Cookies

Now that I've been baking and cooking on my own, I haven't been giving much thought in purchasing packaged food at the grocery. I normally bake cowboy cookies, which I snack on as my recovery/post-running food and also as my hunger-pangs-at-work snack. I find the cowboy cookies that I'd bake to be healthful and beneficial in how my body feels at the end of the day. Well, due to my lack of transportation, I was missing the key ingredients that are essential to my workout recovery. Miraculously, my parents bought 3 packs of Keebler cookies from our local Safeway and I decided, why not just substitute these cookies until I am able to get my hands on the key ingredients? Bad mistake. I've been trying to snack on the same dozen cookies that I bagged up 3 days ago and am finding it increasingly difficult to smell, bite, chew, and swallow. Today, hunger pang hits me hard. Instead of reaching for the sweet green tea flavored rice cakes (drools) I decided to finish the Keebler cookies before the end of my work day. Upon opening the baggie, the smell wafted right to my nose, I immediately felt sick. I just couldn't. No matter how hungry, I just can't eat it. But I also despise wasting food. So now what am I do to? Maybe instead of giving the bums my loose change while I await the arrival of my RT light rail, I can just give him my Keebler cookies. That would be good! Now excuse me while I snack on my sweet green tea flavored rice cakes.

Back to being busy busy

This is going to be another backbreaking weekend for me. Tonight, I'm attending a cooking showdown in which I'll be documenting between two iron chefs. Saturday, I'll be doing a walk-a-thon with my sisters at 6am, then at 10am I'm off to the reptile show at the Sacramento Convention Center; around 4pm, I need to pack up Philliam and Mermaid and take them with me to Galt for Miss USA's birthday which will involve sumo suits and wrestling. After Miss USA's birthday bash, I drop off Mermaid at her place in Elk Grove, then take Philliam home to Natomas. Then off I go for bar hopping with old and new friends. Afterwards, I call it a night. Sunday, helping my parents with the farm and try to squeeze in some time to memorize Chinese radicals and simple phrases. I don't know how I'm going to be able to log my miles this weekend.

Weekly Rant

My morning commute on the RT light rail service in Sacramento is usually relaxing for me. It's where other sleepy/grouchy passengers keep their distant in order to not be disturbed by "nonsense" on their way to work and for people who have nothing better to do but to ride the light rail around town and/or jump on other trains to pass their considerable ample amount of free time. What I've witness so far from my 2 years of riding the RT is there are some passengers who quietly reads a novel before they may loose a chance to do so during their eight to five grueling hours of work. There are others who just snooze off on the train, as well as the typical business people checking their Blackberries 24/7. Then there's me. The anti-stressed. I like to glaze my eyes around at anything and everything, especially if I'm pumped up and energized from an early morning run. I like to people watch or just peer out the window at the outside world just to be with my own thoughts. Riding the RT in the morning is something I enjoy very much due to the peacefulness I get. It somewhat relaxes me. Due to my so-called relaxation theory on riding a public transportation in the morning, you can tell that I don't like to be bothered. When I'm on the morning train, no one forces their small chit chats on me or count my freckles or talk loudly on their cell phones or rudely pollutes my space with their smell. Although, this morning was a bit different. The area I sat around was empty as people left for their stops. I knew at that moment that I will be going through two stops with nothing but peaceful bliss - that is until some dopey kid came by and sat his ass down across from me. I guess he didn't see the other empty seats scattered across the train. Since he looked young, I figured he was either going to ask me: One, for change (this happens often in downtown) or two, where was this train's next stop. Instead, he bothered me with some nonense. Some Kid: mumble mumble Me: I'm sorry, but what??? Some Kid: *bewildered look* mumble mumble Me: *annoyed face* Can you speak up? I can't understand you. Some Kid: *angrily looks at me* mumble mumble Me: *thinks to self, is this kid fuckin serious??* What?!?!?! I can't understand you. Some Kid: *gives me an unpleasant sigh* I was wondering if I could get your name and number. Me: *happy that he finally stopped mumbling* Oh!!! No. Some Kid: *stands up in a lazy teenage fashion* daaammmnnn man. Me: *goes back to relaxation mood for the next 8 minutes* That incident didn't really bother me, but I just found it funny how I easily went from my stern NO back to my relaxation mood.

Chocolate Toffee Bars

I made my first batch of chocolate toffee bars this morning and let me tell you! They were delish! Philliam said they were just as good as the lemon bars I made before I took off to Asia. He claimed that he missed my lemon bars more than he missed me. Whatever. I was having the time of my life when I was overseas. Hah!

Would you like a bite of my yummy yummy goodness?

successful saturday

Friday night, I stayed home, did some cooking, tidy-up the house, and watched The Bodyguard. All alone. I was a bit uneasy being home alone due to the crazy things that has been going on in my neighborhood. Even though I was on high alert for anything that seemed out of the ordinary, my evening spent alone was nice. It's been awhile since I was able to spend Friday nights at home and alone. Saturday morning, I woke up bright and early, did my morning jog. Got home, had some breakfast, shook my brother awake with my foot, called Richard, and got ready for the Ocean Conservancy Lake Clean Up, which I had volunteered for 2 weeks ago. From 9am to 12pm, we picked up other people's trash at Lake Berryessa. It's amazing what we found. The usual trash items were beer bottles and cans, and also broken beer bottles. Although, the most common trash I found littered around the lake were feminine products, i.e. pads, tampons (and lots of it), and panty liners. I'm not kidding. How gross is that? Why would anyone do such an unsanitary thing? Of course, changing your tampons behind some bushes is fine, but at least take the trash with you! How hard is it to place the applicator back into the wrapper and place that in another trash bag and take it with you? I honestly don't get people who just throw their trashes everywhere. Good grief. Some volunteers claimed they found shells from shot guns and rifles. hmm... After we picked up trash, we waited around for the others so we can do a 30 minute drive to where the barbecue was held for volunteers. While we waited, we decided to take some pictures.

Richard and I decide who can make the best sounds on my hungry belly while we waited for the others to show up. Hot day at Lake Berryessa I didn't take many pictures since I was more focused on trash pick up, eating, and enjoying the water.

When we came back from our dip, we were the last ones there. Everyone packed up the food and left. No goodbyes. =(

Top, left to right: Ryo (Japanese exchange student), Jack (UCD Ph. D), and Ken (ex football player) Middle: John (Jasmine's right hand man on issues) and Jasmine (President of ESO) Bottom: Richard and Sunny (my lazy sleeping brothers)