Queenkv’s Brainpickings

So, I actually missed the first half-hour of Fally’s rockin’ Oscar party on Sunday. I like being early for work and I often run late for parties. My bad.

I missed this amazing musical peformance by Will Ferrell…his Oscar tribute to the comedians. I know you’re asking the same thing - why did the Academy ignore Ferrell for his work in Stranger than Fiction?

Peter O’Toole, I’m going to beat you down with my Nickelodeon Award!

Seinfeld was also brilliant - especially with his cutting words on movie theaters, overpriced junk food and our open hands.

And as much as I love Jon Stewert, Ellen did a fantastic job hosting Oscar Night. Forgive me Jon.

OK, back to bed vampire. Two more graveyard shifts before Mark comes home.

Then…big changes next week.

BIG.

Last night, I dropped by Fally’s for a rockin’ Oscar party. It was nice to be surrounded my humans who talked back and who didn’t get all defensive when the doorbell rang…unlike one puppy I know.

Yummy brownies and spinach & cheese dip.

I’m pretty ticked-off at the Academy for snubbing Pan’s Labrynith for Best Foreign Film. I’m also bummed about Little Miss Sunshine, Abigail Breslin, losing Best Supporting Actress So, Hollyweird - kiss my butt.

I also spent my weekend cooking, writing and taking advantage of a break in the winter weather.

originally uploaded by queenkv.

This is saffron cream rice with sauteed tofu and peas

This weekend, I went shopping at Cosmos in Topeka. It’s an Indian food store with flavors from around the world. I found pansit noodles and Mama Sita’s adobo powder there. I decided to do an Indian-inspired rice dish after picking up some tasty frozen samosas with potatoes and peas.

1 can of Jyoti Saffron Cream Sauce
4+ cups of chicken broth
3 cups of rice
Frozen peas
Tofu (cut into chunks)
Olive oil
Garlic Salt
Onion powder

In a wok, I covered the tofu with olive oil, garlic salt and onion powder. I let it saute at medium heat until the tofu skin turned crispy. Then I took it off the heat and set it off to the side.

In a paella pan (or you could use any large, deep pan), I sauteed the rice with olive oil and garlic salt until golden. Then I stirred in some chicken broth to cover the rice. Watch out for the steaming action when the broth hits the hot surface. After the broth reduces to less than half, I added in the rest of the chicken broth, the entire can of saffron cream sauce and peas. I brought the mixture up to a boil and then I set the stove temperature to low and covered the pan. I let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes.

That’s it. I added the sauteed tofu on top of the rice and it went nicely with the spicy dish. The rice had a wonderful earthy flavor combined with savory saffron sauce.

I also baked some samosas as a side dish. Later this week, I want to try the leftovers with the dosai mixture I picked up from Cosmos.

originally uploaded by queenkv.

On Saturday afternoon, the stormy weather moved away for a little bit. I took Daisy out for a walk at Gage Park. I checked out the Bark Park and decided it was too muddy for my puppy. She went bonkers on her leash when she caught site of squirrels. I hate squirrels. She whimpered and strained against her collar, begging to tear the little rodents to pieces. Crazy Daisy.

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We finished packing the cars. We’re leaving the Golden State tomorrow, after mass. Tonight, Dad had the family over for our last Cali meal - yummy sesig, beef stew and more. Damn, I’m going to miss my family in California. Mark and I plan on meeting them in Vegas for Christmas. Ate Gigi’s taking off for the Philippines that month and she doesn’t want Freddie to be alone for the holidays. Silly dog.

We got our wedding pictures printed out by our photographer. Yeah! They look amazing on photo paper. Our contract gives us all rights to the pictures - including re-print rights. Omar’s a fab photographer and we’re lucky to have him capture our wedding memories.

I also experimented with iPhoto and the book printing option in iLife. In the application, I made a 6×8 inch softcover book with our wedding pictures. I sent the book info to the Apple site and paid bout $15.00. Apple mailed the finished product to our house in two days. Sweet.

Mark and I also cleared out about 6 car loads of stuff from storage. Wowa. We donated it all to Salvation Army. It’s our good deed thing for the month. I hope somebody could use our stuff.

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Both Corollas are loaded up with everything - books, computers, clothing, gifts, bears and memories.

