I've never experienced a Vegas (Las Vegas, Nevada) vacation in the winter season until now. A summary of the weather: Beautiful sunlit days without the overheating temperatures that make you feel you're in a sauna, followed by dry San Francisco, California briskness without the fog. And the view during the holidays can be quite festive.
If you're super hungry, hit up a buffet and eat to your heart's content (or attack, ...but hopefully the former occurs before the latter). Though Caesar's Palace holds the #1 rated buffet currently (Bacchanal Buffet), the price doubles during the holiday season. If you're budgeting your dollar bills and are okay with only decent food that you can tolerate for hours to get the most for your buck, then I recommend the Flavors Buffet at Harrah's on the Strip. Breakfast is about $18.99-19.99/person, lunch is about $19.99-22/person, dinner is about $23-25/person, and they don't change their prices during the holidays! Even better if you love desserts because this buffet certainly has a nice variety of fresh and tasty desserts ranging from fruit tarts to warm and toasty pies to homemade gelato and sorbet, just to give you a "flavor." You are also welcome to use the restroom and come back to continue eating. My company and I certainly ate for nearly 5 hours (and no heart attacks, only our hearts' content)!
All in all, the Winter Wonder-Vegas experience is still memorable, especially when you spend it with people who help make these moments in life count.
My brother told me when I was about 7 or 8 years old that Santa Claus doesn't exist, but this year, I'm beginning to wonder how true that really is. I'm speaking metaphorically of course. If there are people in your life that bring you happiness, and let's say they surprise you with goodness and cheer during the holiday season, then perhaps there is a "metaphorical" Santa Claus in your life after all!
As for me, I am welcoming and appreciating the presence of my "Santa Claus" as he greeted me this very morning by surprise.
If I could still eat cheese, I'd certainly want to try monster-ella given Halloween 2012 is just around the corner.
Although I'm lactose-intolerant now, it doesn't mean I didn't enjoy cheese and dairy during my childhood. I often enjoyed eating Kraft swiss cheeses in my sandwiches, burgers, on top of my vegetables,... You name it! Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, aside from Swiss cheese, were among my favorite cheeses as I often loved eating pizza and spaghetti pasta growing up. Mozzarella sticks also were the best snacks I ever had growing up as not only are they super tasty, but they're interactive as you can peel as you eat, which makes for a great youthful activity that encourages you to fill up on calcium :)
I went to the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco this past weekend, and one of my closest friends surprised me with one of the BEST wines I could ever experience drinking. We were celebrating her and her husband's first marriage anniversary, but she's such a great friend that she bought me this awesome-tasting bottle of wine:
Boone's Farm - Strawberry Hill Wine
And of course, in their honor, I finished the entire bottle within a span of 40 minutes, while she drank a whole bottle of Sangria, also by Boone's Farm.
A major toast to an awesome couple who have such an admirable and balanced relationship of 7+ years, where they continue to go on strong. They compliment each others' strengths and weaknesses, respect each others' individualism, work out the kinks when they pop up, and remember to keep the love alive with romantic time spent together. To this, that which I find truly inspirational as not many relationships can keep this sort of balance as they do,... I say, "Bottoms up!"
I like to believe that everyone has a point in their lives where they consider if they've chosen the "right" path to live their lives as happily as they possibly can. "Right" and "wrong" may be relative in this regard as how would you know what's the right way to live? And what would be the wrong way? Everyone has their own interpretation of this. It pains me when people push their interpretive view of this on others as everyone struggles at least at one point in their lives to figure out what is the right and wrong way to live for themselves. Having others tell you what the right and wrong way to live your own life just doesn't seem fair.
At my current crossroad, I have decided to learn more about web programming, which is a completely separate career field from my current career of occupational safety. But where to start as a programming newbie / noob / nub ...? Oh, what a debate this is. All my friends who are in the Information Technology or Computer Science field have the common feedback that if I learn one programming language (such as Perl or Python), it will be simple to learn all the others and/or hit the ground running in the field. But on the other hand, I still feel the need to learn more in depth about HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) so that I can do what sparked my interest in this field in the first place - re-crafting web sites. How did this come about? Well, as a safety professional, advertising and marketing safety to help build a healthy safety culture within an organization is important. With the need for technology these days, especially the world wide web (www), it is imperative to have our safety materials readily available online. But like Pringles, once I popped,... I just couldn't stop.
