Thursday, May 22, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
#120
Confession: Sometimes I deliberately put off blogging in hopes of appearing really studious to you guys. Or to make it look like I'm caught up in an exciting whirlwind of mind-broadening and horizon-widening activity, when in reality all I've been doing these past few weeks is eating, sleeping, going to school and reading.
Whew. Glad I got that off my chest :) I'm in the Presidential Lounge of the Texas Union now - a great study spot because it's perfectly silent. Sip your Frappuccino a little too loud, and you get shot dirty looks. But the lounge is also adjacent to the Union Ballroom, which is currently the venue for a dance rehearsal, so we've been made to listen to Lifehouse's "You and Me" three times so far... What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive... Not that I mind. I love that song.
This week I had to register for next semester's classes. I am a true nerd. Whenever the new course schedule comes out, I feel like a kid in the candy aisle, giddy with excitement. Which English course to pick this time? Which professor got the best ratings on pickaprof.com? What books are they teaching? I initially signed up for beginner's Italian on a whim (Spanish would've been the more practical choice) but later dropped it for Czech Literature, because I want to be able to say I've read Crime and Punishment. Also registered for The Social Dramas of Henrik Ibsen, because I got a taste of his works in NUS and really like A Doll's House. I only get to choose two classes next semester, because the other three are mandated by the UTeach program: Advanced Methods in English, Adolescent Literacy and The English Language and its Social Context. Not looking forward to that last one... I'm not big on linguistics.
Found a cool artist on etsy.com: Liza Corbett. So gorgeous. This is my current wallpaper, and I so want to buy this to hang on my wall. I'm thinking of taking a beginner's drawing class at Lasalle when I get back, or at the Austin Museum of Art next semester. I desperately want to get past drawing angels and flowers, but can't.
My pop song of the moment is Kylie's "All I See." It's so darn catchy! Original, acoustic, remix version... all good. Give it a listen and see if you don't find yourself tapping your foot.
Three weeks to this (Sorry Mom, I guess you were taking the picture):
Green curry, pineapple tarts and Pokka green tea around the best dining table in the world.
Whew. Glad I got that off my chest :) I'm in the Presidential Lounge of the Texas Union now - a great study spot because it's perfectly silent. Sip your Frappuccino a little too loud, and you get shot dirty looks. But the lounge is also adjacent to the Union Ballroom, which is currently the venue for a dance rehearsal, so we've been made to listen to Lifehouse's "You and Me" three times so far... What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive... Not that I mind. I love that song.
This week I had to register for next semester's classes. I am a true nerd. Whenever the new course schedule comes out, I feel like a kid in the candy aisle, giddy with excitement. Which English course to pick this time? Which professor got the best ratings on pickaprof.com? What books are they teaching? I initially signed up for beginner's Italian on a whim (Spanish would've been the more practical choice) but later dropped it for Czech Literature, because I want to be able to say I've read Crime and Punishment. Also registered for The Social Dramas of Henrik Ibsen, because I got a taste of his works in NUS and really like A Doll's House. I only get to choose two classes next semester, because the other three are mandated by the UTeach program: Advanced Methods in English, Adolescent Literacy and The English Language and its Social Context. Not looking forward to that last one... I'm not big on linguistics.
Found a cool artist on etsy.com: Liza Corbett. So gorgeous. This is my current wallpaper, and I so want to buy this to hang on my wall. I'm thinking of taking a beginner's drawing class at Lasalle when I get back, or at the Austin Museum of Art next semester. I desperately want to get past drawing angels and flowers, but can't.
My pop song of the moment is Kylie's "All I See." It's so darn catchy! Original, acoustic, remix version... all good. Give it a listen and see if you don't find yourself tapping your foot.
Three weeks to this (Sorry Mom, I guess you were taking the picture):
Green curry, pineapple tarts and Pokka green tea around the best dining table in the world.Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Shed some light on me please
Meiyan and I took a nice long walk to Stubb's last night to catch Feist in concert.
