brownies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.

(from allrecipes.com)

wow, i love making brownies - so easy and no fuss (no grating vegetables.. thank goodness!). they came out kinda rich for my taste, but then i guess brownies aren't supposed to come out light and fluffy either. i skipped out on the frosting since i'm not much of a frosting fan in the first place, and that was fine. i was thinking of doing the healthy substitution of using applesauce for butter, but i had a bit of a brownie disaster about a week ago, so i decided to stick with the butter this time around, but maybe i'll modify it the next time around. stay safe and happy new year!


oh, and here's a picture of a whole different kind of brownie (ha!):

chocolate chip cookies

• 2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
  
• 1 c butter, softened
• 3/4 c packed brown sugar
• 1/4 c white sugar
• 1 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 c semisweet chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees f (175 degrees c). sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, set aside.
2. in a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. stir in the eggs and vanilla. blend in the flour mixture. finally, stir in the chocolate chips. drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. edges should be golden brown.

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

these are totally killer chocolate chip cookies. i used another adaption of this recipe with a 1/4 cup more flour, which was fine, but i think that this one is definitely it. i used ghirardelli 60% cacao baking chips for some extra "omph" and they are awesome. i love my dark chocolate... suzanne (the baker extraordinaire) has also baked a variation of this recipe using chocolate pudding and white chocolate chips, and they come out great that way too.

zucchini (or carrot) cake

another recent obsession of mine has been baking. there've been a few hits, but also the failed tries that ended up in the trash can. here's a good one that i got from my mom:

• 3 eggs
• 2 c sugar
• 1 c oil
• 3 tsp vanilla
• 2 c flour
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 c grated zucchini (or carrot)
• 3/4 c walnuts
• 1 1/3 c raisins

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees f. grease and flour pan (9 x 13 x 2) or bundt pan. sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder in bowl. set aside.
2. in a large bowl, mix together sugar and oil until light and fluffy. beat in the eggs one at a time, and then stir in the vanilla. add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. add the grated zucchini (or carrot), walnuts, and raisins.
3. bake for 50 to 60 minutes in preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

i followed the recipe to the tee except for the fact that i only added 1 1/2 cups of sugar.. i actually think it'd probably still taste good with only 1 cup of sugar (i'll try it out and update later). another tidbit is that i squeezed the moisture out of the grated zucchini with a cheesecloth. it worked out pretty well, as the cake didn't come out too soggy.

my gauge for a good recipe is seeing what the family's reaction is. unanimous approval on this one. merry christmas and happy baking!

** UPDATE (12/27/06): so the cake was so popular that it disappeared almost instantaneously and my mom requested that i make more. instead of using zucchini this time, i used carrots using almost the exact same method except for the fact that i reduced the amount of sugar, using 3/4 cup of white sugar and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. that ended up tasting fine, but the big issue with carrot cake is that i squeezed the moisture out the grated carrots like i had done with the zucchini cake. totally unnecessary since carrots are (according to my mom) a drier vegetable. so the carrot cake ended up coming up much drier than the zucchini cake. next time: no squeezing the carrots.


p.s. i did learn how to knit after all! i'll post a picture of the finished product when i'm done.

procrastination

i was just telling judy today, i'm such a spazz. remember the last post where i mentioned that i finally wanted to learn how to knit? so i've apparently taken this resolution to heart and i've been spending way too much time learning how to cast on (i think i got it!), checking to see what types of needles and yarn i should purchase, and checking out free knitting patterns online. all of this BEFORE i have my last final on friday.

i'm a dork.

so between my knitting research and playing hours (sadly, i'm not exaggerating) of solitaire, i've been working on getting all the gi disorders down, and i still have yet to go through the renal material and all the stuff on fractures.. and then there's still all the cumulative material that i haven't yet reviewed.

okay.. need. to. study.

knitting and the lives of strangers

that's it, i'm learning how to knit.

after perusing the etsy site and seeing all the kick-butt hat styles, i've finally been sold on trying to learn how to knit after seeing what you can make on your own. although it may just end up in the back corner, thrown to the side like many of my other hobbies (i think i have five unfinished cross stitch patterns hanging around my room), but i think it'd be a good investment. people who know me often make fun of me since i'm addicted to buying hats and scarves.. which is funny to most people since i live in the bay area where that type of clothing really isn't necessary. but making my own would be doubly satisfying, i'd have the satisfaction of working on something and (hopefully) get something i like as a finished product.

