad that I don't have to go to class. I hadn't done 4 classes/quarter since 2002 so my class schedule combined with work has done an effective job of kicking my ass the past 8 weeks. Work has been especially trying and grueling this quarter. Since my former supervisor left, I've been the main logistical person for this conference we're hosting next week, and so I've spent copious hours to make sure everything goes well. I'm going to be SO happy when the conference is over, next year another site is hosting it, so all I have to do is show up! In the meantime, I just need to survive the next two weeks!

However, there are numerous things that I'm looking forward to this month!
-Linkin Park tomorrow!
-Rachael Yamagata at Hotel Cafe
-Visiting Jer's old stomping grounds, and meeting his family. He did marvelously well when he met mine...now my turn.
-Wearing my banana republic dress! (we're going to a wedding up there)
-Camping in Joshua Tree!
-New HIMYM episodes!
-Doing taxes (so I can get my [hopefully] fatty return)
-Downtime so I can read, play with the SLR, and try out new recipes
-Quality time with Ann (can we play mahjong!!) Hehe.
-March Madness of course! I can't wait to fill out my bracket.

Cooking and Dining

Besides non negotiable things like values, personality, passion, family, and education, something else that I look for in a committed relationship is food compatibility. For the short term, I could probably date someone who has different food habits than mine. But for the long haul, I prefer someone who:
1. Doesn't want to eat out all the time at super expensive fancy restaurants but is not so cheap that he won't ever wine and dine me at a nice steakhouse or bistro.
2. Is not too lazy to cook and doesn't always want to get take-out or go to fast food places.
3. Does not think that "cooking" means boiling water for instant ramen and nuking TV dinners
4. Is open minded enough to try new foods, and likes to experiment in the kitchen.
5. Does not waste food.
6. Is not a health freak who watches his calorie intake or won't indulge with me on an In N Out or Thrifty's ice cream run.
7. Would be willing to eat leftovers or random meal thrown together from odds and ends in the fridge.
8. Does not leave the kitchen a mess (i.e. dishes in sink for 2+ days) and doesn't bitch or whine about doing dishes.
9. Lives to eat, and not simply eat to live.

Bacon wrapped scallops (homeboy can whip out tasty appetizers!)

We got all dressed up to eat our homecooked vday dinner (bacon wrapped scallops, mashed potatoes, filet mignon, oven roasted asparagus, and almond jello).

But that was just for the camera. We like to dress comfy when eating. :P I had to loosen my pants after that meal!

Saltado de mariscos from El Pollo Inka (not as delicious as last time, and our food was LATE. We weren't served until the couple who came in BEFORE us were almost done eating)

Tri-tip resting in the back...mmm.

Beef flank steak (as you can tell, we like our cow)

Almond and vanilla cream pastry...
And fruity tarts from La Maison Du Pain on Pico near Hauser. I love the almond chocolate croissants but they ran out this time, and I didn't have my camera the other 4 times that I've eaten it.

Attempted calamari with the new deep fryer. The batch on the left was too fried, but the right batch was perfect!

Shrimp and fish tacos from my favorite Mexican place in El Monte.

Jamabalaya (spicy!)

Gumbo (not spicy)

From the cajun stand at the Grove. The cornbread is tasty!

Tiramisu!

Pizza with ingredients from Trader Joes (we had apple sausage, artichokes, mushrooms, and loads of cheese)

And our all time favorite foodie activity- making won tons. We've probably made over 500 (3 batches) so far. They freeze well, and when we're both very hungry they cook quite fast.

You know, I think I found my foodie partner in crime. :)