Baby talk

Chloe has been having little moments of babbling brilliance, when she'd suddenly squeak out a sound or two that almost sounds like... words! No, not quite. That might be stretching it. But it's fun trying to carry on a conversation with her.

Here she is, talking to Drew.

Lonely hearts

Say something interesting about yourself

-My passion is making people laugh. I'm really good at one liners, like when there's a confrontational situation and it's super awkward, I can say something to break the ice.

-Why does it interest you to do that?

-I get attention.

-Why do you like attention?

-Because I'm selfish.
And... I don't know. (quietly) I used to be shy.

Fanny's baby pic

Chloe's got some of Auntie Fans in her.

Harvest

Say Boss

Her Highness Bear signals for her two minions

Alas

Chloe is not interested in sleep.

Taste

"When I say my favorite meal was beef fondue at the old Suizo, the one on the Calle Quinta, where we would go for my birthday, I can still taste those six sauces the chef, Mr. Bishoff, made. One of them was pink, called salsa golf, simple mayonnaise and ketchup, but it brings moisture to my mouth to remember. The musical sound of it, when you finished eating and you smacked your lips together and said, in Spanish, because it sounded better in Spanish, de li cio so."


-Chris Spain

The highlight of my day

was talking to my mom on the phone.

Moooo

I have a litto cow.
This is my litto cow.
She weighs 14 pounds, my litto cow, which puts her in the 96th percentile.
Way to go, litto cow!

Sometimes my litto cow could pass for a chipmunk. :)

The undeniably yummy Cheezburger

I'm a firm believer that cheeseburgers need to contain pickles. Drew's not a fan of pickles, so I always order his without. Well for lunch today I decided to have his cheeseburger, which he didn't get a chance to eat the other night. So there I was, faced with a dilemma. Could I eat this sans pickles? Absolutely not.

That was when my brain birthed the greatest idea yet. Simply put KIMCHI in the burger! Problem solved. It tasted phenomenal. Still had that sourness to it but with more zing. Ah...genius. 

A memory

I've joked about crying while watching American Idol before. It was a few years back when I still never cried while watching anything; till then I'd only been moved enough by The Green Mile and Step Mom. But then one day after school, I found myself alone in 9D with Ann and Jon out, and I made myself a skimpy dinner that consisted of half a sausage and undercooked rice. Well I was sitting there, still dressed in my thick outerwear and scarf, when one of the contestants on American Idol sang this song. I had read the lyrics before somewhere on a blog but it was the first time I'd ever heard the song itself. And then I started crying pathetic tears, helpless ones, really, not bothering to stop them from dripping onto my plate. The song went like this:

'Cause I can't make you love me,
 if you don't.
You can't make your heart feel something it won't.
Here in the dark, in these final hours, I will lay down my heart
and I'll feel the power. But you won't. 'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't.
I'll close my eyes, then I won't see the love you don't feel when you're holding me.
Morning will come, and I'll do what's right. Just give me till then to give up this fight.
And I'll give up this fight.
'Cause I can't make you love me, if you don't.


It reminded me of Andy and what I felt for him then and over the years. I finally resolved that I couldn't do anything more, but that didn't mean I wasn't hurting from it still. Those feelings are gone -- they are almost foreign to me in some respects -- and I am grateful. Sometimes though, there is the phantom. Not of the love and not-love with Andy, but an ache for those who are heartbroken.

This song was originally sung by Bonnie Raitt. Here is a cover by Adele. 

Vday

What a sweet old man. Romance persists in old couples too.

Sexy am I

Lizzy Stewart

Bukowski

"There is a loneliness in this world so great that you can see it in the slow movement of the hands of a clock."

"My wrists are rivers, my fingers are words."

A certain Pee Wee's big 23

It's Valentine's Day. Big deal. What's today really noted for? Let's assume a pensive look much like the following:

It's a certain Pee Wee's birthday, that's what! Here are some photographs of our bountiful friendship in celebration of her special day.

We've known each other since way back; I was looking through some of my old Xanga entries and it really made me think of how we've got one heck of a rich friendship history. You know what I really wish? I wish I had photos of each others' middle school yearbook signings/essays 'cause I think those right there would've shown how much we cared for each other. But these photos will have to do -- definitely had a good laugh over so many of the memories associated with them.

This one, for instance. Four bai chre's killing time before a vball game at Ee Jong Jieh.

MAYGEN FLIES!!!! You're clearly the superstar of this one. Otherwise it's a huge failure of a flying pic if I've ever seen one.

