i’m halfway through the first half of the second half of high school

yesterday was the last day of my first semester of junior year.  it started off stressful because of finals but it got a lot lot better.  i had to take my two hardest finals on the last day when i was taking my english final, my hand was shaking like crazy and it took me the first testing period plus the break to finish everything.   i was close to being late for my pre calc final and i thought i did bad on it cause i blindly guessed on like 5 or 6 of them at the very end.  i felt so relieved after school because it was winter break and no more worrying about finals.

after school, jennie, kezia, and i went to click&connect real quick to visit a friend and then they dropped me off at pho ha.  it was funny and embarrassing at the same time walking in because everyone started clapping for me -_- haha after i drained my pho, we all went to the boba place next door and i bought boba. i felt so fat after and i felt bad for spending so much money on food. after that, i went to vg with jonah, cj, chelsea, boa, angela, eric, and edward.  we walked around for a little bit, went to jamba juice, and decided to go to the park afterwards. i played on the jungle gym thing and jumped off the swings for a little bit and played 6 on 6 basketball with some guys there.  we ended up losing which sucked but whatever.  after the game, we walked back to the mall and i checked my pre-calc grade with eric and i ended up doing better than i thought.  eric and i walked through the food court, around jamba juice, and went back around to the library cause we thought everyone ditched us but it turned out that everyone was actually in the kid’s section of the library haha.  hm so we talked in the kid’s section of the library for a while and later walked around.  we went to bath&body works and they tried on some lotion hah and we went to macy’s after.  boa totally knocked out on this one futon haha and the rest of us hid from her. after, we went to the food court and i ate some of boa’s great khan food and then my siblings and i went home. when i got home, i was so tired.

whoa a lot happened yesterday but it all went by so fast.

today i had an envision staff meeting and since we had a secret santa thing, i baked brownies for the person i chose.  while they were baking, i wrote the longest first note i’ve ever written. the brownies were done around 1 but i spent the next hour trying to figure out how to get them out of the glass container and i ended up messing them up -.- my bro and i got there sometime past 2 and by that time, most everyone left.  i felt so bad but she liked my brownies and note which made me feel better even though it seemed like i didn’t. <0.3  my bro, jennie, and i went to vg for a little bit and saw a couple of people we knew and then we all went back home.

before my brother and i left to go out again, my mom and i had the longest, most emotional talk we’ve ever had.  i wasn’t in trouble or anything but it really made me think about my attitude towards my parents and how i haven’t been giving them the respect and trust they deserve.  i love my parents and i’m so thankful for them but i feel like i don’t show them enough that i am. i promise i will change.

the rest of tonight went by really fast.  my bro and i went to this one party, but technically we didn’t cause we were outside most of the time haha.  then we went to thoroughbred with jennie & kezia to look at the christmas decorations but my bro and i couldn’t stay long even though time went by fast, it was still fun cause of the people i was with.

so it’s winter break yay! i want to be productive this break but i probably won’t be haha.  i seriously can’t believe christmas is in one week.  i’m looking forward to relaxing, spending time with family, eating, and hanging out with friends.  i haven’t really thought about what i want for christmas. i don’t expect much in terms of gifts for christmas and i’ll be content with anything. all i want for christmas is you <0.3

if you read all of this, you should give yourself a high five . . . haha now think about what you just did xD

Currently enjoying:

Bakuman and Bleach. Weekly comics.

Utada Hikaru. Japanese pop music.

SammyHappyBelly Samantha Hepburn somehow finds the time to post multiple daily doodles on her blog.

Waffles. It’s not french toast, but it gets the job done.

Twitter. My brain hungers for internet information.

Lifehacker I can’t get enough of this site, because I’m a nerd at heart.

Blogging.

Ikea.

Kinokuniya bookstores. Good for art supplies.

Rain. Not enough rain in southern California. Enjoying it while it lasts.

The Holiday season. A great reason to put cool lights and decorations everywhere.

The BBC.

Wood floors.

Walking.

Amazon.com Good for buying cheap books.

Fearne Cotton. I didn’t know who she was until today.

Boba. Why not?

Ingredients

For awhile now I have been wanting to start a weekly post introducing different carriers.  I will explain the carrier, what it’s different characteristics are, what I like/dislike about it and even put in a few photos.    So here I go.

The company Sleepy Wrap (which is a lovely stretchy wrap) introduced a new Soft Structured Carrier a month or so ago.  Which of course I had to have for the group.  This particular carrier has a very unique feature of having stirrups for babies feet, which is supposed to position the babies hips in a more ergonomic position.