oh. and i know that i haven't been updating this journal at all. sorry about that (does anyone still read this thing, anyway?).. but here's a quickie update on what's been going on since august.

started my second semester of nursing school. walking through the hospital the first time for clinicals, it really hit me that i was actually doing it. me, with my b.a. in econ, was going to be a nurse. considering where i was and what i was doing just two years ago, that's a huge change and i'm still floored by the fact that i'm actually doing it. clinicals just ended yesterday (eheh.. 1am, now) and i've learned a lot throughout. it's a humbling experience.. i've seen things and met people who make me realize just how precious and fragile life is, and i've been blessed by getting wonderful patients who tolerate my inexperience and let me do assessments even though i'm not always certain of what i'm doing. thankfully, the coursework this semester hasn't been like the stressful bum rush of work that i had over the summer. but it's still had its moments. still have two more finals to get through before this semester is officially over...

outside of school, i've just been doing little things here and there. les and i were doing the salsa thing pretty regularly over the summer, but that died down a bit and we've been going on and off.. we checked out cafe cocomo in the city last, last weekend and that was pretty awesome. live band and some really kind and patient dance partners who tolerated my terrible dancing. i still would love to get better one day.. i occasionally get inspired after i watch 'dancing with the stars' or shakira, but that kind of dancing requires so much work! laziness...

i did end up crashing the (half) marathon back in october (13.1 miles!). it was a really good, scenic run. we ran all the way down the embarcadero, ending up at the coast near ocean beach. i love races since they always push you harder than you would normally go on your own. i ran the whole thing, and it wasn't until the finish that they picked me out of the crowd of runners (since i didn't have a bib), but i ended up being able to finish the race by running in the sidelines where people were spectating. it was a frigid finish by the coast, but it was a great run, all in all. i've been keeping up with the running since then. however this past month's been hard since school's winding down and there's been a crush of schoolwork to get done.

i think those are the major things that have been going on in my life lately. there've been other things going on here and there.. but too much to write for one post.

one more note.. i know i never knew him, but for some reason the death of this bay area man has really touched me. it's strange to be so touched by the life and death of a stranger. maybe the story is just a little too close to home and given similar circumstances, i can see many people doing the same. i just wish the best for his family and friends.

take care everybody and enjoy the holidays! drop me a line and let me know how you're doing.

edit: and i forgot to mention (maybe i'm blocking it from my memory): i turned 26. ha. thanks to les who coordinated a surprise party and an evite with over a 100 people. i'm blessed with wonderful friends. =)

crashing the marathon?

i was just talking to nessie, and it looks like she'll be coming up north for the nike women's marathon. she's been running lately, and it's really inspiring to see all the progress that she's made in such a short time. it made me wonder if i can "crash" the marathon the way people sometimes crash the bay to breakers.. and just run with the crowd without registering...

hrm.. that'd give me eight good weeks to train for a half marathon. i think it'd be do-able... =D haha.. let's see if i actually follow through.

hot hot hot

i think that probably the only redeeming thing about these hot summer days are the nights. although the inside of the house is still sweltering from the day's heat, if you just go outside, the summer evening is slightly warm and that perfect go-outside-without-a-jacket weather. sitting outside at twilight, everyone has their windows open so you can vaguely hear the sounds of your neighbors' conversations and the kids are all outside running around.. it's nice.

but even though the summer nights have been nice, the days are still pretty miserable. supposedly it's going to cool down within the next couple of days. phew, not a moment too soon!

what a day.

so aside from the fact that today was a hot, yucky, summer day with temperatures just breaking the three-digit mark, today ended up being quite a day. started out today by going to the mystery spot in santa cruz with my small group. it was pretty mysterious, replete with billard balls rolling up inclines and people seemingly getting taller or shorter, but as the time on our 45 minute tour wound down, the tour guide quickly shuffled us out from the "center of the mystery spot" to make way for the next 45 minute tour. we were then sent off on our way with our very own mystery spot bumper stickers. pretty mysterious.. but a little rushed.

