Scriber's Web

RIP Miso

2012-01-06T07:36:00.000-06:00

Rest in peace Miso. You will be missed. But I hope that you are somewhere out there flying freely and eating at an all you can eat buffet of Harrison bird food. And playing with other birds. Nicely.

Miso came to us about an year ago. And we welcomed her with excitement and open arms. She was so beautiful with so much personality! Her original name was Maestro but we truncated it to Miso. We fell in love with her immediately.

Miso was an eccentric so she fit into our family immediately. She was super social. So she loved the "someone is always awake in the house at any given time". She loved how social our home was.

She was animated. The more the guys in the house yelled at the TV while watching football, the louder she would chirp. She was a itty bitty thing but had a huge persona and made her presence felt every second of the day. She was a diva.

Like I said, she fit right into our family.

We will miss you Miso! Thank you for being a part of our lives. May you fly freely in your paradise.

Vacay Time!!!

2011-12-23T09:58:00.000-06:00

And so it begins.

The boys are back in town and I will not be working the rest of the year. Yeah!

Work has been extremely busy and stressful so I am looking forward to this break. I'll be doing things I LOVE. Such as hang out with the family, cook, eat, catch up with friends and paint.

Yesterday I got my first oil paints. I can't wait to experiment with them. I've never ever used oil paints. How strange is that?

I remember when I was growing up, I had asked my mother for some paints. And she was appalled. They were way too expensive! We simply could not afford it. Plus she wanted me to focus on my education and music. I don't want you to think that my Mom was mean. She was awesome. But the culture I came from... you had to have a solid education. Number 1 become a doctor. Number 2 an engineer. That is it. LOL. Obviously I did not become either one of them:)

So today I am glad that I can afford to buy my own paint and just paint. Let go of all the structure. Don't care for the outcome. Just create something.

What about you? What are your plans?

Frost!

2011-12-07T08:54:00.000-06:00

Frost in Austin!

Towering

2011-11-18T08:02:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday everyone!

I am looking forward to the weekend. And to Thanksgiving right around the corner.

I so love thanksgiving and cooking fabulous food for thanksgiving. I haven't decided what the menu is going to be but I have some standard dishes that I have to make every year. But I like to add a new dish every year.

Any suggestions?

Almost Sold...

2011-11-16T08:16:00.000-06:00

So I heard that this piece generated some interest. Rumors are that it almost sold. When I was at the EAST show, I saw at least 2 peeps taking a photo of it on their phone cameras.

But... almost sold is a cold distant road from sold. As an artist, it gives me validation. I can sell my artwork to family friends etc. But that does not count. We shall see what happens this weekend.

This piece is called Apex. Hope you like it.

Conversations

2011-11-15T07:58:00.000-06:00

These pieces are titled:

TCP Conversation

Handshake

UDP Conversation

Don't ask. There is a nerd in me.

So... last weekend, at he EAST show, my BFF showed up. She recently sprained her ankle and had to use crutches to walk. But I was so glad that she came to support me.

Anyways... after spending some time at the galleries, we decided to head out. She wanted a beer and I wanted a glass of wine. We had a lot of catching up to do. Her hair has pink highlights now. Last time it was purple. I realize I've missed out on a lot.

We ended up at a restaurant where we ordered the most strange combination of food with our drinks. Lobster mashed potatoes, chopped salad and apple pie. Bliss! Cannot describe how peaceful it was. There is something to be said about being accepted and loved unconditionally.

While we were eating and drinking, we heard a really loud clatter. A man sitting near our table dropped his.... FLASK! He had a flask in his pocket. Who would bring a flask to a restaurant? Not sure. Surely someone who likes to keep his liquor handy. And he was so embarrassed.

I always thought flasks were for college students attending a football game in the stadium during a snow storm. Oh well. What do I know?

So my question to you is, have you taken a flask with you somewhere? And what was your choice of drink?

Puttering

2011-11-15T06:02:00.007-06:00

Part 3 of 3.

My favorite thing to do. Puttering.

Part of the East show.

Pittering

2011-11-14T06:09:00.002-06:00

Part 2 of the series.

Encaustics, alchohol inks and fire.

Part of the East Show.

Riveted

2011-11-13T17:48:00.001-06:00

So this morning I was playing host at one of the galleries. I was fabulous at it and was so happy that I had such a captured audience.

An hour later I took a bio break and to my horror realized.... The top buttons of my blouse were open the whole time.

So I guess I flashed the East crowd.

Le sigh!

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Pattering

2011-11-13T06:03:00.001-06:00

This is part of a three part series.

A 6x6 piece using encaustics, alchohol inks and fire. I actually painted with alchohol inks and set it on fire.

Don't try this at home!

Also in the EAST show.

Fragmented

2011-11-12T06:49:00.006-06:00

I call this piece fragmented. Also part of the EAST show. I am probably going to retitle this to He promised me a picket fence. This is made of computer parts.

I just love working with different objects and encaustics. This one reminds me of a woman, white picket fence and jail.

LOL.

Wrapped

2011-11-11T05:57:00.001-06:00

My joyous heart wrapped in the darkness of world.

A traditional piece without embeded objects.

Happy 11/11/11!

Moon rise

2011-11-10T21:31:00.001-06:00

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Beach Dreams

2011-11-10T06:24:00.012-06:00

Another encaustic piece in the EAST show.I used sand dollars, wood cement and beach sand to create this piece.

So where did I get the beach sand from? Everytime I go to the beach, I grab a spoonful of sand and put it in a ziplock bag. This sand is from Hawaii.

This encaustic piece always reminds me of my beach vacations and brightens up my day.