The opening act was a Canadian dude named Hayden, who was pretty charming even though he seemed to be closing his eyes the whole time. He played the harmonica, which was nice. I really like his song "Bass Song." Check out his MySpace page.
He played for an hour, we waited an hour and then Feist showed up.
Gotta admit I left with mixed feelings. I had high expectations for this concert, and yet I didn't have as much fun as I did in Brandi Carlile's show last year.
Highlights:
1. Feist looked hot. She makes me wanna get bangs.
2. There was a very cool shadow-play thing going on on the projection screen overhead. Like a mini sideshow. Using a glorified overhead projector, a lady on stage used paint, stencils, light, prisms and her own hands to create a pretty scene for each song.
3. Feist stopping mid-song to take a cell phone from a girl in the audience who was CHATTING DURING THE CONCERT... gasp! After a minute or so, the girl realized the error of her ways and screamed, "I'm sorry, Leslie, will you forgive me?"
4. Her band members, who were clad in all white.
5. Opening with a haunting rendition of Honey Honey.
6. Her awesome performance of Sea Lion Woman, which gave me the chills.
Lowlights:
1. TOO SHORT!!! She played for a little more than an hour.
2. My fault: I didn't do my pre-concert homework, so I didn't know half the songs.
3. Where was One Evening, Inside and Out and Secret Heart?? Sad omissions.
4. Lack of audience banter. Hayden talked more than she did.
5. Standing in the same spot for 4 hours nearly killed my feet.
6. My pictures are all blurry!
Okay, so maybe it wasn't so bad after all. I just really wished she had sung a few more songs... it seemed a little rushed.
***
Next topic: the Austin City Limits lineup! Check it out here. Again, a leeetle disappointing because I was hoping against hope that Coldplay would return this year (after headlining in '05) and others like Death Cab, Ben Harper, The Shins and Rachael Yamagata. But of course Coldplay's too mainstream for hip ol' Austinites. So I have mainstream tastes. I don't care. The list is definitely growing on me, though. Foo Fighters! I've loved Alison Krauss' voice ever since I heard her on the Cold Mountain soundtrack, so yay. And I've been checking out her stuff with Robert Plant... it's really good! And look: The Raconteurs! Erykah Badu! Tegan and Sara! Iron and Wine! The Swell Season (bet you're jealous now, Charles Lim)! and further down the page... Jose Gonzalez! I love him! And I have from now till September to check out the rest of the bands so I can plan my festival schedule. Let's hope none of my favorite acts clash.
The opening act was a Canadian dude named Hayden, who was pretty charming even though he seemed to be closing his eyes the whole time. He played the harmonica, which was nice. I really like his song "Bass Song." Check out his MySpace page.
He played for an hour, we waited an hour and then Feist showed up.
Gotta admit I left with mixed feelings. I had high expectations for this concert, and yet I didn't have as much fun as I did in Brandi Carlile's show last year.Highlights:
1. Feist looked hot. She makes me wanna get bangs.
2. There was a very cool shadow-play thing going on on the projection screen overhead. Like a mini sideshow. Using a glorified overhead projector, a lady on stage used paint, stencils, light, prisms and her own hands to create a pretty scene for each song.
3. Feist stopping mid-song to take a cell phone from a girl in the audience who was CHATTING DURING THE CONCERT... gasp! After a minute or so, the girl realized the error of her ways and screamed, "I'm sorry, Leslie, will you forgive me?"
4. Her band members, who were clad in all white.
5. Opening with a haunting rendition of Honey Honey.
6. Her awesome performance of Sea Lion Woman, which gave me the chills.
Lowlights:
1. TOO SHORT!!! She played for a little more than an hour.
2. My fault: I didn't do my pre-concert homework, so I didn't know half the songs.
3. Where was One Evening, Inside and Out and Secret Heart?? Sad omissions.
4. Lack of audience banter. Hayden talked more than she did.
5. Standing in the same spot for 4 hours nearly killed my feet.
6. My pictures are all blurry!
Okay, so maybe it wasn't so bad after all. I just really wished she had sung a few more songs... it seemed a little rushed.
