Friday, January 28, 2011

Help! Missing Rice Cooker!

Ajumma received this cute (though serious) email this week:

The Office of Intercultural and International Life bought a large rice cooker for community use and it was last seen on the kitchen counter in the main floor kitchen at Stimson House. The rice cooker disappeared during fall term and we are hoping someone can help us find it. It looks similar to the picture above. Please reply to this e-mail if you’ve seen it, no questions asked. THANK YOU!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Half-Asian women are taking over the world

 
What do actresses Olivia Munn and Maggie Quigley share in common?  Both Olivia (above) and Maggie(below) have Asian moms (Olivia is half-Chinese. Maggie is half-Vietnamese.) and both women star in Thursday night series (Olivia in NBC's Perfect Couples and Maggie in CW's Nikita). But the REALLY COOL thing is both Munn and Quigley support animal rights and have appeared in PETA campaigns. Yea!


Previously: Half Asian men are taking over the world

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Maracas: Instrument or rattling weapon?


Matt and Kim's fight in their new video, Cameras, puts most movie choreographed fight scenes to shame. Watch and see how it should be done. Warning: This video contains punching, kicking, smashing items into another's body, and the tossing of trash.  It also contains a bad-ass female drummer and a cute guy on a synthesizer.

Friday, January 21, 2011

The movie gods must be crazy

They're making another Harold and Kumar film.

Speaking of Harold and Kumar, how sweet is this painting by mavoorik?  Of course, Kumar is probably imagining Harold as a giant bag of weed.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

My yakuza boyfriend gets a red card

Japanese goalie, Eiji Kawashima, received a red card during Japan's match with Syria at the Asia Cup. But who I truly feel badly for is Shusaku Nishikawa, the replacement goalie who came onto the field and promptly allowed Syria's penalty shot to fly past him.  Itai!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Outsourced--Vibrant sets and graphics

Outsourced, the NBC sitcom about an American leading a team of customer service reps in India, is growing on me like a fungus.  Though I prefer the 2006 movie on which the series is based, I've come to enjoy the TV characters (Gupta, Manmeet, and even Rajiv) and the way they sometimes exploit their new boss Todd.  And I really love the vibrant set design on Outsourced.  The geometric windows and lattice that appear on multiple sets are my favorite. 


Big ups to the creators of the show's bold opening credits: 
 

Clones Vol. 22: Chef Chuck Hughes & Michael Moloney

Chef Chuck Hughes may sport tattoos instead of lip gloss, but nonetheless he reminds me of Extreme Home Makeover design guru Michael Moloney.  Gregarious Hughes battled Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America, this week, using the ingredient Canadian lobster.  This is amusing since Chuck, star of Cooking Channel's show Chuck's Day Off, is a Canuck who owns Garde Manger restaurant in Montreal.  For a nice recap of Iron Chef Flay vs. Hughes, visit the Cooking Channel's blog.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

What's black and white, and looks nothing like a Korean wedding gown?

Grooms Eric and Paul, guests on Bravo TV's The Fashion Show Ultimate Collection, had simple requests. Eric wanted a Matrix-type coat for his upcoming nupitals. Paul requested an outfit inspired by a traditional Korean wedding gown.  He stressed his preference for joyful colors. What they ended up with were two, ill-fitting black jackets, and a whole lot of sass from designer Calvin Tran.  See Paul and Eric's wedding fashions here.

When Paul asked Calvin to tailor his coat, the designer replied that he won't do any further sewing for him.  Calvin told him to go to Koreatown to get alterations made. 

* Ciao Bella Key Lime Gelato squares *

Ciao Bella's Key Lime Graham gelato squares are, hands down, the most delicious thing I've ever put in my mouth. 

Monday, January 10, 2011

O.D.I.M. (Oh damn, it's Monday)

Two things I'm feeling this Monday morning: Nathan Fletcher and Reef McIntosh waiting for waves at the Da Hui Backdoor Shootout (Photo by Ryan Foley)
Designer Jonathan Adler's wool fruit pillows

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Venice home restaged and back on the market

One of my favorite homes for sale in Venice has lowered its asking price from $1,845,000 to $1,725,000.  More interesting than the price drop is how it appears to be restaged since it was on the market back in May 2009.  Either that or someone bought the home, kept the rug in the living room, and then placed the house back on the market this winter.  Whatever the case, the new interiors give the house a lived in, cozy feeling.  See the new listing at Deasey/Penner & Partners.
 
 
Cute dog!  I'm sold.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Little House on the Scary

Ajumma used to obsess over the TV series Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983).  I'd watch reruns about the plucky pioneer family and pretend with girlfriends to be Mary and Laura Ingalls. I liked their gingham dresses, their loft bedroom, the creek in the front yard. If my friends' moms were cool they'd play along as Walnut Grove's shop owner, Nels Oleson. Or they were uncool like my mom, they'd refuse to even let us call them Ma. Despite fun adventures and family love, Little House wasn't all apple pie and fiddle solos. Here's my list of most disturbing episodes:

-When Ma develops tetanus and almost cuts her leg off
-When Laura's friend is molested by the masked guy in the barn
-When the old man living in the shack sets his house ablaze while inside
-When Laura wishes that her new baby brother would die and he does
-When someone tosses puppies in a burlap sack into a lake
-When a woman whose daughter died goes crazy and claims Laura as her own
-When the blind school catches fire killing Alice and Mary's baby
-When Laura's grandpa shoots Laura's horse Bunny

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Waiting for the End by Linkin Park


Linkin Park's video for Waiting for the End is fantastic.  I wish I had basic knowledge of animation so I could decipher how they created the effects.  Great song, awesome video.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Kawashima holds it down in Qatar

Eiji Kawashima, my yakuza boyfriend, is in the Persian Gulf this week.  He's with Japan's national squad preparing for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011. Qatar, the small Arab emirate situated on the east side of Saudia Arabia, will host the major football event from January 7-29, 2011. Japan's Samurai Blue team and South Korea's Red Devils are front runners for this year's Asian Cup.

Kawashima photo by Karim Jaafar.  Team photo by Tara Todras-Whitehill.

How to tell your girlfriend doesn't respect you


1. She expects you to carry her purse everywhere
(and it's a big-ass purse).
2. She screams at you when she's drunk.
3. She dumps you when she's drunk. 
4. She hides from you when she's sober.

Ajumma statue by Jenny Yoo

Saturday, January 1, 2011