I’m going to miss California! As much as I want to begin my next adventure in the Mid-west, I also don’t want to leave my home behind. Thank God I’m not alone. I have my husband. This brilliant man basically orchestrated the packing process. His mind knows how to arrange anything into free space. We’re not alone. Unlike my Chicago road trip, Mark’s not hopping on a plane back to Cali. We’ll turn to each other for hugs, kisses and support.

I told my mom we’re only a plane ride away. Our family will be in our hearts and prayer. California will be in my thoughts and dreams. Beaches, sunshine and good times.

[from http://www.tv.com/family-guy/show/348/videos.html]
After watching the Griffin Kids perform a classic Sound of Music tune in the Family Guy episode, “Mr. Saturday Knight,” I’ve had this song stuck in my head….It seems appropriate for my last night in California.

“So Long, Farewell” (from “The Sound of Music”)
Words by Oscar Hammerstein II
Music by Richard Rodgers

There’s a sad sort of clanging
From the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple too,
And up in the nurs’ry an absurd little bird
Is popping out to say “coocoo”.

The sun has gone to bed and so must I
So long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, goodbye,
Goodbye,
Goodbye,
Goodbye!

I’ll see you in Kansas.

OK - I’ve been slacking on my personal reviews of DC food and movies…so, time to play catch.

A few weeks ago - I had a craving for Indian food…I asked around at the Press Club for some hints…they sent us towards Dupont Hell…I mean Dupont Circle…we found Indique.

Since it’s lent and it was a Friday - Indian food is always a safe bet for veggie dishes. The main entrees went for anywhere between $12-$20…but the small plates were under $7. I had mussels in curry leaves and coconut soup….yum. The soup was rich, chock fully of veggies and the mussles easily slid off the shells. We also split the calamari ullarthiyathe - tossed with shallots, giner, hot pepper and mustard seeds. I snatched a few patties from Mark’s Aloo Tikki….oh yeah, also good….small potato patties stuffed with spiced lentils. Not as filling as I expected - but the patties made a good side dish.

We saw Finding Neverland last night at the AFI in Silver Springs. Then we had dinner at the Lebanese Taverna Cafe.

I was looking for some yummy kafta….In Paris, late at night - we wandered around our neighborhood and hit up the sidwalk food stands. They sold crepes and Lebanese food. I fell in love with kafta sandwiches. Grilled meat marinated with some zesty seasonings and served inside a pita bread. Good stuff. Cheap food. It hit the spot after a night of wine and more wine.

Back in Silver Springs, I found the Beef and Lamb Shawarma - the lamb is roasted on a rotisserie and served with tahini sauce. I also had the coucous sald - with garlic, lemon and olive oil. Both were yummy. It’s nice to get away from the Americana cuisine that’s so easy to find in this area. I also saw that the cafe had a Kafta dish listed as a chef’s special.

it seems a bit intrusive, doesn’t it? but i suppose my morbid curiousity tends to take my mouse clicking one step further down the rabbit hole…

high of 60 degrees today? that’s what Chicago Public Radio promised!

i’m tempted to add another student’s link to my chicago blog site - i would like to invite her….but then i’d have to ‘fess up to reading her personal journal. i totally respect her privacy. i remember she was quite adamant about who she showed her blog to, and we didn’t exactly exchange url’s in class. hmmm….i think i should simply drop it…..maybe read another entry or two from my dorm room…..i’m sure she could figure out which ip address is accessing the site….if she keeps logs of that sort of thing….

ok…quick run down on this weekend…..it was a beautiful weekend! i hit the gym on sat and sun morning. gave my cool little car a hand wash. i even got th mats shampooed. it totally deserves some TLC. i promised it a wash if it could get my stuff and me to Chicago last January. I have more than 93,000 miles on it. it’s such a good little car
lot’s of grocery shopping and i’m hitting my groove on cooking again. yummy yummy. the other night i made a rosmary rissoto with indian potatoe dumplings. yummy yummy.

i saw Verdi’s Falstaff on Saturday night with my roommate. Beautiful production and the students sounded so professional. The percussion section oftened drowned out some interesting harmonies, but for the most part, it was a satisfying show. This opera was based on Shakespeare’s the Merry Wives of Windsor.

