I can't resist- Sarah Palin's Foreign Policy experience

I think most people have seen this already but for those who haven't.... 

The SNL skit is pretty hilarious. This is just scary. Yikes.

Retired Song of the Week- Week 4 Lykke Li - Little Bit

I heart my new Nikon D90!

My lovely fiance, Jason, bought a Nikon D90 SLR camera this past weekend to support and encourage my love for photography.  2 hours new, we took our fancy camera to our dear friends' (Miguel and Liv) wedding where we captured these fabulous images. It was a sumptuous and decadent wedding for two people whose hearts shine bright and warm.  Congrats M and L!

Sonnet XVII - Pablo Neruda

Jason and I attended Miguel and Leve's gorgeous wedding yesterday in the Back Bay. At the wedding ceremony they passed out this beautiful sonnet by Pablo Neruda. I love his poetry and thought I'd share with you. Happy Sunday!

I do not love you as if you were the salt rose, or topax,
or arrow of carnations that propagate fire.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries within itself the light of hidden flowers;
and thanks to your love, darkly in my body
lives a certain solid fragrance risen from the Earth.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where
I love you simply, without complexities or pride;
I love you in this way because
I know no other way of loving than this:

in which there is no I or you,
so close that your hand upon my chest is my hand
so close that when I fall asleep, it is your eyes that close.

Britney's Back

Today, Britney released her new single Womanizer. I can't say that I love it, but I do love Britney and I'm rooting for her comeback. I used to want to be a Britney fly girl (aka backup dancer) - maybe it's not too late....

South End Fun!

This past weekend, my friends Beatriz and Sarah visited which was a real treat for me! Although Saturday started with a slight snafu (you know, the kind when your car's Brake light/ STOP! signal flashes and you discover you need to fork over several hundred for new rear brakes)... the afternoon I spent with the girls in South Boston was fabulous!

Beatriz, Me and Sarah after Brunch @ Beehive.

Headwear by "Galvin-ized" at the South End Open Studios.

*Sarah is not only a supercool doctor with an incredible heart (she's here for a rad-onc conference), she is also my Blog Mentor. She taught me how to schedule my posts so that my blog could stay current even when I'm busy (on call yesterday/ post call today). 

I heart Providence....

Here are some of my favorite eating spots in Providence - I was lucky enough to have experienced the following this past weekend. I hope you get a chance to make it out to Providence too...

Farmstead has perfected some of my favorite comfort foods: 

Mussels, Burger, Grilled Cheese. Mmmmmm.

Pastiche. Classic hits. Fruit Tart and Banana Cream Pie

Al Forno's famous grilled pizza. 

It tastes AMAZING. You MUST try before you die. 

Lykke Li - I'm intrigued

I recently discovered Lykke Li. I'm intrigued. My favorite part of this very odd and somewhat unsettling video (warning- there are elderly folk backstroking on the ground, and man dressed in a silver leotard).... is her dancing. For those of you who don't know this already, I LOVE dancing.  It is my number one passion.  I've been dancing since I can remember. As great as it is to be able to choreograph and/or perform a tight sequence, my favorite feeling is when I am freestyling and let my body go wherever it wants. I love the way Lykke freestyles. She is one bad-a** groovy chick. 

Retired Song of the week - Week 3 RATATAT Mirando

This was one of my favorite songs of the summer. How appropriate to be retiring it, since today is the official first day of fall!  

Starbucks Secret

I am still in Providence, and have not had the chance to upload my photos and share my fabulous weekend with Sarah and Beatriz, but I thought I'd take a moment to share a great Starbucks discovery. I have always enjoyed studying in coffeeshops - I find them less stifling and dull compared to libraries. I enjoy being able to see the sun and feel the warmth of the sunshine through the cafe windows, even if I can not be outside to physically enjoy the day. In any case, today I learned that if you purchase a Starbucks card >$5 in value, then you get free wireless internet for 2 hours per day! Score! I love my free wireless. :)

Blast from the Past - Aicha by Khaled

Hooray - it's Friday, and I'm done with work! I'm kicking off my weekend by working on a new mix for my friend Sarah's visit. For whatever reason, I've been in a retro vintage musical mood lately and have been having some "blast from the past" moments (which explains my previous postings of Talk Talk-It's my life, and 311- Amber). 

