My Bible for randomness.

 Hi!
Damn, it's almost March and NYC is still freezing my butt.

COME ON SPRING!!!

Anyways, enough about the weather.
Talking about weather all the time is only for the awkward elevator situation.

Today, as the title suggests, I am going to introduce my Bible for randomness....
Any guess anybodyyyy????














Here!
This is an amazing book. No really. I believe every instruction books, from recipes to assembling a dresser, should look like this. Aside from the beautiful visuals, this book is pure randomness.
I mean who needs to know how to make a chain dress? Ok, maybe some people...I'm not judging.

I got this from a friend of mine as a birthday gift couple years ago. 

I believe there is a sequel to this book. I must check it out. And so must you. 

They tell you how to read the body language of your date in the book.... how resourceful.

If you want to go natural...

HI! This is my first post in... 10 days!! AH!
Someone has clearly been lazy in keeping up with this blog disciplines.

BAD, YURI!  I will try to update this more frequently as possible!
Okay, before I turn this blog into some schizophrenic, self-talking diary,
I'm going to discuss today's random guide!

Recently, there is a huge boom in people going nuts about "natural products."

You know, I always wondered about that. WHAT IS NATURALL???
Are they making their products out of natural product? Well, define natural for me.

All these people in corporations and advertisement are really tricky about their use in their terms.
I mean, even if they used petro oil or some chemicals in the detergent, they would call it "natural ingredient..."


SURE-----.

There have been many studies finding that companies use highly toxic chemicals and ingredients to make soaps and detergents. They can possibly cause cancer and all these scary crazy stuff.

EW. NOT USING THEM.

It is hard though, being used to be surrounded by all products possible - from cleaning the floor to bath tubs - to cut off yourself from them completely.


SO THAT'S WHAT MY BLOG IS FOR!!!!! DADAAAA

If you want to/ are even slightly interested in using "natural" product for mmm maybe cleaning?
You've got a perfect product for that.
You wanna know? You wanna know? .....












VINEGAR!! Yes, vinegar. You know, that sour liquid that your mom stores in the cupboard in kitchen?
Vinegar can deodorize, kill bacterias, and clean pretty much anything!
If you combine vinegar and baking soda....
ohhh... they turn into bad boys attacking all these grease on the pots and pans.

Here's some useful link for more info!
http://www.vinegartips.com/Scripts/

Well, yes, if you wipe your table or floor using vinegar, it WILL smell like vinegar.
I like that pungent smell personally, but if you don't.... mmm suck it up, if you wanna go truly natural!
The smell will go away in a few minutes anyways.

Now, if I come into your house unannounced, it better smell like vinegar!

Valentine's Day!! Let us all be the slaves of corporate marketing!

Valentine's day... it is a special day for people to appreciate/confess/drop some dollars for their love.

Very romantic.

Eh, anyways.
Valentine's day, as commonly known, is a day started by Saint Valentine, a Christian priest, who helped young people marry under the prosecution of Roman emperor Claudius II. For his kind action, Saint Valentine was executed on February 14th. According to another legend, this saint confessed his love to a young girl the night before his execution by sending her a card, which was signed as "From your Valentine"... (sources: History.com)

OK THESE LEGENDS HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO HISTORICAL FACTS PEOPLE!

First off, there are at least 3, yes THREE martyrs called Valentines and we don't even know which one it is that we are celebrating.

Second, some historians argue that there are no romantic associations between St. Valentines up til certain period of time. Some go on and argue that Catholic Church used the date of St. Valentine's death in order to "christianize" the Roman pagan holiday Lupercalia (a day of fertility which happened to fall on between February 13 - 15, convenient!!!)

From these research, we can conclude one thing.

WE ARE ALL SLAVES OF MARKETING FROM ANCIENT TIMES!
Ah, the power of marketing... Love it.

In order to not fall into corporate hands by submitting myself into buying corporate Valentine's goods, I had to look for an inexpensive alternative to celebrate this HOLYday of romance... And found some interesting ideas...

HERE:

1. Make a memory jar. Take simple slips of paper and write a favorite memory on each one. Be specific, and try to record as much about the occasion as you can. Tuck them into a jar or wooden box, tied with a bow.

2. Build a romantic fire. Host your own indoor picnic, complete with a bottle of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries.

3. Recreate your first date together. What were you wearing? Where did you go? Do you remember what you talked about? Spend the evening reminiscing and reflecting on how far you have come as a couple.

HERE COMES MY FAVORITE IDEA....!


4. Spoon. 

HAHA ok.

5. Choose a book in which you are both interested, fiction or nonfiction. Read a new chapter each night before bed. This cozy tradition will allow you to spend some quality time together and often makes for thought provoking breakfast conversations.

6. Make a tape of the songs special to your relationship. Include "your song," songs from your wedding, songs from favorite movies. Add a personal voice dedication and leave it in his briefcase, Walkman, or car stereo.

