Insane Woman at BART

You get a poem, not a post,
Explaining why I've been a ghost
Fading in and fading out.
I'll tell you what that's all about.

It's a long story, I fear.
I've been everywhere but here.
Traveling from coast to coast,
I really had no time to post.

In San Fran, I practiced law,
deposed a man about what he saw.
Then, I engaged in odds and ends
And had a visit with some friends.

I rode the rails on BART's train,
and met a woman who was insane.
I did tons of shopping in Union Square,
And took some photos while I was there.

I came back to loads of work,
which caused me to be a jerk.
With my computer, I shut myself in.
After days, I became pale and thin.

I missed the warm light of day
and wanted to go out and play.
Alas, I was forever stuck indoors,
and it felt worse than doing chores.

Rejoice! I finally got a break.
I didn't know how long it'd take.
So we drove to visit Cuz in DC
And went to the usual spots to sightsee.

The trip helped improve my mood.

Cuz took us to eat Peruvian food.
We stood in line for some fro-yo.
Before we knew it, we had to go

The end filled me with much dread
Because I knew more work was ahead.
Just thinking about it makes me wince.
But it's no excuse for my absence.

So that was where I have been.
No excuse for Laura or my twin.
As Laura says, I've been a busy bee.
But back to blogging for the Sisters 3.

You Make Me Blush

We got two...yes, TWO "Life Is Good" Awards.  Our awesome readers, Ashley from Miss Mayhem and Malou from Toasters and Kangaroos, granted us these honors.  They are both sweethearts.  =)  According to the rules, I have to answer some questions.  What is this?  An interrogation?

Ashley asked:

1. How old are you? I plead the fifth.  Haha.  I'm 31 (Cry!)
2. Do you have any tattoos, if so, how many and where? I have one tattoo on the left side of my lower back.  It is my last name in Chinese.
3. Jensen Ackles or Jared Padalecki? Who are these people??  See answer to No. 1.  Haha.
4. Spiders or snakes?  None of the above please.
5. Sneakers or heels?  Heels...although they kill my feet!
6. How long have you been blogging?  Oh, gosh, it's been one year and three months!  I still don't know what the heck I'm doing.
7. If you were stranded on an island, and could bring three things, what would you bring?  Can I bring people?  I would bring Tina, Laura and Huz.  =)  Although Tina and Laura would hate me for getting them stranded on an island.
8. "Live well", "laugh often", or "love much"?  Laugh often. 
9. Survivor or Supernatural? (the shows)  Sorry, don't watch either.  I tried watching Supernatural when it first came out.  But it was too scary for me.
10. Ghosts or aliens? Do you think either are real?  Do you think I'm a weirdo if I say both?  Because yeah, I totally believe in ghosts and think there has to be aliens out there.

Malou asked:
1. If you could go back in time, where would you go?  England in the 19th Century.  Life seemed so grand then.  It's the damn romance novels I read.
2. What's in your pockets right now?  Nothing.  I never keep anything in my pockets because it'll look bulky and ruin my whole look.  =p
3. Who is your favorite person in the whole entire world?  Are you trying to get me killed?  Certain people will be very unhappy if I don't say them.  And you know who they are.  I share this blog with them.  Hint, hint. 
4. If you could be any age for a week, what age would you choose?  I'd be 17.  That's when I met Huz.  And we were both young, carefree and in love.
5. What's your favorite magazine?  Any girly magazine.  But I always go straight for Cosmo.
6. Are you superstitious?  No, not really. I leave my umbrella open in my house when it's wet.  I walked under a ladder without realizing it the other day.  But I do knock on wood.
7. Favorite color and why?  My answer is boring.  Gray.  It matches everything.  =)
8. Favorite time of year?  Summer is the best!  The beach, swimming, ice cream, flip flops...awesome!
9. What's one adjective you could use to describe you?  Weird.
10. What fruit do you most resemble?  Cherries.

Vulcan Sisters

I am retiring the Vulcan Sisters heading.  I want to do another one, but I can't think of what.  Any ideas??  I'll think of something...

Be Proud to be a Nerd!

So I'm finishing up a Southeast Asian Art History course this semester and we primarily learn about art in India. My teacher commented on something today that I thought was funny.

She said that when they translated Spiderman, the comic book, for India, they had to change the story line, because the Indian people weren't understanding why a boy that's so smart and studious could be an outcast. They changed Peter into a boy that came from the country and moved to the city.

I thought it was funny how society in schools today think people who slack off are so cool. I was actually thinking about this recently, because I know some people who dropped out of high school and are basically occupational potheads. And I've spoken to one of my friends recently and he was telling me careers he wants to pursue. This is not the first case of this that I've witnesses. It seems a lot of teenagers nowadays have this idea they can slack off now but in the future when they're good and ready to actually try in life, they can be successful at whatever they want to be.

Teenagers nowadays (and I can say that without including myself because I'm 20!) seem to have this general idea that things will just happen for them without work. And I'm really not saying this just because I think it, I see it.

There's this general lack of motivation in America that's kinda depressing.

So What Is It?