Showtime

2011-11-09T07:45:00.000-06:00

For the very first time, I am participating in a huge Austin wide show called EAST. I am excited yet very nervous. Why? Because I am showing my work with a lot of bigwigs. May they be kind to me.

The piece that you see here is titled Rustic. It is an encaustics piece with rusted cardboard and some string. It is one of the 7 pieces that will be displayed at a gallery. I may end up dropping off some more pieces if they ask for it.

This weekend, the entire east Austin will turn into a chain of galleries. I will be volunteering talking to artists, patrons and even doing a demo of encaustics with found objects. I am a little nervous about that but super excited about seeing artwork by various artists.

This event is really BIG. If you don't believe me, check out the website.

http://www.eastaustinstudiotour.com/

And wish me luck!

Happy Friday!

2011-11-04T20:53:00.000-05:00

Plano

2011-11-03T22:14:00.000-05:00

Is just plain-oh.

So glad to be back at home.

One good thing about sleeping in a hotel room... I had 12 pillows to myself. But it is hard to sleep in a strange bed.

Oh and it got cold so suddenly! One minute it was 80 degrees and the next, windy and in 40s...

Oh well...

Taking Off

2011-11-02T05:56:00.014-05:00

Heading to Plano.

Road Trip!

2011-11-01T08:15:00.000-05:00

Yeah!

So I am going on a road trip tomorrow. Nothing very exotic but a simple business trip from Austin to Plano. To attend some meetings. And I will be driving.

Yep. May the powers that be have mercy! I am not too fond of driving and am direction impaired. So let's see how this goes.

This morning, I started packing. Which means I started making a list of things I need to take with me. So I can throw it all into a bag as soon as I come home from work.

At first my list seemed OK. But then it dawned on me.... how many gadgets am I taking for this trip? Shocking! Here is the list. You tell me if this is normal. Just so you know, I leave early on Wednesday and come back Thursday night.

List of Gadgets:

Work Blackberry and charger.
iPhone and charger.
Bluetooth device for car. So I can talk on phone hands free. It is a 4 hour drive at least.
iPod. Haven't really transferred all my music yet.
GPS. Haven't used it before but I hope it helps with directions. And I do not get lost. Dallas is a maze!
Work PC in case I need to access the work network.
Personal Mac to use all day and check my emails.
DSLR Nikon camera with 2 lenses in case I want to take photos.
Point and shoot camera for taking photos of the Plano office.
External hard drive in case I need to share some large files.
A very cute USB drive. Just so I look cool.

Question: Am I normal?

Kidnapped!

2011-10-25T18:05:00.033-05:00

In case you are wondering... as soon as I landed in Cincinatti, I got kidnapped! They came in a huge limo and whisked me away. The kidnappers then made me watch the Fishing Show and even though I was terrified, I was so bored that I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was at this location. And in front of my eyes, my abductor... Captain Jack Sparrow also known as Johnny Depp!

So that is where I have been for all this time. On a boat, sailing with Captain Jack Sparrow.

Unfortunately... I was rescued and thus I am back.

Thank you Mr. Mayor of Pottsville Mr. Mythos for your efforts to rescue me.

Le sigh!

Hello cincinati!

2011-05-06T11:23:00.001-05:00

Here for my son 2's graduation. How ironic that he was born in this city!

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Yuchi!

2011-04-22T04:57:00.001-05:00

Have an early morning flight! Woke up too late!

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3 moons and an alien ship

2011-03-20T11:01:00.000-05:00

Last night I went out to take photos of the moon.

Here is my favorite one. Not really sure what the green stuff is. But I can say for sure that I was not abducted last night:)

Anyone have any theories about the green object? There were no planes flying when I took this shot. And I could see no green stuff in the sky. Do you think it is my lens over-correcting the blackness?

I am curious!

Happy 21st Son 2!

2011-03-14T10:20:00.000-05:00

So my baby turns 21 today. Yeah!

Happy birthday to my son 2. My baby.

I can't help but feel relieved over this event. We work so hard to raise babies, hoping that they will learn values and become good human beings. But everything is trial and error. And guilt, tremendous, bone crushing guilt is somehow upon Moms every single day.

I shouldn't have fed him home baked cookies after school.

I should have forced him to eat Brussels sprouts.

I should and shouldn't... the list goes on and on and on...

Le sigh!

But today, I am going to forgo it all. And simply focus on the huge task I accomplished. I raised a child. And I am ready to let him go out there in the world. Watch out world here he comes!

As for me, I took the day off today to simply celebrate my success. Of course it is all about me. I made this happen didn't I? And yes his father and an entire village helped me accomplish this. But today... I am simply going to claim this as mine and savor it.

Guilt free!

Dried

2011-02-28T05:03:00.001-06:00

Buds

2011-02-27T05:02:00.003-06:00

Pollen

2011-02-26T05:00:00.002-06:00

Blueish

2011-02-25T05:08:00.006-06:00

Pinkie

2011-02-24T05:05:00.005-06:00

Wispy

2011-02-23T05:04:00.002-06:00

Turmeric

2011-02-22T05:02:00.006-06:00

Untitled

2011-02-21T05:10:00.001-06:00

Radius

2011-02-20T05:08:00.001-06:00

Yellow

2011-02-19T05:06:00.001-06:00

Cluster

2011-02-18T05:05:00.000-06:00

Jasmine

2011-02-17T05:00:00.002-06:00

Butterfly Bush

2011-02-16T05:07:00.004-06:00

Black-eyed Susan

2011-02-15T05:06:00.004-06:00

Be mine!

2011-02-14T05:03:00.007-06:00

Celebrate love every day of your life.