And so I'm rolling the dice. I'm determined to learn HTML, CSS, and Perl at least by the end of 2012. If you're trying to start a career or learn skills in computer programming too, what have you decided to start off learning with?
As I roll the dice on my career, I feel I am breaking the sandals around my feet... literally.
While it is great to break sandals in your life and let your feet freely roam every now and again metaphorically, I must warn you that if you forget to bring your own sturdy sandals when getting a pedicure and you get the flimsy free sandals from the nail salon (though it is nice they are provided for free)... I advise you to remember to pick up your feet when walking ;) (This may be applied metaphorically as well, but I do mean this literally from personal experience.)
As for rolling the dice, sometimes chances need to be taken to learn what is "right" or "wrong" for you. Think it thoroughly through as best you can before releasing the dice from your hands. And if you can, keep them with you for a while until you're ready.
Tonight, I decided to revisit my piano and challenge myself in maintaining what instrument-playing skill I have left. (To be quite honest, it has been months since I've last played my piano.) I went through my piano books - after playing some relaxing video game music (Chronocross - "Reminiscence" and Kingdom Hearts II - "Lazy Afternoons"), I stumbled upon one of my classic favorites from childhood... "The Peanuts Song"!! (By the way, the correct song title is "Linus and Lucy" from an animated cartoon based on a woe-is-me character named Charlie Brown, which originated from the comic strip called Peanuts. But it just sounds so much more fun to call it "The Peanuts Song".) Now if only I could play these songs as fluidly as these YouTube examples provided here... I admit I purposefully did not provide videos of me playing these songs as you would cringe and say as Charlie Brown would: "Good grief!"
If you have never read the comic strip or watched this animated cartoon (or if you just love it as much as I do), please enjoy these clips for a good laugh:
Good Grief, Charlie Brown
Lucy Analyzes Charlie Brown
Speaking of peanuts, they make a great snack or garnish over food. Not everyone likes or can eat peanuts, but count me in as a peanut-liker and eater! I personally prefer the peanuts that are offered outside of their shell already as those shells are ridiculous! How so? If you crack them with your hands, they can cut your fingers or otherwise create an inflamed rash from rubbing against the hard outer shell as you try to open it,... in addition to leaving a white dusty mess whether or not you use your hands or a tool to open the shell! It is just frustrating if you ask me. But when you're hungry and all you have are peanuts in their shells, if you're not allergic, you might as well give it a go.
There are many types of peanuts available: salted, lightly salted, unsalted, dry-roasted, oil-roasted, caramelized or candied, etc. One type of peanut I recently enjoyed when vacationing in Manhattan, New York earlier this year is the honey-roasted peanut from the Nuts 4 Nuts carts I observed throughout most if not all of Manhattan.
Yet, the honey-roasted almonds from these Nuts 4 Nuts carts trump the honey-roasted peanuts,... but almonds are a completely different story in my opinion. Whatever the case, if you like nuts and happen to be in Manhattan, New York, hit up a Nuts 4 Nuts cart and grab a deal (they'll most likely offer one bag of honey-roasted almonds and two bags of honey-roasted peanuts for $3-5, depending on how well you can bargain; keep in mind that the regular price per bag of nuts is supposed to be $2.50-3.50). It is definitely worth the experience for the typical nut-lover. Enjoy it if you get the chance!
