Where my homeys at?

Are you my friend? Are you family? If you are, you know you want to get on the new Yahoo! 360 service. It's still in beta, so for now you can only get to use it by invitation. If you want one, (and you actually know me,) just email me and I'll invite you.

The free service is a way to share news, stories, recommendations, photos, interests, and more with the people you know and care about. And you can manage the flow and privacy of all these things by category (friends vs. family vs. coworkers, for example) or by how well you know them (friend vs. friend of a friend vs. everybody). Also I always feel better meeting new friends who are connected to existing friends.

So far I'm having fun with 360, and the public reaction has been pretty good! I'm hoping some of my relatives (who are mostly parents and teens now) will try it out, so we can see how people who are less "techie" enjoy and use it, since it was designed for people like them, not expert users.

(As an incentive to my single friends, note that my cousin met and got engaged to someone he met through an online service like this. And I know at least one other friend who found her boyfriend this way too. Or if you aren't single, you should join so your wonderful single friends can find other singles through you!)

Also I am sure Yahoo! is planning to add more features that integrate into all the good stuff they already have, so I am sure the service will only get better and stronger over time.

So what are you waiting for? Join in the fray!

I love L.A.!

How can you not agree with Randy Newman!?

I spent Easter weekend in L.A., to catch up with friends and family. Luckily, I got to enjoy it with a few rays of warm sunshine and clear blue skies, so I could drive around with the top down. In the passenger seat, my happy-friend Angie said, "this is the LIFE!"

I stayed with two hospitable and charming hosts at the "Happy House." They have a very sweet 3-legged cat and a loving transexual cat. Despite my cat allergies, they keep their ultra-stylish apartment immaculate (thanks partly to a Dyson vacuum cleaner), so I can sleep there without a runny nose and itchy eyes.

Pete, our favorite Brit, is getting deported to his homeland, so his best buddies from college couldn't send him off without a proper party, complete with humiliating costumed impersonations of him and poking fun at his yellow fever. If that doesn't convince our lovable Pete to return, I'm sure we can just find another cute Asian-American girl to marry him. (It can't be that hard! He's like a witty and boyish Jude Law, who speaks French! He graduated at the top of our Design class! Come on!)

It was a wonderful excuse for a reunion of old college buddies from Design school. I know a few were getting wistful and sad over the end of an era; people were moving away from longtime roommates to their next stages with new roommates, jobs, girlfriends. But I was delighted to see everyone still having fun and looking wonderful after all these years. It's a remarkable group of smart, talented, unique and interesting friends, and I'm so happy we are able to stay close in touch, despite whatever new adventures we are going through.

On Saturday, (aside from the party,) I caught up with old roomies, me@co and Steph at a little boba (pearl) drink cafe called Cafe Paradiso (previously known as Relaxstation). Then I mainly shopped through the rest of the Sawtelle neighborhood, which is like a mini-little-Tokyo. I enjoyed a little shopping fix, including stops at a Japanese outlet (a Tare Panda tea set for $6! hello kitty tissue packets! peach-smelling car wipes!), Giant Robot (apparently i don't have enough cute stickers or Adrian Tomine merchandise), and a cute clothing boutique called Happy Six (where I found a t-shirt with Hello Kitty in a fro).

On Easter, my relatives and I paid our respects to my late mother's ashes, inside a Buddhist Columnarium, nestled in the hills of a very pretty, rose-filled memorial park. It was actually a beautiful site to visit on a sunny day, and I am glad my mother's ashes were resting in such a peaceful place.

Apparently the monks/nuns were telling us that the Chinese tradition is to visit family burial sites annually on "Cheng-meng", which is 4/4 (in Chinese, "four" is a synonym for "dead"). This is the first I had ever heard of such a tradition. (I think by being the youngest of my generation and having a bit of a language barrier, many of my relatives have a tendency to forget to tell me certain things, so unfortunately I have to find them out from other people.) Then we went to the largest Buddhist temple in the U.S., Hsi Lai Temple, at Hacienda Heights for some prayers.

I'm not crazy about religious rituals, but I'm all for paying respects and prayer, which I value as an opportunity to remember and consider priorities and the people we care most about.

