Anewed

(via)

Ever wonder what gives the world that wonderful smell while it rains?

I have my window open right now, just to smell that as I write my paper.

While sipping hot herbal tea for my sore throat.

I love gray skies.

And the soft drumming of rain on the roof as I drift to sleep.

It's as if the earth is taking a soothing shower.

And don't we all feel so much better when we are clean and refreshed?

I know I do.

Mustaches

I know, I know. Everyone is sick and tired of mustaches. But guys, I never did any fun party stuff with them. I only lived vicariously through the blogosphere and so I didn't get it out of my system. Kind of like never listening to the radio so I still love all the songs that everyone else is sick of.

sooo I totally think these are cute and fun.

{via}

Mochi

This is mochi. It is very delicious. And pink. Well if you dye it pink. And you should.

So I went to the Chinese Market about 30 minutes from Provo with some of my roommates last weekend. I didn't get much that I wasn't familiar with, mostly stuff that is at the Korean Market in my hometown. (Or even my grocery store. Who knew I was so spoiled at our local stores in CA?) 

So, me being half Japanese (if you didn't know that, you can read my rant) I picked up some random stuff, but mostly got Mochiko, some mochi bits for ice cream and smoothies and such, and of course, chocolate mochi ice cream. Okay, I don't even know how common it is in Japan to eat mochi, but my grandma used to make it at holidays and it has good memories for me. Plus it tastes amazing.

What is mochi you ask? Well I can't say that I wasn't a little surprised that none of my roommates knew what mochi was (except the one from china) cause apparently I live in a little California bubble where most people have at least heard of mochi ice cream. I mean come on, it's the way americanized version of a japanese dish. I think. I'm not really that asian guys.


(Sold at wonderful places like Trader Joes. If you don't have one near you... sorry?)

Well Mochi is a Japanese dessert (Well I think you can have it more savory, but seriously, why not make it a sweet?) made from rice. There's a whole long process of soaking, cooking, and pounding, rice to make mochi, but thankfully now you can buy a box of Mochiko (sweet rice flour) and cook in in the microwave. Or buy it at asian markets.

If some of you think you have never seen mochi, you may have seen this stuff at a frozen yogurt place. It's mochi.

ehh bad picture. But trust me, it's usually there. At least in CA. But apparently I live in a bubble, so maybe not.

Okay besides this little lesson on Japanese food for you guys, I was posting because I made bibingka (it's actually a Philippino dessert) and my roommates were intrigued. It's pretty delicious if-I-say-so-myself, especially if you aren't sure about mochi, this will slip you into it a little easier.

Because when you make mochi it's just the sweet rice flour, water, and sugar and cooked into deliciousness together. But this recipe adds egg and milk and sugar and vanilla to it, topped with brown sugar and coconut and baked. If any of you want the recipe, ask and I'll update the post with it. Otherwise, I'll keep it in the family.  Bibingka recipes are pretty varied on the web, so I don't know how authentic or not mine is, but it is yummy.

It can look kinda like this, But my recipe has more topping and a little gooier looking.

Last night

I got me some Costa Vida. I know we have one in California near me, but I never made my way to the town over to try it.

Aaaand with Busy Bee Lauren declaring her love for it nearly every week, I decided that since I was only like a mile from it while at BYU I must try it.

Here I am with the glorious food. Wait, did I give my reaction away already?? Oh and ignore my crazy hair. It was kind of a rough day.

It was very very yummy. I got a sweet pork salad with the tomatillo dressing. I pretty much made it already once at home though from a recipe a friend gave me when some missionaries came over, soI kind of want to try something else when I go there next. What do you guys get?

Crabbay- Laday

I guess I'm extra cranky today or something, cause I find myself muttering about pretty much everything that crosses my path.

but back to why I felt a need to write a post despite my crankyness.

Did I ever tell you guys that pretty much everyone thinks I'm Mexican? Like not that that's a bad thing, but for heavens sake I'm JAPANESE AND ENGLISH. There is NO spanish-speaking country blood in me. Some one has even guessed Italian.

A Mexican from Mexico even came up to me speaking spanish. No Commrendo Senior. I took FRENCH in high school. 

Okay well since my Dad is white and my mom is FULL Japanese (Yes, I am HALF AND HALF) wow my crankiness is sure coming out in capital letters.... whenever we go places, no one every thinks my Mom and Dad are together. But they usually ask if they are together at least.

Sooo today I was in line getting lunch at the cafeteria and this lady comes up to me asking in Spanish if I spoke it, at least I can only assume cause I heard something that sounded like espanole in her question. I smiled and said no. 

Then she stood in line next to me. Like RIGHT next to me. Ummm, personal space lady? Every time the line inched forward she would still move up right next to me. In a couple of minutes her daughter(?) came up and started talking to her in spanish. 

blah blah blah, so I get my food and the lady at the register is confirming what I ordered and then she starts confirming the people's order behind me. I was kinda confused. Was she doing our orders simultaneously?