***
Next topic: the Austin City Limits lineup! Check it out here. Again, a leeetle disappointing because I was hoping against hope that Coldplay would return this year (after headlining in '05) and others like Death Cab, Ben Harper, The Shins and Rachael Yamagata. But of course Coldplay's too mainstream for hip ol' Austinites. So I have mainstream tastes. I don't care. The list is definitely growing on me, though. Foo Fighters! I've loved Alison Krauss' voice ever since I heard her on the Cold Mountain soundtrack, so yay. And I've been checking out her stuff with Robert Plant... it's really good! And look: The Raconteurs! Erykah Badu! Tegan and Sara! Iron and Wine! The Swell Season (bet you're jealous now, Charles Lim)! and further down the page... Jose Gonzalez! I love him! And I have from now till September to check out the rest of the bands so I can plan my festival schedule. Let's hope none of my favorite acts clash.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Le Mot Juste
I know that lately I've been posting lazy excuses for blogs - weird videos of melting chocolate bunnies and updates on my grandma collection of quarters (40 at the moment) - and this whole week I've been itching to write a proper update. So here I go. The past two weeks have been real busy. I've been trying to finish up my 9-lesson quota for UTeach, the teacher preparation program I'm in. Since last Friday, I've taught a class of high school freshman (Sec 3's) simile, direct and implied metaphor, alliteration, assonance and onomatopoeia and how to construct a poem from their favorite song lyrics. Sometimes the lessons go well, and sometimes not so well, but my cooperating teacher gives great constructive feedback and I'm learning a ton. The kids can be a handful, but mostly they're really fun to interact with. It's just great seeing their eyes light up when I show them a funny cartoon or when the whole class claps after they've recited their poem. It can be a drag taking the 'Dillo to the school three times a week, but every time I finish observing or teaching a lesson I feel good. I've fought it before, but now I know for sure that I'm headed for a career in education. Oh, fun fact: the school I'm teaching at (Austin High) is the alma mater of the Bush twins and Benjamin McKenzie, better known as Ryan from The O.C. Yeah.
Yesterday was 40 Acres Fest, the annual student-run festival at UT. Got a "peace-love-music" sign painted on my left cheek, while Daph, the face-painting enthusiast, looked slightly creepy with a flower on one cheek and a bloody gash on the other. We did this blowup horizontal bungee run thingy and because I don't know how to land properly, I now have a severe neckache/sprain. Ow. Hopefully it will go away soon. The Roots played at 40 Acres, but I decided to be a nerd and study with Kirsten at JP's Java. It's okay - I've got tickets to Feist and Kanye West+Rihanna+N.E.R.D.+Lupe Fiasco. Can't wait!
Been looking at NYC hostels and even the most spartan hostels are at least $35/person/night. Anyone know of people in NYC who might put my sister and I up for about four nights? We're willing to pay a small fee...
I'm also looking for a job from mid-May to end-June when I'm back in Singapore. I've applied to a few places but I still need more options. Help!
The Office is back this Thursday! YAYAYAY. Oh wait... I have a peer mentor meeting and then an SSA fund-raiser at Tap House, a bubble tea store. Crap. Will have to watch it online then.
I was feeling particularly bummed one evening this week. So I went to take a shower and saw a magazine lying face-down in my bathroom, displaying a commercial with two big words: Pure Joy. Immediately I thought of James 1:2 (even though I didn't know the exact scripture reference at the time and spent about ten minutes searching the New Testament for it after my shower): "2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds..."
And because context is important: 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
How encouraging is that? You hear the words "pure joy" being used to describe luxury chocolates and exotic holidays (in this case, it was a brand of potato chips), but God's telling me to consider the hardships, the struggles as pure joy in light of the person I will become under His tutelage. I wanna be mature and complete, even though I feel so far from that almost every day. It was a dose of much-needed heavenly perspective for myopic little me.
