| I've Been Quiet On LJ B/c.....For One I Had A Huge Party..What's New, Right? Well, A LOT! | |||
| 05:22pm 21/10/2009 | |||
|
i miss going to cambodian parties, whether they are for birthdays, weddings, or for the annual new year in april..i really miss the hearty, boisterous atmosphere of khmer people dancing up a storm, joking around, eating a smorgasbord of food. generally just having plain ol' fun the cambodian way. i've lost touch with a lot of old khmer friends due to not being diligent about staying in contact or we've simply chose different paths/lifestyles. in the end, no matter what, i always think of only the positive traits of each lost friend and hope they are well wherever they are. time to snap out of nostalgia. point of this entry is to give you a sneak peek of a party i threw last saturday nite with about 20 of my closest friends. it's just getting started. wayyyy more to come. first, i have to get a couple more pics and things together before i send out a great thank you email to all the attendees. then i'll be back on here to post more about the party. definitely before sat..b/c otherwise, it'll be a month before i can post again..since i'll be out of the country.. anyway, here are the sneak peek pics.  me and amy who's just like a sis to me. well, she is...now.:) chum riep suor! sok sabai chea tey? (hello! how are you?)  me and sabrina(one of the 3 cambos at the pahtay) doing the saravan!!!(one of the handful of khmer folk circle dances.)  of course, there was a ton of khmer food and laughs and jokes abound as usual among my group of friends. they're all such clowns! love it!  i was very touched aimee went through so much trouble to adhere to the suggested dress theme of the party. here we are holding some authentic angels made in cambodia that my parents left for me before they moved overseas.  i think you guys know what this photo means. it's not over yet!! more festivities to prepare for til end of next year. i am excited finally.:) |
|||
| Read 6 - Post | |||
| Summer 2009 Food Collage (from June til September). | |||
| 01:23am 23/09/2009 | |||
|
i haven't been taking care of myself very well this month. i promise to get more than 3 hrs of sleep a nite, eat more than a sandwich an entire day, and finally make use of this wonderful gift certificate for a nice soak in a deep japanese hot tub(sento style) all of the supper club girls gave me as a birthday present this year. stress, stress, stress everywhere i look in all facets of my life currently. i'll tell you one thing. while most of my body can shrivel up, my cambodian booty is still here to stay. i mean it's not like i have an apple bottoms worthy kind of badonkadonk, but it ain't no flat asian pancake for sure! excuse me for a moment. i'm a little delirious b/c i've been doped up on flu meds and my head's burning up about to explode while my nostrils are two steaming hot stove pipes of ..ok let's end the graphic description of my physical state stat! to take my mind off depressing matters, i like looking at my personal archive of things i've eaten in the past.. the stuff i've been meaning to post on lj, but haven't..along with more important exciting other tidbits of news. i'll get to that in time.. too lazy to type out where i had eaten all these wonderful bites, but i'll tell you what type of cuisine the photos below comprise of.   vietnamese caramelized pork, korean cold noodles   american stuffed french toast, turkish stuffed eggplant   greek pastichio(baked macaroni,ground beef, tomato, bechamel sauce), cambodian bawbaw(i made this khmer style rice porridge with savory topping that includes ground pork, spinach, squash, carrot as well as the requisite krueng from scratch-basic khmer spices of lemongrass,galangal, etc.)   home made salad that accompanied khmer porridge with green goddess dressing, khmer saiko ang(lemongrass beef sticks)   blueberry frosted vanilla cupcake, variety of quiches   fruit salad, southern style deep fried apple pie fritters   breakfast homefries, lobster roll and fries   2 out of a couple dishes for kenny's birthday annually. japanese gyoza and meatballs. i helped kenny's mom make all the food this year. next year, i might be doing it solo with maybe a cambodian twist...that is if kenny is open to some change...he better or else i'll stomp on his feet and he'll only have brussel sprouts for dinner! yummy in my tummy. yucky to him.  check out that calamari.  mexican style corn with mayo, lime, chile, and cotija cheese. mmmmmm.  the best fried green tomato i ever had in a sandwich. slightly tart and sweet, crispy, not soggy. i dream about this sandwich months after i've had it at a new cafe on mv. must go back soon!  same mv resto's take on a mexican inspired breakfast burrito. |
|||
| Read 13 - Post | |||
| Don't Leave Me. | |||
| 09:15pm 06/09/2009 | |||
|
i've been quiet on lj, b.c there a couple of big changes about to happen in my life and lately i've been trying to get my mind and life prepared for them. on top of that, i noticed that i've also become more hermetic and that doesn't bother me the least bit. but it does concern kenny. i'm becoming more like my mom who's a total introvert. my dad's personality is the total opposite. i have lots and lots to share publicly soon. for one, my parents are moving back to their country, cambodia this weds nite. as i'm waiting for one of my sisters to pick me up, i thought i'd pop a quick entry into lj to let some friends know what i've been up to. well to the very few who still peep into my blog. i promise there will be a ton of entries to appear within the next few days. anyway, i feel quite sad right now. my sisters and i are against my parents going, but we do understand why. they want to rest their bones where they were born. i have one surviving grandparent at the moment and my mom would like to be with her mother during her last few years. esp since she wasn't there when my grandpa passed away suddenly from pneumonia. it was hard for me at work today. i tried not to think about the eventual dreaded goodbye this coming weds nite. b/c whenever i do, i can feel tears coming on and i never cry in public. i kept them at bay well enough. i know of other american born cambodian kids who have told me that once their parents have reached their 50s, they all want to go back home. i have to find those friends and ask them how they cope with the feeling when your parents are no longer a 45 min drive away, but are instead halfway across the world. i am most worried about my dad's health more than anything. god forbid if anything were to ever happen, it would take me at least 24 hrs to get to him instead of a mere short drive away. i'd see my parents maybe once every few years instead of a few times a month. i feel abandoned, lonely, and lost w/o my safety net parents. growing up, i've gotten into a lot of fights and arguments with them. still to this day, we don't see eye to eye on certain things...such as what they think i should do career wise. every so often, we have miscommunication problems and cultural clashes, but in the end i love them. they are my parents and they mean well. they just want to see me do well. even though in their minds, making a lot of money= financial security/success. in my mind= having a simple life w.o drama and living w/in my means doing what i love=pure happiness. my mind is going into a huge tailspin and i can keep on writing all these thoughts racing like a million zebras. but i must stop. i have to get some things ready. i'll just leave you with a picture i found when i helped my parents pack some of their things a few days ago. a picture of them a few months after they came to the u.s. back in august 1975.  here's a closer look of them in their sarongs standing in front of an old apsara painting by a famous cambodian artist pre-1970s.  they say home is where the heart is. but what if the beings who hold the biggest part of your heart are a million miles away? where is my home now? well, i do know the answer. it takes some time to accept the fact and get used to my new love, while still holding on to the old ones. |
