Note: This should have been posted a week ago on 3/24.
I’m off on my spring break adventure! After finishing all my assignments from the previous week, I have been waiting minute by minute to leave London and travel. We leave on Thursday the 25th and we have two weeks to travel. As I write about Spring Break, I’ll try to adjust the post date so it reflects the actual date we did the stuff, not the date I wrote the post, because my access to internet hotspots is a bit splotchy -- we have to pay for Wi-Fi at a lot of places we go to so I’ll post when I can.
Itinerary:
3/25-3/28 – Istanbul, Turkey
3/29 – Venice, Italy
3/30-4/1 – Florence, Italy
4/2-4/4 – Rome, Italy
4/5-4/6 – Cinque Terre, Italy
4/7 – Pisa, Italy
4/7-4/10 – Canary Islands, Spain
It sounds good and all, but I’m a bit anxious for our trip. We booked our flights between the countries and we plan to buy our train tickets through Italy at the train stations, but we haven’t secured accommodations for anything besides Istanbul and Florence. So where does that leave us?
I honestly don’t know.
-Emoinacloset
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Day 1: Beer. Day 2: Beer. Welcome to Dublin!
Note: Although I wrote this today, after a week or so I will change the date to when I actually came back from Dublin, 3/20. If me, or anyone else reads this post in the far future, I want to make sure I remember what dates I travelled so I can remember it as accurately as possible. @Muffinman: no, this isn’t because I want to cheat on our post wars.
Going to Dublin on St. Patrick’s Day was a great decision. Even though I had two essays due that next week, I knew that I couldn’t miss it – besides, my friends had been bitching at me for ditching them when they went to Paris, Stonehenge, Scotland, and Berlin so I couldn’t let them down this time (It’s so tiring to be loved so much). Right after class ended on Wednesday, we rushed to the airport so that we would make it on time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the way it should be celebrated – by drinking.
The Crowne Plaza Hotel: Nice rooms, sucky location.
Going to Dublin on St. Patrick’s Day was a great decision. Even though I had two essays due that next week, I knew that I couldn’t miss it – besides, my friends had been bitching at me for ditching them when they went to Paris, Stonehenge, Scotland, and Berlin so I couldn’t let them down this time (It’s so tiring to be loved so much). Right after class ended on Wednesday, we rushed to the airport so that we would make it on time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the way it should be celebrated – by drinking.
The Crowne Plaza Hotel: Nice rooms, sucky location.
We got kind of screwed in booking accommodations for Dublin. Instead of getting a place in the city center, we ended up at a hotel that was 40 minutes away by transportation. Every time this happens, I am reminded of just how important location is when travelling and visiting a city. The girls loved it of course, because they could enjoy their showers and soft beds, but I felt it would have been more worth it to get a place in the city, considering the time it took to get to the city center as well as the money we spent on public transportation.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed our trip.
This is the best part of the museum. At this station, we were allowed to sample the Guinness beer and taste it in the correct way. They even had step-by-step instructions to maximize our taste experience. But hey, free beer is free beer, right? I ended up taking four samples of the stuff; I know I definitely enjoyed my taste experience.
But then they went over the top. With our entrance ticket they also gave us a complementary drink at their “sky bar” which was on top of the building and provided a 360o view of Dublin. Jim said, “This is the best museum in the world”; I have to agree with him.
We were supposed to get up early the next day and take a bus to Harry Potter Cliffs where they filmed the Dumbledore/Harry Horcrux scene in the sixth Harry Potter movie, but unfortunately we just missed it in the morning. Instead, we went a little ways away to Howth, which also had cliffs of its own. I was fine with it, but some of the more die-hard Harry Potter fans in our group were still upset. Howth was still beautiful. Ahh to be back on those Irish hillsides...
Irish staples: Guinness and Jameson
The next day we all woke up late. The late festivities of the previous night and our lack of planning (always an issue) meant we were going to the only place that had been repeatedly recommended by everyone who had gone to Dublin -- The Guinness Storehouse.
Highlight of our trip
Waterfall
Amen brother, say it again!