Lone Flower

2011-02-13T05:02:00.002-06:00

Lantana

2011-02-12T05:00:00.003-06:00

Aliens

2011-02-11T05:39:00.000-06:00

Hazy

2011-02-10T05:37:00.003-06:00

Purple Hues

2011-02-09T05:35:00.001-06:00

Orange Dreams

2011-02-08T05:33:00.005-06:00

Sundial

2011-02-07T05:31:00.003-06:00

Crimson

2011-02-06T05:30:00.004-06:00

I feel Pink

2011-02-05T05:28:00.000-06:00

Canna

2011-02-04T05:25:00.001-06:00

Purple

2011-02-03T05:23:00.001-06:00

Specks

2011-02-02T05:20:00.002-06:00

Mellow Yellow

2011-02-01T05:09:00.020-06:00

Happy February!

One of the favorite photography subjects for me has always been flowers. I love shooting them and have a instant chemistry with them. It shows up in the photos. Chemistry with the subject is an important element in photography. You have to have it to create fabulous captures. This became clear to me when I took photos of some extremely rare and interesting cars. I really am not into cars. And regardless of how beautiful the cars were, my photos ended up being super boring and blah.

This month, I want to share my flower photos. Yes I know every flower has already bee photographed by much superior photographers from every angle. But... since this is the month of celebrating love, I'll share with you my favorite photo subject.

Enjoy.

Miso

2011-01-31T11:35:00.000-06:00

I have a new bird! I have a new bird!

What was I thinking?

Someone from work was taking care of this bird Maestro. He is a peach-faced parakeet. He is tinier than Birdie and is a bit scared of humans. But yet he needs company. Where he was living previously, he was alone almost all day long and a tad lonely. Since I have a lot of traffic at home all day long, I offered to take him in.

And he came this weekend! It was so so exciting! He is, as you can tell, gorgeous!

I spent a ton of time this weekend reading books about parrot and parakeets. I want to win his love and trust. And I want it badly!

After hours of reading, I realized that winning his love is exactly like how I behaved in high school. Give tons of attention for ten minutes. Sing to him and coo to him. Then, ignore him for 20 minutes. After that, go back into the room so he can see you and continue your normal tasks for another 10 minutes and continue to ignore him. What this does is that he realizes that HE needs to strive to get my attention. Ha!

See? Just like high school. Piece of cake! Miso, as I call him will be smitten with me in no time.

Wish me luck:)

Sea Side

2011-01-30T05:30:00.000-06:00

Fern

2011-01-29T05:25:00.001-06:00

Seagull Waiting

2011-01-28T05:46:00.005-06:00

Hula Granny

2011-01-27T05:37:00.002-06:00

Dusk

2011-01-26T05:28:00.002-06:00

Flying...

2011-01-19T06:35:00.000-06:00

Trip Report

2011-01-18T16:31:00.000-06:00

Somewhere in Port Aransas Texas, a little bar called Bernie's will never ever be the same.

Where can I start about my adventure? It had all the ingrediants of a bollywood movie. There were cute animals, guns, drugs, romance, dancing, booze, Cops chasing our car, Country dances, hot motorcycle mamas, poker games, lost cell phones, and stalkers.

I know... it happened to me but even I do not believe it.

Here are some highlights:

Went to a bar called Bernise. Apparently they had live music and senior citizen dance evening. Saw a hot motor cycle mama wearing all leather clothes and gargantial boobs. They were huge! But she looked hot and ready to party! I hope I look that great in my 80s!
While everyone was dancing country, they played the song Margeritaville. I grabbed my girlfriend and we danced in the middle of the floor. In hind sight, it was a rude thing to do. But I just wanted to dance. My hubby quickly escorted us out of the bar before we would get in trouble.
Watched the sun set.
Went to numerous places, had excellent appetizers and a lovely dinner. Excellent seafood!
I did not want to sleep early so we asked around for a happening spot. And everyone told us to go to Bernise. We were skeptical but we went there anyways. When we walked into the bar, all eyes were upon us! We were the hottest chicks at the bar! I felt like a celebrity! My friend A and I were playing pool. Guys were lining up to buy our drinks. Everyone wanted to play pool with us. Granted I had no idea how to play it and clearly demonstrated it but no one cared. Clearly we were the hottest chicks at the bar! How flattering! What a boost to my ego! I still got it!
An elderly gentleman bought me a drink. I refused numerous times but then he sent the waitress with a drink. I kept telling him that we were married and our hubbies were in the next room selecting some music but he said, "I just want to play pool with you ladies."
Meanwhile, two younger guys were sitting at the bar. They came up to us and said," OK ladies, let's play pool." I told them I had no idea how to play but they insisted. The best player was on my team. And we ended up winning! No thanks to me!
The older guy returned and complained to the guys, "Hey! I was supposed to play pool with them" And the younger guy said, "Sorry Pops. We got them first." OUCH!
One of the guys came up to us and offered to get us some weed or something stronger. We politely declined. No one ever has made me an offer like that! Another first!
Then the poker party started. Everyone except me started playing poker. Unfortunately none of us won. It was a free game so it did not matter but still. People were playing like crazy!
Meanwhile, I lost my iPhone. I went around the bar looking for it. And the elderly guy kept following me around. He wanted to play pool! He kept stalking me wherever I went! I ran back to the poker room and encouraged my hubby to lose all his money so he could help me find the phone.
When we finally returned to our hotel, I found my phone rather miraculously. Thank God!
We went to the beach the next day and watched dolphins in the sea. Best moment ever!
On our way back, my friend A. was already planning the next trip. "I had more adventure in 20 hours than I did last year! Let's do it again! We were the hottest chicks out there!"
As we were driving back to Austin, a cop car started to drive right next to us. But cops were staring at my friend A. and me. They kept leaning over to get a closer look at us. This went on for about 2-3 minutes then they slowed down. A.'s fiance joked "Look! Even the cops are checking you out. Can't go anywhere with you gals." Soon the cop car was right behind us and turned the lights on. We were petrified. We had done nothing illegal. But it was strange. We rolled our windows down and the cop walked towards us. He smiled and spoke directly to my friend A. "Hello ladies!!!:):) Just wanted to make sure you were wearing seat belts." And A. said, "Of course we are wearing seat belts officer!" He smiled, gave a mini-salute and said, "Have a wonderful day ladies!" And then said, "You are free to go!" Can you believe that? There was absolutely no reason for him to stop us! My theory is that word got out a couple of very hot chicks were leaving town and the cop simply wanted to check us out.