Then I realized she was combining our orders. Like really? REALLY?!? You didn't even ask if we were together? You just automatically put our orders together? We aren't even descended from the same CONTINENT! ughhhh (Okay I was already irritated at this place because they didn't have like ANY of the veggies they were supposed to have. lame.) 

I called my mom and told her and she was just laughing at me.

Maybe I should take a few spanish classes and start telling people I'm mexican. Even though I don't think I even look mexican. what ev's. 

This is my confused face.

Okay, I think I'll go take a nap now. Maybe I can sleep off my crankiness. 

PS. I don't think there is anything wrong with being Mexican. Overall they are a beautiful people and country. It just gets a little old that I am constantly assumed to be mexican, when I am not. And yes, I do realize that I don't look Japanese OR English either. Guess I'll always be a mystery till you ask. Or read this.

Update: Okay no nap yet, but I did just watch a wedding video from a couple that was in my ward. Now I'm all smiles ;)

Makin' Babies

Today the cycle of like just randomly popped into my head (aka all day lower back pain)

So I was congratulating myself on making it past the age of sixteen without being pregnant, and therefore, escaping the possibility of being on "Sixteen and Pregnant".

.....

Then a thought popped into my head. 

What if I ended up on "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant"??

I can't decide which would be worse.

Bam!

So I was reading Ursula Le Guin's "Why Are American's Afraid of Dragons" for class. She is talking about how important imagination and fiction are.

I'm loving this quote:

"So I arrive at my personal defense of the uses of the imagination, especially in fiction, and most especially in fairy tale, legend, fantasy, science fiction, and the rest of the lunatic fringe. I believe that maturity is not an outgrowing, but a growing up: that an adult is not a dead child, but a child who survived. I believe that all the best faculties of a mature human being exist in the child, and that if these faculties are encourages in youth they will act well and wisely in the adult, but if they are repressed and denied in the child they will stunt and cripple the adult personality"

This essay can be read on good books preview here.



I really like how she emphasized how important having an imagination as a kid is to our adult lives, and the distinction she made about maturity.

Agree? Disagree?

Bicycles

Okay, so you know how everyone has warm and fuzzy memories from their carefree days of childhood, roaming outside, racing down the streets on the bikes, etc, etc?

{ffffound}

Well, now I know you guys might be shocked to hear this about me, but I had a few accidents on my bike when I was younger, despite my cat-like reflexes.


Why am I telling you this? Well, I was walking back from my class today and I realized that I cringe on the inside every time a bike passes me. Now, it's not the "oh crap I have my head phones in and didn't even hear that bike coming up behind me" reaction (Though that happens to me too) or the "What the? Hey biker, try not cutting me off next time because I just saw my life flash before my eyes" reaction either (though, this too happens to me).


I've had too many incidents with bikes (first grade I fell, blacked out, and half of my face skid across the concrete, fifth grade I fell face first, got a few stitches on my lip and gum and broke half of my front tooth which has resulted in two root canals, and a few other more minor accidents)** that anyone going at what seems fast, freaks me out, for their sake. 


Do you ever feel weirdly scared for other people when they are doing seemingly everyday stuff that freaks you out??


**I'm a totally grandma on a bike now-- last time I rode when was a couple of years ago in the Netherlands I think, on these cobbled roads by a river that was totally pretty but I was so paranoid of falling that I went about a mile an hour.  

Shakespeare Film Festival 2010

So instead of being up in Provo all day tomorrow, I will be here.

(Cedar City..... gahhhh 4 hour bus ride!!!!)

For this.

Seeing Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth

I mean, I'm personally not a huuuuge fan of reading Shakespeare, but boy I do enjoy seeing people act it out. I mean, that is how it was meant to be experienced right?

Any of you going??

PS. I made some new pages up at the top if you want to go check them out. I mean, they aren't really anything new. But organized newly.

I've got a bug

... a travel bug!!

I haven't been anywhere in a couple of years tear :(  but thanks to my parents taking me on many a trip, I looove traveling. I mean who doesn't? Well I suppose some people like to vacation doing the same thing every year, which is fun, but there are so many things to see!!

I've been drooling over some of our pictures from the last family trip we took (minus my sister, so I guess it was a parents + michelle trip) in Portugal and Morocco.

[Lisbon I believe, pretty close to our hotel]

{Lisbon isn't even my favorite city ever, however awesome it is, but *somehow* I think I could stand to live there for a few years... at least. No?}

I loveeee exploring places that are more ruins than preserved! 

{This is where I died. It's up a huuuge mountain and has amazingggg views. Seriously.}

{Of course Morocco was AMAZING too. Highly recommended}

{Good-bye Morocco!}

(We may or may not have gotten into trouble with the guards by taking these pictures before getting on the ferry*.)

Does anyone else feel like they never fully appreciate all that they see when they are actually on vacation??

*That ferry ride was kinda hell-ish. I didn't mind tooo much, but the boat was totally rocking. Like you couldn't walk across the ship without bracing yourself. Limited seating. Multiple hours. Many, many, many Moroccans stuffed into the boat, and VERY intent on getting off first. Almost got trampled. It was intense.