aw HALE nah!!

I received this email earlier this afternoon:

Dear Emilie,

You submitted an application to the University of Washington for Summer 2009. At that time, the University was not able to offer you admission but referred you to the University of Washington's Evening Degree Program.

[shock. disbelief. bullshit. more bullshit. tears. fears. agony]

Sincerely yours,
Connie Montgomery, Director
Academic Advising
UW Evening Degree Program

two hours later, I received this email:

Dear Emilie,

You recently received a message from the University of Washington Evening Degree Program, signed by Connie Montgomery. Please disregard that message. Due to an error, their message was inadvertently sent to you.

We regret any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused you.

Sincerely,
The Office of Admissions
University of Washington Seattle

MOTHERFUCKER! I nearly shit my pants!

ay, ye wee lass

the owner of Finn MacCools is one of our regulars at work, and he's actually about to open a new bar. I don't remember the name, but I believe it's on East Lake (like, on the lake) and it's going to be more swank and loungier. He actually came in today and when I asked him about it, he said it was opening this Thursday. Now I can't say I'm entirely sure he knows/remembers me, but as he was stepping out, he told me,

"maybe we can steal you away" ::wink::

ahhh, what does this mean?! Do I have a chance to work there, even as a server? I'll be bar back--I'll be someone's bitch! Why do you tease me so? And in that adorable Irish lilt of yours? Have I mentioned that even though he's like in his 40s or 50s, he's a total silver fox, mmm... Anderson Cooper, step aside. I like my men like I like my whiskey: straight.

oh, but I digress. I first heard of this upcoming bar about 2ish months ago, and since then have been slowly trying to plant the seeds of bubbly, personable barista to get him to remember me. Perhaps my plan is working, yes ::evil laugh::. If only I can work for him and leave the coffee biz T_T. I don't even drink coffee, but at least I enjoy a dranky drank here & there so my product knowledge would be put to better use.

as part of my ongoing plan to ingrain my face in his memory bank, I propose attending opening night this Thursday! If not to become a member of his workforce, at least to be a regular and maybe gain comped-drink status? Beer for coffee? I'd say it's a fair trade... well, not really, but it's all relative. Anyway, who's down?

erectospectively...

I can't wait to have a place of my own. I was putting things up today and while my current digs are really nice (in fact, my latest house project is a vegetable & herb garden! ^_^ I'm really excited to get that started, but more on that later), it made me think of my dream box.

I use to have a box where I collectively stored ideas, pictures, floor plans, and notes on things I wanted in my dream home. Whenever I ran into something I liked, I either jotted it down, took a pic of it, or tore it out of a magazine to save for that day when I became a *homeowner*. The idea came to me when one sunny afternoon, I passed by (in the words of Yann Martel) "a riot of flowers". I walked by some of the most beautiful gardens, and like any true UW student, took in the beauty of the blossoming cherry trees that fill The Quad. I knew that I could never learn the names of these plants, so I figured, if I were ever to landscape my own yard/garden and my contractor asked what I wanted, I'd just show him/her pictures, hoping he/she would be able to identify them. In addition, after my family moved into the house, I took pics of our really cool shower facets because I knew that when I wanted to design my bathrooms, I wouldn't know how to describe what I wanted in builder's terms, but I could show what I wanted and get it done right.

unfortunately, through the years and many many moves, I lost this box :(. I lost pictures of plants, architectural structures, and designs that I'll never see again. I lost ideas that were progressive and had balanced form with function. I lost parts of my dream home, le sigh...

but alas! all is not entirely lost. I know that my tastes have changed between when I started this project and now. I've traveled to further lands and was introduced to new art forms and ideas of urban planning. I've seen other cultural interpretations of efficient use of living space and taken note. And most importantly, my own experiences residing in multiple living situations has taught me more about myself and what I look for in a home. It's time to start a new dream box! To jot down what little I remember from the old box and record new things to come ^_^.

to that note, I hope to someday have an awesome herb, vegetable, & fruit garden in my dream home. I want to be able to go to my backyard and pick fresh vegetables or to plan my meals with the seasons. But before I can do that, I need to learn how to garden; a bit of a green thumb would help, and as I mentioned earlier, I'm currently working on an herb & vegetable garden. Chris & I went to the store to pick up tools and seeds, and fortunately, his backyard is already set up for a garden. There are 6 boxes ready for the pickens and 3 planters for our herbs. I have some experience with herbs from a birthday gift Carlo & I got for Char so I know they're fairly low-maintenance, but after reading My Empire of Dirt (future gardeners & farmers, take note!), I've come to realize that I still have a lot of learning and research to do, aiyah! It'll take some time & energy, but whether this is a good thing or not, I have a lot of that... at least until school starts in the summer. I can only hope my gardening experiences now will not only yield edible crop, but will also help me plan better and add new ideas to my dream box.