Of course, I always end up eating well when I travel; on Sunday I had some dim sum at V.I.P. Seafood, and for dinner I had my favorite udon at Taiko in Brentwood. On Easter, I went with my Buddhist relatives to enjoy an extravagant 12-course Chinese vegetarian banquet (including imitation chicken, duck, abalone, squid, etc.), which was a most unique, delicious, and insanely filling gastronomical experience. And like every Chinese family, they couldn't let me leave without a bagful of food for the road. If I had an icebox, they would have sent me off with all the leftover banquet food. Also it was nice to finally see my older brother treat the relatives to a meal, especially because usually he is the one mooching food off from them. :)

Now I have to prep for another going-away event, a dinner for dshih, before he takes off on his adventures to nyc and Asia. People will be sad, but I'm happy for him, because he is brave enough to follow his heart.

A-B-C, easy as 1-2-thrrrreeesssimo

Everyone loves to poke fun at Bono for starting his Vertigo song with, "Uno, Dos, Tres, Catorce," which means "One, two, three, fourteen."

I believe Bono was taking artistic license, because "catorce" had that extra flair he needed. He's fancy that way.

On the other hand, I don't think my friends (who are usually extremely bright) were taking artistic license when they made recent spelling errors that actually made me twitch when I saw them. So here is a little spelling bee review from the original Word Racer queen.

Side note: Word Racer (an online word game available on Yahoo! Games and the PC version of Yahoo! Messenger) is like a real-time Boggle, on speed. Sometimes when I win, other online players are such sore losers, that they cuss at me or attack me with racial epithets. I have since taken a break from the game, so as not to upset other people.

BTW I am sure, in the rush of things, I make spelling errors myself (especially on IM), but I thought I'd offer some helpful hints in case my wonderful friends have simply forgotten a few basics:

"Peak" is the that thing at the top of a mountain. Or think of the tip of a bird's "beak." "Peek" is when you take a quick look at something, like a "sneak peek." Just pretend the "e"-s are a pair of eyes.

"Heel" is the back part of the shoe, like "high-heeled shoes." Or picture an "eel" in "heels". "Heal" is what happens to an injury when it starts to feel better. Think "Health."

"It's" is a contraction of "It is," and "its" is a possessive form.

"La Jolla" is a city in San Diego, pronounced "La Hoya," like the boxer, Oscar de la Hoya. I don't know what "La Hoha" is.

That is our segment from Miss Spelling Priss.
Now we will return to the usual misocrazy madness.

Awesome egg prizes, a con artiste, mambonsai, and more!

How are you all enjoying your Good Friday?

Yesterday I went on a "grown-up" Easter Egg hunt at work, only to realize maybe I didn't really know what to do with all these candy and toy prizes, but it was good fun. It would have been even better if they were Kinder-Eggs!

But I suppose those would have melted outside. And they're illegal. (BTW if you want to get your contraband kinder-eggs, try your local eastern european grocery. I found them at the Ukranian grocery in Chicago. Or order them online.)

Anyway I decided to give the plastic eggs to my friends and relatives. But one of my friends found a certificate inside for a prize at the Yahoo! Mart, and I heard that there was still an un-discovered GOLD egg with a ticket for an IPOD! (Also earlier in the week, personal finance guru, Suze Orman came to Yahoo! and gave away ishuffles at her wild-eyed flirty talk and q/a about her new book.) Ah well, I already have an ipod anyway.

In other news:

Ever gone to the museum, and thought, "Man, I could do that. Maybe even better!" Well this "hang-and-run" artist did something about it.

The innovative Japanese are at it again: Latin music, irony, and bonsai trees, together at last!. Mambonsai!!!!!

Seinfeld fans are in mourning: the actor who played Seinfeld's dad passed away. Barney Martin, R.I.P.

And who doesn't love an inter-species adoption story??

Have a Good Friday and a Hip Hop Happenin' Easter!

Spring is here!

It's a season of slightly warmer weather, blooming flowers, change, and rebirth.

So it doesn't surprise me that people around me are going through so much change and re-evaluation; friends are moving, cousins are getting married, others are having their first child, coworkers are finding new career directions, people are getting organized, everyone's figuring out taxes, gym buddies are getting fit for swimwear season, and some of us are finding new hobbies.

Best of all, it's one season closer to Summer (my favorite season)!

However, re-evaluation sometimes brings to light our problems, which can mean we have to let go of things that aren't working. On the first day of spring, I had to let go of something that was very dear to me. But instead of lamenting over it, I am hopeful that this change will work out for the best.

In the meantime, I'm getting back to the gym, spending more time to catch up with friends, cooking, resting, and pursuing classes (maybe one at the craft gym) and making the most out of this year's beautiful Spring season. And every day, I'm feeling a little better.

