spring 08

i got my first 4.0 ever in college (and my last) :)

ok, so what if i only took 6 units. whatever man, straight A's!



this year, semester, month, week, day, life, has been nutso. more later.

Song: New Soul by Yael Naim

I have been in love with this song since the MacBook Air commercial aired. During our 3am study break yesterday, Eric and I watched the video and were karaoke-ing to it. (Digression: welcome to the youtube era where many music videos on youtube have scrolling karaoke lyrics. http://youtube.com/watch?v=UK_fI8tjNvA. hook it up your comp to your tv, grab a mic or a hairbrush and voila! substitute karaoke machine.)

All today, I have been singing this song in my head, now with the proper lyrics instead of mumbling notes. I really love this song. It's about going into a new situation and wanting to do things right, but completely screwing it up. But the sound of the song makes it seem so c'est la vie. It is the essence of my life motto: "Live and learn." Take risks, enjoy life, and challenge yourself with new things. You may screw up, but that doesn't make it any less worth it to try.

...I think...That's my take on the song anyway :)

Lyrics:
I'm a new soul
I came to this strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit bout how to give and take
But since I came here, felt the joy and the fear
Finding myself making every possible mistake

La, la, la, la
La, la, la, la

See I'm a young soul in this very strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit bout what is true and fake
But why all this hate? try to communicate
Finding trust and love is not always easy to make

This is a happy end
Cause you don't understand
Everything you have done
Why's everything so wrong

This is a happy end
Come and give me your hand
I'll take you far away

New soul... (la, la, la, la,...)
In this very strange world...
Every possible mistake
Possible mistake
Every possible mistake
Mistakes, mistakes, mistakes...

reminder to self...

your blog is Ugly (<-- capital "u") and has an outdated song, post colors that don't match, and a weird format.

look for the revamped version of peacemongeroo this summer :)

why is the world so bizarre lately?

• a 7.9 earthquake in china...i've never even heard of a 7.9 earthquake before
• myanmar cyclone that killed 22,00 people...that's the same number that attended urbana
• stabbing of a student across the street...i had come home maybe 15 min before the attack
• shooting next to top dog...in the middle of the day in broad daylight
• and today: the weather is FUNKY. freaking hot and windy...that's never happened before

every generation says they think the world is coming to an end, from WWII to Y2K. now i'm not saying i think Jesus is coming soon, but tsunamis, earthquakes, cyclones, hurricanes, stabbings, shootings...i guess this isn't anything new, but the howling of this muggy wind is eeeeeeeeerie.

The cookie that changed my life

Molasses ginger cookies from Bakesale Betty on Telegraph and Claremont. For real, it changed my life. It was like trader joe's triple ginger snaps, but soft in the middle, bits of crystallized ginger and oh so moist, but without taking away from the crispy outside. Best of all, it was free! They handed each customer a cookie as we waited to get our amazing fried chicken sandwiches. Next time I go I will take pictures.

This is my perfect cookie.

Irish Soda Bread recipe

Irish soda bread is this amazingly easy biscuit-like loaf. I got this recipe from allrecipes.com, but adjusted it a little bit. The inside is delicious and soft, the outside nice and crunchy. It's great with butter and a cup of coffee. I think next time, I'll try making them into actual biscuits instead of one big loaf.

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
  

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Brush the loaf with the butter mixture again after 20 minutes while it bakes.