Lawrence found these two at a store in Santa Cruz and took a picture of them on his phone to show me. I promptly sent him back to buy them. They are made by a company based in New York, called Streamline.
Friday, September 28, 2007
cuteness in the form of coin banks
Lawrence found these two at a store in Santa Cruz and took a picture of them on his phone to show me. I promptly sent him back to buy them. They are made by a company based in New York, called Streamline.
The CrepeVine [Pasadena]
Wednesday night I went to the CrepeVine with Lawrence for dinner. They're a little Parisian Bistro on a side street off of Colorado Ave. in Old Town Pasadena. Not only is this place only 3.5 blocks away from our apartment, it is worth 1,000 points on OpenTable.com!
OpenTable
Time for me to launch into commercial mode: OpenTable is an online restaurant reservation service that awards you points for each reservation you make through their website. At 2,000 points they give you a $20 dining cheque (5,000 points will get you $50 and 10,000 points gets you $100). That's only 2 meals at a 1,000-point restaurant for a free $20 back (reservations usually get you just 100 points)! If you're the type that likes to eat out at nice restaurants all the time, this is a great little bonus - and all just for making a reservation!
Although they only have a limited number of restaurants signed on to their service, many of these places are very good restaurants. My theory is that since they need to have a computer system at the restaurant, only restaurants with enough money can offer this online reservation service. If they have enough money, they're likely to be at least decently good. Unfortunately that doesn't work the other way around and there are a lot of good restaurants that aren't on OpenTable. Note: when you get to the restaurant, make sure they acknowledge that you made a reservation so that they verify to OpenTable that you actually showed up to your reservation. Otherwise, you won't get credit (no points!) and the reservation will be counted as a no-show. Your account will be deactivated if you have 4 no-shows in any given 12 month period.
The CrepeVine
Going back to the original subject of this post, here's my review of the restaurant.
It's really easy to miss this place. Even though I live 3 blocks away and I've walked up and down Colorado many times, I have never even noticed it was there! I suppose that gives it a certain appeal as this secret little French hole-in-the-wall place that only you and the other diners know about. They have a few outdoor tables, which is nice. Lawrence and I sat inside.
When we arrived, I told the hostess we had a reservation for 2. She was very nice but I was a little thrown off when she responded with, "Yes, you do!" She didn't ask me for my name which obviously meant that there were no other reservations. The restaurant wasn't empty but I guess it was never full enough to necessitate making a reservation. That's fine and all but I still felt silly. I hoped she knew the reservation was worth 1,000 points! There was a reason I made a reservation, even if it was only 2 hours beforehand! She gave us the choice of our reserved table (a tiny table that was sandwiched between two other tiny occupied tables) or another tiny table in the back that was empty in its surrounding seats. We appreciated the gesture and took the seat in the back. It was a corner spot that had booth seats. It was cool because instead of sitting across from eachother, we got to sit at a right angle from each other. Here are the dishes we shared:
Garlic Fries [$5] - There were a few Yelp reviews that mentioned the garlic fries. I love garlic, I love fries, and I love garlic fries so we ordered this appetizer. It was cheap compared to the other appetizers (which ranged from $7-$16) and it came in a big bowl with 2 dipping sauces. This was a nicely sized appetizer that could easily feed 4 people. They were fried excellently - nice and crisp the way I like them, but also full of potato-y flavor the way Lawrence likes them. Our taste in fries doesn't usually coincide, but we both liked these fries!
French Onion Soup [$5] - Lawrence wanted the soup. I was a little iffy about this but it's his decision. I never order French onion soup because it's usually so salty that I get sick of it after two spoonfuls. I was happily surprised that it was not so for this soup! There was plenty of cheese and bread covering the top without being overwhelming. The soup was not overly salty, just flavorful - beef flavor I suppose.
Paella [~$25] - Following the trend, this dish was delicious. We opted to have a sweet crepe for dessert and a non-crepe dish for the entree. A lot of the dishes sounded good, but this was listed as a special that night so we had the paella. There was plenty of seafood - salmon, shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops - tender and not overcooked. It was made with basmati rice, which I know isn't the traditional choice. It was still pretty good but I don't think I've had enough paellas to know what counts as really good paella. We were happy with the quality and that's what counts to us. :) They provided a bowl for us to toss the shells in - another nice little detail that added to the experience.
Crepe Suzette [$9] - Neither of us has ever had a crepe suzette before but it sounded like a traditional dessert that we should try. It was basically a french crepe with fresh warm oranges in a Grand Marnier (an orange liqueur) sauce. We ordered it a la mode (a scoop of ice cream) on the side. It was a nice balance of warm crepe with cold ice cream, heavy orange flavored sauce with a neutral sweet vanilla.
