Hello Hollywood!

Goodbye civilization.

I joke...sort of.

Today was sure to be fun-filled to begin with...

The Plan:
6:15 am: Wake up
7:45am-10:00am: Mock interview
10:15am-11:00am: USC bookstore bonanza
11:00am-11:30am: Travel to Susina Bakery (lunch and snack)
11:30-1:00pm: Lunch and study
1:00-1:40pm: Travel and parking time to Sharkeez at Manhattan Beach
2pm-5:00pm: Flip Cup

But getting lost really complicated things...

The Reality:
6:40am: Stumbled out of bed
8:00am-10:20am: Mock interview (got lost in LA)
10:30-11:05am: USC bookstore bonanza (and what a bonanza it was!)
11:15-12:00: Travel to Susina (got lost, very lost in West LA)
12:00-1:00pm: Lunch and econ review
1:00pm - 2:00pm: Travel to Sharkeez (got lost again...really lost in Hollywood)
2:00pm-5:00pm: Flip Cup

Honestly, for the amount of time I was lost, I did a pretty good job of sticking to my schedule. I think the day can be best reviewed by the number of "oh sh*t" moments I had. Today was by far a new record for me.

Where to begin?

6:40am: Getting up late isn't really anything new for me, but today this what "oh sh*t" moment #1. I hate being late to USC things because everyone is always there early! I manage to get on the road at 7:00am...15 minutes behind schedule. For whatever reason, I decided to exit Adams off the 110 as opposed to the tried and true Exposition. Why? Well, to be honest, that DMV creeps me out, and something is always closed there. But in hindsight, all that seems so minor in comparison to the events that followed.

7:45am: It always starts with one wrong turn, the another, and another and then a u-turn and mixed in all that is "oh sh*t" moment #2. This was a big one. Lost in LA. Crap. I started to feel better when I somehow got on Hoover, which led me to believe that Jefferson (another President street) was nearby. Ten minutes later, I was found...but parking structure D was closed...enter through Gate 3 the sign says. One problem: Where is Gate 3? I am lost...again. "Oh sh*t" moment #3. Luckily, I spot a pedestrian...I roll down my window to ask where is Gate 3...he runs, seriously runs away from me. Sigh. I knew I should've put my eye makeup on this morning. I eventually find Gate 3, but where is my wallet? I need to pay for parking. The trunk. Ugh. "Oh sh*t" moment #4. Run out of the car, open the trunk, retrieve wallet and pay. Make dash for my mock interview with just enough time to grab a sugar donut, which was not at all oily and had such great chewy texture. Yummy!

10:15am: USC Bookstore! And it certainly did not disappoint. It was everything Maryn said it was! Loved it!


This is where my study team rehearsed our case competition presentation during pre-fall. We also discovered that this is a popular photo shoot for model hopefuls.

11:15am: Off to Susina. All those little Italian cookies. Cookies, cookies, cookies. This is all I can think about. Right of Jefferson iPhone says. Only 5.8 miles, 15 minutes away. 15 minutes to cookies. The parking structure exit I take exits Fig. Crap. Where is Jefferson? Well...I guess I'll turn right on Fig...ok bad decision...how bout...left on Flower, that should take me to Jefferson. Nope...leads to the 110. Hmph. Well...I can take 110S to the 10W, right? WRONG. "Oh sh*t" moment #5. Must exit and try again. I saw a Budget Rent-a-Van almost take out a Honda Civic. Thisclose. They were thisclose! Typical LA driving, I assume. Finally! La Brea! I exit and turn right...I think. Well, whichever way it was, it was the wrong way...VERY wrong way. I ended up in a place called Baldwin Hills, I believe. The highlight there was a woman in curlers running through moving traffic on S. La Brea, white shirt and no bra. She runs in front of me. "Oh sh*t" moment #6. How did I know she was not wearing a bra? Close up visuals.

