Curious Notions

7 Quick Takes Friday (vol 3)

Linda — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:15:19 +0000

1.

Today is Brandi’s birthday. We have a full weekend of birthday activities planned that include a bacon SXSW event and maybe rock climbing! I’ve had some pretty amazing adventures with Miss Brandi (can’t beat skydiving) and have enjoyed living with her this year. Lots of roommate bonding that may or may not include lots of ice cream, episodes of Ally McBeal, extremely candid conversations, and beauty nights! Sadly, she’s moving to Dallas after our lease is up :(

2.

Brandi’s a cake decorator. She’s made a couple of birthday cakes for me. Pictured below are my 24th birthday cake and my 26th birthday cake.

I was feeling the pressure when making her cake last night. I’m a complete novice. I had her help me shave the top of the cake off for me so it was even to ice. Then I experimented with my first piping experience. Brandi has all sorts of tips in her cupboard of baking supplies but intimidated, I thought I’d just cut a hole in a bag and use that.

Ummm. It’s not as effortless as people (namely, Brandi) make it look! I just never got full command and control over how the icing would come out. The lettering looks as if I’m still learning how to write. Poor Brandi!

3.

There’s a superstition on the University of Texas at Austin campus that if you see an albino squirrel, you’ll have success on your next test. I’ve never come across one as an actual college student but I had my second sighting since working on the campus this week. Both sightings were on 24th Street. The first time I scared it away with my camera. This time we practically had a photo shoot. Here are my two favorite pictures.

4.

It’s also Thomas’s birthday this weekend. We’ve been friends going on 10 years now. Since graduating college, he’s lived in Taiwan, Dallas, and now Los Angeles. He hasn’t lived in Austin for about 5 years now and I’m so thankful that we still manage to remain great friends despite being miles apart. You might also notice, I use a lot of his photos on my blog. Happy early birthday to him too!

5.

I was getting my afternoon coffee on campus when I saw this post-it on the wall.

I like the message and I think it’s true for everyone. There are people who would kill for your job. Your family. Your health. Your friends. The fact that you have a car. No matter who we are, we all have blessings worth treasuring.

6.

As always I keep my reading plate full. Currently am reading One for the Money (This month’s book club selection), How to Save Your Own Life (because I really love Erica Jong), The Last Lecture (because it was 5 dollars at Half Priced Books), and still working through Stumbling on Happiness (because Nam recommended it ages ago).

7.

On a whim, I signed up for my first food blogging workshop that is part of SXSW. I did this without looking at the roster of attendees and boy after studying the roster, I have to say I’m intimidated. I feel like the lowly water boy who dreams to be good enough just to warm the bench! That said, as nervous as I am and as much as I feel like I’m out of my league, I’m excited to soak in these big food bloggers energies.

Why you should go to the movies by yourself sometimes

Linda — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:49:04 +0000

There’s something really comforting and cozy about sitting on a couch even by yourself and enjoying a movie. Perhaps under a blanket or while mindlessly munching on popcorn as you vicariously get taken to another world by way of cinema. Particularly when things are tough, watching a movie can quiet and dull all sorts of mind chatter and heartache. I remember after a particularly bad break up several years ago, I kept a movie log (surprise, surprise, I log everything) and my movie count for an entire summer ran over EIGHTY movies. Kym accompanied me once that summer to Blockbuster and to my utter embarrassment, the Blockbuster dude told her to take me out.

All that said, what about going to the movies by yourself? I’ve been doing this for years and cannot remember the first movie I saw by myself. Sporadically, I have opened up about this solo activity of mine and am often reacted to with shock and or involuntary pity and always with curiosity. “Don’t you feel like a loser?” gets asked often. My answer is no. I have only one stipulation I place on myself out of insecurity and that is to avoid Friday and Saturday nights. Those are the only times I feel self-conscious. Otherwise, it feels very indulgent. I even break out date night outfits to make it more of a treat. So there you have it, I’m a proponent for going out to the movies solo every once in a while.

Some advantages of going to the movies on your own

Feels just like you’re watching a movie in your living room but with a much, much bigger screen.
No awkward reach overs to share popcorn. It’s all yours!
If you avoid Friday and Saturday evenings, a movie theatre provides a very quiet haven to just sit and be before your movie starts.
You don’t have to have a date to wear a date outfit. (I wore my sparkly headband last night.)

Question: Have you been to the movies by yourself? If so, what have you seen?

P.S. Saw An Education last night. A WONDERFUL film. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

Book Review: The Pleasure of My Company

Linda — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:40:06 +0000

I love Steve Martin as a writer. Back in 2005, I read Shopgirl in one sitting and was taken by his gentle, quiet and comforting handle on prose. This past New Year’s Eve, I was eating dinner with Alan and his friend Andrew before a night out. Over dinner, Andrew and I traded notes on favorite books and he mentioned how he really loved Steve Martin’s books and cited The Pleasure of My Company as his absolute favorite book. Using, Shopgirl as my measuring stick, I didn’t doubt that I was going to be pleased.

