.:: y'om say'n? word. ::.

.:: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 ::.

so we've been here in denver metro for 4 months, and i have no job and i have made no new friends. basically i'm a hermit. a married hermit.

and it's no secret i love to knit. i've thought about joining a knitting group, for the main purpose of meeting new ppl, ppl who also love to knit! but i think i have adult-onset social anxiety disorder. i used to be a total social butterfly and looooved meeting new ppl. and until now, i've never really needed more friends. so it's hard for me to break out of that shell and force myself to be social. i get freaked out thinking about going to a knitting "meet-up" all by myself and being a total dork: "hi! i like to knit too! can i be your friend??" :P i know it's not like that, but i think it's just the fear of the unknown, and being rejected. which i've been feeling a lot of lately! so instead of going to the meet-ups, i just read about them on the members' blogs. *sigh* i'm so pathetic. just do it, right??

:: joyCleeP 10:50 AM [+] ::
...

Your Birthdate: January 29

You have the mind of an artist, even if you haven't developed the talent yet. Expressive and aware, you enjoy finding new ways to share your feelings. You often feel like you don't fit in - especially in traditional environments. You have big dreams. The problem is putting those dreams into action. Your strength: Your vivid imagination Your weakness: Fear of failure Your power color: Coral Your power symbol: Oval Your power month: November

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

wow! so true!! scary...

well, all in all, it was nice, mellow birthday, just how i like 'em. :) i got some great mail from friends and my parents (i love packages!!), and really nice cards and ecards. aw, i feel so loved. :)

saturday we went to dinner with C&C to the best japanese restaurant ever! domo is a very traditional, "country" style japanese restaurant, right next to a sumo wrestling training place!! if you go in the day time, i hear you can watch the sumo wrestlers practice. it's also some kind of cultural center too. but you walk into the restaurant and it's the coolest place ever. lots of artifacts and these big wood tables with tree-stump like stools. i had the combo seafood nabemono, which i had never even heard of til last night. it was soooooo good, seriously, the best thing i've ever had. they have really great sushi too, called wankosushi. it's not what you're used to though. it's sushi rice packed into a small palm-sized bowl, topped with traditional and some non-traditional toppings. i had the spicy tuna (duh) and the hamachi with avocado. SO good. SOOOO good!!! they also serve little side dishes, much like korean bahn-chan! and they have a great tea selection, which is served in a traditional ceramic bowl. i really wished i had brought a camera with me...it's hard to explain in words. next time. :) then we went back to C&C's house where we just hung out, drank mexican hot chocolate (deeelicious!) and ate just-out-of-the-oven cookies. my belly was very very happy...

today, the actual day, we woke up to howling winds! it was super windy and a bit chilly outside, so i didn't really want to drive to boulder and explore like we had originally planned. instead, i sat by the fireplace and read the sunday paper (okay, i was just looking thru the ads and coupons). we went to brothers bbq for some kansas style beef brisket sandwiches, went to super target (my all-time favorite store. really.), then to CJ's for some really fantastic hawaiian shave ice, before heading home to relax some more. it's amazing that we have such amazing food near our house. i love it!! then, the highlight of my birthday...W made me traditional korean "birthday soup" or better known as mee-yuk gook (seaweed soup). in korea, pregnant women drink a lot of this soup because of its nutrient content (to keep baby and mommy healthy). so it's common for ppl to eat this soup on their birthdays, which my mom always makes for any of our birthdays. since she couldn't be here to make it for me, W made it, and it was deeeelicious!



so even tho i couldn't have a birthday blowout with my friends and family (which is something i always do, haha, not really), it was a great weekend of great food. i think i'm gonna have to work out extra hard this week. *sigh* next year is a big one tho, i think i'll try to celebrate it in another country. greece maybe?

oh, one more thing before i go...W got me the coolest birthday present!! all you karaoke queens (and kings) will be so jealous to know that i am now in possession of a shure, professional quality, wireless microphone!!! hahaha, he knows me so well... and yes, i sang my little heart out. :D