Yesterday was 40 Acres Fest, the annual student-run festival at UT. Got a "peace-love-music" sign painted on my left cheek, while Daph, the face-painting enthusiast, looked slightly creepy with a flower on one cheek and a bloody gash on the other. We did this blowup horizontal bungee run thingy and because I don't know how to land properly, I now have a severe neckache/sprain. Ow. Hopefully it will go away soon. The Roots played at 40 Acres, but I decided to be a nerd and study with Kirsten at JP's Java. It's okay - I've got tickets to Feist and Kanye West+Rihanna+N.E.R.D.+Lupe Fiasco. Can't wait!
Been looking at NYC hostels and even the most spartan hostels are at least $35/person/night. Anyone know of people in NYC who might put my sister and I up for about four nights? We're willing to pay a small fee...
I'm also looking for a job from mid-May to end-June when I'm back in Singapore. I've applied to a few places but I still need more options. Help!
The Office is back this Thursday! YAYAYAY. Oh wait... I have a peer mentor meeting and then an SSA fund-raiser at Tap House, a bubble tea store. Crap. Will have to watch it online then.
I was feeling particularly bummed one evening this week. So I went to take a shower and saw a magazine lying face-down in my bathroom, displaying a commercial with two big words: Pure Joy. Immediately I thought of James 1:2 (even though I didn't know the exact scripture reference at the time and spent about ten minutes searching the New Testament for it after my shower): "2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds..."
And because context is important: 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
How encouraging is that? You hear the words "pure joy" being used to describe luxury chocolates and exotic holidays (in this case, it was a brand of potato chips), but God's telling me to consider the hardships, the struggles as pure joy in light of the person I will become under His tutelage. I wanna be mature and complete, even though I feel so far from that almost every day. It was a dose of much-needed heavenly perspective for myopic little me.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Last Weekend,
1. JFoo had a cocktail formal,
The Prettier
The Host
The Eyebrows and the Pout-Dimple
The Pseudo-Socialites
The Drinks I only got a sip of because they were snapped up so quickly :(
The Shoes
2. I went to County Line on The Hill to celebrate Becks' belated birthday and Chelsey's new job,
3. And I went to Holi, the Festival of Colors with my fellow peer mentor Saloni. We threw water balloons and colored powder at random people. I'm not especially stressed, but it was still a great stress-reliever.
Quarter Count: 39!!! I'm missing New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Colorado, Massachusetts, Missouri and Wisconsin (Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii haven't been released yet).
The Pretty
The Prettier
The Host
The Eyebrows and the Pout-Dimple
The Pseudo-Socialites
The Drinks I only got a sip of because they were snapped up so quickly :(
The Shoes
2. I went to County Line on The Hill to celebrate Becks' belated birthday and Chelsey's new job,
3. And I went to Holi, the Festival of Colors with my fellow peer mentor Saloni. We threw water balloons and colored powder at random people. I'm not especially stressed, but it was still a great stress-reliever.
Quarter Count: 39!!! I'm missing New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Colorado, Massachusetts, Missouri and Wisconsin (Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii haven't been released yet).
Monday, March 24, 2008
Taking Back Easter
A hilarious and heart-breaking way to display one's rejection of the holiday's commercialization:
Quarter Count: 25 (I'm halfway there!)
Monday, March 17, 2008
My Noble Pursuit
I've embarked on the slightly old-ladyish mission of collecting all 50 of the 50 State Quarters by the end of this year. Read more about the program here. So far I have Arkansas, North and South Carolina, Illinois, Nebraska, Louisiana, South Dakota, Oregon, Virginia, Tennessee and Washington. Which means I'm more than one-fifth of the way towards my goal. Help me out, Austin people!
UPDATE
Current Quarter Count: 23
UPDATE
Current Quarter Count: 23
New Orleans, Part Two
I found my dream vehicle!
