I am really bummed that I missed the 2008 Lebowski Fest in Chicago. However, while trying not to fret too much, I came across this new documentary, The Achievers chronicling the obsession that Lebowski fans (a.k.a. achievers) have with the movie. According to the blurb about the movie:
"To understand the movie The Achievers, one must ask.... what is a Lebowski Fest? The most fun you will have with a stranger in a bowling alley, Lebowski Fest is a bowling event celebrating all things relating to the Coen Brothers 1998 film, "The Big Lebowski". It can be likened to a Star Trek convention in a very loose sense. The event includes unlimited bowling, costume, trivia, farthest traveled, and bowling contests, prizes, and what-have-you."
I want to watch this documentary badly. I am not sure why. It's like being part of this strange community somehow. It's one of those things that I want to do while being here in the U.S., like go to the Burning Man Festival, taking a coast-to-coast road-trip with cross-country diner tour thrown in for good measure, etc. etc.
Sometimes- just sometimes- when I'm struck by the mood to think of my food as having personalities, I often think of soup as a good friend. Because nothing makes you feel better when you're sick like soup, that sticks by you through all seasons- to warm you up in winter or cool you down in summer; soup is that old friend you're so at ease with- just a simple broth and some vegetables is enough to comfort, or a new friend you take time to get to know, pleasurably simmering over long hours and developing a flavor for.
And for some reason, it's not hard to think of that one soup that you associate with a special memory- cabbage soup reminds Jude of his grandma, Chinese herbal soup reminds me of my mom telling me every winter to keep myself warm; roasted sweet potato soup is golden Fall, and Teochew fish porridge soup is home.
Finally, after four seasons for Project Runway, the contestant who truly deserved to win won! Jude and I were rooting for both Christian and Jillian when the finale started but once we saw Christian's collection come down the runway, we knew he had to win. Everything was stunning, like "take your breath away, never in the four seasons, it made Posh Spice smile" stunning. And we still can't believe he's only 21. I was trying to remember what I had accomplished by the time I was 21, and then I decided, nevermind...
Until today probably, I was staunchly in Camp Jillian. I love how neurotically adorable she is, how interesting she keeps her designs- edgy but cute, bold but wearable (except for maybe that Twizzlers dress, although even pulling that off was ingenious...). But today, Christian's clothes were art. Throughout the season, with the exception of that one prom dress disaster, almost everything Christian has made has been dramatic, unique and phenomenal looking- from his first tartan-inspired outfit to that gorgeously layered couture gown; even the leather and lace thing he made for the wrestling diva was- in his words, fierce, fabulous and flawless!! I suppose it helps that he sews like Speedy Gonzales... His cockiness really annoyed me initially but gradually, it actually became kind of endearing. And I really felt for him today as he stood there waiting to hear the judge's final decision- there was none of the usual confidence and self-assuredness, and you could sense the palpable trepidation- the poor thing could barely contain his tears... In that instance, it really struck me that he *is* only 21- a kid, so freaking talented, just waiting for the rest of his life to open before him. When they announced him as the winner and he practically collapsed into a puddle of emotion from sheer happiness, that became one of my favorite TV moments this year :)
This is getting ferosh. If I was a diva, my name would be Ferosh! -Christian Siriano
The Indiana Jones franchise will always have a special place in my heart. They came out during a time in my childhood/teenhood when going to the movies was a real treat and the whole experience of watching a film was always dazzling and exciting. Particularly Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom- it was one of the first movies I vividly remember my dad bringing us to watch, and I developed my very first movie crush on Short Round, a.k.a. Ke Huy Quan :)
So is it any wonder that just hearing that familiar theme music again is awashing me in a massive wave of happy nostalgia? Thank you, John Williams :) I just broke out into a silly grin when I saw the trailer for the new Indy movie, and it stems less from wanting to see the movie than the memories it evoked. I really feel little inclination to watch it- I think Harrison Ford needs to just age gracefully and accept that his days as a swashbuckling adventurer action-hero are over. Why join the ranks of Sylvester Stallone and Steven Segal huffing and puffing through another Rambo XIII, Under Siege XVI, or whatever?... Looking at him swishing away like he was twenty years younger, I'm afraid he might just have a coronary aneurysm any moment. Please take care, Mr. Ford. I want to always remember you as the dashing, charming, acerbic Indy of my childhood- I really like you and respect you, but I'm not sure I want to watch a movie where you pretend you're Nicolas Cage...
