How to do the asian squat

I once had a non-Asian acquaintance who, despite multiple attempts at squatting, could not make his ankles touch the ground.

Aja aja, ajosshi!

Hats off to Korean cinema's character actors.  These are the fellows with crazy hair, messed up teeth, and tacky printed shirts.  They're often playing the thug, henchman, shop owner, or some entry-level policemen.  Their offbeat characters are so authentic, Korea's quirky side springs to life in front of you.  A permed Kim Soo-ro, pictured above, stole the spotlight as a small-time crook in the 2004 movie Windstuck.

Coolest Christmas gift 2010

My mom received a bowl made of recycled bamboo chopsticks from my brother.

Like butter: Durian on a stick

Durian is a tropical fruit that is infamously stinky.  It's encased in a hard, spikey shell that is twice as big as a cantelope.  My mother-in-law loves it, so when I spotted durian ice bars at the Asian grocery the other day, I bought them as her Christmas gift.  Before presenting them to her some friends and I tasted one to see what the fuss was about.  Here are our reactions:

literally bull crap...after-taste doesn't go away...like a dirty washcloth...a one, two punch of grossness...like dirty butter

Mmm.  Merry Christmas, Ma!

2011: Year of the Rabbit

 Marshmellow Garden print by krisblues (Brooklyn, NY)

 Handmade plush bunnies by littlebigpants (Minnesota!)

Rabbit charm by MD Sparks (Salt Lake City, UT)

Winona's nose over three decades

Jennifer Grey must ask herself how Winona Ryder could shave so much off her nose and still remain so recognizable.

That's what she said!

Ryan Gosling gives off a major Steve Carell vibe on the January 2011 cover of GQ.

Clone wars: Natalie Portman and Keira Knightley

Is Natalie Portman a poor man's Keira Knightley? Or is it the other way around?  Both actresses have starred alongside Clive Owen (Knightley in Arthur, Portman in Closer) and appeared in the new Star Wars franchise.  Keira's got the classy British accent and some might claim a wider acting range.  Whatever the case, Portman will be slinging arrows ala' Knightley in the upcoming comedy Your Highness (co-starring James Franco and Danny McBride).

Chew on this!

There are strange things going on in the dog bone design business.

Man of the moment: Grant Imahara

Go on Grant, with your robot-building, mythbusting self!  Love your hair and the new choppers.

Tracy Morgan got a new kidney

If Tracy was that crazy with his old kidney, imagine what he'll be like once his new one kicks in.

Filipinos: The new default

By now you've noticed your friends are cranking out half-Asian babies at a lightening pace.  Your fridge, wallet and computer are probably full of cute photos representing genetics from all areas of the world that have collided with DNA from the Pacific.  The question inevitably is asked, "Do you think my kid looks at all Asian?"  Friends will look, analyze and scratch their heads.  More often than not the response parents hear is, "Maybe Filipino."  Ah yes, Filipinos. The melting pot people of Asia.  With that everyone nods in satisfaction, mentally filing away their amateur geneticist certificates until the next time a friend asks, "Do you think my kid looks Asian?"

"Henry in Love" by Peter McCarty

Henry in Love, by children's author Peter McCarty, is the story of Henry the cat's first crush.  He finds himself smitten with a classmate named Chloe.  Chloe is a rabbit.  And she likes blueberry muffins. As with his Caldecott-winning title Hondo and Fabian, McCarty also illustrates Henry in Love. People may be head-over-heels on Mo Willems, but I'm in love with books by Peter McCarty.

Only once (which is a new record)

# of times I cut myself preparing food for my office potluck nataliedee.com

Apolo eating pho

My girlfriend sent me this pic of Apolo Ohno eating pho in Los Angeles, on Friday.  Her husband was enjoying soup at the next table and snapped the photo of the winter Olympian.  Hell to the yes. My girlfriend urged her husband to get Apolo's autograph for their son (who is half-Korean) in the name of hapa unity.

You, too, can look like an exhausted, overworked mom

Daily Mail UK claimed Angelina Jolie appeared tired and gaunt at the Berlin premiere of her new movie, The Tourist.  The online gossip site published photos of Angelina's skinny frame and criticized her one-piece black dress, but at the same time encouraged readers to "Get the Look!" Ajumma apparently has work to do on this one:

Exhausted appearance YES
Smokey eyes NO
Gaunt frame NO
Black shiny cape NO

Babies are overrated, but PUPPIES...

By designink on Etsy

The Bad Plus at The Mint in L.A.

Photo by unicornjessie

Eat fresh, not fermented

Garden Grove, California

Vietnamese tacos by Nom Nom

Mention Asian tacos to most people and you'll get blank stares.  My brother was raving about them in Los Angeles and sent us on a hunt for Asian food trucks.  How fortunate that Nom Nom and Kogi were both parked in Orange County on Saturday.  We munched on Nom Nom at Costa Mesa's SoCo farmer's market.  David Kien, Nom Nom's man behind the wheel on Great Food Truck Race, even served us our banh mi.

The tacos contain similar grilled meat you find on bun at Vietnamese restaurants.  Mmm! Thumbs up to Nom Nom's tofu banh mi, too. It's amazing what tofu can do.

Heath for Harley-Davidson USA

I'm on a Heath Kirchart kick.  Here he is repping Harley-Davidson's Forty-Eight Sportster.  This is likely the type of loud-ass motorcyle I cursed on a daily basis when I lived in California.

Seal Beach, California

 

 

 

 

Off to the wild west

We dropped the dog at the kennel and are off to thaw out in California for a few days.

I whip my kanzashi back and forth

I'm floored by these lovely kanzashi hair ornaments from Japan.  In modern day Japan, fabric ornaments are typically worn with kimono on special occasions.  For a dizzying array of kanzashi for sale visit Maya Japanese Traditional Arts & Crafts.  Etsy features 76 pages of kanzashi, mostly hairclips suited to American fashions, though Sakuradancer and Altetier Kanawa step up the game in a big way.

Best holiday tradition EVER: Krampus

If I ever have kids, I am definitely employing the Austrian and Hungarian tradition of Krampus into my Christmas holiday.  In fact, after reading Alison's post about Krampus, I've pretty much found my true calling.

HP baby rolls on



Sometimes I think this blog should be called, "Commercials I Like."  This ad for HP makes me smile everytime I watch it.

BIG GUNS in Hawaii

Big boards and big arms came out in Oahu for Quiksilver's annual In Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, last week.  Transworld Surf offers up a stellar photo gallery of the event.

Why I love Minnesotans

On Sunday morning at 7:30 am, my thermometer read an ungodly zero degrees.  Despite this temperature, I saw a man jogging and a woman walking her dog. Minnesotans in winter =hardcore.

After two hours of walking dogs at the shelter I realized I needed new winter boots.  Hubs and I trekked to the local Fleet Farm where they sell warm clothing that is so ugly you don't care if you get it dirty.  I found a pair of women's Sorel boots in a funky black plaid. Unfortunately they didn't have my size so I ended up with boots that resemble elephant feet that will keep me warm down to -50 degrees.  This is okay since as a seasoned Minnesotan I know that ugly=warm, whereas attractive=freeze your ass off.

Bromance