If you aren’t familiar with Soft Structured Carriers, I will give you my own personal synopsis of what one is.  A Soft Structured Carrier (commonly shortened into SSC) has a “structured” waist, which is padded and firm.  Thus diverting most of the weight of baby to the hips or waist of the wearer.  The waist is attached to you with buckles as well as the shoulder straps are attached with buckles.   SSC’s are quick to use however aren’t the most versatile of carriers.  They tend to not fit body types that are very petite nor very large.

Back to the Boba. . .the first thing that comes to mind is the price tag.  $99, that is right, Ninety-Nine Dollars.  This is one of the less expensive carriers on the market right now.  And they look good.  There aren’t any fancy patterns and do-dads, it is a very simple carrier for a very good price.  You can check out their website here http://www.bobababycarrier.com/  There are several different color panels to choose from.

At first try I found the waist and shoulder straps to be too stiff for my liking, we will see how it wears in.  It was still comfortable to wear and my babe liked it well enough.  So much so that he fell asleep on our trip through Costco.  Which brings me to my gripe.  There is no hood.  Not all carriers need a hood. . .but this one seems to.   My babes head bobbled right out of there and just hung.  One mama that is borrowing the Boba at this moment sent me this sweet picture after I shared my issue with the Boba.

Exibir Álbum Completo

Não existe nenhum outro filme que eu tenha assistido mais do que a saga Guerra nas Estrelas e também eu nunca vi um vilão mais respeitado e amado do que o Darth Vader.

As fotos são excelentes, o vídeo é um verdadeiro delírio e o fundo de Requiem for a Dream é um show à parte.

Damn you, night cravings. Damn you, damn your addictiveness, and damn your non-conduciveness to a healthy diet.

Oh look, I never put this up from this summer, and this was one of my fave shots from TW. Silly me.

By Cason Latimer

Chunkiness is not usually a texture that western pallets associate with tea, however Bubble Tea, is a sensation that has caught on around the country and more recently in the Boston area. Bubble tea is a Taiwanese import boasting a new and fun way to experience tea. In Boston there are several purveyors of this interesting concoction, including Lollicup in Allston, Tealuxe on Newbury and many locations in Chinatown.

What sets Bubble tea apart from normal tea are the tapioca balls that are in it. These bobas, or tapioca balls, are made out of a mixture tapioca and carrageenan powders and have a slimy yet chewy consistency.  Fortunately when you order a Bubble tea you are given a straw with an extra large diameter to make sucking down these gooey balls all the more easy. This straw can also act as a launcher for many a Boba spitball fight.

The actual tea comes in many different varieties including the classic Bubble Milk Tea, and many other flavors including Taro which is purple in color, fruit flavors like strawberry and banana, and stranger flavors like Barley and Lychee. You can even get the Bobas in different shapes and sizes like stars and rectangles.

What ever your flavor, Bubble tea is a cool beverage for a small caffeine fix, and for Allston residents is conveniently located in the Super 88 food court at Packard’s corner, where a large is reasonably priced around $3.50.

The Discovery, originally uploaded by Brianna Calello Photography.

I couldn’t have been more correct when I stated, “the revelation I’m looking for can only occur from the evolution of my creation.”
On Friday morning I groaned in bed at the fact that I had to get up and go to class. A travel which took me only 15 minutes by bus from my previous residence now takes- a car ride, a walk, a train ride, a transferred train ride (only one stop), another transferred train ride and a 10 minute walk through tourists- a little over an hour. All of which has to be completed by 9am. She doesn’t allow breakfast in class- my body only accepts nourishment after at least 930am. By the middle of class I’m dying, and by class… I mean performing on stage and doing thespian exercises to warm up. It just wasn’t meant to be. It was stressing me out. So I went all the way to Cambridge to decide to quit.
I started walking back to Harvard Square. I decided I didn’t want to come all the way just to return home. I took the train back to Boston Common to see the morning showing of Where The Wild Things Are. It was playing in one of the really big theaters for new popular movies. I sat in this giant theater all alone watching the pre-preview looping… thinking about my decision, and being perfectly okay with accepting my first F. Eventually people came; a group of special education young adults, on some sort of group trip to the movies. This made my experience far more enjoyable. I’ve always envied the idea that someone mentally challenged often sees the world so simply. The movie was everything I hoped for; by the end I had convinced myself that it was my life story.
After leaving the theater, and having a new sense of the meaning of life I walked toward Chinatown for some afternoon boba and a hotdog bun. I don’t know if it was some sort of food-stamp day in Boston or because President Obama happened to be in town but there were far more homeless people in the area at that particular time than I ever cross paths with on any given day in the city. There were a lot of rough characters out; it really made me miss San Francisco. Yes… I am reminiscing on the tenderloin- let’s pretend this isn’t a weird thing. I sat in Bao Bao Bakery enjoying my favorite Chinatown delights and decided to write. It felt right, and the words just came out.
The following is what I wrote:
“What is identity? To the people across from you on the train you are just your looks. You are the assumptions that people make of you. To the government you are a set of numbers, a distinct 9-digit number that affects your life from birth to death. To your family, you are who you’ve grown to become- they’ve seen you at your best and worst. Fate has identified them as your family, a force stronger than we can comprehend grants a love that cannot be explained… at least in most situations. Friends accept you for who you wish to be around them because they choose to. But who are you? Are you the traits passed on from generations passed? Are you the person you used to imagine yourself becoming? Are you hiding yourself out of fears? Look in the mirror. This is you. You are exactly who you see yourself to be. You cannot hide secrets from yourself. You are the only person who can completely understand the fragments of your every being. So next time you look at someone else think about this, because every individual has an identity, several in fact. Every identity has a story. It all depends on how much you want to discover.”

