A Wangs World

Amazed

2010-03-31T07:22:00.001-07:00

Utterly amazed, at how spoiled, selfish, stubborn, self-absorbed, self-deluded and simply stupid a person can be. On one hand, I could be angry...or even pity the worthless fool...

But on the other hand, I've got bigger, better things to think about. :) So that's that!

G Wang...I'm off to your hemisphere in a mere 2 months!! I can't wait. xoxo.

I miss Whiskers

2010-03-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

He was a sweet little mouse, always nibbling on honeycombs and scaring the crappola out of me when I saw his furry body scamper across the floor. Oh Whiskers, I hope you're doing alright out there in the big cold world!

Although I have to say...Humane Mousetraps ROCK.

Step 1. Take an empty 2-liter soda bottle. Cut off the top (at the point where the slope meets the straight part)

Step 2. Place honey combs or other goodies inside the bottle.

Step 3. Invert the cut-off top so that it resembles a funnel. Put it on top of the newly cut top. Tape it shut.

Step 4. Tape the bottom of the bottom to some board/folder/paper good that is flat and sturdy.

Step 5. Place where mouse has been spotted. I would suggest you place some books or something as stairs for the little rascal. Then wait.

Step 6. Success! :) Whiskers, wherever you are - I hope you're enjoying some honeycombs!

Haiti Day!

2010-03-01T07:35:00.000-08:00

Second lesson learned of 2010…always do proper research before you take on a project! Or in other words, eat Haitian food before you attempt to reproduce/cook it.

C and I recently kicked off our Global Culinary Challenge 2010 by launching a Cooking for a Cause^* series. And given our cause, the Haitian relief effort, we thought it would make most sense to start of with…Haitian cuisine! Never mind that neither of us had ever tried Haitian, we figured it would be easy enough to pick up. Um...as you might have guessed - we were sort of wrong. We did manage to produce some dishes that tasted vaguely Haitian (plantains, rice & beans). Others that were good, but just seemed to miss the ethnic-mark (snapper, lamb stew). But others (read: griots) just left me scratching my head in confusion. Either way, it was a very fun night – and thanks to the lovelies who came!

We started our day with a nice charity run for Haiti (I finished in 6,208 place haha) with marathoner, J.S., and Terry-Foxer, M.Y. It was a crisp Feb day, filled to the brim with high energy runners and supporters!

Now – specific pieces of advice for any other clueless cooks out there who wants to attempt Haitian.

Plantains – not as easy to find as you might think in NYC! We scored diff local D’Agostinos, Whole Foods & Trader Joes – to no avail. How did we end up picking these suckers up then? We had to beg for scraps from the nice waitstaff at Havana Alma de Cuba. I think they gave us the older plantains, but either way – we had three nice long blackened bananas to work with.

Griots – described by various websites as ‘fried chunks of seasoned pork’…after hours of marinating (overnight), simmering (hours), deep frying (long enough) – we were left with small chunks of dry pork…fried. Theories abound over what went ‘wrong’. Perhaps we cut the pork cubes too small? Perhaps we shouldn’t have simmered for so long? And finally perhaps we should have deep-fried it in a shallower (therefore, hotter/faster) pan of oil. ??

Rice & Beans – before you try this, you might want to get a mortar & pestle to properly ground up the herb/spice mixture. Lacking this device, I was left crushing via spoon for WAY too long.

Snapper & Spicy Lamb Stew – in my opinion, the preparation for these dishes was actually pretty standard and well-known! Besides for okra (which is really easy to prepare despite it's inherent stickiness) everything was by-the-book-Amy-style. :) But then again, it tasted pretty “normal” to me (meaning…non-ethnic)

*Cooking for a Cause Details – A culinary series where we shall endeavor to cook new and different ethnic cuisines every month and feature the results at a dinner party. Dinner party guests are encouraged to “donate” a small amount of $$ to our cause. At the end of our series, we will donate the total lump sum to Haitian relief charities.

Mike, excited to dig in to stew? Haha

Well still – Cooking For a Cause Dinner #1 - Haiti COMPLETE! Suggestions welcome for the next course.