I dug up this song from my archives. It was a favorite of mine in middle school - I remember, when the chorus would sing "Aicha, Aicha" - some of my friends would substitute my name, "Felicia, Felicia". Anyhow, I thought that was pretty cool back then. This is a beautiful song. I loved it then, and I still love it now. Enjoy.

Retail Social Networking

mmmmm....lemon drops :) (photo courtesy of www.sweetfactory.com)

It's been a busy week - I worked, worked, worked...and then worked overnight last night. After giving a powerpoint presentation fueled by espresso on ethnopsychopharmacology and conducting psychotherapy in Mandarin this morning... I am finally done... for now.  Of course, there's still friday, but fridays are always a nice because the weekend is so close! This weekend is going to be FANTASTIC because my friend Sarah will be visiting Boston from Winston-Salem, and my friend Beatriz will be visiting from NYC via Spain! Hooray!

So, this posting is somewhat aimed towards (but not limited to) the ladies. I have been thinking it might be a good idea start a blog where we can swap or sell our clothes, accessories, shoes. I will confess. I am a shopaholic. I enjoy shopping for anything and everything- clothes, home furnishing, art, high tech electronics, groceries. I remember one of my earliest shopping memories: my brother and I would save up our coins, and as we walked home together after elementary school, we would buy 5 or 10 cent candies at the Stone Store in Lexington. I remember the excitement of handing over a few of my hard earned pennies for a tootsie pop, or box lemon drops. The candy felt hard earned, well deserved, and immensely satisfying (though I don't exactly remember working for pennies during my childhood)

In any case, I'm finding that as an adult, there isn't much you can buy with a few pennies. (sigh) So, I am trying to come up with creative ways to recycle goods, and get bargains. I have been bringing my stuff to second hand stores, but it always feels like I'm getting ripped off. My idea is to create a blog (which should debut in the next week) called "SWAP or SELL" where we can each post things we like, but no longer need or us, so that our friends can possibly benefit. It's a win win situation - you get to empty your closet, and make room for some great new items for a great price, or better yet - you can swap! No more guilt about spending all your paychecks on Manolo Blahnik stilettos (no, i did not do that, but SJP did in Sex & the City) Anyhow, I'd like to get some feedback - would any of you be interested in participating in this debut attempt at retail social networking?

Retired Song of the Week - week 1

This is a belated posting, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to archive this. I heard this one while driving around on a sunny day. It's so catchy. Whoa-o!

Retired Song of the week - Week 2

I decided to start an archive of my retired Song of the Week (s). The story behind this one is that I heard it as I was exiting the Boston Logan Airport last Sunday when returning from DC. I don't know what it is exactly, but this song just makes me happy and want to dance around exuberantly.

Happy August Moon Festival

There are many stories about the August Moon Festival, the second most important Chinese Holiday. Here is one of them. For more, click here.

Happy August Moon Festival! To those of you who are celebrating, I hope you got to eat some mooncake!

Modern Day Bartering: Chili for Chocolate

Sunday Football Chili

Tonight, after a week hiatus from cooking - I decided to make a nice big pot of chili.  It's been cooling down in the evenings lately, and football season has begun (Go Pats! - who won tonight, despite Tom Brady's injury) ... so I thought it was the right time to bring back this classic one pot dinner.  I brought some over to my neighbor Margaret (she's an British octogenarian who is my BFF in the condo complex - she gave me a chocolate bar in return, it's special- from England. :)

Here's my Sunday Football Chili Recipe (serves 8)

2 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

2 small sweet onions (or one large Vidalia) diced

2 green peppers diced

1 can* dark red kidney beans

1 can light red kidney beans

2 cans diced tomatoes

1/2 can tomato sauce

2-3 packets of chili mix (I like to mix medium and hot)

salt and pepper to taste

a few pieces of dark chocolate or hersey kishes

Prepare the following using a large pot/saucepan:   1. First saute the chopped onions in olive oil until translucent, then add the green peppers until cooked - remove from heat, 2. Brown the beef, drain excess fat, 3. Add the chili mix (I use 3 packets for this recipe, but you can start with 2, then add more seasoning to your taste preference), kidney beans, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and vegetables (basically throw everything in the pot). 4) Let it boil, then reduce heat to low to simmer. 5. It is ready to eat after 10 minutes, but I like to let it simmer for a little longer so the flavor is more developed 30min- 1 hour at low heat.  Towards the end, you may add a few pieces of dark chocolate- it gives the chili a nice, smooth, finish. Enjoy over rice, top with chopped raw onions and cheddar cheese. Bon appetit!