Every year we tell ourselves we need to go somewhere warmer than Ann Arbor for winter break, and every year, we end up going somewhere as cold, if not colder- New York, Boston, Chicago. We should be going to Cancun, Aruba, the Bahamas!... But no, always somewhere where we have to lug out winter boots and coats with us. Not that we ever not have fun of course, but it's just that much harder to enjoy the sights and sounds of a city when you can't feel your fingers...
But as always, Chicago was a blast! We do love the place :) Every time we visit, we find one more thing about it that makes us fall in love more- the people, the buzz, the architecture, the diversity, the food, the history- just how very rich and vibrant it is without being completely overwhelming and claustrophobic.
Highlights of our trip: 1. Note to Hard Rock Hotel Chicago: I get the whole rock-and-roll aesthetic you're aiming for in your rooms, but your monochromatic color scheme is just not inviting and having Robert Plant stare at me as I get ready in the morning is weird. Also, I've got two words for you: more lights.
2. Chicago Restaurant Week rocks! We had a most lovely meal at one sixtyblue- the food was delicious- interesting without being pretentious, and the service was thoughtful, not ingratiating. It's been a while since Jude and I indulged in a decadently long, slow meal without thinking about work so we both appreciated the whole wine-and-dine experience very much.
3. Meeting up with my friend, Diane after 15 years! Now husbands in tow, no less... :) We had a wonderful time catching up and filling each other in on 15 years worth of not being on the same continent. We've both matured since that teary goodbye at the airport those many years ago of course, but I think seeing each other again brought out the giggly schoolgirls in us that we thankfully never fully outgrow :)
4. Our friend, Eytan was most kind to take us around Evanston and the Northwestern campus. Jude and I have seen most of downtown Chicago, so it was nice to explore something different. Evanston reminds me a little of Ann Arbor, although maybe a little less organic-foods-only and soy-latte drinking, but the same students-everywhere with interesting coffeeshops vibe.
5. Speaking of college campuses, we discovered our bookstore mecca- the Seminary Co-Op Bookstore at the University of Chicago. Touted as one of the best academic bookstores in the country, it did not disappoint. Thank goodness we got there with only two hours left to closing or someone might have had to physically remove us from the premises. We walked in, saw the awesome labyrinth of shelves after shelves of glorious books and said to ourselves, "Ok, maybe this might not have been such a good idea... What's our credit limit again?" Whittling down the dozen or more books we had picked out to a manageable (and affordable) few was an excruciating process of existential proportions...
6. Having a double cheeseburger at the Billy Goat Tavern. Made famous by the classic "Cheezeborger! Cheezeborger!" SNL skit, this legendary hole-in-the-wall serves a straightforward cheeseburger, Coke- not Pepsi, and chips- no fries. There is absolutely nothing fancy at all about this place, Jude and I were easily the youngest people in there that night, and the cheeseburgers, while very good, weren't the best I've had- or will have- in my lifetime. But there was something strangely comforting about a place like that- unpretentious, homegrown and very real, especially for something smack in the middle of glitzy touristy Chicago. Biting into that simple cheeseburger conjured up the memory of my first hamburger those many, many years ago- it was an almost visceral, elemental experience. The Billy Goat is that kind of a place :)
7. Popping by the Threadless retail store in Lincoln Park. It's surprisingly small actually and not a huge collection of tees. But just the set-up was interesting, and the fact that they showcase each t-shirt using a swanky computer monitor. I was particularly happy with the one I bought- it's hot off the press so if you're an eighties/John Cusack fan, you must get it!