I closed my journal and took in all of my thoughts, had a great conversation with a woman who was experiencing Bao Bao Bakery for her first time, and went home.
It all makes sense now.
I’m constantly searching for the idea of my own identity, so much so that it consumes my thoughts. The idea that; every experience, every day lived, every fact read, every person met, every place traveled to- affect your life immensely and you may not realize this for years or maybe its only subconscious. But it’s all there; every detail is in every fiber of you.
My project is a matter of me piecing together all of these fragments.

B.

Had to post this. It’s actually something I made for some wise guys. Simple design. Hope you like it.

Hit for full view.

“Paz, eu quero paz
Já me cansei de ser a última a saber de ti
Se todo mundo sabe quem te faz
chegar mais tarde
Eu já cansei de imaginar você com ela
Diz pra mim
se vale a pena, amor
A gente ria tanto desses nossos desencontros
Mas você passou do ponto
e agora eu já não sei mais…”

A Outra – Los Hermanos

Peguei-me sozinha em casa no final da noite de sábado. Minha irmã disse que voltaria muito tarde – eu sabia que ela ia dormir fora, mas fingi acreditar na mentira dela (às vezes, é mais fácil se fazer de boba) –, então lá estava eu, finalmente sozinha em casa depois de tanto tempo e de tanta loucura familiar.

Coloquei um confortável moletom, amarrei o cabelo (de um jeito que poucas pessoas já me viram usar) e contemplei o apartamento que, naquele momento, estava enorme. Eram tantos cômodos vazios e tanto silêncio que fiquei pensando em como não conseguia achar ali um pouco de sossego. Eu poderia me sentir sozinha, ficar deprimida e tal. Mas não!

Senti-me em paz. Era uma tranqüilidade – não havia ninguém ali. Eu podia fazer o que quisesse sem ter que parar para atender a carência de um ou dar comida ao outro ou, até mesmo, ficar me explicando. Liguei o som num volume agradável (não podia ser alto demais por causa do horário) e fiquei navegando na internet, comendo pizza, fazer alguns documentos que eu tinha pendente e pensando no nada e no tudo, ao mesmo tempo.

Vi algumas séries, que estavam atrasadas, e deitei tarde… Muito tarde! Mas com a certeza de que poderia dormir em paz. Nada poderia me incomodar – o remédio tinha esta garantia – e eu sabia que era exatamente aquilo que eu precisava depois de uma semana tão longa, cheia e repleta de sentimentos, sensações e várias confusões.

Nada como dormir, relaxar o corpo, deixar a mente devanear por mundos loucos e sem sentidos. Acordei leve e, de alguma forma, feliz. Sabia que estava pronta para enfrentar mais uma semana com os eternos problemas familiares, as carências em momentos inadequados e todos os outros compromissos que me completam enquanto um  indivíduo social.

Obviamente, a sensação de paz e tranqüilidade durou pouco – bem pouco. Mas tudo bem! O importante é que eu soube aproveitar a oportunidade que me foi oferecida.

“As três coisas mais difíceis do mundo são: guardar um segredo, perdoar uma ofensa e aproveitar o tempo”