With the American economy being down in the dumps these days and seeing coworkers losing their jobs, I had a horrible dream last night. I was at my parents' house rather than my current home, and Steve Jobs was there... pointing at me angrily and telling me that I'm fired, in my own parents' home?!? He then proceeded to tell me harshly that I need to pack my things up quickly and get out. In a frenzy and out of panic, I start packing items in all my old backpacks still residing at my parents' house in my old room. But each time I packed a backpack, it would disappear. Eventually, I was at my last backpack. I remember the backpack in reality (Hawaiian-designed white flowers on black with an adjustable drawstring, where a flap opening at the top locked for safe closure by a knob in the front, and a small zipper pouch in the bottom-front), but there were items in the backpack I never owned or recognized having at any time during my life; it contained a blue plastic lunchbox and a Tuxedo Sam doll. Still in a rush and confused about where my other packed-up backpacks went, I stuffed the remaining backpack with essential items from drawers and was finally ready to leave. While standing by the front door to my parents' house, still within the house, some random voice tells me that all the items I packed up are being kept safe. At this point, I wake up... and off to live reality I go.
Ever had an odd dream like this? Well there is an ailment! Many Californian frozen yogurt lovers who prefer fresher frozen yogurt may trek to Blush, Pinkberry, or organic frozen yogurt shops like Fraiche. Though I agree these other shops have fresher-tasting frozen yogurt and are enjoyably delectable, I would still prefer to trek to Yogurtland. You can have as many free samples as you please with the choice of several flavors varying from creamy to sugary to tart, as well as "no-sugar added" flavors, before you decide to fill up a cup. Yogurtland also offers a wide variety of toppings ranging from different types of fruit to candies, nuts, and syrups. You can get all this for ~$0.37/ounce, which is reasonable for California at least (it used to be cheaper than this but again... the economy's been rough so the deal is still pretty good if you think of it holistically from my point of view.)
During this season (Fall 2012) for as long as it's available, I highly recommend trying the "no-sugar added" Yo-Frappe flavor. This is a caramel-chocolate mixture. It wasn't creamy or too sweet but rather reminded me of a chocolate-flavored Popsicle with a hint of caramel. Another new flavor available this season is Milk Chocolate Hazelnut. This was creamier and sweeter than the Yo-Frappe flavor, but quite worth the try (if you like milk chocolate and hazelnut). Both of these new flavors are advertised as non-fat, gluten-free, and contain some essential vitamins. (If you're lactose-intolerant like me, it is still certainly worth popping a couple of Lactaid pills and treating yourself!)
After such a nightmare, carrying on with one's regular daily routine can still fare well. Thanks to a very awesome friend who reminded me how Yogurtland is a happy place that allows one to forget the woes in life, I was able to discover the Yo-Frappe and Milk Chocolate Hazelnut flavors and enjoyed a great innocent girls' fun night out; all of which helped me forget about the scary nature of my awful dream.
On August 6, 2012, I lost one of my grandfathers. He was a former chef at Las Vegas, Nevada's Stardust Hotel & Casino, many many years ago, specializing in quality Chinese food. Before that, he was a chef at many Chinese restaurants in San Francisco, California.
He wasn't able to cook for the past 20 years because he has since then been handicapped. When I was too young to remember, he attempted saving a woman's purse from being stolen by a robber. The robber fought my grandfather, which led to my grandfather experiencing a stroke. He rehabilitated well enough to be able to walk again with the assistance of a walker, but with a paralyzed left hand and a need for walking support, he had to give up his days as a chef.
Finding high quality Chinese food is a must in my family. Though it seems to be rare to find, even in China. When I traveled with my family to China once a few years ago, we visited Beijing, Xian, and then traveled to Hong Kong (which now I can say is a part of China and where most of my family originated from). Should you travel to these parts, if you're looking for quality (tasty) Chinese food when in China, beware of tourist food. On the downside, if you don't stick to tourist food, you could run a greater risk of food-borne illnesses.
At any rate, farewell to my grandfather - I wish I could have been able to taste the food he made, but since I can't remember his food, I'll always remember the smiles and the love... which always leaves a great taste in my mouth.
Have you ever tried a vegan donut? If so, how did you like it? Do you think Homer Simpson would enjoy vegan donuts?
At the Whole Foods Markets nearby where I live, I noticed a variety of vegan donuts being sold for delectable purchase. Funny observation though was that they only sold vegan donuts... there were no donuts on the display that were considered non-vegan. For someone like me who is lactose-intolerant and would like to find more baked goods that are healthier (if you can consider them healthier when they're made without dairy products like butter and whole milk), I say "THANK YOU WHOLE FOODS MARKET!"