[click to compare with original]
8. Visiting the Art Institute of Chicago. We never tire of this grand dame- there's always some interesting exhibition or visiting collection that's being featured and even if there isn't, the permanent collection is always worth that repeated viewing. Luckily for us, they were hosting a special Edward Hopper exhibition and that itself was worth the trip. It's always both humbling and inspiring to be in the presence of great art, and it was hard in that two hours to not be caught up in the rapture of all that is stunning about Hopper's quiet vision. A bonus was catching a lecture by photographer-artist, Ed Ruscha. I hadn't heard of him until then, but it turned out to be a real joy to hear him speak- he was funny, irreverent, and sparklingly intelligent. Apart from wanting to buy his prints, Jude has now put him on his list of "People I'd Love to Have Dinner With." :)
New York is one of the capitals of the world and Los Angeles is a constellation of plastic, San Francisco is a lady, Boston has become Urban Renewal, Philadelphia and Baltimore and Washington wink like dull diamonds in the smog of Eastern Megalopolis, and New Orleans is unremarkable past the French Quarter. Detroit is a one-trade town, Pittsburgh has lost its golden triangle, St. Louis has become the golden arch of the corporation, and nights in Kansas City close early. The oil depletion allowance makes Houston and Dallas naught but checkerboards for this sort of game. But Chicago is a great American city. Perhaps it is the last of the great American cities. -Norman Mailer, Miami and the Siege of Chicago (1968)
What were you cooking/baking 10 years ago? Not very much. Maybe weekly spaghetti marinara for Sam on those days when I didn't have classes in college. I don't think I really started cooking or experimenting with food until we came here.
What were you cooking/baking one year ago? Buttermilk biscuits with goat cheese and chives
Five snacks you enjoy: 1) Rice crispy treats (for some reason, I really like the ones at Starbuck's) 2) Graham crackers with raspberry cream cheese 3) Anything with dark chocolate or Nutella 4) "Love letters" during Chinese New Year 5) Does coffee count as a snack?
Five recipes you know by heart: 1) Roast chicken 2) Spicy mac & cheese 3) Roasted sweet potato soup 4) Beef noodle soup 5) Char siew (Chinese roast pork)
Five culinary luxuries you would indulge in if you were a millionaire: 1) Organic foods only 2) A large kitchen with ample storage and counter space 3) The full range of Le Creuset cookware 4) To be able to fly to the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo whenever I want uber-fresh sashimi 5) Someone to do the dishes and clean the kitchen so Jude and I won't have to
Five dishes you love to cook/bake: 1) Any pasta dish 2) Slow-roasted pork shoulder 3) Chocolate lava cakes 4) Anything that reminds us of home 5) Chocolate truffles (this doesn't involve cooking- does it count?)
Five dishes you cannot/will not eat: 1) Celery 2) Bugs 3) Uni (sea-urchin) [You can tell how much I love food when I can't think of more than 3 things I won't eat...]
Five favorite culinary toys: 1) Immersion blender (I use this to make all those pureed soups for winter) 2) Microplane grater/zester (for grating everything from cheese to nutmeg) 3) The Bialetti stove-top cappuccino machine Jude got me for Christmas 4) My set of 6-oz. ramekins 5) My oven-safe Calphalon pan
Five dishes for your "last meal" menu: 1) Any soup my mom makes 2) My mom's curry chicken 3) My late grandma's salt-baked chicken 4) Sashimi from Tsukiji Fish Market 5) A plate of ultra creamy handmade buffalo mozzarella with heirloom tomatoes, generous slices of Ibérico ham, shavings of good Parmesan Reggiano, and gulgs of extremely good cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil from some obscure little village in Italy. Served with warm, crusty freshly homemade bread.
Five happy food memories: 1) The first "meal" Jude and I had together- a very proper and civilized English "tea" of scones and cakes. We talked about Good Friday, chocolate bunnies and repentance. You know, fun stuff... :) 2) Every time I'm home and my sister and I cook together 3) The first time I bit into a freshly baked bagel from St-Viateur in Montreal. No bagel experience has come close since. Because no bagel has sesame seeds still barely popping as I put it in my mouth. 4) Buying the yummiest fish & chips from the Colourpatch Cafe in Augusta, Western Australia- the last eating establishment before the South Pole. We then drove to Cape Leeuwin, the exact point where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean, and ate the fish & chips in the car because it was pouring outside. That always makes me smile :) 5) The potluck housewarming party we had here in 2004 when almost every single one of our friends here in Ann Arbor turned up at various points of the night. Everyone had a great time, even if cramming 35- 40 people into our tiny apartment was a potential fire hazard.
