Throw 'im in!

I don't usually believe in an "eye for an eye," but in this case I think the man should be thrown in with the lions instead of getting life in prison ...

"Life for S Africa lion murderer"

"White farmer Mark Scott-Crossley and an employee beat up black former worker Nelson Chisale, and threw him to lions.

"Scott-Crossley had earlier sacked Mr. Chisale, who was murdered when he went back to the farm to get his belongings."

50 years

James Dean died 50 years ago today at the age of 24 ...

"The Dean of Immortality"

When I was a teen and into my early college years, I had a thing for James Dean. The walls of my room were covered with his image from posters, pictures and a calendar.

I never knew exactly where he died. I just remember seeing a photo of his smashed-up Porsche. There is a memorial at the junction of Highways 41 and 46 in Cholame in San Luis Obispo County. Was just in that area last year. If I had known I was so close, I would have stopped there. Will have to make another drive down that way soon.

"A Lasting Tribute"

Kimchi in the news, again*

OK, headline is a bit misleading, but ...

"S. Korea questions safety of national dish kimchi"

The article states that "a study by the Seoul Research Institute of Public Health and Environment had indicated that Chinese imports contained three to five times more lead than domestic kimchi."

Hmm, wonder where San Francisco kimchi comes from. Will have to check my kimchi jar.

*On April 29, 2005, the Wall Street Journal also had an article ("Scientist Believes South Korea's National Dish Can Fight Bird-Flu Virus" -- accessible if you have an account) about kimchi.

Disgusting

I was horrified when I read about this incident last week ...

"Man Charged After Urinating On Woman"

"Students may face charges for racially motivated felony"

"The Ann Arbor Police Department has issued warrants for two University students for allegedly yelling obscenities and urinating on two students in a racially motivated act."

"AAPD Lt. Michael Logghe classified the crime as ethnic intimidation, or verbal or physical attack against a person of another race or gender. Logghe said ethnic intimidation is a felony and carries a maximum penalty of four years in jail. The suspects could also be charged with assault, and one of the suspects could face a charge of indecent exposure, which would require him to register as a sex offender."

I hope the students not only get expelled, but also convicted of the felony and all other charges.

Seems some U of M students need a refresher course in potty training ...

"University of Michigan Football Player Arrested For Urinating on Barroom Floor"

Flipper: Armed and dangerous?!

"Armed and dangerous - Flipper the firing dolphin let loose by Katrina"

"Armed dolphins, trained by the US military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico."

OK, well maybe not ...
"Dolphin assassins menace Gulf of Mexico"

'Knowing what I know now'

On NPR this morning ...

StoryCorps: Recording America
"A Birth-Mother and a Son Revisit the Past"

Listen to the audio clip. An excerpt below:

Son: "You now know having lived through it what the consequences of choosing to give me up are. So knowing what you know now, would you do it again?"

Birth mother: "Well, of course, knowing what I know now, I wouldn't do it again.... Now I wouldn't even think about it because the separation and the loss is just way too hard."

Promises

"North Korea to Scrap Nuclear Program"

The list of the "Highlights of Accord" includes "U.S. has no intention to attack N. Korea."

Uh, yeah, we have wars going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the government can't even respond to a natural disaster in its own backyard. Then again, who knows what goes on in the mind of Shrub -- maybe there'd be a good photo op for him in North Korea, err, I mean in an "Axis of Evil."

9:12 a.m.

I was born at 오전 9시 12분. I weighed 3.0 kilograms, or 6 pounds and 3 ounces. I received the polio, smallpox, measles, and diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) vaccinations when I was a baby.

This information may not seem very important to many people. But it is for me.

Unlike many others I know, I don't have to wonder if my birthday is my real date of birth. I even know the exact time I was born and where.

Amazingly, I have my birth tag and immunization records. My 이모, maternal aunt, gave them to me while I was in Korea.

I also know that I was loved dearly -- and wanted. Like my birth date, this much I know is true, without a doubt.

Ouch!