:: joyCleeP 8:55 PM [+] ::
...

i'm trying really hard not to get discouraged. but sometimes it's hard not to. i have to remember that when i graduated college, jobs were abundant, it was at the height of the dot com boom... (i got hired at a law firm which had so much to do with my food science degree.) :P and i also have to remember that it took me 3 months to find my 2nd job after leaving my first. that's 3 months of non-stop job searching. i know the economy is different now than it was 5-6 years ago, and i know i'm in a totally different region where the job market is not the same as the bay area, but still... i think i have an impressive resume, and i'm a hard-worker, smart, fun and friendly...why doesn't anyone want to hire me?! :( i'm gonna go feel sorry for myself now. *sigh*

oh, and i just got an email from a company i interviewed with in the east bay in october of 2004. they decided not to hire anyone at the time, and have recently reopened the position and want to see me again. okay, so maybe somebody does want to hire me...but why can't they be in denver?!

:: joyCleeP 10:12 AM [+] ::
...

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. sales support
2. conference concierge/floor manager
3. catering & conference services coordinator
4. legal assistant

Four (random) movies you could watch over and over:
1. dirty dancing
2. the notebook
3. kiki's delivery service
4. beauty and the beast

Four places you have lived:
1. yeosu, south korea
2. fresno, ca
3. fremont, ca
4. lone tree, co

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. lost
2. desperate housewives
3. grey's anatomy
4. project runway, amazing race, america's next top model, how i met your mother, the office (they all tied for 4th place, haha)

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. nyc
2. japan
3. cancun
4. hawaii

Four websites you visit (almost) daily:
1. yahoo mail
2. my blog
3. all my friends' LJs/blogs/xangas/etc.
4. jobsites (hotjobs, craigslist, monster, careerbuilder, jobing, etc, etc, etc)

Four of your favorite foods:
1. spicy tuna roll
2. my mom's korean bbq (or anything she cooks for that matter)
3. ramen (the real stuff, not the instant kind)
4. a really good el pastor burrito with the works from a great taqueria (like fiesta taco in pleasanton!!!)

Four places you would rather be right now:
1. at a ski resort, snowboarding
2. somewhere warm, with sandy beaches...like hawaii
3. at a spa getting a nice, relaxing, soothing massage
4. closer to my friends and family in cali...

:: joyCleeP 11:07 AM [+] ::
...

yea! we had our first out-of-town visitors this weekend!! LS was in town for the weekend cuz she tagged along with her boyfriend who was here for work. we got to see them sunday, had breakfast at the original pancake house, and just caught up and got to know S since this was the first time i'd met him. i was glad to see L, and also glad to know there's an Original Pancake House out here! two, actually! i had the dutch baby, and it was goooooooood. :9

and unfortunately, the broncos lost the AFC championship game, and will not be going to the superbowl. anyone who knows us knows we are not football fans. in fact, we're not sports fans in general. sure i've been to a few giants games, a couple warriors games and a raider game, but i can't say i'm a giants fan, or a warriors fan, and definitely not a raider fan. but when you're in denver, a city that revolves around its sports teams, and the home team has a chance at the superbowl...it's hard not to get caught up in it all! hmm...maybe i'll knit some orange and blue scarves for us to wear in case we ever get to go to a broncos game. :)

:: joyCleeP 9:47 AM [+] ::
...

yea! another successful sweater! i made this one for W, and it fits! woohoo! it's "jesse's flames" (sans the flames) from stitch 'n bitch nation.



next is a sweater for me!