On a related note, Jude and I are off to Chicago for winter break tomorrow, and of all the fortuitous things that could happen to us, it's Chicago Restaurant Week! A whole slew of great Chicago restaurants are offering a special 3-course prixe fixe meals for both lunch and dinner and we've already made reservations at two :) Dinner tomorrow's at one sixtyblue, apparently a really nice little place to go to for modern French food just outside of Chicago's downtown, and lunch on Thursday is Brazilian churrascaria at Fogo de Chão. Apart from the great reviews I've heard about the restaurant, this meal is going to be particularly special coz we're meeting up with an old friend of mine from secondary school, Diane, who moved to Canada when we graduated. The last time I saw her was at the airport in 1992 when I saw her off, so it's been 15 years and I really can't wait to see her again! :)
I don't often gloat, really, I don't. But indulge me, because I ROCK! If I were in an Oscars office pool, I would have made a tidy sum (of course, working in an actual office might help, but that's a different story...) I don't think I've ever predicted so many winners before :) For the first time in a long time, I think the most deserving nominees finally won, and even the ones I missed, I didn't mind as much because either 1) they weren't in categories I would have expected myself to discerningly predict correctly to begin with (Animated Short Film??); or 2) someone equally deserving won instead (I really really like Tilda Swinton, although sadly, the woman looked like she was wearing a trash bag tonight..)
Performance by an actor in a leading role Prediction: Daniel Day-Lewis - THERE WILL BE BLOOD Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis - THERE WILL BE BLOOD I loved his whole gesture of being knighted by Helen Mirren :) And how about that most eloquently delivered acceptance speech? The man sure has a way with words...
Performance by an actor in a supporting role Prediction: Javier Bardem - NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Winner: Javier Bardem - NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN We managed to watch the movie yesterday and man, does this man deserve to win. A cross between Fester Addams and a Beatles gone wrong, his Anton Chigurh was downright terrifying to watch. The scene at the gas station literally had me gnashing my teeth in pure fear...
Performance by an actress in a leading role Prediction: Marion Cotillard, LA VIE EN ROSE Winner: Marion Cotillard, LA VIE EN ROSE
Performance by an actress in a supporting role Prediction: Cate Blanchett - I'M NOT THERE Winner: Tilda Swinton- MICHAEL CLAYTON This was a prediction I honestly didn't mind not getting right. I've always liked Tilda Swinton, either as the malevolently frosty White Witch in the Chronicles of Narnia or the twisted Angel Gabriel in Constantine. She made androgyny alluring (although again, what was with that trash bag??)
Best animated feature film of the year Prediction: RATATOUILLE Winner: RATATOUILLE
Achievement in art direction Prediction: SWEENY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET Winner: SWEENY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
Achievement in cinematography Prediction: THERE WILL BE BLOOD Winner: THERE WILL BE BLOOD This is the only other film from this year's crop Jude and I really want to catch. Hopefully there'll be a showing we can pop into when we're in Chicago next week.
Achievement in costume design Prediction: ATONEMENT Winner: ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE I should have guessed that the more lavish vehicle would win in this category. I was hoping that the Academy would have gone with something a little more classic and iconic.
Achievement in directing Prediction: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Winner: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN I had said that I couldn't wait for the Coen brothers' acceptance speech, and I was right- itwas a nice one indeed :) Favorite line: "...we're very thankful to all of you out there for letting us continue to play in our corner of the sandbox, so thank you very much." Even better was watch Frances McDormand 's tears of joy and whistling at her adorably awkward/dorky husband and brother-in-law :)
Best documentary feature Prediction: NO END IN SIGHT Winner: TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE
Best documentary short subject Prediction: FREEHELD Winner: FREEHELD
Achievement in film editing Prediction: THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM Winner: THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
Best foreign language film of the year Prediction: THE COUNTERFEITERS Winner: THE COUNTERFEITERS
Achievement in makeup Prediction: LA VIE EN ROSE Winner: LA VIE EN ROSE
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score) Prediction: ATONEMENT Winner: ATONEMENT I had written about the great shame that the There Will Be Blood soundtrack was not even nominated- my husband clearly felt the same way. When they were announcing the nominees, Jude shouted, "There Will Be Blood!!" After I gently broke it to him that it wasn't nominated, he shot me a dirty look that pretty much said, "See, I told you this whole Oscars thing is a sham..."