There. So that's what happened on my trip.Broke numerous hearts. I have a feeling that 10 years later, 2 guys will be nursing a beer at Bernise and saying, "Do you remember the day when those two hot chicks walked into the bar?"

We will be a legend there for sure.

Runing Away...

2011-01-16T08:48:00.000-06:00

I am running away today.

Last month, I took some time off from work. Ad what did I do? Stayed at home and reorganized my entire house.Took everything out of kitchen cabinets, put back only things that I had used in last 5 years and gave away the rest.

Of course I took naps, read trashy novels, watched movies and hung out with my boys. But I cannot say I did anything fun.

So today I am going to run away. Just for a day. I am going to the beach. In this cold rainy weather. I just want to see the sea. And perhaps watch the sun set on the beach. I want to escape from the realities of life and just have some fun.

As some as the idea of running away germinated in my brain, I thought of my friend Alex. I texted her:

Me: let's run away to the beach and get jobs working at a cabana. We'll wear bikinis, sarongs and flip-flops all day and serve exotic drinks to tourists. F*** high-tech and corporations.

She: OK. Let's do it. When?

Me: Next weekend. I am too busy this week. Upper management in town.

She: You want to invite the guys?

Me: Nope. But we'll tell them where we are going so they can chase us.

She: Good plan. You want to drive? I have a tiny car.

Me: Sure.... let's just forget about the guys... women only weekend!

She: OK. Girlie time!

Me: On second thoughts... let's take the guys with us. If just the two of us go, we may NEVER come back. 2 years later, we'll find ourselves in Mexico being some Mexican Gang's mistresses.

She: Yeah! Sounds fun.

Me: You are bad influence. We take the guys. They will drive us and fetch us fine wine.

She: Even better. Do you think we'll meet some pirates?

Me: Le sigh!

So there you have it. It is cold and rainy out there but I am going to the beach. Running, running, running away.

Happy 2011!

2011-01-01T17:02:00.000-06:00

Happy new year my dear bloggy friends! I hope that you have a very healthy, happy, successful and prosperous 2011.

I don't know about you but I am excited about the new year. 2010 wore me out. Too many ups and downs.

And too many leaks. The oil leak, the wiki leak, Mel Gibson's yelling and cussing recording leaks...I read an article in the Time magazine which called 2010 the year of the leaks. Joel Stein says it best. Here is the article in case you are interested.

So this year, I am not making any resolutions. What is the point? I break them anyways.

What about you? Do you make resolutions?

Any exciting ones you can share?

Bra Help

2010-12-08T08:04:00.000-06:00

Interesting sign I saw in New York city.

Horror Guest!

2010-12-01T07:42:00.000-06:00

So last weekend, I hosted not one, not two but three parties. Back to back. Yep. Thanksgiving dinner was planned but then I had two families from out of town show up in Austin. And then they came over.

Honestly, it was a lot of work but it was nice to see them.

But what happened after they all left was bad. One of my guest wanted to use our network to connect to internet. So instead of going the regular route and asking us for our password, he decided to locate our router, read the serial number on it and directly connect to our router.

And then he changed the password on our router.

I repeat. He freaking changed the password on our router. And forgot to tell us. Then he left.

Saturday morning I woke up and found out that NOTHING worked! None of the computers could connect to the internet. Not the iphones, not the Wii, not the XBox. Not the cable TV. None of my computers even recognized each other.

Five years of setting up home network all gone. Down the drain. All because of this freaking moron who thought he was being very smart. Argh!!!

Can you tell I am super duper mad? Good thing I don't own a gun.

This has to be the worst guest experience I have ever ever had!

So what do you think? Am I over reacting? Should I ever allow this man in my house? What would you do?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T08:12:00.000-06:00

I wish you all a very very happy Thanksgiving!

I am very thankful for all my bloggy friends. I hope all of you have a wonderful time today.

Today I am hosting a Thanksgiving party. The menu goes thus:

Turkey

Ham

Butter rolls

Green bean casserole

Eggplant Parmesan

Scalloped potatoes

Mashed potatoes

Corn masala

Spicy stuffing

Stuffing with veggies

Stuffing with Ondele sausage

Stovetop stuffing

Yams with praline crust

Broccoli casserole

Pea Salad

Deviled eggs

Cinnamon carrots

Gravy

Cranberry sauce

For dessert we have:

Pumpkin cheesecake

Pecan Pie

Apple pie

I better get started.

Question: What are you having for thanksgiving? If you are making something, can you share the recipe?

Evening in NY

2010-11-18T16:09:00.001-06:00

Going to see Billy elliot shortly.

Eating tons of good food. A typical jewish breakfast!

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In new York!

2010-11-17T13:00:00.001-06:00

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New York Bound...

2010-11-17T04:30:00.005-06:00

Will post some photos from my iPhone once I land.

