July 29, 2014

So now it's on...I got the goods to go with the magic. I expected a better documentary. The film did not tell me much more than I already know. How do the Chinese people live other than running their businesses? Is there inter-marriage between the two cultures? Do the Chinese just stick to themselves and look down on the locals like past colonialists? The filmmaker was trying to show both sides of the debate but they barely touched on the topics. It was a sprinkling of viewpoints here and there and nothing further. Why do I care about the Margaret chick who now lives in Hong Kong? I wish they talked more about why her family left, etc. I was the only person who left right after the film ended. It had a lot of potential, but it just didn't do it for me. I wanted to run the bridge last night but didn't have the energy. It was such a beautiful night. Where did all the humidity go? This morning's run was quite pleasant. It was a bit chilly too.

July 25, 2014

The little basket in front of the bike is fine, but it can only hold so much. I should come up with a portable basket for the back wheel. It's like carrying a helmet every where you go. The basket can collapse after it is used. You can put it away in your bag for later use. And let's not forget the cabling to strap and secure your goods. I would be surprised if no one has come up with this idea yet. I managed to finish all of the ingredients last night. It took about a couple hours. The mung bean came out a bit under cooked. I didn't leave it on the stove long enough for the beans to fully flatten out. I used my potato smasher to change the consistency to paste-like. It worked a bit, but now how I really want it. Oh well, lesson learned for next time. I skipped the gym this morning because a visitor showed up unexpectedly very early this morning. I thought I could wake up, but I couldn't get out of bed. No excuses for tomorrow morning...

July 24, 2014

Uneventful. Nothing to write home about...could have been better. The mood was off. Need I say more?

July 23, 2014

So it literally took me 10 minutes to bike from Chinatown to Curry Hill. I overshot the timing. I showed up with plenty of time to kill. The hostess could not seat me because it was a packed house. I used the restroom to freshen up. The food was delicious. What was even better was the mango margarita. It tasted like a mango lassi spiked with tequila. I have no idea why they would call it a margarita. The butter chicken was great, but not as great as the one in Abu Dhabi. Lily was a riot. I'm glad we all had the cocktails. It would have been fine finishing at one, but two was definitely the limit. The night will continue later in October. Good thing I don't have to be the responsible one. There are a couple other ladies in waiting. The bike ride home took forever for some reason. I was knocked out immediately only to wake up with the sun blasting through the roman shades. I should get something more heavy to block out the sun. It's time to say goodbye to Coles and Palladium...finally. Negotiations are pending as we speak. It will be pending for quite some time.

July 22, 2014

This belly will not go away. I cannot stay away from bread, rice, and pastries. Joel said that if you remove wheat from your diet, you will grow more hair. So the alcohol diet didn't work out after all. There's too much peer pressure and what is a good meal without a nice glass of wine? It just seems too boring. Today is scorching hot. I stepped out to clean out my gym locker. I am moving onto bigger and better things. I stopped by the local food cart to pick up falafel over rice. Mom managed to get a list of 95 invites going. She thinks there are about 10 more and will call me when she remembers. She wanted to vent about how the venues are located in areas where no one can find. I stopped her immediately and told her the purpose of my call was to obtain the list of names from her. I sorted them based on which side of the family and whether they are friends or family. Chang should be paying me for all the hard work.

July 21, 2014

Friday night was an impromptu date night at the Claw Daddy in the LES. Why? No one was in town and those who were in town did not want to hang out. I actually just wanted to stay in and rest. The long work week caught up to me. The second Purge was okay. I expected more blood and killing. I got fitted for a tux...finally. Salvation came Saturday night. I almost missed meeting up with Sham the following morning. She landed at 9AM instead of 10AM like I expected. After several missed calls with Sham, she finally gave up. Luckily she was in the neighborhood getting shopping done and her nails did. By the time I woke up, her nails had dried. We walked up to a place on Spring and Elizabeth. None of the restaurants were full. Like I said...no one is around during the summer. After brunch, I was pretty much unproductive the rest of the day. I got a short power nap in and continued with "The Event". I have a few more episodes to go. My Xmas ticket to go home is booked. One way ticket to NOLA...I'm not sure about the return. We like to say round trip when everyone else says return trip.

July 18, 2014

It's crazy that another one crashed. This time, it involves a missile attack. Both sides are blaming one another. I hope they get to the bottom of it. I spent some time talking to my mom about Chang's situation. I think everyone is on the same page now. I brought up two very important points. They are only getting married once and if they don't break even, so be it. The venue is more important to her. Food takes a back seat to the venue. I think TD's game plan is finally taking shape. It should be a fun weekend with a lot to do. Ole girl Shamster is coming in on Sunday. Carter is really giving his mom some lip. He refused to do his homework and stormed out of the living room. He said he was too tired to get the work done. Grandma told him the fish is too spicy. He was persistent and grandma finally gave him some. He then said, "It's ok, Ba Ngoai". The boy can do spicy food. He takes after his parents. They douse all of their food with hot sauce. The cashier lady at Tan Tin Hung opened up my che and told me to return it to the table. She said it was from yesterday's batch and smells funny. I am done watching Manor House again. It was definitely a prequel to Downton Abbey...way ahead of its time.

July 16, 2014

July 9, 2014

Four down and one more to go for the year. After which, I need to renew my passport. It is about to expire early next year. The Global Entry kiosk was actually slower than folks in the regular line. Everyone checks in through kiosks now when traveling from abroad. Regular folks still go through an immigration agent, while Global Entry members breeze on through to baggage claim. The expedited exit for Global Entry will only work if you do not have checked bags. This is quite rare since you often have checked bags when traveling overseas. The weather has been way too hot early in the summer. I don't remember it being this hot in early July. I am ready for September to get here. The air missiles are making their way all the way up to central Israel in the more populated areas. The Iron Dome seems to be working because none of the missiles have made it onto the ground. The radar detection system will only intercept missiles that potentially reach populated areas. For uninhabited areas, the missiles continue on with no interception from the Iron Dome defense missiles. Do not watch the latest Transformers movie. The one-liners and basically all of the dialogue were really bad. I could not contain myself. My arms were up in the air throughout the entire movie. Mark Wahlberg's voice is pretty irritating. He was yelling the entire time. The whole father daughter overprotective relationship was overly done. I could care less if the newer transformers killed off all of the old ones. So now Optimus Prime will go back to his creator in the middle of space and demand that they leave humans alone? The Samurai looking transformer spoke with an Asian accent. The only time the Chinese guy spoke in English to another Chinese guy was to say, "Hong Kong is in trouble. The central government must do all it can to save Hong Kong". All other dialogue among the Chinese characters were in Chinese, including the same scene where the same guy pulled out the propaganda card. I think the PRC produced this awful movie. Also, they drove from Beijing to Hong Kong in a matter of two minutes. I guess I had no expectations considering it is an action flick. Again, avoid the movie if you can.

July 8, 2014

No alcohol between now and my birthday. It will be a challenge, but with some self control and moral support from those around me, I can stick with it. No peer pressure, please.

July 7, 2014

Good to be back...again. I do not know where to start.