Random Rant of Nothing

Currently am loving spotify. How else am I suppose to keep up with my music at work :).

Came back from a mini vacation in San Diego for Comic-Con and a zoo visit.  Hmm, comic-con was definitely a spectacle.  Waited for 6 hrs in Hall H line (tv shows) on Friday and got into Eureka, Warehouse 13, and True Blood panels  Was quite sad I didn't get to wander the floor buying crap but I suppose that was for Saturday.  Then we went out to dinner and I finally got to try carne asada fries.  Alas, you guys will live without thhe picture of them since I was too busy eating to take pictures. -__-

Saturday, we woke up later and headed to Hall H (movie).  Surprisingly we got in in short time and saw Francis Ford Coppola panel, Immortals, Knights of Badassdom, and Snow White and the Huntsmen.  Snow White and the Huntsmen had many pretty stills but there wasn't actually substance to the panel since they hadn't started production yet.  It was a little disappointing.  The Coppola panel was fun, but the next day all of us [Ann, Kim, Joe] had the Nosferatu song stuck in our heads tho I guess we also did get creepy Edgar masks. Knights of Badassdom was surprisingly my favorite panel overall.  It's basically an indie movie about LARPing and the trailer and footage they showed was pretty ridiculous.  And how can you not love something that has Peter Dinklage in it even if his character is opposite his GoT character.

Got back and realized running hurts when you haven't been exercising.  But so it goes.  It's all about getting those miles in now haha.  Sunday should be interesting pacing with my sister at SF 2nd half.

There's never enough time for everything :(  Ended up going to Singlebarrel on Tues with Kim and Drew.  The Watermelon Jive was so deliciously summery that now I"m trying to set another singlebarrel outing hah.

I guess now I'll just chill somewhat until my next vacation which is probably Vegasing in early Dec. :)

Running Thoughts and... Randomness?

Do I want to go to the ADD type nature of tumblr with it's awesome lack of vowels and plenty of splashy pictures?  I feel like it'd be much more greatly entertaining for all probably 5 of you that read this HAH.  I will debates this.

This year in my running group, I'm trying out this atp-lite program which is once a week that is suppose to make us faster/stronger/yada.

Phase 1 wasn't too bad since it was basically jog 10 minutes, warm up routine, then 2 x 200 run fast then jog for 30 second. Then some sets of random exercises [squats, crunches, pushups, lunges, yada] and then comfortable jog for 25 mins.

But now we have moved on to phase 2 which is jog 10 minutes, warm up routine, then 2 x 200 run fast then jog for 30 second.  Sprint 400m, do diff # of exercises, repeat sprint + exercises, sprint, then 5 minute cooldown.  They kicked me out of the medium speed pace group I wanted to run with to the fast group so it was like dying.  But dying is how you get better right? :P

Where does time go + black&white cookies

Everyday I wonder what strange loophole time goes to.  I feel it must be the same place as all the lost socks, some parallel dimension never to be seen again.  There are never enough hours to do everything.

I've been trying to line up running event/plans schedule for the year and am still trying to sort that out.  Realized I'm another year older and still just about as confused about everything haha.  Have a slew of side projects I want to do (but never quite enough time).

Sometimes I want to be wildly ambitious and do everything and anything at all times.  But then other times, I get so tired of it all and want to just veg out.  But I seem to have problems finding some happy middle ground between the two.

On a totally unrelated topic, who came up with the idea of black and white cookies?  I brought some back from NY and I'm still undecided on whether I like them or not.  I feel they must have been created due to some person being confused if they wanted a cookie or a cake since they are basically giant cookies with the consistency of cake and some frosting on top.  Poor confused baked good.  People will put you out of your identity crisis by eating you.

May, why are you so confused?!?!

May.  Your weather is exceedingly strange.  First you're hot, then you're cold, windy, and rainy.  Make up your mind confused weather.  You should change into pleasant spring and summer weather.  Too many conflicting plans coming up, but it'll all work out somehow in a daze.

