Surprisingly great things

Here are a few of my favorite things, many of which were wedding gifts:

1) Oxo Good Grips Mango Splitter ($12.99, amazon.com): An amazing little device that seems too good to be true. Getting that pesky seed out of the mango in one swoop? Incredible!



2) Krups FDH212-76 Rice Cooker, Slow Cooker Stainless Steel ($99.99, macys.com): For someone who always manages to burn rice, this is a godsend. I am really excited to try out the slow cooker options.

3) Beatles Rock Band for Nintendo Wii ($249.99, amazon.com): On regular Rock band I only know like 0.7% of the songs -- on this version I know ALL the songs. Also, the graphics are so cool.

4) Cuisinart DCG-12BC Coffee Grinder, Grind Central ($35, macys.com) & Bodum 8-cup Coffee Press ($39.95, cooking.com): I love making coffee with this duo. Grind up the beans, pop 'em in the French press, and voila!











5) Merona long-sleeve t-shirt ($9.99, target.com): I wear these with EVERYTHING. Every day.

MJ

I realize I'm a bit late here, since the Michael Jackson post-mortem media blitz train has come and gone, but he's been on my mind since I watched This is It yesterday with the parentals. I hadn't planned to see it, but it was actually kind of nice to get a glimpse into his latest work.

He was still amazing (far better than I will ever be) but definitely showing his age. You wouldn't know it unless you compared it to this, though:



Makes me want sequined everything. Like these Alessandro Dell'Acqua gold sequin pants that MJ wore in the film:

So much for New Year's Resolutions

SPH sent me a text recently reminding me that I reeeeeeally need to update my blog. I've been a very bad blogger for the past...um...year, I guess. Sorry to my legions of fans (all three of you).

So here's a restart. No promises. Let's see what happens.

There's been a lot of Facebook posting lately about things you are thankful for. I'm definitely thankful for all of the important things (friends, family, health, job, home, food, safety, etc.) but I thought I'd examine the not-so-major things that just make me happy. Here are some of them:

1) The Internet. I love random facts and I love that the Internet gives them to me.

2) Zachary's Pizza. Yum.

3) Having small feet.

4) PBS and NPR. If you're nerdy and you know it clap your hands.

5) Libraries.

6) Trader Joe's.

7) Tokyo, Bombay, and Amsterdam.

8) Miniature anything.

9) Tampons.

10) DVR.

Bay Area Love

As I struggle these days with my job, my wedding plans, and the usual day-to-day nonsense, I thought it would be helpful to reflect on the reasons I love the Bay Area (in the form of a list, of course), if for no other reason than to help me keep my sanity.

These are in no particular order, by the way, nor is this an exhaustive list.

1) Vik's Chaat Corner. The perfect mix of India and the Bay.

2) Fog.

3) Cold wind at Ocean Beach followed by a drink at the Cliff House.

4) Hella bootsie Yay Area slang.

5) Pixar.

6) Bi-Rite Ice Cream.

7) Microclimates.

8) Jeremy's.

9) Tons and tons of amazing vegetarian food.

10) Mission burritos.

Bride Wars: Lehenga Edition

Yesterday, I randomly wandered in to Sari Palace, with the hopes of avoiding a trip to Artesia by finding a perfect lehnga to wear at my wedding reception. Immediately, I saw "the one." No alternatives, no questions. I wanted it. It wanted me. It was all so romantic.

Unfortunately, I had to wait for my mom to see it (and pay for it) before I could make it mine. I begged the sales girl to set it aside for me until the next day.

I guess my begging fell on deaf ears, because today I went back, saw the lehnga sitting on the counter, and I was like, "This is my lehnga, I'd like to buy it."

The sales lady says, "But that other customer is buying it."

I was like, "But this is my lehnga."

I cried, for reals. Luckily, the owner felt bad and said she would get a replica custom-made to my measurements, for the same price. Whew!!

However, for a brief moment, I pictured some scene out of a movie in which two women fight like maniacs over a wedding dress, tearing each other's hair out and clawing at each other's faces.

It didn't come to that, but I'd like to think that, if it had, I could beat her down.

Things that Irritate Me

Since top ten (or 25) lists are the thing these days, I thought I'd spend a few moments meditating on the things I can't stand. Here they are, in no particular order:

1) When little kids wear their shoes on the wrong feet.

