Thursday

Tired today. Long day at work: Started my day with assignment to track down a sex offender who violated parole, but got called off it to do a peanut butter cookie dough recall story. Schools were selling the product for fundraisers. Stumbled upon a good story in the process of this story. One of the school's band students were selling the cookie dough for a trip to China. Apparently these kids are pretty good and have made several tours in China. The superintendent invited me to go with the students, to which I replied, "YEAH." Only caveat, need a sponsor, and need my work to give me paid time off. I highly doubt the latter, since during the Beijing Olympics, they didn't even move an inch when I -- and other co-workers -- suggested I file reports from Beijing.

I volunteered tonight after work. Hard night. Fridge and pantry were empty. There was chicken and some tomatoes, onions and bell peppers, so I made a healthy cacciatore-like dish. NO pasta or rice! There was a lot of macaroni, so I boiled that and tossed it with the sauce. Finished it off with parmesan and served with some bread. I was sad because the shelter ran out of fruits and salad. I normally serve salad and fruit with dinner. I hope the ladies enjoyed their dinner. I enjoyed cooking it.

Will sign off after I knock out a few chapters in my book. Current read: Jonathan Franzen's "The Corrections." Night.

An Explosion of Meat

"The Bacon Explosion is a massive torpedo-shaped amalgamation of two pounds of bacon woven through and around two pounds of sausage and it looks like this." So who's behind this meat bomb that packs a pork punch and more?

And for my friends out there...Yes, I see the irony in this post given that I've never eaten bacon before.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Xinnian kuaile, gong hay fat choy! It's the year of the ox. Wishing everyone a happy, prosperous and healthy new year. Chun Jie (or what's known in the west as Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year) lasts for 15 days. We Chinese know how to have a holiday ;)

Check out this video from the History Channel; they do a good job in giving background to the holiday. I wished they talked more about the importance of food in this holiday and the symbolism behind certain dishes (fish, chicken with its head on, noodles, dumplings, etc.) Unfortunately the second video on Chinatowns has an audio glitch.

Mr. President

Newseum also has a collection of A-1's from newspapers around the world. From the folks at Gawker.

A Long Time Coming.

Ahhh...

I love running because it makes me happy and healthy. One of the best pleasures in life.

To Sum it Up...

My song at the moment

And so it is...

Need sleep more than blogging; however, I feel I should check in. Apologies for dilatory response. Been caught up at work and emotions. Good thing is, I've been able to catch all the award-nominated films. Slumdog, Wrestler, Rev Road, Reader, Doubt, Milk -- Slumdog and Wrestler are my favorites: simply brilliant. Work has been crazy, and this week -- wow.

As for myself, been trying to get my emotions in place. Dealing with a lot on my plate for past several months now. By the way, you can follow me on twitter: twitter.com/maychow I provide updates there. It's hard. Not going to lie, it's been a hard, tough couple of months. Need change.

He's Baaaack

Nice to see Jon Stewart back with new shows. It seemed like it's been months Stewart's been away. His last show was the Thursday before President Bush got shoes thrown at him. David Gregory was the guest on Monday night; and Stewart had on two braids and beads from his Caribbean trip. Hilarious. If you haven't been a Stewart fan before, make this year the first.

Michelin Stars for Cantonese Restaurant

One of the best stories I've read this week. The article does a good job talking about Cantonese cuisine. It is surprising this is the first Cantonese restaurant recognized by Michelin, seeing as how there are so many amazingly delicious restaurants in Hong Kong and Guangdong. Hopefully, Michelin will expand its palate and sample other cuisines from China.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/03/world/asia/03chef.html?ref=world

This is Too Good

From the folks at Gawker:

"LeatherCreations, a Chicago-area furniture store, took out a quarter-page ad in Thursday's Chicago Tribune: "We sell more seats than the Governor!" Does this spell a lucrative post-politics career in endorsements for Illinois's allegedly crooked governor?"

Blagojevich's Bangs

Robin Givhan's story about something we've all been thinking about.

Tickle My Funny Bone

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Indecision 2008 - Chambliss vs. Martin

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Playing for Change

...From the documentary, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music." (Cover of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" sung by people around the world.)

Join the Movement to help build schools, connect students, and inspire communities in need through music. For more info: www.playingforchange.com

A Story.

This article and accompanying video from The Wall Street Journal's Stephanie Simon is an example of how to write and tell a story. I will let the piece speak for itself. Please enjoy.

Breakdancing in Phnom Penh

"U.S. Deportee Brings Street Dance to Street Boys of Cambodia" Great story and video from the New York Times.

A Story of Thanksgiving

"This is a column to give thanks to you, the reader. You don’t know it, but some of you are keeping women like Sajida Bibi alive here in this remote Pakistani village. And that is a far grander reason to celebrate Thanksgiving than even the plumpest turkey."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/27/opinion/27kristof.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving. As always, so thankful for my family and the ability to wake up everyday and go to work with the goal of making a difference through words. Warmest wishes to my friends and their families and loved ones. Peace.

Catching Up with Rex

Watch CBS Videos Online
An inspiring story that will put a smile -- and a few tears -- on your face. Enjoy.

It's Too Soon

Don't call me a grinch, but the holiday season is depressing me. I think it hit me the week after Halloween. The elections were a great distraction, but it came and it's been coming ever since. What I speak of is the onslaught of holiday...uh...everything. I can't even choose a word for this. I think I'm feeling this because I feel Christmas is being "forced" on me -- us -- by department stores, advertisers, radio stations, televisions, ad nauseam. Let me warm up to the holiday season. Let me digest Halloween, acknowledge Thanksgiving before facing perhaps the most commercialized holiday out there. I don't know...perhaps I am being a grump. But with the way our economy is, I don't feel much like celebrating all that much. There are other factors for why I'm feeling this way, ones I'm trying to wrap my head around, ones I'm trying to deal with as hard as they may be. (Sigh) ... For me, the holiday season has always been a sad for me. When I was little, I told my dad that it was because I after Christmas, we wouldn't have any real holidays anymore for a while. (I know, something a 6 year old would say, or think.)

Here, Here

Am dealing with a lot of rude people in my life right now. Everyone from mechanics, to store clerks, to friends I thought I had, to people who I thought cared about me. Perhaps this reverse etiquette will "save" me. And for the other people, I'll just let karma to its job.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/opinion/10alford.html?emc=eta1

Cheney's Hometown Paper Endorses Obama

As a Wyoming ex-pat, I am darn proud of the Star-Trib for stepping outside of the redbox to publish this editorial; I know they were going against a whole lotta of grain:

By the Star-Tribune Editorial Board:

"It is a foregone conclusion that Wyoming's three electoral votes will go to Sen. John McCain. It would be easy for the Star-Tribune to simply agree with the majority of voters in this red state and endorse the Republican candidate for president. But this isn't an ordinary election, and Sen. Barack Obama has the potential to be an extraordinary leader at a time we desperately need one..."
Continue reading editorial.

CNN article.

Vote.

What a Beautiful Song

I recently discovered Coldplay's acoustic version of "Lost." What a beautiful tune...