My photography assignment for this week was to take abstract pictures.  What the heck is abstract photography?  My first thought was objects really close up.  Right?  Isn't that what you picture too? My teacher described it as images in which you can't really tell what it is. Sounded easy enough.

I was in San Francisco this past weekend, so I thought it was a perfect opportunity to take abstract pictures.  Well, turns out.  The assignment wasn't so easy.  I was wandering downtown San Francisco and didn't know what I was doing.  I took pictures of buildings and structures.  I wasn't sure if they were abstract.  When I came home, I took some random pictures of stuff in my house.  Still didn't know if I got it right or not.

I was eager to see everyone's work at class last night. However, the teacher who gave us this assignment didn't show up, and his co-teacher wasn't entirely sure what we were supposed to do or even what qualified as abstract.  We looked at picture after picture, and he didn't think most of them could be considered abstract..

So let's play a game. My photos are below.  What are they pictures of?  And which ones do you think qualified as abstract?

Answers:
1) Loose sequins - not abstract
2) Side of a building with reflection of the building across the street - abstract
3) My new flip flops - abstract
4) Cork coasters - not abstract

Laura's Creative Writing Homework

I wrote a button poem earlier and I had it workshopped. My class said most of the energy and quirkiness was on top and there was not much to be discovered as you read it, so I edited it. They suggested I give the button character more personality. I just wanted some feedback. Thanks!

Soy Sauce Chicken and Garlic Pretzel Bites

I made soy sauce chicken and garlic pretzel bites this week.  But not together, if that was what you were thinking.  Separately they were delicious, and I have to pass along the recipes.

Crock Pot Soy Sauce Chicken

I have been trying to find a good crock pot recipe for years, and I finally found an awesome one.  I turned the crock pot on before I left for work, and it was ready when I got home.  Viola!  I stir-fried some veggies and served with white rice.  The chicken was so tender and tasty.   The meat fell right off the bone.  We made a bunch, and it lasted for a few days.  I love leftovers because that means I don't have to make or even think about making dinner for a day or two.  And that is awesome!  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
8-10 chicken thighs
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 inch ginger, sliced
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese wine or sherry wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon white or black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
salt for seasoning

Directions:
Season chicken with salt and place in slow cooker.  Mix rest of ingredients in a bowl and pour over chicken.  Blend and make sure that the chicken is well coated.  Cover and place in the refrigator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours on high.

Garlic Pretzel Bites

I somehow got sucked into being the birthday person in my department.  I don't know how that happened.  They said I was perfect for the job.  Ugh.  Anyway, on Friday, it was someone's birthday.  I had the idea of doing an afternoon snack instead of a cake.  We got soft pretzels and ice cream sandwiches.  Anyway, we ended up having a bunch of soft pretzels left over.  I brought some home.  Huz told me that his co-worker made garlic pretzel bites with leftover pretzels.  So I tried it.

I chopped up the pretzels.  Then I melted a couple tablespoons of butter and mixed in minced garlic and Parmesan cheese.  I dumped the pretzels into the butter mix and coated all the pretzel bites.  I dumped them onto a George Foreman grill and grilled them for 6-7 minutes.

The garlic pretzel bites were buttery and crunchy.  You should try it!  Yum.

Do you have any recipes that I must try??  Let me know.  I love trying new things...especially if it doesn't require that much work.  Haha.

Walking the Turtle

I let my turtle roam our backyard today.  Poor guy is always stuck in his tank.  So I gave him a little bit of freedom.  He seemed happy to get out.  But when I first placed him in the grass, he just sat there unmoving.  He's not used to a big wide world.  He was probably experiencing sensory overload--the sounds, the green grass, the bright sun.  But it didn't phase him for long.  Soon he started walking.  In fact, he tried to get as far away from me as possible.  That darn Wasabi...trying to get rid of me.  I don't think so.

I took a million pictures of him while waiting for him to get his fill.  Isn't he cute??

When I brought him inside, he had grass stuck in his folds.  I was picking them out for him, and he tried to bite me!  Ungrateful turtle!  Solitary confinement for you.

I Made Laura Crap Her Pants

Sometimes Laura sends me inappropriate emails at work.  By inappropriate, I don't mean pornographic or anything.  You dirty minds you!  I mean lots of curse words.  I feel like those things get flagged.  But I don't know.  I can't be too careful though.  I do work in a law firm.  You know lawyers are all about ethics and morals.

So she sent me an email about some annoying guy in her class.  She was cussing up a storm and saying how she wanted to strangle him.  Haha.  She used the F word a few times.  She even used the N word!  The horror.  In her defense, she was only repeating what her annoying classmate was saying.  Laura is not racist.  After reading her profane email, I was going to yell at her for using such language in an email to my work.  But instead, I changed the subject of her email to say "Automated Response."

The text of my email is below:

This is an automated response from LAW FIRM, LLP. Our systems have scanned your electronic mail to tara@lawfirm.com and have automatically blocked this email and any future emails from you. Words like "n****" and "f***" cannot be accepted by our systems. We apologize for the inconvenience, you foul mouth bitch.