2) People who mix up there/their/they're, your/you're, where/were/we're, etc.

3) Clowns.

4) People who preface statements with things like, "I'm not homophobic, but..." or "I'm not racist, but..."

5) Guys who use the word "tits."

6) When strands of hair fall onto my arms, legs, or anywhere else.

7) Being yelled at or reprimanded.

8) When my students don't listen to me.

9) Thinking about where milk or eggs come from.

10) Trying on pants.

Ten Books

So lately it seems that my roundabout (read: lame) way of coming up with blog post topics is to steal them from Facebook. So here goes another one (impossible for an English teacher to pass this up)...

The charge is to write the ten books that you have found most influential in your life, without thinking too hard--just to jot down whatever comes to mind. Do it in a note and tag your friends (including me!) to invite them to share their lists with you.

1. Curious George Goes to the Hospital by H.A. Rey

2. Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary

3. Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin

4. Forever by Judy Blume

5. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

6. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

7. Naked by David Sedaris

8. The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

9. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

10. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* by J.K. Rowling

*Original UK title

Gumnut Cottage

Dreamy

Love Letter

According to my horoscope,

This would be a perfect week to practice writing love letters. It's not yet a favorable time to actually send the love letters you compose, however. You need some work before you'll be ready to produce the finished products. You've got to drain off the chatter that's at the top of your head before you'll be able to penetrate to the more interesting truths that lie at the bottom of your heart. But if you do your homework -- churn out, say, at least three eruptions of rabid amour -- you'll prepare yourself well to craft a thoughtful meditation that will really have a chance to make an impact.

So here goes a practice run:

Dear Words,

I love you truly, madly, deeply, eternally, ecstatically, desperately. When you are not around me, I fall silent. When I look around, I see you everywhere, and if I don't, I feel confused and alone. As individuals you are powerful, but when I see (or better yet, think of) ways to put you together, you become divine, transcendent, glorious. You satisfy all my senses and always have.

Yours truly,
me

25 Things

1. When I buy Trader Joe's white cheddar popcorn, I generally eat the whole bag in one sitting.
2. I only allow myself to buy Trader Joe's white cheddar popcorn once a year.
3. I'm really into local history (no matter where I am). I love finding out the story of whatever city, neighborhood, or house I'm in.
4. I want to write a book. I want that book to be Jhumpa Lahiri's The Interpreter of Maladies.
5. I am an optimist.
6. My first crush was Greg Brady.
7. I hate exercise, but I am getting better at forcing myself to do it.
8. I'm really superstitious.
9. I count on my fingers.
10. I only type with one hand, but I type really fast.
11. I love, love, LOVE to travel. But I also love returning home.
12. Even though it's totally un-P.C., I am fascinated by colonialism.
13. If I had a time machine at my disposal, I'd probably visit the 1940s and 1950s as often as possible.
14. My favorite number is 14.
15. I studied voice for ten years. I loved it.
16. I also played the flute for nine years. I didn't love it.
17. I don't think life would be worth living without cheese.
18. Rain makes me happy.
19. So do elephants.
20. I am terrified of the ocean, especially things that live in it. Red Lobster commercials frighten me.
21. My middle finger on my right hand is permanently deformed from holding my pencil too tightly in school.
22. I was the mascot in high school (well, technically, I dressed up as the mascot).
23. Target is my happy place.
24. If I could afford it, I'd buy all my clothes in Japan.
25. I often wonder what my life would be like if my parents hadn't come to the U.S. and I was born and raised in India.

The Story of India

So I've been watching the PBS/BBC documentary "The Story of India," which is interesting on many levels.

First of all, the content is pretty all-encompassing -- there's a lot of stories within India, so trying to encapsulate them all is a pretty intense task.

Something else that's got me kind of intrigued is the host, Michael Wood. For better or for worse, I have a real fascination with colonialism and the British Raj, and really the whole Indo-British connection (past and present). Wood is definitely one of those Indophile Brits that is just overjoyed by the whole concept of India. He's just super-gushy-excited about everything he comes across as he travels along, from crowded bazaars to Buddhist temples, and sometimes it's a bit too much. I don't think any actual Indians are as hyped on India as he is. At the same time, it's kind of cool that he's just SO excited about everything.

I wonder how many British people who lived in India during the Raj were as excited as Wood to be there. If I had a time machine this is definitely one of the eras that I would travel to.