Guys, I Just Learned How Peanut Butter Was Made

I love TV meant for kids.

Ikea Cookbook

While I wish cookbooks would have more photos of finished products (that way I know if I'm doing something wrong), this deconstructed side looks pretty wonderful.

 

 

Excited? I know I am. Check out more from the extra-talented photographer mastermind Carl Kleiner. 

UNIQLO

Like everyone near and dear to me knows, I love Uniqlo. What do I love more than Uniqlo? Muji. However, as far as I know, there's no Muji around me in Los Angeles (that's why before I left China I stocked up on non-essentials from the store).

Recently discovered that, hey! Uniqlo's got some new brand ambassadors: Charlize Theron and Orlando Bloom. Very exciting news. OK, so while this news came out a month ago, I think the photos are starting to make their way in the public eye now!

What do you guys think? Good choices? I remember loving Orlando Bloom back in the Lord of the Ring days, but recently he hasn't been wowing me. Thoughts?

(STEPHANIE YANG--hi)

C'est normal, quoi.

La mode français 1963

Est-ce que vous aimez les photos? Moi, je voudrais voyager dans une bulle en portant des vetements très belle.

Sister Wives

Lately I've been really interested in TLC.

Anyone who knows me knows that I really like watching Jon and Kate Plus 8, but the network's other programming sort of frightens me. Example being: Sister Wives a new show that will be premiering this Sunday.

dentist + thoughts

Today I got some cavities filled, and I am ashamed of how many I have, so I won't tell you about the number. I think the reasons for it is either a) the fillings from my childhood have worn out or b) for the past few years I've developed a rather intense sweet tooth...

In any case, I'm thinking of creating a web comic. Any ideas are more than welcome. Any strange characters you happen to know in life (like a girl who will give unsolicited relationship advice to strangers) or weird things that have happened, let me know! I'd love to bribe you with candy to take your story or secretly masquerade your people in animal form.

All My Friends Are Dead

Have you guys seen this really funny, nicely drawn, yet heartbreaking book entitled All My Friends Are Dead? (Maybe you're appalled because you already know it. I'm not late to the game! I just wanted to express my love for it in writing!)

If you haven't, do yourself a favor and go to a bookstore, or look at a sneak peak below:


I'd highly recommend buying it online.

News Update

Whoa, I was just looking on Yelp and saw that the Yogurtland (where I vowed to forever eat yogurt for...ever) in the West Village is closed now? What?! This is outrageous!

Even though I don't live there anymore, that was the only Yogurtland in the city. Le sigh. Oh well, there's still 16 Handles.

Comic: The Axe

Here's a comic I drew based on a video game (um, I don't know which one, Dutch Boyfriend told me about a game with weapons and each weapon has a different backstory to it.).

Hope you enjoy! (Click for a larger image!)

Look at my Sandwich!

It's made of heart-shaped tomatoes. Seriously...my tomato slices ended up this way.

Also, thanks to my Droid's RetroCam for bringin' back the Polaroid!

Typically Zenon-like

Lately I've been realizing that I'm not happy unless I have at least two, if not three, electronic, internety, visually amusing things around me.

This really hit me the other night when I was watching Glee's final two episodes on TV. At the moment, I was doing some research online when my mom happened to flip to the channel. Once I heard Rachel Berry's voice, I instantly jerked my head to the side, "Mom! LET'S WATCH GLEE!" I wanted to jump on the couch, but took a second look at my laptop. TV. Laptop. TV....ohh, it's a laptop for a reason.

Took my laptop, smacked it on my lap and happily bounced to the music.

Then I wondered about a definition for some word. You know, you'd think that I'd look it up on Dictionary.com on my laptop, but nay, I pulled out my HTC and looked up the definition on my Dictionary.com App (heh).

Of course, this is just a little example of something practiced widely across the country. How lucky are we?

Zooey Deschanel

That's right. Instead of talking about Fall TV (which I really wanted to talk about because I'm really excited), I'm stuck on a bicycle for Zooey Deschanel. Why? Honestly, I think that I've been playing She & Him's Volume Two way too often. Huh.

I'll admit, like most of you, I became fond of her in Elf where she sang a wonderful rendition of "Baby It's Cold Outside" with Will Ferrell (Christmas songs = big points). I loved her music in Yes Man ("I'm not your late night booty-call...") and I instantly fell for her in 500 Days of Summer.