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song) Prediction: "Falling Slowly" - ONCE Winner: "Falling Slowly" - ONCE Yay!!!! Yay!!! Did I say, Yay!!! The performance was just exquisite- so genuine, so incandescent, and... for lack of a better word, special. Compared to the sterile choreography and candy-colored big rah-rah song-and-dance routines of the other nominees, Hansard and Irglova shared the gift of their song in the best way they know how- with each other, their voices and the song. As you watch the clip, see how they sneak peeks at each other throughout the performance- they are so darn adorable :)
Best motion picture of the year Prediction: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Winner: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN After two consecutive years of disappointing winners, it's so satisfying to have a most deserving film win :) Jude and I have half a mind to watch it again.
Best animated short film Prediction: I MET THE WALRUS Winner: PETER & THE WOLF
Best live action short film Prediction: THE TONTO WOMAN Winner:LE MOZART DES PICKPOCKETS
Achievement in sound editing Prediction: THERE WILL BE BLOOD Winner: THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
Achievement in sound mixing Prediction: TRANSFORMERS Winner: THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
Achievement in visual effects Prediction: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END Winner: THE GOLDEN COMPASS
Adapted screenplay Prediction: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Winner: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Jude and I picked up Cormac McCarthy's original book at the bookstore yesterday after the movie. Stylistically very intriguing- summer reading, perhaps.
Original screenplay Prediction: JUNO Winner: JUNO Diablo Cody looked visibly overwhelmed at winning- I can't imagine that she was surprised though... Did she think she wasn't going to win? Also, did anyone notice how she practically snatched the award announcement from Harrison Ford and ran off stage without even looking at him? She dissed Indy!! ;)
Make art. Make art. -Glen Hansard, Academy Award acceptance speech 2008
I can't believe it- for the second year in a row, I'm missing the Oscars 'live'! Over the past 13 years or so, I've never missed the Oscar telecasts if I could help it, a.k.a only when I was teaching, and last year when we were in Boston for spring break. Apart from that, when I was back home, it would either be skipping class in college and holing myself up in my best friend's dorm room for four hours on a Monday morning, or that year when I had to watch it at home, with my best friend on the phone. It's become a ritual of sorts for the two of us- until today. For the past four years, we continue to "watch" the Oscars together- via text-messaging ;) We swap our predictions beforehand and watch the telecast with our phones by our sides. We text-message throughout the ceremony, rooting for our choices, sniggering over someone's gown, or how ridiculous some of the Best Song performances are, making fun of the presenters (like the year Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek presented the award for Best Score to Gustavo Santaolalla for Brokeback Mountain- you know they were the only two actresses in Hollywood glamorous enough to announce his name with flair and authenticity)... Honestly, at this point, I think it's become less about the show and more about us keeping this thing we have alive despite the distance between us.
I know, I know... every year I tell myself the Oscars are becoming more and more of a sham (even if I don't, my husband never fails to remind me...), from the outrage of Crash winning over Brokeback Mountain two years ago to the whole "OMG I can't believe a completely unimaginative rip-off of a seminal Hong Kong film won" tragedy of last year. But I just get excited by the Oscars- I can't help it. It's been like this since Singapore first started showing the Oscars 'live' on Monday mornings, and as much as I know it's just huge self-congratulatory posturing on Hollywood's part, I willingly and helplessly allow myself to get suckered into the whole sham. I'm weak that way... ;)
So having said that, my predictions for this year are as follows (several of my choices had to be based purely on reviews I read since this year, we just didn't have the time to watch as many of the films as we wanted):
Performance by an actor in a leading role Daniel Day-Lewis - THERE WILL BE BLOOD NYT's Carpetbagger put it best: "A small thought exercise: Try to pick somebody here who did not do work worthy of the ultimate award... Now another exercise: Try to picture someone other than Mr. Day-Lewis accepting the award. The minute he pulled himself from the bowels of the earth in “There Will Be Blood” you knew he would not stop until he reached the podium at the Kodak Theater."
Performance by an actor in a supporting role Javier Bardem - NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Performance by an actress in a leading role Marion Cotillard, LA VIE EN ROSE Jude and I have seen her all flighty and sultry in Taxi and viciously mysterious in A Very Long Engagement, but who knew she could also hauntingly bring Edith Piaf alive on so many levels? La Vie En Rose came and went here in Ann Arbor but I did see clips of her performance online, and she's was simply fabulous...
Performance by an actress in a supporting role Cate Blanchett - I'M NOT THERE Another performance I ended up watching on YouTube. Uncanny. Eerily uncanny. That's all I can say.