That said, Steve Martin totally exceeded my expectations! He composes a story about a man named Daniel, a neurotic genius with amusing, outlandish, and endearing compulsions. For instance, he needs to have a certain amount of wattage lit in his house (1250 watts if memory serves?) and has a fear of crossing curbs. A pretty isolated person who is literally held prisoner in his home by his neuroses, he manages to have tiny windows open that made it possible to meet no more than a handful of people. These select people eventually draw him of his world and expand it.

Martin gives us more access to the characters in this novella than he did in Shopgirl (In hindsight, he kept the characters in Shopgirl a little at arm’s length) which made me grow to care for each of them (most especially, Daniel). I found myself rooting for him, hoping for him, and finally applauding for him.

My Two Favorite Excerpts

“What if during the entire trip I would not allow myself to speak any word that contained the letter e? This is the kind of enormous duty that could supersede and dominate my other self-imposed tasks. I quickly scanned my vocabulary for useful words- a, an, am, was, is, for, against, through- and found enough there to make myself understood. Thus “let’s eat” would become, “I’m hungry, baby! Chow down!” I couldn’t say “I love you,” but I could say, “I’m crazy about you,” which was probably a better choice anyway.

“I thought of the names in and around the magic square. I thought of their astounding number, both in the present and past, of ***** and *****, of *****, of *****, even of my father, whose disavowal of me led to this place, and I understood that as much as I had resisted the outside, as much as I had constricted my life, as much as I had closed and narrowed the channels into me, there were still many takers for the quiet heart. ”

(names blacked out to not spoil anything :))

7 Quick Takes Friday (2)

Linda — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:58:31 +0000

1.

This weekend one of my top priorities is to do laundry. I haven’t done it in over two weeks and today at work I’m wearing my I-can-see-your-butt-cheeks-jeans (formerly known as my “babysitter jeans” until it got demoted). Rest assured, I’m still modestly covered thanks to a super long cardigan.

2.

This video had me giggling like a maniac.

3.

My last two blog posts are book reviews and I have 3 more that I want to write and share. I’m half way through another book that I’m sure will be done by the weekend so that’s 4 book reviews. Just to give you a heads up there will be a theme next week on Curious Notions. :)

4.

I had a wonderful and inspiring conversation with Nev of Nevblog.com. We catch up every few months and I always walk away from our conversations super motivated and inspired. He gave me great tips geared towards watering and growing my food blog. He reminds me all the time just by example to dream bigger. If you go to his blog and sift through his posts you’ll definitely see what I mean. I’m thankful to know him.

5.

A close friend who lives in Madison, WI just made a bold move in pursuing her happiness which may have her leaving Wisconsin in the summer. I want to visit every state in the US and am only at, what, 14? With her maybe leaving, I’m contemplating going to eat cheese in Wisconsin. When else would I go?

6.

I had a light butt cheek itch just now and forgot I was wearing my butt cheek jeans and shocked myself when I scratched skin. Yes. You needed to know that and I needed 2 more things to share.

7.

This week, I’m done with juggling two jobs til my night job starts again mid March. I guess that’s why I don’t have many quick takes to share, I’ve been waking up at 6am and working til 10pm. Not much to update you on when I’m in this routine. Suffice to say, I’m content in life right now.

Book Review: 50th Law

Linda — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:22:06 +0000

Recommended to me by A.J.

I can pretty much summed up the book in a such a way where you do not have to trouble yourself with reading it.

50 Cent’s Bio as provided by 50th Law

His mom died at age 23 when he was a baby. Raised by his grandparents. He sold crack. Signed with Columbia. Right before the release of his first album, he was shot 9 times and was dropped from record label. He went back to the streets as drug bagger and hustled again. Sold his music himself. Discovered by Eminem. Learned the ropes of the business from inside record label and then broke free, creating his own label. When he wasn’t charming his way around the business world, he was intimidating his way around.

If you didn’t get this short outline of his life the first time 50th Law mentioned it, you’ll sure to piece it together the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th time the book walks you through it.

Also mentioned obnoxiously over and over and over again is that his name used to be Curtis but is now 50 Cent. You can really turn a reading of this book into a collegiate drinking game. Every time Greene informs you that Curtis is now named 50 Cent, take a shot!

The Little bit of Good

In a nutshell, this book suggests being fearless in all business encounters and in pursuing your dreams.
It encourages acceptance of your mortality, being proactive, and has inspirational historical anecdotes and quotations sprinkled through the book.

The Bad

As mentioned, very repetitious. The writing level felt very underdeveloped. Laced in the random inspirational quotes by influential figures is also quotations from 50 Cent. His “gems” stood out like poop on a windshield in comparison to the Nietzsche quotes and the Dostoevsky quotes.