A confused iPhone picture. I meant to photograph the tall buildings. The islander part of me is fascinated with buildings so tall that you have to turn your head to see them.

Mini-meltdown in the car. La Brea/Wilshire.

12:00pm: Lunch! And Cookies! I order a Pear and Brie Panini, pumpkin tart, raspberry chocolate cup petit four and little Italian cookies. Yummy! Getting lost makes me hungry.


Pear and Brie Panini with cornichon

Pumpkin tart and raspberry chocolate petit four


Little Italian Cookies!

1:00pm: Enroute to Sharkeez. Beverly Blvd and the right on N. La Brea. Driving...driving... hmm...why are the houses getting nicer? Hmm...what street is this? Beverly??? "Oh sh*t" moment #7. How the heck do I get to La Brea?? Why am I not on La Brea? iPhone to the rescue. Santa Monica, left on La Brea. 3 miles to the 10W. 3 miles is not far in Irvine, 3 miles in LA is an eternity. So many lights and cars! On a positive note, I saw Pink's and a line of people in 90-degree heat. This reminds of accounting and assets...maybe not so positive after all.

1:30pm: I'm going to be late to Flip Cup. And I still need to change into my bro-hoes costume, which is in the trunk. "Oh sh*t" moment #8. (a minor one) Luckily, my tint is still on, so I could change out of my jeans easily.

2:05pm: Arrive at Sharkeez. Flip Cup ensues. We didn't win, but it was a good time.

Awww...a duck!

6:00pm: Hello Irvine. Mini Arrested Development Marathon.

Hiro is my Hero

Save the cheerleader, save the world.

It was this phrase that officially turned me off from Heroes. So cheesy. True, I'm not really into Sci Fi/Fantasy shows to begin with...I'm more of a comedy/criminal drama/reality tv/food tv type of couch potato. Although, I do enjoy episodes of the old school (from the 80's) Star Trek.

But a couple of my study teammates exuded such excitement over the recent season premiere that it was enough to pique my interest. So we watched, and watched, and watched...for approximately 2 hours!

Pondered thoughts:

1. Why is it always that the bad guys have the coolest powers? Sylar (paragon of evil) must be a distant relative of Hannibal Lecter. This dude slices off the top of fellow hero's heads to expose their brains, take their powers and then leave them for dead.



*Side note: We see this again in Transformers...why are the Decepticons so much bigger and stronger and seemingly more technologically advanced than the Autobots?

2. Crazy Indian Mad Scientest...Dr. Suresh or something? Ok, this guy...super annoying. First things first. Dude needs a hair cut, and those sideburns are not helping. Second, typical of all men, Dr. Suresh doesn't listen. Maya (hot Latin hero, emphasis on hot) practically begs him to find an antidote to her hero powers. What does he go and do? Find a way to GIVE people hero powers, of course! And then what does our dear doctor do next? Inject himself with it! Ugh. Men. Can you stand it? Now he's growing scales or something. Should've listened to hot Maya, Dr. Suresh.



3. Time Travel. I never understood this...except in the case of Back to the Future. That was genius. I don't understand present day Paul (I think that's his name...Milo's character) and future Paul and how he manages to screw everything up.

4. Which leads me to...duality. Almost every character seems to have a second, more diabolical other half. Cheerleader Claire, Dominatrix Claire, Vegas girl Nicki, Corporate Theresa (Nicki), Funny Hiro, Evil Hero, Helpful Ando, Backstabbing Ando. Gees! Can anyone be trusted?

5. Hiro and Ando. My fav part of the show, and my heroes. These two are BFF and are totally inseparable and hilarious. They provide much needed comic relief...esp. Hiro's scrunchy face look. They kinda remind me of the guys on Psych.



Overall, a pretty good story line. It's suspenseful at times, and keeps you guessing. I'll be watching again...but with snacks this time.
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Juliet Wedding/Mexico Trip Update

In a word, it was wonderful! We laughed, cried ate too many chimichangas and drank too much beer. Juliet looked positively gorgeous!! And her ceremony was so touching that it made even me tear up. We're all so incredibly happy for her, and happy we could be there for her.