Chilling in front of the lockers. This was the start of junior year. I think you had just returned from a summer in the States then (or as Lu would say, "the U.S." or whatever it is that a Jersey kid who's spent his whole life here would call it), and you brought me a pack of Reeses peanut butter cups 'cause you knew I was crazy about them. Even if you don't remember anymore that's okay, 'cause I do. I was super happy and ate it right then and there.

Our first varsity volleyball team field trip. We were all so happy to have made the team together.

del Castillo 2, Lu 3, Tai 5.

Coaching basketball together for the first time and being SO PROUD that they won first place!!!

Trademark pose. We probably have several other versions of these around. Was trying to find the one we took in Kenting and at banquets but couldn't find them. I say we take an up to date one soon. It's about time!

Hyper on the bus.

AHAhaha so random. O hai maygen. hahahaa no idea why this cracks me up.

mmm workin it.

Wa-BOWM. do you remember what we stuffed you with??? 'cause those fake boobies definitely convinced that waitress at Little Italy.

hahah look at jess

Think this was at the pool during our sophomore class party.

paintballing, go-carting & bbq in one day.

Those blue velvet couches at Tiger City were especially nice to lounge around on.

another Tiger City photo, this one for Jess Lu's bday when we arrived so early that basically NOTHING was open inside.

pretty sure we were very loud at kelly's place. pretty sure it's always pretty loud where you're at, hahahaa. i could recognize your booming laughter anywhere. it's infectious.

wazzup matching white shoes and red socks!! koo bee luh!

matching again, wowza

at another sophomore class party. this was taken after you & jess lu had the time of your lives racing on the chairs in the commons.

macho macho maygen. it is one of the most glorious secrets in the world that maygen del castillo can do pull ups.

and it is a not-as-glorious secret that if anyone ever has trouble staying awake, maygen can assist. there are all sorts of games she's willing to play with your face to help.

i believe this was when you uttered the words, "i wanna adopt a black baby." well maygen there is no need; just make your own baby with lu. it won't be a hay ren shiao hai but it'll be one sexy tan bebe. get a move on it prease.

clearly, we're a real glamorous pair.

I so wish that I could wish you happy birthday in person and steal some of your time to just hang out. You know, do stuff. Laugh, drink coffee, play volleyball, sit across each other in the library (preferably not doing hw), eat pea crackers, drink Mcdonalds corn soup, anything. I know the hours would just fly by. Whenever I think of you it's always with the warmth I feel toward someone who has known me through the years, who has seen the annoying, self-centered, competitive and zhi zhang parts of me; whose friendship I've worried about (like back in middle school when I'd get jealous that you were hanging out with so-and-so more than me, or that you sat with somebody else, or walked to the village with your arm looped around someone else's arm and not mine, etc), and ultimately whose friendship i have valued and still do. remember when you & i walked around the middle school square after school one day in 7th grade and i said, "maygen i like elliot and elliot likes me. we told each other on msn yesterday. here's the chat" (and i pulled out that piece of notebook paper where i recorded the whole thing). you know that's actually one of my favorite memories of all time because i just felt so content right then and there with my 7th grade best bud, the best bud in the world. thing is, i was sure that even if i didn't have some big news like that to share (because man was it big news to me back then), you still would have listened just as intently. you were always a good listener, maygen. thanks for that. thanks for that and so much more.

Love, hugs & kisses to you from me. And again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Opera

is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and instead of bleeding he sings."
- Edward Gardner

Duh

"finally talked to my parents today. they told me to eat some vitamin C to get better so i ordered orange chicken with fried rice."
-Maggie

Yep

Tell Veronica

secrets of the boy you never kissed.

Love until we bleed

Perfect breakfast

Loved waking up to this. Thanks to my dearest Bear for this scrumdiddlyumptious breakfast and for our new weekend subscription to the NY Times. I prefer reading the news so, so, so much better this way.

Original creation

"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent."
-Jim Jarmusch

"Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different."
-T.S. Eliot

The dream

Godfrey Gao, the first Asian male model for Louis Vuitton. He's scruffy, he's got a chiseled jaw, he's manly all around. And he also appeared in my dream last night. It's a tie between him and Adrian Brody... Oh what, no, I just imagined them both shirtless. Yeah so... Godfrey's number one now.

Just do

Work life?

Oh the duality.

Out of Print

Literary coaster set. So awesome.

Sitting on yellow

Nothing about this work space is not cool.

Buttercup yellow, that's what it is. Sure'd be nice to sit across each other here.

I love these yellow stools at Van Leeuwen. Not that I frequented the place, but whenever I walked by, it always made me so happy to peek in.