Benjamim Franklin

ahh, i just got back from boba..my blog title refers to dancing class/boba open mic..plus how blueberry vanilla boba tastes like medicine…eek..like those acai berry drinks..yeaaah. got up after full rest this morning for first time all week..yay..ate friday chicken biscuit meal//then did dictionary assignment and waited for pearls to get back so we could go to eat then dance class..in the meantime i found my old white shoes with elastics dance looking shoes that i had like back 5yrs ago and wore maybe twice..they make my feet look almost two sizes bigger..aka, like normal sized feet..whoa..yeah, they are kinda big on my foot, my feet kinda slip out of them, but thats what the elastics are fore..chyeah..em and pearls ate at quodoba and went to tio ricky’s clase..he wasn’t wearing his codpiece today..no way..thats why his jeans were looser..prob forgot to put it on..hmm, this week there was more variety of guys..like actual good dancer luis, chinese computer guy looking bill..and then the creeps like franciso in the tight skinny jeans and big sneakers that moved like 2cm when he did his dance steps..so he looked like he was just wiggling his body..and pedophile george..that looked 35 and wanted to practice bachata steps with me…ekk..plus guys whoe breath smelled like they just drank milk and guys that held you like a ruler..super straight and eck..hmm, yeah next week me and pearls def going to the non-beginners salsa group…apparently there is dance event from 6-11..oh my..yeaah, went to boba after like usual..best open mic night..even if valentino hogged the stage and blueberry tasted kinda weird..there was a raffle..shirts and free 12inch pizzas..but no year supply of free boba..oh and i saw my dream purple dell with flower petal design laptop…ahhhh! waahh, then the latin dance club burst in..minus tio rrrricky and did salsa moves on the small floor space..oh yeah, and saw this really whoa persian girl with skinny jeans and wedges that like 99% of people unless they are skinny and without hips can’t pull off..sigh..well, need to wash up.till tomorrow

too asian….i can’t resist. spa-wa

Well you asked for it, you’ll get it! The balls-to-the-wall review of the not-so-popular Lollicup! (Just to let you and everybody else know, I do enjoy Lollicup, but a whole review where I endorse a product is boring! With that said I will continue on my over-analytical review.)

If you scroll down the blog, you will see several examples of the mysterious beverage dubbed “Lollicup” by its Taiwanese American owners and peddlers. I don’t know who was tripping on what when they came up with the name Lollicup because there is nothing “Lolli” about this “cup”. Technically, Lollicup is the brand name of the store outlet (with originated in California), and thus the real product under scrutiny here is Bubble tea. Thus, the cute product loses its cute name in favor of one that makes you think of somebody farting in your tea. (Just me? Not any more. Just look at it next time!) The origins of “bubble tea” is even lamer than the franchise of Lollicup. It migrated from Canada. That’s right: the land of hockey, curling, and William Shatner is where we got bubble tea. (Ok, it was from Taiwan, but it spread from Canada first, then to NYC. I bet it tried to get into the US, but at the time it was just too gay.)

Just gay, or maybe just high?

So, what am I really reviewing? A Taiwanese tea beverage shaken

with a cocktail shaker that came from Canada sold by a Taiwanese American franchise from California. And now there is one in Georgia too. And that is the one I went to.

For those that don’t know what bubble tea consist of, I recommend that you look at this diagram. For tea, it has a weird texture. For a bubble tea, I have no idea (but I assume it’s normal). There are multiple favors ranging from normal (green tea) to odd for tea (chocolate) to completely bizarre (piña colada) to WTF (OREO-favored?). Pretty much it is an imitation Slurpy using tea instead of high-fructose corn syrup (oh wait, that’s in its ingredients too), then instead of carbonated Pepsi products. It’s kinda like turkey bacon (good), but with more bubbles (?), and Taiwanese (also good).

On to the boba. (Let’s see how many innuendoes I can make in this section!) Boba are the gooey slimy balls you suck up through a straw. Those are made from tapioca. Sticky pudding-like stuff. But not the mushy stuff you are use to, no. These mothers will knock you out if you suck too hard. (Like Glass Joe from Punch-Out. But, granted, you have to suck pretty hard.) The balls are hard though. But they kinda melt in your mouth. And they are pretty tasty! I suppose if you are going to but any balls in your mouth, they might as well be these.

Be it caviar, boba, or tadpoles, life as always taught me that slimy black round things are always delicious! Don't forget to swallow!

I make fun because I love. But seriously, if you see a Bubble tea stand get some and add boba. If you don’t you would be missing out on a great beverage/meal, and I will personally send my squad of ninja assassins after you to tea-bag you… to death!

but your death won't be!

I give Bubble Tea a  5, steel Taiwanese-Canadian balls, out of 5.