Assorted vegan donuts at Whole Foods Market in Walnut Creek, California
Now that the vegan baked goods have been identified, my adventure begins. I tried all six vegan donut variety flavors offered at one of my local neighborhood Whole Foods Market. The available vegan donut flavors were:
- Chocolate Vegan Donut
- Maple Vegan Donut
- Vegan Apple Cinnamon Donut
- Blueberry Vegan Donut
- Cherry Vegan Donut
- Vegan Crumb Donut
And yes, folks,... I ate all six flavors in one sitting. Here's my verdict:
- All Whole Foods Market vegan donuts are of the cake donut texture.
- All are tasty and moist. Being that these donuts are vegan, they are not dry at all and taste very similar to a non-vegan donut. The difference is actually not detectable. Well done.
- The best flavors out of all of these, in my opinion, were the Cherry, Maple, and Chocolate Vegan Donuts. These donuts tasted like the flavor description given to them.
Chocolate Vegan Donut
Cherry Vegan Donut
Maple Vegan Donut
- The worst flavors out of all of these were the Blueberry and Apple Cinnamon Vegan Donuts. These donuts tasted like sweet sugar. Though the sweet sugar taste was flavorful, and given that the texture was moist and good, they get minus points for not tasting like the flavor description given to them.
Blueberry Vegan Donut Vegan Apple Cinnamon Donut
- The Vegan Crumb Donut was just okay in terms of flavor. Tasty and enjoyable, taste and texture matched its flavor description, but not significantly impacting for me to comment much about.
Vegan Crumb Donut
So now that I've completed my pig-out adventure session, the question remains - would eating these vegan donuts really be healthier? I turn to my search engine (Google of course) to find nutrition facts pertaining to these vegan donuts from Whole Foods Market. I can't find nutrition facts for more than just the Chocolate Vegan Donut from Whole Foods Market, but I'm thinking perhaps I shouldn't have eaten all six in one sitting.... Or I should have baked my own at home. Comparing the nutrition facts of the Chocolate Vegan Donut from Whole Foods to the nutrition facts of Krispy Kreme cake donuts, the total fat is slightly lower, but the saturated fat content (in grams) is pretty similar. Yet the vegan donut trumps the non-vegan donut health-wise still with 0mg of cholesterol and significantly less sugar (in grams). So all in all, I am not unhappy with my pig-out adventure session.
Homer Simpson is a cartoon character that loves donuts. I believe he would not discriminate between the non-vegan and vegan donuts, especially if he were to eat Whole Foods Market vegan donuts. If you haven't tried these vegan donuts yet, I encourage you to put it on your to-do list. You won't be sorry (or feel too guilty!)
When growing up, I often spent time with my mother's parents. They grew a beautiful garden in their backyard, and my grandmother would always bring into the house a small flower bud that smelled like ripe bananas. This banana-like aroma was so pleasant to my nose, I will never forget it. But what was this flower's name?
Whenever asked "what's your favorite flower?", my response tends to be "I don't know" until I start guessing flowers I usually find significantly pretty such as lilies, irises, and sunflowers. Despite my attempts to answer, this question always leads me back to my childhood memory of a banana-smelling flower. I eventually mention this as part of my answer, but no one seems to know what I'm talking about.
After years of responding "I don't know" or with possible guesses, I finally found the time to find out about this flower. I can now confidently say that my favorite flower is the Michelia figo (Banana Shrub).
I do not find myself having a green thumb, but being that I am "bananas for nostalgia" today, perhaps I will find myself cultivating this plant some time in the future.
Speaking of bananas, some friends of mine either really love or really dislike bananas.
I find that I personally LOVE eating bananas (I am referring to Cavendish bananas mostly as I have rarely eaten other kinds of bananas, if at all, from what I can remember). I can eat bananas whole on their own, cut into my bowl(s) of cereal, oatmeal, and/or yogurt/frozen yogurt, in baked goods (for example, banana bread and muffins), ... I am pretty sure my list can go on. To my friends that dislike bananas, I am so sorry that you cannot find yourselves able to enjoy this available luxury.