7. Turn off the TV and play a game of Scrabble or Pictionary.

OMG this website is soo NOT helpful with ideas. But just in case you guys are interested, here is the website that I pulled the ideas from.

http://www.creativehomemaking.com/inexpensive-valentines-day-ideas.shtml

#17 is my favorite, although it's pretty much the same as #8 and #17. Repeat much?

Hopefully this post has helped you reconsider... well figure out how to spend this marketing-filled date with you loved ones! I'm going to sit home and watch movies with some beer and wings. Let's recreate Superbowl feasting!

HAPPY ST. VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!!! <3 <3 <3

Superbowl Sunday!! = Wings+Beer+other greasy food day!

SUPER BOWL!!!!

I never cared for the actual game of this world's most viewed sport event.
I don't even understand the rules of football, what the heck.


BUUUTTTT
wings and beers and chips and salsa for the game??

YES PLEASE!

I feel like I've been talking about food a lot lately. Maybe I should might as well convert this blog into a food blog................................



nahhhh. There are way too many food blog anyways.
Talking about food blog, you guys should also check out this blog, foodgawker.
It's an awesome eye-pleasing blog that shows pretty pictures of yummy food.

Anyways, superbowl must come with greasy food and lots of beer and obnoxious people.
One problem arises, however, by eating lots of superbowl kind of food; heartburn.

Yes, I know. I am talking like an old old person but a lot of greasy food gives me heartburn lately.
Have you had any?
IT IS PAINFUL. UGH. GROSS.

To combat this dilemma, the mighty foodgawker gave me a hint:

KALE CHIPS!!!!!

 You just need to tear up the kale leaves and drizzle them with olive oil and a bit of salt.

Pop them in the oven of 350 degrees and bake them for about...10 - 13 minutes and

WALA!!!

TRUST ME. It is GOOD. If you google "Kale chips" you will get lots of hits.

It must be in trend now...

You can add any spices. flavor you want to recreate the store-bought chips.

1lbs of kale only cost me $1.50 too!!!





What else could be a substitute for chips that are easy on your stomach and calories, while being yummy and easy on your wallet...

Yes, I am a true advocate of this snack. Although I do love the commercially sold chips...
mmmm I give one vote for salt and vinegar chips.

If you were looking for healthier alternatives for superbowl food, run to the grocery store and buy kale! Quick, it might run out since other 1 million readers of this blog might do the same thing!

just kidding.

Or you can just buy the bagged chips and have heartburn.

If you choose the latter, drinking milk can help reducing the burn.
How nice of me. Happy superbowl day everyone!

Guess what day is February 3rd 2011????

Any guess? Any guess???
The answer is.......da da daddadada (drum roll)











It is the 82nd anniversary for the first meeting of League of Nation in 1919!!!!

JUST KIDDING!
CHINESE NEW YEAR BABYYYYYY!
Being half Taiwanese, I must go back to my maternal roots and celebrate this few thousands years olds event.


ehhh, but how am I supposed to celebrate...?
Unfortunately, I have never, yes, NEVER celebrated this special day at home.
My mother was not very event-oriented plus living in Japan, lunar new year was not too big of a deal.
I had no idea what Chinese New Year was until like 3 years ago.

SHAME YURI SHAME ON YOU!

Being a nerd and a coward to ask around how to celebrate this day,
I naturally turned to my long-time best friend.


Google.

So the great google says for Chinese New Years, people generally do the following:

Before/during New Years Eve (February 2nd 2011)
1. Clean your house, throw away all things that remind you of previous years..... that's hard. ok I'm only gonna clean.

2. Pay all debts... UGH. not doing it.

3. Buy: flowers (plums and water lilies and such), oranges/tangerines, circular candy tray(?), and new clothes for children... I will just buy oranges.

4. Get new dollar bills... I'm too lazy.

OK! It looks like I will be cleaning house and buying oranges today!

New Years Day
1. Open all doors and windows at midnight to let go of old year... IT'S FREEZING HERE GODDAMN IT

2. Eat symbolic food: Whole chicken/fish, dumplings, turnip cakes, new years cake on and on and on...Sounds awesome.

3. Give money in red envelopes to kids.... Brats, go elsewhere for money.

4. Don't wash your hair. WHAT

5. Don't use scissors/knives... it will cut you off from prosperous year...um..but i need to cut that whole chicken...

6. Wear/hang something red...I don't wear red.

7. Don't sweep floor

8.....

9...

LIST IS TOO LONG!!!! OMG-----

No wonder my mom never really did this... I understand now.
Screw this. I will just eat the food and wish for good year. period.
Dumplings and whole chicken sound like a plan to me---- yaay.

Although my mom told me Hakka people that we are (type of people who speak different language from Mandarin and have somewhat different traditions and culture, I will write about it in the future...maybe...if I feel like it) do not eat dumplings....tears... that is a northern main land china's tradition. boo.
Instead Hakka eats bamboo shoots and some other stuff.

Anyways!

To all my Chinese and non-Chinese friends and readers:

GONG XI FA CAI!!! (for translation, please google)