i miss liz 

water vs. coke

note: in college, my roomie and i read the following and totally started drinking more water. in less than two days, my skin totally cleared up even though we were running to the bathroom more often. :)

Water:

• 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (This likely applies to half the world population.)
  
• In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
  
• Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
  
• One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied (in a University of Washington study).
  
• Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
  
• Preliminary research indicates that 8 to 10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
  
• A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
  
• Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
  

Coke:

• In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
  
• You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.
  
• To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
  
• To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
  
• To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
  
• To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
  
• To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
  
• To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains.
  
• Coke will also clean road haze from your windshield.
  
• The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.
  
• To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the "Hazardous Material" place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.
  
• The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!
  

oolong, the pancake rabbit

i saw a picture of oolong with a pancake on its head a while ago, but I had no idea that the owner had a gallery pictures with this rabbit, balancing different things (especially foods) on his head. so cute! not surprised that the owner of oolong is japanese.

the pictures are really cute, but apparently the owner started getting harassing emails (especially from america) that accused him of animal abuse. an excerpt from the owner's message on his site, below:

"Some visitors have written me e-mails, accusing me of
being cruel to my rabbit and that I am abusing my pet. This was never my
intention when I included numerous links to photographs, showing Oolong's
unique ability to hold objects on his head. This is not a site to mock
rabbits, or demonstrate animal abuse. I'm sure you understand it if you see
whole my site.

Oolong is so calm and patient -- he never gets angry when I take pictures of
him. When I put various objects on his head, he stays still for a minute.
This is just a result of an intimate relationship between me and Oolong.
The main theme of my site is not to show these 'headperformance' links,
and it's not my hope to propagandize nothing but the strangeness of his
headperformance over the world. Oolong's headperformance-- many foreigners
seem to feel it 'crazy', but Japanese people feel it just cute and funny.
It is the difference of international feeling."

sadly, oolong has since passed, but has been replaced with yuebing, who has a smaller head for balancing but still does. ;) pics of him are below, enjoy!

  

yuebing ("mooncake") - oolong's replacement
  

yuebing in the snow
  

yuebing's site with more cute pictures.
oolong's tribute site, made by a fan. the original site doesn't really have english on it, but there is a link to the original site from this link.

chihuly

i saw this and i knew i had to blog about it~ i can't remember when it was that i first ran across the artistry of dale chihuly, an artist who works with glass in such amazing proportions, it's really mind blowing. i can browse through his website for hours, looking at the different things he's done with glass. aside from the famous ceiling in the bellagio hotel lobby in las vegas, i've seen only a few of his works (including a few of his art pieces in a hole-in-the-wall thai restaurant in san diego, where the owner had some connection with him) up close, I'm being reminded of how I would love to see his art pieces in person.

  

http://www.chihuly.com

chihuly was called to design the sets for a ballet for oregon ballet theater.

  

i always remember this lap pool when i think of chihuly. my favorite image is the one on the bottom left. genius insanity.

  

chihuly and his fascination with blending his artwork in the middle of nature.

  

  

dale chihuly light installations over the beautiful canals of venice

  

andy veyette

 

i can't believe i used to dance with him - he was about 10 years old, this little kid whom all the girls babied. he's all grown up! he's been getting really good reviews, so I'm hoping he'll get promoted soon. i'm very proud of him!!

picture: andy veyette partnering his girlfriend, megan fairchild, as cavalier and sugar plum fairy in the nutcracker.

klutz

i am such a klutz, especially when things get busy. i had 1.5 hrs of free time during the day today to do labwork AND do my homework (ahem. i know i'm such a procrastinator. but i defend it because it's efficient). and i accomplished 1) missing a meeting with a med school dean, and 2) showing my prof the wrong slides b/c I didn't read them correctly (after I got his hopes up, I thought I made this earthshattering discovery). whoops. kind of embarrassing.

i soothed my spirits today by watching my favorite tv shows. :) i turned in a lot of homework today so it was a nice evening off. project runway is so good! it was a fun episode today - they had to design an ice skating dress for sasha cohen, one of my favorite skaters. I did NOT agree with the winning design at ALL, but really liked chloe's dress.

another good tv show: skating with celebrities! i'm very impressed with how good the celebrities are, it's so obvious a lot of them have skated before because their spins are amazing.

mom: "you know that actress, she plays the older sister in pride and prejudice"
me: "which pride and prejudice are you talking about?"
mom: "the british one"
me: "they're all british"

 
john zimmerman, now in skating with celebrities.
 

vive las vegas

i lost $20 so quickly, in about 7 minutes. it takes luck to be that unlucky, i think. it was fun tho. :) i wanted to go on the star wars themed slots, but they were popular. they even have penny slots!! i wonder how much you can win on those, is jackpot something like $40?