then we decided to head off to the boardwalk to enjoy the beach and cool down. unfortunately, we weren't the only people with that idea. after circling the boardwalk area for almost an hour through crawling traffic, we decided to skip the beach and just get some food and go home. bit of a bummer, but i guess that's just the way things go... at least the diner we went to for lunch was good. it has the special disntiction of being the only diner that i've ever seen which serves pho. no joke! along with your standard diner favorites such as 24-hour breakfasts, sandwiches, and hamburgers, this diner actually had a vietnamese food section on their menu. kinda cool, kinda scary... i was curious, but not curious enough to risk it, so i went for the omlette.

coming home was fine, until i got back to my car. somewhere along the line, a bolt AND washer had gotten stuck in my car tire and so i came back from santa cruz to a very, very flat tire. so now i'm driving on a donut and tomorrow morning, i hafta check with the tire shop to see if my tire is salvageable and if it can be patched up. i really, really hope so... (says the poor college student with no $$)

to top it off, it seems that our home's a/c and our ice cube maker are both broken. sometimes you just gotta laugh at the timing of things.

oh well! i guess that things could always be worse. =P

administrative duties

just did a whole bunch of administrative things that i've been meaning to do for a while now.. finally have health insurance after years of being uninsured, applied for professional liability insurance, and submitted the information for my background check. my immunizations are just about done too. i just need to get the results from my chicken pox titer and i'll be done with that.

phew, it's nice to have a lot of the things that i've been putting off, over and done with. it's a load off of my mind. now that that's done, i have a bunch of class-related stuff which i should be taking care of as well.

that, and my room is (again) a mess.

it never ends...

three months younger

my cousin just got married today. it was a really beautiful ceremony. my cousin is about three months younger than me. it's odd to think that she's married now. even though i know that she and her (now) husband had been seeing each other for so many years, the reality of the fact that she's now "mrs. kim" is pretty difficult to come to terms with.

.. it's weird.. and kind of sad. perhaps "sad" isn't the right word, but i'm not very good with words, so it'll have to do.

so for the next couple of days, i'll be in vancouver. i'm enoying the weather which is sunny and mild, and the company of family which i normally see on our annual trips up north.

good times, good times.

that, and i'm studying for a pharm exam on monday, which i'll take right after i fly into sfo.

good times.

summer school

ah, so now i'm almost into my fourth week of nursing school. since every week's been kinda crazy with various deadlines, tests, and assignments, time has gone by super-fast. i'm just trying to keep up with everything right now. the other students in my group are major overachievers who all seem to do their reading BEFORE the lecture (amazing, huh?). ai.. it just makes me feel like more of a slacker since i really haven't been keeping up with things the way i would like to.

anyway.. i'm trying to get some major studying done this weekend. next weekend, my cousin's getting married and we're throwing a birthday party for my grandma, so i'll be in vancouver (yay for yummy chinese food!). then when i come home, i can look forward to two midterms, a presentation, and the deadline for an assignment.

i'm not stressed at all!

well. kinda, not really. =/

i cooked today!

yup, you read it right. i actually cooked today! following yan can cook's quick and easy cookbook, i made ginger chicken, bok choy, and carrot and pineapple rice. couple of things: it's not that quick and easy. it easily took me over an hour. secondly, although yan can cook may disagree, i don't think that carrot should be cooked into rice.. it's just.. WEIRD. however, the bok choy came out rather well. the chicken was not very well marinated, but i'm sure i can figure out something to fix it if i want to try to make it again.

my mom was gracious too. it was her birthday today, hence today's cooking experiment. she said it was "different" and "colorful".. i like how both of those adjectives don't specify whether it tasted good or not. =P but everyone finished up their food, and there were hardly any leftovers.. so that's a good sign. anyway, we finished up dinner well. i got a mango mousse cake from sogo and that's always a winner! =D

hmm.. i'd like to practice cooking more. just trying different flavors and making different sauces is fun.

finished behind a demon

Another View of the Devil
Originally uploaded by SeenyaRita.

this is from 2005, but i'm pretty sure this is the same dood from yesterday. he had wings this time, though.

i could've beat him! if i just went a little bit faster...

bay to breakers

Running Roman
Originally uploaded by jmmorton.

i was running at pace with this guy during most of the bay to breakers yesterday. i kept telling myself that if this guy can run wearing FULL ARMOR, certainly i can keep up with him. he kept a bottle of water hidden behind his shield too. i thought that was amusing.

that, and i finished right behind a guy dressed as a demon. he got into the finishing chute right before me. as we were coming out, some guy commented to him, "i thought i died."

only during the bay to breakers.

