Finally! My aunt (dad’s eldest sister) has a website up and running: Nhã Uyên Fashion.
In fact, ever since I visited Vietnam for the first time… I have had pants made by her and I have never gone back to wearing or purchasing any slacks in America since. Yes, I am a very happy camper.
Some of my favorite blouses and shirts come from my aunt, or replicated from her fashion house. So yes… I may be a little bias.
In other news:
Not like this is anything new or what not, but I am a huge Disney geek. Granted I don’t show it off… I don’t see the need to, but among some of my more vocal Disney friends… I consider myself up there.
So when talking to a friend about the upcoming trip to Disneyland I was seriously considering if I could Disney Bound there. “Disney Bound? What’s that?” Well Disney bounding is a term coined recently by a blogger that started putting outfits together that were inspired by various Disney characters. Pretty much anything goes. Essentially with all the Disney characters (and others that may tickle her fancy) she puts together outfits that you could either wear everyday, out on the town, while exercising…
Which brings me to the original purpose of this post, “Who or what am I going to Disney Bound?” Well, I don’t know. Right now I have close to full costume-ish ideas for Esmeralda, Briar Rose (when she is living with her three fairy godmothers)… which I could easily tap into for any potential costume related parties down the road…
As for just everyday wear? Well a few ideas that came to mind include:
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Well, after the weekend trip through Disneyland and the Disney California Adventure I realized something… Disney Imagineering is probably the closest to what I hoped to be able to do when I grow up. In Imagineering I am able to meld the two parts of me into one total being without having to choose one or the other.
How do I know this? Well in DCA there was a little cabin just off the main path called “Blue Sky Cellar” and in there were all the plans for the Disneyland expansion: Fantasy Faire. But it wasn’t the final product that intrigued me, it was the process leading into the final product. Essentially I found my heaven.
However, getting into Paradise is proving to be a tumultuous journey, mainly because the only available position at the moment is for a Senior Electrical Engineer, which I am woefully underqualified for… well, to be honest the only qualification I do not have is the Professional Engineering License, which I cannot get without taking and passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. Hmmm….
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Yes… I am Asian… which means I am most likely to celebrate Lunar New Year… and I have been looking forward to this particular year for a while now… why? Because of the following:
What was predicted for me in 2011: the breaking down of an old life and in 2012: the building of a new life
So what does 2013 have in store? Well… theoretically the seeds that were planted in 2012 will continue to build and grow and eventually become something worthwhile for me to see the fruits of my labor.
Nothing comes easy… and it isn’t suppose to.
So what does the year of the Water Snake have in store in general? Well in general Snakes tend to:
feel and sense its way through life and represent spiritual rebirth, elusiveness and exploration of life’s mysteries.
Rich in wisdom and charm, Snakes are romantic and deep thinkers. Their intuition guides them strongly. Snakes usually do things at their own pace, and when the moment is right, shed their skin and take up something completely new. It is for this reason that people avoid Snakes — They can’t handle their mistrust and secretiveness. Although sociable at times, they have a strong desire to be left alone. Snakes are actually subtle workers — imperceptibly manuevering and manipulating until they are in the position to get what they want. Attracted to elegant and refined partners, they are deeply jealous and possessive when involved in relationships.
But beyond that… what does the element of “Water” mean?
Still water sheltering underwater secrets asleep in its depths; sinking and muddy. Profit from this year to restore your energies and regain your inner balance. Avoid overwork or any excesses which will follow with depression. Maintain your equilibrium and do not waste your energy. Don’t go too far too quickly. This years Water element will be socially beneficial, calming and conducive to meditation and interpersonal contact.
Ok… so what does that mean in general? Well… I can’t say, because I am not you… but in the grand scheme of things the “Water Snake” year provides:
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Every year within a month before the new Lunar New Year, I make a point of taking a weekend off from everyone else I know on the planet to be with my mom to make Banh Chung… a rice cake that we only make for the Lunar New Year… not only that, but we make a massive number of them (anywhere from sixteen to twenty cakes total… but usually eighteen cakes) and we give some to my maternal grandparents… I take a cake or two back with me and she takes the rest.