5/5

ahhh, dang today was such a full day, straightened hair, did some worksheet..then went to pearls to get ready for dancing class #2,,oh and learned basic salsa steps..the class..it passed by quicker this class.. ..the guy that teaches it is such a show off, peacock strutter..with 300 dollar looking jeans with tiny suspenders and his shirt says el tigre in da back..ack, anyone that has that on the back of their shirt must be full of themselves..reminded us of pearls’s gay uncle ricky if he had hair and was younger..and me and pearls blended in more..b/c we wore gym workout clothes..jiji..but i bet that almost every week new people will come, and no one hardly will come back after one week for a 2nd time again..dang..oh yeah and the guys this week were grosser..from a super tall guy to tons in wife beaters to super sweaty ones..ew, guys in wife beaters are disgusting..jajaja..and we stepped to this crunk-chata which had like a million steps and an embrassing looking thrust one..teehee, after class me and pearls went to boba..more crowded than last week..open mike night friday..got a small coconut with boba that was pretty good, nice not too sweet flavor..this guy was playing all types of music on flute..pr guy, valentino. and dis girl pearls thought was a lesbian sat next to us..she was really obsessed wit [poking boba straw in right…jaja.o..oh and we sat down next to people with chinese food where i vaguely recognized the people from honors college..and i so wanted a crab rangoon…so badly..they smelled so whoa..crab rangoons are my gavorite..the only thing i’ll eat with crabs..and the girl dug with the food dug into her lo mein noodle  container like a dumpster..oh and she gave some rangoons, most of them actually to green shirted guy pearls exploded over and squealed about..oh my!..turns out i was his friend from fb from old ugh bio-med ethics class a year ago because he wrote cool poetic account of trip to haiti..so yeaaah, after boba pearls was erupting wit excitement about him and almost died when i told her he was on my fb..so we sped back to house-house..after quick stop at gas station where attendant guy inside looked so stoned..and yeah..after some pearls doubts..it was confirmed…fb guy was indeed boba store green shirt guy! !1..so yeah, right now, my hopes are that pearls talks to roo to enlist guy help, and we all three go to chirstian club activity wednes night green shirt guy goes to..pwease., well wish good tidings our way..and productivity

Well, it finally happened. I got my first case of “Mao’s Revenge,” or whatever you want to call it. I thought I was invincible man… I ate some sketchy food from one of the street vendors the day before yesterday, and I thought I was fine! But the food broke me… either that or some random baozi I ate from a vendor on campus yesterday. Either way, I writhed in agony for several hours last night. Finally I took some upset stomach pills and they worked like a charm. Now I am really hungry but I’m not sure if I should eat solid food yet…

How’s that for a grabber!?! Well this has been a big week so far. I guess I’ll start where the first post left off. Sunday night, I had my first bubble tea (aka “boba”) of China! At some place across the street from school! And it was really good!! It was like 75 cents for a medium size too! There are a lot of cool looking places across from campus, different cafes and restaurants with huge bright signs, it makes the place look so hip! But one place I thought I could escape has somehow followed me to China…..it is…..Yoshinoya! Yes, there is a Yoshinoya Beef Bowl right across the street from campus. I actually like Yoshinoya but I definitely do not want to eat it in China.

This week was also my first week of classes. I have four classes right now: Written Chinese (Hanyu), Spoken Chinese (Kouyu), Chinese Listening Comprehension (Tingli) and an elective, Intercultural Communication, which is in english. Based on my placement exams, I was put into level 6 in my Chinese classes (out of 30!) which is elementary. I looked at the books, and they looked pretty easy… so I tried to chang classes but the people in charge of the classes gave me a bunch of crap and made me stay. So I went through a few days of classes, and they seemed way too easy. So yesterday I asked Bryan and the CIEE Beida coordinator Tian Laoshi (Laoshi means “teacher” in China) what I should do, and they told me they thought I should move up in the classes because these were too easy for me. So I went and starting talking to the class administrators. The first one was this old man in charge of Hanyu… he kept saying “no, no you can’t switch up, this next level book is too hard, everyone says it’s too hard.” So I pulled a line from the books “Iron and Silk” and “American Shaolin” and told him (in Chinese) “Sir, I want to eat bitter!” (chi ku). He cracked a smile and said “you want to eat bitter huh? Ok, ok, you can switch!” I then told him my name was “Bai Long” because I did Wushu, and he said “ok, here is your slip to change classes. Jia you!” Changing the other classes was no problem after that. Today ws my first day attending the new, more difficult classes (level 7 – intermediate) and I really liked them. They are a little more advanced, but not too hard, and the teachers are really nice and funny. Overall I am very happy with my decision.

On monday, I also joined the on campus gym. It was 470 kuai for a 3 month membership (about US $23 a month), and it is kind of small, but pretty nice. They have different free weights and machines, lots of treadmills, and a padded martial arts room with a heavy bag. I garnered a little attention when I was squatting, and one of the personal trainers there told me in Chinese I was very intense! I also started talking to a different trainer named Xie Fulin, and I officially declare him my second Chinese friend. He is really cool, he does Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) and spots me. We talk a lot, and I only understand about 50% of what he says, but he taught me several new words in Chinese (legs, calves, arms and back).

