3 more days

That's right...3 more days 'til Hawaii. Oh yeah...

Future blogs:

1. 13 Embarassing Songs (but most songs I like I'm not embarassed about, so this will be a tough one)
2. Habana Restaurant pics to post (used the 'food' setting in our new camera
3. Hilo & Oahu (when I get back)
4. Orchid photos that I took at the Balboa Park Botanical Gardens
5. Restaurant checklist

Update

Hi everyone
It's pretty damn late but I'm not sleepy yet...

Saturday - Went out with co-workers to the very hot Lei Lounge on Park Avenue, right next to DMood (a Persian coffeehouse) and Bourbon Street (a gay bar); it's also right next to the "University Heights" arch/sign. We had a cabana for two hours. My previous post said it had a circular white leather couch. It was actually a a square missing one side.
Great appetizers at Lei Lounge. Our waiter was a total fembot with a Southern accent (he was from Tennessee). His name was Richard. By the end of that night, he was totally flaming out and said, "Next time you come here, tell them you want DICK!" Dont' get me wrong, I loves me my gay guys okayyyyy! He was a total puppy dog.
Highlights that evening - the mini Kobe beef burgers & the vanilla berry mojitos. We had about 5 pitchers of that stuff that night...
Instead of going to prom because a few of us didn't want to schmooze, we went to a supperclub/bar on the way to downtown. It was called Modus. It was a bit too yuppish for me. I ended up drinking a diet coke; we ordered Belgian fries as well which were okay, but not spectacular. The choice of venue was by my co-worker who made the reservation at Lei Lounge.
Monday - Got final F grades which determined who would graduate or not. Made some dreaded phone calls to students and parents regarding their non-participatory status.
Tuesday - TC's graduation from kindergarten and last day of school for her. The little kids walked under a balloon arch. So cute! Later that evening, had to be back at work for the Senior Scholarship Assembly. I highly suspect that the custodian stole one of my mix cd's. It was playing before the program started (mood music I guess). This is the same one who liked my "potpourri".
Wednesday - The department took the scholarship counselor out to breakfast at a place of her choice. She chose Casa del Taco on Sweetwater Road. Good Mexican homestyle cooking.
Graduation practice at 1:30 pm @ DeVore Stadium. Devilishly hot - at least 85 degrees there! Poor kids. I ended up with a slight sunburn. Wore Bert's lifeguard hat. Looked like a fool, but hey, at least my face didn't get burnt. Downside: sweaty gross hair!
At TC's dance practice, she started learning a new dance, 'Subli'. Had birthday cake and ice cream at our neighbors' (daughter's bday) later that evening.
Thursday - work plus a fun bike ride afterwards with TC. It's so cute how she loves biking and going around in circles pedaling as fast as she can!
Friday - Last day of work/school! Graduation was this morning. Again, it was as hot as Hades! Sucks while you're wearing a layered outfit. Got a nice thank you card the other day from a parent - it contained a $25 Olive Garden gift card. I also got another gift card from another students - $25 Starbucks! Wow! Lunch with the staff at La Bella's Pizza. Hosted a dinner gathering for a friend's book project.
Menu was: rice, beef apritada (I wasn't happy with this, the beef was not as tender as I liked), chicken wings adobo w/potatoes, spinach salad with candied walnuts, pears and strawberries (check it out at www.eatdrinkandbemerry.blogspot.com), fruit salad, Hawaiian macaroni salad.

Vacation is finally here! Whew!

Things to look forward to this weekend:

Saturday - TC's performance in Mira Mesa. She'll do 2 dances: Pasigin and Sampaguita, for some Philippine Indenpendence event, attend a good friend's daughter's party (she will turn 14), then taking TC swimming at my brother's apartment complex. She'll be happy to splash about with her cousins.

Sunday - Father's Day. Taking Bert to Habana Restaurant in La Mesa. Looking forward to having some empanadas which I didn't order the first time I went there. Perhaps try another dish I was eyeing the last time...

Bert got my new Entertainment Weekly magazine (purchased from a fundraiser TC had). The guy who plays the new Superman is on it. In the words of Eddie Murphy, "he's not the most masculine fella"...Can he pull this gig off? At least we have new bathroom reading!