Weird pose, Chris.
This car reminded me of Austin. Love the vaguely hip-hoppy spray-painted fleurs-de-lis..
Possibly my favorite street performance. Gave him a dollar.
Cafe Du Monde's famous beignets (pronounced ben-YAYs). Think French hum chin peng with heaps of powdered sugar. Best eaten with a steaming cup of their cafe au lait (background).
There is an art to eating beignets outdoors, and I haven't mastered it yet. Kirsten looks like she knows what she's doing, though.
Our wonderful four poster bed.
The board said "Pin your home country," So I did.
Outside Angeli on Decatur, home of great red pepper-bacon-pesto-swiss cheese burgers and pasta salad. I like that tattooed man in the background.
My only souvenir - a print by local artist James Michalopoulos. When I get rich I want to buy more of his stuff :)
The gang again, after walking 45 minutes in search of the obscure Angelo Brocato Ice Cream Shop. So worth it.
Next to the porch swing, the B&B's best feature was its hot tub. Nothing like a good hot bubbly soak on a rainy night.
Yet another weird pose from Chris. Our room was the door to the right.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
New Orleans, Part One
I'm tempted to just direct all of you to Kirsten's post. She did such a good job describing our Spring Break that I have hardly any motivation to blog about it now. But I will, because it was that enjoyable.
Day One
Got off to a less-than-auspicious start. Grey skies, pouring rain. Totally not the scene I had envisioned when I burned our road trip mix CD full of shamelessly poppy driving ditties including "Beautiful Day" and "MMMBop." Drove (okay, Chris drove) to Houston to spend the night at Jan's, had dim sum and Kirsten got food poisoning. Was trying to stay upbeat, but I was really concerned that she would be sick the entire trip. Went to bed praying that everything would be okay. No good photos.
Day Two
Left Houston around 7am. By the time we crossed the state line into Louisiana, the skies had brightened considerably and Kirsten was talking again. YAY!
My first meal in Louisiana - Seafood gumbo at Crawfish Town. A peppery stew of crabmeat and shrimp, served over rice.
One of the first houses I spied in the French Quarter. Love it!
Our B&B, which was nothing short of amazing. That's our innkeeper Phillip at the front door.
The shophouse opposite our B&B. Don't you just love the little old man? And if you look closer, you'll see that the tree is fully draped with Mardi Gras beads.
The iconic Blue Dog by famed New Orleans artist George Rodrigue. See him paint it here
Hard Rock Cafe. Inside, Adam Levine's tattered jeans were displayed in a glass box. I wouldn't call that rock 'n' roll memorabilia...
St. Louis Cathedral
Hawt Dawgs
Chatting with one of the natives
There was some interesting art going on on top of the roof, but I couldn't capture it.
Bright colors and a forced smile - tired lah
Dinner at Adolfo's: Okay, this deserves so much more than just a one-liner caption. This, my friends, is red snapper smothered in the chef's special Ocean Sauce - a rich, creamy mix of tender shrimp, crawfish, shredded crab, tons of herbs and capers. It was probably the best meal I've had in the US. Thanks for the recommendation, Phillip!
The (in)famous Bourbon Street: sex, booze and loud music. It was kinda gross but the energy was undeniable.
We quickly escaped to the more subdued (but no less entertaining) The Spotted Cat, a bar just outside of the French Quarter. Had a Cosmopolitan while listening to this
Day Three
View from the streetcar/tram
With my hero at the Mardi Gras Museum
These kids were touring the museum along with us
Street musicians
Group shot in the streetcar
Louis Armstrong in Algiers, a city across the Mississippi River
My teammates
View of the New Orleans skyline from the ferry
Elizabeth's Restaurant: Not much to look at from the outside, but it turned out to be another gush-worthy dining location. Had the Elizabeth's Dream Burger with blue cheese and the house specialty - PRALINE BACON. Absolutely delicious. Here's a radio segment on how they make their famous sweet-and-salty confection.
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