Friends and Fashion

2010-11-16T08:23:00.000-06:00

So recently I lost some weight. Which is a good thing. Unfortunately, I have very few clothes that fit me. Pants and skirts keep falling off. My jeans keep falling off and I did not have a belt that could hold them up.

This weekend, I went for clothes shopping. Of course as soon as I told my friend, she wanted to go with me. I told her I needed 2-3 outfits that I could wear in New York. And I did not want expensive clothes since I am planning on losing 10 more pounds.

Since I am planning on going to New York, my theme was black, black, black! Black pants, black dressy shirt and I have a ton of accessories that will go with it.

On the eventful day, I picked up my friend and we went to some inexpensive clothes stores. She has a great fashion sense and picked outfits for me and asked me to try them out. Much to my disappointment, they were grey, grey, grey! All of them! I told her I never wear grey. Perhaps a red dress?

Nope. So I tried the dresses on and they were great! Definitely something I can still wear after I lose some more weight. And she promised me that the construction workers in NY would definitely be whistling at me. Ah OK.

When I came home, I tried the dresses again with tights and boots and accessories. Ha. I have too much time sometimes:) My hubby told me that I was never ever going shopping without my friend A. because the clothes I gravitated towards were "not too trendy". While at first he was surprised that I bought all grey (I don't think I ever wear grey) he loved how I looked in the dresses.

I have to admit, lately, I've been gravitating towards clothes that are shaped like a bag. But... I am ready for a change. A makeover. I am not a granny yet! I am proud of myself regardless of my age and size. I can work it baby!

So... I am thankful for my friends who reintroduced me to fashion. And remind me that you can be beautiful regardless of the size and age.

PS: BG, If you are reading, apparently in NY the trend is to wear simple colors with a ton of accessories. Colorful ones.

Question: Have you ever had a style makeover? Did you like it?

New York!!!

2010-11-14T09:09:00.000-06:00

This Wednesday, I am going to New York! Yeah! I am so excited.

There is something very electric and magical about New York city. I've been there numerous times and every time I go, I am shocked and riveted by the energy in the city. When you are there, you feel like you are part of something very exciting and very exclusive.

So my plan is thus. Leave Wednesday and spend two days in Manhattan. Then go to New Jersey to attend a wedding. It is going to be a jam packed vacation. Full of fun, family, fashion and food.

Yum.

So my question to you is, have you ever been to New York city? Do you have any recommendations for me?

Dusk

2010-11-08T18:31:00.004-06:00

Chilli Contest: Part 2

2010-11-07T08:30:00.000-06:00

So the last post, I wrote yesterday and then forgot to click publish. I guess I messed up Nablopomo but oh well. Life goes on.And so what if I did not post yesterday? I'll post twice to abuse my poor dear readers.

Bad news first. I did not win any prize. Oh well. I should have made more of an effort instead of just throwing a bunch of ingredients together. And I showed up 30 minutes late. I rarely show up late for anything but things happen.

When I went there, the first thing I noticed is the number of really serious chilli contenders. There were all kinds of chillies. Mine was plain beef chilli. "Only beef?" I got asked over and over again. "Yep. Only beef."

The guy next to me made 2 chillies. 1 was a veggie one with Tofu and all kinds of vegetables except corn "Since corn is not really a vegetable and I dislike it intensely". Okey Dokey. The other chilli he made had beef, veal, pork, venison and God knows what else meat. It was good! He did not win a prize either.

My friend Diane, the one who forced me to do this, made a pork and beef chilli. Then she did something extra. She had all kinds of garnishes. Like avacado, sour cream, scallions, chopped onions, cilanthro, cheese, etc. etc. etc. She certainly gets an A for effort! And she did get a 3rd place prize. I am so happy for her! Her chilli was the best in my opinion.

I have to say, everyone was so super good with their chilli and made such a great effort. There was this guy who marinated brisket and pork for 2 days, smoked it, chopped it up and then made chilli out of it. He also used 6 different kinds of peppers. His chilli was spicy! He won.

I think I was the only one who had "only beef" chilli. And ground beef at that too. I would give myself a D minus for efforts. But I had a great time!

Now what should I do with the leftover chilli?

Chilli Contest

2010-11-07T06:25:00.000-06:00

Sometimes you take control of your life, plan things and do them. Other times, things just happen and you find yourself doing things you never really envisioned doing.

Today I find myself committed to making chilli for a competition. With at least 9 other contestants. At a very popular restaurant in Austin.

How did I get myself into this? Why did I get myself into this?

Le sigh!

As far as recipe goes, I don't have any. Usually I just start dumping stuff in a pan. And add tons of spices. I prefer to go from the left of my shelf rack to the right. Everything goes. And then I just smell the chilli to see if it is right or not.

Needless to say, I am in huge trouble today. There are some serious chilli makers and then there is me.

I'll keep you posted.

So what are your plans this weekend?

Fish tacos

2010-11-05T23:34:00.001-05:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy Diwali

2010-11-04T19:33:00.000-05:00

Peace and goodwill to all.

Grapes

2010-11-03T19:18:00.000-05:00

Fishy!

2010-11-02T12:49:00.000-05:00

So yesterday I got a phone call. I don't get very many phone calls so I was surprised. When I answered, I heard this.

Congratulations! You have just won an all expense paid vacation to the Caribbean! Please stay on hold while our representative is available. Once again congratulations!

Seriously. This was wrong at so many levels.

If I had won something so big, would I get an automated phone call? Nope. The only way I would believe this is Ed McMahon showed up at my house with big balloons.

And who gives away all expense trips to peeps but cannot find an actual person who can make the call?

Who buys into this stuff?

So I did some research and found the following terminology.

Phishing: Scam via email.