Lei Lounge and Vagabond...

[Vagabond closed as of early 2014 - It was replaced by Brabant, a Belgian restaurant which is now closed. It is now a hipster Mexican eatery as of 2016.  Lei Lounge closed as of October 2014 and replaced by Madison]

Saw the review of Vagaond in the Pennysaver last month, cut it out and posted it on our fridge - intending to go there soon. Then today in the food section of the paper, there was a fabulous review...made my mout water! I really want to go there. Is that where you had dinner tonight Shogun and Lotus?

Second - Lei Lounge.

Last week's Night and Day had a short blurb on the Lei Lounge on Park in the Hillcrest area. It's modeled after a hot gay nightclub, the Abbey in West Hollywood. One of my co-workers reserved a cabana for us (a private room with a semi-circular white leather sofa that can seat 8-1o people). We're going there for drinks and appetizers Saturday night which is also Prom Night for my school site. The food they serve is "global tapas" style and seems to be eclectic/fusion type food. I want to try the Kobe beef platter and the crab cakes!

Winding down...and haircut

Graduation season is upon us and in my line of work that means we're not slowing down, things are ramping up! Can't wait until it's over though...It's always a busy time of year for us at work...

Last Friday, I went and got me hair cut. Lucky for me, my hairstylist's last day at her salon (which she sold) was to be a few days later. She will then work from a booth in another hair salon closer to my house; she will also work out of her home because she converted part of her 3 car garage into a mini-salon! Cool!

So, since she didn't chop the sides like I asked her to in early April, she finally did it. She said it would look "funny". I relented but had her chop the sides a bit so I could have rocker chick hair. It was fun for a while, then it started to feel heavy.

So, now I am rocking a modified mullet dudes. Fk yeah man. My hair is as short as it was (okay, a tiny bit longer)22 years ago when I was in 9th grade. But this time, it's not parted in the middle like a wanna be surfer and I dont' have a "tail" in the back!

The sides are cut pretty short and the layers in the back are too. But it's blended. I asked her to make the layers choppy. Same with my bang, but you can't really tell. They are over my eyebrows now. Before, I used to like having them cover my face, especially the right side since I part my hair on the left. It feels wierd to have short bangs and to have my right eye exposed.

For years, I used to use my hair as a physical barrier, an avoidance crutch if you will. The stylist thinned out the back and kept it the same length (right at shoulder length) and razored the edges and shattered the sides. Of course, now that's it's nearly a week later, it doesn't look as good as it did when I walked out of the salon that day, but now it's finally the way I wanted it two months ago. Seems like the shorter my hair gets, the more I visit her (every 6 to 8 weeks) as opposed to when my hair was long-ass and I only saw her every 6-8 months!

Sang Dao and TC's bike

Laotian food revisited

Despite my quest to lose a few pounds via the "Special K" challenge, I had a craving for Laotian food. Since Tuesday, I've had two so called "meals" of Special K cereal with skim milk (looks gross but it is fat free) with fruit and one regular meal. Although I did cheat last night by having a bowl of instant mac and cheese (it's TC's), I have stuck to it i so far. But somehow, cereal doesn't cut it for me. I want to see if I can hang for a week...Plus I want to fit into some of my old clothes again... I don't know if I can go two weeks. Eating cereal is sucky and boring.

Anyways, a fkn' hot day it was this afternoon. Bert was fixing his truck in the garage. TC was sleeping on the couch. At 2 pm, Bert and I mulled over our choices for Laotian food. Should we go to Asia Cafe (where we ate in early April) or venture over to Sang Dao? Asia Cafe is located on 47th and Imperial while Sang Dao is at 43rd and National (across from the Victory Outreach church). Both are in "gritty" neighborhoods. We decided to go to Sang Dao because I wanted to buy their fried taro chips in zip lock bags; Asia Cafe had banana chips, but no taro chips.