Want to see more?

http://picasaweb.google.com/claricespieces/JulietAndDJSWedding?authkey=HNtFLSRb2ok#5249117844441632226

Random Beet Fact:

Did you know that when the red velvet cupcake was originally colored with beet juice?

Yay!

Guess who's going to the next Giada de Laurentiis book signing???

Maryn, me and 448 other lucky fans!

So excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS. This time I have to get a decent picture somehow, some way. I don't care what those PR people say! As you all know, last time's picture attempt was a complete failure! I was so overcome with excitement that my hands were shaking uncontrollably. Hence, the bad...I mean awful picture.

Whole Foods for Hawaiians

If you build it, they will come.

I used to be a huge Whole Foods fan...you know, one of those people that went every Sunday, spending my paycheck on ridiculously overpriced organic foods like, natural, grass-fed beef, which by the way really tasted like grass! Weird, and not in a yummy way! But nonetheless, I loved the old Tustin location. It felt like a boutique-style market with a knowledgeable staff (I knew the meat and seafood guys) and lots of fresh produce (they had the most gorgeous rainbow beets) and specialty products like porcini, real Parmigiano Reggiano and the most delish brownie bites!

But, in true OC style, Whole Foods got a facelift...and I can hardly recognize it. Sure, it's glitzy and HUGE (bordering on monstrous), with a prepared foods section the size of a Starbucks, but (allow me one second of sensitivity here) it feels so incredibly inpersonal and cold. As if that wasn't enough...what genius came up with the idea of a self-serve dessert bar? For the record, scooping your own cake is not yummy. Cakes are displayed and cut, not scooped!

Of course, not everyone shares my sentiments. In fact, I'm sure that most do not...as evidenced by the crowds of customers that flock to Whole Foods. And so is the case in Honolulu. I read that it's so packed there that even the exit is backed up. Honestly, I am impressed with the effort they are making to tailor to local tastebuds...although, I'm pretty sure they can't top McDonald's portugese sausage, eggs and rice deal. They have shoyu chicken (but who can't make shoyu chicken)...and some sort of pineapple-chicken katsu-sushi roll. Hmm...yummy? You tell me.

While we say hello to Whole Foods in Hawaii, we said goodbye to Star Market. Not that I was ever really a fan of Star...they were expensive and never really had what I needed. But, I do remember going to the bakery there when I was little and getting those old-fashioned doughnuts. Mmm...doughnuts. It's always sad to see another local business close because they can't compete with these big mainland companies. Where will I get my No Ka Oi portugese sausage if/when Ah-Fook's closes?

Weekend Adventure:

Juliet's wedding!!! My dear friend and former dorm-mate and roommate from UCI is getting married this weekend in Mexico! Jeannie and I have never been, and as a result, we are over-packed, as usual. Take a look.

L-R: Passports, invite, toilet seat covers, sunblock, multiple wipies, tide pen, purell, first aid kit, aleve, tums, tummy pills, band aids and lingerie tape (inspired by J-Lo).

Not pictured: case of water, capri sun, mountain of snacks


Me, Jeannie and Juliet (bride-to-be). How I miss our reality tv moments.

When I Grow Up...

(Cue the Pussy Cat Dolls!)

I wanna be famous.
I wanna be a star.
I wanna be in movies.

Or not.

You know what I wanted to be? A panda. An animal that eats and sleeps and eats and sleeps was appealing to my 6-year old self. Mom always said that you can be whatever you want to be...but I just took that a little too literally.

So now I'm all grown up, (sad, but true) not famous, a star or even a panda. Not that I'm complaining, but I just can't help to feel sharp pangs of jealousy when I see this person...