I mean... even Whole Foods Market is "going bananas"!
Not only are bananas a nutritious part of a balanced diet providing healthy benefits such as essential vitamins for nourishing the body, but bananas are so versatile, they can even help save our environment:
On an interesting food-for-thought note, the aroma of whole fruit bananas themselves is just mediocre to me. There is something sweeter in the aroma of the Banana Shrub that I feel is just beyond comparison. Perhaps my body's senses just simply feel that bananas are for eating and that the Banana Shrub is for luxurious aromatic enjoyment. But I cannot and will not complain :)
I remember seeing fruit platters designed with the use of inedible materials to make a creative fruit dish, but it amazes me when whole fruit is used on its own to create art.
Check out the photo of my friend's lemon peel bear to give you an example.
Simple but cute and creative, no? It's not easy though to handle a sharp chef's knife and carve fruit into art without cutting oneself or messing up the form of the creation somehow. I am truly impressed.
So what's the most creative fruit carving you've ever seen?
Most people say food is for the soul, but I believe games can treat the soul too (and when I say "games", I am referring to any game you can play on a video game system, arcade, computer, mobile, and/or by the board). Just as people can eat according to their feelings and emotions, video games can provide similar relief but can additionally provide a sense of reward and satisfaction. After eating according to one's feelings and emotions, one can feel that they over-ate or feel guilty - basically just negative feelings, although during the pig-out, one can feel happy to taste such delectable foods or from satisfying their cravings. On the other hand, with games, (depending on the type of game) you can play as a single player or play with others either to compete or to just bond with friends. You can move up in levels or stages during most games, and there's usually a means for trying again. It may not be the best feeling when the game outright says "YOU LOSE", but I believe that for most people, they get a sense of wanting to try again until they see the words "YOU WIN" or just accomplish clearing the stage, level, or round to feel they've succeeded. It may be more difficult to try again when competing against others as your opponents may stop play after they've won and you've lost, but in this case, the sense of trying again could be fulfilled by playing against a variety of opponents where there is an acceptance and awareness of a "wins versus losses" concept with the goal of improving one's playing skill and with the hopes of competing against those that one had lost to so as to seek redemption.
I definitely enjoy playing other games, but these are the ones that are memorable for me and are games I still play from time to time when I can afford the leisure. And thinking of it more thoroughly, the above-mentioned games may be most memorable for me and listed as my favorites because I've gained that sense of accomplishment and success from playing these games either by myself or with others (depending on the type of game, but I've provided links to each so readers of this post can find more information about these games). Do you find this to be the case for you if you have any games you can call your favorite?
For the video game system and arcade games I have played or have learned about in my lifetime thus far, I must say that these types of games are very clever in providing all-around pleasurable user experience. The premises of the games are enjoyable as there are usually stories that are told and levels / stages / rounds to clear in order to find out further how each story unfolds. The design, including graphics and layout, of these types of games are also usually very appealing. Most video and arcade games are released in a series, so there is further story or character development and upgrades are made to enhance the user's experience (such as less lag time between levels / stages / rounds, faster character movements, more character abilities, etc). But these happen to be things that I have come to expect out of video and arcade games. What I did not expect to enjoy from these types of games are their music!
Most (if not all) of the video and arcade games I have encountered have really great music that can truly ease the mind (at least in my opinion). Tetris game music has always been pleasing to me to listen to not only while playing the game, but I used to sit in my parents' car while waiting for them to complete some errands and just listen to the Tetris game music from my brother's old school Nintendo Game Boy.