oh, and I would like to mention that this entire gardening venture was completely unassociated with Michelle Obama's interview on her own gardening plans. I was only informed today that such an article even existed, hence this recent "locavore" movement. Us roomies have been planning this vegetable garden for quite some time now, though I must give props to our First Lady for advocating self-sustaining food, holla! You mah gurl Michelle, you mah GURL!

if i wanted to snuggle, i'd do my laundry!

Robb's back and I couldn't be happier!!!

what a trip

if you like awesome, progressive, and innovative animation, watch this. It's pretty crazy. And by crazy, I really mean crazy AWESOME!

you gotta be fucking kidding me!

I'm so annoyed at people right now, argh! >:[ Don't talk to me, don't try to make it better when it's really none of your business, just let me do my thing, and especially don't make things harder!

cooking with chris: gnocchi

one of the perks of dating a (aspiring) chef is free cooking lessons. A more obvious perk would be the delicious food he makes for me, but we've been together long enough that we're past that initial impress phase, and have moved on to educating each other on our interests. At some point, Chris plans to teach cooking classes, so as a precursor to that, he's been teaching me how to cook various dishes. So far, we've covered potato karrokes (croquettes), ravioli made from scratch (pasta too!), homemade lasagna with pink sauce (red + white, mmm), and braising. All of these dishes I made before I started this blog, but now that it's here, I'd like to showcase my culinary progress, starting with last night.

he taught me how to make gnocchi, which, for those who don't know, is definitely one of my absolute favorite dishes. Gnocchi Thursdays will now be the new Taco Tuesdays, hell yes! To make Gnocchi Thursdays happen, here's how you make gnocchi:

Basic Gnocchi (serves 2)
3-4 potatoes
flour
salt
1-2 egg yolks

the first part is easy. It's like your making mashed potatoes. Start boiling some water. Meanwhile, wash, peel, and chop your potatoes. Boil them and add salt to flavor until tender. Drain the potatoes, and mash them up. We use a ricer, but you can also use a mixer or any other type of potato mashing utensil. The key thing is that it has to be mashed to a really smooth consistency.

egg yolks are optional, but according to Chris, they help hold the dough together, so you'd only need about one. We used 2 because I generally like my stuff eggier (omelettes, leche flan, custard, you get the idea). Anyway, add your egg yolks and flour to the potatoes. There should be about one cup of flour per potato. Knead that (and any other spices or salt to flavor) in until you have a nice dough that you can shape.

divide your dough in thirds. Take one of the thirds and lightly flour a flat surface. Roll the potato dough into a long strip about an inch thick (or thinner for gnocchini). Cut into small pieces; I just eyeballed it to form little pillows. Lightly use the tines of a fork to press a little design into each piece of gnocchi, and there you have it! Simple as pie. Trust me, if I can do it, you can.

to cook the gnocchi, boil some water. When the water begins to boil, just add the gnocchi and when it floats, it's done cooking. Ours took about 3 minutes to cook. Add any sauce of your choice on top and some basil. We made a simple red sauce with crushed tomatoes, sauteed onions, garlic, zucchini, salt, and pepper. Ooh, and for an even better taste, before adding the sauce, I'd sautee the cooked gnocchi in some butter! Bon appetit, or what I like to say, Mahlzeit!

maybe i should take this to maury

at what point should one take responsibility for a child or acknowledge that he/she is his/her? I know this sounds like an odd question, but I ask because I got into an interesting debate with a friend on the topic of reproductive cell donation and how one would feel about the idea that little versions of that person are out there.

in lieu of the recession, I'd been joking around about donating my eggs if things ever got that bad. The other day, I was talking about it with my sister and she had told me some more information on it, like how I'm at my prime age for egg donation or how people look at SAT and IQ scores and shit. I brought all this up with aforementioned friend and at some point in the conversation, he asked if I'd feel weird that little me's were out there. Still in jest, I joked that it wouldn't bother me, but that I'd warn my future kids (if I decide to have any) not to marry any Filipinos because he/she could be a potential half-sibling, but then he said he'd feel weird about it, and naturally, the question of "why?" arose.