Best animated feature film of the year RATATOUILLE Because it made me so happy :) (Although I wouldn't be at all upset if Persepolis won- that might actually revive in me the hope that the Academy's voters are becoming somehow more discerning...)
Achievement in art direction SWEENY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
Achievement in cinematography THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Achievement in costume design ATONEMENT That emerald green dress will forever go down in Hollywood history... That and maybe the white bathing suit and cap.
Achievement in directing NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN I can't wait to hear a Coen brothers' acceptance speech!
Best documentary feature NO END IN SIGHT The time is ripe for this.
Best documentary short subject FREEHELD
Achievement in film editing THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM I thought this was the most compelling movie of the entire franchise and for the first time in a long time, I was actually very aware of how a film's editing contributed to its overall aesthetic.
Best foreign language film of the year THE COUNTERFEITERS
Achievement in makeup LA VIE EN ROSE Because Marion Cotillard's transformation was amazing.
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score) ATONEMENT Suitably (and safely) evocative and haunting. Pedigree for this category. (Although it wasn't even nominated, There Will Be Blood actually comes with one kick-ass soundtrack. But I don't think the Academy is ready for Jonny Greenwood's postmodern dissonance.)
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song) "Falling Slowly" - ONCE This one was a no-brainer. (Watch the scene here- it's beautiful. And heartbreaking...) This is the one performance of the night I'm sore I'm going to miss :(
Best motion picture of the year NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN It's their time :)
Best animated short film I MET THE WALRUS
Best live action short film THE TONTO WOMAN
Achievement in sound editing THERE WILL BE BLOOD If you've listened to the soundtrack, visited the website and watched the movie (or at least clips of it), you'll understand why.
Achievement in sound mixing TRANSFORMERS Remember, in this category, bigger and louder always means better.
Achievement in visual effects PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END
Adapted screenplay NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Original screenplay JUNO Really, do I have to explain this choice? OK, fine. See here.
It used to be that you could rock out and form a band with 2 turntables and a microphone. Now, it's 2 jailbroken iPhones with a Nintendo DS. With a variety of musical applications coming on to handheld devices, there's been a lot of experimentation with both creating and performing music with these devices. Check out this other video that highlights a one man production studio with a variety of other touchscreen devices:
I don't have an iPhone, so I am not sure what applications are out there for muscial creation or production. However, my 2 favorite DS music applications are:
I think it's awesome that Jon Stewart's a Project Runway fan! :) Jude and I were just channel surfing as we always do when we have dinner in front of the TV, when lo and behold, we came across Comedy Central showing a re-run of The Daily Show with Tim Gunn as his guest! It was a most delightful segment- I love Project Runway (only one of three things I regularly watch on TV these days, next to No Reservations and Lost)- I think it's probably one of the few reality TV shows where the contestants are genuinely talented and where they actually make something. But most of all, I love Tim, because we should all be so lucky to have a mentor as kind but exacting as him. And for someone working in the sometimes over-the-top world of the fashion industry, I think it's wonderful how level-headed and down-to-earth he comes across as.
Tim Gunn: I'm the first to encapsulate this realistically. Nobody needs it. We need clothes, do we need fashion? No. And fashion, when it's good, comes out of a context that's societal and cultural and historic and economic and political -- so it's of a time and a place. Jon Stewart: Why isn't everyone as reasonable as you, as a human being?
Awww, Tim... So well said. Like Jon Stewart, a sane voice speaking over the sometimes ridiculous and banal realities of our world. To see two of my favorite men on TV together last night made me a very happy girl :)
Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (everything on, around, and under my table- with the exception of this week's NYT Magazine and the alarm clock- have to do with my dissertation proposal, so this isn't going to be very scintillating...) Easily the thickest book on my dissertation reading list at 714 pages (NOT intending to read the whole thing, not by next year at least...)- Robert Coles' Children of Crisis. Found it second-hand at the Harvard Book Store last year. Many of my ideas about speaking with and listening to children as a research methodology are founded on his work. His conviction that children have much to teach us and that their voices are valuable insights into our world continually inspires me.
Find Page 123.
Find the first 5 sentences. Coles is talking to a white anti-Communist segregationist about his childhood in Louisiana and war experience in WWII, and how that influenced him to protest the admission of black children into a Catholic parochial school.