Though I have not listed any role-playing games (RPGs) as my favorite types of video or arcade games, my brother contrarily LOVES playing most RPGs and gets really excited to share with me when he clears a level / stage / round to learn how the story unfolds. RPGs I'm aware of these days such as the Final Fantasy series, Chrono Cross, Xenogears, and Kingdom Hearts series have eye-catching graphics and heartfelt stories to follow, where it seems that as a game player, you are the controller and proactive participant of how an animated movie unfolds right before your eyes. However, it is quite a slow process in my opinion compared to other types of video and arcade games like Tetris and Street Fighter. So although I do not care to play RPGs personally, I surely don't mind watching others play RPGs as they are like movie shows to me (and I don't have to do the work to find out what happens next!) :) AND, some of the music (at least from the RPGs I know of) are, for lack of better words, beautiful and/or engaging. Below are some samples of RPG music that I personally love from RPG composers Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Mitsuda, and Yoko Shimomura:
To Zanarkand (Final Fantasy X), composed by Nobuo Uematsu
Reminiscence (Chrono Cross), composed by Yasunori Mitsuda
The Afternoon Streets (Kingdom Hearts), composed by Yoko Shimomura
So this is where I believe games for the soul meet music for the mind. But again, just my opinion :)
Ever pounded a sake bomb before? If not, you might be missing out on one of the littlest things in life that could make life more meaningful to live! I'm blessed to have that one friend in my life who can break me out of my shell and try new things that feel like adventures although they are actually quite small in significance. (But I believe that the more you value the littlest things in life, you can tend to view life on the brighter side more than not, and who doesn't want to enjoy life as best they can?) Without this friend, I would never have experienced the fun and enjoyment in pounding a sake bomb (among other things I have never tried before, such as making paper clips jump).
If you've taken sake bombs before, did you drop the tiny cup of sake into your larger cup of beer with your hands? If so... THAT'S BORING! But no offense - at least you've taken sake bombs before ;) But when I ask if you've "pounded" sake bombs before, I am referring to setting up the tiny cup of sake on a bridge of chopsticks lying on the rim of your larger cup of beer... and when ready, you POUND the surface they're sitting on with force, allowing physics to do the sake bomb drop for you, and then you chug your drink like a champ ;) If you haven't pounded a sake bomb before, I recommend you try it with a good group of friends - you won't be sorry O:) well... maybe not until the next day ;)
Also, here are a couple of dishes you can try with your sake bombs some time. These are offered at a Japanese restaurant called "Umami" in San Francisco, California, United States.
Hamachi "Pastrami" Carpaccio
Ahi "Poke" Tacos
Both dishes are delectable. Give it a try and let me know what you think ;)
I just learned this week from friends how to make a paper-clip jump. They claimed they played this as a game when they were in grade school or high school, but I was never exposed to it growing up myself. Goes to show there's still so much more to life to learn and enjoy, even if it may seem useless - the greater you see the positive in as many things as possible, the better it is for you to overcome the times that may be considered their worst. Enjoy this clip and learn how a paper-clip can jump!
For the 2011 holidays, my friends requested that my next baking project be a cheesecake. But not everyone likes the idea of a low or non-fat cheesecake. I have friends that love the taste of fat, so to speak, in certain foods. In my baking projects, though, my challenge is always to see how popular baked goodies can be made healthier.
So the roundabout question is...
I decided to bake a tester cheesecake, low in fat using all the same recipe ingredients except using non or low fat versions of those ingredients (which were cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, butter, and [for the crust] graham crackers).
First Homemade Low-Fat Cheesecake
My coworkers and friends taste-tested my first homemade low-fat cheesecake, and it was successfully liked as they could not tell it was low in fat. Even the person who gave me the recipe (who is also a great baker himself as he is a descendant of a well-known baker who owned Anderson's Bakery back in the olden days) really liked the cheesecake and had nothing bad to say about it. This was a good sign!
Then came the "game day" - I had planned on baking both the low-fat and regular full-fat versions of the cheesecake using the recipe I had and offer it at my friend's infamous holiday party to determine if anyone could tell which was low-fat and which was a regular full-fat cheesecake. The results are in:
All attendees enjoyed both versions of the cheesecake and could not tell the difference between the two versions
Three attendees who are known for "loving the taste of fat" enjoyed the low-fat version and guessed incorrectly as to which cheesecake version was which
Only one out of the 23 attendees guessed correctly but commented that he could not really tell but is just guessing
So perhaps it is possible to bake a healthier cheesecake that can be enjoyed by everyone =)