*I can't remember how many oz the cans are, but they are the standard size, somewhere between 14- 16 oz.  

More fun in Boston....

The rest of the weekend continued to be fun and relaxing.... Jason and I started our Saturday with a leisurely brunch at Mariposa Bakery (Cambridge)...

The most delicious eggplant sandwich ever!

Delicious Poached Eggs with salami and avocado

Then I went to support my friend Lisa at the Boston Ahts Festival... check out her photographs at www.lisashahphotography.com. Go Lisa! 

Lisa and Indy at her booth at the Ahts Festival. 

Finally, to wrap up our weekend in Boston, we attended the WFNX Disorientation (many thanks to our friend Stacy H who hooked us up with tix!), and Jason got to meet the Kooks. :)

I'm lucky and lovedl!

I am a very very lucky and loved woman. After a few weeks of feeling like life has on fast forward (the pace), Jason took me to Boston for a weekend getaway. I'll let the pictures do the talking.... We had a fabulous dinner at Olives (by Todd English) in Charlestown, and now I know what all the hype is about. Everthing was sublime!

After dinner, we stayed in Cambridge at a very unique hotel... Le Meridien. It was very comfortable and best of all, was it's unique (nerdy) decor! Check out the bedspread and the chair! Go MIT. (I think the hotel used to be, or still is affiliated). There was even an atomic theme to the elevator!

Pho, Chipwiches and school lunch

Tonight, Jason and I met up with our friends Mona and Jens for dinner at a Vietnamese Restaurant, Anh Chu. It is one of their favorite restaurants in the Woo, and I'd have to say that after tasting the delicious beef curry and pho, it's become one of our favorites too. Since it is a small family run business and was recently at risk for closing,  I'm going to give Anh Chu a shout out.... Please go 439 Park Ave, Worcester, Ma- you won't be disappointed! 

During dinner, we had a lively conversation about our childhoods and spent a fair amount of time reminiscing about school lunch. Mona and Jens used to buy lunch, whereas Jason brought lunch every day. I had a mix of the two approaches.  I shared with them my favorite lunchtime memory - when my wonderful and generous dad would give me $2 (an extra 75 cents more than the basic lunch fee), I would splurge on a chipwich or snickers ice cream bar. Mmmmm. I haven't eaten either of those since learning how to read nutrition labels in home economics in middle school. But every time I see one of those frozen treats,  I feel nostalgic. Of course, everyone at dinner teased me about my love for food but what can I say, I love food. And I love my dad for making my sandwiches the morning of, and putting the tomatoes in a separate container so my bread wouldn't get soggy. And for the extra 75 cents he treated me to. 

An Apple a Day....

Photos from my day of apple (Honeycrisp, Fuji and MacIntosh) & white peach* picking: 

Today, I continued my annual tradition (year #2) of going apple picking at the Tougas Family Farm immediately after the conclusion of the residency teaching retreat.  I find fruit picking to be a calm, meditative experience.  It is so beautiful and peaceful in the orchards (I go at the end of the day and am usually the only one there). After eating several peaches and apple, I feel healthier and happier.    

"....If these aren't enough reasons to "eat an apple a day," there's more. Eating raw apples gives the gums a healthy massage and cleans the teeth. This popular fruit is said to have properties that are a muscle tonic, diuretic, laxative, antidiarrheal, antirheumatic, and stomachic."

"In Germany, during medieval times a man who ate an apple that was steeped in the perspiration of the woman he loved was very likely to succeed in the relationship."

If you like these apple quotes.. you can read more by clicking here. 