And so it goes that my favorite song right now is "Hang on Little Tomato." Listening to the album transports me to a spring garden by the lake, sitting on picnic blanket on a warm day, wearing a big Parisian hat, relaxing with a puppy slumbering peacefully next to me. (Yes, I'm a sappy cornball, and I like it that way!)

"Hang on Little Tomato"
by Pink Martini

The sun has left and forgotten me
It’s dark, I cannot see
Why does this rain pour down
I’m gonna drown
In a sea
Of deep confusion

Somebody told me, I don’t know who
Whenever you are sad and blue
And you’re feelin’ all alone and left behind
Just take a look inside and you will find

You gotta hold on, hold on through the night
Hang on, things will be all right
Even when it’s dark
And not a bit of sparkling
Sing-song sunshine from above
Spreading rays of sunny love

Just hang on, hang on to the vine
Stay on, soon you’ll be divine
If you start to cry, look up to the sky
Something’s coming up ahead
To turn your tears to dew instead

And so I hold on to his advice
When change is hard and not so nice
You listen to your heart the whole night through
Your sunny someday will come one day soon to you

American moms need to take it easy

If any of you have a child or are considering having children someday, you may want to listen to this episode of NPR's Fresh Air. It's an interview with the writer of Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety. The writer, also a working mom, had worked and parented in Paris and shares an interesting perspective on the differing pressures, lack of support, and perceptions of motherhood when she moved back to America.

Despite her rather bleak observations, she does offer a small but optimistic note toward the end, that motherhood should be a joy, and it doesn't have to be hard as it seems today. So if you're going to be a mom, remember to take it easy. If you're not a mom, maybe be a little more sensitive to those who are.

San "Ho" sucks.

You should know, that San Jose sucks.

(I mean the one in California, not San Jose, Costa Rica. That one may suck too, but I wouldn't know.)

Last Saturday, despite my previous knowledge of the suckiness of San Ho, my friends and I decided to give it a chance because I heard about some interesting events taking place there, including:

1. Blobjects
2. Cinequest
3. Ramen Life

"Blobjects" is a new exhibit on various designed objects that have a blob-like or organic shape to them. This started last week at the San Jose Museum of Art, and I think this is really the main reason to ever visit downtown San Jose.

Most of the products in the exhibit were in happy imac cartoon colors. Of course this included a lot of Karim Rashid, Marc Newsom, Frog Design, and Apple-designed products. I'm surprised I didn't see more Alessi products. Basically if you make something look rounded, cuddly, and cartoony, it resonates more with people. Is this just human nature to revert to childhood simplicity? or sexy curves? Either way, I like it. Besides, I think these days people fear color too much.

It made me wonder though, what made the blob thing a design theme vs. an art movement or a design fad.

Even the other exhibits were fun, including one called, "Girl Power," which included photographs of enacted Nancy Drew scenes. My favorite though, was what I think was part of the permanent collection, which was this crazy long couch, shaped like a caterpillar. Even the multiple legs were bent like a caterpillar legs, and the end of it was reared up, curled against the wall, biting on a chair. You could see from its bulging shape that it had eaten a tv and lamp too.

(Side note: Oddly enough, I think one of the gallery monitors was my ballroom dance instructor from Arthur Murray. I took intro lessons there 2 or 3 years ago.)

Cinequest is a film festival. We meant to see a Jeff Buckley documentary, but the timing didn't work out, so we missed it.

So then we walked a couple blocks to our next destination. On our way there, we passed a group of tattooed folks with sports jerseys. I actually didn't think much of this, except that after they passed, one of our friends said, "Uh, that guy was carrying a 9mm. gun."

We continued our merry way to a club called Zoe's, which was hosting a ticketed event to "Ramen Life." This event was forwarded to me from a friend, and apparently there were posters for it all over the local Japanese groceries (Mitsuwa), ramen houses, and bookstores (Kinokinuya). It definitely sounded a little odd, but I was intrigued. Plus I love noodles.

Well, in the end it sucked. The promoter/organizer for this event was an idiot. Despite that they sold out of presale tix, they still let people pay to come in, and there was only seating for like, maybe 40 people at most. I think there were maybe 300-400 people in there. I don't know. It was packed. I waited in a line for maybe 40 minutes, only to find that the table that I previously saw heaping with appetizers was now left with 10 pieces of shui mai, a vat of salad, and 6 pieces of mochi ice cream. The announcer came on and meekly said that they had run out of appetizers. Later they came on again to say that someone was going to do a grocery run to get more food.