As we walked into the barred entry, we heard the strains of Southeast Asian pop music. The restaurant was empty, save a group of five middle aged Asian women. Their orders were being taken from a VERY effeminate young Asian guy. We chose our table and he handed us our menus. I wanted to try the papaya salad like I had last time in December with Bert. An older woman came to take our order. When I told her we wanted to try the papaya salad, she asked me if I wanted it Thai style or Lao style. I asked her "What's the difference?". Perhaps due to her broken English, she had a hard time articulating the difference to me other than saying, "Lao style is better and it has that" (pointing to a cruet filled with a dark unidentified liquid). So I said, "Okay, Lao style...". Turns out that was a mistake...more on that later.

We ordered the papaya salad ($5.95), as mentioned earlier, along with garlic beef ($5.95), an order of sticky rice ($3) and shrimp pad thai ($6.95) TC was happy that we ordered sticky rice because it was served in a cute, tiny woven basket with a lid. The rice was long grain, a bit sweet and obviously sticky, but the best part of all was that we let her use her hands to eat the rice. One of my Laotian students told me that the proper way to eat sticky rice was with your hands, not a fork. Bert also ordered an iced coffee.

The papaya salad had long shreds of green, unripe papaya with some majorly hottt crushed chilis in there. I ordered 'medium' and instantly regretted it! It was served with a thin wedge of raw cabbage and it was swimming in that dark sauce, which I believe was Laotian fish sauce. It was a bit too strong and too fishy for my tastes. When we had it last year, we probably had the "Thai" style papaya salad. I don't remember that first salad sitting in a dark puddle of stank sauce. I barely touched this version and Bert didn't seem to like it either.

Our garlic beef was great and edible, which was a good sign. Mounded on a lettuce leaf was a generous mound of thinly sliced beef topped with tiny crunchy pieces of fried garlic and green onions. It was garnished with a side of diagonally sliced cucumbers (which actually helped cut the heat of the papaya salad). The shrimp pad thai was decent but not the greatest we've had. It had a half of a lime and some bean sprouts on the side. You were also welcome to add any sauces on the condiment tray, to your dish. I chose the crushed peanuts to add more texture to the pad thai. The pad thai also had celery (a first for me), which was interesting. I thought the noodles were a bit too saucy though. We ended up eating all of the sticky rice, but took the rest of the other dishes home. I don't know if we'll even eat the leftover papaya salad. I think you could kill insects with that. Or revive someone who's fainted. That shit stanks!

The service was very fast, efficient, and friendly. The effeminate waiter had a cool tattoo on his right upper bicep, but the rest of it was covered by his shirt. He had that gay sashay walk and his voice was pretty girly too, but he was super nice and very attentive to all of the customers in the store. Besides him, there was the older lady who took our order who was yakking on her cell phone with a friend, an older man (perhaps her husband?) who was reading car ads and several more older women in the back who were cooking the meals.

Before we left, I bought a medium sized zip lock bag of fried taro chips ($2) and asked the waiter what the array of plastic wrapped goodies by the cash register were. I ended up buying a tray of these fried rice patties with a Laotian sausage which also had fresh herbs laid on top and two small plastic containers, one of which held some sort of sauce and the other with crushed peanuts. He said that way to eat it was to mix everything up together. Okayyyy.....We haven't opened it yet, but I'm willing to give it a try. I couldn't even pronounce, much less spell what that food item was but it cost $3.25.

I also bought a small tray of these triangular shaped bundles. The woman said it was a dessert. They were banana leaf-wrapped sweet rice with mung bean inside; or so said the older woman. Since it looked similar to a Filipino dessert called 'suman', I decided to give it a go and paid $2 for that as well. That last item was kinda gross. When we got home, I asked TC if she wanted to try some. When I opened it up, it felt slimy and smelled pretty gross. It didn't look or taste like suman at all. The rice itself was indeed sticky and looked brownish yellow, but the filling (supposed to be mung bean?) was powdery and smelled fishy. I did try a tiny bite, but didn't like it. I actually spat it out. Let's just say that $2 was wasted.

TC's Bike

How to trick out a kid's bike...

Go to Target
Go to the "1 Spot" section where EVERYTHING is $1.00 ($1.00 Winthorp, $1.00)
Buy some star shaped reflectors (pink, white and purple)
Buy a woven bike basket (in this case, a pink one with silver stars)
Buy some cool spoke covers (pink, white and purple)

Total $3.00

Next time, handle bar tassels and a bike horn!!! We passed on the license plate that one could personalize because I don't want pervs looking at it and knowing my child's name.