=D

just to let people know, i'm officially in the nursing program. good sam in san jose offered me a hospital sponsorship, so i'm finally official. no more wondering what i'll be doing in two weeks! i'm super-happy, but now i have so much stuff to get done: immunizations to get, insurance to purchase, books to buy, cpr certifications.. the fun never ends!

eep.. that, and i have a final tomorrow.

and if someone knows, please answer this question: how the heck is one supposed to clean spilled soap out of a carpet?? it just foams more and more and gets worse and worse. =*(

i am loving pandora. check it out, uber-cool.

since i'm a sucker for cute

NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise, in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said.

The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

“It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a ‘mother’,” ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park, told AFP.

“After it was swept and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together,” the ecologist added. “The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it follows its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother,” Kahumbu added.

“The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years,” he explained.

it must be something in the air

but i've been having problems focusing lately. it's especially bad since it's almost the end of the semester and ugh.. i just feel like bumming around and not doing any work. the fact that the past couple of days have been gorgeous hasn't made things any easier either. the other day, i was driving to san jose state, and i was just thinking to myself, "if i keep going 880 south, i'll hit the 17, and then santa cruz.. i should just keep going." but then reality hits and i realize that i have work to do and that i'm driving to SCHOOL.

*sigh*

responsibilities.. career... i feel old sometimes. the other day, i went out to see a movie, and we were supposed to get tea afterward.. i don't even think it was midnight yet, and me and my friend were practically falling asleep in the car, so we decided to skip tea. eep. oh well, older and wiser i guess, because there's no way that i'd want to be 19, 20, or whatever again.. i just wish i had this head and that age.

hee. oh well, life goes on. live, learn, move on.

words cannot describe...

.. just how awesome these people are.

hey

i'm in the accelerated program. i got the email confirmation today. i am happy, i guess that it's been on my mind for so long that i'm too exhausted to really show it.

*big sigh of relief*

still gotta interview with those hospitals though, so i'm not outta the woods yet.

spring cleaning

i just cleaned out 100+ unread emails. after all, i don't think i'll be needing those emails from last november after all. now, i still gotta clean my room (it's messy again!). and.. by the end of this week, i should get an answer about the nursing program. although i'll still have to do interviews with the respective hospitals.

will be kind of busy for the next couple of weeks...

nolastalgia

okay. so i know that i haven't updated in a while. i've been a big nerd lately, and my life's been boring. but since i'm on spring break now, i have some time to catch up on lost sleep and things i've been putting off (my eyes seriously have this perpetual sunken in and tired look). i was looking at some old pictures. omigosh.. memories are a funny thing. i definitely don't feel like the same person that are in those pictures, it's weird.

working at the library, skateboarding along the beach, random birthday roadtrips to vegas (complete with 100 mile "detours"), scary hotels with holes in the bathroom ceilings, 24-hour tofu, even commencement.. i remember speeding up to l.a. fresh from jen's ceremony so i wouldn't miss my own ceremony.

so weird.

well, enough introspection. i'm gonna work on getting rid of those dark circles and get some sleep.

nippon?

a friend of mine taught english in japan for a year, and when she asked me if i'd be interested in being pen pals with some of her former students i told her that it was fine. but what i didn't realize is that i'd become a class project! i currently have four letters from various japanese high school students. their letters are cute and i appreciate them taking the effort to write to me, but it's so difficult to write while trying to maintain perfect grammar! writing like this is a breeze because it's just like my stream of conciousness where i just write whatever i'm thinking at the moment, but when i write to them, i make a concerted effort to write with perfect grammar because i'm afraid of being a bad example.

aish.. i'm wondering just how many more letters i'm going to get...