last night - Oscars. I had to leave for an hour to finish up editing for my TV Production class. After an hour, I thought I could stay longer to finish some work to put me ahead of my work load for the coming week. Then I remembered the Oscar’s were on. So, I raced home and caught the live performance of “The Kiss at the End of the Rainbow.” Christopher Guest was robbed! and I had no idea he was married ot Jamie Lee Curtis. I loved LOTR, but I wanted Sophia Coppla to win best director for Lost in Translation, such a dreamy movie……

only two more weekends and then I can see Mark.

i’m feeling better. last week, my nightmare is fading away. i’m still a bit uncomfortable dealing with that one prof, but that’s life. i have to figure out away to get past that and to get my work finished. or i can kiss my grades good-bye.

i fell asleep and dreamt about work

i made it to the gym last night!!!!!!!!!! yeah! yeah! yeah! I feel awsome! I feel great! It’s so amazing to have this back in my life again. I’m glad I didn’t give up….and I’m also quite happy they (the gym management) banned his sorry ass from the facility. So, I didn’t freak out, break down into tears…in fact, I think I passed as normal human being, through the gym doors and on my way to the locker room. yeah! yeah!

mark and i went over to the parkway to catch Charlie’s Angels: FULL THROTTLE. don’t expect an oscar masterpiece, people! This movie is all about the babes, the action, the kickbutting and smack downs, fashion, and girl power! Pizza and a glass of chardonay, topped off this evening.

it was like being on top of the world.

i also had a wierd dream last night. i was at work, doing laptop office hours. i guy brought in his “laptop” - it consisted of a yellow crate, with a hard drive, a video card, and a cd-rom (couldn’t tell if it was a CD-RW….but that’s beside the point) - somehoe attached with glue and duck tape. he wanted me to get this downloading tv and music software working on his machine. he said “i will be very disappointed with haas computing, if you can’t get this done.” remarkable, that insult didn’t bristle my skin, like it usually did in real life. so i got to work. i ejected the software from his cd-rom. he had several cd’s, stacked on top of each other, inside the drive. I asked him if he knew what he was doing and he said that’s how his system worked. he seemed so proud of this rag tag mess he lugged into the lab - as if it were state of the line. he also had a monitor with his “laptop” - i tried to browse the file system - but the monitor kept flashing tv images. apparently, he had his TV/video card plugged into a cable outlet. he said i should be able to work with the tv images - apparently, he did it all the time. i gave up working on it - and started asking him some technical questions. he didn’t read the manual for the software, didn’t care if it was illegal, and he got stumped when i asked him if he ran a compatibility test (i was actually talking about these tests with my co-workers, yesterday - apparently one of them installed xp on an old laptop, without checking for compatibility). he felt sheepish and said he’ll check with the manufacture of his “laptop”

PART 1 - vacation….

last week, we had a three day vacation from UC Berkeley….it always bugged me when students came back and asked - “how was your spring break?” i had to bite back the retort -
“i’m not a student. i really work here - full-time.”
i know they don’t mean to group me with the student population and that it was a general question. instead, i say:

“i don’t get a spring break - staff keeps working.”

that’s not mean sounding, is it? just the truth….

gau, mark, and i took off on thursday for los angeles - to visit my bro and to see family and old friends….the weather was nice and hot - but too windy…stupid Santa Ana Winds…we wanted to go to catalina on friday. i monitored the traffic reports on the various news stations - one traffic helicopter went on a bit of a vindictive kick. the traffic reporter witnessed a hit and run on the 101 with this white car - she had the helicopter deviate from it’s standard freeway coverage and tail the white car, through van nuys and all over la….it was funny and shocking….and when i started to reflect on it….pretty damn disturbing. think about it - ktla morning news is not only creating it’s own “car chase” story (which la news stations love) - the traffic reporter was also calling on police to come get this guy. she was trying to fly low enough to get the license plate. every bone of journalistic integrity protested what was unfolding on the local news. what happened to objectivity? what happened to being a witness to events? in this newscast, the traffic reporter became an active particpant in the chase and the news story wasn’t about a hit and run and the guy who got away. the news story evolved into the traffic reporter trying to bring this guy to justice. it’s wrong. so wrong.

