A decade and then some...O_o

It's great having friends that go yeeeears back, isn't it? =) I'm sure many of you out there have dear friendships - and though we may go through the years, knowing and meeting many people and acquaintances, a true friend is really special. =)

I hung out with Giang on Monday! ^_^ Besides catching up, we snacked at Mimi's Cafe, meandered too long at Marshall's, had a lovely time together. I remember we met, way back in our EMT class one summer. It's been, I believe, at least a decade...O_o She's on her way to getting married, and hopefully, finding a house. Yay! =)

Huy got a house a while back in Seal Beach. Yay! =) And it's funny...we've known each other since the first year of college, when I noticed this person that would be in practically all of my classes...and how sometimes, he was there early, like how I got to classes really early (I was carpooling with my parents part of my first year to UCI, and I'd get the car to go to campus after dropping them off at work in the morning). I think it's been at least 13 years of friendship. I know that it may not SOUND a lot compared to our ages, but that's almost half of our lifetimes - and we've seen each other even through engagements, marriage, and getting a house!

Likewise with Lorie, way back when Snoopy destined us to be friends in Humanities Lecture...hahahaha...=) And now, she's on her way to getting married to Damon soon, and they've found their future home in Redondo Beach. =)

And that's only 3 examples - there are many more: Takako, Rosalyn, Mei-Chi, Melody, and even TK and Bev, more recent additions, and so on...!

Many things have happened since the time when we were only 17, 18 years old, still learning how to grow into adults, some of us searching for our soulmates, learning how to deal with the rest of the world, and getting comfortable to taking a stand on what we feel is right...Of course, we're still learning - we're only barely getting into our late 20's and 30's, you know? There is still much to learn. Heh heh...but now we're all getting old...sometimes finding a loud group of young adolescents in public annoying (or avoiding them at the movie theaters by going AFTER curfew *ahem* ^_~), not going out or making long drives to LA just to grab something to eat for an hour or so as much, getting settled in our homes, and so on, ha ha ha...=)

Oh, but it doesn't mean the occasional paintballing, rockclimbing, exploring nooks and crannies, going to a special event that's far away, camping, or road trips are out of the question. Oh no. Those are still fun, right? =)

There are people I've known longer than that - like Nina and Vanessa, whom I've seen grow up since they were only 4 - and now, have been in college for a few years already, hee hee...but coming across kindred spirits whom you bond well with is unique.

Friendships are precious. =)

And to think - my first friend would be my brother, whom we've known for our lifetimes. Siblings are great. =)

As are parents, who have raised and taught me, even when I was difficult and being a silly adolescent at times, and yet, they're probably force that shaped me into...well...me. =)

Families are precious too. =)

Basil Pesto Wu Mu Noodles

For some Asian-fusion flair...


...you'll need a some homemade basil pesto, a ripe tomato, some olive oil, and some dry noodles. I've been liking Wu Mu dry noodles as shown below - they're healthier, as they're not fried (I think they're steamed), but that's not the reason why I like them. I like them cuz they're REALLY REALLY YUMMY! ^_^


It's easy...just cook up the noodles (they're ready in 3 minutes!), and meanwhile, on high heat, stir and sauté diced tomatoes until the delicious and sweet tomatoey juices start running all over the pan. Add in a nice tablespoon of basil pesto and let the flavors meld happily.

When the noodles are ready, simply drain and toss immediately into the pan with the tomatoes and pesto. Add another dollop of pesto, more if you like, and some olive oil if you feel it's a bit dry.

Toss everything well together while the sauté pan is still on high heat, until it's ready to serve. Voilà! =) A delicious Asian-Italian fusion dish, served best hot (in my opinion, but cold would work too). ^_^

Some other options:
- Add shitake mushrooms and/or asparagus into the sauté pan!
- Add polska kielbasa, or sausages. We did that a while ago when my brother had dinner with us one night. =)
- If you don't have dry noodles, plain ol' ramen noodles work too. Stir-fry ramen is also a tasty choice. =) It's just that Wu Mu is kinda like pasta, only thinner and lighter in texture, and comparable to angel hair pasta. =)

On the side, Wu Mu instant noodles are generally pretty tasty. Shelton's favorite are the "lo mein" style, where you boil the noodles, then drain and mix it with the sauce packet (half only, as the flavors are strong), instead of the traditional ramen-in-soup style. I like this one light blue packaged one, something like pork and vegetables, only it's the sour-ish type of mustard (sounds weird, but it's good). =) This one is served soup-style.