vegas was lovely - a city where you can see about five cities in one - paris, new york (i saw the chrysler building coming out of the top of luxor hotel that's shaped like an egyptian pyramid), venice, a villa in tuscany, rio de janeiro, new orleans...) got to go on the strip for a few hours, but spent most of the weekend in the car, or trying to read some papers for school (ick). i really don't like systems neuroscience, i just don't get it. don't we know enough about it? :D haha class is also at 9 am in the morning three times a week, all the way across the other side of the freeway. blah. i miss molecular neuroscience.

 
they change the indoor gardens in bellagio hotel, every month or so, to match the seasons and the holidays. this time it was themed for chinese new year's - it was amazing. the lighting was lovely in here too, great for pictures.
 

 
i cut off the top of eiffel tower, oops. it was so windy but it was a beautifully clear day.
 

 
the world's largest chocolate fountain, in bellagio hotel. the bottom half (left), and top half (right). it smelled heavenly - it's 27 feet high, and the chocolate (white, dark, and medium) is kept flowing at 125 degrees Fahrenheit. just wanted to reach in and...
 

stacy london on what not to wear is wearing a sweater i own! does that mean that i'm devilishly fashionable? muhaha

wow, just drove 10 hours to vegas... my grandma is sick with shingles and couldn't move out of bed, so we came to help her eat and take care of her. she looks so sick, her eye is swollen shut and she has that characteristic dermatomal rash (the first time i've really seen it). at least it's a three day weekend, I haven't been in vegas for a long time but it doesn't look like we'll be on the Strip this weekend. i brought two dvd's and lots of reading to do. i wish i brought my skates - there's an ice rink about half a mile from my grandma's house.

i had forgotten just how crazy the 15 N (the only road into vegas) can be. people driving an average of 90 mph, it's insane, on a narrow two lane road that you share with semis. it's like being in a video game.

happy new year's!

spent it fairly quietly, went to church and hung out at home with family. tried to break into lab (not sure why my card key isn't working, again! i think it's a hint that i shouldn't go to lab. ;) hopefully my cells won't overgrow and commit suicide) in this stormy weather. i can't wait until it stops raining.

i discovered the men's section at banana republic. ooh, the sales... i never thought it's fair how much more expensive women's clothing is. and the cheap cashmere that's not form fitting but extremely comfortable... fell in love with this sweater for a future boyfriend of mine. teehee. it was luxurious cashmere. i love the vintage look of these tees as well.

kinda sad how the holiday season is ending as well. safeway was having a 50% sale on all holiday items, so i bought egg nog, crackers and cheese spread, and unfiltered apple cider (only $3) for hot mulled apple cider. it's simmering on the stove here, i highly recommend ina garten's recipe (from barefoot contessa). here tis: (italics are my suggestions)

• 16 cups pure apple juice or fresh apple cider
  
• 4 (2-inch) cinnamon sticks
  
• 2 oranges, peels and juice (can possibly eliminate some of the peels, it adds a sort of bite to it. be sure not to get the white part of the peel but mostly the orange. i thought oranges would actually make it more sour, but it adds a delightful sweetness and depth to the cider.)
  
• 8 whole cloves (add more for more of that mulled spicy fragrance)
  
• 6 star anise (a bit hard to find, i found mine at dean and deluca in napa valley, but you can taste the licorice note in the cider)
  

Combine in a saucepan. Heat, simmer for 10-15 min, and serve in mugs. You can also add a dash of dark rum. ;) I left mine to simmer for a bit longer mostly to make the house smell like mulled spices. yum!

merry christmas, everyone! i hope everyone has a very warm holiday season, filled with family and laughter (and hopefully some pumpkin spice lattes and hot apple cider mixed in too). it's been a great year. whatever 2006 has in store, bring it on -

paper

in a brief moment of regression yesterday when the lab was emptied of the boys and only D and I were there, we cut up a paper snowflake and posted one on my bench, to make it more christmas-y. :) it was fun, the last time I did that was probably in first grade.

my parents watch home garden tv network 24/7, so maybe the interior decorating is rubbing off on me.

strike

i'm so fascinated by the mta strike at the audacity of the union to really stop the lives of so many people to make their point. no matter how impt their point is, it was a very bold move. the creative solutions to work around the strike are interesting as well, from two new yorkers' points of view - j and k. (nice skates, mmonk :)

another amusing aspect: analyzing the fashion that's coming out of this strike.

"People are dressing like they work in outdoor booths at the flea market," the designer Cynthia Rowley said.....