well…thanks to other stations’ traffic coverage - we found out the 101 had a big rig accident and that it was shut down in the east bound direction. we ended up using that freeway anyways and made it down to the balboa pennisula. it was soooo quiet down there…and windy. sadly, we missed the only boat out to catalina. we skipped out of balboa and chilled at newport beach for a bit. i had a yummy lobster burrito at sharkeez. we also hanged out on the sand and ran into the water…..it was sooo cold but oh soooo refreshing. (i had some lovely pix of us in the water, but my stupid camera had a tiny opening, exposing all the film…argh) i felt so carefree - running into the water…just like when i was little…and you could feel the tide pull - something that no human can really screw with. i don’t think. just letting go my inhibitions and baggage….it was lovely…

we also dropped by the block in orange and vetoed gau’s idea to watch “head of state”….we opted for “sprited away” instead. heck, it’s won the oscar for best animated feature. i’ll write a review for it when i get a chance….

oh yeah - we also had a blast with some rock and roll bowling. my dad nearly had a score of 200 (in reality: 199). i was rolling a 15 lb ball - which improved my consistency, i suppose

we celebrated jennie’s 23 b-day on saturday….all that yummy food….all that yummy bbq - and i couldn’t eat the bbq that’s what i get for giving up meat and chicken…..still, my dad had a nice salmon dish that satsified my hunger. we also talked a bit to my other cousin, jc. He came over with his family, from the Philippines, a few months ago. The stupid high school thought this sixteen year old should be stuck as a freshman - he already took those clases in the Philippines. I suspect they are a bit biased when it came to ESL students….still, I encouraged him to enroll in some community college courses for future college credit. he plays the guitar quite well, and we bobbed our heads to his rendition of pearl jam’s daughter.

we jammed down to the hub…one of my old high school haunts - for some cool 80’s arcade games. during one of my last night in so cal, before i went off to college - my high school boyfriend asked me to walk with him, out in the parking lot (it’s a safe neighborhood…don’t worry). so, we broke away from my wacky buddies (mostly thespian club people) and talked, next to the train station. he told me that singapore was trying to draft him into the army - his family fled from the country a few years before - seeking political aslyum or something like that. They still had all their financial assests tied up in that country. Singapore promised to give his family access to their money, as long as they sent my boyfriend back to serve in the army (i think the country has mandatory service, when a guy turns 17). he was thinking about going back….i was terrified for him…..but his family told him not to worry about it - that they were doing alright with the business they built, here in the u.s. in the parking lot of the hub, that was were we decided to stay together through our college years - he was going to uc santa barbara. he said he wouldn’t let 400 miles keep him from loving me….awwww……yeah…that was sweet….but like most trends in my life, the relationship didn’t last past Halloween.

still, the hub was a great place for teenagers looking to get away from the diamond bar suburbs and drink coffee with the college students. one of the guitarists from my church choir had a few gigs there, out in their courtyard area.
besides, where else can i play paperboy? they added another arcade with modern games and i was almost crushed, thinking they got rid of the 80’s arcade….no worries, we found it in the next room.

i split off from everybody to meet up with my skating buddy Stacy….we’ve known each other since i was 5 years old…..we went to school together for a little bit….and we’ve seen each other grow-up on the ice.

these are her dogs - nikki and rocky

rocky has an asthma problem and he doesn’t like me - he kept wasting his breath on barking at me.

stacy got engaged in january….still a shock to me - since we’re the same age and i’m nowhere near ready to tie my life down with another human being. apparently - my dad’s company sends samples over to her lab. (our familes are close) - he recognized her voice on his voice mail - when he asked her if she was from brea - she figured out he was my dad….small world.

her dad had a claim jumper gift certificate and we caught up, over martinis and appetizers….argh…i couldn’t get the portebllo mushroom pizza in a small size…honestly, she looks the same to me, from back in college. she was a very graceful skater and she kicked butt in figures. she told me once that figures helped her focus on her studies - she didn’t pysch out easily on exams…..not after staring at thing tracings on the ice, for some time….she joked that she wanted to do a study on the affects of figures on our eyesite….i think we all needed glasses, after a while…..i figured my bat-like eyesite was due to the countless hours hiding under the covers with a flashlight and a book. she’s so smart….and despite being talented and outgoing and all that jazz - i was amazed by how down-to-earth she was with her friends….she had a bite to her personality - a sass that you needed to survive in skating. my goodness, she went through so many injuries - but she was tough - she kept coming back for more…i think we had some of our favorite moments skating, when we did shows for glacial gardens. for the disney show - i choreographed a group routine for her and two other friends, to a sleeping beauty tune….