Post the next 3 sentences. "Still, he added, the Germans would be of small help if the UN and integration took over America. He never fought, though he helped others fight. He did his service at an army camp in New Jersey, a very small distance from Manhattan's subversion, perversion- and fascination."
[I'm tagging anyone who just happens to have a random book within arm's reach that's thicker than 123 pages. Have fun!]
If I were 15 years younger, I would run out right now and buy myself a red hoodie, a pair of tartan plaid Converse sneakers, cool striped leggings, a hamburger phone and two dozen orange Tic-Tacs. Because if I were 16, I'd want to be like Juno MacGuff (maybe not the pregnant part..)- funny in the face of crisis, mature but also childlike, gutsy yet vulnerable, brave, smart, armed with whiplash wit and an awesome taste in music.
After months of putting it off, Jude and I finally watched "Juno" today. We've been meaning to catch it since it opened (and even more after we started listening to its most delightful soundtrack, now on repeat mode...) but we've both been crazy busy and today was the first time we felt little guilt in taking some time off to catch a movie. And it was worth the wait... I was afraid that the experience would be spoiled by all the reviews I'd read and all the good things people have been telling me about it. It's one of those curses where the more someone tells you how wonderful something is, the more of a letdown you know it's going to be.
But this wasn't... If fact, it exceeded my expectations. I knew it was going to be funny, smart and quirky, but I wasn't prepared for how moving and soulful it also was. The movie makes you laugh out loud in so many scenes (there are some absolutely priceless lines like, "That ain't no Etch-a-Sketch. This is one doodle that can't be un-did, homeskillet."), but as the NYT review aptly put it, this is just the movie's way of getting you to clear your throat for the lump you’re going to find there in the last scenes. And the review was right; by the time Juno was pushing her baby out in the delivery scene and Anyone Else But You started playing the background, it took almost all I had to stop myself from bawling.
The movie's probably too Sundance-y to win the Best Picture Oscar this year, but go watch it, if for no other reason than to spend 90 minutes with a cast of characters- both main and supporting- so real, so genuine that they transcend what might appear on the surface to be just another self-consciously quirky indie flick.
In my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person will still think the sun shines out your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with. -Mac MacGuff (J.K. Simmons)
Thanks to Beryl for sending this on :) One of the most inspiring speeches I've heard, this definitely ranks up there with MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech and JFK's Inaugural Address. Politics aside, these are powerful words- stirring, evocative and deeply compelling. Like all great speeches, this one rings with passion, great faith, hope, and a vision of humanity that is greater, grander, and purer than the sum of individuals.
A quick post to wish one and all a very happy Lunar New Year - 新年快乐, 身体健康! Also, it's a pretty significant year for me as it's the year of the Rat in the lunar zodiac cycle. The Rat starts yet another 12 year cycle and highlights my 36th year of existence... :)
I've blogged about many things, but I never thought that I'd one day blog about a water bottle. It's strange to get sentimental over a water bottle, but for some reason, I am. A couple of friends gave me my old water bottle for my birthday more than ten years ago, way before carrying these SIGG water bottles was fashionable. I always felt like such a trend-setter because no one was carrying these metal water bottles around yet. It also felt a little indulgent then to have a water bottle that cost more than $20 but I loved it and loved the attention it got for looking like a flask of liquid nitrogen... :)
The bottle was with me during the last years of college, through my four years as a teacher, accompanied me to Hong Kong, Montreal, Australia, and has been with me all through the past five years here. Touted as "The Word's Toughest Water Bottle", the bottle has nonetheless taken many hits over the years. Because it is so well made, I probably haven't been as good with taking care of it as I should have, allowing it to fall off tables, knocking against walls, dropping it on floors... And you can see, super aluminum or not, ten years is a long time and the bottle is looking much worse for wear. There are more than a few dents all round, the paint on the outside has chipped and peeled off, and the entire area around the mouth of the bottle has been stripped bare of its coating. And I've lost count of the number of times in recent years people have mentioned how ghetto my bottle is looking. So when the chance came up today to buy a new SIGG water bottle from a friend at a discount, I figured I should just do it.