The Ugly

The short of his advice when watered down can be considered good advice: Use fear as a motivating force; Accept mortality which will then allow you to move more fluidly towards your dreams. However, when fleshed out using 50 cent’s own life, it’s not exactly kosher. The book celebrates his aggressive and sometimes violent means to his ends. He hired thugs to mug people. He stole. He calculated and planned a studio tantrum and upheaval to raise publicity after one of his songs got leaked. He targeted and bullied Ja Rule to destroy Ja Rule’s credibility. I’m not yet jaded enough to believe this is the only way you can be successful in business. Moreover, I’m not yet jaded enough to celebrate these methods. Shame.

I don’t recomend this book but if you do decide to give it a chance anyway, please consider using the following link.

P.S. I still like his music. :)

Book Review: The Shack

Linda — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:05:41 +0000

I made it eighty percent through this book and was about to give up on it completely when it was voted as our first book to read by our new book club. The good thing is I finished reading book. The bad thing is it was BRUTAL trying to get through this book. Two of my friends have pushed this book on me claiming how it has changed their perspective on life so significantly. Sadly, I just did not share the same sentiment.

The premise of The Shack involves Mack, the protagonist, whose four year old daughter, Missy was abducted. It seems as she was murdered but her body was never found. Four years later, he gets a note signed by God, inviting him to come back to the shack where the kidnapping occurred. Premise of the book sounds interesting enough. I often have a hard time suspending disbelief when it comes to fantasy. So picturing a world where you can speak to Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit personified was asking a lot from me. It took a lot to focus on all the drawn out dialogue between Mack and the Trinity but add Jesus walking on water and seeing people as fractals made it even more difficult to focus.

That said, here are two notions that I appreciated from The Shack:

1. Forgiveness does not entail having a relationship. I have a hard time forgiving sometimes because I assume that means I’d need to rejuvenate some kind of friendship with those I’m forgiving. Young suggests that forgiving does not mean you have to have a relationship. It simply means you release “the hand you have wrapped around their throat.”

2. We’re all children of God. Even the assholes/bad people. I have a personal relationship with God. I couldn’t care less about religion as I just see it as man’s interpretation. Who knows if you really go to hell if you’re gay. Who knows if you really go to hell if as a Muslim, you drink? I doubt God concerns himself with these matters but my point is, who knows? That said, I’ve never felt to question my God on why bad things happen to good people. If we are truly free to do as we please, then I get that bad things can happen. What I hadn’t grasp was even the bad people are loved. Papa (God as a black woman who loves to cook) mentioned she was especially fond of Missy’s kidnapper and Mack was stunned. She then asked him if one of his children did something despicable, would he still love him/her. That’s when for the first time, I appreciated that even the assholes of this world are loved and are considered “God’s children.” I must admit it was easier just to think of them as just assholes unworthy of anyone’s love.

What members of our book club had to say:

Liliana liked the book overall. She appreciated that Young depicted the Church as a man made institution that God could care less about.
Most of us thought the book was really hard to get through and were surprised to have heard so many claims of how this book has changed lives.
Selina brought up a good point that perhaps the majority of our club are not in a right stage of life to be really affected by the messages of this book.

Thoughts about our first book club meeting:

I appreciated that everyone read the book and had something to contribute to the conversation. We did not have any structured discussions question which was something a few members have said they did not want. I was also pleased that everyone was able to share their religious and spiritual perspective without encroaching on the beliefs of other members. I had a great time listening and discussing and am looking forward to next month’s meeting.

Some quotables:

“The truth is, Mack, the real reason you did not tell Nan was not because you were trying to save her from pain. The real reason is that you were afraid of having to deal with the emotions you might encounter, both from her and in yourself. Emotions scare you, Mack. You lied to protect yourself, not her!”

“Forgiveness is not about forgetting, Mack. It is about letting go of another person’s throat.”

“Forgiveness does not create a relationship. Unless people speak the truth about what they have done and change their mind and behavior, a relationship of trust is not possible. When you forgive someone you certainly release them from judgement, but without true change, no real relationship can be established.”

Memo to Boys from Bob Marley & Other places you can find me

Linda — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:31:47 +0000

From Bob Marley to Boys/Men

“You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before, she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She’s not perfect- you aren’t either, and the two of you may never be perfect together, but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can. She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break- her heart. So don’t hurt her, don’t change her, don’t analyze and don’t expect more than she can give. Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she’s not there”

And other places you can find me: (all links open new windows)

You can ask me anything here and even do it anonymously.

My new food blog

Follow me at new food twitter

Dreams & Desserts: Ten on Tuesday (vol II)

Linda — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:53:02 +0000

1. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Pistachio gelato. Or coconut.