I also discovered that they have lots of fitness classes at the gym, including martial arts! Mondays and Fridays is Taekwondo, and Wednesdays and Sundays is Sanda. So I decided to go to the Sanda class on Wednesday. I got there really early and got a good warm up. The class only had about 10 people, but they all seemed cool. The instructor was hard for me to understand, but he took notice when I did some warm up rolls and falls pretty well. When he saw me stretch, he told me I was very flexible, and made me do the splits all 3 ways. Then he asked me if I did Wushu. When I said yes, he asked me if I could perform in front of the whole class! I answered with an embarrassed “ok..” and then he made the whole class back up against the wall to give me room. I did a short form with a tornado kick to the splits, and a few ditang techniques – nothing too hard, but enough to hopefully impress them. After every technique I waited a little bit while everyone clapped. When I was done, all the guys really liked it. After class the instructor told me to relax while I’m performing Wushu. Naturally I was a little nervous performing in front of 10 Chinese people I didn’t know, and was about to practice kickboxing with! The Sanda instructor was really great though, he helped me a lot with the stance, punches and kicks. The way they fight and kick in Sanda is very different from my natural style, so I had to try to adjust, but I think I did okay. The instructor kept saying “feichang hao!” (which means extremely good!) Afterwards we did a little conditioning. We did some ab exercises, which weren’t too hard for me. Afterwards he asked if I had done them before and I said “err… no, but I exercise everyday” he said “Do you exercise this, your abs?” and lifted up his shirt to show me his abs. I said “uh, yea” and showed him my abs, and he seemed impressed. Haha! I had a lot of fun, got a great workout, and learned a lot. Afterwards one of the guys asked if I could help him with his english. He said his english name was “Hieu.” I told him any time I practice Sanda, he can practice his english, and I will practice my Chinese.

Well, this has been a pretty long and overdue post, but adjusting to classes and the various activities has been kind of tiring. I only have Kouyu (spoken) class tomorrow, although we do have a test. Then I need to prepare for our trip to Henan, and the Shaolin temple. We leave for the train station tomorrow night at 8pm! It’s an 8 hour train ride so we’re getting a sleeper car. And I don’t think we have to pay! The CIEE program really does a lot for us: they arrange our classes, rooms, and give us tons of things for free including meal cards with a little money already on them, student IDs, text books, various class meals, and different trips around China. Well, I guess we pay up front, but it feels free to me now! My next post will probably after this weekend, I will take tons of pictures and I can’t wait!

By the way, as promised, here are pictures of the “Prison Gym” on campus. I won’t be working out there too much anymore!

You say ur gonna do a Food and Drink post, but then you post… nothing!

BAH!

Here’s what I think you should do a post on:

DO IT!

Or are you not man enough for this challenge I’ve laid before you?

Oh snap.

Also, I cracked the code and unlocked two new pets! See if you can do it to! http://deer.atspace.com/jelly.html It’s not that hard, since I was able to it

Photo Credit: InImagine

According to old English Common Law, “A man’s home is his castle.” If that is true, then aside from the couch being a sort of throne, perhaps the toilet is like a side throne. In either case, a man spends some time on these two equally important thrones. In America, a man sits on his couch, drinks beer, and watches TV. And in his younger days, a man lies down on his couch, passed out from his excessive drinking. At least, that’s the stereotype. On the other hand, a man conducts all kinds of business on the comfort of his toilet seat, even reading magazines and newspapers while sitting. And in his younger days, he would vomit into the toilet from his excessive drinking. Thank God I’m not the Australian man who had to get rushed into the emergency room after sitting on a toilet that was pranked with fast-acting adhesive. No, my problem is drinking.

But not exactly the kind of drinking problem you may automatically be thinking. I am a 23-year-old male college student/graduate, but that doesn’t mean I binge drink. You see, (now this may be a bit graphic for some people), I went to urinate today and discovered that my urine wasn’t quite as clear or light-colored as it should be. Diagnosis? My drinking problem is that I don’t drink enough water. Sure, everyone knows that drinking alcohol gets you dehydrated, and therefore you need to combat that with drinking water. But for me, it’s all those Starbucks caramel machiattos, those Tapiaco Express boba milk teas, and those Arizona sweet teas that have led to the downfall of my urine. This was quite a wake-up call to me. There you have it. I am not ashamed of my drinking problem, and chances are you aren’t too, because you may be suffering just like I am, being dehydrated and not know it! As a result, I’ve decided to be an amateur advocate promoting the healthy drinking of water. According to nutrition experts, “a good estimate is to take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. That gives you the number of ounces of water per day that you need to drink.” In my case (and I’m a little sensitive about revealing this to you), I currently weigh 195 pounds (yes, I’m working on losing 30 pounds). That means that I should be drinking 97.5 ounces of water daily.