Her response was classic:

OMG! Lol I actually thought that was real until the end!
Aw man you tricked me :( I was like oh nooo blocked foreverrr!!! what do i dooooo!!

Haha!  That was f**king awesome!  Showed her!  See, lawyers can have fun too.  ;)

Don't Kiss Your Baby

Yes, that's right, mommies and daddies.  Don't kiss your babies.  Because if you do, things are happening that you are totally unaware of.  You are transferring gross disgusting bacteria to your babies.  This article says that kisses on the lips and sharing food can give your baby cavities.  So it's just not candies that are doing it.  Parents across the world are unwittingly passing on Streptococcus mutans, a bacteria that can pass from person to person through the transfer of saliva.  When a baby's teeth first come in, the enamel is very soft and thus susceptible to decay.  The worse news is that the bacteria can thrive for years and affect permanent teeth. 


So this pretty much sucks for parents...especially those who love their babies a little too much.  Ahem, Tina.  Parents can't even kiss your friggin' baby or share food with them.  It definitely makes me think twice about it too.  My poor future babies...no kisses for you.  Sorry.  

Na'vi Sisters

I took down the "Na'vi Sisters" header.  I don't know if you guys noticed it, but here it is.

It was really fun messing with the header.  So I did it again. You like? Aren't we cute as Vulcan?  I was cracking up while I was doing it.  The hair, the ears, and the vulcan sign.  Haha!!

I was thinking of changing the theme every once in a while until I get bored of it.  And every time I take it down, I'll post the retired header and label them "Us But Better."

April Fool

I am not a prankster at all.  Not because I'm a killjoy.  I always enjoy a good prank when I am not the prankster or the prankee.  I rather just sit in the side lines.  Also, I am a really bad liar.  And I can't stand the guilt that comes with pranking.  Because evitably afterwards, I'll feel incredible guilt.  Even though I know it's harmless.  I can't help thinking that we are making a fool out of someone.

My friend from work. Not so much.  She claims she's the best liar.  Apparently she had to lie to her parents a lot growing up.  Haha.  So of course today being April Fool's Day, not two minutes after walking through the door, I get an email from her contemplating pranks on several possible victims.  As you can surmise, we didn't get much work done this morning.

I came up with a brillant plan to mess with a fellow associate.  We would tell him that the secretary overheard certain partners talking about transfering someone from our department to another department within the firm.  That the other department was getting really busy and needed more help.  And it was probably going to be one of us.  This change, if it were real, would have been a big deal.  We would tell him that we think it would be announced at the end of the day.  Then at 5pm, we would reveal the big joke.  She and I planned to go to his office together and tell him what we supposedly heard.

But my co-worker jumped the gun.  She called him about another matter and then at the end of that conversation said she had something really important to tell him.  He ended up going to her office, and she went ahead with the prank without me.  The really strange part was that, after he heard the news, he became all shady.  He said he had something to tell her after the partners made the announcement. 

What could it be??  What was going on??

She pressed him to tell her if he knew something.  But he said he'd tell her later.

Is he reverse pranking us??

But we decided to keep up with the joke.  She told me that it was my turn to go talk to him.  But I didn't want to!!  I didn't think I could pull it off.  Just blatantly lie like that.  I don't have a poker face.  It was just too much pressure.  But I sucked it up and went to his office...except he wasn't there.

A minute later, my co-worker called frantic, "He just went to the partner's office and asked him if he had a minute to talk.  And then he shut the door.  I am going to get in trouble for this."

What could he be talking to the partner about??  Oh, sh*t!

This is why I don't do this sort of thing!  But I figured he couldn't be that stupid to talk to a partner about this "rumor."  Right?  Finally he emerged from the partner's office and told us he wanted to talk. 

Then he told us the craziest news.  He quit.

OMG, is he reverse pranking us??  Did he quit because he didn't want to be transferred?  Holy sh*t.  What have we done?

So he was leaving the firm. Our prankee effing quit!  And he definitely wasn't joking.  So we confessed immediately to the April Fool's joke.  He was surprised and actually took it well.  Because it turns out he had planned to quit today anyway. Today of all days!  April Fool's Day. He almost gave us a heart attack.

Our prank totally backfired.  We didn't keep the joke going for very long.  At the time, it wasn't funny at all.  It gave us a lot of anxiety.  But in hindsight, it actually was pretty f**king funny.  So I'd say it was a good April Fool's.

You make anyone a fool today?  Or did you turn into the fool?

P.S. Huz's co-worker moved their manager's desk to the bathroom, and it was complete with internet and a working phone.  He was pissed.  He even looked at surveillance tapes just to find the culprit.  Haha.  Now they knew who did it.  And the manager's going to take that guy's favorite keyboard and put it in jello.  Awesome!

P.P.S. Google claimed that it changed their name to Topeka today.  What a bunch of jokers?  I wonder how many people fell for it.  Did you?

P.P.P.S.  A couple totally parked in our firm parking lot today for some daytime nookie!!  This man and woman drove in two separate cars and then got into her backseat.  Ewwww.  On a dare, someone from my office actually went out there to break it up.  Haha.  What is wrong with people??