But Mr. Peabody...

A classic. Would love to have a Peabody...and Sherman isn't that bad.

Luscious

Is it me, or have chefs been thrusted into the "sex symbol" status as of late? Cooking can be very sensual and expressive, but I've known a fair share of chefs who are anything but. Try manic, rude, arrogant, spastic and weird. I guess whatever twists your noodle. Enjoyed New York restaurant critic Gael Greene's write-up on The Daily Beast about the secret sex lives of chefs.

OMG

Went through my phone and scrolled through my recent calls. You'd think I was dating someone who has a toll-free number. No, folks, that number belongs to Delta's customer "service" line. It has been 10-plus straight days of long, taxing phone calls to Delta. I wasn't born with a silver spoon, but I hardly think that air travel is this difficult, especially if it just involves pressing a button that says "save."

Sad Week

What sad news we had this week. It's still so hard to believe that Michael Jackson is dead.

Frontline/WORLD Iran: The Stem Cell Fatwa

My friend, Jonathan Schienberg's piece on stem cell research in Iran. Please also read sidebar story on Iran's juvenile executions.

On Second Thought...

Maybe I shouldn't have went to the gym so late tonight; now I'm having a hard time falling asleep. Knew I wanted to turn in early tonight, but my trip to the gym got delayed by phone calls. Not a bad thing actually, since something one of my friends said really got me thinking.

"It seems like every time you mention him, it's always something bad. It's never anything good."

Many second thoughts now...
I need to stop putting myself into situations where I end up sabotaging, hurting myself. Funny how we DO hold the power to make ourselves happy, miserable, sad, ecstatic. (I'm worth it...you are not.)

Thought of The Day

"...And go out
And just loose it all

I feel stressed out
I wanna let it go
Lets go way out spaced out
and loosing all control..."

Oh Ikea

To the European couple in front of me in line at Ikea tonight:

Thank you for not offering to let me go ahead of you even though I only had one item, and you had about 50 small, odd items. I know you two were very excited to find an "EE-key-ah" in Palo Alto (East Palo Alto to be exact -- that's right, it's in the 'toh), but I would have appreciated it if you had offered to let me ahead to so I could pay for my one futon cover. I especially liked it when you didn't know how to work the ATM machine and your gazillion items used up all the cash register tape.

Sincerely,
I'm over it...I just wanted to blog about it. :)

Just Stop

Finally realized why I check my Facebook less frequently now:

1. Status updates
2. Conversations on "Walls" and those little "comment" boxes.

Per #2: Really people? The fact that you have to broadcast your long-drawn convo's for everyone to see makes me think you're that person who talks really loud on your cell phone in public or just loudly in general. Why don't you email the person? Or better yet, pick up the phone.

I always thought the purpose of the Wall was a quick hello! Shout out!...and the purpose of "comment"...umm, yeah, it's is to comment on something. Comment on a photo, on one of those overly-annoying apps or quizzes, etc.

I don't think Facebook was intended for status updates. That's what platforms like blogs and Twitter are for. People know what they're going to get. I just get turned off when I log on to FB and immediately get inundated with "I combed my cat" and "I am bored" or "so and so is in (fill in the city)."

Decisions, Decisions...

I have several big ones to make, but am procrastinating. I need to make them because they are looming over me and distracting me from moving forward. Perhaps they're not as major as I make them out to be, but my highly-analytical brain is doing just that.

Let's Not Fight...

Let's not fight, I still love you New York City. How can I resist the fact that on every street corner in every borough, I can find the most fabulous slice of pizza here.

And let's not forgot that no bagel is a New York bagel unless it's from New York. The "bagels" I get here in California are round pieces of French bread with holes in the middle.

Finally, I can always rely on you to provide me after-hours nourishment. Whether in a restaurant or in front of a food cart, I can always find something warm to put inside my hungry stomach when it's after midnight. I don't have to resort to chain restaurants that serve 24-hour breakfast if I want to eat late. I love you New York.

