eltzjy's Xanga

Visiting the Food in Penang - Jul 2009

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 08:25:12 GMT

Christina and I took a brief holiday with our friend Shannon to the island of Penang in Malaysia. Christina is getting close to when she shouldn't be flying as she enters her third trimester, so we took the trip out to visit our old friends who moved to Penang as well as some of Christina's extended family. While there, we had tons of awesome food in a place known especially for good eats (more about that at my food etc. blog, Epicuriousity & Technogadgetry).

While in Penang, we finally got to eat some durian that wasn't so stinky. We had heard that you need to eat it really fresh and that the longer it's been off the tree the worse it tastes. There's tons of durian in Jakarta but we just had it once and it was not that good. This one was sweet and creamy, in a really rich way. I could only eat so much mostly because of the richness. There was that distinctive durian flavor after eating a number of pieces but not really stinky. Now I feel ready to try some more.

Bumps - June 2009

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:01:16 GMT

It's been rather strange feeling the little bumps that appear on Christina's tummy. Sometimes I put my ear to her tummy and I'll feel a little bump near my head like my baby's trying to hit me. It's nice to know that she's active and healthy though.

Goodbye Beastie Boy

Tue, 19 May 2009 07:30:02 GMT

Today Christina and I said goodbye to Beastie Boy, the truck/SUV/AUV/vehicle that has carried us around Indonesia for the past year and a half. I've never really known what type of vehicle it was since it didn't quite fit the styles of vehicles in the States. I think it's listed as a minibus or something like that in the registration docs.

Anyhow, some friends of our nicknamed the loud diesel-guzzling machine soon after we purchased the vehicle and the name seemed to fit. The loudness and smell of the vehicle was part of the reason we sold it. Also, it was rather large. It was great for when we traveled around with lots of friends but most of the time it's just me and Christina. Many of our expat friends have left or are leaving so it's mostly just us now. We're switching to a smaller but not too small vehicle. Hopefully it runs as well as Beastie Boy. It ran well despite its other qualities. We'll miss you Beastie Boy.

Recent travels and food ~ Mar 2009

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:58:18 GMT

Recently I got back from traveling to an island off the coast of Sumatra. It was a nice quiet natural peaceful kind of place for the most part. At one point I stayed at a hotel on the beach (easy to do on a a small island). The view was great and the sound of the waves is always comforting to me.

That was in contrast to the mud trekking I did on a motorbike taxi to get to a place I needed to go.

I'm going back with Christina in a couple weeks. Meanwhile, we've been living in the city. Food seems to be the main event for us when we're in the city. I've been making dinners with Christina using a Rachel Ray cookbook I got for my birthday from our friends, the Quons. They're quick dinners so that's been nice, especially after a long day at work.

Something funny that was food-related we saw recently was a produce section of a supermarket we frequent. The only thing "exotic" to us is the Terong Belanda, translated as Dutch eggplant, used to make a sweet sour drink.

Passing through Taiwan again ~ Jan 2009

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:42:12 GMT

I'm sitting in the Taiwan airport again on my way back to Southeast Asia. Happily it's with Christina this time. Our visit to the States went by quickly, especially the last week. It feels funny heading back. I'm not sure if I'm ready but I'll have to be. Hopefully jet lag isn't too bad.

More food - Nov 2008

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:39:25 GMT

One of the best things about California and LA in particular is the food. After Christina flew in we went for Vietnamese at Pho 79 in Alhambra for a good old bowl of Pho Tai (beef noodle) and Goi Cuon (fresh spring rolls).

A couple days later, I picked up some blackberries and made a pseudo Egg McMuffin, both hard to find where we normally live.

One evening Christina and I went out with our friends Christina and Oscar to a crazy Taiwanese restaurant called the Indian Bar.

We had an amazing Korean Feast at our friends, Shirley and Drew's.

My mom toook us out for some lobster at a Chinese seafood restaurant in Rowland Heights.

