Message in a Bottle

Home Away From Home

2011-10-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Culinary Adventures

2011-10-04T00:28:00.000-07:00

Chicken stir fry with bell peppers and mushrooms, served over fried rice.

I was feeling a little ambitious this weekend and wanted to test out my new baby rice cooker. This is the result.

Mysterious Moon

2011-09-12T00:10:00.000-07:00

It was difficult for my camera to capture, but I saw the strangest thing the other night. All the clouds in the night sky seemed to be congregated around the waxing gibbous moon. The rest of the sky was inexplicably clear, except for a few fluffy tufts of water vapor that hung suspended in the stratosphere.

Quotes

2011-07-23T00:05:00.001-07:00

"The pen is mightier than the sword, but which would you rather be hit with?" - Anonymous

"He who laughs last thinks slowest." - Anonymous

"We have flown the air like birds, we have swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers." - Dr. MLK Jr.

"I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it." - John Rzeznik

"Canada doesn't count. You can't put Canada in your taxes. 'What did you invest in this year, Mr. Loire?' 'Oh, I bought Canada.' And then--what?" - Javier Loire

It's a bit strange...

2011-07-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

....But as I'm preparing for graduate school and pumping myself up for a career in the health and medicine, I can't help but feel I missed out on certain opportunities. Sure, there was the whole studying-abroad thing and seeing the world, but I really wish I could've taken a few classes in life drawing and animation. Maybe something in graphic design. I guess I'll have to be self-taught, then.

My priorities are seriously messed up, I know, hahaha. But when you chisel your way past the aspiring doctor who dances with the sciences, hidden in the core of my person is a heart made of art.

Ink & Gold Storyboards

2011-06-22T00:33:00.000-07:00

Strider: 8.19.2002 - 05.20.2011

2011-05-26T12:21:00.001-07:00

I was a little mortified when I looked through five years' worth of photographs and found out that this meager collection of pictures is the only hard evidence that Strider ever existed.

It was particularly difficult to come to terms with his loss. Between finals season and my roommates' graduation ceremonies, I hadn't been home in nearly a month, and he'd died the morning that I was supposed to return. I'd been looking forward to seeing him after three weeks of studying and exams--and instead I ended up going to the vet's office, viewing the body, and taking his collar home with me. That collar is currently buried deep inside one of my drawers, so that the bell won't ring when I have to open it.

I spent the first five days crying. It would blindside me: I'd see his claw marks on the screen door, or I'd see our staircase and remember how he used to play on them, and next thing I knew I'd be in tears. Sometimes it wouldn't take anything at all: just the realization that he wasn't going to be here anymore, that I could've been a better caretaker, and that all the events that surrounded his death were as murky and suspicious as the death itself.

But all I can do now is smile whenever I think about Strider's little quirks, and try my hardest to remember what it sounded like when he purred in contentment or meowed for no reason, or what it felt like when he cuddled against my shins and stood on his hind legs to nuzzle my palm. Celebrate his life. Remember the good times.

I'm not crying anymore. Progress.

Since that day, I've been trying to keep myself distracted, probably at the expense of . . . well, everyone else. I spent all my free time crafting things for a wedding, attending said wedding, or spending the day at cafes and bookstores, brooding over particularly foul cups of coffee. I'd go anywhere, as long as it meant I wouldn't have to stay in the house and wallow in that void you can't see, but can feel.

But there's always that little caveat: no matter how far you drive, eventually you'll have to come home, and the funny little friend who used to greet you at your car will no longer be able to walk you to the door.

Page 2...

2011-05-06T17:12:00.001-07:00

...of my not-so-new sketchbook. I went to a cafe near campus this afternoon with the intention of people-watching (It's not as creepy as it sounds, it's a valuable artistic tool! Really!) and learning how to draw faces. Unfortunately nobody was sitting down in a peculiar way; given that it's finals season up here, everyone is glaring stiffly at their textbooks or glaring stiffly at their laptops--so I resorted to drawing a skull using an online reference, because that's what resides underneath all that face-ness.

But that didn't work out either, so the end result was a brain and a neuron to go with it--specifically a pyramidal cell, which is found in high abundance in the cortex. It's pretty awesome.

Culinary Adventures II

2011-05-05T19:01:00.001-07:00

Culinary Adventures: Penne pasta with clams, tomatoes, and sauteed summer squash

As far as culinary adventures go, I think this one was a little more ambitious than usual, considering 1) I’ve never cooked clams before, and 2) the only time I ever had clams was in chowder at the Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco and Monterey Bay.