What are the plans?
May:

• On Sat - Watching a talk by Alton Brown at Monterey Bay Aquarium then poking around the aquarium and driving around. :)
• in a week, I'll be off to to NY for Lora's graduation and Stephy+my birthdays.  Anyone have suggestions on where/what I should be doing?

June:

• Wushu tournament volunteering and hanging out with ppl who will be visiting.

July:

• Super busy. Some mess of whitewater rafting, comiccon, and either 1 or 2 half marathons. :P

Now into the past weekend.  Went to Sent Sovi for a fancy pants tasting menu due to a Bloomspot deal expiring soon.  I love the involvedness of tasting menus.  There was an amuse-bouche and 7 course tasting menu.

1. amuse-bouche of some chicken liver + something paste on crostini with truffle oil
2. porcini mushroom soup with toasted cashews
3. maitake mushroom, frog, citrus and fennel salad
4. scallop with caramelized scallop kombu jus
5. melon sorbet with balsamic
6. lamb confit with wild mushroom ragout and purple potato
7. 3 cheese plate with honeycomb, nuts, dried fruits, and crostini
8. raspberry mousse, whipped single malt honey cream, and steel-cut oat cookie

Oh tasting menus make me happy though they also feel ridiculously indulgent.  Unfortunately it was pouring outside by the time it finished.

I am BAD at regular posts

Cleaned up the template I was using to be simpler.  Yay simple.  And it is already April and I still haven't posted anything since Feb.  I'm glad the weather is warming up since spring and summer clothes are just always so much happier than heavy winter clothes.  Also it means more walking of my cat.  Or rather walking him for about a minute before he gets scared inside.  So what has happened since that long ago post?

1. I bought a new bed!  It is a fancy pants overpriced memory foam mattress, but it's comfortable.  And if I bought a bed, it means I'm a grown up right?  hah.
2. Wise Man's Fear - Read it and was short of sleep due to it.  It's a wonderful book, probably one of the best developed storylines and characters I've read in a while.  I just don't really see how it will wrap up in only one more book and I'm sadly eagerly waiting for the next book out.  I also love the comic for summing up the first book.
3. Running [for reals] starts again with kickoff of marathon training group this week.  And I even managed to con convince a coworker to do it.
4. Went to snowboarding a smattering of times and SF beer festival.

Been wanting to cook lately.  What should I try to make?

Forgetfulness

It's easy to forget things especially parts of yourself.  Everything gets busy and you get caught up in it.  And then one day you look at it all and realize you have just been going and going and not really reflecting on the huge dichotomy between how things are and how you wished they were once.  Those crazy big plans to be brave and free and travel the world and learn new languages and try things.  

Umpteenth Round of New Year's Resolutions 2011

So every year, I decide I'm going to be awesome and make resolutions again.  I guess it means we're getting old when a year seems to have passed by quickly with as much confusion as there ever was.  It was a year full of work and fun.  Things are generally good all in all so here are some new resolutions.

• Do things.  Too much of my time was spent thinking or debating about doing things in 2010 and probably also in prior years.  So this year I will try to debate less and just go for things.  Included in this is helping my sister study for GREs.  Though I suppose the crazy auto-rickshaw ride shall be included in this.  I really would like to surprise myself with something I did.  

• Exercise.  The most cliched of all new year's resolutions, but I would like to get into better shape than I've been in before.  In general it makes me happier and also prepares me for whenever zombies invade.  Along those lines, I would like to actually run a marathon this year if I don't get sidelined by injuries again like last year.

• Be kinder.  Namely to myself.  Through the years, I've had moments of great antagonism to myself so I think a good goal for this year is to just try to let that go.  I can mess up and it is not always the end of the world so I should stop beating myself up pointlessly. 

• Cook more.  Try more new dishes and throw more dinners.  Allows me to keep in touch with people better.

All in all, I think I just want a year where I believe I can do anything and great things happen with serendipitous encounters with friends, delicious food, good times, and the madness of enjoying life.

It's Already Almost December :(

I wonder if this is a sign that we're old or just getting increasingly forgetful since it's already almost December and I have no idea where all the time slipped away to.  Soon, I'll be back home and can properly squash my cat.  My poor stupid cat who managed to close the door of my bedroom and trap himself in until my sister managed to free him.  Sad loud neurotic cat. 