November was finished off of course by Thanksgiving dinner at both our houses. We made an apricot lemon glazed turkey, cranberry pomengranate sauce, and Christina's family sticky rice stuffing at my mom's. At Christina's family's house we made apple pie in a paper bag inspired by the one made by Elegant Farmer in Wisconsin (seen on Food Network).

Good food in LA and new phone - Nov 08

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:40:37 GMT

Since Christina and I got to LA last week we've been able to enjoy some good food with friends, LA style. We've had some good old Mexican food with friends Lisa, Amy, and Greg. There was carne asada and pollo asado (grilled beef and chicken) with yummy tortilla chips and salsa.

Then for dinner that same day we had homemade Chinese dumplings made by my mom and aunt. I think it's been over a year since I've had them.

A couple nights ago we had large quantities of Buca di Beppo Italian food even though we ordered small portions. I only remembered to get photos of the Tiramisu.

Picture quality is so-so since I took them on my new HTC T-Mobile G1 w/ Google smartphone. Not so bad though. I lost my old Dell Axim PDA which Christina gave me for our wedding on my flight to the States :(. Fortunately, I had insurance for it so I go this new G1 Android phone promoted by Google. I love to go bleeding edge and try new technology but it's actually a pretty solid phone that rockets past my old BenQ-Seimens phone that had a ton of issues. I'm happy to have a PDA and phone in one again. My last try at a PDA phone was so-so at being a PDA and so-so at being a phone, made by HTC as well. It looks like this new one is much better, hopefully that holds true long term.

The US

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:55:40 GMT

This is certainly an interesting time in United States history. Instead of writing about politics though I just wanted to share about how funny it is being back in the States. I've been here in North Carolina for a little over a week now and it sure is cold. Earlier last week I was getting up in the morning and it was freezing outside, literally. Most days for me before were a balmy 86F. That was before Daylight Savings. Imagine that, a change in the length of daylight. At the equator the sun rises and sets just about the same time day in, day out. Then there's the seasons, of which there are two, wet and dry, around the equator. Here though autumn is in full swing with all the lovely colors of the trees.

Then there's the tap water. Drinkable. Clean water is really a blessing. Being able to brush teeth, and wash food, dishes, or hands without worrying about the water making you sick is amazing. Then there's all the American food that isn't outrageously expensive like cereals other than Corn Flakes, bagels, and granola bars. Other than that, there's hot water everywhere and clothes dryers. It sure is funny living in another country sometimes.

Cats unbounded

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:42:06 GMT

I feel like there's way more cats in my life than ever before. There's that one cat I posted a picture of in my last post. There's an annoying tomcat that occassionally sits on our porch or under our car and poos here and there. Then there's our office cat. That cat is the silliest cat I know but he's lovable at least. His previous caretakers called him Aslan like in the Chronicles of Narnia, but the house helpers at our office call him Ping. Ping is a much more fitting name. A month or so ago, Ping hurt his leg, maybe in a cat fight or from a fall or something. In any case he ended up with an absess that had to be drained by the vet that left him with the vet for a couple days. Before the vet took him he was still hopping around doing his usual activities, even jumping down from tall heights. Recently, he hurt his other paw so his claw was recessed. Both injuries didn't look pretty.

Even more recently Ping was meowing for food, more like whining, especially since we were eating fish for lunch. Finally, some one gave him some fish bones. After he ate that he went meowing again, so someone else gave him some fish. Then a third time he was still meowing so someone tossed him some more and just as he was about to eat it we heard this burp and the next thing we knew Ping's lunch was on the ground. It was really disgusting but also really funny. I'm not sure what will happen to him since we're moving to another office in a couple months. Maybe he'll be brought. In any case, I hope he's ok because not the brightest cat around but he's still a nice cat.

Pics and Waffles

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 04:03:44 GMT

I put up a bunch of pictures today because I was finally able to post. I don't know why it's so hard to post but might as well while I can. Here's a funny pic of a funny cat named Waffles.