Special guest star - Josh

tomorrow we're driving back up to Burlington, where I grew up. I like driving because it avoids the timetables, security, and powerlessness of flying these days. I asked my mom to make sourmilk blueberry pancakes. It's something I've been thinking about for the last 9 years - there was this one restaurant in Chicago that I used to go to on occasion for Sunday brunch - somewhere around the top of the Magnificent Mile - I really can't remember where - but I think we'd eaten outside, and the out-door environment wasn't anything great. But those pancakes were really something ... So that's what I'm hoping for this weekend.
-JS

New kind of kung fu?

When they re-fill the lobster or crab tray at East, swarms of Chinese people 3-4 feet tall have already been waiting eagerly. It's a game of survival of the fittest, because it doesn't matter when you arrive. Once the food is there, these short Chinese ladies skilled in the art of seafood-fu swoop in from every angle, like right under my arm or across my face, to snag the goods. Even though I'm standing in a more strategic spot (stupidly assuming a policy of first come first serve) and I'm taller than them by a foot - I end up with no lobster on my plate. It's must be some kind of martial arts, because it happens so fast. The seafood tray is emptied in seconds. And then the next round of vultures gather around.
A brilliant solution came to me today. I'll bring my own serve ware. The serving spoon or tongs are the limiting factor as to how many aggressive midget Chinese women can get to the food. I know they feel no remorse about pushing me out of the way or grabbing a piece of crab right under or even between my tongs, but I wonder if they would have the audacity to take away my own serving spoon?

26 miles of eating

My mother normally abstains from eating large quantities of food unless we go to a Chinese buffet place like East in Flushing. Then she can down like 30 king crab legs in one sitting.
How is this possible? Eating this much without any practice or training? Why doesn't she throw up? Another tiny Asian lady, my mom's friend, also barely eats anything unless she meets a seafood buffet. We went to a New Year's gala in Thailand where there was an exotic assortment of seafood. She ate through many many plates. My mom remarked in all the 40 years of knowing her friend, she'd never seen her friend eat that much. Josh was worried she might throw up. Of course nothing happened. How come prior to the seafood gorging, she couldn't even eat one little plate of Pad Thai by herself? What's up with these tiny Asian ladies and seafood eating marathons?

I'm burning pretty brightly

I offered yet another New Year's resolution to my husband today - Work on not being grumpy in the morning. He generously let me off the hook - "Your plate is full." Thanks Josh! It really does take a lot of effort and concentration to stick to the ones I already have.

My New Year's Resolutions

1. Think before I speak. (Be nicer to my husband)
2. Think before I buy. (Reduce returns and impulse buys)
3. Be more patient with everyone.
4. Be more organized and keep a neater house.

So far I'm doing great with #1 and have great plans underway with #2 and #4.
These resolutions are all toughies for me.

Don't Bite Green

Japanese lunch

While Beth's head is buried in a Scrabble board, I'm going to have to compensate by telling you what what I ate for lunch. Josh, a co-worker and I immensely enjoyed a lunch at Naniwa (46th between 5th and Madison). I kinda want to keep it a secret because it's busy enough but so few people read the blog anyway. The best time to go is lunch and lunch specials are the way to go. We had today's special: a smorgasbord of grilled hamachi, kamameshi, soba soup, salad, fruits and pickled vegetables, all for $11. They also serve really good popcorn tea. Yum! Prices increase tri-fold by dinner time and the clientele becomes mostly Japanese.

Help me young whippersnappers

For those 25 years and younger (mentally or otherwise), please suggest where I can get these trendified and possibly racy items (If I shopped at my regular venues, they would be old lady and very staid). It would be even better if these items are high quality and can last me more than a few wears. But the most important thing is looks.
1. Black low and high boots (preferably with rubber traction)
2. Low slung underwear (low rider in back and front, but don't want it in my butt and must be cotton - synthetics a big no!)
3. Skinny skinny pants and jeans (the tighter the better, but preferably low waisted so my gut can hang over and I can joyfully eat)

Tight lace dresses, fishnet stockings, here I come!