Barrel-making section
They had a video on the entire barrel making process – it was pretty amazing how the coopers were able to make barrels by just eyeing the measurements. It was intense and it seemed like hard work. I am going to appreciate old-fashioned barrel-making more now.
Barrel-making section
They had a video on the entire barrel making process – it was pretty amazing how the coopers were able to make barrels by just eyeing the measurements. It was intense and it seemed like hard work. I am going to appreciate old-fashioned barrel-making more now.
Guinness sampling area
This is the best part of the museum. At this station, we were allowed to sample the Guinness beer and taste it in the correct way. They even had step-by-step instructions to maximize our taste experience. But hey, free beer is free beer, right? I ended up taking four samples of the stuff; I know I definitely enjoyed my taste experience.
But then they went over the top. With our entrance ticket they also gave us a complementary drink at their “sky bar” which was on top of the building and provided a 360o view of Dublin. Jim said, “This is the best museum in the world”; I have to agree with him.
We were supposed to get up early the next day and take a bus to Harry Potter Cliffs where they filmed the Dumbledore/Harry Horcrux scene in the sixth Harry Potter movie, but unfortunately we just missed it in the morning. Instead, we went a little ways away to Howth, which also had cliffs of its own. I was fine with it, but some of the more die-hard Harry Potter fans in our group were still upset. Howth was still beautiful. Ahh to be back on those Irish hillsides...
-Emoinacloset
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Iron Chef Challenge over spring break
Over the break, I participated in an Iron Chef challenge among friends. We were split up into three teams, given a $40 budget and four hours to make three dishes that best incorporated peanuts. The dishes were judged by three independent judges, two of them were parents and a sister. The judges scored the dishes based on their taste, presentation and use of peanut.
Kevin, Eric and Jonathan C. were on my team and we worked very well together. The love we displayed while calling each other the n-word and other horrible names simply flowed into our work. The dishes were split up by person, with Kevin working on the entree (Pork chop with Thai peanut sauce), Eric on the dessert (Peanut butter and chocolate bar) and Jonathan C. on the appetizer (Jalapenos stuffed with peanut butter). I just sort of walked around and made sure everything was looking good. My shining moment was in the decorating stage, where I completely blew away the competition.
The darkest hour of the competition occurred when the jalapeno stuffed with peanut butter first came out of the oven. I was skeptical about this dish from the beginning but Kevin decided to use it for its simplicity and I agreed. When we tasted the dish, my heart dropped because the dish was terrible. I was sure that we were going to lose the competition because of the appetizer alone. Eric tried to save the dish by spicing it up with salt, cayenne pepper and coconut milk but it did not help much. In the last hour of the competition, I make the decision to drown the peppers in coconut milk and top it off with cayenne pepper. And it worked! Well sort of, it turned the dish from terrible to passable.
Certain individuals on one of the teams from the onset of the competition, was very arrogant and obnoxious and I wished for nothing more while I was cooking than to win and rub it in their faces. When we did finally win, I was damn obnoxious about it, though Kevin was not too humble either.
Eric crushing graham crackers
This was Kevin's second Iron Chef but somehow he still manages to look confused
This was Jonathan C. first time cooking and it really showed...
Kevin's responsibility was the pork chop entree
Eric was in charge of the dessert which was the highest ranked dish
Kevin cutting up a pepper for the pork chops
Jonathan C. was in charge of the appetizer, jalapenos stuffed with peanut butter. This dish stole the show with its "creativity"
Lounging around after finishing all of our dishes way too early
Left to right: 1) Pork Chop with a Thai peanut sauce. 2) Peanut butter bar. 3) Jalapenos stuffed with peanut butter.
- Iron Chef muffinman
Kevin, Eric and Jonathan C. were on my team and we worked very well together. The love we displayed while calling each other the n-word and other horrible names simply flowed into our work. The dishes were split up by person, with Kevin working on the entree (Pork chop with Thai peanut sauce), Eric on the dessert (Peanut butter and chocolate bar) and Jonathan C. on the appetizer (Jalapenos stuffed with peanut butter). I just sort of walked around and made sure everything was looking good. My shining moment was in the decorating stage, where I completely blew away the competition.