|||
| Read 12 - Post | |||
| Question/Advice on Where to Go in Hawaii Open to All Readers. | |||
| 02:29am 04/08/2009 | |||
|
recently, i did something i haven't done in years. i tried on a bathing suit two days ago in the mall and thought...... wow! i actually don't look half bad. i don't remember the last time i went swimming. i have one simple one piece racerback style bathing suit since my high school days still, but haven't worn it since. you see, i have a huge problem with my own body image. whether i was skinny, a lil plump, and now nearly back down to my h.s. build..i still don't like my body. i dress modestly from being raised by a strict mother. you'd think i might be muslim, b/c i hardly wear shorts or skirts above the knee. i am very aware that i definitely don't have a perfect body no matter how hard i can work at it. my body is just this way. my hips will never ever fit into a u.s. size 0(but i might now with the recent size scaling going on. in the 90s, i was a size 6. now a 2-4 depending on designer.) or even an asian size m. my boobs won't ever be that right size i want...unless i put +40 lbs back on. no way! so in spite of my personal hangups with my physique, i will bear down and grit my teeth and try not to walk bent over shuffling while looking at my feet. i'll try to hold my head high and sashay down whatever hawaiian beach i'll be at. i'll be in hawaii the entire 2nd week of november this year and was wondering if anyone reading this could give me some pointers on what is unique about each island and what's there to do. i'm thinking of simply staying on maui and maybe taking a ship to one other island. how much would this cost and if you had to pick one other island to visit. what will it be? i like off the beaten path, observing locals kind of thing and want to stay away from tourist traps. but you can tell me about both types of sightseeing, in case i do decide to do something touristy for once. thanks so much in advance for any help i get from this post! if anyone ever has any questions about boston, you can send them my way in return. to the 4 lj friends(kent, alyssa, kimmy, anthony) who live in hawaii..maybe i'll see you guys and girls there!:)  as for the two lj friends who asked me in the previous post about how the lobster ice cream tasted.. it wasn't that appetizing. the base of the ice cream was a richer version of a butter pecan flavor.. but the lobster chunks tasted freezer burned and they were in icicle formation. i spit out the lobster chunks right away. at least i satiated my curiosity about that flavor. i've been hearing about it for a long time. above is a photo of a board advertising lobster pjs outside of a children's clothing store in vineyard haven. below is one version of the new england lobster roll. almost purely unseasoned lobster meat on a lightly buttered toasted hot dog bun. the other way to have it is almost like a crab salad concoction. i like both depending on my mood.  |
|||
| Read 4 - Post | |||
| Just Want To Play All Day Long!! | ||||
| 11:30am 20/07/2009 | ||||
another gorgeous day and i wish i was still on the island goofing around signs  and eating lobster ice cream at nite.    i never get sick of the vineyard. no matter how many times i've been there since my first visit back in may 2005. it's where i spend my time doing lots of sleeping and experimental cooking. more to come soon! |
||||
| Read 3 - Post | ||||
| Back from the Land of Dairy and Other Things. | ||||
| 03:34am 13/07/2009 | ||||
a couple things to myself to try to update in a more elaborate manner later... i was in madison, wisconsin the week of july 4th.  here i was in downtown madison(great city!) walking back from a frank lloyd wright building pretending to get crunked with mr. humpty dumpty. i found it amusing that a probable homeless drunkard left his/her bagged up libation in front of the statue ...and even funnier that a young couple saw me taking goofy pix next to the nursery rhymed famous egg wonder of a monument and stopped to pose their 2 kids next to humpty after i was done being a ham..and didn't bother removing the papered alcohol...uhhh.. yeahhh  here i was in front of what wisconsin is known for..cheese!!!  i had me some tasty fried cheese at one of the largest farmers' market i had ever been to in my life that day.. more on that later..  some ethnic festivals i attended in boston before the midwest trip.  met up with a friend(khen!) visiting from southern california..here we were in davis square after a treat at j.p.licks. his younger brother, peter, is also in the photo. i don't know why it is..but they always look so awkward and mean in snapshots. in real life, they are cute, funny, polite boys.  last, but not least..a small photo documentation to myself of some of the meals i've been eating at home and out. pictured here is warmed up previously pan fried gyoza at home last month. you know the sad thing i realized recently is that i can no longer enjoy the kind of food i used to before my whole food/diet lifestyle change.. for instance, i notice that i still have a habit when i go out for meals..i almost always order sweetened drinks..like sweet ice tea, iced mint chocolate, or egg soda..i take one sip, make a face, tell kenny all the drinks are too sweet for me, and he happily takes them all from me and slurps it all down without gaining a pound. not fair. i have to work at it to maintain my weight. he, on the other hand, can stand to gain a couple more pounds. go figure. as for my latest self-help workout, i plunked down a hefty chunk of change for unlimited hot yoga for 3 months. i figure this is the only way i'll get some serious exercise with a satisfactory amount of sweat and number of hours per day. let's see how much my body can morph by the end of sept. not looking to be a stick, but rather to keep my shape, but just get a little more toned. question for all the other people out there who've made a permanent eating lifestyle change: do you also notice that you can't enjoy certain things you used to eat? for me, it's usually sugary drinks, cheese, bread, meat. i sometimes get a little nauseous after eating a few slices of cheese and i can't even take pleasure in an egg soda..my former occasional treat to myself. sad.:( although i recently took much delight in tiny morsels of la vache qui rit cheese and crackers sunday nite. the key word is tiny. i wonder if my body is turning vegetarian on me soon..must be from work..constantly being engulfed in a sea of vegan/vegetarian organic bounty. i love meat. please body! don't deprive me of pork! i don't eat much of it, but boy! do i love me some good pork belly or as we cambos call it in our lingo- the 3 layer meat- in my spring rolls!... oh god! why am i thinking of food when i should be sleeping. gotta get ready for work in less than 2.5 hrs now..grr.... |
||||
| Read 7 - Post | ||||