I was confused why he'd feel weird about it while he seemed surprised that I wouldn't. To be honest, he almost made it seem like I was being heartless toward whatever child might arise from donating my eggs. He was like, "so, if this child looked you up, found you, and went up to you with questions, you'd tell it, 'what? I just needed money". I know he was joking, but it was still a little harsh. It was interesting because he compared this situation to adopted children. Let me remind you, this child would arise from egg/sperm donation. My argument was, on top of the obvious that I am not/would not be this child's parent and that his/her real parents are the ones who raised him/her regardless of biological relationship, that this situation would be nothing like that of an adopted child.

if I gave up a child for adoption, I conceived this child. It came to life inside me, it grew inside me, I nurtured and took care of it in my body for 9 months, and I birthed it. After going through all of that, it's quite understandable why that child would want to know "why?". However, with organ donation, the egg would be fertilized in a lab, outside of my body. Beyond that point, the point in which some would argue that life begins, it will never have touched my body, grown in my body, fed through my body, or birthed by my body. As an unfertilized egg, there exist nothing but a reproductive cell that would get expelled anyway during the whole ovulation process, and thus, life has not been created, life does not exist. So how can I take responsibility for whatever child could be conceived by an egg I would donate? Aside from the genetic factor, I have nothing tying me to this child. And yes, some would say that that biological aspect defines parenthood, but I believe there's so much more to it than simple genetics. Perhaps I'm being heartless toward this child, but I personally feel like there would be absolutely no maternal connection on my part when I had nothing to do with the point that his/her life was created onward.

anyway, my friend never cared to explain his end of the argument. Perhaps I argued my point well enough to get him thinking? Or perhaps he was lazy? Or perhaps he just agreed to disagree. Whatever he decided, it got me to think about the situation more. I mean, the idea of a child of egg/sperm donation wanting to find the donator never seemed like an issue to me, but then I'm not being understanding. Maybe some people do feel that way? For the most part, I still hold my same beliefs, but I'm always open to other's opinions and hearing their thoughts, so I was just wondering how other people feel about the topic? Where do you stand?

wtf?

I just saw a brief interview with David Beckham on ESPN about his future plans, and he mentioned how he was thinking about the 2010 FIFA World Cup. That made me think, wtf?! It's already been almost 4 years since I was in Vienna?! I was there for the last World Cup, which feels like that happened only a year ago. I can't believe that much time has passed, wow!

simple as a pimple

I feel like Chris & I have been on such a roll lately!

we're 2 for 2, yeah!

1. last Friday, I got an email from UW's Speech & Hearing Sciences department congratulating me on my acceptance to their postbaccalareate program XD. Because everyone seems to be confused about this program, basically, I want to get my masters in speech-language pathology, but before I can get into a masters program, I have to first complete and get a second Bachelors Degree in S&HS/Communications Disorders since I graduated from a different discipline. Getting into this program is the first big step toward my 5 year plan toward becoming a speech pathologist, so you can only imagine how excited I am to not only work toward something I'm passionate about, but also, something more legit and worth it. Goodbye Starbucks, hello future!
2. in the context of getting what you want to work toward something great, my baby also found out this weekend that he got the job he wanted! He left Microsoft to become a personal assistant/chef and tutor to a family of 4. This family is really wealthy too; they own the top private pharmaceutical company in the nation, so they're ballin' to say the least. While his primary duties are to organize and keep everyone on track, he's really excited to be their personal chef (they've got a great kitchen, no surprise, and full creative freedom) and apparently, they host small parties that Chris would cater for! Not only is this an opportunity for him to showcase his talent, but also a great way to network and meet some really important people. Hook up! This job, too, is like the first big step toward his 5 year plan.

on a minor scale, I also just found out that I have a volunteer orientation this Friday at Swedish Medical Center. I'm trying to volunteer in their rehab center, which includes the speech lab. This would be another step, albeit minor, toward my career. Hopefully, it'll be a hat trick of a week? 3 for 3? And after that, Chris starts his new job on the 17th, so maybe 4 for 4?

to celebrate our recent successes, we went out to the new El Gaucho for dinner last night. What better way to celebrate than with a big, juicy steak, mmm. The service, as expected, was excellent, and the food was even better. We ordered the crab cakes & a caprese salad for appetizers; Chris got the French Rib Chop and I got the Steak El Gaucho; a side of Portobello Mushroom Risotto; and for dessert, we stuck to the complimentary fruit, nut, & cheese plate, which I was really looking forward to! And on top of all this delicious food & a really great evening, our server tipped us off on another place that has an industry night. I'll keep it secret for now until we check it out for ourselves, but that's where we'll be on Sunday ^_~.