Lesson Learned

2010-02-12T07:44:00.001-08:00

First real lesson learned in 2010....

DO NOT LEAVE THE GAS-POWERED OVEN ON BEFORE LIGHTING IT UP WITH A MATCH. RESULTS MAY BE DISASTROUS.

What started off as a merry, sweet little adventure to make some Valentine's Day themed sugar cookies turned this Wang into a crispy-haired, limited-eyelashes, singed hand idiot. Remember kids, if the oven is gas-powered - please be extremely careful when lighting a match. And always light the match IMMEDIATELY to avoid overexposure to gas. Because kids, you might not always be as lucky as this idiotic Wang...and fire burns HURT!!!

No more baking, particularly in C's oven, for a long long time...

Waiting....

2010-01-28T07:41:00.000-08:00

I had dinner with a good gf last week (btw, Mermaid Inn in the E Village? Adorable, delicious and a perfect date/girly catch-up spot!) and invariably...our conversation turned to waiting. In her case, she is waiting for feelings of certainty...for the confirmation...for...the rock. I suppose in my case, I am also waiting for certainty..for confirmation...for....an interview invite (or ~~three~~, two).

This is a conversation that has been coming up with alarming frequency. The numerous chats of 'when will this' and 'when will that' over cups of coffee/tea (ok fine, glasses of wine/cocktails more likely) are starting to blur. As we progress further into our adult lives, worrying about increasingly "adult" issues - it seems that the the choices we make are starting to actually direct our life path. The random career/love/family choices you made at ~22-23 are starting to catch up to you. But those "supposed" 30-year old choices seem just a little out of reach. And inbetween those big/small choices, we're left twiddling our thumbs. Just...waiting.

But really, what's so terrible about waiting? Used properly, the notion of waiting can conjure up grand ol' feelings of anticipation, eagerness and hope. Waiting for something, believing in something...sure beats the heck out of not waiting for anything right? Sooner or later, one day you'll look back upon these gut-wrenching days of just waiting with nostalgia and a fond remembrance.

That being said....fark that! My gut is churning and my palms are sweating. Where are the rest of those interview invites?! And then....gasp.....acceptance(s) or god forbid rejection(s)?!!! Minor freak out here!

.5 Stop on the Global Culinary Express Train

2010-01-27T07:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, so with D wedding planning, gay birthdays and baby showers...C and I have been a little busy - we haven't started our Global Culinary Challenge yet! But somewhere between the massive W Village overeating, intense scrabble games and the Master Cleanse (C, not me...I'm on a weeklong no-cookie pledge)...we did manage to pull out a little dish from the motherland (island). A fav of drooling Taiwanese people around the world...Zha Zhiang Mien!

Oh wait, there was ONE thing we did manage to sneak in on top of our busy busy schedule...PENGUINS! I'd post this incredibly adorable video of penguins waddling....but I don't know how. Haha, anyhows - thanks C for bringing real live penguins into my life! :D

2010: Let the Cooking Begin!

2010-01-19T07:06:00.000-08:00

My mom always said, that as a pig (my Chinese zodiac sign) - I would have a lucky life insofar as I would always have something good to eat! And as moms typically are, she was right. I have been rather fortunate with all the tasty things in life. But so what? What does this have to do with 2010?

Well...it all started with a little Sun bday/end of year ('09) dinner.... (thanks N & A for being such willing guinea pigs!)

Despite some hiccups with the oven (we had to call the super to figure out how to turn the oven on), and much help from the trusty manual-Chao-dicer, C and I were able to pull out a very successful first dinner! While I have cooked most of the sides at one point or another...the smash hit of the evening was my tentative experiment with orange & miso...the miso-marmalade glazed pork loin stuffed with fennel.