| lavender drink, scooper bowl, dimsum dinner, brazilian festival, mission hill speakeasy! | |||
| 04:36am 17/06/2009 | |||
 dinner after work one nite weeks ago with kenny's sister amy at garden on the cellar in central square. i enjoyed my lavender infused drink. that chicken entree wasn't bad. it reminded me of a dish i had at cafe moxie in vineyard haven, m.v. it burned down last summer, but is probably nearly done with the new reconstruction. cafe moxie is one of the few places i consider that makes really good chow (but with a hefty price tag attached..as with everything else on m.v.).     kenny almost skipped the scooper bowl this year b/c the weather was so dreary. he didn't think there'd be a good turnout. we were surprised to see a big crowd of people when we got there..and...we bumped into one of my neighbors who i haven't seen in a long time! he was there with his gf and brother. was nice to catch up with you guys. hope to hang out soon as promised whenever our schedules match up!:)   dinner after the scooper bowl at winsor cafe in chinatown. not pictured were some tasty, crunchy chao kwai aka chinese doughnuts and slightly sweet hot soymilk. boy! did that hit the spot for me. winsor took over that place that used to showcase guys making hand pulled noodles in the big window when you walked by. i miss the old business, but also like the new incarnation. the innards of a deep fried cupcake from kickass cupcakes in davis square. yeah, i know everyone knocks on this place, but i have to give 'em kudos for the inventive flavors. if only the cupcakes were bigger, prettier, and more moist. i only go there for the deep fried cupcakes and mojito flavored ones.     at a brazilian festival last sat nite after a long day at work. it was very disorganized, loud, and chaotic. there was a lady with a very cacophonous,witchy sounding voice on the megaphone. i wasn't the only one at the festival with my hands over my ears. it got so bad that we left just a few mins after getting in the gate. the lines were too long for the pastéis, but we did manage to snatch a handful of pão de queijo and churrasco.     still hungry and only had scraps of food from the brazilian fest, i asked kenny if we could check out a place we had both whizzed by, but had forgotten about..til we drive by it months later. the savant project felt like it could've been a speakeasy in the 1920s. our waiter/host was very nice and attentive. the jazz musicians of the nite who could've been students from emerson or berklee were smooth enough. i mostly admired the lighting and the tone set from the bar. open windows, live soft jazz, and a sake infused fruit cup to wind down the nite. in one of the pics up there, i'm holding a piece of fried yucca that came with my entree.  this past monday, kenny and i went up to hillsboro, nh to see if we'd fancy some furniture left behind by family friends who were no longer living in their newbury st condo and leasing it out instead. kenny thought the long johns on the wall (behind my head) of the only pub in that tiny town in nh was comical. it definitely had some kitschy stuff on the wall. lunch was solid. although it was a travesty that the german bakery/ice cream shoppe was closed. i could've had some decent kleingebäcks!:( |
|||
| Read 10 - Post | |||
| if only he digs chapeaus, we'd be hat soulmates too. | |||
| 03:30am 13/06/2009 | |||
i had fri off. i didn't bother checking the weather b/c it has been raining and chilly for nearly a week. so i slept in...as customary on my day off. kenny called me when he was out at 5 p.m. and told me what a gorgeous day it was and asked if i spent it doing something productive. as usual, i kicked myself in the butt when i met him outside for dinner, dessert, and some browsing in shops.  i felt like breakfast for dinner, while he had a middle eastern plate. we also checked out this cute, hidden, below ground level korean cafe in allston.   ended the nite poking around the bargain basement at u.o. in harvard square. i naturally gravitated toward the shelves of discounted hats and tried on several of them. i made kenny try one on. i think he looks good in hats. he doesn't think so. too bad. we could be hat buddies.:( i think it's amazing how guys can look completely different if you style them up with a few clothes and grooming changes. no makeup needed. if kenny ever is ready for a makeover, i got a couple ideas for him. for now, i'll wait til he goes to sleep one of these afternoons and i'll attempt to cut his hair or comb it in a different manner for the umpteenth time. he's a light sleeper. maybe i'll make him a delicious fattening dinner that'll knock him out. yeah..that might do the trick! hmm..   these photos are from last year when we were on m.v. during the annual fair in august. the only other time he ever tried on a hat. in the meantime,... notes to myself for this weekend: get in touch with some more friends!!!!! namely annie, aimee, bonnie, chie, khen, ngan, and seth. i wonder when this working every weekend thing will stop. once it does, i'll definitely have time to hang out with mis amigos. i also don't know why i do this to myself a lot lately, but yes i seem to be only posting here around 3 a.m. when i have to go to work in a few hours.. got to get to bed soon! |
|||
| Read 6 - Post | |||
| saved by the bell star on the late night show! | |||
| 05:32am 09/06/2009 | |||
|
mark paul gosselaar on the jimmy fallon show just a few short hours ago. he has't aged too much. still looking good. so good that seeing him on the late night show rekindled my crush on him-as well as for millions of sbtb fans out there who saw this too. didn't know he's half indonesian til a friend told me a couple years ago. if you used to watch saved by the bell when he was on it, you will understand why this clip from the show is so funny. enjoy! |
|||
| Read 2 - Post | |||
| The Cafe Stories. Have You Done an Amelie-esque Thing Lately? I Did, But on One of the Oddest Days. | |||
| 03:36am 06/06/2009 | |||
   *i took home a flier that was left on the table after mike had been long gone from the cafe. it seemed that some of the things he does to calm himself down, besides talking on the phone and scribbling thoughts furiously into his journal,..he also took a flier and wrote in some commentary about the cafe instead of the physical therapy the paper is actually advertising. it would be creative to put these photos on yelp as reviews. maybe i'll get him to do it, but people may think they're funny, but crazy critiques.* so i've begun to see a couple of friends. in ones and twos slowly, but super behind still on e-mails and phone calls. i think my wacky work schedule has a lot to do with it. it's never consistent. when i'm not working, i'm really mostly at home sleeping away. i'm trying to break out of the cycle, by forcing myself to get out and enjoy the nice summer days. even when it's raining, i enjoy it. more of a reason to pull out my double season duty of those verdant green grass with spots of daffodils plastic rain/winter boots. i still get stopped on the street by random girls asking me where i got them. my answer is always the same. it's the truth. 