Recognize her? She is the luckiest person ever!!! If you are not a fellow Travel Channel aficionado, she is Samantha Brown, host of Passport to (fill in the blank), and now Weekend Getaways. She travels to the most amazing places (Positano, Amalfi Coast, Capri, Santorini...I have a small obsession with the Mediterranean), stays at the most fantastic hotels and shops and eats and sightsees and eats and eats. And gets paid for it!

I've come to terms with that fact that I'll probably never have her awesome job...one, she wouldn't give it up, and two, I'm not capable of smiling for extended periods of time.

Singing is out..as evidenced by my Saturday late night karaoke session with Prasanth and Kandyce. Sorry guys...I didn't realize I was in the presence of karaoke semi-professionals.

The birthday couple.

But! Maybe I have a future in cinematography! One of my teammates from school discovered this cool website. Check it.

http://www.grapheine.com/bombaytv/index.php?module=see&lang=uk&code=beab5e74782ff4733a918362fde39729

The Hills side note: It's amazing what a shower can do for a person. Justin Bobby is improving every week. But even a shower can't wash away jerkish behavior...he totally stood up Audrina...again.

One Soul, One Heart

I heart Berkeley. What a boring world it would be without you!

My first Berkeley experience was during my last visit to San Francisco (which I also heart, with a capital H) with Brent and Nicole (sistah). Our main purpose for crossing the bridge was to dine at the famed Chez Panisse by Alice Waters. If you've never been, you absolutely must. There are two parts to this treehouse sort of place: the formal downstairs for the beautifully rich, which I am decidely not, and then there is the more casual upstairs, otherwise known as the cafe. We sat next to a window where you coul see the tree branches and the street below. The food, was of course, fabulous...though, our waiter was a weirdo. But in his defense, he may have heard me call him Jeeves.

After that, Brent made the mistake of telling me about this little pizza/cheese shop called The Cheeseboard. So seeing as how it was still early, we decided to have a post-dinner snack of cheese pizza. But not just any cheese pizza! It has 4 cheeses and sweet white corn!!! Added bonus: we witnessed a couple on their first date and all the awkwardness that goes along with it.

So what else is there to heart? The redwoods, apparently. Check it out.
(courtesy of The NY Times)

Staying in a Tree, Delaying the Final Cuts

Paul Chinn/San Francisco Chronicle

Felled trees next to one occupied by four protesters, at the University of California, Berkeley.

By JESSE McKINLEY

Published: September 8, 2008

BERKELEY, Calif. — After a court victory and some vigorous pruning, the University of California, Berkeley, was still waiting on Monday for four protesters to come down from one of two remaining redwoods in a contested, and now largely mulched, campus grove.

Protesters have been living in trees in the grove since late 2006 in an effort to prevent 42 oaks, redwoods and other trees from being cut down to make room for a $124 million athletic center adjacent to Memorial Stadium.

Last week, however, a California appeals court declined to continue an injunction on construction of the athletic center. The university started cutting down the trees on Friday, sparing just two — the tree-sitters’ home and one mature redwood, which will be transplanted.

On Saturday, university officials believed that they had struck a deal with the four tree-sitters: they would descend from their hand-built, solar-paneled perch about 100 feet up in exchange for the university’s increasing its tree-replacement program and allowing a vigil for a fallen tree.

“We really thought they’d be coming down,” said a university spokesman, Dan Mogulof.

Mr. Mogulof said that deal fell through on Sunday after protesters on the ground made more demands, including immunity for some tree-dwellers who are accused of tossing their human waste at the police.

“That was a nonstarter for us,” said Mr. Mogulof, adding that the university would soon “proceed with plans to bring this protest to a safe but certain end.”

Doug Buckwald, a spokesman for Save the Oaks, one of three groups that had sued to stop the building of the athletic center, said the university continued to ignore the earthquake dangers of both the new project and Memorial Stadium, which dates from 1923 and sits on the Hayward fault. “It’s a disaster waiting to happen,” Mr. Buckwald said.