*Today I had the Best = juiciest, tastiest, sweetest white peach I have ever had. If you have a chance in the next few days and you live in Central MA I highly recommend that you get some for yourself! YUM!

Tyler and Turkeys

The last 24 hours have been full of special guests. Last night, I went home to Lexington to visit my special out of town guest (from St Louis) Tyler. He's my nephew and the happiest kid I have ever met - just look at him go! :) 

Then, this morning, when I went to my car to drive off to work, I looked out my window and  what did I see? 4 turkeys frolicking literally right next to me. They weren't shy at all. 

The world is full of small wonders...

Brilliant!

These guys are brilliant! No matter how many times I watch it, this video always makes me happy. This was choreographed by the lead singer's sister, and made via a borrowed video camera in a backyard.  

Back in Boston!

Hello, I'm back from my little hiatus. Following my last blog entry, there was a turn of events. Turns out, there was actually a fire in the hotel and we had to be evacuated to another Marriott Hotel later that afternoon.  Fortunately, there were no major injuries.  Friday was a rather exhausting, but fruitful day - I got some coffee with some friends, had a leisurely stroll to the White House, then onto Dupont Circle where we stopped at Hello Cupcake*. We managed to get back into the hotel to quickly change (in the dark, no water) for our meeting to discuss mental health care parity with Sen. Kerry's office (the staffer was very understanding of our frumpiness), and then did some shopping in Georgetown before we got the final word to change hotels.  Anyhow, long story short, this new hotel was a major downgrade from the JW Penn Ave and there was no wireless internet, thus no blogging.

The rest of DC was ab-fab. Jason flew in Friday night to join me, and Ben flew in for Stacey. Over the next two days, Stacey and I still had to attend some work meetings (the boys attended the best friends conference simultaneously occuring at the Marriott) but spent the rest of the time eating and merrily celebrating her birthday. Happy Birthday again to Stacey! Hooray!

But now I'm back home in Worcester.  Jason and I stopped at Wagamama's in Fanueil Hall on our way back, and had some tasty noodles. I had eaten there for the first time while we were visiting our friends Molly and Bob in London, and had been craving it ever since. There's nothing like a big bowl of noodles to welcome you home.....  

 

*Pretty good cupcakes, but I was disappointed there was no red velvet cupcakes.

Fire Alarm

This morning, at 7am, I awoke to a loud female voice. I thought to myself, "could it really be time to get up?" "that doesn't sound like my alarm".... I had specifically decided to sleep in this morning, to power myself up for this busy and frenetic meeting, and wake up just get up in time for my meeting with Senator Kerry's rep.

That didn't end up happening.... It was not my alarm, it was the fire alarm. I struggled to find my glasses and change into a presentable outfit (this is after all, a collection of leaders in psychiatry) and when I went to wash my face, I noticed there were no lights. With the women's annoying voice, "This is a fire emergency, please evacuate the building" repeatedly blasting in my ear, I groggily made my way down 11 flights of stairs to exit the building.

Sure enough, it was a legit alarm. There were probably a dozen fire and emergency vehicles outside of the Penn Ave JW Marriot. "Electrical failure" they said. I decided, since I was up, might as well get some breakfast. I called my friend Stacey and as I waited for her to evacuate the building, I soaked in the interesting scene- some people in bathrobes (i guess i wasn't the only one who was still sleeping), pajamas, and one very determined business man who decided to change and groom outside in the public - some people really are unstoppable. Anyhow, once Stacey and I met up we went to get some breakfast, which is where I am now - in the Organic to go cafe and catering. Here, I had yet another strange observation - when I asked for some tap water, the woman who prepared my water mixed ice cubes and boiling water to create my beverage. It was the most effort I've ever seen put into "tap water", but she did a great job. It tastes like tap water, and it is cool and refereshing.

In any case, we've now been "stranded" for over 2 hours, and the hotel says there still is no water/electricity. Apparently it's on the news. I guess there goes my beauty sleep hopes for the day. The good thing is that I am now full and fed, it is a gorgeous sunny day out, and in 15 minutes when the museums open, we're going to go to explore. Some of my friends have 10am meetings with their representatives and have decided to go unshowered, and their street clothes. I think I'll still have time to go back to the hotel to prepare for the MA meeting at the Senate. We'll see. Every day is an interesting day.

