Why?!

Why do bad things always happen to good people?

Damn, damn, damn.

I found out today that a friend of mine was killed in a car accident this past weekend. She was killed instantly. In a situation like that, is it OK to be thankful that it was quick?

This week has been crazy busy with work, already putting in three 12-hour days and it's only Tuesday. So here I sit at my computer, bawling every few minutes. It's hard to be productive when you can't see cleary because the tears keep flowing. With the work stress alone, I was ready for a nervous breakdown.

She was looking forward to coming to my wedding in Hawaii, and I was looking forward to catching up with her and what was going on in her life and with her family. Living in separate states, I hadn't seen her in a good year and a half -- since I moved to San Francisco.

She had the kindest soul. The string of e-mails that have brought the news just shows how many people's lives she touched.

Even though she died in a freak accident, some may say it was her time to go. Well, I say, Screw that! I'm too damn selfish and feel selfish for her family who need her and will miss her terribly.

I miss her already.

My heart goes out to her family.

Feeding time

My friend Ji-In sent me a link to this video to add to my collection of weird animal stories ...

"Octopus Eats Shark" (viewable in Internet Explorer browser)

Keepers at the Seattle Aquarium kept finding shark carcasses at the bottom of the tank. For weeks the 3- to 4-foot sharks kept vanishing. Turns out the culprit was an octopus they had moved into the large tank.

Heartbreaking

The following is an AP story about two 3-month-old cheetah cubs in an Ethiopian village ...

"U.S. Troops Find Abused Cheetah Cubs"

"I don't see why I should hand them over," Hudle told The Associated Press on Wednesday. 'When I was younger I looked after goats and camels, so I know what animals need.

His sons, 4 and 2, pulled the cubs' tails and dragged them around by ropes tied tightly to their necks. Other children followed, poking and teasing the frightened animals.

He knows "what animals need." I'd like to see the owner dragged around by a rope around his neck.

What's cookin'?

In San Francisco? Not much, I'm afraid.

I've come to the conclusion that many residents of San Francisco do not cook. This is based on some of my experiences since I've moved to the city.

For example, this evening I was shopping in the bakery aisle of my local grocery store, looking for baking cups -- you know, for muffins and cupcakes.

Thanksgiving is coming up, and corn bread muffins have been in my head for weeks now. Since I won't be traveling home to the Midwest and my mom's Thanksgiving dinner this year (to save some money for the wedding), I thought I'd make some because Thanksgiving to me is just not Thanksgiving without corn bread muffins. Now, I realize I do not need baking cups for muffins, but my mom always makes them with the paper cups and they just look so darn cute with the pastel wrappers.

So there I am in the grocery aisle, picking out baking cups. At first I was a bit disappointed when I thought only white ones were available, but to my relief the pastel ones were just hidden below.

As I turn to put the cups in my cart, a young woman in the aisle sees me with my cups and approaches me. She's about mid-20s, I'd say, professionally dressed. She asks if I'm making cupcakes. A bit surprised, I blurt out that I'm making muffins.

She then asks me if there are special mixes for making cupcakes. A second passed as her question repeated in my head and I thought to myself, "Are you kidding me??"

Noticing that she has a disposable cupcake tin in her hands, I take pity on her and explain that she just needs a cake mix to make cupcakes.

Curious to see what the woman would pick out for her cupcakes, I pretend to browse the section of cake mixes myself -- ready to offer any other valuable cooking advice if needed.

I see her eying the higher shelves of brownies and think to myself, "No, no, no! Cake mixes! Cake mixes!" After a little while, she finally selects a moist chocolate cake mix, and I sigh.

Talk about a case for "Food 911" or "How to Boil Water." Tyler Florence, you're needed in San Francisco!

Are you talkin' to me?!

My god, this could have been addressed to me ...

"Why Do You Have So Much Junk?"

Maybe there's hope for me yet. I have almost four months to clean out my hoard of clutter before my new married life begins. Besides, gotta make room for all my, err I mean our, lovely wedding gifts.

Let's see, where can I fit this gravy boat ... hmmm.