But then, I felt bad after... I probably won't use the old one anymore (the fact that the coating is all gone is probably a sanitary concern...), but I'm having a hard time even thinking of throwing it away. I can't really say why... It's like I'm having some kind of weird separation anxiety. Maybe because it's rare to have something stay with you that long, however innocuous it is. So often these days we mindlessly buy something only to dispose of not long after, that perhaps my affection for and attachment to a beat-up water bottle is a sign of needing to value something not just for its utility but for the memories behind it, and just the sheer sentimental value of it.
Do you have something you just can't bring yourself to throw away?
Juliet: Banoffee pie? Mark: No, thanks. Juliet: Thank God. You would've broken my heart if you'd said yes. Mark: Oh, right, well, lucky you.
- from Love Actually
From one of my favorite (and one of the saddest) scenes from the movie. I won't go into detail about it (because really, do you need to be reminded one more time how much I adore this movie? My husband sure doesn't...) But I bring it up because the pie in question successfully revived my dessert self-confidence after my clementine clafoutis disappointment.
Thanks to my best friend's scrumptious recipe, I made a banoffee pie last night for a birthday party. It's an English dessert made from bananas, whipped cream and boiled condensed milk (hence "banana" and "toffee"), either on a pastry base or one made from crumbled graham cracker/ digestive biscuits, and butter. Aside from having to boil the unopened cans of sweetened condensed milk for 4 hours, this is a cinch to assemble, with no baking whatsoever involved. As the cans of milk heat up, the sugar in it caramelizes, and you end up with the most delightfully milky, gooey toffee ever! The original recipe is a little more involved, requiring you to make your own pastry base but I just made a graham cracker crust. Apart from the very vital ingredient of the condensed milk-turned-toffee, flavoring your whipped cream with coffee is also key.
Sweet, rich, gooey, and a little "fluffy" from the whipped cream, this is not a dessert for the faint-hearted or you calorie-counters out there. But it is oh so blissfully delicious. So the next time you need that little (ok, not so little) something to indulge in or just to remind yourself of one of Serene's favorite movies, do remember this brilliantly decadent British import... :)
Ingredients: 3 cups crushed graham crackers 1 stick butter, melted 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk 7 large bananas 1 pint whipping cream 1 tsp powdered sugar 2 tsp instant coffee powder (or granules ground into powder) Cocoa powder
Directions: Toffee (you can do this in advance and store the boiled cans of toffee almost indefinitely): 1) Boil unopened cans of condensed milk in a pot for 4 hours, making sure that it is always submerged. Top up water as necessary. 2) If using immediately, make sure you are careful when opening the can as pressure/steam will be released. 3) Empty toffee into a bowl and mix well to achieve uniform consistency. It should be thick and gooey.
Crust: 1) Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. 2) Press into base of 10 x 15 glass baking dish. 3) Chill for at least an hour
Whipped cream (make sure your bowl and whisk are chilled before whipping. This helps the whipping process enormously): 1) Whip heavy cream till soft peaks. 2) Add coffee powder and powdered sugar 3) Continue whipping till you get barely stiff peaks. (Don't over-whip or you'll get butter...)
Assembly: 1) Spread toffee on graham cracker base. 2) Cut bananas into rounds and layer on toffee. 3) Top with whip cream 4) Sprinkle with cocoa powder.
Serves 8-10 (or 2, depending on your mood and threshold for sugar...)
Who knew that the musical guests on late night talk shows could be so exciting. And if any of Les Savy Fav's live performances are anything like this, I am going to make it a point to catch them soon. Tim Harrington, the band's frontman, apparently has quite a reputation for showmanship. His crazed performance in this video somewhat reminds me of a younger Frank Black in his heydays with the Pixies!
Inspired by Wendy's lovely picture here, and an alluring blog post by Elise of Simply Recipes, I picked up a couple of blood oranges while at the store yesterday. From the outside, these oranges look fairly regular- they're actually kind of small; but when you cut into them, they're anything but. Instead of the familiar orange, you are rewarded with a deep intense garnet red that's all the more stunning set against the white pith and orange skin... And not to mention the literally blood-colored juices that wonderfully stain your fingers...
And the flavor is a whole other story altogether. I didn't know what I was expecting, but any kind of orange should at least taste like an orange right? Right, but also so much more. Blood oranges taste almost like berries, but juicer, way juicer. Every segment was like a little explosion of intense citrusy berriness (now I'm just making words up...) I can't really describe it, but it was both interestingly complex, but also so refreshing...
