Farrah Fawcett Passes

One of the first things that occurred to me when I learned of Michael Jackson's death this afternoon was "Man! Michael Jackson is stealing Farrah Fawcett's thunder!" Don't worry, Farrah. There are still many who are thinking of you. I have to admit that I was never really a Farrah fan until now. Even though I loved watching Charlie's Angels when I was little, I didn't even know who she was up until a couple years ago. Who is this Farrah sex symbol woman???

What amused me from what I've learned is her relationship with Ryan O'Neal. To have a love that remains true for decades, with or without marriage, is truly special, but to have that happen in Hollywood Land? That's unheard of. My heart goes out to Mr. O'Neal and Farrah's loved ones. I'll have a drink for you and Michael tonight. It may not be alcoholic, but it'll be a drink.

Michael Jackson is Dead

Michael Jackson is dead. Michael Jackson is dead... I've said these four words countless times today, but it still sounds so strange. It's not getting into my head. How can a legend, the "King of Pop", an iconic figure for so many across the globe, a man who has influenced and inspired music and dance in so many ways, a person who has been a small part of my life from childhood to adulthood be... gone? It's Michael Jackson! He can't die! It sounds absurd. He was supposed to keep changing his appearance and eventually become immortal...

As strange and unstable as he was mentally and physically, I still admire him because of his talent and the gift he gave to the world. He was an extraordinary individual who will be truly missed by fans everywhere.

I wonder what's going to happen to all of his assets. And his children. And his concert ticket holders... But wouldn't it be something if he was actually NOT dead and this was all a stunt for his upcoming concerts?! I think I'm secretly... well not so secretly now... hoping that he's just pulling a fast one on us and really isn't dead. I can already imagine people claiming to have sighted Michael Jackson alive! Maybe he'll be hanging out with Elvis. Who knows.

Palin vs. Letterman

I think Sarah Palin and David Letterman need to calm the heck down and stop bitching like two little girls. It was a tasteless joke, but I think the uber smart Sarah Palin took it out of proportion. If I had to take sides, I think Letterman will be the victor on this one. Quiet down now, kids.

Peony in Love

I found a new favorite book. It's Peony in Love by Lisa See. Being the nerd that I am, I am rereading the book immediately after I finished it last week. Yay! :)


So why do I love the book? It takes place during the arranged marriages and foot binding days of China. I will read almost anything about the struggles of humanity - a favorite of mine when I was little was Road to Memphis. But China really draws me in since I am Chinese. Anyway, I learned a lot about Chinese traditions and ways of thinking, some of which my family is accustomed to today. And some history too (this is partially based on factual events)! But the primary reason is because it's a (tragic) love story. What a sucker I am. It's explores common emotions - regret, passion, revenge, longing, anger, and love evolving through time. It's a sniffler (tissues recommended) with surprising twists. But since a chunk of this book is told through the a 15/16 year old girl, some may think it's quite immature. In some parts, I just wanted to slap her and make her face reality! And the beliefs of the afterworld may be a little far fetched for some.

But if I had to sum up this book in a single word, I'd say it's "beautiful."

David Carradine Found Dead

I was shocked to see in the news today that David Carradine was found dead hanging from the ceiling of his hotel room in Bangkok yesterday. I've never followed his career and the only movies I've seen him in are the Kill Bill movies, but I think I'm correct in saying that he was all about nature, tranquility, zen, stuff like that? And to die in this fashion just seems out of character! Or maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about and my 94 bug bites is making me a little crazy. Or maybe I shouldn't take what I see on the big screen and think it's real life!

That reminds me of a story one of my kinesiology teachers told us a long time ago. I took his walking class (yes, I took walking! Stop laughing!!), but he was also the wrestling coach. One day, two girls went up to him and asked him if Bailey was a good wrestler. He was confused. Who is Bailey? The girls explained, "You know, he's on 'Party of Five' and is on your wrestling team."

HA!!

Wow. There are some stupid people out there, and these two girls get gold stars for being the stupidest of the bunch.


So to explain the story a bit, Bailey, the character from this show, was supposedly a wrestler on the SFSU's wrestling team. These idiot girls thought he's actually on the real team that exists in real life... I wonder what those girls are doing now...

Puerto Rican Food

For the most part, I wasn't a huge fan of Puerto Rican food. A lot of the stuff we ate were deep fried. After the first couple of days, I was just craving vegetables and something healthy! I'm telling ya, I won't be eating sweet plantains for a long while! While I can't say that I love Puerto Rican food, I did eat some things that were pretty darn good.

We ate at a restaurant along the "Santana Row" of Vieques (island east of the main island of Puerto Rico) called Mucho Gusto. One dish worth mentioning is their Puerto Rican shrimp gumbo. A little spicy and a lot yummy. Unfortunately, we went back a couple of days later for the same thing, but it didn't have the same kick.


The best thing I had during my trip is definitely the coconut flan. Oh dear mother of god. What a slice of heaven... The flan was light and not too sweet. Pieces of fresh young coconut were used. On top of the flan was a layer of condensed milk, and piled on top a gargantuan dollop of whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon. I get chills all over my body just thinking about it. Was that a small orgasm?


Since Vieques has to import everything from the main island, it's pretty common to run out of things. I believe every single restaurant we went to, the server had to tell us what they didn't have on the menu. The funniest and most surprising was when we went to a ceviche bar but they didn't have any ceviche. That was a major disappointment!!

94 Souvenirs from Puerto Rico

I came back with 94+ souvenirs from Puerto Rico. I am adorned with nearly a hundred bites on my arms and legs. Most are from mosquitoes and some are from sand fleas. I'm itchy like a mofo! Such evil creatures... Just looking at their tracks make me cringe. And this is coming from someone who LIKES bugs!