Royal mistake

The other day on a news Web site, I saw a link for a story from a local TV station:

"Prince, Dutchess visit Washington"

Come on, people! I guess with TV reporting it doesn't matter if it's "duchess" or "dutchess."

Note for all you royal watchers ...

Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will be in my 'hood on Monday evening for a dinner hosted by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and the British consul general at the newly opened M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park.

Oh, and in other nonroyalty, but celebrity news ...

Yesterday, Warren Beatty left me -- yes, ME -- a message on my answering machine. Granted, it was a recorded message, and it was about voting "no" on upcoming California propositions in the election, but it surprised the heck out of me. I have yet to delete it. My mom would probably get a kick out of hearing it.

Now, where is Governor "It's NOT a toooma" Ahhhhnold?

Where does the time go?

112 days to go.

I haven't had much time lately to post to this blog. An interesting, weird, kimchi-related or just plain stupid news story will remind me to post, but I do it more for my own reference library, I guess. "Where is that bizarre animal story again?"

This time of year marks the beginning of the insanely busy period at work, so between copyediting useless information to the average person and wedding planning, I've been slacking off on the blogging. (Actually, I've been procrastinating on the wedding planning, but I've given myself a kick in the rear.)

OK, to be honest, the new TV season has sucked me back into my couch potato ways. Just when I think I'll have more free time since some of my favorite shows have ended, I stupidly watch the pilots of new shows, thinking I may miss the next big hit show (advertisers must love viewers like me).

This year's returning shows that still have me tuning in religiously every week are "Lost" (even if the writing goes to pot, I'll still watch for the Korean couple), "Medium," "Desperate Housewives" and "Joey" (out of "Friends" loyalty, I'm hoping it gets better this season). I also try to catch "Monk," "CSI," "Cold Case" and "Law & Order: SVU" when I can.

New shows that have consumed more of my time include HBO's "Rome," "Commander in Chief" (it's about damn time we had a female president, even if it's only on television -- 2008, ladies? oh, and just saw Russell Wong on tonight's episode), "Grey's Anatomy" (which is more interesting these days than the desperate housewives, and I'll tune in for Sandra Oh anytime), "How I Met Your Mother," "Surface," "Invasion" and -- now don't judge me -- "America's Next Top Model." Sigh, yes, it's true.

I really need a TiVo, preferably the 300-hour one at the low, low price of $550. Can I register for that?

Koreans taking over the world ... one nose at a time

"Korea's Makeover From Dull to Hip Changes Face of Asia"

"Across Asia, South Korea is cool. From fashion to music to film, the country of 48 million people is redefining style. And as notions of Korean beauty become popularized by the country's exploding cultural exports, women from around the region -- and some men, too -- are flocking to Seoul to have their faces remodeled."

South Korea's new tourism campaign: Visit Korea -- You, too, can look like a Korean soap star.

Scary.

Note (10/26/06): Sorry, just noticed the link now requires a WSJ login. Can probably find the article online doing a search on title.

'Honey, you make me sick!'

"Japanese women suffering from retired husband syndrome:
Some wives become sick under the stress of demanding spouses"

The treatment? Therapy and spending "as much time as possible away from your husband."

4,000-year-old noodles found in China

"Ancient noodles discovered in China"

"The Chinese say the Italians got it from them, via Marco Polo; Arabs claim its creation as an easily stored foodstuff suitable for long treks on the desert. The Japanese, Koreans, French and even the Germans also have claimed the noodle as their own.

Chinese researchers may have finally settled the contentious question by unearthing a 4,000-year-old container of noodles in northwestern China."

More weird animal stories

"Python Explodes After Eating Alligator""

(Be sure to check out the photo with the article.)

"Alligators have clashed with nonnative pythons before in Everglades National Park. But when a 6-foot gator tangled with a 13-foot python recently, the result wasn't pretty.

The snake apparently tried to swallow the gator whole — and then exploded."


More python news, this time with a kitty! :(

"This Time, Python Eats Siamese Cat"

Shark bait?!

Fido and Fluffy used as shark bait ...

"Dogs used as shark bait"

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."