:: joyCleeP 3:43 PM [+] ::
...

chilean sea bass
with cilantro-ginger-soy sauce
chef noel mok, osaka grill
savoring san francisco

cilantro-ginger-soy sauce:
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 4 or 5 slices
20 fresh cilantro sprigs
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbspn sugar
*~~*~~*~~*
1 cup broccoli florets
4 6-oz chilean sea bass or escolar fillets (see note below)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
5 Tbspn canola oil
4 oz firm tofu, cut into 8 slices
1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
1/4 cup finely diced carrot
1 Tbspn finely chopped green onion, including some green parts

1. to make sauce: in a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. reduce heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes. strain sauce through a fine meshed sieve and set aside to keep warm.
2. in a pot of boiling water, blanch the broccoli florets for 1 minute. drain, set aside and keep warm.
3. season fish fillets with salt and pepper. in a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 3 tablespoons of oil and cook fillets for 2 minutes on each side, or til light golden brown. transfer to a plate and keep warm in a very low oven.
4. in the same pan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat and sear the tofu til golden brown on each side. push the tofu to one side of pan and add yellow onion, carrot and green onion to other side. saute veggies til crisp-tender, about 1 minute. season with salt and pepper to taste. remove pan from heat.
5. serve each fillet on a warmed plate, with tofu and broccoli along-side. spoon the sauteed veggies over fish. pour warm sauce over fish and serve at once.

okay, so i went to whole foods, cuz they have a very good, fresh seafood section, and asked if they had sea bass. wrong question to ask! the sea monger lady totally bit my head off, telling me whole foods doesn't carry sea bass because it's endangered and they don't condone the killing and selling of an endangered species. okaaaaay, point taken. so instead of the yummy yet endangered sea bass, i got halibut steaks, and it came out deeeelicious (but not as good as sea bass would be, i'm sure). i served the fish with rice, of course. also, i steamed my broccoli instead of blanching, just cuz i love my handy steamer. the sauce is very good, reminds me of the whole steamed fish you get at a chinese banquet. yummmmm.... oh, and no pictures, i didn't think to take one cuz by the time W got home from work and dinner was on the table, it was late and i was STARVING.

one more thing...if you want a great cookbook with more "fine dining" recipes from your favorite SF restaurants, check out savoring san francisco. i love this cookbook!!! it features really great recipes (not exactly your "30-minute-meal" variety) from great SF restaurants like aqua, plouf, shanghai 1930, slanted door, firefly, cha cha cha and citizen cake, to name just a few of the many many restaurants featured in this book. you know, i just realized SF is having dine about town right now. dammit...!! hmmm...i wonder if denver does something comparable...

:: joyCleeP 9:10 PM [+] ::
...

on a recent trip to whole foods, i bought some o'soy cultured soy, which is basically like yogurt. it was on sale, and you know i love a good deal! the strawberry flavor is quite tasty. the peach, not so much. i still have the chocolate to try. but i think i still like yoplait the best. mmm...strawberry mango, key lime pie and peach cobbler are my faves...yum!!

i've recently noticed i have a lot of cookbooks. more than i actually ever use. it's weird tho, cuz i hardly use the ones i have, yet i always find myself browsing thru other books. it's like a cookbook addiction. my other addiction is knitting (if you haven't figured that one out already!). and it's not so much the actual act of knitting, but it's also browsing the net to find new knitting projects i want to knit! i can't stop!!! i've printed out stacks and stacks of projects to knit next, knowing i'll probably never get to it. not to mention the books i already have. and on top of my knitting projects, i have a few sewing projects too. oh, and my big painting project...i really need to get to that soon, especially since my first painting test is just about complete, and i'm very satisfied with it. i hope i still have the time and energy to do all my projects after i start working again. W installed recessed lighting in my craft room over the weekend, so now i have bright lights to do all this craftwork in! woohoo!! yes, my husband is now a skilled electrician. :)

:: joyCleeP 3:35 PM [+] ::
...

i've been quite lucky with finding great deals lately, which is something that rarely happens to me. i went to the gap outlet to use a $15 discount card that was about to expire, and ended up buying 3 sweaters for whit and 3 sweaters for me, and with the $15 discount, only paid $22!! oh, and i got 2 candles too. then today i went to BR to use 2 reward cards that were going to expire in a couple weeks, and i bought a merino turtleneck, super cute herringbone pants and socks, for $18 (after $35 discount). even without the discount cards, i would've gotten smokin' deals. wow. i'm so proud of myself! okay, no more shopping for me...

i can't find the espresso colored yarn i was using for the monster blanket i'm crocheting for W. and now i'm afraid it will never be completed. d'oh! so i've started on a sweater for him in the meantime.

i finished the knit picks socks, my second attempt. they came out okay, much better than my first attempt, but i think i will tweak the original pattern a bit...still doesn't look or feel right. still pretty cute, none the less...