The food was definitely good, although a bit pricey for just a regular night out. If we had ordered 2 entrees and drinks it would have been around $100. As it was, our dinner came out to about $60 including tax and tip. They do have live music at night - there was a guy playing the guitar. It added a nice atmosphere. I loved his guitar playing but his singing was...less than ideal. At least it gave us something to laugh about. :)
The one thing that did bother me was the smoke. I don't know if they had just accidentally burned something or the kitchen ventilation wasn't working, or what, but halfway through dinner I noticed that the room was getting kind of hazy. My eyes got watery and I felt like I was breathing in smoke. It cleared up a bit later on so I'm guessing it was just a one time incident.
OpenTable
Time for me to launch into commercial mode: OpenTable is an online restaurant reservation service that awards you points for each reservation you make through their website. At 2,000 points they give you a $20 dining cheque (5,000 points will get you $50 and 10,000 points gets you $100). That's only 2 meals at a 1,000-point restaurant for a free $20 back (reservations usually get you just 100 points)! If you're the type that likes to eat out at nice restaurants all the time, this is a great little bonus - and all just for making a reservation!
Although they only have a limited number of restaurants signed on to their service, many of these places are very good restaurants. My theory is that since they need to have a computer system at the restaurant, only restaurants with enough money can offer this online reservation service. If they have enough money, they're likely to be at least decently good. Unfortunately that doesn't work the other way around and there are a lot of good restaurants that aren't on OpenTable. Note: when you get to the restaurant, make sure they acknowledge that you made a reservation so that they verify to OpenTable that you actually showed up to your reservation. Otherwise, you won't get credit (no points!) and the reservation will be counted as a no-show. Your account will be deactivated if you have 4 no-shows in any given 12 month period.
The CrepeVine
Going back to the original subject of this post, here's my review of the restaurant.
It's really easy to miss this place. Even though I live 3 blocks away and I've walked up and down Colorado many times, I have never even noticed it was there! I suppose that gives it a certain appeal as this secret little French hole-in-the-wall place that only you and the other diners know about. They have a few outdoor tables, which is nice. Lawrence and I sat inside.
When we arrived, I told the hostess we had a reservation for 2. She was very nice but I was a little thrown off when she responded with, "Yes, you do!" She didn't ask me for my name which obviously meant that there were no other reservations. The restaurant wasn't empty but I guess it was never full enough to necessitate making a reservation. That's fine and all but I still felt silly. I hoped she knew the reservation was worth 1,000 points! There was a reason I made a reservation, even if it was only 2 hours beforehand! She gave us the choice of our reserved table (a tiny table that was sandwiched between two other tiny occupied tables) or another tiny table in the back that was empty in its surrounding seats. We appreciated the gesture and took the seat in the back. It was a corner spot that had booth seats. It was cool because instead of sitting across from eachother, we got to sit at a right angle from each other. Here are the dishes we shared:
Garlic Fries [$5] - There were a few Yelp reviews that mentioned the garlic fries. I love garlic, I love fries, and I love garlic fries so we ordered this appetizer. It was cheap compared to the other appetizers (which ranged from $7-$16) and it came in a big bowl with 2 dipping sauces. This was a nicely sized appetizer that could easily feed 4 people. They were fried excellently - nice and crisp the way I like them, but also full of potato-y flavor the way Lawrence likes them. Our taste in fries doesn't usually coincide, but we both liked these fries!
French Onion Soup [$5] - Lawrence wanted the soup. I was a little iffy about this but it's his decision. I never order French onion soup because it's usually so salty that I get sick of it after two spoonfuls. I was happily surprised that it was not so for this soup! There was plenty of cheese and bread covering the top without being overwhelming. The soup was not overly salty, just flavorful - beef flavor I suppose.
Paella [~$25] - Following the trend, this dish was delicious. We opted to have a sweet crepe for dessert and a non-crepe dish for the entree. A lot of the dishes sounded good, but this was listed as a special that night so we had the paella. There was plenty of seafood - salmon, shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops - tender and not overcooked. It was made with basmati rice, which I know isn't the traditional choice. It was still pretty good but I don't think I've had enough paellas to know what counts as really good paella. We were happy with the quality and that's what counts to us. :) They provided a bowl for us to toss the shells in - another nice little detail that added to the experience.
Crepe Suzette [$9] - Neither of us has ever had a crepe suzette before but it sounded like a traditional dessert that we should try. It was basically a french crepe with fresh warm oranges in a Grand Marnier (an orange liqueur) sauce. We ordered it a la mode (a scoop of ice cream) on the side. It was a nice balance of warm crepe with cold ice cream, heavy orange flavored sauce with a neutral sweet vanilla.
The food was definitely good, although a bit pricey for just a regular night out. If we had ordered 2 entrees and drinks it would have been around $100. As it was, our dinner came out to about $60 including tax and tip. They do have live music at night - there was a guy playing the guitar. It added a nice atmosphere. I loved his guitar playing but his singing was...less than ideal. At least it gave us something to laugh about. :)
The one thing that did bother me was the smoke. I don't know if they had just accidentally burned something or the kitchen ventilation wasn't working, or what, but halfway through dinner I noticed that the room was getting kind of hazy. My eyes got watery and I felt like I was breathing in smoke. It cleared up a bit later on so I'm guessing it was just a one time incident.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
cosplay in Taiwan
Japanese 'cosplay' draws huge following in Taiwan
Apparently it's big in Taiwan too - and they call themselves "cosers". For some reason I never thought it would have been. I don't know why since manga is way more widespread in Taiwan, and stuff from Japan probably hits Taiwan first (officially, not through fandom) before it ever gets to the U.S.