I did a test run with the 'mates, and they seemed to like it, so I'm going to put this food experiment down as a success!

Café au Lait

2011-04-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

I think I'm beginning to understand the superiority of SLR cameras over point-and-shoots. Ah well. Have some coffee. It's on the house.

Culinary Adventures.

2011-04-24T15:21:00.001-07:00

I woke up too late for breakfast and it was too early for lunch. So this happened:

Grilled Panini: made with cheddar, brie, and tomato
Campanelle: tossed with chicken, sauteed mushrooms, red bell peppers, and zucchini; topped with crumbled gorgonzola and parmesan cheeses
Chocolate-covered strawberry: because chocolate-covered strawberries are delicious

Happy Easter

2011-04-23T22:21:00.001-07:00

The above picture is my logo design for a college club I was in called Eggster. The Eggster Organization is known for hosting the largest (secular) egg hunt in northern California, combining it with an educational fair for children of disadvantaged communities across the Bay Area. Today was the 17th annual Eggster Hunt and Learning Festival. As an alumni member of the club, I dropped by the event for moral support, and then made apple pie and chocolate-covered strawberries for the post-event dinner, where it's customary for the alumni to feed the hungry club members after a long day entertaining and enriching the lives of Bay Area kids.

Unfortunately I don't have pictures of the event or the dinner, but I assure you that both were rather amazing.

Page 1...

2011-04-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

. . . of my new sketchbook. It's back to basics: shading, perspective, and shapes. Excuse me while I shudder at how much I've forgotten.

Art Store Splurging.

2011-04-15T11:28:00.001-07:00

The other day, I took advantage of a feel-good feeling born from a cup of highly caffeinated, but also highly disgusting espresso, and trekked (read: took a bus) to the local Blick art store (read: on the other side of town). I'd gone to Blick with the intention of buying a box of chalk pastels. It had been years since I'd last used pastels for any sort of art project, and I'd been tempted to try them out again to see if I'd gotten any better. Once I actually saw the pastels, though, I chickened out, and I purchased some sketching materials instead: a 0.3mm lead mechanical pencil with refill lead, a kneadable eraser, and an archival pen.

And I learned something that day: Check the price of the product before you buy.

I glanced my receipt after I walked out of the store and literally stopped in my tracks, thinking that there was no possible way I could justify paying more than $4 for a fancy pencil, even if it was a rather fancy one that made me feel like a true professional doodler.Well, since I can't return this kind of merchandise, I figure now would be as good a time as any to use my new ridiculously over-priced pencil to start relearning the basics of drawing. Back to square one.

Sketch - Kiril Davenport

2011-04-07T01:41:00.000-07:00

Kiril Davenport is a character from my novel-in-progress, Ink & Gold. Usually Kiril is a very nice, smiley, and sort-of-harmless fellow. However, I think this expression stems from the fact that 1) it's nearly 2 in the morning, and 2) somebody probably switched out his coffee with decaf. Whoops.

Because it's been such a long time since I've sketched much of anything, please forgive or otherwise ignore the glaring anatomical and symmetrical errors. Thank you. ^^;

Spring Cleaning

2011-04-05T15:22:00.001-07:00

11.04.2007 - 04.05.2011

An era has ended. Time to start fresh.

I'm not really sure why I axed the last 3+ years of bloggery. I think I just got weary looking at all the old stuff I'd thrown on here, having realized that I hadn't really grown or changed over the time I'd staked my claim on this bit of cyberspace real estate. Not that constance is a bad thing, mind; it's nice to have some things that stay the same when everything else is changing. But at the same time, evolution is necessary for the continued survival of a species. and since I'm not bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, or all that much fun, I've got to make some kind of positive change because I'm the only one.

So here's what's going to happen: In the dead of night, you and I grab some provisions. . . hijack one of those. . . one of those longboats. . .

. . . Road to El Dorado, anyone? . . . No? Okay.

Okay, but in all seriousness, it's time to undergo a metamorphosis. Academically. Personally. Spiritually. Artistically. Grammatically. Things I'd like to start doing include reviving my muses on both the drawing and writing front, and becoming both academically competent and financially independent! It'll be difficult, but the most difficult things never get done unless you take baby steps.

So. . . that's what I'm going to do, I guess.

. . . You know, what I probably should have done instead of mumbling about change and whatnot is study for my exam. . . . Which I'm currently not doing.

Ah screw it, it's nearly 1:00 in the morning anyway. It's bedtime.

Goodnight, everybody!