"South Africa anti-rape condom aims to stop attacks"

"A South African inventor unveiled a new anti-rape female condom on Wednesday that hooks onto an attacker's penis.... The device, made of latex and held firm by shafts of sharp barbs, can only be removed from the man by surgery, which will alert hospital staff, and ultimately, the police."

Welcome to the doghouse

Can you teach an "old dog" new tricks?

Based on years of experience and study, the answer is "NO"!

The "old dog" is now in the doghouse ... indefinitely.

Grrrrrr.

The rules

Just down the block from my home is this little hole-in-the-wall sushi restaurant. It's only open Monday through Friday, and only takes cash. I haven't eaten there yet, but I always see people outside the place, waiting for it to open at 7:00 p.m., or the place is filled (fits maybe 10 people max).

The other day I walked by the restaurant and noticed a new sign in the window that listed the "House Rules":

1. Everything is good and everything is fresh.


2. No forks, no soda.


3. No teriyaki, no tempura.


4. No rush orders.


5. No to go.


6. Cash only.


7. No weekends.


8. No complaining.


9. Come back after 9:00.

Lately, I've been on a quest to visit all the Korean restaurants in the area, but I may just have to try this little gem the next time I get a sushi craving.

Addition (August 25, 9:51 p.m.):
Walked by again to get the complete list of rules. Missing one. Hmm.

Wanted: Duck killer

I'd like to see this bastard get run over by a car a few times ...

"Sadistic driver intentionally plows into hapless fowl"

"Reward in duck massacre grows to $14K"

"The birds were killed early on the morning of Aug. 5 by a man in a red Acura sedan who was caught by a security camera deliberately driving back and forth over the creatures, most of them babies from a newly hatched batch of 17 ducklings. At one point in the disturbing attack, the killer got out of his car to manhandle the ducklings with his bare hands."

Probably got annoyed they were in his way or something.

A follow-up article states that felony animal abuse can bring up to three years in prison. I hope he's found and gets the maximum sentence. Unfortunately, he'll probably only be charged with animal cruelty and have to pay a fine.

The DMZ as a nature park?

Hmm, Ted Turner?!

"A nature park for Koreas' DMZ?"

Perhaps after they clear the area of landmines ...

"There are tens of thousands of landmines and pieces of unexploded ordinance in the DMZ because of the heavy fighting during the war. There are also periodic explosions when animals such as a deer stumble into mine fields."

Too cute!

Stampede!

For used iBooks ...

"Panic ensues in rush for cheap laptops"

"One woman ... was so desperate to retain her place in line that she urinated on herself."

The patter of little fingers

Tonight I was clearing off my desk and noticed that my keyboard could use a good cleaning. Then I remembered the hangul keyboard stickers I had ordered a year ago, still sitting on my desk. So after a good wipe down with Fantastic (the miracle cleaner), my keyboard has a new appearance.

Now, instead of hunting and pecking while looking at a reference sheet, I can hunt and peck while looking down at the keys. And now I can type away in hangul characters, even though I may not know what they say -- sort of like how I can read hangul and not have a clue as to what I just read.

You'll have to excuse me as I have to practice my typing.

잘 주무세요.

There are no words ...

Proctor & Gamble needs a copy editor

I bought a bottle of Crest's new Pro·Health rinse the other day. So a few nights ago, as I'm swishing away plaque and preventing tartar buildup and gingivitis, I happened to read the label more closely.

The following two lines were above the product name:

Provides dentist
recommended benefits

I had to reread that statement. I thought to myself, "What dentist?"

The lack of hyphen, along with the line break, confused me for a second. The statement should have a hyphen: "Provides dentist-recommended benefits."

I suppose the folks at Proctor & Gamble thought it might be odd to have a hyphen dangling after "dentist" and didn't include it. (Maybe they used all their cleverness in deciding to add the bullet in the product name.)

Well, it probably won't matter for most consumers -- only those anal about both punctuation and oral hygiene.

Addition: Oops, I really need a blog editor, too. Oh well, I already have a disclaimer (see footer).

Addition (August 15, 11:39 a.m.): On further inspection of the product label the other night, I found another case for The Hyphenator! Underneath the product name, the label read "Alcohol Free." I wish alcohol were free.