Apparently it's big in Taiwan too - and they call themselves "cosers". For some reason I never thought it would have been. I don't know why since manga is way more widespread in Taiwan, and stuff from Japan probably hits Taiwan first (officially, not through fandom) before it ever gets to the U.S.
Monday, September 24, 2007
scaredy-cat
More than just being a cat person, I feel that I am like a cat in many ways. One way is that I've always been a scaredy-cat. Specifically, as a child I never got my ears pierced. I remember my mom asking me if I wanted to get my ears pierced - No! I was asked in the elementary school lunch line - No! Being able to wear earrings just didn't seem to be worth the pain of poking holes into my ears.
My cousin got married this year, which was really exciting for me. She's always been the older sibling I never had - patient, graceful, smart, always the mediator. My aunt gave me her jewelry to wear with my bridesmaid dress, since I didn't have anything classy enough. I started to feel a want for cool classy earrings to go with it all. I felt bold and actually wanted to get my ears pierced! Then, I found out I had to leave the initial studs in for at least 6 weeks. I didn't have 6 weeks before the wedding. So, I thought...that's that! I'll have to wait till after the wedding. Maybe I'd forget, maybe I wouldn't feel the need to after the wedding was over. I felt a little disappointed that I inadvertently had a way to back out of my sudden decision.
Come 2 weeks before the wedding and I was at my aunt's house working on our website. We had breakfast at a pancake place near the mall. I mentioned something about how I had wanted to get my ears pierced and my aunt - a much more impulsive person than I am - instantly suggested we go get my ears pierced right then and there. We were next to the mall anyway, and they opened in 15 minutes. I felt giddy and nervous in anticipation - pierced ears! Who would have thought?
I picked out cubic zirconia studs with silver-colored backing to match the jewelry I was wearing for the wedding. The lady at Claire's measured my ears and marked the positions. Two quick needle-pokes, and it was over. My ears throbbed a little and I was afraid to touch them, but it was done. I was struck by how they instantly made me look more feminine. As small of an accessory as they are, earrings are a subtle addition to your face that can convey a lot. Like a small bit of tattoo peeking out, your choice of earrings can make a statement.
In conclusion - I have 2 more weeks before I get to take these studs out and put in REAL earrings! w00t! I need to buy cool earrings! I still have a coupon for Macy's. It's either that or Etsy.com
My cousin got married this year, which was really exciting for me. She's always been the older sibling I never had - patient, graceful, smart, always the mediator. My aunt gave me her jewelry to wear with my bridesmaid dress, since I didn't have anything classy enough. I started to feel a want for cool classy earrings to go with it all. I felt bold and actually wanted to get my ears pierced! Then, I found out I had to leave the initial studs in for at least 6 weeks. I didn't have 6 weeks before the wedding. So, I thought...that's that! I'll have to wait till after the wedding. Maybe I'd forget, maybe I wouldn't feel the need to after the wedding was over. I felt a little disappointed that I inadvertently had a way to back out of my sudden decision.
Come 2 weeks before the wedding and I was at my aunt's house working on our website. We had breakfast at a pancake place near the mall. I mentioned something about how I had wanted to get my ears pierced and my aunt - a much more impulsive person than I am - instantly suggested we go get my ears pierced right then and there. We were next to the mall anyway, and they opened in 15 minutes. I felt giddy and nervous in anticipation - pierced ears! Who would have thought?
I picked out cubic zirconia studs with silver-colored backing to match the jewelry I was wearing for the wedding. The lady at Claire's measured my ears and marked the positions. Two quick needle-pokes, and it was over. My ears throbbed a little and I was afraid to touch them, but it was done. I was struck by how they instantly made me look more feminine. As small of an accessory as they are, earrings are a subtle addition to your face that can convey a lot. Like a small bit of tattoo peeking out, your choice of earrings can make a statement.
In conclusion - I have 2 more weeks before I get to take these studs out and put in REAL earrings! w00t! I need to buy cool earrings! I still have a coupon for Macy's. It's either that or Etsy.com
Friday, September 21, 2007
people with a death wish
For the 2nd time in 2 weeks, an idiot has tried to drive across the rail tracks while the crossing lights are flashing and has consequently been plowed through by the Metro light rail train. In the 2nd incident, the arms were even down! The driver consciously drove around the arms, while the lights were flashing, to try to cross the tracks. Six people were injured, hundreds (thousands?) were delayed in getting where they needed to go, and millions were lost on a now severely damaged train. What the hell are these people thinking?
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