70% discount off-season boots at a small shop on martha's vineyard. it was the only pair left. a bit snug for me, but perfect for short walks in the crunchy polar bear snow or worm's paradise of puddles. ok. back on topic here for the reason of this post. what do you do on those days when everything's going wrong? when you walk into work and you feel that everyone around you is sending a weird off day vibe? i act more calm and be nicer than usual to people. in my head, acts of kindness=more acts of kindness to others=might cancel out that weird/off day vibe. it kind of worked for me today. friday i mean. not early sat morning as i am posting this now. so in my last entry, i wrote about one of the regular customers at work named mike. the not art guy. i haven't seen him come in as he used to do. almost everyday or at least 3-6 days/week. i haven't seen him come in....til today. it was in an abnormal situation too. i was in the back putting away some things in preparation for tomorrow's brunch service when my co-worker came up to me and asked if i could help her out in the front. some guy was crying in front of the counter and she didn't know what to do. she just came into work fresh from attending her grandmother's funeral. i'm sure anyone getting emotional today would totally set her off. i had to get into super kalli hospital er/or mode. the calm and cool cucumber me. i finished what i was doing. i went up to the front. i saw two guys both wearing hats. i looked at one and he seemed fine. my co-worker nudged me to the other guy standing to our right. i peered closer. it was mike! he had quiet small streams traveling down his face. "mike!", i exclaimed. "what's wrong?! are you ok?!" i went around and out front and ran over to give him a big hug. i never do that to customers unless they are my real friends who i've known before i worked here, but i felt today was an exceptional case for a hug. he really REALLY looked like he needed one. "kalli! i had such a bad day at work. it's hard you know. conceptual art. it's such a tough job interacting with people. i...i...", mike's hands shake a lil as his voice does"..i..need something to eat." "here. sit down. i'll make you something. i forget..are you more into vegetarian stuff? i'll make you a sweet potato sandwich. how about something to drink?..a large mint ice tea. how does that sound?", i asked. "great! oh thank you, kalli! that would be wonderful. you know, i just want to tell you that i love this place. i've said it before, but really on days like today when i'm having a really bad day, i love coming here. you guys are always smiling and it looks like you enjoy working here and you all seem to get along. this is my little piece of heaven. my safe place to be.", says mike. *during his lil speech, i was thinking he should write this as a review for us on yelp, but i kept this thought to myself b/c at the moment he was having a mental breakdown and might be a diabetic or hadn't eaten as evidenced from his shaky hands. he looked shot too.* "no problem, mike. just sit here and i'll be back with you food, ok?", i tell him. a few mins later, i'm back at his little table and see him crack a smile and nod at me as i put down a plate of sandwich in front of him. i hear him talking to his mother on the phone. he seems like his usual old self. the normal, nice mike. that regular customer who never gave you troubling, confusing orders and was willing to patiently wait in line when it's a madhouse at breakfast or lunch time. every now and then, i would peep out front while drying a glass or dish in my hand, checking on mike to see that he was ok. i didn't have time to sit and talk to him. i had a crazy day myself training a crew full of newbies a day or two old..getting ready for the annual summer farmers' market that starts this sat. made sure everything's fully stocked. took care of all the shipments. double-triple checked the food deliveries, wrote out checks, helped the prep manager with some of his work, all the while trying to make sure all my co-workers are happy and well and nice enough to take care of customers while doing other tasks in the back. a couple of very delayed shipments. a kitchen floor half full of stacked up dishes and a few unusual crazy customers to attend. it's almost a full moon indeed. mike left still smiling and as normal as ever and waved and nodded back at me and my co-workers and said, "thanks guys! thanks so much! i love this place! i feel so much better!" i told him to have a great friday nite. a great weekend and if he wanted to catch two of my male co-workers tonite..they were going to see a marilyn monroe movie at the brattle theatre in harvard square...in drag..b/c they heard that if you went in drag..you'd get a big discount or maybe even get in for free..hahaha. i have some of the funniest,craziest, silliest, yet creative co-workers at my current job. well, even the customer base is art oriented..in the food industry, the music industry, art world.. this reminds me that i should have more little conversations than asking them how they take their coffee and if they want half or full sandwiches. sometimes you find out the most interesting things about people that you see almost everyday..if you stop to have a nice little chat with them some day. almost everyone that comes in here is so nice. so nice that if you accidentally undercharge them, they'd tell you the correct price and demand to pay it. so nice that if some other customer forgot their wallet, they'd bring it up to you and ask that you contact the owner of the lost item right away. so nice that when they leave after their meals, when you're about to say "have a nice day/afternoon/nite." they'd beat you to it and tell you "thank you!" before you utter a word! i like it. it is sort of what mike says it is. a little microcosm of old-school neighborhood trust and politeness that you hardly see nowadays..especially not in new england..people up here take a while..a long while to warm up to you, but once a new englander decides that he/she likes you,..they really like you and will get your back for life..totally different from where i was raised in the south..people are nice..but fake nice..soon as you walk away, they'll be talking about you behind your back that you start sneezing up a storm immediately! another crazy customer moment tonite was just as i was closing up shop. i was counting the money, when my closing partner was taking out the trash. just as she was coming back in from the garbage dump, a middle aged plump, short man with glasses and a limp was asking her if we had anything to sell for him to eat. i overheard her telling him nicely that we had been closed for half an hour and we actually sold out of the baked goods in the bakery case. the coffee's been tossed. the pots have been cleaned and put away and the cash register has already been closed. the old man with the limp forced his way in the door past my co-worker. he saw me and said to her "let me talk to that miss at the register over there and see what she says. i'm not talking to you anymore!" *gulp* my mind was thinking, "oh crap! is he gonna rob us? why was he so hostile when we're clearly already closed and cleaning up?! why is he still forcing himself in. so weird! anyone else would be embarrassed. say their apologies at their inconvenience and leave. not this gimpy, limpy spectactled guy! quick! what do i do?!