Guns, Explosions & Koala Bears

My favorite agency came out with this spoof for the New Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

San Francisco Eats

I just got back from a three day weekend trip to San Francisco and my taste buds haven't been the same. Dallas food seems so bland and unfulfilling now. My first time to the Bay Area was in September of '07 and I enjoyed the cuisine of Chez Spencer and Aqua.

This time around, I got the real tour for the tastes of the town thanks to my local friend. The first dinner spot was Nopa. We ordered the warm goat cheese, crostini, pickled beets and frisée appetizer and the salad of bacon, chicories, poached egg, walnuts and pomegranate for my entree. This venue has spacious ceilings and warm candlelit tables. A great place to take your family and date.

Friday night was The House night, by far my favorite place! I've never cried over asian-fusion food as I did. For starters, we got the very delicious deep-fried salmon roll with chinese hot mustard and asparagus with roasted sesame seed dressing which tasted more like thai peanut sauce. For my dinner selection, I chose the special of the day which was grilled skirt steak with shitaki mushroom gravy and wasabi mashed potatoes. It just melted in my mouth. Each forkful just tasted as good as the last. I couldn't resist and had to try one of their desserts, another special which was their persimmon pudding with caramel ice cream. To loosely describe it, it tasted like a piece of warm, heavenly gingerbread pie. It tasted so good that I couldn't stop myself from laughing. It's funny how food can make you all emotional.

Moving on to Saturday, brunch was had at this little hip spot called Universal Cafe. Here I was a little impatient and we had to wait for about half an hour to sit. When we finally did, we already knew what we wanted and I got the french toast with pineapple compote, toasted pecans and chantilly cream. It was nice and warm and oh so big- I enjoyed it but couldn't finish it. I've been told this place is extremely popular and I could see where they're coming from, but personally I rate this brunch joint a 3 out of 5. Dinner time soon rolls around and we head to one of my friend's favorite sushi locations, Kiji. Here we let the guest chef cut loose and surprise us. He served us a duo of sea urchin, monk fish liver and quail egg concoction. Crazy and choice. The sushi sampler consisted of amberjack, tuna, squid, escolar (butterfish) and hokki clam. We also ordered the kanpachi carpaccio (thinly sliced amberjack with jalapenos, sea salt and olive oil) as well as the "green monster" roll (made of red and white tuna mixed with chili oil and topped with seaweed salad). Again, best sushi I've had in a very long time and the service was very friendly and accommodating. Kiji gets 5 out of 5.

My last Sunday brunch in good ol' San Fran was at St. Francis Fountain. This place is such an old and locally-loved hangout that it doesn't even have its own website. It's like one of those homey IHOP or Denny's in your old little hometown but with better food, music and people. I had a great time eating my country biscuits and gravy listening to LCD Soundsystem and watching the tattoo-sleeved waitresses. Not to mention, the service is fast and your food comes out literally in minutes of you ordering it. An extra plus about this cafe is that it's menu items are cheap which your poor wallet would greatly appreciate after a day in SF. Less pretentiousness and more personality, yes!

Journey to Jamaica

I decided to take a last minute trip to the Carribean to ring in the 2008 new year. I flew into MBJ (Montego Bay) on December 28th and bus-pooled for 2 hours to new territories (I only realized later that I booked a hotel in Negril). The humidity and warmth hit me like a ton of bricks since the moment I stepped out of the airport but it was a welcome change from Texas' fickle weather. The hotel that came with my package trip was properly named Carribean Sunset Resort and sat at the top of the highest hill in the heart of Negril Square. It's rooftop and balcony views would come in handy later for the new year celebration.

For my first real day in Jamaica, I hit the 7 mile beach which was a 5 minute walk from the hotel. At the bottom of the hill, I passed by a jerk stand that supposedly had been run by the same man for the past 15 years. It proved to be better bbq chicken than the hotel restaurant's version. In no time flat, I was taking in the sights and taking off my sandals to feel the sand beneath my feet. I've never seen the ocean so blue and clear like I did in Negril (even the beaches in Hawaii were very hard to compare). Along with the general touristic crowd, I saw many Europeans (lot's of Italians) and a few Canadians and Americans here and there.

