January 28, 2004
Save Tonight

Oskar Kokoschka, Austrian, 1886–1980, Two Nudes (Lovers), 1913, Oil on canvas, 163.2 x 97.5 cm (64 1/4 x 38 3/8 in.), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Bequest of Mrs. Sarah Reed Platt 1973.196

Go on and close the curtains, 'cause all we need is candlelight
You and me and a bottle of wine, and hold you tonight

Well, we know I'm going away, And how I wish, I wish it weren't so
So take this wine and drink with me, Let's delay our misery

There's a log on the fire, and it burns like me for you
Tomorrow comes with one desire, to take me away

It ain't easy to say goodbye, darling please don't start to cry
'cause girl you know I've got to go, and Lord I wish it wasn't so

Tomorrow comes to take me away, I wish that I, that I could stay
but girl you know I've got to go, and Lord I wish it wasn't so.

Save tonight, Fight the break of dawn
Come tomorrow, Tomorrow I'll be gone

Picture:
Oskar Kokoschka, Austrian, 1886–1980
Two Nudes (Lovers)
1913
Oil on canvas, 163.2 x 97.5 cm (64 1/4 x 38 3/8 in.)

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston:
Bequest of Mrs. Sarah Reed Platt 1973.196

Song and lyrics:
Save Tonight, Eagle Eye Cherry
From the Aubum "Desireless"

Posted by justin at 10:53 AM
January 26, 2004
Dirty Chinese Food...

Just what have I gotten myself into this weekend.

Anyhow, I got out to lunch on Sunday, to one of those little Chinese restauraunts. It being the first weekend of the new year and all, here's a stuff going on in Chinatown this Sunday, even though it's quite cold outside, there's still a lot of banging drums, lion dances, and people throwing oranges, lettuce and firecrackers. So the way it's supposted to work is that the lion is like a spirit, that can bring you both fortune and calamity. So you want it to come by, but if it does come in front of your business, you have to appease it to make it go away, thus the organges, which are rather golden colored, and the lettuce which is green. Gold and green... Hmm. I think that lion would be asking for some money. Now the troop generally responsible for the lion is a kung fu studio, and there's various people following the lion around holding banners proclaiming some benevolent civic organization. Being students at the kung fu studio, they look like kind of rather large burly gangster types. And they're banging on drums, and going from door to door and they won't go away till you give them somthing. Now I'm not too familiar with exactly what the tradition is behind this whole thing, because it sounds like some sort of extortion to me.

So we get into the restaurant and sit down. Being one of those chinese cafes, and it being really cold outside I decide for a cheap bowl of hot soup. Not realizing completely what I was saying, or realizing that my Cantonese was so bad. I pointed at what I thought was a bowl of noodle soup, with stewed beef-steak on it. The person ordering it pointed out that she was surprised that I liked that. I think the Cantonese word I was going to use was "Gnow Nam Mien", I think I said "Au Ah Mien." Unfortunately somehow she interpreted it as wanting stewed beef entrails (that's stomach, tendon, lungs, and some other quite undesirable parts of the cow). I don't know if it was a compliment to be called "Dirty Chinese Food" for ordering but looking back at it was kind of funny. Then again when the soup arrived, it was exactly as described. Pretty much inedible, so I picked out all the random cow parts, eh... gawds. Blech...

So I know my Chinese is bad enough to get you in trouble when you can't tell the difference between what you're ordering between Cantonese and Mandarin. I suppose if I was in Taiwan, the same exact thing would have been called "Niu You Min" essentially beef and noodle soup. Maybe I should have been like my Canadian friend, who always seems to order the same thing, roast duck over rice, with vegetables. Can't go wrong with the roast duck.

Friday Night's recipe for those interested is attached:

So after inviting a different group of people over friday night and seeing that because of the mad cow scare, the price for porterhouse steaks is more reasonable. I'm decide to make a waldorf salad.

Oh, and although we weren't making the steaks with as much alcohol, this weekend, the chef, still manages to get flames licking up from my stove. I'll sautee the same thing, but his onions always end up carmelized and a little bit sweeter than mine.