With those savory memories under our belt...we began to discuss the possibility of formulating our very own little culinary challenge. Prompted by an endless barrage of food network/travel channel/julie&julia shows...we have decided to take a crack at cooking our own way through the different continents! We'll be sure to try and rep G Wang's little current island home too... ;)

Details TBD as C is currently in charge of determining the rules and guidelines.

piggy heart penguin

2010-01-18T18:28:00.000-08:00

Penguins Mate for Life

2010-01-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

Random Friday Afternoon factoid. Penguins mate for life! Now those who know me, know of my obsession over Penguins. Well...after stumbling upon that fact, things just became oh-so clear! As guess what, Mr. Penguin and I have been going strong for the past 23 years. His beak's a little messed up, his belly no longer white, and his smell a little odd. But our love remains everlasting. ;) Seems like we humans have a little thing or two to learn from the penguin species...

Hello New Decade!

2010-01-06T07:52:00.001-08:00

Hello World! Ok, so the Wangs have been terrible at this whole 'keeping a regular blog' thing. Either way, only grand news could bring us back - such as the turning of a new year, the turning of a new decade, the realization-too-long-in-the-making that all your friends were right all along, the joyous completion of someone's arduous application journey...and the engagement of one of our bestest bestest friends!!!!!

CONGRATS TO MY FAV COUPLE. Welcome Hwang -- to the 5139+family. :)

Miss you Gracie!!

2009-10-16T07:09:00.001-07:00

Come back soon. :( Twas fun ruckusing with my fellow Wang this weekend.

Haha revelation anyone?

2009-08-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

Reasons he's NOT the one

2009-08-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

This girl's got some funky style! Very impressive. Time to click the donate button!

On another note, I'm so so excited!!! Just a couple more days and I shall be nibbling and sipping on the streets of Barcelona, ole!

Morakot

2009-08-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

ehhh..um, well, it does suck indeed. hundreds of ppl homeless now, and hundreds still missing. very sad and devastating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QPO3fXxpa0

thankfully, taipei (city but not county) relatively unscathed. watching tv is scary though. lots of crying on the news. its hard to imagine all that destruction and flooding only less than a hundred miles away on the same island.

Typhoon Taiwan?

2009-08-07T12:09:00.001-07:00

Haha sucks for those stuck in SE Asia right about now! ;)

2009-08-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

WEEEEEE!!! i'm here!!! haha, i am so NOT GOOD (in fact AWFUL) at this update-y thang. Sorry to make it a lonely wang world. But i do love that Shooting Star. and i wish i couldve been there to enjoy it live with my favorite family away from home.

**the only thing about a shooting star is that it lives a capricious and ephemeral existence. i want ethereal, nice and steady! with a sprinkle of drama just to spice things up a lil =)**

your suggestion is a good one, my smartie wang! i think i could also use some time to re-find myself. life has been so filled with distractions (some welcome, others unwanted) that it's easy to forget about ourselves and figure out what is best for ME. Obviously not applicable to everyone, but you gotta be selfish sometimes! if you dont look out for you, then who will?! yes, im here for you but im far away now..(just physically, not in spirit).

lots of hugs and kisses,

graciegrace

A Shooting Star...

2009-07-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

I love her, the way she is, the way she are, a shooting star.
And I pray that you never change, never ever change.
Stay the same, cause...

I love just who you are, I ain't gon try to change ya.
You are a shooting star, that's why you are my favorite.

Shooting Star, David Rush
-- discovered while dancing away a flamin' dr. pepper under the Austin, TX night sky. :) what a wonderful weekend that was. Now if only life was like that.

2009 mid-year goal-time! Reclaim myself and get a damn move on my life.

Look! Wokai on CNBC! :D

2009-06-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

Ah, 2009 is almost half over! And yet, I feel like I'm adrift in the ocean, just floating along. I've got to start paddling somewhere, towards something otherwise...I'll drown! Perhaps this means I should take a non-traditional approach towards getting back on track. Meaning, sans the parental and societal driven 'typical' career and academic lectures. Perhaps I should take a note out of this interesting gal's life...and make a list of 101 things to complete in 1001 days! Hm.

On another note: G WANG?! Where are you?? Hmph..this is turning out to not be a Wangs world, it's just a Wang world!

Miss you guys already!!!

2009-06-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

Ah the merry month of May. Twas a good month! Casa Wang (A) saw quite an influx of visitors, spanning - AUS, NRT & TPE. Hope you guys had fun, cause you surely brightened this Wang's day (and long long long nights) ;)

Llama and his fob-daughters

Pale, TAN, Pale.