My mother reacts horribly when I suggest things to her like, why don't you wear a skirt? "I'm too old!" she exclaims. I really don't get it, I think she looks young, thin and fabulous; she can definitely carry most fashions off, if she was so inclined. I used to feel so sorry her and all the cultural taboos she created for herself. Then last night, as I lamented to my 21 year old cousin that I can't find skinny pants any where, she first suggested Express. I didn't miss a beat, I shrieked, "Express! I'm too old to wear Express!"
So I'm going to try to break any taboos that I didn't even know I had. I'll start by shopping in Express, Forever21 and any other suggestions you might have for me. My husband should stay out of this, as this could be too much fun for him.

Diversity

When I first met Josh I thought he had some kind of an accent but I couldn't pinpoint what kind. (And his father thought I had an accent, which really pissed me off because as a child, I was "trained" to eliminate my foreign accent. As it turns out, the training is too successful because my accent is like a phonics teacher - too much enunciation.) When we did a short hike on Snake Mountain or other, we met other hikers. It came to me in a flash that he has a Vermont accent and so does his dad.
Here's a feud we've been having about Vermont, can you settle it? I insist that the word, "creamy" is regional. Growing up in NY, I've never heard of creamy used for soft ice cream. But I haven't heard of a lot of things, so who knows? Josh insists that the term, creamy is not regional. I think creamy is similar to how Philadelphians use hoagie for sandwich. I just realized that I can Google this to settle it once and for all so this post is lame and meaningless. Oh well. It's a nod to you, Haik. I can't help it.

The Fatherland!

We're going to Josh's birthplace, Burlington Vermont during MLK weekend. We're going to be driving to the Green Mountain state. This post is pretty lame as I don't have much to say about VT like I did with Thailand so I'll let Vermonsters comment if they wish.

Cooking

I grew up mostly on Chinese fast food. My mom worked long hours and never had time to cook so we always had takeout. She did make some things every now and again but I didn't get enough experience to actually learn how to cook from her. I used to watch my grandmother cook a lot and I learned how to cut all kinds of meat and vegetables from her. Her cooking was always delicious because she sprinkled magical MSG on everything she made. Today, when people hear that I'm from Thailand and that I cook or like to cook, they get excited and jump to the conclusion that I must make really fabulous Thai food for my Asian pervert husband. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm intimidated to cook Thai food and my husband doesn't like Thai food. What I actually cook for him are his favorite foods, which I'd like to coin, "melting pot gourmet Americana". They are things like: spaghetti and meatballs, beef tacos, chicken parmesan, etc. I always feel embarrassed telling people about these dishes because they don't seem gourmet enough for someone's who's just revealed she likes cooking. So I have to explain how I sometimes make my own salsa from tomatoes from the garden or the special way I slice and then pound chicken breasts when making chicken marsala. But then again, why do I feel pressured to live up to their image of how I cook? I was chastised the other day by Josh when I proclaimed that olive oil and vegetable oil have the same taste and utility in my kitchen.

A call for your kiss and tell

If you've ever dated or been romantically involved with my husband, Josh, please do tell if you've ever given him any feedback. According to him, no ex has ever given him any feedback on his behavior or information that would have helped him in the relationship.
I find this hard to believe. He claims I'm the only girl to give him any kind of feedback. I did have to hit him over the head a number of times (and even on the same things!) to explain things that to my amazement he'd never heard of. It felt really humiliating to cover off (repeatedly) basic things that I thought everyone took for granted. For example, he claimed to have never heard of paying for a date when you're the asker. I can't believe I actually pointed this out to him while we were on a date. It was so awkward. I remember much of our early experiences simplified in my mind to - is he really that dumb or a big asshole? (Luckily, as it turns out, he's neither.)
And there are even more uproarious things that make me blush to even think about mentioning.

Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Happy New Year!!!!

I think I'm going to make New Year's my favorite holiday. And I get to celebrate it at least three times a year!
1. Conventional western New Year (Jan 1) - time for celebration and resolutions!
2. Chinese New Year (in ~Feb) - this is one of my least favorite New Year's because I have to give people money.
3. Thai New Year (in ~April) - I really should go to Thailand to celebrate this. They really know how to have a crazy good time. During this festive holiday (Songkran) you get to throw water at anyone and everyone does it in public (using pails, buckets, water guns, whatever goes!) It's really hot in Thailand and having water thrown on you while everyone laughs actually feels good; not at all like you're the subject of a humiliating practical joke.
4. Jewish New Year (in ~September) - one of my favorites because I have to think about all my wrongs and try to be a better person.