INGREDIENTS:
– approximately 10 pounds of glutinous (or sweet rice)
– approximately 6 pounds of mungbeans
– approximately 6 pounds of pork loins (the more lean the better I always say)
– cleaned banana leaves
– salt (approximately 2 tablespoons)
– pepper
– olive oil (if using lean pork)
(creates 16 rice cakes)
Variation: If you are vegetarian then subtract pork and mix mungbeans with sugar. It is tastier with light brown sugar.
Since we make a massive batch… we went with an eight pound hulk of pork loins from Costco (we ended up using up to seven pounds of it though). If you don’t want to go all out with so many rice cakes for yourself the below are approximations of the above for just one rice cake:
– 2/3 pound (though according to the above it is closer to 1/2 + 1/9) of glutinous (or sweet) rice
– 1/3 pound of mungbeans
– 1/3 pound of pork loins
PREPARATION for MUNGBEANS
Day One
1: Soak the mungbeans in water overnight
Day Two
1: Rinse the mungbeans and toss a little salt
2: Put mungbeans into the steamer until it is just cooked through (how to test: take a small portion in hand and smash, if you have to put pressure then it is good, if falls apart easily then it is bad)
3: Ground mungbeans when completely cooled down
PREPARATION for EVERYTHING ELSE
As with all Vietnamese cooking I don’t really have set directions, so here is what I know:
1: Cut the pork in 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick slices. Marinate with salt and pepper. Add olive oil if using lean pork. Set aside
2: Clean the banana leaves and wipe reasonably dry
3: Rinse the glutinous rice, drain, toss with a little salt… set aside
Now here comes the fun part… you will need four sheets of aluminum foil approximately 12 inches by 12 inches square and then fold in accordance to the video below:
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While walking towards the Magic Kingdom from our hotel, my friend and I passed by a guy with his little girl… to which my friend said:
Music is coming from his pants…
To which I couldn’t help but reply:
Well if there was a prototype out there for pants that men could wear that would automatically make music, what would be the controls?
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Technically I read this particular novel a few years ago, and I have reread particular portions of the novel but it has been a while since I have read the novel front to back in its entirety. So after those few years I decided to pack up the book and reread it during my flight to the west coast and from there decided to break it all down again.
First a few generalizations to note:
The author does notate some passage of years for various characters (if not all), however, there was a distinct feeling that all six of the primary novels ended at approximately the same time. As thus there was a sense of convolution in trying to fit everything in as much as possible.
There were a fair number of characters that were either 1) mentioned in passing, 2) passing through as an obstacle or 3) passing through as a connection for other characters to meet. How do these break down? Well
1) Edward and Elinor Ferrars, Colonel and Marianne Brandon, Catherine Tilney, most of the Bertrams
2) Anne Steele, Robert and Lucy Ferrars, Sir Elliot, Lady Catherine de Bourgh
3) Lady Portinscale (Eleanor Tilney), Mr Yates
As always there were a few primary romances that occurred over the course of the novel… without providing any spoilers some of the characters in question included:
Northanger Abbey: James Morland
Mansfield Park: Tom Bertram, William Price, Mary Crawford
Pride and Prejudice: Colonel Fitzwilliam, Georgiana Darcy, Kitty Bennet
I am sure from the above you are able to figure out the majority of the pairings (if not all)
Overall I rather enjoyed this particular novel, despite all the typos, editing errors, etc. It is probably one of the better Jane Austen sequels I have read in a while. With the majority of the characters staying true to the original characterization as depicted by Jane Austen it is a real trip to try to remember how someone knew someone else and why. At the same time the new romances were fun to follow as I found myself getting involved in them as well.
But like all books… I have a few grievances:
Just because I like to pimp the talents of my friends… here is my friend Shawn Bernal in Dogfight.
I haven’t seen good martial arts like that since… well… yeeeeaaaaah. I mean I love a good action flick like the next guy, but this really gets me going. 🙂
Now at first glance I have never been a big fan of two against one fight sequences… it just doesn’t seem fair and adding more people into a fight sequence would feel a bit crowded if it isn’t done right… well it is being done right, and done well… as I have come to expect from Shawn and his friend Manny.
True martial arts fighting without all the tricks, this is what sets him apart from the rest of the crowd.