The Hoarder!

The Hyphenator! is afraid one day she will become The Hoarder!

After reading a column by Mark Morford on SFGate.com about crazy cat ladies and hoarders, I find myself horrified and yet enthralled by these stories of women who have houses full of cats and piles and piles of crap. Every once in a while, I'll come across these stories in the news, and for a period of time I was addicted to Animal Planet shows such as "Animal Cops" because they showed cases of abused animals being rescued from their terrible owners.

I think the crazy cat ladies began with the best of intentions -- taking in stray cats or adopting homeless ones -- and may have just become overwhelmed when the cats started having litters of kittens. And then the litters of kittens grew up to have their own litters of kittens. Next thing you know, dead cat corpses are filling trash bag after trash bag.

It gets so bad that the stench of urine, feces, and diseased and dead cats drives neighbors to complain to authorities, when it's way too late to help these animals. The cats are diseased and feral, and cannot be saved or adopted.

When I read about hoarders who have mounds of newspapers, magazines, and junk in their homes to the point that they become uninhabitable, I sometimes think of my grandfather and also worry I'll become one myself.

My grandfather's hoarding can be easily explained. Mine on the other hand is questionable. Not to say that either one of us lived or lives in a home that ought to be condemned, although my mom might disagree with that statement.

My grandfather lived through the Depression, and like many other Depression-era kids, he lived his life influenced by his early experiences. In his cupboards and basement, he stockpiled cans of food with "Best when used by" dates that had long since passed. I remember visiting him and every time I opened his refrigerator or freezer, I'd see it jam-packed with food (he lived alone, mind you). I never wanted to know what was hidden in the back of the refrigerator. He had a deep freezer chest that my parents cleaned out after he passed away. They found neatly labeled and packaged pheasants that someone had given him 20 years ago after a hunting trip.

Piles of brown paper and plastic bags lined his breezeway. He never owned a microwave, but he loved his toaster oven. In fact, he kept two of his old ones on a table in the breezeway, next to the stacked plastic containers and lids. On his kitchen countertops (what you could see of them), used tinfoil, plastic wrap, and Ziploc bags sat out, waiting to be reused ... again.

Up in the attic, trunks were filled with brand-new blankets, still in their original packaging. My mom donated garbage bags full of old clothes to Goodwill. Seems he never gave anything away, not even pants from his days as a svelte younger man.

Me? I have no excuse. I admit I have a hard time throwing stuff out. I keep junk for reference or for nostalgia. I haven't thrown out a movie ticket stub in ages. I used to write on the back of tickets the names of the people I watched the movies with, along with date and time (this was before the nice, computerized tickets you get now that have detailed information on them). I often mix up which movie I saw with whom ("Didn't I see that movie with you?" "No, dear, that was someone else.")

I've got old clothes from my school days: fluorescent Umbro shorts, Hard Rock T-shirts from all my traveling, and every single semiformal dress I ever wore to a dance, homecoming and prom (I figure my daughter will one day love playing dress-up with them). Suprisingly, I threw away a whole shopping bag of old shoes a few weeks ago. My fiancé was shocked. They were so old and falling apart that I decided that even though they reminded me of happy times dancing the night away, I had to get rid of them. Besides, have to make room for the new shoes!

Boxes in various sizes and packaging material (bubble wrap, packing peanuts, etc.) clutter my home office. You never know when you have to mail a gift or package to someone. Old magazines and catalogs are stacked underneath our coffee table, and receipts for groceries, restaurants, gas, clothes and wedding supplies are piled high on my desk.

My garage space is filled with empty, good boxes (the ones that have handle openings) for my next move, so that I can't actually park my car in the spot. I pay extra for a parking spot (necessary in San Fran), but instead use it for storage.

In one box in my garage, I have magazines that I couldn't bear to part with, even when I packed up and moved 2,000 miles away. Old celebrity hearthrobs grace the covers of some of the teen magazines, while models I found to be beautiful when I was younger (and even today) are on others.

To make things worse, my parents gave me all my childhood toys and books before I moved. I love having them, but aren't parents suppose to keep that kind of stuff? Then one day you discover them when you're cleaning out your deceased parents' home?