steak el gaucho

i thought you were screaming cuz you knew i was gonna poke you in the butt

last night, Chris & I saw Raphael Saadiq in concert, and he was AMAZING! Admittedly, I had my initial qualms going in. I'm only somewhat familiar with his music, to the point where I enjoy it, but I don't know it well enough to go out of my way to see him in concert. But, Chris got us the tickets (Ray is his homeboy), so I figured, why not? He performed so well in his yellow suit and his little motown dance numbers. He sang the classics, like "Pillow", as well as some of the new stuff off The Way I See It. The best part: we were at the very front! There were so many times Raphael danced toward our corner, and he even shook our hands. At the end of the performance, we managed to steal one of the song lists from the stage:

1. Aquarius INTRO
2. Keep Marching
3. Love That Girl
4. 100 Yard Dash
5. Dance Tonight/La La
6. Just One Kiss
7. Oh Girl
8. Medley
9. Be Here
10. Sure Hope You Mean It
11. Charlie Ray
12. Walk
13. Staying in Love
14. Outro
15. ENCORE / Still Ray
16. ENCORE / Sky
17. ENCORE / Big Easy

I'm glad I ended up going to the show. Unfortunately, it coincided with wine&pasta night at Tracy's, which I'm sure I would've had fun and I was sad to miss it, but this show was just so great! Chris & I had so much fun, and it was really quite sweet how he brought it up to me. He told me it was a one-year anniversary kinda thing, reminiscent of how we started (our first official "date" was the Kanye West concert about a year ago) ^_^, but in the end, it was decided that whatever one-year type of anniversary we'd celebrate wouldn't be until the time I had come back from Taiwan.

anyway, I digress. Raphael Saadiq was just so smooth, and he's got such great control over his voice. I thought the venue was just the right size for him to interact with his audience. He was really engaging and friendly, and he involved the audience in some of his songs. I'd definitely say it was one of the best shows I've seen, and I'd recommend him to anyone!

tramp-stamp barbie

ok, so it's actually called Totally Stylin' Tattoos Barbie, and really, she's harmless, but you know what Mattell's really encouraging. What's next? Clear heels Barbie? Pole-dancing Barbie? Some assembly required, hahaha!

he'll save children, but not the british children

George Washington, you are so *divine*

lent

for the sake of my health & my pocketbook, I've decided to give up alcohol for Lent. I don't regret this decision in the slightest. I don't really crave a drink, even socially, and I still have fun at the clubs without being tipsy. Yet, lately, I find that I can't seem to get enough sweets! Anyone who knows me knows that I have quite the sweet tooth, but even I'm surprised at how much I've been eating as of late.

earlier today, for example, I gave in and bought a Top Pot old-fashioned glazed doughnut to eat with my extra chocolately toffee nut hot chocolate. And yesterday, I had a PB&J cupcake from Trophy. I've also been snacking on god knows how many Lindt chocolate balls, and at work, I'm constantly munching on lemon loaves, cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, and chocolate coated graham crackers. In spite of the cold, I'm even eating ice cream! I'm beginning to fear for my genetic background prone for diabetes ::gulp::. Is my new alcohol-free diet the cause for my sugar cravings? Does one beget the other? Clearly, something needs to change...

why do you hurt so goood? T_T

let's start with...

a meme. Like an ice-breaker of sorts.

20 Things to Think About
1. My ex... toured France, reading his poetry. Pretty cool
2. Maybe I should... be doing something more productive...
3. I love... SHOES!
4. People would say that I... was once a big, black woman in a past life
5. I don't understand why people... lack respect and common courtesy
6. When I wake up in the morning... I hit the snooze button
7. I lost... my "C" necklace :*(
8. Life is full of... laughs
9. My past... is in the past
10. I get annoyed... at stupid people
11. I left... my heart in Switzerland
12. I wish... I had 20/20 vision
13. Dogs... are in my future, hopefully an Alaskan Malamute/St. Bernhard mix
14. Cats... are too
15. Tomorrow... is my day off
16. I have low tolerance for... indecisive customers when there's a line out the door
17. If I had a million dollars... I'd finish school and travel
18. I'm totally terrified... of drowning, but I love the water and swimming!
19. My friends... are pretty bomb
20. (In) My life... could use more cheese