WOKAI LAUNCH: A benefit celebrating the power to make a difference!

2009-05-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

So some of you may know that I've been working on this non-profit called Wokai for quite some time now. Quickly, they're focused on raising money to fund microloans to the poor in rural China - helping them lift themselves out of poverty through entrepreneurship. We've been working to put together this launch event/fundraiser on Wednesday, May 27th. We'll be having a wine/beer open bar, light hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction, and the CEO/Co-founder of Wokai will be presenting. It should be a fun party, and it's for a good cause so if you can make it, your support is much appreciated.

The event will be held at Blvd in the lower east side (on Bowery between Spring and Rivington). Take a look at the info and let me know if you have any questions about the event, Wokai, or microfinance in general. You can also browse the website or check out the blog for some light reading. Lastly, please forward this along to any friends, family, or colleagues you think might be interested. Thanks guys!!

Amy

This blog post is part of Zemanta’s “Blogging For a Cause” campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about.

----------------------------------------------------------

Please join the New York Chapter of Wokai for our Launch celebration!

Get your tickets before May 1 at the early bird rate - only $45 for a great party and a great cause

Click here for tickets: http://wokainyclaunch.eventbrite.com/

WHAT: A fundraising event celebrating the launch of Wokai’s peer-to- peer microfinance donation platform, featuring wine/beer open bar, hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction, and a presentation by Wokai Co-Founder and CEO, Casey Wilson

WHO: Over 200 socially-conscious young professionals

WHERE: BLVD - 199 Bowery (at Spring Street)

WHEN: Wednesday, May 27th from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

WHY: In China, approximately 200 million people live on less than $1 a day, and China’s income gap is one of the most severe among developing countries worldwide. Microfinance, commonly defined as providing loans to poor people to help them start small businesses, offers one of the best solutions to global poverty. Wokai is a 501c3 non-profit organization that enables Chinese people to lift themselves from poverty. Wokai is Chinese for "I start," demonstrating our commitment to helping the impoverished help themselves. Through our website, we connect contributors worldwide with entrepreneurs in rural China to help them start small businesses. For example, a seamstress might borrow money to buy a sewing machine. This business generates stable income, which gives the seamstress and her family access to healthcare, improved housing, or perhaps most importantly, education. By empowering people to take control of their own lives, microfinance differs from the cycle of dependency created by previous methods of poverty alleviation.

RESERVATIONS: http://wokainyclaunch.eventbrite.com/

As a portion of each ticket is tax deductible, please consider requesting a matching gift from your company so that Wokai can benefit twice from your generosity. Thank you!

For additional information about Wokai, please contact us at newyork@wokai.org

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Tonsillitis!

2009-05-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

Yep! They're swollen, they're huge and they're sort of infected. Sexy, I know. ;)

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/tonsillitis-topic-overview

Make It Work!

2009-04-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

Darhling! I felt I must respond to your previous post. I have definitely pondered those thoughts independent from your post (which is why we have such a WANG mind meld!). Yet recent events have caused me to revise my thinking.

Yes, the economy can ruin marriages, relationships, and the like. Yes, it can be a huge barrier in either moving forward, or moving on. But in the end, the key element in whether it works - is you. You and him/her. You, him/her and your family. We're Gen Y! Having grown up in an age where individualism, achievement and a "you can do it" attitude reigned supreme. My thesis is, it's on you. If you want it enough, you can make it happen. Examples? Cause in the end Gracie...you have to be with your family in TW, no? And as for supposed love separated by oceans? Well love is only sustainable when you try to make it work. Otherwise it's just a bunch of pretty words.

After all, my fav. CMU non-prof, Randy Pausch said "Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people."

Love and the Economy

2009-04-27T01:04:00.000-07:00

It is all too common to reference the state of the economy in relation to jobs found and jobs lost, but what about in relation to lovers lost and found?

