PIE! PIE! PIE!!!!!!

After having moved most of their stuff to their new place, M and K are making PIEEEEEEEEEEEE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

M is making pumpkin pie, and K is making his famous apple-ginger pie (FROM SCRATCH!!!), and I GET TO EAT THEM the pies, not M and K!!!!!

=^_________^=

I love having friends who can and are willing to cook for me, :]

It's such a nice feeling, to be sitting in the living room, on their comfy couch with B, not needing to say anything in the sunshine and comfortable silence, and know that someone is making pie for you.

teehee.

links to check out : allrecipes.com

A great site for all recipes, as the name implies. The recipes vary by type, difficulty, and category, and the reviews posted by other users are often very helpful in determining popularity, ease, and taste; often, people will chime in with their own opinions on how to modify or improve upon the recipe.

Easy to use and highly recommended by K, M, B, and V, all of whom are fantastic cooks, so be sure to check it out for dinner ideas like I do, :)

http://allrecipes.com/

links to check out : Daily Pets

A British site for photos of cute animals; purports to update daily, but I guess they haven't been receiving as many submissions lately; good for a glance-through of cute animals, though, :]

http://dailypets.co.uk/

links to check out : FIFA STREET 3

Another great link to check out; even if you don't understand any of the other stuff on the site or have no interest in the video game, the love for football comes through in aces and spades. One of my football favorite videos.

http://www.video.fifastreet3.fr/

places to eat in Shanghai

As compiled from info from my study abroad at FUDAN UNIVERSITY, SHANGHAI

Some (but not all, :]) great places to eat in Shanghai (feel free to let me know of any I've missed)

* Near Fudan University Campus
--street food: chow mein for 4 kuai, fried rice for 5 kuai, ma la tang (spicy hot-pot) for anywhere from 3-10 kuai, savory crepes for 5 kuai, grilled squid, lamb skewers for 1 kuai, "chinese hamburgers" for 5 kuai, endless selection, right outside the dorm gates from 10p-2a; great post-clubbing food, midnight munchies cure.
--Muslim noodle: HANDMADE NOODLES, 24 HRS A DAY, BETWEEN 4-7 KUAI A BOWL, WITH THE NICEST STAFF ANYWHERE. 'nuff said.
--Gil Wonton: Great selection of wontons in hot soup; there are vegetable and meat wontons; my favorite was mushroom/pork at 6 kuai a bowl, and the Happy Family Special (ten unique wontons from their selection), 7 kuai. They also deliver in record time, and the owners are really nice
--Tairyo Teppanyaki in You Yi Cheng, 5th floor: Actually, not one of my favorite places to eat actually, I'm not terribly fond of it at all, but a great deal nonetheless: for 150 kuai per person, all you can eat/drink teppanyaki/sushi/dessert/sake/beer/soda/juice; great for holding large groups since each table seats about 10 and they have several of these tables, and take reservations.
--Lillian's Egg Tarts on Wu Jiao Chang ground floor: OMG, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PORTUGUESE-STYLE EGG-TARTS IN THE WORLD-- warm custard, like golden sunshine, glows in a light, flaky crust; tastes like happiness, :) TRUE STORY.
--Xiao Long Bao by Banana Bar: the famous Shanghai xiaolong bao for much less than you would get at Yu Garden; I think 2 or 3 kuai gets you 6 or 8; not the best, but good for a quick lunch
--Ajisen Noodle in Wu Jiao Chang: not one of my favorites, but good for Japanese ramen, with big servings; popular with my friends
--Hong Kong restaurant on 3rd floor, Wu Jiao Chang: Great for herbal/medicinal soups in the Cantonese tradition; other foods are good too; highly recommend the steamed fish and steamed vegetables
--The alleyway down HanDan Lu: filled with little cute shops and restaurants; great for lunch after class in Building 6

* Further from Fudan (not quite as helpful, since I don't really remember the names, -___-;;)
--Bellagio, near XinTianDi: Taiwanese food, v. good. Even has oyster omelet, pig gut vermicelli, braised pork over vegetables, and other Taiwanese dishes; good for curing that hankering for Taiwanese food in Shanghai
--City Diner: Not the best Western food ever, but when you get the hankering for Western food, this place works. IT HAS TABASCO. And it's open 24 hours and in the middle of the city near the clubs, great for post-clubbing
--CPK/Element Fresh, near the Ritz Carlton:
--Whisk: AMAZING CHOCOLATE DESSERTS.
--Visage and Sugar (two different places) in the French Concession/XinTianDi/Hong Kong New World Plaza Area: Also fantastic places for great desserts
--Paul's Bakery, XinTianDi: The famous Paul's bakery comes from France to set up a branch in Shanghai; lovely breads and baguettes
--Crystal Jade Garden in XinTianDi: Great upscale Chinese food
--This one tapas place; can't remember the name, but it was AMAZING.

