TeeHeeAngel's Xanga

Friday, April 25, 2008

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:03:51 GMT

all my older entries are too colorful -_- swapping the background from plain black to plain white makes the older entries pretty much unreadable unless it's highlighted...which sucks. I settled for changing the background for a darker grey til I have the patience to go back through my entries I guess...it'll be fun to read over them

Arabian Mocha Sanani

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:43:05 GMT

One of the things I learned from working at Starbucks was to taste coffee...black. For those you who like their coffee with cream and sugar going "Yech", trust me, it really wasn't that bad.

The process for preparing & tasting coffee was this:

1) Choose a coffee to taste, if there was a Black Apron Exclusive or a seasonal offering...it was best to try one of those. The goal is to finish up the coffee passport within a month.

2) Measure out the correct amount of coffee beans to grind for a French press (the first is the one used in store, the second is a larger version of what I use at home) This particular kind of grind makes for a coarser grind, bigger in look vs the traditional grind for paper filters (think Folgers in the can).

3) Put the grinds into the press, pour HOT water (200+ degrees is ideal) to the appropriate level, and your coffee will be ready in 4 minutes, anything more will make the coffee a bit bitter (imo).

4) Pour out shots of the coffee, cool a bit and taste.

To taste:

1) First, smell the coffee's aroma, decide (from about about 9-12 scents) which it most resembles (for example: "nutty" usually refers to an aroma that conjures up almonds and walnuts, "earthy" usually refers to an aroma similar to dirt...as in soil, and "citric" brings up images of lemons and oranges.

2) Slurp the coffee! It's supposed to bring in the aroma so you can anticipate the flavor, remember that smell has alot to do with taste.

3) Let the coffee roll around on your tongue. What this does is it lets you "weigh" the coffee for body, feel if it's smooth or a bit more acidic, and let's you taste where it hits your tongue the most (insert something about taste buds on the tongue)

4) Pair the coffee with a complimentary pastry. For example, an 'earthy' coffee is best paired with something chocolatey.

Anyway! So I bring this up is b/c I had gotten a half pound of coffee ground yesterday (for a paper filter this time) and I ended up tasting it this morning...and filling in a page for my old coffee passport. I don't know if it became a habit after working at Starbucks or b/c I simply wanted to finish up what I started but I really like knowing what to taste for. The above title coffee, Arabian Mocha Sanani, is one of the more expensive ones that Starbucks carry. No, I didn't buy it, it had been part of my partner markout (a free weekly pound of coffee). In this case, since it was so expensive, I wasn't allowed the whole pound. Anywho, the coffee bean smelled awesome and even more so after I had it ground. The coffee is marked as "Extra bold" but turned out to be not as strong as I thought. Light in body, only slightly acidic and mostly smooth, earthy/spicy/cocoa in aroma...and I chose an almond flavor to compliment it...and it was right on target (imo). Didn't take away from the coffee at all and went well with it.

Mini coffee lesson with my sister this morning brought to mind alot of the things I learned at Starbucks. Short as it was and "it ain't no office job" but it certainly was a good experience. At one point or another I had wished I stayed longer, the hours were all over the place and the pay sucked but learning about the coffee (prep and all) was fun and my coworkers were really cool. When I left, I was still in training mode but I was one of the fastest learners there and had gotten into the swing of things within a week of starting. Anyway, this sounds more like another blog, so...I'll save it for another day =)

What would you personally consider as a fulfilled life?

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:20:31 GMT

I am answering this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

At this point in time, a great job in my field of study, finishing up my degree perhaps going onto higher education, finding that great someone. Pointing out that I said "at this point in time," it makes me seem greedy, choosy, unsatisfied...but also keep in mind that as you grow up, things change and your perspective is bound to shift. So I'd like to keep my options open, I'm still young.

Speaking of keeping options open, there was an article about how people tend to want to keep their options open, no matter how 'impossible' it may seem.
Play the game first: Door Game
Then read the Blog
Then the Article

I thought this was interesting b/c it applied to me quite...uncomfortably. There are alot of things that I'd want to keep for those "just in case" moments/situations...which also resulted in having a rather cluttered desk...closet....room...apt..etc. So I'm a bit of a pack rat...and from time to time I get into a cleaning frenzy and throw things away, either having not used/worn it for quite awhile, and even then I tend to second guess if I will ever really need it...just in case.

Negatively speaking it's called being undecisive, "keeping your options open" just makes it sound better.

Rules of a Crowded Subway

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 05:29:20 GMT

It's 6:01pm and I'm standing on the platform awaiting the B to go home. Finally a train comes and unsurprisingly there's a wall of people at the door. I'm nice enough to not shove my way since there are two other people in front of me trying to get on the train...and this woman behind me taps me on the shoulder and says "Excuse me, I want to get on." I turn around and just looked at her...thinking "What the hell do you think I'm standing here for? Just to be in your way?" I turn my attention back to get on the train...and as the door closes, I feel someone shove me, making my bag fall off my shoulder and the manila envelope I was holding topple onto the floor of the train. I look up and it was the same woman who tapped my shoulder. I get that people are rushing from work to go home or some other place, but give me a break...you're not the only one. Getting off the train wasn't much better b/c there tends to be a rather long line for the B36 so those getting off the train and transferring to the bus...well...we (yes I'm including myself) tend to crowd a bit at the door. By the time the B gets to my station, it's not so packed that there's no room for 'personal space'...but another lady cuts in front of me where her poofy hairdo gets shoved in my face. She must have felt people staring b/c she takes a couple of steps to the side. Getting off the train, down the stairs...the same lady cuts in front of me again. She shoots out of the train then take her time on the steps...