Washington DC at night

Lincoln Memorial

After a long, very productive and inspiring day of advocacy training, and a nice relaxing dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill with the fellows, a few of us decided to take a leisurely stroll of our surroundings. It was a fabulous night, summer-like in the 80's with a slight breeze, and very serene. Check out the amazing sites we saw....

The Treasury Flags at the Washington Monument
Stars at the WWII Memorial

A Song to Share - Trigger Hippie

I was recently preparing to send out a few care packages / cd mixes* to my friends and came across one of my favorite mixes from the fall of 2005 (goodness, how time flies!). On that mix, I had put Trigger Hippie by Morcheeba, one of my favorite songs then...and still.

DC is great -though I've spent 100% of my day so far in meetings/ trainings in the hotel. Supposedly I am really close to the Washington Monument and other neat stuff... and I hear it is a beautiful, sunny, 90 degree day out. I have to run to another function now, but hope to see more of DC later...

*I've had penpals ever since elementary school. I really enjoy writing letters, making mixes and sending care packages. Who else is doing this? I highy encourage it. There is nothing more satisfying the opening up the mailbox and getting a personal letter, card, or better yet - baked goods or a new music mix. ** Thanks Sarah for teaching me how to post Youtube videos. You rock!

I miss my iMac, but love my new Samsonite suitcase!

I made it to Washington DC, where I will be participating in the APA (American Psychiatry Association) components meeting and Minority Fellowship Training through Sunday. So far, I'm liking this city a lot. It helps that a) the trip is being paid for, 2) I'm not here on a 8th grade field trip (early 1990's), 3) I'm not here as part of "science camp" (1997) - though, that was definitely one of the highlights of my life, 4) I'm not here as a 3rd wheel celebrating July 4th (2003) with my brother and his now wife - (thank you for inviting me), 4) I got to catch up with my friend Danielle tonight over drinks and tapas in Georgetown, where there are a whole bunch of fun restaurants and bars, and lots of potential for shopping.

Anyhow, before bed, I thought I'd post something for the day. I'm now working on my Sony VAIO TZ laptop which is great for these business trips and meetings because it is ultraportable. But, working on a PC makes me realize that I miss my iMac! I recently coverted to Macs over the past year and love them for their simplicity to organize photos, music, do artsy fartsy stuff. In any case, I am very happy about my new suitcase, which was another great find during my "retail therapy" trip this past labor day. Check it out! It's awesome - it has so many compartments, rolls in every direction... it is the best carry on I've ever had! Samsonite Ascella 21 inch. Here is a photo of my efficient packing job with my first purchased suitcase (a milestone in my professional adult life)

"Living in a material world, And I am a material girl,You know that we are living in a material world, And I am a material girl... " :) I certainly am a very lucky girl who has some nifty gadgets and a pretty sweet life. But all of of these material goods wouldn't mean anything without my dear friends and family. Material things come and go, but friendships and love last forever. Time for bed.

Wine Country and San Francisco Photos

NAPA, SONOMA, SAN FRANCISCO (AUGUST 21-24, 2008)

Rose @ Christopher Creek Winery, Russian River Valley

Perfectly Plump in Sonoma

Cakebread Cellars, Napa

The sweetest tomatoes I've ever eaten @ SF Ferry Building Farmer's Market

I have a zillion things to do tonight, most which are mildly annoying, before I can go to sleep and work half a day tomorrow before flying off to Washington, DC. For example, I just spent the last hour+ trying to submit the right passport renewal form* after my first attempt got rejected :(, so that my middle name can correctly be listed as "Yeung-Yi" instead of "Yeung" as the current version states. This is a very important distinction because Yeung is the Chinese generation name that all of my Kuo cousins share. However, Yi is my unique identifier- the part that makes me, me. Yeung = forever, Yi = happy. I am forever happy... Hooray!  Anyhow, I digress. I took a little break from my to-do list to share some of my favorite photos from my recent trip.

*If all goes well, I'm heading to Taiwan in October!