Slew of upcoming movies that I want to see are:

• Black Swan: Anything directed by the guy who did Requiem for a Dream can't be bad. And it's a psychological thriller set in ballet with Natalie Portman.  
• Tron: Vague memories of watching the original a long time ago [was it really 9 years ago in AP CS?] and it's in 3D.

Also ridiculously excited about the mini food processor I bought on Black Friday so now I can make pesto and other sauces much more easily.  It'll be great.

I feel like December will just be tiring overall since stuff will happen all over the place for it. But I guess that's the way I like it. :P  I like being so busy I don't have time to think hah.  And maybe our holiday food experiment will work out if we manage to not be lazy. 

Managed to buy a collection of web comics Grunnerkrigg Court and find it to be really enjoyable.  It is sort of like Harry Potter except it follows this girl through a very British boarding school and there are robots and gods and such. 

It's almost Halloween (sort of)

Am anxiously awaiting my Halloween costume tomorrow and hopefully it works out or I'll desperately be going to stores sometime before next Saturday.  Next weekend will be a busy weekend with Warrior Dash and going out for Halloween but I'm glad things have actually converted this year and we'll be doing SOMETHING as it often requires major effort to stuff.  And fuzzy hat!  How could the day not be awesome?

Vacation plans are already set for end of next year into early 2012.  RICKSHAW RUN!  Basically two weeks in India starting in Rajasthan making our way down into Kerala on an auto (tuktuk).  It will be great adventure.  Kim, Halley, and me are in for sure. 

This weekend though, I think I shall just relax as the weather is getting cooler and I'm tired.  Later, I'll post a Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon recap.

falling into fall

It finally feels like fall with gray skies and colder weather.  Decided to do the social thing with roommates and did a fondue night where we all probably ate entirely too much.  It's very strange how there's always so much time now since I'm gimp-like.  It's also strange how time slips and slides in an unwavering march towards the future which is here and now.  This must be a sign that we're getting old.  I just feel like doing something, anything different at this point sometimes.  It's almost enough to make me look back at carefree days of the past but with memories being mutable they probably weren't that carefree.  Anyways plans for this weekend consist of cake baking and then cal-ucla game watching with people I haven't seen in a while.

Back to the daily grind...

Too bad I started work again today, but vacation was fun while it lasted.  I don't see why anyone would ever want to live in Florida due to the ridiculous hot weather, but good for them.  But Orlando is pretty fun in small doses.  Managed to hit up all the parks in Disneyworld, Islands of Adventure for Harry Potter land, and Discovery Cove.  Disneyworld felt somewhat rushed since we were running around all over the place trying to hit the rides, but the lines were thankfully pretty short.

Finally, I can stop having people stare at me in surprise when I mention I haven't been to disney.

Basic summary of days:

1. Sunday: Fly in late, hang out at airport, wait for Val and Bryon at airport, car pickup.  By this time it's past midnight and we're starving.  As we continue we see a Waffle House and the breakfast for dinner was perfect.
2. Monday: Get Joan from airport, wander off to Hollywood Studios for what will be the most crowded day of the whole week.  Went on Hollywood Tower of Terror which was probably my favorite ride for how it was set up but least favorite just because I'm not a huge fan of dropping rides.  Basically hit all the major rides except for Toy Story 3 one since that had a 2 hr wait line.
3. Tuesday: Went to Discovery Cove which is basically a manmade snorkeling/beachy area where there are also possibilities to swim with dolphins if you get a separate ticket.  We ate some snacks then went around the lazy freshwater river.  Afterwards, we snorkeled a bit in the salt water where we stared at a bunch of stingrays and fish.  We also all went and watched while Valerie did her dolphin swim so we could take pictures.  After that we just ate the included lunch and continued lazing about.  Finally when we were done, we just showered so we could leave for Epcot.  We did the rides that were at Epcot and wandered through the world but not really into the worlds.
4. Wednesday: Animal Kingdom day! Ryo, Alice, Joan and I went off to Animal Kingdom while Valerie and Bryon went off to Celebration to resolve a problem with a pass and Seaworld.  I love Animal Kingdom. :)  There was an awesome safari ride where we saw so many animals and I adore the yeti rollercoaster ride.  The Finding Nemo and Lion King shows were also fun.  Later, Grace, Ze, and Justin came in.
5. Thursday:  Went to Islands of Adventure (aka place where new Harry Potter park is).  We rushed to Harry Potter area of the park first and then waited in a long line for lockers since no bags could go on the ride.  The new ride that was built for the area [not the roller coasters] was kind of a cross between Dinosaur and Soaring rides at Disneyworld.  Basically you were following Harry Potter on his broomstick.  The single rider line was the best way to go as our wait was 5 minutes.  Afterwards we just wandered the rest of the park and tried some frozen butterbeer as well.
6. Friday: We drove to Kennedy Space Center and did our attempt at being sciency and educational.  But it was actually pretty awesome.  On the way back, we went to eat at Roy's [at least the people without a kid did].  This was sadly probably the food highlight of the week because Florida is a land of chain restaurants.  And our other meals were fast grabs in the theme parks.
7. Saturday: Magic Kingdom day!  We wandered around and managed to hit all the rides at least Valerie, Bryon, Alice, Ryo, Joan, and I did.  We also saw an awesome 3d show.  Grace, Ze, and Justin went off on their own and Valerie, Bryon, and I met up with them for lunch.  Alice, Ryo, and Joan went off on their own then since they had eaten at a character brunch and were not hungry at lunch time at all.  We ended up eating at a restaurant in downtown Disney then went back to our house.  We ended up just chatting for a good while since the next day we were going home.  At least the people who weren't continuing on to New Orleans.

Thoughts: I feel sad I never went to Disneyworld earlier.  Or Disneyland either.  It was so fun and just done very well tho at a certain point the cute disney-fied version of stuff was cloying, for the most part it was interesting.  I also adored the dole whip float we had which was pineapple soft serve in pineapple juice.  All in all, I'd think it'd be fun to go to Disney again. :O

I'm melting into a pile of goo

It's rather hot in my place currently despite all the fans going and the windows being open.  Which is probably why I'm still procrastinating on baking scones.  Slow as molasses is basically the summary of this week.  There must be some sort of formula where approaching vacation must cause an exponential slowdown of time in general.

Sometimes I think I'm all over the place and don't know what I want.  I'm adult-like now or something like that but it just feels like I'm masquerading hah.  Look at me pretend to be grown up and stuff.  Frightening thought that. 

I am still sad I probably won't run a full marathon this year.  What's going to happen to my attempt to run faaaaast?  There's never enough time for everything.

I guess since I didn't start blogging in time for new year's resolutions, I will just count this as random goals I want to achieve sometime in the foreseeable future before end of the year.

1. Go to wushu and run consistently again. No more injuries! [I know it's wishful, but this is my rant and I can wish for purple unicorns if I wanted]
2. Cook new/harder/more interesting things with my giant bag of vegetables
3. Be better about being social.  Meet up with friends I haven't kept in touch with, make an effort to set up things for the people I do currently see.
4. Do warrior dash to get my very own fuzzy warrior hat.
5. Be better about saving instead of letting things vanish into a mystical black hole.

New Beginnings [Or Blog Round 2]

After thinking about it some and about the great joy I derive every day from reading everyone else's blogs, I decided I too should join this great bandwagon of instant gratification through greater procrastination.  Because you know, why do things when I could delay by blogging?  Oh fellow bloggers, you have inspired me greatly.  Never have I had so much spare time due to my gimp knee causing me to be sidelined from exercising.  It is a strange feeling to have so much time.  Great dislike ><.   Key thing to do: update the template when I get unlazy.

Soon, it shall be the vacation time.  And it shall be great!  And glorious!  With many exclamation marks!  Disneyworld and Harry Potter land will be glorious and it will be fun to see the old roommates from NY.  Now I won't have to hear about how surprised people are at the fact that I've never been to any Disney.