Smishing: Scam via sms or text messaging.

and finally

Vishing: Scam via phone.

Who comes up with these terms?

Question: What kind of offers that are scams have you received? Do tell!

Happy November!

2010-11-01T07:57:00.000-05:00

Yeah! And it is November already! Time certainly flies!

Yesterday for Halloween, I was too lazy to dress up. We weren't out anywhere. Just distributing candies. I could have opted out but being the drama queen that I am, decided to wear a green dress. And then slather myself with a green facial mask. I called myself the green monster as I greeted the kiddos at the door.

We had numerous fairies, angels, snow white princesses and even a frog. One boy about 12 and much taller than me came dresses in regular clothes. I laughed and told him that I cannot give candy to kids taller than me so he had to perform a trick. He had to sing or dance. Or anything to show case his talent.

So he squatted down and started barking like a dog. LOL. He got an extra candy.

I on the other hand started getting itchy as the mask started drying. What seemed to be a good idea at that time, turned out not that great at all.

At one point, a little girl said to me, "your mask is drying. Is that the mint mask?" So I knew I had to pass on the candy bowl to the hubby and went for a shower.

That's what happened at my Halloween. How did yours go?

Bravo Chile!

2010-10-13T08:01:00.000-05:00

Bravo Chile for rescuing the coal miners. The rescue effort is flawless. Bravo to all who engineered and facilitated this.

Artalicious Weekend

2010-10-11T08:17:00.000-05:00

This weekend I had oodles of fun! On Saturday, I attended an encaustics workshop to learn new techniques. My instructor Mazarine is simply fabulous and I highly recommend her! Am planning on attending another session with her next week if I can work out some car issues. You can read more about the fabulous class here.

Some more pieces I made...

This one with a real blow torch! Yeah!

And coming to terms with simplicity! This was my favorite piece!

On Sunday, I met with my fabulous 12X12 women! Bublacious Nikki hosted the get together. I wish I could say that I actually painted during the get together but I really didn't. I watched with fascination as Niki drew and then water colored a fabulous piece! You can view her artwork here. I have to say that having no talent to draw, she was fascinating! I could simply watch her paint forever!

I also met for the first time Kathleen McElwaine. She is a well known local artist who takes local transportation to go to work and paints! On the bus! Or the train! Shame on me for complaining that I don't have time to paint! When you love to draw and paint, you can find the time and the place. During our session, Kathleen painted a small orange blob. At least that is what it looked like to me. And within moments, transformed into a longhorn! I promise to post a photo soon. I was so very fascinated and green with envy! What in the world am I doing hanging out with these talented artists?

Oh well. I had so much fun!

So what did you do this weekend?

Encaustics Workshop

2010-10-09T07:40:00.000-05:00

Today I am going to take an encaustics workshop. I'd been planning on doing this for a while but yesterday everything fell through and I did not have a car. So I canceled it. I was disappointed of course. Haven't done much encaustics due to the heat.

But late last night, things magically changed and I had my car back. So off I will go. The class is about drawing encaustics paintings with an Indonesian tool called Tjanting. Never heard of it before which is why it sounds even more exciting!

I'll post the results good or bad tomorrow.

The piece I've posted here was done a while ago. It is titled broken dreams.

So what are your artistic plans this weekend? Anything exciting?

Doctors

2010-10-08T05:24:00.097-05:00

So...

For those of you who noticed I was gone for a while, here is an explanation.

It's been a while since I got my annual health check-ups and for some insane reason thought I'd get them out of the way. The fact that some doctors refused to prescribe me simple medication such as nose sprays for allergies simply made things ultra annoying for me. So I scheduled appointments and went to them.

In case you are worried about me, I am doing great! I am cancer free and have no major diseases so all is well. But...

Here is what my allergist told me:

Him: I see that everything is inflamed and you have allergies!!!!

Me: Really? How awful! What a surprise! Can I have the following prescriptions for my allergies?

I did try to slip in some muscle relaxants etc. but that did not fly at all.

BTW... my allergist has a dog and brings him to work everyday. How cool is that? If I had a dog, I could take my dog to my allergist! Very cool!

Next I had my boobies checked. And boy was that a very interesting experience. I like the clinic and they have fabulous magazines. Like the shown above. Upon arrival, I was asked to wear a lovely robe. I was wearing a dress that day so wore the robe, kept my undies on and off I went to my magazine. Soon I was beckoned by the nurse.

Nurse: Why are you not wearing pants?

Me: Pants?

Nurse: WHY ARE YOU NOT WEARING PANTS?

Me: Umm... I did not know I was supposed to.

Nurse: YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER!!!

Me: ~~I want to really slap you right now but you are going to handle my boobies and photograph them thus I must be nice to you.~~ Sorry!

So she handled my boobies and took photos of my boobies all the time reprimanding me. I bit my tongue and let her place my boobies just here and pose just that way for her to take my boobie photos. I knew better than to argue with her. I am kinda smart like that.

I did find it very very ironic that someone who was handling my boobies was reprimanding me about not wearing pants. Who would have thought?

Le sigh!

Moving along...

Of course there was the intimate appointment with my doctor who examined my brit-brit parts. What you ask are brit-brit parts? Those are parts of a woman's body that most women cover up and don't generously share with others. Unless... you are Brittany Spears or Paris Hilton in dire desperation for publicity and show up panty-less in a dress and let anyone and everyone view it and of course photograph it.

So for my brit-brit examination, I had to undress and wear.. paper clothes! Yeah! Paper shirt and a paper skirt! Of course there were no buttons or draw strings you silly you! I asked the nurse if I could just have a blanket to cover up and dump the paper and she said Nope. They wanted me to cover up so I felt comfortable.

