late spring reading
june 01, 2005
as summer is nearing and the temps are soaring on some days, i cannot get enough of bi bim neng myun. this korean cold noodle dish spiked with chili sauce, beef brisket, hard boiled eggs and vegetables is to die for. as the spiciness kicks in, i'm glad there's a glass of water nearby and that i'm sitting in an a/c room. one of my fave places in LA to get this dish is at yu chun where they use an arrowroot noodle. de-li-cious.
yu chun
18162 colima road
rowland heights, ca 91748
[corner of colima & fullerton road]
there's another location in koreatown at 3185 olympic blvd, los angeles.
try it, you'll like it. :9
:: ::
i go through phases where i don't pick up a book for the longest time and then i break into cycles where i'm voraciously reading everything i've been wanting to but haven't got around to. well, i'm back into the latter phase right now and i hope to keep it up since it feels like i haven't been feeding my mind with great writing that stimulates my thinking. too much work and not enough recreational reading makes winnie a dull girl. so here's what's been and is still on my nightstand:
snakes & earrings by hitomi kanehara
if there's one kind of books that i absolutely love, it would have to be japanese suspense/mystery. i'm talking abou the books that were initially written in japanese and then translated to english. this is a really new book by first time author hitomi kanehara, who won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for this book entitled hebi ni piasu in japanese. it's a very raw story about the other side of life in tokyo -- body modifications, tattoos and love. the more i read, the more i got absorb into the story line between the 3 main characters of the book. it's gritty and at moments, i found myself wincing. when i finished the book, i couldn't help but think to myself how these japanese authors never ceases to amaze me with their wacked out stories. but at the same time, it reflects a very real facet of life. it gave me a glimpse into the life of twenty somethings in japan who share sex freely and openly while not living for anything else but today. my only complaint about this book was that it was too short -- it left me wanting more.
he's just not that into you by greg behrendt
the hype the hype and i already mention (?) the hype surrounding this book and after seeing greg on oprah, i decided i was very curious to see what his book was all about. in very short and witty paragraphs, greg behrendt, dissects the behavior of men to troubled women who have questions about their relationships. if there's one thing i walked away with after reading this book, it's the fact that we shouldn't be wasting our time on men who don't even want to waste their time on us. after reading this, i started to think back on all the guys i dated from my younger years and saw every sign that was described in the book. the book also focuses on the fact that women just tend to make excuses for man's behavior and tend to not want to believe what they already know. if anything, i had a great time laughing out loud at greg's humor as reflected in his writing. funny funny funny.
the asian mystique by sheridan prasso
dragon ladies, geishas, suzie wongs, china dolls, martial arts babes are all explored and explained in this non-fiction book by sherida prasso. i'm currently reading this and haven't put it down since i flipped to page 1. all those stereotypes of how the western culture perceives and processes mental ideas of asian women are all discussed here. and not only does it discuss asian women as the exotic lotus flower (that we all are i'm sure), it also discusses how asian men are often times emasculated by the west. so far, it seems to be a very fast, interesting and insightful book that has been nodding quite often.
visual dictionary of star wars series
alright, i'm a geek or a nerd or whatever you want to call me but i love star wars and i can't wait to get my hands on all of these visual dictionary of star wars books. i saw Episode 3 over the weekend and got so teary eyed just listening to the theme song. :p but these books are great even though i haven't even bought one of them yet. i go to the bookstore and just leaf through them because at nearly $20 a pop, it's hard to justify my nerdy needs and wants. although they say it's for children, i think adults can indulge just as much as any 9 year old (right hackandslash?). there's facts and info in there that we could never even have imagined. hmm.....i feel like i'm going to the dark side and reaching for my wallet and clicking onto amazon. :p
as for E3 - so many things now make sense. damn george lucas for making me wait over 20 years! i thought the movie progressed really really fast though and alot of things didn't connect but hell, it's just for entertainment. my fave characters from star wars must be yoda and r2d2. i think it's the height thing that i feel akin to.
shut up.
currently listening to: b-movie, nowhere girl (one of my fave songs of all time)