Trip Advisor - Thailand

Highly Recommended
1. Evason Hotel in Pranburi (Hua Hin area) - Eco hotel; the best breakfast buffet (4 kinds of homemade yogurt, enjoyed by Josh); great room aesthetics.
2. Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in Bangkok - the best 24 hr gym; great location for shopping and BTS (skytrain)
3. Sukhothai hotel in Bangkok - the best service (even better than the Oriental, in my opinion), room design and this was where we had our wedding.
4. Direct flight from NY to Bangkok on Thai airways - otherwise you'll need at least one stop over in Asia.
5. Blue Mango restaurant in Ao Nang beach, Krabi - delicious, high quality Thai food and Swedish food (not fusion); no air conditioning.
6. Naj Exquisite cuisine in Bangkok - my aunt owns this restaurant; this is not a biased review, this place rocks!
7. Go to Krabi over Phuket.
8. Visit Thailand during the months of Nov-Jan for the best weather.

Thailand and Wedding Pictorial Highlights

Sadie and Dazee in matching swings.
My husband did not even recognize me in the beastly makeup. The make up artist told me ahead of time that he was going for a "natural" look. He must work with a lot of dragons.

My dear brother adeptly adjusting his bride's bustle. I bet most men don't even know what one is.
Check out those cool roots!
Mimi and her bridesmaids. From the left - Liz, ever the sport, wore a dress that had a makeshift lace corset back since there wasn't even enough material to cover her modest frame. Me, I'm in an ill-fitting dress, a sacrifice since my sister didn't want to wear it. Mona, Mimi, my sister, Siri and Sara. My beautiful mother and her grand-daughter, my daughter, Dazee.

My mom's mom, 90+, our oldest living ancestor.

4 generations of girls!
Look at my brother in his pimpin' white suit and pink tie. You can't tell from this picture, but the pimp- suit was completed by white leather shoes and smooth covering foundation (makeup for his face!). Mimi, his bride, looks like Venus! Dazee resplendent in all her glorious size, amply pouring out of the bassinet. With the new obese passenger rules (must buy two seats if you're big), I think we should have bought her two baby seats.

It takes a few adults to get Dazee's thumbprint. A few to hold the hand with the ink, a few more to control the other wildly failing hand. Pre-Wedding prep - My brother, holding two cell phones, a Blackberry and a PDA in his pockets.

For a pics from a professional photog, check out this link: http://www.kmkwed.wedding64.com/

Superbad a good movie, Josh - even funnier

During the movie, I turned to my husband and asked him if he thinks Jewel really likes Seth. (Seth, a "dork" would really like to get with her) He replies in the tone of a lawyer making a closing statement, "It's fiction."
This is more uproarious to me than anything! When I watch movies, I really get into the plot and the characters. I don't need much to stir my imagination. Loose characterizations, flimsy premises, I don't care. I have fun speculating about how things may end up or should end up. Why is my husband so much more logical than me?

I laughed, I cried, I PIMP!

I'm back from Thailand! I had such a wonderful time, I will post updates soon.
I really miss blogging and reading blogs! I was so pleased that Beth posted so many entries, even though I think she's officially still on hiatus.

We asked for our mail to be held for two weeks. I thought we would have to go to the post office to pick up our all of our junk mail. But guess what Sammy, our mailman left on my doorstep today:


A crate full of mail!!! I wonder if I'm supposed to return this crate and if I got this service because I tipped him?

Can't escape my genes

I have been miserable for the past 3 weeks. Unexplained stomach aches and bathroom troubles I won't go into details about. And then I figured out that I had sudden onset of lactose intolerance. That blows! I love dairy.
I read somewhere that like 90-99% of all Asians have some form of it or other. Someone at work remarked that most of us develop it by their 20s, that I got an extra decade or so to enjoy dairy.

The Motherland

Dear gentle and not-so-gentle readers, I'm off to the sin city of the east, my birthplace, Bangkok Thailand.
I used to be one of those "great" and "understanding" girlfriends that questioned when other girlfriends prohibited their beloveds from going to bachelor parties or having one. Well, ladies, I got my comeuppance. My wedding was in Thailand. No way was I going to let my Asian fetish husband have a bachelor party in Bangkok. Back then, the dollar was worth a little more than it is today, so a bevy of talented sex performers or sex geishas who could open beer bottles with their vaginas or write Happy Birthday from their crotches could be had for cheap. Sorry Josh, that your "bachelor" party even degraded to the point where a female friend tagged along.