Tribute to "The Breakfast Club" aka My Favorite Movie Quotes Part 3

This is old news, but I had to put it in here.

On Saturday, May 27 , Paul Gleason of "The Breakfast Club" fame (Principal Richard Vernon) and "Trading Places" (Clarence Beeks) died of a rare form of lung cancer called mesothelioma. He was 67. Other notable movie roles include a reprise of his Principal Vernon character in the teen movie spoof "Not Another Teen Movie", Professor Ted McDoogal in "Van Wilder" and as Deputy Police Chief Dwayne T. Robinson in the first installment of "Die Hard".

RIP Mr. Vernon...

Favorite quotes from John Hughes' 1985 teen angst classic, "The Breakfast Club" (courtesy of www.imdb.com)

Richard Vernon: You're not fooling anyone Bender. The next screw that falls out will be you.
Bender: Eat my shorts.
Richard Vernon: What was that?
Bender: Eat... My... Shorts.
Richard Vernon: You just bought yourself another Saturday.
Bender: Ooh I'm crushed.
Richard Vernon: You just bought one more.
Bender: Well I'm free the Saturday after that. Beyond that, I'm going to have to check my calendar.
Richard Vernon: Good, cause it's going to be filled. We'll keep going. You want another one? Just say the word say it. Instead of going to prison you'll come here. Are you through?
Bender: No.
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Richard Vernon: That's the last time, Bender. That the last time you ever make me look bad in front of those kids, you hear me? I make $31,000 a year and I have a home and I'm not throwing it all away on some punk like you. But someday when you're outta here and forgotten about this place and they forgotten about you, and you're wrapped up in your own pathetic life, I'm gonna be there. That's right. And I'm gonna kick the living shit out of you. I'm gonna knock your dick in the dirt.
Bender: You threatening me?
Richard Vernon: What are you gonna do about it? You think anyone's gonna believe you? You think anyone gonna take your word over mine? I'm a man of respect around here. They love me. I'm a swell guy. You're a lying sack of monkey shit, and everyone knows about it. Oh, you're a tough guy. Hey c'mon. Get on your feet pal. Let's find out how tough you are. I wanna know how tough you are. Let's go. C'mon man, just take the first shot. I'm begging you, take the first shot. Just take one good swing... [Bender pauses, staring]
Richard Vernon: Yeah, that's what I thought. You're a gutless turd.
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Brian Johnson: Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you're crazy to make an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...
Andrew Clark: ...and an athlete...
Allison Reynolds: ...and a basket case...
Claire Standish: ...a princess...
John Bender: ...and a criminal...
Brian Johnson: Does that answer your question?... Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.
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Richard Vernon: Why is that door closed? WHY IS THAT DOOR CLOSED?
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Richard Vernon: Well, well. Here we are. You have exactly eight hours and fifty-four minutes to think about why you're here. You may not talk, you will not move from these seats. Any questions?
John Bender: Yeah. Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?
Richard Vernon: [Andrew laughs at Bender's backtalk] You think he's funny? You think this is cute? You think he's "bitchin," is that it? Let me tell you something. Look at him - he's a bum. You want to see something funny? You go visit John Bender in five years. You'll see how goddamned funny he is.
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John Bender: I just wanna know how one becomes a janitor because Andrew here is very interested in pursuing a career in the custodial arts.
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John Bender: Well, Brian, this is a very nutritious lunch. All the food groups are represented. Did your mom marry Mr. Rogers?
Brian Johnson: Uh, no. Mr. Johnson.
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Brian Johnson: You wear tights?
Andrew Clark: No I don't wear tights. I wear the required uniform.
Brian Johnson: Tights.
Andrew Clark: Shut up.
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John Bender: [pointing to Claire's lunch] What's that?
Claire Standish: Sushi.
John Bender: Sushi?
Claire Standish: Rice, raw fish, and seaweed.
John Bender: You won't accept a guy's tongue in your mouth, and you're going to eat that?
Claire Standish: Can I eat?
John Bender: I don't know. Give it a try.
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Richard Vernon: You think about this: when you get old, these kids - when *I* get old - they're going to be running the country.
Carl the Janitor: Yeah.
Richard Vernon: Now this is the thought that wakes me up in the middle of the night. That when I get older, these kids are going to take care of me.
Carl the Janitor: I wouldn't count on it.
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Richard Vernon: What was that ruckus?
Andrew Clark: Uh, what ruckus?
Richard Vernon: I was just in my office and I heard a ruckus.
Brian Johnson: Could you describe the ruckus, sir?
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John Bender: So... So, are you guys boyfriend/girlfriend? Steady Dates? Lov-ers? Come on, Sporto, level with me. Do you slip her the hot beef injection?
Claire Standish: GO TO HELL.
Andrew Clark: ENOUGH.
Richard Vernon: Hey. What's going on in there? [whispering]
Richard Vernon: Spoiled little pricks.
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Richard Vernon: You ought to spend a little more time trying to do something with yourself and a little less time trying to impress people.
Bender: You're kind of sexy when you're angry.
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and my favorite quote:

Principal Richard Vernon: The next time I have to come in here I'm crackin' skulls!

Balut

CORRECTION!

This is a correction to the previous post in which I stated that 'balut' was an unfertilized duck embryo in an egg. Mulysa noted that the balut was actually fertilized. She is correct.

Here's more info on balut, courtesy of www.Wikipedia.com (Sorry I dont' know how to do that underscore in blue link thing to the direct article. Too lazy to figure it out)

BALUT:
A delicacy of Asia and especially the Philippines, China, and Vietnam, a balut (or Hot vit lon in Vietnamese language) is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. Popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a hearty snack, balut are mostly sold by street vendors at night. Their high protein content is complementary to the consumption of beer. The word balut roughly translates to mean "wrapped".
Balut are most often eaten with a pinch of salt, though some balut-eaters prefer chili and vinegar to complement their egg. The eggs are savored for their harmony of textures and flavors; the broth surrounding the embryo is sipped from the egg before the shell is peeled and the yolk and young chick inside can be eaten. All of the contents of the egg are consumed with the exception of a hard white chunk (the bato or "rock") that is found in the bottom of the egg. Balut have recently entered higher cuisine by being served as appetizers in restaurants: cooked adobo style, fried in omelettes or even used as filling in baked pastries.

Balut-making is not native to the Philippines. A similar preparation is known in China as maodan (Chinese: 毛蛋; Pinyin: máodàn; literally "hairy egg"), and Chinese traders and migrants are said to have brought the idea of eating fertilized duck eggs to the Philippines. However, the knowledge and craft of balut-making has been localized by the balut-makers (mangbabalut). Today, balut production has not been mechanized in favor of the traditional production by hand. Although balut are produced throughout the Philippines, balut-makers in Pateros are renowned for their careful selection and incubation of the eggs.

Fertilized duck eggs are kept warm in the sun and stored in baskets to retain warmth. After nine days, the eggs are held to a light to reveal the zygote inside. Approximately eight days later the balut are ready to be cooked, sold, and eaten. Vendors sell cooked balut out of buckets of sand, used to retain warmth, and are accompanied by small packets of salt. Uncooked balut are rarely sold in Southeast Asia. In the United States, many Asian markets occasionally carry uncooked balut eggs, though their demand in North America is not very great. The cooking process is identical to that of hard-boiled chicken eggs, but the eggs are enjoyed while still warm.
Duck eggs that are not properly developed after nine to twelve days are sold as penoy, which look, smell and taste similar to a regular hard-boiled egg. These are occasionally beaten and fried, similar to scrambled eggs, and served with a vinegar dip.

The age of the egg before it can be cooked is a matter of local preference. In the Philippines, the perfect balut is 17 days old, at which point it is said to be balut sa puti ("wrapped in white"). The chick inside is not old enough to show its beak, feathers or claws and the bones are undeveloped. The Vietnamese prefer their balut matured from 19 days up to 21 days, when the chick is old enough to be recognizable as a baby duck and has bones that will be firm but tender when cooked.


So there you have it. All you ever need to know about this wonderful delicacy called Balut. I think I'll go throw up now.