The locals are friendly, although sometimes overbearing. They're always trying to sell you something (whethers its fruit, drugs, cds, or hand-made knick knacks) on the beach and in the streets. Nevertheless, the natives seem to mean well and don't mind casual conversation with tourists. I had my first Jamaican meal along the beachside at a little cafe- I ordered some delicious pork jerk. It's been a very long time since I could enjoy a great meal outdoors somewhere exotic. Jamaica is a great place for people watching as well. There's such a strange dynamic of demographics- young and older couples mostly- and cultures. Add in the local mix and you'll be plenty amused for the rest of your stay. I hung around a little longer in the sun then went back to the hotel for a little R&R and planned for my next adventure.

The day before my departure (literally hours after booking online) I bought a Frommer's travel book on Jamaica. Frommer's has proved to be pretty accurate and handy in my travel destinations. Under the nightlife section, the book suggested a resort called Hedonism II. Apparently, I'm the only one who hasn't heard of this place; everyone else I know recognized the name from previous Cinemax and HBO documentaries. However, I'm no dummy and had a pretty good idea to what the place was about from it's name. So my curiosity got the best of me and I bought a "night pass" that evening to check it out. The resort was only a 5 minute drive from my hotel and I was soon in the all-inclusive buffet line. The food didn't compare to the $7 dollar pork jerk lunch I had, but I filled up and scoped the crowd. From a sociological perspective, Hedonism II had an interesting mix (however dissapointing) of people. You had your Hugh Hefner wannabe with his buxom 30-something blonde and on the other side of the room you had your dominatrix couple. There was a couple reminiscent of Bill Gates and his wife and a young Asian couple who seem to be out of place. All in all, there was really no shows of nudity or sophomoric lust-fests as many would expect. The highlight of my visit to Hedonism was its beach. Even though it was dark at night and only lit by a lone lightpole, the view was spectacular. The docked sailing boats were picturesque in the moonlight and the sand shimmered in the shallow waters. It was completely still and solitary. During my entire trip, this was the only moment where I was the only person on the beach- I felt it was all my own. To me, that experience was worth it.

The second day, I followed my beach-and-sun routine and headed out early in the morning to get optimal ray exposure. I had brought along my camera and took a number of pictures of my surroundings (check them out here). I took a cat nap, burned my back and headed back to the Carribean Sunset Resort. In the lobby, I met a fine couple from Toronto, Garth and Trisha. They were very outgoing and hospitable- they offered to take me out on the town later that night. Garth used to live in Negril and moved to Canada about 10 years ago where he met his fiance Trisha. I also had the pleasure to meet their 3 kids. After dinner and a movie, I went out to meet the Canadians. We decided to go to Alfred's, a beachside bar and club which was also recommended in my Frommer's guide. Honestly, I wasn't impressed. There was a J$700 cover charge (about $5 US dollars) for what seemed like a lame show for a bunch of white people. The music didn't move me and wasn't as cultured as I expected (I don't consider Marley remakes as cultured). I felt like I was at a tourist meat market; Garth pointed out the native women who were "negotiators" and explained how they worked men, expecially tourists, for money. It was very interesting and shocking to see these beautiful, fresh and young Jamaicans negotiating sexual exchanges with drunk and greasy men. Needless to say, I really didn't have a great time and went back to the hotel looking forward to watching more tv.

My last full day in Jamaica was Dec 31, New Year's eve. Following suite, I woke up early to go to the beach. But first, I decided to try a real Jamaican breakfast and ordered ackee and saltfish at the hotel's restaurant. Suprisingly, it was delicious and tasteful. It was my first time trying this native dish and its ingredients and I really enjoyed it. I spent the rest of the day on the sand and took in as much of Jamaica as I could without cooking myself red. By sunset, I was exhausted and planned on staying at the hotel for the rest of the night. I had made friends with the hotel staff and they joined me at the resort's bar to watch the New Year's fireworks display from the rooftop. What better way to spend a new year than with new people in a new place. It was a happy, free-feeling and surely, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

New Year's day, I hitched a bus back to Montego Bay and departed for cold Dallas via Miami with the memorable remnants of my journey to Jamaica.