Backtracking to the morning commute...

Seats are a precious to come by in the mornings and only really available to those who are the first in the door. I was one of the first...until two ladies cut in front of me. Ok, no problem, there are a couple of more seats across the way. A woman 'dives' for the seat I was heading for and moves so that the person who was behind her (not someone she knew, mind you) could have a seat...I really don't mind not having a seat but it's courtesy, isn't it?

I was born and raised in Brooklyn but man, where (and what) are the common courtesies that should be extended when it comes to getting on and off of a rush hour train?

The Joy Luck Club

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 23:04:11 GMT

"You must think for yourself what you must do. If someone tells you, then you are not trying."

I was looking at my bookcases and saw "The Joy Luck Club." I thought, wow, we've had this book for so long but I've never read it. I remember watching the movie when I was much younger and not really understanding some things. So I decided to re-watch the movie and read the book. The movie was...not as 'good' as I remembered and the book was much better, albeit a bit confusing since Tan goes back and forth with the individual stories. As expected, the movie took liberties with some of the information and dialogue. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it took out alot of the little things that should've been included in the movie b/c it would have made certain situations more understandable. For example, in the movie, took out the childhoods of Rose Hsu Jordan and Lena St. Clair. I guess the movie really wanted to focus on Waverly and June. The book explains the Chinese superstition of the Red Candle. A red candle is lit on the night of one's marriage and if it is still lit in the morning, meaning that it never blew out, the marriage is a long lasting one. If the candle does blow out, then there was a mismatch and the marriage is doomed. In the movie, Lindo Jong recalls her childhood and arranged marriage. She claimed to never have met her future husband until the night they were married and later acted crazy with dreams of angry ancestors that explains the bad marriage and the lack of grandchildren. In the book, however, Lindo talks about how, on special occasions, she's met with her future husband and paid respects to her future mother-in-law by presenting her with self-made dumplings. She also goes on to explain that the red candle that had been lit on the night of her marriage had indeed blown out during the night, and the maid that had been watching over it had relit it as per instructions of the matchmaker.

That sounds like an essay in the making -__- moral of the post...books are better than the movies they're turned into

Pleasant surprise

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 05:07:18 GMT

I'm walking to the train station to get home, listening to a Jay Chou song and I walk by a really familiar face. I double back, take a good look and say "Ray Lee???" It was a pleasant surprise to bump into him and even more surprising when he actually remembered a blog I wrote about my back a few years ago. It was nice!

down and dirty

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 17:35:34 GMT

cleaning for chinese new year! for those who really know me...my apt's a mess lol xD although, i did vacuum and mop the floor last week....will do again this week though, and pretty much will be all of saturday will be spent cleaning. Come to think of it, i did the same last year....and i should get myself down to the stores for some new clothing for new year's too...not really neccessary, but every chinese new year's for as long as i can remember i've always something new to wear...when i was younger my mom used to make pajamas for me and my sister =P heh, one year we all had matching pajamas, me, mom and my sister. It was pink with hearts...so girly but it was really comfy...and it's always awesome to receive something that's made especially for you =)

well! happy lunar new year!

Friday, December 15, 2006

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 09:26:05 GMT

first attempt, cut the wings a bit short

butterfly

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 15:10:16 GMT

first attempt give or take 12-13 hours (with interruptions and small breaks for my hands)

i give you sphere 94

Monday, March 27, 2006

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 08:29:15 GMT

HAH! ok so its been awhile...::cough:: So, I've been *trying* to fix my schedule...and as seen from the time of the post (4:19am), it's obviously not working. I wanna say that things have been hectic, but that's not really true. There's class, work....and there's me. A bit of a situation in recent months that has yet to be resolved, or changed at all for that matter. I chose to call someone to help with this restlessness bout 45 minutes ago and suceeded in waking up his entire family...and he hung up on me less than 5 minutes after he picked up. I got a bit of a kick outta pissing him off a little actually...that makes me mean doesn't it? So how do I say this without sounding like I'm PMSing...or worse *emo* ::shudders:: Well, actually this was a person I very much needed to talk to...even if it was at 3:30 in the morning. I was left hanging a couple hours back, b/c he was busy...so I left it alone and made the assumption that he'd get back to me when he was finished...Little did I know that he'd promptly fall asleep on me instead. So after less than 5 minutes and 2 repeated lines of "Just go back to sleep, then" and "What the fuck do you mean just go back to sleep?" I found myself angry, sad and in tears. After the waterworks subsided...I felt incredibly empty. Obviously I'm not going into details about the entire situation.....SO, it looks as if it might be another sleepless night. Boo-friggin-hoo