HaveyoumetJeff

Dad: Are you sure they aren't faking it?

Me: What do you mean?

Dad: Didn't Beyonna do the same thing on the Super Bowl?

Me: You mean Beyonce?

Dad: Yeah, didn't she mouth-sync?

Me: I just signed up for a month membership at the YMCA

Mom: Why didn't you sign up for a whole year?

Me: Because it's more expensive, duh. And it's not like I'll be here for a whole year.

Mom: ....

Me: ...unless you don't think I'll get a job within a year.

Mom: ...

Having finally seen Cloud Atlas for the first time, I can come to the conclusion...

that I need to see it again.

I spent the entire movie trying to figure out the different storylines, piecing together the turntable of timelines. It was one of those movies you might not get the first time, but watch it again and you'll understand it some more. And by the third time you watch it, you might realize that you can't possibly force a straight logic on this movie; for it flows from scene to scene in a way that you need to suspend your disbeliefs to understand the movie. 

I loved the Hobbit, and the Silver Linings Playbook. But I believe that Cloud Atlas is one movie that I can forsee myself watching for a long time on. 

Finally some down time between semesters to make a long awaited post. Hopefully next semester I'll be a bit more diligent about updating...

Memphis style pork ribs for this year's Christmas dinner. I used a memphis dry rub similar to this one here. It's not too sweet and not to spicy, but pretty damn flavorful. Turned out great, although I think I cooked it a bit too long.

Next, Cantonese-style, lobster and scallion ginger dish. Didn't have scallions available so I had to resort to leeks, which worked just as fine. Used a method similar here, where you quickly poach the chopped lobster, shell and all, in a wok of oil. And then you add the fragrant ginger, scallions, and other ingredients. Here a cool video of a guy doing it in Chinatown. Still haven't figured out how to plate it without looking like a huge mess though.

My dad invited several of his Chinese/Taiwanese colleagues over for dinner this year. Normally I don't mind having guests over - it makes things more lively. It's just that in this case, the entire dinner conversation is carried on in Chinese. So I get to awkwardly chew through my dinner and smile when it sounds like someone's made a joke. 

It gets worse when they try to ask me questions about school and my interests...then I get to stumble my way through with a concoction of 3rd grade Chinese and English. Chinglish if you will...and very bad even at that. 

And then one of the colleague's kids asks to play my rather dated video games. "Oh gosh! This game is ancient! I've heard of this game before, but I've never ever seen it before" Nothing says your entrance into the adult world/early twenties like a kid calling your childhood 'ancient' and 'really old'. 

PSY and MC Hammer perform together at the American Music Awards. Wat.

The coolness starts at 2:35