:: joyCleeP 1:55 PM [+] ::
...

i am bored enough to take some online tests...

You Are 30% Weird

Not enough to scare other people... But sometimes you scare yourself.

How Weird Are You?

Your Pimp Name Is...

Luscious Glider

What's Your Pimp Name?

*ahahahaha....*

All American Kid

Popular but not plastic. Athletic but not a jock. Smart but not a brain. You were well rounded and well liked in high school.

Who Were You In High School?

*haha, so true...*

Your 2005 Song Is

Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz "Love forever love is free. Let's turn forever you and me." In 2005, you were loving life and feeling no pain.

What Hit Song of 2005 Are You?

okay, last one...

You Are a Glazed Donut

Okay, you know that you're plain - and you're cool with that. You prefer not to let anything distract from your sweetness. Your appeal is understated yet universal. Everyone digs you. And in a pinch, you'll probably get eaten.

What Donut Are You?

:: joyCleeP 10:56 AM [+] ::
...

well, i turned down the job. it was a project administrator position for a commercial construction company based in houston. they have a small office in denver, and although there were many pluses to working there, there were two MAJOR minuses...first, the commute. tho it was only 13.5 miles away from our house, it took me over half an hour, in light traffic. the surface streets that go from the office to the freeway were madness. and it wasn't even 4pm yet! the freeway was stop and go for the first half. and picturing myself doing that in snow, with accidents left and right...just didn't seem worth it. second...it's a small office, with a bunch of project managers and administrators. so there's no room for growth. i'd be a PA forever. no thanks. and the weirdest part was the lady that interviewed me couldn't tell me how much i'd be making. that's something i'd have to discuss with the senior VP. why on earth would i accept a position without knowing how much it paid?! i've decided i want to work for a big company, with lots of different people, so i can meet people and make friends, and with lots of room for growth, so i can move around from dept to dept, or move my way up the rankings. i just hope it doesn't take too long to find it!!

:: joyCleeP 4:51 PM [+] ::
...

i'm telling you, if you're looking for a job, definitely go to a staffing agency. this is the 2nd one i've used, and both times they immediately got me interviews, the first which lead to my first job! and i didn't even have to do anything! i went in this morning, and i just got a call for an interview on thursday! everyone, keep your fingers crossed...i REALLY need a job!!! and this one sounds pretty cool...

:: joyCleeP 4:51 PM [+] ::
...

my newest beverage of choice these days is something i had while we were in cali. my friend S took us to this chinese bakery/cafe in san mateo, where i tried a half coffee, half tea drink. it sounded intriguing, so i ordered it. and to my surprise, it was quite tasty! i make it at home by brewing weak coffee and adding a tea bag for a few minutes. add milk and sweeten with a little honey. mmm... :9

don't you just love when you come up with something just brilliant?! hehe... we've been debating on what to do for window treatments. the original owners had custom window valances and cornices on most of the windows, but unfortunately, they chose really gross prints (we're talking old-grandma-roses and other flowery prints, blech). we were quick to take those down. :) but now the windows in our family room and living room need new valances. we know they're not cheap, so i thought about just using the old wood cornices and buying new upholstery to cover them, more to our tastes. but then the other day, it just came to me!!! it was brilliant! i'm so excited...i can't wait to make them. now, i just hope we can find the materials. i love owning a home...