I Love You, But...

Having put out there that I love NYC, I'll admit that it isn't the most amazing place in the world. I think it's impossible for one place to hold that omniscient title. One thing about NYC that drives me bonkers -- at times -- is how it's kinda behind on certain trends. First off, as a food-lover, I don't understand why NYC still doesn't have good Chinese or Mexican food. And before all you people get your panties in a bunch, you're talking to a CHINESE person who grew up in one of the most heavily populated Mexican populations outside of Mexico. NYC has great good from all over the world, but honestly, never had "take my breath away" Chinese of Mexican. The kind that makes me...well, for those who have been around me when I've eaten great food, you know my reaction.

Okay, secondly, I hate how New Yorkers think ramen, Chinese dumplings and Vietnamese sandwiches are the latest food trends. they're NOT. I know the NYT, Time Out and that other dreaded publication has written about these three dishes, prompting self-professed "foodies" (I hate that word, and I shudder as I typed that) and other people (I got nothing) flood the East Village, downtown, SoHo for these Asian staples. On my recent trip to NYC, my friend and I were discussing lunch, and she suggested to me the newest and latest food rave. "Banh Mi"... but she pronounced it "Baaaan-Mee." Okay, seriously...San Francisco ate ramen, banh mi and dumplings 10 years ago.

"Manhattanhenge" photo via jonbell on Flickr. Taken 5/31 on 42nd and 3rd.

Talk Story

Spent a wonderful afternoon having lunch with a Hawaiian family. When I first met them, they wouldn't allow handshakes, it was all hugging. Big hearts, big appetites and a lot of laughs and warmth. One of my co-worker's wife is Hawaiian, and he invited me to have lunch with her, his daughter and his in-laws. I had such a great time chatting and with them and learning about their diverse backgrounds...Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese, English. One of the best compliments I received today, "You come to the Island, you will be seen as a local, not a haole." Do you know what a haole is?" Lol.

NOH8

Memorial Day

We may not all support war or agree on the politics of war. I personally believe war sucks. But I do support the soldiers. Every year when I file Memorial Day stories, I get emotional. Whether it's talking to World War II vets or Korean War vets, I always get a little choked up, especially when Taps is played...and especially when I talk to Vietnam Vets. Have to say, I had a very hard time fighting back tears yesterday during a Vietnam War memorial event; I broke down as a journalist and showed that I was just human.

Early Bird Gets...No Sleep

I need to enroll in a sleep study. Seriously, how can it be that I'm exhausted but my body decides to wake up only after 5 hours of sleep. Not good! I report on all these health issues that arise from lack of sleep! I think my problem is, I start to unwind from my day, then I pick up on little bits of work...and end up burning the midnight candle. Chirp, chirp, chirp.

Please Try Your Call Again

Do I defeat the purpose of having a cell phone if I don't check my voice mail? Because I don't...well let's say I can't. I currently have 15 voice mails on it. My phone, you see, is a bit broke. It's a sturdy one, indeed. I've dropped it numerous times, and the last time I did, I lost several pieces of my Nokia. But it still works. It's being held together by duct tape (ghetto, right?). Now of course, if I'm interviewing the Queen of England, I won't pull out my phone in front of her, but it works for me now. I get calls and I make calls.

But I'm one of those people who sees the missed call and I call the person back. I don't check the voice mail, I just call. Unless I tell someone to leave me a message with some important msg, or I'm expecting an interview, or important person (sorry, don't mean to come off snooty), I won't hear your message. And if I do, it would be like a month after you've left it and my phone decides to "beep" to let me know I have a message. So if you call me, and I don't pick up, don't leave a message. Your "missed call" is all I need to know that you rang.