Since I have yet to go to the Magical Wizarding World of Harry Potter down in Orlando, Florida I have to make do by playing with recipes I get off of MuggleNet.com. Last year I posted a recipe about Butterbeer Cupcakes that turned out to be a bit of a hit from various parties and I decided that whenever I get the chance I’ll make actual Butterbeer.
In comes the Bake-a-Thon and a fellow Harry Potter fan… and voila! Butterbeer ended up on the menu. So from the Mugglenet.com Recipe page, which one of the many recipes did we end up using? Well… we settled on the Butterbeer by Nicole as the most proper choice:
Now if only I had actually followed the recipe… >.< Guess what I did wrong? Continue reading
So how to explain this one?
First off… I had the slight inkling that this was Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring except with smaller people and uneven pacing and more fun? I think that pretty much sums it up. (And the LOTRProject appears to agree with me)
There are twelve dwarves on a quest to regain the mountain their forefathers have been driven away from… with the help of Gandalf they went on a search to find a final member of their little entourage and Gandalf decided to engage the use of a Hobbit… particularly Bilbo Baggins of the Shire.
Well what happened there after is a long series of unfortunate events where the endgame includes managing to find a way to the elven territory of Rivendell…
Anyone else see a pattern or is it just me?
Heck I can’t even get a quick list down other than to say that I liked it…
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In early December of 2012, I was fortunate to have a show that I was originally in rehearsals for… to be postponed until spring of 2013. Why fortunate? Because it gave me a chance to see a concert celebration for the music from Final Fantasy… and I have yet to miss a concert since the tour began five years ago and have come through Chicago how many times since then?
The Final Fantasy Concert holds a special place in my heart… it is where I met one of the first people that I knew from the online world and were friends with (well before the internet became littered with predators and crazies). So naturally it became a habit for me to want to see the concert every time it comes through Chicago… there is a bit of nostalgia that comes into play.
This year was no different and yet meant the world… for this time around it was the Distant Worlds Official Final Fantasy 25th Birthday Celebration. Since Chicago is known to be the kick off city for the first North American Tour of the Final Fantasy Concert series it made sense to have the Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Celebration to be in Chicago.
Now I would typically write my own review of the concert… but I am lazy and there are already people online that have put their own two cents of the concert. So I will just link to one such blog post by another concert go-er…
Just click on the break to see the set list that was featured at the 25th Celebration concert… and some of my quick impressions.
It was said time and again that if Les Miserables made a killing in the box office then Cameron Mackintosh would focus his attention on bringing Miss Saigon to the silver screen as well. Well with that possibility becoming clearer and clearer everyday, you’d think I would go and update my wish list of what I would like to see happen with Miss Saigon. Well the truth is, not much has changed and as thus instead I’ll simply do another round up of musical productions that people are sniffing around for a big screen treatment.
RUMORED to be in DEVELOPMENT
Wicked
Considering how there is already a Wizard of Oz movie about to be released by Disney in March (Oz the Great and Powerful) that is a kind of prequel to the Wizard of Oz, I am not really entirely sure having another Wizard of Oz prequel would be overkill in the current yeah.
Thankfully out in the wonderful world of IMDB it appears that the currently slated date would be sometime in 2014.
Interesting… very very interesting.
Jersey Boys
Also… that same article mentions that the Jersey Boys appear to be in the development phase for a film adaptation. And yet… according to IMDB there is no real set date for the film to be released… but it does mention that such a film is currently in development.
FUN!
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Well the easiest answer would be that blogging is a simple way to keep my writing skills up to par… or just below par all things considered.
Then again, I was talking to an acquaintance of mine who was thinking of creating a blog about ways to be more green in the office, at home, out and about, etc… and she believed that when someone is “blogging” there is typically a theme associated with their blog.
So when she asked what the theme of my blog was, I was hard pressed to find a suitable answer. In the end I believe the consensus was that my personal blog are just any and every random thought that comes through my head that I just need to write out in some capacity or another otherwise I would be prone to over-thinking about said thought as opposed to placing said thought off to the side or back burner to focus on something else that is more pressing.
How’s that for a nice convoluted answer?
But really… why do I blog?
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