* i stashed all the money i was counting away. closed up the register and asked the man what he wanted. "just something to eat miss. i recently broke my leg here and i've been walking all day long and it's been a rough day. i haven't had anything to eat. i'm really hungry. what do you have?" "well...we have some cookies here and iced tea, ginger beer, root beer.", i suggest. "ok. i'll take a chocolate chip cookie. how much is the iced tea? oh nevermind. i don't have enough change for that. i'll just take the cookie. thanks and i'm really sorry to the other miss i yelled at. i was so hungry... i'm sorry miss!", yells the man to my co-worker probably trying to calm herself down in the back of the kitchen. we shut the door and had an undisturbed close the rest of the nite. the women's shelter called us earlier today asking if we had any leftovers they could take off our hands. today was a busy day as evidenced by not one leftover baked good in sight. sometimes there are 2-5 things left. today nothing. although as i cleaned up the kitchen, i found some quarters and halves of baguettes,sourdough, and seven grain bread. i instantly thought of the shelter and bagged up the bread we get delivered to our shop daily fresh baked from a very well-known bakery in another part of town. it's so good that it's the only place i'll buy my bread to make sandwiches at home. after i double and triple checked that everything was in place and tidy at the cafe and i left a note for my boss for the next morning, i walked over to the shelter. the ladies who work as volunteers in the kitchen jump up, bright eyed and cheery. i told them i was sorry that when they called earlier that we said we didn't have anything to give them. i said the bakery case was truthfully void of anything left to give...but i did have some baked in the morning loaves of bread.. would they like it? yes! the two ladies exclaimed. someone sent them some hummus earlier and one of the girls staying at the shelter is a big fan of the seven grain bread. it was perfect, the volunteers said! oh good. i'm glad. have a wonderful nite i said and i waved them goodbye. as i walked down the hallway toward the back to the outside..i could still hear the volunteers talking.. she's so nice and such a pretty girl too. were they talking about me, i thought. can't be. i look like a wreck. i rolled out of bed and threw on some weird pseudo traditional japanese meets modern day harajuku outfit on today and i did not fix my hair. if they were talking about me, they must think girls who have a bit of ground coffee beans and charred remnants of sandwiches from the panini press look sizzling bacon hot in their book. then again, they work in a kitchen just like me. don't we foodies think food is love=someone walking down a street with a face unknowingly covered in chocolate=oh boy! i think i want to run down to j.p. licks or christina's or toscanini's to get myself that double chocolate flavor. two scoops. with coconut flakes. with a cone on top in a cup. 3 good deeds. 1 helluva crazy weird work day. end of the work day went to see the pixar animated movie "up" with 2 of my best friends. it was uplifting. just what i needed to cap off my nite nicely. i wonder what sheldon is doing? i haven't seen that other best friend in a while. time to round up all the pals i have not seen in a while and pencil them in a few at a time before 2009 ends. this year has definitely flown by me too fast. which reminds me..i need to make time to stop by and visit some friends who just had a baby a few days ago. i have something to give them.. and another friend who i last visited with cheesecake when he moved to my neighborhood. i wonder what he's up to... got to make time this sunday to get in touch with friends near(in boston) and far (as far as california). lots to update my friends on that i hardly have time to write about on lj. points of this entry to myself: 1.remember to always be nice to people, especially when they might need it on a bad day for them. you also never know when you might need a favor back in return. the world works in mysterious circles of karma or gratitude. 2.remember to get to know customers more. they're all so interesting and quirky and wouldn't it be fun to know the inside scoop of where's the latest hollywood movie scene or photo shoot in boston? yes, boston is becoming hollywood east. all those tax breaks for movie makers. 3.keep my calm and head clear, b/c it looks like i'll be taking on more responsibilities and move up a lil in the small hierarchy of command in the cozy cafe. with the market about to open any week and the kitchen about to be expanded and joined into the market..i wonder what other delightful things i'll get to learn to bake. croissants? chicken pot pies? turnovers? can't wait. so much to learn from the bakery manager. he's worked everywhere. in boston and abroad in paris. he's half german. very precise and knows what he's talking about. i've come home and checked up on him. so much to learn. so little time left.. 4.travel the world, explore, keep an open mind, live in the moment, and savor the memories. inspired by the movie "up". |
|||
| Read 7 - Post | |||
| Back in Social Mode, Not Art Movement, and Camel Up A Hill Video! | |||
| 03:04am 23/05/2009 | |||
|
it's been hitting the upper 80s and lower 90s the past few days in boston. how's the weather in your neck of the woods? tonite, yes..i'm up late again.. but no worries. i'm not here to upload anything bad. just felt really happy today. i owe it all to the gorgeous weather and something a customer who's a regular who used to come in daily..but who i haven't seen in 2 weeks..who stopped by 3 days ago and said to me that he thinks i should wear a "not art" shirt, b/c he thought i was the epitome of what not art is. i asked him to elaborate. he said it's conceptualized art.. i asked..do you mean like when people talk about the art of living, the art of love kind of thing? he said.. "yes! kalli, i think you are the nicest person here at this cafe and every time i come in you are always smiling and are so kind..you have this...*moving his hands in the air in a circular motion* glow about you.. some kind of aura. it makes my day every time i come in here and have an interaction with you or anyone else in this cafe. such a nice, happy feeling." i later asked him where his cute, little gf was.. she always came in and ordered a hummus sandwich every time she was with him. he told me that they recently broke up and she left him for a friend that he had introduced her to a few months back. his tone was sad, resigned. as if to say.. oh well! that's life. i'll move on. he also said that it was the first relationship he's dealing with healthfully. i looked at his eyes and they looked brimming with tears. shiny. as if they were about to spill right in front of me, but didn't. i was glad he held it together. i could tell that he really loved her a lot, but even more glad that he should know that he can do better. plus he's a youngin', a great musician, and nice guy.. not bad looking either and i'm sure any other girl would love to date him now that he's single. i almost told him that it's ok. i've been there. done that. i've had my heart broken and broke other hearts and in the process i felt as if i tore my own soul into a million tiny pieces. i wanted to tell him that there's hope b.c i found love when i least expected it.. when i really, truly was about to give up and get used to being the only single person at weddings, reunions, etc. but it happened to me and it would likely happen to him too.. a thousand thoughts swelled up in my head..advice, my own experiences in love, but i decided against it mainly b/c i had a ton of things to do in the kitchen in back to get ready for the next day's rush of orders. i hope mike is alright and i have to remember to make myself go to one of his shows someday. actually some of my co-workers are musicians. one sings, one plays an african xylophone, another a guitarist. this also reminds me to see rex and dave at a lounge in my neighborhood tonite. sat nite. they're on at 11 pm. the final act. i hope i have enough energy to make it that far. i have a very busy day off today starting with taking some photos to send in with my old passport. it expires in aug this year and i really need it in a couple of months. else i'd be trapped somewhere in asia and won't be able to come back ever!..hmm.. that might not be such a bad idea..maybe i could try out and become the next mtv asia vj..