You may wonder why I am promoting the “healthy drinking of water.” You may think that it’s redundant, that water is healthy for us anyway because it flushes out all the filthy stuff in our bodies and refuel our cells and giving us some energy. That’s all true, but drinking too much water too quickly is also bad for you–it can even kill you. You can have “water intoxication,” just like the tragic story of 28-year-old Jennifer Strange. A local radio station contest held the “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” contest in 2008 when the Wii just came out. Strange drank  some six liters of water in three hours for the contest and was found dead in her home. Another incident involved a 21-year-old male student from California State University, Chico back in 2005. According to the Scientific American, he  died after being “forced to drink excessive amounts of water between rounds of push-ups in a cold basement” during a fraternity hazing gone wrong. As tragic as their stories were, it educated me about the dangers of excessive water-drinking, especially because our health-conscious  culture tells us to drink plenty of water. Now we know how much is “healthy.”

I know I’m a strange person for even examining my urine. But I’m a curious college student. And this curiosity led to a scientific exploration of my dehydration. Now, I hope you too will drink more water instead of all that other junk. And I hope you will drink water responsibly too!

For now, I’m trying to control my Starbucks addiction. In the mean time (and this is bad timing), Jamba Juice has a special promotion until September 27, 2009. If you buy one smoothie, you can get one 16oz. smoothie for a buck if you print out the coupon.

Photo Credit: InImagine

Você já percebeu o quanto sua vida mudou, os dias estão mais azuis, está com cara de quem viu periquito verde, ninguém consegue lhe tirar do sério e quando não está ao seu lado tem sempre aquele olhar do tipo “dez para as duas”, perdido em sonhos e de vontade de estar ao seu lado. Pois é, você está apaixonada(o).

17. – Sempre que vê sua foto fica olhando em seus olhos.
16. – Quando desliga o telefone logo após falar com ela(ele), já sente falta de conversar ainda que tenha passado só 2 minutos.
15. – Sempre olha suas mensagens de texto ou e-mail uma e outra vez, mesmo as de semanas atrás.
14. – Sempre anda mais devagar quando estão juntos.
13. – Sempre se sente tímida(o) a seu lado.
11. – Quando pensa nela(nele), seu coração acelera.
10. – Sorri quando escuta sua voz.
09. – Quando a(o) vê, não consegue enxergar ninguém mais porque tudo o que interessa é a pessoa que ama.
08. – Começa a escutar música suave a cada vez que pensa nela(nele).
07. – É a única pessoa que pensa.
06. – Fica extremamente feliz quando sente seu cheiro
05. – Sempre sorri sozinha(o) quando pensas nela(nele).
04. – Acredita que seria capaz de fazer qualquer coisa por ela(ele).
03. – Enquanto lê este post, só uma pessoa estava em sua mente o tempo todo…
02. – Está tão perdida(o) pensando nessa pessoa que não notou o número doze.
01. – Você ri silenciosamente lembrando do seu amor.

Vi no Mdig.

out and about in Beijing:

the freaks come out at night. (see previous post on this snazzy mirror building)

crucial part of my walk to school: pineapple smoothie with boba.

night spectators outside the pool.

campus announcements.

in a restaurant on a side street near Houhai.

old and new friends.

once new, now old, students, my teaching partner alex, and me.

This afternoon my brother asked me what I wanted from the nearest Boba Tea house. My favorite out of all the flavors is grape. I just adore the taste of it and also because their seal is so cute. As I watched Law and Order, I got more and more excited. Don’t get me wrong, it’s just I haven’t had one for a while now.

As my brother handed me my drink after his long trip to the store he asked me if I wanted grape. I almost fell over getting angry in my mind. Stupid, I thought. He got it wrong but I was the one at wrong. He got my order right. But as I held it in my hand I felt quite disappointed. The seal wasn’t cute at all and I’m not a heavy drinker. He ordered me a “venti” (known in Starbucks). I would have loved it if it were smaller.

The taste never fails for me, and at least that didn’t disappoint me. I love the extra sweetness and the boba helps balance the taste so to not overwhelm the consumer. I’m a big fan of boba. I always get it when they ask me. I’m glad my brother said yes.

By the way  sorry for the lack of picture. I finished it before I thought of blogging about it. haha.