From appearances, that might include a two-month camping trip or an arctic triathlon, which is odd considering the strike happens to coincide with two major trends favorable for the conditions: boots and fur. But most of the styles offered by Dolce & Gabbana and Stella McCartney are affixed to towering heels, so they have been replaced with hiking boots and last year's Uggs, a sensibly dull alternative. Fur coats, hats, muffs and gaiters are in such abundance that animal rights activists would be well advised to arrange to work from home."

so funny that fashion is always addressed... i love it. :)

article here.

speaking of fashion and Cynthia Rowley, Project Runway was excellent tonight. (Cynthia Rowley was a guest judge) i am slowly getting my mom hooked on some of the bravo shows, which is fun to watch with her. santino is slowly rising to be less of the creative genius and more of an egotistical maniac. he's still really good at what he does, i think they're going to save him for the end.

 
a hairy neuron with some green heterologous cells~ kinda christmas-y, no?
 

aw, i unexpectedly appeared on my cousin's random list in one of those quiz things:

"4) Last person you hugged: my cousin last night when she dropped off my lil sister"

had a really good conversation tonight. haven't had one of those in a while, things have been a bit stressed with my family being home. but in a good way, getting involved in caring for them has been both a blessing and a challenge.

in the past week, two people have asked me if I'm dating, and why I'm not. is there a rumor going around at work or something?? It's so odd, so out of the blue. and i always sound so pathetic when i say that i haven't found anyone in davis. i'm perfectly happy and non pathetic until someone asks me why i'm not dating.

 
snowboarding at squaw valley in lake tahoe! it was amazing - it was beginner weekend, which meant that we got a lesson, lift ticket, and rental (i didn't need a rental b/c i have my own board) for $20. it was amazing - not only the deal, but the fact that it wasn't too crowded (b/c it's finals weekend?? not sure). The teachers were AWESOME - they were great teachers, better than Heavenly, but the teachers at Heavenly were cuter, hehe. They had stations set up so that the first station was strapping in your board, and learning how to fall properly, and the next station was learning a simple turn, and the next station was learning to go and stop, and the last stop was to link turns (the hardest one by far). I thought that the intro lesson would be too easy for me since I've been boarding about 3-4 times, but it was a great way to start out the season. In return, I think the lessons were too hard for first timers - like D in our group, it was her first time, and she got her butt kicked. ;) It gets better tho, after the first day, I promise... the speed and the movement and the scenery - very addicting.

The view was beautiful at Squaw - too bad I can't take my camera up there b/c I would probably fall and smash it to bits. Aside from beginner weekend, it'd be tough for me to go there b/c lift tickets are one of the pricier resorts (since the Olympics were there in the '60s). But it was a great time to go, with the good deal and all. there is also a beautiful rink up there with a view of Lake Tahoe, which I got to see.

Definitely learning how to link turns - still falling but it's starting to feel more comfortable on a slight slope, trying to get the technique down before I move to harder slopes. But for the last run of the day, N and I got to go up a slightly harder slope. It was so fun b/c no one was there, and even if it took us a while to get in control of a turn, no one was around so there was lots of room to do it. Tons of fun!! One of the biggest perks of being in Davis~ hoping to go again, possibly on Friday ;) for $10 student lift tikets at Boreal.
 

 
my pretty neurons
 

a bright light in the middle of a dark week

i did a toe loop (albeit a single one) yesterday! it was a good ice skating day - sometimes i just feel like sleeping in on saturdays and not getting up to skate, but i went and it was fun. first of all, a teacher told me that i should not be in basic 6 where I've been for two months, but in freestyle 1. woohoo! it was fun, skating in the top class, even tho I'm the worst one there. my next goal: work on a salchow and work on improving my spins.

am i the only one who's going to think that this is funny? in a chat with my mom:

mom: do you know this funny story?
mom: korean president who can;t speak english learn how to say when he meet Bush
mom: he would say how are you?
mom: but forgot and He said who are you?
mom: so Mr Bush sais I am Bush and korean president said ME TOO
mom: just joke

haha i like the way my mom says it too. as you can tell from this joke, president's not so popular... he almost got impeached in his first year of presidency. apparently the korean president Roh Moo-Hyun is seen as a "people's president", a bit populist and socialistic in views, who doesn't have a college degree, which may explain his english abilities.


me: did he get impeached?
mom: no
mom: he isn't impeached
mom: he did eye lid surgery

i thought this was a cute pic - the women in our family, the relatives on my dad's side. my grandma, my dad's sisters, one cousin, and me.
 
 

hilarious~

Your Nail Polish Color is Pink

How you're unique: You're girly without being high maintenance Why your style rocks: You're the perfect blend of stylish, preppy, and cute What this color says about you: "I am secure enough not to follow every trend"

What Color Nail Polish Best Fits You?

You Belong in Paris

Stylish and a little sassy, you were meant for Paris. The art, the fashion, the wine, the men! Whether you're enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park... You'll love living in the most chic place on earth.

What City Do You Belong In?

Your Ideal Marriage Proposal Is

A Christmas proposal, with lots of snow and city lights.