ok…this is a long entry…i’ll start up another one for the rest of my recap…

i like going back to sunny So.Cal - one time, Cal’s spring break coincided with Oscar Night. My high school buddy, Kevin, took me down to West Hollywood to check out some hot gay guys (”Men you won’t be able to touch” - gee, thanks Kevin). Sadly, I didn’t have a 21 and over driver’s licenses - so no club was willing to take chance on me, no matter how much schmoozing Kevin tried to lay on. We had a lucky break though - we found a huge crowd of vans outside of a bumpin’ club - complete with ared carpet and a line of limos. I saw a sign for Vainty Fair and I realized that this was the site of the publication’s After Oscar party….coool - we watched the fashionable chaos of blinking lights, stargazing, and splashy entrances, from across the street. We couldn’t see a thing. But it was a thrill being so close to the stars. Still, I’ve already had my brush with stars, growing up in LA (so.cal) - it just happens.

I remember as a skater, I spent a summer in Lake Arrowhead’s Skating Camp. One day, Molly Ringwald visited the rink. All the coaches, including my own - fell over there feet to help this beginner skater navigate through an advanced freestyle sessions. About half of my lesson was dedicated to helping Molly skate around the rink, without falling. She was a sweet girl and she wore glasses. She didn’t look a day over sixteen.

Another star gazing spot was at the Pickwick Ice Center in Burbank. One day, our freestyle session was cancled becaue Alyssa Milano rented out the space for her private skating session. I typically get pissed off when ths sort of thing happened - especially when it’s during the season and every practice session was needed to prepare for the next competition. Milano was in ice hockey and it looked like she and her entourage were preparing for a private pick-up game. My dad, being the outgoing guy, went up to her in the parking lot and asked if we could take pics with her. She agreed….my pissed of nature was replaced with the giddiness of starstrucked awe. She was also a nice girl and quite down to earth. She was also one hell of a hockey skater.

My last memorable job was as a sales assoicate for Victoria’s Secret. My first job to require a business suit. My mom was happy with the dress requirements because she thought it would prepare me for the business world…little did she know my first career would be in tech support Anyways, I was at the register ringing up some underwear for a short, teenage-looking, girl. I then recoginzed her as Andrea Barber - “Kimmy” from Full House. She saw the light of recognition sparkle in my eyes and she smiled. Of course, I wanted to play it cool and I’m sure she didn’t need me to bring up her acting career in front of the other customers, so I kept my mouth shut. According to my co-workers, she came in often enough.

Yeah, I have plenty of memories of home…it’s tough though, because I don’t have my childhood house to visit. I don’t want to see it right now, because it hurts, knowing that it’s not in the family anymore. That some other kid could be making my bedroom into their own. Screw them.

I suppose I grew-up like a typical teenager - with plenty of hormones and attitude. My relationship with my parents improved greatly when I left home for college. I think it would be worse if I ever tried to move back home - simply because we’re all so short tempered and strong willed. My brother use to tell me tha I should pick my battles, that it’s ok to back down. I think I was so self-righteous because I felt that my parents had no way to empathize with being an American teenager growing up with Filipino expectations. I didn’t want to be demure and obedient- I thought that was so weak. Plus, I arrogantly thought I knew better about the “American” way of doing things, and that I should be treated as an adult, while growing up in my parent’s house. Gosh, I was such a pain the rear-end. My parents often told me I would eventually be grateful for the way they raised me. Maybe it’s pride, but I still disagree with them on that point. But, the realist in me points out that I turned out alright - being independent, with a job (financialy responsible), and maintaining a fierce loyalty to my family and my faith. In the end, they did a good job with me and I suppose, with my thick head - they needed a strict arm to keep me in line and to keep me from hurting myself.

Part of my own teenage experience makes me reluctant to think about starting a family….heck, a mini-me would drive me nuts! She would be such a brat and I can only imagine my heart breaking when she turns into a teenager - with her own code of survival and distrust for her parents.

on the spanish channel…try to imagine it - bruce lee speaking spanish….can you picture it? can you dig it?