On Monday afternoon, about 20 protesters on the ground were still praying, playing cymbals and generally making an effort to uphold this city’s renowned radical spirit.

“If you change just one soul, one heart, that’s victory, man,” said Pancho Ramos-Stierle, 33, shouting to a man standing on a platform in the tree. “We think this school can have a gym and trees, too.”

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A vigil for the trees? Cymbals? Love it!

In keeping with the Berkeley theme, the BBC dined at The Veggie Grill for lunch...emphasis on veggie. There's no meat...but there is "meat", like of the soy or tempeh nature. I passed on the "meat", and instead had a kale salad called "All Hail Kale". Cute, huh? The other BBC members took the plunge and tried the "meat". Unfortunately, Veggie Grill and "meat" were met with mixed reviews: two upset tummies after lunch means that we probably won't be heading back anytime soon! So much for "meat"!

Santa Fe Crispy Chickin Sandwich (fried chillin' chickin). Looks like chicken...hmm...

Chop Chop Chef Salad. Evelyn took a trip on the wild side and ordered not one, but TWO "meats" chillin' chickin and veggie-steak. She later regretted this decision after about 5 bites. But it looks yummy.

All Hail Kale. I really like mine. Lots of kale, carrots, red cabbage coleslaw, walnuts and a ginger vinaigrette. Quite tasty. And with a Hawaiian Red Iced Tea. There was nothing Hawaiian about it.

Finally! A happy camper!

Sweetheart Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle Mayo. A BBC fav. That chipotle mayo is genius! Smoky, spicy and creamy.

Oh well. Guess it's back to prime rib sandwiches next week!

Tears and Smears

Black tears are not cute. That's why they invented waterproof mascara.

Tonight's Hills was...touching, actually. Between Spencer forcing Holly (Heidi's sis) out, Heidi apologizing to Holly for Spencer's usual jerkish behavior, Brody pulling a Spencer on Stephanie, LC being there for Stephanie, tension between the girls and Audrina and just when you think there just couldn't be another crying scene in the show: a fallout/heart-to-heart with LC and Audrina. Too many hugs, tears, makeups and breakups for my liking. Yuck.

Come on MTV, The Hills needs to provide me with mindless entertainment...not an emotional rollercoaster. I have other reality shows for that.

And more importantly, did we every find out what happened to Brody and Doug?

Since The Hills failed to provide mindless entertainment, I shall now fill that void:

Mini turkey...or crab and cream cheese wonton...you decide.

CeFiore Part Deux: Say hello to my Belgian waffle friend!


The Belgian waffles are freshly made to your desired level of crispiness. I like mine crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. We got this pre-dinner snack with acai berry yogurt, kiwi, mango, blueberries and of course, gummi bears. Some poor little gummi bears melted due to the warm waffle, but their sacrifice did not go unnoticed. I could eat one of these for lunch!

Oishikatta!

Can you really know happiness without tasting amazingly delicious sushi?

I think not. An eloquently cut piece of the freshest fish, glossy with a light coating of shoyu, draped over a dab of freshly ground wasabi and a bed of seasoned sushi rice. How can you eat that and not feel happy? It's impossible.

Hence my current state of sushi bliss...and all thanks to Ikko in Costa Mesa. Their freestyle approach to sushi is one of the best I've had...even compared to Hawaii. I love how their dishes are so thoughtful...from the order that they serve your dishes, to the temperature of the fish to the finishing touches: a sprinkling of sea salt and coarse black pepper, a squeeze of yuzu, a grating of ginger...and did I mention they use blow torches! I love any restaurant that uses power tools.


Tako (octopus suckers) in ponzu with ume. Don't they have an eerie resemblence to the goat eyes Andrew Zimmern ate on Bizarre Foods? They were crunchy and yummy!


Red snapper sashimi with ume-marinated seaweed. Sounds weird...but so yummy! The snapper was so tender, and the seaweed gave the right amount of tang and crunch. Very crisp and clean!