It's no secret that money problems are often cited as the most common cause of failed marriages. The recent financial crisis has also seemingly had polar effects one way or another, either by forcing the couple to continue living under the same roof or by accelerating the split of a not-very-happy marriage. But my real question (well, mainly of concern) is...how is this financial meltdown affecting younger unmarried couples? In other words, how is it affecting my own and (the majority of) my friends' relationships with their significant others?

Perhaps coming back home to Taipei was inevitable but I can't help but think that if the economy were in a better state, and jobs were easier to come by, then I would still be living in NYC working a somewhat respectable job. Or I would maybe have had fewer applicants to beat out for Columbia b-school. So yes, this economy has definitely had a resounding impact on my career prospects (obvi!) but maybe less obvious is the fact that leaving NYC meant leaving someone special that I deeply cared for. Oh, and of course, all my fabulous friends in NYC =)

Similarly, the more-than-abysmal job market in Hong Kong is also keeping apart two very distant lovers..

Ex-bankers Make Soap!

2009-04-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

I always hear endless anecdotes of ex-bankers going out and opening up their own bakery, cupcake shop, bar or yo-yos. But here's a new one - SOAP!

An ex-colleague of mine, who was a fantabulous lady banker has now since left the tax-exempt/taxable municipal housing bond world (oh so exciting) and joined the ranks of countless recession-braving career-changing entrepreneurs and opened up her own handmade boutique (oh very exciting! no sarcasm this time)!

Her new boutique offers all-natural soaps and lotions made from pure botanical. My personal fav looks to be a convenient lotion stick with a pleasant grapefruit scent (mmmm citrusy!). So this Wang's suggestion is to visit www.ZaoNaturals.com and check it out. :)

To b-school or not to b-school?

2009-04-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

The eternal question of 20-something-year olds around the globe. And currently, a big lurking problem in this Wang's life. There's plenty of dialogue out there as to each viewpoint on this topic...but my favorite comes from the Brazen Careerist who casts pithy well-written doubts on why b-school may not be the most efficient choice for current 20-something-year-olds.

And this is sentiment then leads to follow-up discussion on the difficulties in sorting this all out via a timeline. (with the deadline at the big 3-0)

My 15 Min Morning Train Ride Thought

2009-04-07T06:17:00.000-07:00

Long before Randy Pausch popularized the notion of CMU as a breeding ground for innovative thinking and knocking down brick walls, a young starry eyed class of 2005 sat in Gesling (that's the stadium for all you people who, like myself, never, ever dared venture to a CMU football game given the horror of it all) listening in on another grey-haired fellow imparting some droplets of wisdom. No, it wasn't our keynote speaker, who's name I forget but speech I regretfully remember as a mesh of timed pauses, 24, jack bauer and something about 'squares'.... But rather our illustrious president, Jared Cohen who spoke to Tim Friedman's concept: Globalization 3.0. Back in May 2005, he said something which always stuck with me for it's improbability, it's increduality: "this class in front of me, on average you will changes jobs seven different times and work in seven different countries"*

Yet now, nearly four years later...his predictions are surprisingly on track! As I leave my apt every morning for work, I pass by my half-sized fridge every morning out the door, on which is tacked a photo of five girls cheesing for some unknown cameraman (actually, it's most likely Llama). This morning, I actually stopped to take stock of the photo. From these five in nearly four years, have resulted seven different jobs with three distinct job changes and four different geographies: Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo & most recently Taipei... Hm. Looks like Cohen was on to something there.

Side note: So then people, if that is the case. We must prep and need on Globalization 3.0's strong infrastructure - get on skype!! Also, for those of you in need of a good webcam: I highly recommend (kick-arse Logitech 900 webcam).

A Matter of Semantics

2009-04-06T03:05:00.000-07:00

P.S. - Amy, I believe the appropriate term here is wang-ify. As in "beaut-ify". Or wang-erize. Wang-ionize?! We sound like a labor union.. or atomic particles ;)

Homeward Bound: The (literally) Breathless Journey

2009-04-06T00:35:00.000-07:00

After a full 24 hours traveling from NYC's UWS to Taipei, I think I've somehow already beaten the jetlag and my internal clock is set to Taipei time. A somewhat triumphant beginning to my new life back home. But the trip itself wasn't all fun and games.