What's Your Ideal Marriage Proposal?

my favorite:

Men See You As Desirable

Men often find you immediately attractive and sensual You're honesty is refreshingly beautiful ... it draws guys in You are also able to be open with your feelings with no emotional baggage Packing light means you enjoy new relationships easily

How Do Men See You?

rent was... satisfying. not perfect (in movies, it's always an odd moment when the actors move from talking to bursting into song), but well handled. it was weird when the song orders were mixed or eliminated all together. but satisfying. definitely buying the dvd. anthony rapp was really good, i've always wondered what he'd be like. definitely played the nuances of mark well, it's so frustrating when actors let the funny moments of mark, fall flat.

thanksgiving tomorrow! going over the 80 E and through the suburbs, to my aunt's place. the parade's on tomorrow morning too. ;)

the holidays have begun! happy thanksgiving, everyone~

'Rent' can't be defined in a matter of 25 words or less. There's so much going on, so much to take in, it requires you to sit back and absorb the experience. And what an experience it is.

did i mention i can't wait until rent comes out? :)

 

harry potter was amazing fun. everyone should watch it, it's a little scary tho for kids (even for me, esp the beginning). cho chang is so adorable, esp her scottish accent with a little lilt. the bottom right picture: one of the funniest scenes in the movie. ;) snape is hilarious. top left: daniel radcliffe and ralph fiennes (who plays voldemort so deliciously evilly), at the premiere.

this was my first movie in a long time - all of a sudden, so many movies are coming out. rent on wednesday!
 
 

thanksgiving week

it's thanksgiving week!! so excited it's a short week, whew, I really need it... really starting to get tired of people in SCIENCE. i might have picked the wrong field to work in, people are so socially inept it's ridiculous. i feel like i'm dealing with my five year old cousins, with people throwing tantrums (throwing tubes on the floor), and having conversations like this:


Me: "So how's it going?"
M: "You already asked me that."

uh, ok. I shouldn't bother, really. makes me feel like i'm in junior high again.

it's ok - God, give me grace to deal with this, while I look forward to the Macy's Thanksgiving parade, and eating turkey and shopping (haven't decided where yet :) have a pumpkin spice latte at starbucks, everyone - I went there the other day in the morning, so amazed at how many people show up, and I'm sure they go often, probably every morning. Is it the modern day socially-acceptable drug dealer? People coming in for a fix.

three nights in ny

had another crazy time in NY again - I kept up my usual record of attending one musical a night (i tried to attempt two on saturday, but it was too busy with it being a three day weekend, and regular priced tix to light in the piazza were $100, eek). i can't wait til I can pay full price for broadway tickets. first night, i watched movin' out, which is closing soon - i was lucky and saw all the leads dance (no understudies). but the next night, i saw dirty rotten scoundrels - we won lottery tix, thanks to Jen's name being picked out, and got awesome box seats which were really close to the stage. unfortunately, tony award winner norbert leo butz was out and instead we saw his understudy, joe cassidy, which was still fine. john lithgow was so charming and very good with the details of his role. greg jbara was really good too, and now i am officially on his website. hehe. it's always fun meeting the cast afterwards, we asked john lithgow about performing with the NYC ballet again and he asked if we were dancers.

the third night, i saw the spelling bee musical - it was awesome! again, we got lucky with the lottery (after losing the rent lottery), and we got the FRONT CENTER seats. b/c the stage isn't high but it's like half a foot off the floor, we were basically sitting on the floor on this bench, and we could almost put our feet on the stage, as ken was trying to do. haha. the spotlight was ON us, the microphone where the spellers spelled was two feet away from my feet, and apparently the ENTIRE cast saw me and ken b/c we were laughing so much. jose llana, who played chip tolentino (from sex and the city, margaret cho's sidekick in one of my absolute favorite episodes), also did an impression of us laughing. slightly embarrassing, but we had such a great time. it really brought back memories when i won my county spelling bee when I was 10. i was trying to see which character i was most like, which is (no big surprise) marcy park, the korean genius who speaks six languages and sleeps 3 hours a night and cries in the bathroom cupboard, and who ends up (warning: spoiler) misspelling on purpose to ruin people's expectations of her. hahaha it was hilarious. really cute. my favorite character was jesse tyler ferguson, who played such a weird kid. when i told him i won my spelling bee, he was like, "so you're the real marcy park!"

my trips to NY is never entirely about musicals. i love the cute restaurants there, like the eatery, kitchenette, and cafeteria. it's such a rude awakening to be back, with a midterm on thurs and a presentation on friday.

from spelling bee:
Barfee: I can't believe I'm speaking to a girl who's named after a vegetable.
Olive: (quietly) It's a fruit.

 
meeting john lithgow! at the dirty rotten scoundrel stage door