Mackerel sashimi with 3 oils...the red one is from...beets! This was James and my fav dish of the night. The mackerel had a sprinkling of sea salt that melted into the fish, which was incredibly velvety. The oils and aged balsamic were the perfect complements.

Ankimo (monkfish liver) covered in a dashi-flavored sauce with sherry vinegar gelee. Who knew gelee existed outside of Top Chef? The ankimo slices were generous and creamy. If you haven't had ankimo, this is a must-try. It's slightly fishy, but the vinegary gelee helped to off set that.

Orange clam...and orange it is. We ordered this seared, and it had a very light clammy flavor and was pretty meaty. And eating orange food is fun.

Crab and Gorgonzola gratin...seemingly strange. But James and I love cheese, so we had to try this. The gorgonzola was not at all overpowering. This was actually more like a very thick crab chowder. Cheesy goodness.

Nigiri scallop sushi. Very sweet. The gari was also good... sweet and spicy.
Nigiri amaebi (sweet shrimp). James's fav because it's 2 for 1 because the heads are served later. I refused to eat the eggs!

As promised...the other halves to our amaebi bodies. Mine was fried, and James had his in miso soup. James said a clear sign of freshness was the brains being in tact, which he happily gobbled up. I had to fat cancel the brains as well.

Toro 2 ways: raw and seared (with a blow torch, of course!). The sushi chef brushes each piece of fish with their specially seasoned shoyu. The tables are sans shoyu...but don't worry, you don't need it. I liked the raw...call me a purist, but James liked the smoky flavor imparted by the blow torch. Both were fatty and delicious!

Kanpachi (wild amberjack). I believe this is also known as small yellow-tail. It has a firm texture similar to the amaebi.

Last one...finally! Hamachi...one of my fav's. Very fatty and smooth. Look how shiny it is!

Strawberry shaved ice with pineapple/plain swirl yogurt at Milk+Honey at The Camp. And you thought we were full??

I'm pretty sure I spent part of my retirement fund at Ikko tonight, but who says you can't buy (or eat) your way to happiness?

Cupcake-palooza = Monday Funday

Yes, I realize it's actually Sunday Funday.

But Maryn's cupcake extravaganza was today and not Sunday...thus Monday Funday! Maryn along with Betty White graciously hosted the event (thanks again!), and Joni, Karen, Jenny and I were pastry sous chefs. The cupcakes are plentiful and delish, but the espresso frosting was the all-around crowd fav. Truth be told, I'm not the biggest frosting fan, but this frosting is that good; not cloying sweet or stiff, but perfectly creamy, glossy and rich.

Here is our beauty mini cuppy-cake.


Prior to cupcaking, Jeannie (roomie), after some light coercion, accompanied me to turbo kickboxing! Yay! I don't know how many fellow TKB'ers there are out there, but I have to give her credit because this round (round 34) is a little more complicated than the others, and she stayed the whole time and did really well! I think I may have another convert. Mike...you're next!

And as a finishing touch to Monday Funday...a new episode of The Hills, and what an episode it was! Next week...Vegas!

And now, for some what the heck Hills-ism quotes...

"How do you want to be dumped?"
- LC to Whitney regarding hottie Doug...LC, please, do you not have eyes??

"Can we talk about us being naked?"
- Brody to LC over dinner...please you two, that ship has sailed.

"She [She-Pratt's rodent pet] used to be a hamster, but now she's a guinea pig"
- She-Pratt to LC...even the She-Pratt and LC shared a wtf look after she said this

"You've been wayyy too nice to me"
- LC breaking up with hottie Doug...LC, stop ruining it for girls everywhere. You dump a guy because he's too nice to you??? Wow, what a crime.

In other tv news, The Amazing Race Season 12 starts this Weds on the Travel Channel.

And finally a beet update, if you're in the neighborhood Whole Foods has two beet salads...one with red beets and another with golden beets. Yum!