Really?

I would never ever be comfortable in paper. And it was white and blue paper! How dull! How unstylish! Ugh!

I tried to convince her but made no headway at all so relented.

All I have to say is that there were flash lights, strobes, needles, music, tongs, accessories and lots of activity in the brit-brit region. It was like a 70s disco party. Without any fun.

And that's all I have to say about that. We shall never ever speak about this again.

Suffice to say that Scriber's brit-brit and boobie photos are now available somewhere on the internet.

And I am hiding.

Hibiscus

2010-10-07T11:35:00.000-05:00

Phew!

2010-09-30T06:37:00.000-05:00

Where did September go? It just flew by for me.

Between well checkups and my new diet, the month simply flew by. Plus I am currently sharing my laptop with my son who is studying for a test so have not had much access to my laptop. Weekends included.

I continue to dabble with art. It is hard to do encaustics in summer but I've been painting and sketching. Yep sketching. More like doodling but oh well.

I've signed up for a project called the Sketchbook project. Here is some more info about it in case you are interested in participating. They will exhibit the sketchbooks in 4 US cities and one of them is Austin. Yeah!

Also, I am planning on taking some more encaustic classes in October. So I look forward to that. Here is information about that.

So what have you been up to?

I blame Hermine

2010-09-19T09:54:00.000-05:00

So...

Lately I've been on a healthy living phase. While I love my chicken fried steak and fried onions, here is what really brought this on.

Due to all the daily critical stuff I had to do the last year for work, I had to cancel and re-cancel my medical appointments. Things such as annual check ups and such. Now that things have kinda settled down, I scheduled some appointments to get it over with.

But... nature was vicious to me. The day I took a day off from work and had 3 Dr. appointments, Hermine attacked Austin. I drove in pouring/pounding rain to attend these appointments. I scrambled. My doctors had warned me that if I did not come for regular check ups, and cancelled all the time, perhaps it was time for me to see someone else.

In other words they were telling me to show up or get dumped by us.

Le sigh!

So I braved the Austin traffic in the nasty weather and went for the appointments. The first one was with an allergist. And an actual freaking mobile home fell of its trailer and landed in the middle of the highway. There was a house on the highway. Even I could not believe this story. Can you imagine telling someone, sorry I am late but a house fell on the highway. Who would believe me?

Anyways. The next appointment was with my general practitioner. I was late, late late. Road were turning into rivers and there were waterfalls everywhere. Who would believe that there was a waterfall dumping water on the road? No one.

So after being chastised by the Medical receptionist for being 20 minutes late, I was rushed into a room and before I knew it, they were taking my blood pressure. It was off the walls. Typically, I have very low blood pressure so this sent them in a panic mode. "Are you stressed about something?" they asked. That's when I wanted to smack them. Yep. Instead I put on my frosty look and said, "have you looked outside? I saw 12 accidents on my way here and had 4 near miss accidents. I was reprimanded for being late as soon as I got here. Would you be a tad stressed under those circumstances?"

Le sigh. I hate doctors and medical peeps. They are rude, rude, rude.

Of course all my results came back and everything in my body is whacky. Everything off the charts. So I have to get more and more test done again. Ugh!

Nothing serious but a series of "let's rule this out" kinda stuff. Not fun at all.

So I am trying to be very very healthy this week. Hopefully all the results will come back normal. But I am still blaming Hermine for creating such havoc on my body. And depriving me of my favorite foods.

My Bad...

2010-09-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

So here is what happened this weekend. I was supposed to go to my close friend's boy friend's birthday bash. I was excited about it and even made 50 pieces of tandoori chicken. Then there was some miscommunication between me and my friend and I ended up not going at all.

And I deeply hurt her feelings and disappointed her.

I felt like a total dirt bag.

Fortunately she is kind and generous so forgave me. But I just felt bad about myself.

Have you ever been in a situation where you unintentionally hurt someone?

Yuck.

It sucks.

Messed Up

2010-09-13T08:48:00.000-05:00

I messed up this weekend. Yep. That's what I did. May Karma be merciful to me.

Unknown Flower

2010-09-10T07:17:00.000-05:00

During the rain storm that lasted for days, I saw something red in my backyard. It was pouring outside so I grabbed my camera with the macro lens to see what it was. Yes I often use the macro lens as a magnifying glass.

Much to my surprise, it was this lovely flower. I don't know what it is. I certainly did not plant it last fall. Probably a few years ago and it never flowered. Love surprises from nature!

Since it was pelting outside, I grabbed an umbrella, scissors and darted outside to rescue the flower. Yesterday I took photos of it with my iPhone and various apps. The top picture you see is taken by an app called CameraPlus. It is free and offers numerous features.

This one is taken using an app called Hipstamatic. I think I paid 1.99 dollars for it. Cool effects. Right? The only thing I need to figure out is how to make this larger.

For this one I used an app called CamZoom another free app. But could not get it to focus for some reason. Oh well...

So anyone know the name of the flower?

Happy Friday!

Rain Event!

2010-09-08T07:27:00.000-05:00

Rain, rain rain! Hermine is unleashing its power over Austin. Over the last 30 hours, we've had over 12 inches of rain. Flash flood warnings, overflowing creeks and road closures. Schools are starting late or closed. The weather men are hyperventilating. My backyard is submerged in water and there is a little creek flowing through my kitchen garden. But that is small potatoes to what is really happening here. Roads are turning into creeks. And stupid people are trying to drive through them.

The rain has been relentless. Pouring and never stopping. Yesterday, I saw this trailer home that was being transported slip and fall on the road. Commute was not good at all.

Well.... Off too work I go. Commute is going to be bad. But I'll make it. Stay dry wherever you are!