She's one classy lady. Although, I don't know if you remember that one episode of Top Chef Masters where she was a guest star: the contestants had to cook a meal for her and her friends and family. Amazingly she had lots of dietary restrictions...vegetarian, no dairy or eggs, wheat and soy-intolerant (gluten too?), but overall, still very humble about it all.

I look forward to her future roles. Don't you?

Additionally, here's an article you should read: The Face of Facebook

OCMA

Yesterday was my first day volunteering at the Orange County Museum of Art for their monthly family event. It was a great experience.

What happens is that the museum has a bunch of arts and crafts tables whose projects are inspired by works of art within the museum. I was working on the Monoprints (where we got to churn out images on an awesome printing press. I want one. Now.) and the other volunteers delighted me and the kids amused me.

There was one boy another volunteer and I particularly bonded with because he was determined to make art that was "full of emotion". He succeeded by drawing a few trees with different feelings; one of which had some freshly broken branches and said, "oh, why do the good die young?"

Additionally, this kid found out that I had no job at the moment, and he exclaimed, "WHAT! You have no job?!" After a minute he calmed down and put his hand on my shoulder and said, "In these times of economic downturn, it's hard to find a job. Don't blame yourself."

Is that the most awesome thing ever or what?

Everyone Should Be Prepared

As for me, nail polish seems to be it.

Wise Words

danah boyd on Craigslist's censorship

Read this article.

The Suitcase

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: last night's episode of Mad Men was amazing. I think it's the best this season.

(I'm going to be talking about some spoilers, in case you haven't seen the episode yet or if you have just started watching Mad Men and don't want to know what's happening [!])

Peggy and Don have been supportive of each other in professional and personal settings in the most dynamic of ways.

During the episode, Don was making himself work more in order to delay a dreaded phone call to California where bad news was waiting. The only person who could work with him after work was Peggy, who he demands stay late to work on a project. Through the night, they bond, and something clicks in Peggy's mind that Don's more than just her boss--he needs her for more than just pitching ideas.

Last night, they realized how important they are to each other. Don may have found his new Anna.

Inside Mad Men really does a nice job giving background on the episode:

Toilets

This morning, as my mom and I were driving on the 101, she said to me, "Jessica, hemorrhoids basically affect 9 out of 10 people. You cannot be one of them."

We were talking about toilets (like, for instance, how one toilet in the house is broken) and the fact that mama wants to buy a fancy Japanese one that will pretty much give you an enema with the press of a button. We continued to discuss toilets and she wonders why the European bidets haven't advanced to the level of Japanese toilets.

Later during my lunch break, I read an article on Slate about the way our modern-day toilets are actually bad for your health. When many of us hear an accusation about a clean, white, feces-flusher being actually bad for us, we get a little defensive. During my stay in China, I dreaded having to squat in a hole in the ground and that's because I've grown up with toilets and think they're awfully clean and convenient.

However, my boyfriend begs to differ. In China, he loved to go to his sisters because she lives in an older Chinese neighborhood and has a squatting toilet. He claimed that everything came out much easier and prefers it over my standard toilet. Ever since he told me about his real feelings, he's been finding information online about toilets and health.

While toilets are great for making sure our feces aren't on the streets, stinking up the house, or in our backyard; there's some people saying that it leads you to be more prone to infections and hemorrhoids. Interesting how we're trying to revamp, re-imagine, and reassess our modern toilets to improve our health (btw, you know 1/2 of Americans suffer from hemorrhoids?).

More thoughtful links:
1. Vangaurd's World Toilet Crisis : In some places, people don't have access to toilets and must defecate in public areas causing drinking water to be contaminated. Watch it!

2. Waterless Urinals : Not a bad idea.

I'm sorry this post was about toilets.

China Thoughts

What if a WikiLeaks happened in China? What would we want to know?

The comments are fascinating.

I love bookstores

An article about one of my favorite bookstores in NYC.

I love bookstores. I love the smell inside of a used bookstore, finding crevices between shelves to hide and read a little and, most importantly, the ability to walk around aimlessly and browse the shelves, finding something new to read.

Certainly with e-books, you can maybe be presented with hundreds of titles for you to choose from, but can you feel the same affinity for a book title the way you do with the way a book has presented itself in the bookstore? Think: the texture of the cover, the artwork, flipping to a random page and reading it. This kind of random book search is also so awesome when you're in a used book store where it's almost like a grab-bag of books to choose from.

I've heard the news that ever since the e-reader there are more people willing to read than ever before. That's great. But, what's so appealing about reading a book on an e-reader that people who distance themselves from print books would rather read on a screen?

Do yourself a favor, and read a book!