ahh, here I am at Pearls typing this, spending the night tonight. yay. my blog title refers to how Pearls accidentally squirted superglue on her finger (she needed superglue to glue back a button on her cheap, chinese factory made keyboard..poor phone-phone is falling apart) and we tried lots of remedies like apple vinegar cider, and filled the bathtub with warm soapy water..and dissolved a whole bar of  irish spring soap in it while we tried valiantly to rub the super glue spot off her finger..and her finger started making rubber toy noises underwater…lol..oh yeah, and part of my blog title refers to our awesome bff day/surprise..ahh, must recount..i woke up at 9am today..and i didn’t feel tired all day..yay for energy..i drove over to whole foods to get part 1 of surprise…alphabet fries that i had to dig far into store freezer to find..and virgils black cherry cream sodas 4 pack..then went to victoria secret pink section to get a blue colored pearls style top..yeah, she has lots of pink and gray already…and she loved her surprises. YAY ..oh yeah and she got me a super adorable bff card with pooh and piglet..winnie the pooh and his friends look much cuter drawn the old fashioned way..ahh. yeah..first we went to the beach to help her mom set up a wedding arch to take a pic to put on the website..dang, it was so hot and we raked seaweed..and also today wasstingray mating day..yeah..like two couples of rays swam right up to shore and were there the whole time we were..jijiji..and a thrid ray tried to intrude on one of the couples and a sting ray fight insued..little squid-squid was so confused and screamed to be closer to the rays. poor baby. yeah, after beach we had lunch..alphabet fries and coconut chicken..yum..and i got card-card!! so sweet, these days people def underappreciate the value of cards. then phone-phone’s case was taken off and deer-deer put in!!!  oh my…and then pearls tried to change tiny bunny charm on her phone to little bear one..but couldn’t because the strap was too thick ..then she had to get superglue for finger..yeah..after superglue was safely removed (note..peeling is best method..no matter what web says)..pearls helped me pick out special roo arrival/first day of school outfits..and then we went walking w/ her mom in park..so yay for daily exercise..then we got back and went back to whole foods to get refund on black cherry soda because one of th four bottles was a root beer…uh-oh..use those customer service complaint skizzles. lol. and then we went to target..where as usual we stalled in card aisles squealing over the cutest baby/wedding/bday cards and i saw me type clothes..and pearls got her first big girl raze-raze..it looks like a pink peach..hee..and then..BOBA…WHOA I THINK I MAY HAVE TO GIVE UP MY boba mission to try all the flavors..in fact..i know i will…ATTENTION PEOPLE. CHERRY BOBA IS THE BEST FALVOR..ahh, even if the guy put more boba balls than usual..they were still all good..yep..now me and pearls will be synchronized with boba..her large watermelon w/out boba..me large cherry w/ boba..and ahh..our last stop of day was sweet bay where pearls got dad  bday card and laughed about getting him aqua shoes. and i got the essential frosting. well and this blog is a little late and kinda long..heh..need to quit typing soon, pearls almost out of shower and had nice little convo with roo..aww. <3. wish luck in getting all that needs to be done ..helping to pearls pick out classes to show to..our prep before school..oh yeah..and i can’t wait to get clean shower smell. jaja..oh yeah..must remember to see new secret life

my cell charm!!

Everyone is more and more aware of the fat and calories hidden in those tasty, creamy, seducing, comforting, warm, inviting, enticing cups of frothy deceit. Yet we still bend our will to dive tongue-first into the foamy head of caffeinated captivity.

Perhaps I’ll think twice after committing the following chart to memory.

I confess I am still prone to the McDonald’s Sugar Free Ice Coffee and the more sinful iced milk tea from the I <3 Boba down the street.

mkandlez has some great ‘infovisualization’ pieces.

by William I. Lengeman III

For those unfamiliar with an offbeat beverage called bubble tea, also known as boba, their first experience can be surprising, to say the least. Though it’s actually more like a tea-based drink than actual tea, bubble tea takes its name from the small pearls of tapioca that reside in the bottom of the cup and make the drink so unique.

The exact origins of bubble tea are a matter of some disagreement, but it’s likely that it originated in Asia in the early 1980s. By 2006, the owners of Taiwan’s Hanlin Tea Room and Chun Shui Tang Cultural Tea House duked it out in a courtroom there. Each of these bubble tea vendors contended that they had originated the drink. Regardless of the truth of its origins, there’s no question that bubble tea soon became very popular, first in Asia and later in the West, including Canada and the United States.

Bubble tea is made with some combination of tea, fruit and other flavorings, sweeteners, ice, tapioca pearls (boba) and sometimes milk or non-dairy creamer. The beverage is served in a cup and includes an extra large straw through which the tapioca pearls can be sucked up. Caution is highly recommended.

There are numerous variations on the basic bubble tea motif. Even the boba, which used to be limited to a standard black or brown ball of tapioca, have given way to alternatives. Among these, green tapioca balls, egg pudding, aloe pieces and various types of jelly, often shaped into cubes or strips.

The increased popularity of bubble tea has resulted in numerous kiosks and cafes that feature it. Some of the better known bubble tea merchants include Lollicup Coffee & Tea, with outlets in more than 10 states; Quickly, whose U.S. outlets are found in northern California and Nevada; and Tapioca Express, with locations in three states and Canada.

If bubble tea hasn’t come to your area yet, there’s no need to despair. This video will brief you on the art of making cold bubble tea. For additional insight on how to make bubble tea, click on the link. As for the fine art of cooking those tapioca pearls, check out this article.

Check out William’s blog, Tea Guy Speaks!