Waiting For the Winner

Would it be considered pathetic or a little geeky to be waiting in line an hour early prior to the free screening ticket giveaway? How about the fact that I'm writing this blog while waiting in line outside the theatre? Is “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” worth the wait? Since it was nominated as one of the top ten films of the year, I damn well think so. Plus it's free and I like all things free. Major brownie points go to Angelika Film Center for giving the Dallas audience a chance to watch this gem before its first showing on Christmas day.

Flipping the Gay Switch With Fruit Flies

Who would have ever thought that Perez Hilton would be so interested in scientific research news that he would post new findings on "fruity flies" on his celebrity gossip site?

Apparently, a new study reported by Nature Neuroscience finds both drugs and genetic manipulation can turn homosexual behavior of fruit flies on and off within a matter of hours. It is one of the latest studies that challenges the belief that homosexuality is biological and hard-wired in humans and animals.

Don't Overthink It

According to a new psychology article in Newsweek, the ways of writing down pros and cons in an attempt to come to a logical decision may be overrated. Benjamin Franklin used to give advice on reasoning out complex decisions- he called it "moral algebra". His theory states to divide a sheet of paper in half, write down a complete list of pros and cons, revisit the list in a couple of days and weigh the pros and cons, decide which pro and con seems of equal weight and then strike them both out. What's left in the balance is your best answer.

Wray Hebert writes "Such "balance sheet" calculation is still taught today as the most logical and systematic method for dealing with many of life's complexities. Kids are counseled to choose colleges and careers this way, and managers similarly deliberate the pros and cons in important business decisions. But is moral algebra really the best method for decision making in today's dizzyingly complicated world? Or is there virtue in simplicity for many life choices? A growing number of psychologists are questioning the soundness of Franklin's method, and its modern iterations, including data-heavy calculations by increasingly powerful computers".

A leading challenger, Gerd Gigerenzer of the Max Planck Institute in Germany, is the author of "Gut Feelings", a book that collects a convincing body of evidence for the power of hunches over laborious data crunching. Hunches, gut feelings, intuition—Gigerenzer calls these "heuristics," fast and efficient cognitive shortcuts that (according to the emerging theory) can help us negotiate life, if we let them.

Maybe we are overcomplicating things and wasting time on unecessary details in everyday and life changing decisions. We should strive to be "satisficers": a term coined by Gigerenzer for people who practice "satisficing" decision making, as in "satisfying" enough to "suffice." Satisficers don't feel the need to know everything, in contrast to "maximizers," who do want to weigh every detail imaginable in making even minor life decisions. Interestingly, studies have found that satisficers are more optimistic about life, have higher self-esteem, and are generally happier than maximizers.

Song of the Year

If you’re like me and was lucky enough to grow up in the raging 80’s, then you’re probably all too familiar with one of Journey’s best hits, “Don’t Stop Believin”. This is dedicated to that song and its symbolic significance in my year of 2007.

I’ve been around this song since I was a little girl jamming with my dad while he played his favorite Journey album on his Pioneer turntables. Much of the popular songs from the 60’s up the 80’s are pleasantly nostalgic because of him.

I actually heard it again for the first time this year in one of the locally-loved pubs, The Meridian Room. It happened to be karaoke night and we’ve already sat through a couple of unnoticeable turns. The next guy gets on stage and doesn’t even get to the first verse of “Don’t Stop Believin” before the whole bar burst into whoops and delight. Everyone knew the intro by heart. It was like a religious experience. People were waving their hands in the air, dancing, singing at the top of their lungs to the words and drowning out the karaoke singer. Even the wait staff were dancing and joining in the chorus. I can’t recall the last time I was in a bar where every single person in the room was happy, smiling and enjoying themselves for 5 minutes straight, including myself. Who would have thought the 80’s could still be so much fun?

For some reason, that night and bonding experience left an impression on me. Thereafter, whenever I would hear that song I would be transported back to that happy place where all was right with the world and there was nothing but good feelings all around. Talk about association. “Don’t Stop Believin” became an overnight life motto for me. I’ve applied it to every area of my life this year: my career, my relationships and my self worth. And it has kept me going ever since.

I am just a small-town girl, after all. Living in a lonely world. I’ll take the midnight train to go anywhere.