*snort* keep dreaming..for now, what i'm doing makes me happy.. for the future, i'm not sure..but i'll definitely be switching up jobs again come jan 2010. i cut my hair a lil shorter and cleaned up my eyebrows a bit 2 days ago. my eyebrows don't look too different and i was relieved. i've had them done at salons in the past where i ended up leaving looking surprised..you know.. the super thin-looks-like-someone-used-pencils-to-d   yes, i'm actually smiling with teeth. still trying to get over how weird i look when i show my chompers. weird to me=normal to you. speaking of natural...one day i hope i can achieve the ton of makeup, but it looks natural look. i've seen pics of girls who look amazing with makeup on and they look totally different with it off. i've been watching makeup tutorials on youtube. i'm such a dummy with anything more than one shade of eyeshadow and a slick of lipgloss. some of you girls won't believe it, but yes.. i still wear blush as my eyeshadow. the horror right? just some blush on the cheeks, the eyes, a curl of the lashes, and chapstick. sometimes i wear eyeliner and that's really it. maybe i should have a makeup party and have all you girls teach me how to look beautiful. god knows i need some help!! wow. it's past 3 am. happy weekend. be back soon to reply to recent comments and update more. i leave you with a funny video of someone subbing a korean guy singing(in a strong korean accent) mariah carey's touch my body aka camel up a hill. i showed the video to some friends and they were in hysterics. if you have not seen this, i urge you to do it now..especially if you need a good laugh at the end of a bad/hard day. p.s. to myself. i should write more entries like this..the original style of how i used to do it back in the day. no one would read these long winded things except myself..but it's good for me. therapeutic and sometimes i do enjoy going retroactively to see what i was thinking years ago. i used to write about a lot of random, funny incidents and thoughts. they still make me laugh when i read them.:) |
|||
| Read 7 - Post | |||
| Upcoming Posts (if they ever happen) and Sleeplessness Causes me to Ramble Such Thoughts. | |||
| 02:23am 20/05/2009 | |||
|
again, i can't sleep. i still have not gotten back to a ton of friends. i'm still in an anti-social mood. maybe it has something to do with my daily routine for nearly a year. i no longer take the t. i no longer go to the gym(but am still maintaining same weight/size..even a bit smaller now), but do lots of physical activity at work. i hardly ever go shopping or peruse the latest window displays in downtown crossing or newbury st. i simply walk to and from work down the street from my apt and when it's still nice out after work,..i walk around the neighboring squares on my side of the river. i feel so claustrophobic and even slightly xenophobic lately when i am on the t. i don't like the smell of dirty, sweaty armpits of people who have never heard of what a deodorant is. i hate the snooty glances of those girls who think they're all that(and they're not!) and give you the once over looks. just b.c i like bright colors and you're wearing a black and grey work suit with *gasp* mountain hiking sandals gives you no right to look at me like i'm the weird one. i think it should be the other way around. might i add that people who ride my train line are probably the most horridly dressed out of all the train lines in boston. best dressed would be a few of the green lines. i've gotten so used to just strapping my headphones on and humming to myself as i make my daily brisk walks to work in the mornings and afternoons. i love where i work- the people, the customers, the fashion, and music. everyone is so liberal, and accepting, and don't judge how you dress. i love it. i play dress up everyday. it's a refreshing change from wearing what my friends call the blue pajamas aka scrubs. eventually this will all end by the end of this year. a new life. a new change. a new surrounding. so much to think about and plan for the future. so many things to do and people to contact. i wish it was even simpler than i've already planned. i've been feeling anxious, worried, sad, depressed- a whole rollercoaster of emotions that only kenny sees. i won't allow my friends to see me this way. there have been many changes happening this year and will continue to happen as i type this. i'm not ready to share what they are with anyone. i like to keep things to myself nowadays. when i feel that i can sort my thoughts appropriately and am out of the sad slump. this is when i can fling open the doors and let friends in. almost there, but not quite. maybe another week of hermitdom. plus work has been so crazy too. crazy, but exhausting..yet fun. don't worry. i'm fine. i just have to prepare myself for changes in my life. permanent changes. one thing that will not change is that i will always have kenny by my side and he is still the best part of my crazy work days when we hang out to watch tv for 2 hours nitely and then he goes home and i try to make myself go to sleep and feel temporary euphoria by doing things such as.. watching amelie numerous times, leaf through home decor/design magazines, think up new ways of sprucing and reorganizing my little studio, and try to do something that reminds me of childhood--when things were so much simpler, happier, and innocent..what kind of things do you do to make you happy? like last month when i passed by a park on the way home from supporting two friends during open studios week in cambridge. i had forgotten how fun being on a swing can be and i didn't remember ever being frightened when i got up really high. i actually let out little screams and yelps. but it was fun and i hope to jump on more swings as i pass by random, newly redone little parks all around me. i must remember daily/weekly to do at least one fun thing from childhood to keep myself young and to cheer myself up and give me a temporary happiness from adult chores. when was the last time you went on a swing or jumped on some monkey bars? try it and tell me how you felt afterward.:)   other things i hope to post about.. such as.. the story behind this.. if you are japanese.. you might know what this signifies..i won't say til i get around making an entry about it.  the story behind the war of the velcro shoes. lacoste vs puma or more like when i had d.c. friends visiting boston. might i add, those lacoste shoes were bought for $20 dollars and retail value was over $100. i never cared for well known, hoity toity labels. i like things for design and price.  and of course, some of the places i've had delish and reasonably priced food around town with friends and alone.  ok i think i can sleep for 4 hours now. i'm glad lj is still good for something. helps me go to bed and empty my mind and also last but not least..i've met a lot of great people here who have become real life friends..still meeting them even to this day. thanks lj. if you were a person and not my digital diary, i would give you a great big hug.:) |