The darkest hour of the competition occurred when the jalapeno stuffed with peanut butter first came out of the oven. I was skeptical about this dish from the beginning but Kevin decided to use it for its simplicity and I agreed. When we tasted the dish, my heart dropped because the dish was terrible. I was sure that we were going to lose the competition because of the appetizer alone. Eric tried to save the dish by spicing it up with salt, cayenne pepper and coconut milk but it did not help much. In the last hour of the competition, I make the decision to drown the peppers in coconut milk and top it off with cayenne pepper. And it worked! Well sort of, it turned the dish from terrible to passable.
Certain individuals on one of the teams from the onset of the competition, was very arrogant and obnoxious and I wished for nothing more while I was cooking than to win and rub it in their faces. When we did finally win, I was damn obnoxious about it, though Kevin was not too humble either.
Eric crushing graham crackers
This was Kevin's second Iron Chef but somehow he still manages to look confused
This was Jonathan C. first time cooking and it really showed...
Kevin's responsibility was the pork chop entree
Eric was in charge of the dessert which was the highest ranked dish
Kevin cutting up a pepper for the pork chops
Jonathan C. was in charge of the appetizer, jalapenos stuffed with peanut butter. This dish stole the show with its "creativity"
Lounging around after finishing all of our dishes way too early
Left to right: 1) Pork Chop with a Thai peanut sauce. 2) Peanut butter bar. 3) Jalapenos stuffed with peanut butter.
- Iron Chef muffinman
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Cheer up Diane...
This entry is way way over due. I had this draft saved since 2/19 and for some reason it was blank despite the fact that I have had many ideas for it. Most of you have not met my friends at UCSD, so I figure who better to introduce first than arguably the best and closest friend I have made since coming to SD.
This is Diane
Diane is one of the most laid back people I have ever met so much so that she constantly gives off the impression that she is high even when she is stressed. Despite her appearance of nonchalance, she cares a great deal about her friends. She is always ready to listen, help and offer quirky advice.
I still remember that when I told her I felt alone and was tired of being single, she told me to go to perks, our bookstore cafe, as much as possible so that one day I would run into that coffee loving girl and find love. That advice has not yet been taken, but it leaves me with a smile every time I am reminded of it.
The only reason I went to my economics classes these two quarters (well quarter and a half) was because of Diane. She would wake me up for those god awful morning classes, and wait for me even when I made us late for class. I became so dependent on her for getting to class that at times when she could not get me, I was literally lost. Without Diane, I forgot where my classes were and sometimes even what time they started. Little did I know that I had the same impact on her and when I dropped all my econ classes, she lost all her motivation and stopped going too.
I stayed up late tonight to write out this post because Diane is not too happy right now and could use some appreciation at this time.
Diane, you are not as alone as you think. You have many friends who care and appreciate you, including me! So cheer up already!
When I leave, you will definitely be missed. That's really what I wanted to say.
-muffinman
This is Diane
Diane is one of the most laid back people I have ever met so much so that she constantly gives off the impression that she is high even when she is stressed. Despite her appearance of nonchalance, she cares a great deal about her friends. She is always ready to listen, help and offer quirky advice.
I still remember that when I told her I felt alone and was tired of being single, she told me to go to perks, our bookstore cafe, as much as possible so that one day I would run into that coffee loving girl and find love. That advice has not yet been taken, but it leaves me with a smile every time I am reminded of it.
The only reason I went to my economics classes these two quarters (well quarter and a half) was because of Diane. She would wake me up for those god awful morning classes, and wait for me even when I made us late for class. I became so dependent on her for getting to class that at times when she could not get me, I was literally lost. Without Diane, I forgot where my classes were and sometimes even what time they started. Little did I know that I had the same impact on her and when I dropped all my econ classes, she lost all her motivation and stopped going too.
I stayed up late tonight to write out this post because Diane is not too happy right now and could use some appreciation at this time.
Diane, you are not as alone as you think. You have many friends who care and appreciate you, including me! So cheer up already!
When I leave, you will definitely be missed. That's really what I wanted to say.
-muffinman
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