A GROCERY run!? I can go to Mitsuwa by myself and buy the food that I want, without these obnoxious crowds and styrofoam, thank you very much!

There was a brief taiko drum performance, but I've seen better ones, where it's outside and the sound isn't drowned out by the crowds of people impatiently waiting for their $25 grocery food. And they showed a short film about the art of slurping noodles. Who decided this film was necessary? World-acclaimed director Juzo Itami already covered this topic masterfully in his ramen-meets-Rocky film, Tampopo. I never saw so many Japanese people (except in Japan). Every Japanese girl had some combination of a cute purse or cute hat or cute shoes.

Luckily my boyfriend snagged me a somewhat decent bowl of ramen from another packed line. We were so annoyed, that I just slurped up the last of my ramen and left so we could all go get a real dinner at E & O's up the street.

I suppose San Jose has its good little eateries. We saw a tasty-looking Vietnamese sandwich shop called Dakao, which I've heard is very good. And I always like Original Joe's for its mafioso servers and atmosphere and jumbo meatball spaghetti.

But other than that, the museum, the Camera Theaters (for indie films), and the IMAX theater, San Jose is not a lot of fun.

Still not convinced? Take a look at the map for Santa Clara county on this sex offender search, thanks to Megan's Law (which I found on Cosmic Onion). See where all the sex offenders hang out? Not a good sign.

Now we're cookin'!

After an overindulgent winter holiday filled with big fancy dinners and travel, I decided to get back into more affordable cooking at home.

Luckily I just bought this great book called Solo Suppers that includes simple recipes portioned for one person. My boyfriend and I are trying to eat less anyway, so I just put a little bit extra of everything in, and then it's enough for two! Plus it includes tips on how to keep a reasonable pantry of staples vs. fresh foods for one person.

The first recipe we made from the book was Spaghetti Carbonara, which is super easy. It's basically spaghetti and a little bit of egg, parmesan, peas (or other veggie of your choice) and pancetta, which is basically italian bacon. You can't go wrong with bacon!

The next one we made was Risotto with Peas, Mushrooms, and Gremolata, which is essentially lemon zest mixed with parmesan and parsley. i think i put too much lemon in this one.

Yesterday I whipped up good ol' mac 'n' cheese from a box and baked beans from a can, because sometimes I just get those little-kid-food cravings. And I like cheese and sugar.

And today I celebrated getting out of jury duty by cooking up Farro with Butternut and Chestnuts (also from the book) and having some Fat Bastard Chardonnay with it. Farro is a barley-like grain from Italy, with a nice nutty flavor. It's a bit like a nutty brown rice. This grain was hard to find; I only spotted it at A.G. Ferrari. I love butternut squash and chestnuts. This was a yummy, hearty meal.

I guess it's been a little carb-heavy. But I love carbs!

In other news, Todd found my Lemony Snicket books! It's a delightful little book series, and I really like the illustrations.

But I still haven't found my umbrellas. I must have left them somewhere public because I can't find them anywhere. :( One was my nice big Chococat umbrella, and the other was my little fold-up MoMA umbrella which is black but on the inside it's sky blue with cloud images. Let me know if you've spotted one of these!

Responsibility Schmonsibility

This week I face potential jury duty. Today I got lucky and didn't have to report, but every day for the rest of the week, I have to call to check they still need me. To prepare, I Yahooed for tips on how I can get out of jury duty.

There is so much desperation, deceit, and defiance shared in these jury duty tips and stories. It's enough to make up an episode of This American Life.

Lucky for the Santa Clara County Courts, I am a bad liar. But if I have real biases related to the case, I'll express them. I'm rooting for a medical malpractice case, because I can say that my brother and several other cousins and relatives are doctors.

I hope I'll get dismissed because I don't need another obstacle to keep me from meeting work deadlines!

One of my peeves (which doesn't happen so much anymore b/c I sit in a corner cube) is when a visitor stops by and lingers too long to chat. I don't mind a polite short visit, but any longer than 5 minutes of a non-work-related visit during the workday (especially when I am obviously in the middle of something at my computer) outside of a lunch or late-afternoon coffeebreak is an over-stay. Toward 10 minutes, I start to get antsy. At the 15-minute mark, I become cranky and am screaming in my head, "Don't you have WORK to do??"