|||
| Read 4 - Post | |||
| 2nd installment of 3 posts. 1st weekend of May-New York City. | |||
| 06:49am 12/05/2009 | |||
 as soon as we got off the bus fri afternoon, the first celebrity i noticed right away was the handsome anderson cooper-a reporter for cnn. we were walking neck and neck from 7th street onwards til a couple blocks later. kenny turned to me and said "he looks familiar. he's a movie star, right?" anderson jerked his head to look in our direction as if to say "what?! i'm THE reporter for cnn. NOT a movie star!" i just looked at kenny pointedly in reply and telepathically telling him to "think! think! i don't want to say his name out loud b/c he's looking right at us!" then we slowed down our pace behind him. that's when i got the chance to pull kenny's shirt and hiss "it's anderson cooper, silly!" kenny grabbed my camera from my bag and took a pic of him swaggering in front of us. he got out of a gym and turned into an organic health nutrition store.   the longest strawberry shortcake i had ever seen in my life outside of nyu. i think it was some end of the year student festival. it was free and kenny jumped over the ropes, of course, to get in line. i kept walking past. he followed me sulkily. i had other things in mind to eat. no sweets! we had a lot more walking to do to get to our apt!     meals and snacks at momofuku ssam and the milk bar next door. pork bun is my absolute fave. i dream about it even now. *i salivate as puffs of melt in your mouth pork buns dance around my head*( Read more... ) |
|||
| Read 4 - Post | |||
| Puma City's Only U.S. Stop. Boston and Other Treats from Last Sunday. | |||
| 04:36am 12/05/2009 | |||
|
when i can't sleep or have too many things going on in my mind, or am procrastinating from getting a huge laundry list of things to get done..what do i do? i come on lj...so many emails/calls/people to get back to..i have so much going on right now..so much more.. i just need a little more time to decompress to myself. relax. breathe. then i'll get back to everyone in due time. don't want people to see me stressed out. well, at least toward the end of this year, i'll be out of the country. more on that bit of news later. for now the 1st installment of 3 entries i plan to post.   started off the day by trying to find this cute little bakery/cafe in arlington that had a challah french toast that rivaled that of zaftig's in brookline. we circled around a couple times. finally found it, but it was CLOSED!! arghhhh! so, ended up at the family owned arlington diner for a big breakfast. our waitress looked at all the stuff i ordered and let out a little scoff as she placed them in front of me..as if to say..good luck girlie on finishing all of that... i surprised myself.. i actually ate all those carbs. delicious carbs. trick was..i didn't add any butter, jam, syrup on top. ate them as they were. i haven't eaten a proper breakfast like that in months. fruit smoothies from now on!   ( +4 photos )    ( +2 photos )  ( +2 photos )checked out the eco-friendly and architect geek loving puma city. a transformers-like building that slides out into 3 tiers for a bar, dance floor, lounge, and store. stood near the pier to catch one of the heats in the 9 month international volvo ocean race that involves beautiful yachts. the puma city structure goes wherever the yachts go, but boston is the only the 2nd city on tour that the shipping containers set up shop. next city it'll go on public display will be south africa. i bought a black and blue striped hat and posed next to the lettering for an obligatory shot. one of the international salesboys(i think they handpicked the salespeople from all the cities on tour) told me that it was his fave hat and gave me the thumbs up as i got rung up at the checkout.   drove through beacon hill and down newbury and boylston st. i swear i always see that yellow lamborghini always parked in front of the space b/t capital grille and boston sports club on newbury st. i still haven't figured out who it belongs to. methinks maybe a celtics/sox/patriots player or one of those kids who come from the old money families in boston aka the boston brahmins. go sox/celtics/bruins!  me walking through an alley lined with many of the old brick buildings in fort point channel aka the next up and coming part of boston. we revisited flour-joanne chang's bakery. too packed with people and was only hoping to catch a glimpse of her if she was there. she wasn't. so i left rather quickly. then popped into an open studio showing next door. |
|||
| Read 1 - Post | |||
| the full nyc may 2009 post soon. | |||
| 11:43pm 03/05/2009 | |||
|
back from nyc about 2 hours ago. waiting for a load of laundry to dry and then off to bed soon. just thought i'd put up one out of a hundred from the weekend.  may 2009. in new york city. in front of a new venture from the guy who used to work as a waiter at elephant walk in boston who also owns kampuchea noodle bar in new york. my khmer friends already warned me that both places were not great. they were right about num pang. the sandwich was so deconstructed-that it lost its khmer flavor. also can't believe you can't omit or sub ingredients. what the heck? don't go. not worth it. overpriced for half a size of a real num pang/banh mi. thanks much to phi and his wife, heng, and jane-my long time friend from the asianave days who is also one of my lj friends who hasn't written in ages, but who i reconnected recently on facebook!! thanks to you 4 for your company in walking, eating, laughing, and sharing experiences and thoughts with me and kenny. a lot of eating at random little places and 8-10 hrs of walking each day type of adventures to be shared soon. yes- the same things i do in boston in my free time.:) i'm getting sleepy. |
|||
| Read 3 - Post | |||
| Soursdei Chnam Tmei! Translation: Happy Cambodian New Year! Also New Weight Goal for This Year. | |||
| 11:16pm 13/04/2009 | |||
  april 2009. this past sunday early evening at kenny's house after easter dinner looking down at kuro, the little black kitty at my feet and sitting on a sofa in the formal living room. i'm wearing one of my oldest cambodian outfits made 12 yrs ago. can't believe i could fit into it again. now to lose another 10 lbs to fit into an outfit i had made when i was in h.s....40 lbs down. 10-15 lbs more to go. that is my ultimate target weight goal. i will stop and maintain it once i get there. i've been holding my weight steady since I lost that huge amount(40 lbs) a year ago. i started april 10,2007 and ended my intense weight loss and total lifestyle change on april 10, 2008. since last april, i've been eating normal food just like anyone else, but smaller portions. still drinking tea straight up. no milk or sugar added. i allow myself the occasional egg soda or coke about once every 4 months. no work out! just a lot of brisk walking. but now it's time to start the semi-vegetarian diet and hot yoga again. especially since it's getting warmer outside at the moment, I can start running again! yay! i've dropped the gym and personal trainer last year, so I've really got to push myself to work out. i can do it! i need new songs to add to my workout mix on the ipod. give me some suggestions on your favorite tunes when you're pounding the pavement or pumping iron. good music helps me stay motivated. much thanks in advance. |