Dinner!

2010-09-05T20:10:00.001-05:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Moolah

2010-09-04T19:02:00.001-05:00

Found some today!

Yeah!

Da View

2010-09-03T22:09:00.000-05:00

From my Window...

Taken using iPhone Hipstamatic app. Love the round effect!

Work TImeout!

2010-09-02T18:36:00.000-05:00

So that's how I spent yesterday afternoon. Work Party! We had yummy food from Chuy's and then went on a boat. It was simply awesome.

I considered taking my real camera but did not want to lug it around. Plus this month, I want to play around with my iPhone Camera. Took the previous shot using an app called Camera Plus. Love how blue the sky looks!

And here is another one...

We are trying to jump start the long weekend! Tomorrow, I get off at 1:00 pm! How awesome is that!

What are your plans this weekend? Anything exciting?

Le Back!

2010-09-01T07:49:00.000-05:00

I am back from my faux trip to Paris! Good news is that I wasn't abducted by aliens this time.

I seriously need to come up with better excuses when I take a break. Oh well. I actually considered to stop blogging but I realized how much I love my bloggy friends and the bloggyland! So there... here I am again.

This month, I am going to play around with my iPhone camera and share the images with you. Needless to say, I am completely addicted to my iPhone. The apps, the games, the camera! Ooh la la.. they make me weep with joy. I am so addicted to my iPhone! And the worst thing is that I am spreading the virus. Le Sigh!

I missed you my bloggy friends!

Trick Question: What is the worst excuse you have made up for being a slacker?

PS: Here is another version of the "Eiffle Tower".

Run Scriber Run!

2010-08-13T07:04:00.000-05:00

It is not everyday that you get an email from a friend that says this:

Hey S!

We're moved now! The new address is #### Rue Tolbiac, #### Paris.

We've got a guest room now so you're welcome to stay with us when you visit Paris next.

How are you?

E & D

Yikes! How lucky am I?

So I am off! I am running away to Paris. Not sure if I will blog much.

Stay in touch!

PS: That is my story and I am sticking to it. At least my excuse for not blogging lately are not as lame as the last time.

PPS: If you have ever considered running away from home, you should read this book.

Tactile

2010-08-04T07:41:00.000-05:00

Strange Dream

2010-08-01T11:04:00.000-05:00

Dream Dictionary : An A to Z Guide to Understanding Your Unconscious Mind

Last night I had the strangest dream.

I dreamt that I was fast asleep in my bed when in the middle of the night, someone broke into my bedroom. This guy had a deep deep voice and was very intimidating. He had a look of authority. Like a cop or FBI or even IRS. He told me that he wanted to ask me questions about an acquaintance of mine. Somehow the way he said it assured me that he was not there to steal, murder or rape. Just on some very top secret government mission.

I really didn't want to respond. What could I say? That she is a fun gal to hang out with? And that's all I know about her?

I was terrified. I don't lie and did not want to.

That's when Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp came to rescue me.

And then... I woke up.

Le Sigh!

So obviously when I woke up, I tried to do online research about the interpretation of the dream. But no luck. What kind of dream analysis does not recognize Brad Pitt?

So today I am going to order this book.

Dream Dictionary : An A to Z Guide to Understanding Your Unconscious Mind

Anyone have recommendations? What do you think my dream meant? And have you had a strange dream that you can share? Do tell!

Mama's Fish House

2010-07-23T08:09:00.000-05:00

One of the best places to eat in Maui is a restaurant called Mama's Fish House. Located in Paia, this restaurant not only offers breathtaking views but also the freshest and tastiest food.

While in Maui, this experience is not to be missed. Sure it is expensive but if you are on a vacation and want to eat at one good restaurant, this IS the place to go.

Open air and everyone has a view.

What I really liked about this restaurant is that there is beauty everywhere. I have to say that I took at least 200 photos while I was there. Remember the benches photo I posted? That is from this place. They have connections with local artists who provide flowers, wood work etc. I'll be publishing some more photos in future.

My hubby ordered some sushi. The fish was fresh, fresh, fresh. I personally don't like sushi. Why would you eat raw fish? But lots of people do and I definitely can take a bite.

Hawaian fish with caramelized onions. Yummy! My hubby and his brother loved the other fish!

Dessert...

The only criticism I have about this restaurant is that it is not vegetarian friendly. If a vegan shows up there, may God help them. My sis-in-law is a vegetarian. But being a world traveler, she is very flexible and accustomed to going to restaurants where they have very limited options for her.

But me being me, asked the waiter if the chef could prepare a vegetarian dish for her. There was nothing on the menu for her. He said that he would ask the chef. I seriously thought that the chef would cook up some pasta or something for her. The solution that the chef came up with? Children-menu grilled cheese. That, in my opinion, was seriously lazy of him. How hard is it to cook up some veggie noodles? Or spaghetti. Or simply fix a garden salad. But nope. Grilled cheese it was.

And how much did they charge for the grilled cheese? 35 US dollars. Yep. Yep. I kid you not. Of course they did not tell us how much the grilled cheese would cost ahead of time. It would have been too tacky. But we got quiet a surprise when it popped up on the bill.

So to my vegetarian readers, go there after you eat food. They have plenty of desserts and great drinks. The atmosphere is to die for.

I can't wait to go to Maui again so I can eat there!

If you are going to Maui, here is the best book you can find.

Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook

Drifting

2010-07-21T07:39:00.000-05:00

Some days I simply want to drift away...

So Hot!

2010-07-20T07:43:00.000-05:00

Stealing/Copying/Collaborating Carol's idea.

It is so hot that the hula boys on the dashboard are melting.