You'd think I would have seized on the excuse of moving across the country to throw out a lot of junk I'd collected over the years. You'd think so.

I did throw out some stuff and gave away other possessions: some plants (hopefully, they found a new owner who would remember to water them), a stereo system in which the CD player didn't work anymore but I kept anyway because I bought a portable CD boombox to listen to CDs, and an ancient JCPenney color television that my fiancé insisted I get rid of (hey, it had a remote and still worked). Luckily, one of my good friends saw the value in them that I did and took them.

Sometimes I wish I hadn't thrown away certain things, like my journals. (I know, I keep old teen magazines, but throw out my personal journals. Sigh.) Ever since middle school, I had kept a journal, detailing my crushes, heartbreaks, anger, disappointments and dreams. They filled two boxes, which I convinced myself to throw out since moving to California was suppose to be a new beginning. I regret that decision now. My friend jokes that some bum is reading my life story while sitting in a landfill.

I also miss my old bed terribly. When I moved into my first apartment, my parents bought me the bed, but I don't miss it for nostalgic reason. It was so comfy that I could sleep the night and day away in that bed. But alas it was only full size. My fiancé had a queen bed (a rock hard one) already, so I gave my bed to my parents for their spare bedroom (at least I get to reunite with my bed when I go home to visit). I wonder if my more frequent talking in my sleep is due to my fiancé's uncomfortable bed.

More and more I'm starting to believe that I shouldn't throw stuff away, unless of course it truly is garbage or a health hazard. Little things, even receipts, can trigger a memory. They help me remember when certain events happened or when I traveled where. Besides, without journal writing now, I need them more than ever.

You'd think my fiancé and I would be drowning in all my junk, but we're not. I'm very good about organizing, storing and hiding things in our apartment: in closets, in cupboards, under the bed, etc. We even have room for a pet.

Unfortunately, pets aren't allowed in our current place. I do not want to move again for a while, but when we do finally pick up and move, I'm making sure we can have a cat ... or two. I'd love to have a male and a female cat so that we can have a litter of kittens. One day, maybe you'll hear about me on the news -- the crazy, hoarding cat lady!

Hunting and gathering

I loathe the grocery stores in San Francisco. They are small, crowded, and overpriced. I often have to go to different stores to find a single item I need for a particular dish.

They all have their own discount card programs, so my wallet is full with their damn cards. I love how they always display the regular price along with the special discount price so you see exactly how much you can save. Just eliminate the &#$@*! discount program, and give customers the low price every day. The items are usually on "sale" most of the time anyway.

Today, however, I was in grocery store heaven. After a 20-minute drive, I found myself in a nice, big Korean grocery store, looking around in wonder.

Not that I hadn't ever seen a large Korean store before. A few years ago, my 언니 had taken me to a huge Korean grocery store in Virginia, which was absolutely amazing because it also had an unbelievable selection of housewares, CDs, DVDs and videos, magazines, books, and beauty products.

But in San Francisco, up to this point I had only found small stores in my neighborhood (which I love by the way because I can stop for 김밥 [kimbap] whenever I get a craving for it, and they often give me free stuff, too).

A Korean friend told me about the store I found today a few months ago, but I hadn't gone in search of it until now. I'm so glad I did.

I instantly fell in love with the store when one of the first items my eyes zeroed in on was 비빔밥 (bibimbap) ingredients already prepared in the deli section. Just add rice -- and I got rice, baby!

The store's meat counter was just lovely with perfectly cut beef for 불고기 (bulgogi) and 갈비 (galbi). No more asking butchers for special cuts.

There was an actual produce section, not a produce cooler, and multiple checkout stands. In the frozen foods section, I got almost dizzy from the array of 만두 (mandu).

If I'm shopping there one day and start to feel faint from hunger, not to worry. The store has a deli counter and dining area.

On my next visit to the store, I'm determined to spend more time exploring all the wonderful aisles and products.

But today, I left the store with bags of basic groceries (김치, 김, 만두, 떡, and meat for 불고기 and 갈비) ... and a grin on my face.