:: joyCleeP 1:32 PM [+] ::
...

lomita saltado
peruvian style stir-fried beef with oven-fried potatoes
food & wine, may 2003



2 lbs beef tenderloin, sliced 1/4 inch thick and cut into 1/4 inch wide strips
1 tspn freshly ground pepper
1 tspn ground cumin
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbspn corn oil
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 medium red onions, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
4 jalapenos, seeded and thinly sliced
1 1/2 lbs plum tomatoes, halved, seeded and cut into eigths
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup beef stock or low-sodium broth
2 Tbspn chopped cilantro

1. in a large bowl, toss beef with pepper, cumin and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. in a large skillet or wok, heat oil til shimmering. working in batches, add beef and stir-fry over high heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per batch. transfer beef to another large bowl with a slotted spoon.
2. add garlic to skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring, til golden, 30 seconds. add onions and stir-fry til soft, about 5 minutes. add jalapenos and cook 1 minute. add vegetables to beef in bowl with slotted spoon. add tomatoes to skillet and cook, stirring til slightly softened, 2 minutes.
3. return beef and vegetables to skillet. add wine, stock and remaining soy sauce and stir-fry for 3 minutes. top with cilantro.

oven-fried potatoes:
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
1/4 cup corn oil
kosher salt

1. preheat oven to 450 degrees F. in large bowl, cover potatoes with cold water and let stand 20 minutes.
2. heat 2 large rimmed baking sheets in oven for 5 minutes. drain potatoes and pat dry. return potatoes to dry bowl, add oil and toss to coat. spread potatoes on hot baking sheets and bake for about 35 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp, stirring every 10 minutes. season potatoes with salt. top with stir-fried beef and serve.

lots of prep-work, but super easy recipe, and of course deeeelicious! apparently this dish was strongly influenced by the chinese, hence the soy sauce and stir-frying. peruvians see potatoes as vegetables, and commonly serve this dish, potatoes and all, with white rice! too much starch for me, so i just served it sans the rice.

:: joyCleeP 9:51 AM [+] ::
...

well, so far things are going pretty good with comcast. i have to relearn all the channels cuz they're all different! and the DVR and program guide are really different, but relatively easy to use. the best part about comcast, something that dish didn't offer, is "on demand." it's a bunch of programs that you watch when you want to watch them. they have a lot of different shows, covering all genres. but my favorite is "exercise tv!" it's so fun! yesterday, i did a little bellydancing, afro-brazilian tribe, latin and yoga. they were each only about 10 minutes long.

i have a really hard time finding jeans, so i get really excited when one finally fits me well. i've decided that j.crew jeans fit my body the best, which is weird cuz i always equate j.crew pants with super skinny stick figures with no hips, since that's what all the models look like! they were having a really good sale on jeans, so i bought a couple pairs online. when i went to submit my order, the site froze up! so i wasn't sure if it went thru or not. so i reordered. and yesterday, i got 2 orders of the same 2 jeans! oy vey...they're final sale items so i couldn't return them! :( but then i thought about it...it takes me a while to find good jeans, i might as well just keep these, cuz it's not like jeans ever go out of style! i mean, i've had the same style jeans forever now (bootcut), so it's safe to say i could keep the extra pair, stash them away somewhere safe, and the next time i need new jeans, voila! instant new jeans!

W got me this book to help me learn HTML better. he taught me basics, so i could edit my own blog (hence what you see here). but i only know the main tags and shortcuts (i.e. copying someone else's work!). this book should help me with the basic principles of HTML, and what's going on backstage. if all goes well, i think i'll also try this one, which is more comprehensive and goes into better detail with CSS. and maybe i'll get a quickstart guide on dreamweaver too. what do i plan to do with all this knowledge you ask? why, create my own fabulous website of course! not exactly sure what i'm going to do with it, but i'm thinking i want to build some sort of crafting/knitting site, and maybe even try to sell the stuff i make. but we'll see. i don't want to get too ahead of myself. let's try building a website first. :)

:: joyCleeP 10:15 AM [+] ::
...

every once in a while, i like to do a complete overhaul cleaning of my inbox. even tho i'm only using about 2% of my 1G of space, i like to get rid of the clutter. and it's always fun revisiting funny forwards and things i've saved over the years. here's a favorite from a former coworker:

THE "TWO COW" EXPLANATION OF WHAT MAKES...

A CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT:
You have two cows.
You keep one and give one to your neighbor.

A SOCIALIST:
You have two cows.
The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.

AN AMERICAN REPUBLICAN:
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none. So what?

AN AMERICAN DEMOCRAT:
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. You vote
people into office who tax your cows, forcing you to sell one to raise
money
to pay the tax. The people you voted for then take the tax money and
buy a cow and give it to your neighbor. You feel righteous.

A COMMUNIST:
You have two cows.
The government seizes both and provides you with milk.

A FASCIST:
You have two cows.
The government seizes both and sells you the milk. You join the
underground and start a campaign of sabotage.

DEMOCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE:
You have two cows.
The government taxes you to the point you have to sell both to support
a man in a foreign country who has only one cow, which was a gift from
your government.

CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE:
You have two cows.
You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.

BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE:
You have two cows.
The government takes them both, shoots one, milks the other, pays you
for the milk, then pours the milk down the drain.

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION:
You have two cows.
You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. You
are surprised when the cow drops dead.

A FRENCH CORPORATION:
You have two cows.
You go on strike because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION:
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and
produce twenty times the milk. You then create clever cow cartoon
images called Cowkimon and market them World-Wide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION:
You have two cows.
You reengineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and
milk themselves.

A BRITISH CORPORATION:
You have two cows.
They are mad. They die. Pass the shepherd's pie, please.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION:
You have two cows, but you don't know where they are.
You break for lunch.

A RUSSIAN CORPORATION:
You have two cows.
You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and
learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 12 cows.
You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.

A SWISS CORPORATION:
You have 5000 cows, none of which belong to you.
You charge others for storing them.

A BRAZILIAN CORPORATION:
You have two cows.
You enter into a partnership with an American corporation. Soon you
have 1000 cows and the American corporation declares bankruptcy.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION:
You have two cows.
You worship both of them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION:
You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them. You claim full employment, high
bovine productivity, and arrest the newsman who reported on them.

AN ISRAELI CORPORATION:
There are these two Jewish cows, right?
They open a milk factory, an ice cream store, and then sell the movie
rights. They send their calves to Harvard to become doctors. So, who
needs people?

AN ARKANSAS CORPORATION:
You have two cows.
That one on the left is kinda cute...

:: joyCleeP 9:55 AM [+] ::
...

we ended 2005 nicely and had a great start to 2006!

for NYE we went to stallions with some friends, where we ate the hugest lobster tail i'd ever seen, and way too much filet mignon than i could eat. after dinner we joined the party for a bit, yelled "happy new year," got sprayed with champagne and called it a night just after midnight. we had to wake up bright and early the next morning to go snowboarding with W's coworker at winter park. our first trip up to the snow! it was greater than i expected. the snow is really dry here, and dry powder is so light and fluffy, and so much fun to ride! it didn't take long at all for me to build up my confidence, and by my second run i was carving down the mountain as if it were the end of the season!! and i didn't have any bad tumbles! altho some stupid lady hit me in the head with her skies. luckily i was wearing my helmet! but it was kinda weird being one of only a handful of snowboarders on the mountain. there are definitely way more skiiers out here. they don't even have snowboarding lessons for kids. quite the opposite of tahoe! we had a blast and can't wait for the next trip up! oh, and it only took us about an hour and half to get there. afterwards, we stopped at beau jo's for pizza...soooo good. a perfect way to end the perfect day. their pizzas are sold by the pound! and they have this crazy thick crust. when they bring out your pizza, they give you a bottle of honey! after you eat the pizza, you pour honey on the crust and man, it's so good! there's one just a few miles from us, so we will definitely go back for more honey and pizza!! :)

altho i have no resolutions, i do have one goal...to find me a job!!!!!

:: joyCleeP 11:22 AM [+] ::
...