Salad:
Leaf Spinach
Feta Cheese
Raisins
Sliced Almonds
Golden Delicious apples
Oranges
Dressing consisting of Balsamic Vinegar, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Sugar

Steaks - Broiled with Salt and Black Pepper.

Au Gratin Potatoes -
5 lbs potatoes
2 Onions.
Cheddar Cheese
1 cup of whipping cream
1 cup of milk
1 cup of butter
2 tablespoons of flour.

Bake for 2 hours till tender (okay the combination of cream, butter, and cheese, plus the potatoes, won't make it either on the low fat, or the low carb diets)

Foccatia, French Bread.
Ricotta Cream Spread
1st quality Ricotta Cheese
Whipping Cream
Salt
Chill and serve with a dollop of Olive oil on top.

Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel

Dark Chocolate Mousse

Posted by justin at 12:02 PM
January 22, 2004
Lower Wages....

There's an article in the LA Times today

I don't agree with the author's statement that the way to increase wages in the United States is by influencing public policy with the goals of:
1) Raising the minimum wage
2) Attaching Labor Standards to trade agreements.
3) Encouraging Unionization in low-paying sectors.

Yes, this is a direct effect of globaization. Have we gotten ourselves into a system more complex than we can handle?

There is a problem with wages declining due to increased competition from globalization. But the problem is more complex than the points imply.

Posted by justin at 01:51 PM
January 21, 2004
What kind of Word is "Shalom"

My church has taken to using the term "Shalom" in their mission statement, as shown below.

"For this living Body of Christ to seek the shalom of God's Kingdom in the world
through reconciliation and justice."

At least, I find the use of this term silly and ignorant; at worse a bit insensitive and racist.

For those who didn't grow up in an area where there was a preponderance of Jews. "Shalom" is a Hebrew greeting meaning hello, goodbye, and peace. use it as a way above to me in which to live out your life is to assume a distinctly Judeo-Christian, if not particularly Jewish view.

Thus if "shalom" meaning "God's Peace" is the essence of being Jewish, and then it's polar opposite would be "jihad" which is the Arabic term for "struggle."

If we're comfortable Jihad is a valid way of looking at life. Because it's meaning is not purely in reference to an external, political or religious crusade. Jihad is the stuggle against life, it's an inner struggle against the indfidel inside us all. It's the stuggle in life, reconciling the demons inside, when they are tempered against a world constantly pulling in separate directions. Jihad is to pursue after the prescence of God.

Posted by justin at 12:22 PM
January 15, 2004
AP Chinese???

Okay, I guess I've known about this one for a while. The college board is offering an AP class in Chinese Language and Culture. Oh I wonder if that's going to be popular amongst the exam school cliques. Duh!

Well given that the role of the Asian male is shifting from the geeky nerd, back to the idiotic stoner/slacker, although kind of positive, I think it's a bit of a rehash, think about it who in the world would think of the line "What'sa happenin' hott-stuff?"

Are people cheating on this college board exam as well. Sheez...

I'm still puzzled by David Henry Hwang's "Flower Drum Song" sure it's obviously racist, how can anything portraying Asian Americans in the 1950's seem not to perpetuate the stereotypes of the age. And Rogers and Hammerstein, aren't exactly known for putting forward accurate portrayals of complex issues related to multiethnicity.

Study your face and you will see—the shape of your face is the shape of faces back many generations—across an ocean, in another soil....The stories written on your face are the ones you must believe. —David Henry Hwang, Family Devotions

Posted by justin at 10:45 AM
January 12, 2004
Still trying to Cheat on the SAT

Okay, if this hasn't gotten far enough,

And if we haven't had enough of all the folks who seem to be looking for ways to cheat on the SAT. Now there's a movie about it.

And not only that an angsty teen Dawson's creek-ish comedy about it. I don't know what to think. It's not racist, it's certainly not as dumb as say "Under the Tuscan Sun" but for some reason it's strangely intriguing. I don't know if the quote that Asian Females on average get the highest grades. Or rather "Asian chicks, suburban asian females who watch less than 1 hour a TV a day" Sheez... Anyhow watch the trailer, judge for yourself. I'm not starting a tirade against this, but it's an interesting reflection on the medias reflection of modern life.

Posted by justin at 02:15 PM