Of course, this list is merely a sampler of all the great food we had in Shanghai, but I highly recommend you go out and discover your own list of favorites to add to mine!

you know, it's like they don't *want* me to declare my major or something..., part 2

So I went in again today to Stevens to declare my major AGAIN, and perhaps I may have spoken too soon yesterday, for ALAS THEY HAVE FOILED MY PLANS YET AGAIN CURSE YOU...IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU MEDDLING KIDS AND THAT DOG OF YOURS...SCOOBY-DOOBY-DooOOooOooo~~

I arrived around 10:30a in hopes that I would get to see an adviser before heading off to EAP peer adviser class only to find that there were already like 7 people before me; luckily, about two of them got their questions answered by the peer advisers, so I got to steal their spot in line they didn't have to wait for a long time to see an adviser unlike the rest of us poor unfortunate souls.... By the time it got to me, it was 11:35a and I was getting antsy since I'd forgotten my phone in my rush to get out the door in time to get in line at the major office, so it wasn't like I could call S and have her vouch for my missing peer advising class. Anyway, I FINALLY got called on by the adviser, and once I get in and sit down, the scenario runs something akin to this:

Adviser: So, do you have your transcript?
Me: Rhonda usually looks it up on the computer.
A: Yes, well, your having it here makes things much more convenient for us.
M: The peer advisers said my application was fine.
A: But it's much easier for me to look over your transcript if you have it.
M: Fine. Can we just look online right now and I'll print it out for your records later.
A: Why don't you go to the computer in the back and print your transcript and DARS report out? And then you can also print out your EAP course approval forms and the unit-transfer form as well.
M: (return with the print-outs; at this point, it's 11:55a) Erm, I have class now; could I come in later today? Would you guys be less busy later in the afternoon?
A: The afternoon is for declared majors only. We'd suggest you come in at a later time since we're really busy right at this time and you have a lot of issues to deal with.
M: Okay. When would be a good time to come in?
A: Advising hours for intended majors to declare is next Wednesday, between the hours of 10a-12p.
M: ....

ADVISING HOURS ARE TWO HOURS OUT OF AN ENTIRE WEEK?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?

TT__________TT At this rate, I'll never get to declare, :(

links to check out : Nathan Sawaya, Brick Artist

And while I'm on it, another great link, this one to Nathan Sawaya, the "brick artist", who makes sculptures out of Legos. His subjects are sometimes whimsical, sometimes mundane, often amazing, and never dull.

Check it out!

http://brickartist.com/

links to check out : Cocktail Party Physics

http://twistedphysics.typepad.com/

This is a great website, especially for those of us who are interested in physics, but can't be bothered to actually sit through and feel abysmally dumb in a physics lecture.

Includes nerdy physics cocktail recipes!

you know, it's like they don't *want* me to declare my major or something...

So in reflection of today, I remembered that I had to head over to Stevens Hall to declare PEIS so that I can finally get the L/S double major sheet signed and sent in, since it was Thursday and they'd told me when I went in on Monday that Thursday would have advising hours for non-declared majors. So I go in at 10a, right after PS 128, and there's already a line that bodes an hour-long wait. A little inquiring around informs me that there will be open advising hours at 3p (and the office closes at 4p, and I have class until 3:30p, >____< ). So I figure I'll drop in after PS 126, get it signed, go to L/S tomorrow, declare w/ L/S, and be done with it all, easy as pie which by the way, I made last time under the supervision of B and V, and it turned out lovely. So there..

If only it were so easy.

After PS 126, I headed over to the office and discovered that they ONCE AGAIN put up that sign at the front desk that says "ADVISING HOURS FOR TODAY ARE OVER. PLEASE COME BACK BETWEEN 10a-4p", and there was already a wait line about 10 people long.

SERIOUSLY PEOPLE. I just need two little signatures, and I don't even have to be there for one of them. Honestly, couldn't I just turn in the application, have it put into your inbox to be signed, and be over with it?

...

Apparently not.

But it's okay. I guess I'll just wait outside their door tomorrow morning at 10a. They can't refuse me then. MUAHAHA, I have outsmarted you, oh administrative bureaucracy!

introduction

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3...

Have given in and decided to start a blog, hopefully to be used as a diary so that when I am old and decrepit and senile, my grandchildren can't accuse me of making up stories because I would then point to this as some sort of proof. (and hopefully, will create some sort of legitimacy, so that when I do make up stories, I can just say I forgot to post it, haha. TAKE THAT.) Hopefully, proper grammer grammar rules and spelling will apply.

In any case, it is interesting to note that, to date, our (my, for any non-Echo-Boomers out there) generation may very well be one of the most un-self-conscious about public disclosure of our lives and "deepest selves" (if you will), what with blogs and myspace and ljs and facebook documenting just about anything and everything we feel to be important (including, in an interesting delve into the fascination with the mundane, that which may even be lacking in importance). Further exploration of the topic to come, unless/until I start feeling like a presumptuous ass for trying to sound precocious.

And then, to at least establish some sort of accountability, I plan to post interesting (at least to me) tidbits of information regarding my daily life, travel and slice-of-life stories, gossip, etc. etc. etc., under the labels of: mundane, interesting, fashion, to-do, ranting, waxing poetic/lyrical, art, videos, mooning, crushes, food, music, lists, pictures, events, anecdotes, travel, etc. etc. etc. And also grocery lists.

ok, have to head off to class now. PS 126 to be exact.