It started out smoothly enough. I arrived at the check-in counter somewhat behind schedule but EWR's international terminal seemed eerily quiet. No lines, no screaming children or hollering security guards directing traffic. I sauntered up to the EVA check-in counter with probably the biggest suitcase you can imagine (and I KNOW it exceeded weight restrictions) and two duffel bags (yes, amounting to a total of 3 bags) to check in. Thankfully, it's all been taken care of beforehand and Daddy already had his ppl call the arlines ppl. One of the baggage men, upon seeing my overweight luggage, demanded me to pay the overweight fee. I ignored him, and the check-in girl shushed him and handed him some Priority tags to put on my 3 bags. Then she handed me my boarding pass and a VIP lounge pass. Merci beaucoup! I couldn't help but let out the teensiest smirk.

As I approached my assigned seat, I saw that the entire row was empty. Awesome! This was going to be a wonderful trip. If only they had shut the gates a few minutes earlier. A panty old Vietnamese couple came running in as the engines revved up. I waited with baited breath as they headed towards me down the aisle. Then they fatefully stopped next to me. %(*%$$%! My dreams, shattered! I scooted in to give them their seats and was immediately assaulted by the foulest smell I have EVER experienced in my life. I have never inhaled that smell before and couldn't even begin to identify it. All I know is that I immediately felt nauseous and sick to my stomach and began to hatch an escape plan. The moment we were in the air, I was going to move all my belongings to another empty seat.

No such luck. Despite it being "low season", all the seats were taken (interestingly, mostly by Vietnamese ppl. At one point, I wondered if I was indeed on a flight back to TPE because I could not understand a single word of the chatter that surrounded me). Well, I was going to have to suck it up (the putrid smell, i mean). I soon realized that it was coming from a plastic bag the old lady next to me had in front of her. As the flight wore on, I was dying 1) from asphyxiation and 2) to find out from what monstrosity a stench like that could emanate. But all I could do was to try to breathe through my mouth and to elevate myself for any gasp of fresh air I could get.

By the 18th hour, as we began our descent, I was delirious from lack of air and food. I had lost any appetite I had on the flight. I pledged to myself that I would not let that toxic monstrosity into this country in which I will now permanently reside. I must do this is for my (new) countrypeople! I imagined myself grabbing a customs officer by the arm and pointing him to the bag like a drug-sniffing dog. He would open it, inhale it and immediately gaggle and choke in tears. Oops, teehee, I should have warned you!

As we deplaned, I surreptitiously kept my eye on the old couple, tagging closely behind them. I was on a mission, though I wasn't sure I had the balls to actually carry out my plan. Whew! It turns out I didn't have to. They made the turn towards transfers. I was relieved of my patriotic duties. Whatever they were carrying was going home with them back to Vietnam. Booyah!

On the car ride home with Mom and Dad was when I felt it all sink in - the realization that this was not another 2-week visit and that I needed to learn and settle into this ever-so-familiar yet increasingly-foreign country. Here I am again after 12 years. It's amazing to think I left this country at 13, crying for my parents and begging them to please, please let me stay. But at present, I feel both a sense of dread and anticipation for this new life I will begin to rebuild here.

This blog is where I will attempt to chronicle my adventures and thoughts as I re-acclimate myself to Taiwanese life. But more importantly, this is for all my friends back in NYC and everywhere else in the US and in other parts of the world, to keep you updated on my progress. (Since I'm not always very good at keeping in touch.) Thanks for reading! =) if in fact you did make it to the end of this extremely long entry.

And thanks, Amy, my other Wang, for sharing this blog with me. We are now thousands of miles apart but I know we are forever inextricably connected through years of friendship and infinite trouble-rousing-roomie adventures. You'll always continue be my excuse...somehow! =)

Hello and Welcome!

2009-04-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to A Wangs World, a small little blog about two fantabulous Wangs living, eating, dancing, and generally causing a stir about two very different towns. The world is a big big place, but we're out to Wang-ionize it! :) Enjoy!