At the very least, an unplanned visitor should have the decency to ask upon arrival (or prior to arrival) if the visitee has a moment.

So today I was delighted to stumble upon some amusing tips on how to end an over-stay. (note the odd text ads on the left of this blog.)

I don't think I'm mean enough to ever execute one of these tips, because it sounds like something right out of David Brent's character from The Office. Speaking of which, I wonder if the American version will actually be as funny. I am hoping Steve Carell will make it work, because I need subtitles to watch the original British version.

I, just wanna fly!

The Yahoo! 10th birthday party was charmingly nostalgic and just enough fun to handle on a worknight.

[more pics from the party]
[Also pics taken by another coworker]

First we watched a funny video of Yahoo! with photos and interviews with Yahoo! founders, Jerry and David, and also with Yahoos who have been here since the beginning. They showed photos of the founders as children, teens, and college kids. Plus there was a reel of celebs wishing Yahoo! a happy birthday, including such supastars (hehe) like Chris O'Donnell and Paula Abdul.

Highlights and Fun Facts revealed from festivities:

Jerry and Dave met when Dave was Jerry's T.A. in a computer science class. Dave had no sympathy when Jerry objected to his poor grade in the class.

They showed David Filo barefoot in his slovenly bachelor mess in the initial Stanford-based trailer where Yahoo! began. He was known to only wear shirts that were given to him, especially competitor t-shirts.

Our corporate color, purple, came out of an accident. When they opened their first office in Mountain View (on Pioneer Street), Dave picked a gray paint for their walls. They painted a whole wall, looked up and realized that it was actually lavender. They were too cheap to fix it, so it ended up being the trademark office color.

People love Yahoo!

Jonathan (a Yahoo! designer for Mobile) said he got pulled over by a cop, but when the cop discovered that Jonathan worked for Yahoo, he said, "Oh yeah? How's the business going? Ya think it'll do better? I'll let you go (without a ticket) because I want your stock to do well this year."

Some Yahoo! users came to our campus to thank Yahoo! for enriching their lives:

Two middle-aged/older women were playing Yahoo! Games when they saw an online message from a woman who needed help. They called the authorities and saved this person's life.

There were two moms who had children with debilitating and fatal diseases, and used Yahoo! Groups for information and support from others in the same situation.

There was a couple who met on Yahoo! Personals. She started with a Yahoo! Personals "Icebreaker" to meet him. They shared their dating story, and then the guy proposed to her right there on campus.


Finally, Sugar Ray put on an energetic little show in the fancy tent (despite sound system problems). We had free booze and food (sandwiches, sushi, etc.). That Mark McGrath is one hyper guy. He was jumping around onstage so much, most of my pics came out blurry.

At one point, Mark McGrath pulled a couple Yahoos out of the audience to play a karaoke game. One of them was a designer that we know. Mark asked him his name, but for some reason he had trouble answering!?!?

I don't know if he was drunk off his ass or took too long to think of something clever to say. So Mark decided to call him "Sven." Bear in mind, this person looked nothing like a Nordic person (he's Asian, with long black hair and facial hair). I don't think we'll ever call him by his real name again.

So anyway, Sugar Ray played their 4 reliable hits, with a few covers (including the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop" and other songs in between. Mark McGrath had the crowd hopping up like mad through the last song ("Fly"). It's not everyday that I leave work with my ears ringing!

Diana, Jenny, Karen, Alice, Valerie, Chris, Justin, JWong, Brian B, Armando, Christian, Irene, and other ex-Yahoos and Yahoos in other locales -- you were all missed! Yahoooo-ooo!

Happy 10th Birthday to Yahoo!

Today is Yahoo's 10th Birthday! Celebrate and have a scoop of Baskin Robbins on us.

This morning everyone at the headquarters office got a rose at their desk and a memento booklet to remind us of how far we've come since the beginning. You can also reminisce with our 10x10 "Netrospective."

This afternoon we will celebrate with a Sugar Ray concert in a tent right on our campus, complete with Purple Kool-Aid, swirly topiaries, and plasma tvs which will probably show photos of Yahoo over the years.

I realize that I have now been at the company for more than half its lifetime! As it turns out, all the Yahoos who have stuck around for 5+ years will soon be rewarded with a custom-Yahoo! gumball machine. I'll have to share it with my newer coworkers and put it in my corner cubicle, because I have no room for it in my apartment.

Good ol' Jerry and Dave still look pretty much the same, after all these years, if just slightly more well-fed. Cheers, Yahoo!