SNL: Motherlover

Too funny. It's the return of the "D*ck in the Box" boys. Is it me or is JT (*swoon*) becoming a better comedian? He and Andy Samberg are great together. This is the censored version from Hulu. OMG! Props need to be given to Patricia Clarkson and Susan Sarandon who are SO cool to play along with this. "I'm gonna be the syrup, she can be my waffle." Enjoy.

What do you read on the subway?

I've always thought this was interesting. Anytime I'm on the train, I always scope out what people are reading. Sadly, this Gawker post kind of proves what I've been noticing more of during my recent trips to NYC -- print is "effed", gadgets rule.

Oh Anna

It's a highly anticipated interview. 60 Minutes will feature Anna Wintour -- editrix of Vogue Magazie -- this Sunday. Only a handful of people know who Anna Wintour is, and a smaller handful care about her and fashion in general. I have followed Anna Wintour since I saw an interview with her on Charlie Rose more than a decade ago. However, I didn't carve out a career path to follow Wintour or to be a Bush league "fashion" writer. There are great journalists out there who cover fashion; but they also have an understanding and command of prose and see the "bigger picture" -- beyond fashion claptrap, wedges for summer and free lipstick as part of a job perk. Don't get me wrong, I've been following Gawker's posts on Anna and will be watching this Sunday, but I know this isn't ground-breaking journalism, it's not life-changing, it won't make the world a better place. It's a fluff piece, done up to air on what many regard as one of broadcast journalism's most respected shows. Morley Safer will be interviewing Anna, and I hope he will bring everyone back to reality. Because in the end, underneath the veneer of glossies, photo shoots and runways, the fashion world breeds a lot of ugliness.

China Marks Quake Anniversary

(Photo courtesy: Jason Lee/Reuters via The New York Times)
A mother sitting among the rubble in Beichuan county on Tuesday mourned the death of her daughter, Xiang Yazi, at left in photo, in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

May 12 is the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Sichuan, China. It still haunts me to think how a few minutes took the lives of -- what some believe -- nearly 90,000 people. Among the largest group of victims, children, who were in school. News of this magnitude always affect me, but having taught in Sichuan, China hit a little bit closer to home. The town in which I lived and taught was very close to the quake's epicenter, and many of my students lived in the villages that saw so much destruction. Last year, I spent the whole day trying to reach my relatives, my former students. Thankfully my family was okay, I heard back from some students, but not all.

The Chinese government has not been very supportive to the parents of quake victims. Officials have recommended parents not visit the quake sites or hold memorials. And as a way to "move on" from the tragedy, some parents were granted permission to have a second child.

The Washington Post has a really good piece and video about how some families are coping with the quake aftermath.

More Pebble Beach Food & Wine pics

At the Saturday Lexus Grand Tasting at Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival. You can't tell here, but I was operating on about 6 hours of sleep in a span of four days.

Let's just say a lot of calories were consumed -- the duck burger from Cindy Pawlcyn contributed to that delicious calorie count.

Ratatat-a-tat-a-tat...

Can't stop listening to them. I know they've been around for a while now. But had a Ratatat resurgence in the past few weeks.

My 3 obsessions of the week:
1. Annick Goutal's Mandragore Body Cream
2. Popcorn, Indiana Kettle Corn
3. Ratatat

Dear Diary...

This is on the top of my book wish list right now. I love the little snippets of Manhattan and slice of life stories I get from the NYT's Metropolitan Diary entries. The best thing is, I can read about them and I can jog my memory to relive some of those New York stories. What is it about Manhattan that sets the scene for these little stories to play out. Not forced, not staged...they just happen, like magic.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

I forgot which hole the pulled pork barbecue sandwich stand was at Pebble Beach during the Food and Wine Festival...but it was one of the best dishes I tried in the entire event. (This was during the celebrity chef golf tournament on the first day of Pebble Beach Food and Wine.) I made a new friend, this monkey was right in front of the table, and I couldn't resist. Had to take a few shots with him/her. Say cheez!

Didn't intend on raising my arm up, a gust of wind came through and the picture was taken.