|||
| Read 11 - Post | |||
| Filipino Food, Cupcakes, Thai Tapas, Irish Fish and Chips, Korean Fried Chicken & Frozen Yogurt. | |||
| 02:32am 04/04/2009 | |||
  home cooking:had leftover ingredients from when celia came over for dinner. decided to remake the pot roast dish, but this time on rice instead of pasta. still had a ton of pot roast and some cream remaining. had the great idea to make my own version of stroganoff with caramelized onions and white wine thrown in the mix over egg noodles.   when i'm too lazy to fire up the stove, i make quick salads with my version of the parisian salad dressing. little bit of mayo(home made is best!), mustard, honey, lemon juice, white wine, salt, pepper, crushed garlic. when i'm not in the mood to cook, i just run over to kotobukiya and pick up some onigiri. i remember when the japanese riceballs used to be merely a buck a pop.   dinner at kenny's place last week. i found the bottle of wine that kenny's mom got from a neighbor next door and a little whale spoon rest amusing.     tried out the battery in brighton center. authentic irishmen and women working behind the counter. curry and chips. deep fried/battered hamburger, sausages, and irish soda.       tried out the only filipino resto in the boston area. jnjturoturo. and yep all you filipinos got it right! one of the dishes i tried was pinakbet. also had afritada and liempo. then went next door to sure pinoy market and got myself a filipino lemon drink. everything was tasty and the proprietor was friendly. we'll be back for more!   finally went to a cupcake place not far from jnjturoturo called babycakes. got the signature cupcake, of course. very moist and light.    a thai place called the great thai chef that got remodeled and has a new thai tapas style menu. not your typical oily, oversauced asian american kind of joint. just right. will be back to try the kap klaem. in khmer, bar food would be referred to as "mahope klaem". i'm thinking lots of ceviche-like seafood mini plates tossed in light vinagrettes. that's what my mom's "klaem" dishes are like, anyway. so good!     back in feb, finally tried bonchon chicken(korean style fried chicken) after hearing it came to boston since dec 2008. hooray! been there only twice so far. i can't eat fried foods more than about 5 times a year. that's my yearly limit. plus too many other delish things to try in the city! just need more time and money. the korean fried chicken chain which came straight from the mother country actually hit virginia first a couple years ago, then nyc, cali, then here.     also tried the other rival korean fried chicken place called my favorite cheogajip chicken. i call it the burger king and mcdonald's or the starbucks and dunkin donuts of the kfc craze in the states. anywhere you can find a bonchon, you are likely to see cheogajip nearby. a link comparing both korean fried chicken chains from when they opened in nyc 3 years ago here. next, i'm waiting for those infamous japanese wasabi hot dogs and korean tacos to hit boston. on the way to dessert with friends tonite after the cheogajip run, we saw creative cakes in the windows of daniel's bakery.  kalli sings "i'm a widdle teapot. short and stout. here's my handle. here's my spout!" i haven't done that in a while. you don't want to see me do the teapot dance or you'll run away and think i'm a weirdo. i mean i do the moonwalk at the grocery store in the produce section when i hear a mj song come on the speakers. poor kenny, right? he's used to me by now.   last week after the thai tapas resto posted above, went to the boston version of pinkberry started up by 2 harvard and m.i.t. post-doc students called berryline which is located right behind that crepe place. as for where i went on that day trip last fri.     i miss reading all of my former active lj friends' entries. nearly everyone's gone to facebook and twitter. you all left me all alone here. i miss your substantial, coloful posts here. one liners on those other sites don't cut it for me. it ain't the same. :( |
|||
| Read 33 - Post | |||
| Day Trip and Intl Food Exploration Preview. | |||
| 01:01am 31/03/2009 | |||
  Last Friday, I had the whole day off. I finally got to try that Filipino restaurant. Can you guess what the two dishes I had were? One of them has one of my favorite Southern veggies in it-okra! I went further south of Boston and spent a couple hours in a quaint little town. In the photo above, I was standing in front of a replica of a ship that brought a certain group of people who have become a central important part of U.S. history. Really sleepy now, but will update soon in a couple of hours. Mental note: talk about some other ethnic food/places I've tried in recent months. |
|||
| Read 5 - Post | |||
| Gitlo, Athan's,Mom's Cooking, New 'Do. | |||
| 12:24am 23/03/2009 | |||
      fri nite: dinner at gitlo (not as delish, but decent enough since the young chef-who's a cousin of the owner left)followed by washing down all that fried goodness with dessert at athan's-the one in brighton center. i prefer this location over the washington square one for the more serene and spacious atmosphere. most importantly, the kids at the brighton site are a lot friendlier and not stuck up like the other bakery/cafe spot.     sat afternoon: lunch at my parents' place. cambodian style curry. taste and flavor is altered with the addition of lime, salt, fish sauce, bean sprouts, and fresh greens. for dessert, my mom made sankia(coconut milk/egg custard) with bai thanaup(sticky rice).  sun nite: this is what my hair looks like after i towel dry it. the waves actually stay in if i spritz on a small bit of gel. it looks like i had the digital perm done again, but i didn't. it's natural. trying to get back into the habit of styling my hair. i've gotten so used to just slicking it back into a half ponytail or slapping a cloth headband on. trying not to be so bummy. |
|||
| Read 11 - Post | |||
| Haircut, Springy Weather, Night Time Walk, Chocolate Snack. | ||||
| 11:24pm 18/03/2009 | ||||
It was in the low 60s today. I saw people walking around with t shirts and shorts on. It's not warm enough for that kind of attire, but I understand. Everyone's anxious to break out warmer clothes! I got a haircut after work. I went home, checked the mail, and saw a package from Sabrina. In it was a t-shirt that Neil designed. He used to have a t-shirt online store. I think he should put it back up and use Sabrina, his gf, as a model. She'd be the perfect adorable kind of model with her signature amaranthine smile. :) Love the t-shirt. Fits me to a tee. Yes, pun intended. It's so me and so Cantabrigian/Somervillian-my neck of the woods of Boston aka the other side of the Charles River. Thanks you guys! So sweet! Already got complimented on it today. Someone thought it was a dress, even.   Do you know where the mural behind me is located exactly?  martin luther king=hope mother teresa=love nelson mandela=unity mahatma gandhi=peace the 14th and current dalai lama aka tenzin gyatso=compassion Can't see my new hairdo, but it's nothing drastic this time. Just newly shorn side swept bangs and a layered trim all around.  This chocolate cafe is close by the mural.  This hardware store always has colorful, lively window dressings. Wonder what their spring theme will be. |
||||
| Read 7 - Post | ||||
|
digitaldewi |
||
|
Friends Info Calendar |
||
| skip | ||
| Backward | ||