2. What is your earliest memory?

Living in a 2 bedroom apartment with my half siblings, younger brother, and parents. My brother and I slept on a queen bed and my parents slept on the floor. We moved to an actual house also when I was pretty young, but I think this is my earliest memory.

3. What is your earliest memory of a dessert?

As a kid, every time we went to an Asian market, my parents would let my brother and I pick one dessert to bring home. I always picked out this yellow and green dessert made out of mung bean and tapioca. I used to LOVE as a kid. It’s kind of gummy and really sticky. I haven’t had it since I was a kid. Revisiting it in 2009, I don’t really like it. It’s almost too plain for me. I think I must have liked just peeling it in strips and playing with it. Below is a picture of Dave scrutinizing it.

4. Do you have any recurring dreams?

Nope. I used to. I used to dream about my childhood best friend and him coming back to my life every 6 months or so but it’s about almost 2 years I’m guessing since I’ve had that dream.

5. Have you ever dreamed about dessert?

Yes. I forget who was feeding me, but someone in my life was spoon feeding me melted chocolate over and over again. And over and over again. Dream lasted about 10 minutes of this sequence. Best dream ever!

6. What is one thing (aside from a cell phone or computer) that you cannot go the entire day without?

Chapstick.

7. What is one dessert you could go your entire life without ever having again?

Anything lemony.

8. If you could go on vacation tomorrow, where would you go? (Assume someone else is footing the bill, but within reason…so “the moon” won’t work)

Paris!

9. If you could have any dessert tomorrow, what would you have (assume someone else is buying it for you. Within reason though, no “gold sprinkled ice cream cones.”)

Any kind of egg custards. Creme brulees. Flan. Egg custards from dim sum.

10. What was your first impression of your significant other? If you’re single, what was your first impression of your best friend?

The dude: First impression the very very first time: super quiet. He thought I talked too much, which I do.

My best friend: “This girl has a booger….” (This was back in first grade though, she’s better about the boogers now. (As am I.))

Weekend Pockets of Joy

Linda — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:19:47 +0000

Lots of happy moments this weekend. Listed in chronological order:

I saw Brit, Deesh, and Bing whom I haven’t seen in a while. We sat through a pretty atrocious movie (Obsessed).
A group of nine of us tackled the biggest pizza we’ve ever laid eyes on.
Jess, Brandi, and I had an in home spa night. Never held my face over a boiling pot of green tea before.
I had brunch with the lovely Selina and our conversation was very thereauptic.
Took a leisurely walk around our neighborhood wearing a skirt. It was warm enough to wear a skirt and flip flops! The weather climbed to 76 degrees. Of course we’re due for below freezing weather again. They say if you don’t like Texas weather, wait 5 minutes.
Had lunch with and hugged someone I hadn’t seen in a while and missed.

Tell me about YOUR weekend. What brought you joy?

7 Quick Takes (1)

Linda — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:49:21 +0000

A plane crashed into an IRS building here in Austin yesterday morning, killing two people. I just read the pilot’s 6 paged suicide note. I’m really sad for the innocent man who showed up for work and never came home because some sad twisted man could not take rein of his life and own responsibility for his unhappiness.
Yesterday, during my lunch and on my own, I went to the Blanton Museum to see their exhibit on desire, aptly named On Desire.

No photos were allowed at this exhibit but if you’re in Austin, I recommend it. It highlights a great span of desire, touching on heartbreak, confusion, sex, love… I sometimes find art hard to relate to but a lot of the pieces on display in On Desire really touched me and spoke to me. Very.. human.

I’ve always loved the Blanton’s peaceful grandeur.
Lately, I have a lot of mind chatter that is self-deprecating. I’m starting to worry that it’s excessively self-deprecating and I can’t seem to find my way out of it. Yet, anyway. I’m toying with the idea of talking to a counselor. My insurance covers it after a deductible.
This video of a three year old sobbing over Justin Bieber is heartbreakingly CUTE. Such anguish for a little one.
In the last week I finished the first three books of 2010: Fup, The Shack, Bonk, and am almost done with 50th Law. I think it’s amusing that when you read a handful of books all at once, there’s a lag in finishing books but then you start to finish them at the same time. Book reviews to come of all three (four?) books soon.
My mom had my fortune told by this Asian dude who records his take on your life on tape. According to him, per my mom, the funnest years of my life is from age 24-34. She said according to him, I’ll get married and start a family at around 34/35. Interesting. Everything that has happened in my life, my mom claims she already knew was going to happen to me. My dad, a skeptic of fortunes, was gleeful to report that the fortune teller thinks that any degree of charismatic magnetism I possess comes from his side of the family. Ha! My parents crack me up.
I’m most hungry for reassurance right now. Cuddles. Chicken soup. Hugs. Murmurs that everything will pan out. For now, I settle for still wearing Valentine’s day socks and knickers, and chocolate chip cookies.