The tomato-beef and spinach ones though, are not that good. They're not as cheap as other ramen noodles, but we like to try out different ones when they're on sale. =)

All in all though, ramen is another comfort food that places easily amongst fried rice, mini chicken pies, and white rice with a little bit of butter and soy sauce. ^_^

RA Sushi

Shelton's always happy whenever there's sushi around! ^_^

We decided to try out Restaurant Week at Dos Lagos last night, and chose RA Sushi's dinner option. =) As we got there for dinner, we realized we were in time for their happy hour as well - 1/2 off appetizers and sushi! So we ordered a little extra...^_^ This time, I had all the cooked goods only. I have to admit...sushi is more fun with the raw stuff. >_<

Pork Gyoza served with a Garlic Ponzu Sauce


Delicate and delicious, as Japanese gyoza tend to be. Deliciously filled with pork and cabbage. =) Surprisingly, one of my favorites for the night. =)

Crispy Spicy Tuna
Spicy Tuna Mix, with Soy Chili Sauce, served on top of crispy sesame rice balls.


Tasted by Shelton. Like a mini onigiri that was fried, the little rice balls on the bottom was weird. "Interesting", if we were to be kind. The bottom was strange...chewy...different...let's just leave it at that...

Yellowtail Sushi


Shelton said it was one of THE BEST yellowtail he's had! And as we showed up near the end of Happy Hour (3-7pm!), it was 1/2 off. Worth the $2.25. ^_^ It'd be worth it to just show up and order this during happy hour, hee hee...=) It was fatty, and you see how sleek and tasty it must be! =)

Tootsy Maki Sushi Roll - Crab mix, shrimp, and cucumber rolled and topped with crunchy tempura bits and drizzled with eel sauce.


The flavors were palate cleansing, though I have to admit, my taste buds weren't scintillated by the weird tempura bits on the outside. Micro-tempura-bits, compared to the normal tempura bits you'd find on an ordinary crunch roll anywhere else, and it might have been better without them. However, then, I guess you'd call it a California Roll with shrimp. =T I must admit though, the ingredients were fresh and quality was good, and the flavors were good inside. ^_^

Sesame Lemon Whitefish Sashimi
Whitefish served with sesame dressing and fresh lemon slices, topped with sesame seeds, and an organic microgreen salad.


Tasted by Shelton. We expected a fillet of whitefish, cooked, with lemon flavors...instead, we got this narrow plate, with whitefish sashimi. We were a little shocked at how small it was for a third course, but...WOW! The wonderful tang of thin lemon slices infused acid-wonderfulness into the thin slices of whitefish. =) Fantastic. =)

Crunchy Shrimp Tempura Roll - Shrimp tempura, crab mix, and cucumber, rolled and topped with red beet tempura flakes and drizzled with a sweet eel sauce.


The shrimp was bigger than the average shrimp you'd find in a shrimp tempura roll, so that was a plus. =) However, it had that funny micro-tempura-style-bits on the outside again, which I simply couldn't adore. But it wasn't bad either. Maybe I just like things with more crunch - a crispier texture would have contrasted nicely with the softer insides. Though it was a shrimp tempura, the shrimp part wasn't as crunchy as I'd expected. Hmm. Crunch rolls are better elsewhere...or if they omitted the "crunch" in its name, it wouldn't have fallen short of my expectation.

Viva Las Vegas Roll - Kani kama and cream cheese rolled in rice and seaweed, lightly tempura battered and topped with spicy tuna, crab mix, and sliced lotus root (fried and as a garnish on top), finished with eel sauce and spinach tempura flakes.


Tasted by Shelton. This was a heavy dish, as any fried rolls are. It was good, but dense, and though it was one of the first ones to come out, it was also one of the last ones to be finished. I generally don't like the whole-fried-roll types, but if you do, you might like this one. =)

Nutty Grilled Chicken Salad - Grilled chicken breast tossed with crushed macadamia nuts and cashew nuts, edamame peas, carrots, mixed greens, in a rice wine vinagrette, with avocado and mandarin orange slices.


Delicious! Especially as I love macadamia and cashew nuts, hee hee...however, we only got to take a few bites out of this, as we were already full from everything else. It makes good leftovers, as the nuts won't go soggy so soon. =)

Coconut Creme Brulee


A deliciously rich dessert that tasted like a coconut macaroon in creme brulee form, with a crisp and sweet layer of caramelized sugar glazing the surface. Mmm. =)

NMJC

Reading this book.

Pretty good, for the most part, and I'd give it 4 stars out of 5 so far (not done yet). It talks about middle school kids, reminding teachers that, as Heidi and I always knew, they have much more to their lives than just what you see in the classroom, and that affects them in so many ways at school. It's a different spin from the traditional, numerical-values and percentages that people use to measure academic success in, well, academia. There's all sorts of perspectives in the book, so keep in mind that depending where and HOW you teach, the school and class environments they describe may or may not be what you're familiar with nor what all students experience...but it gives a decent, overall picture of middle school years. It's good for not only teachers, teacher aides, counselors, and pyschologists, but for parents and anyone else involved with middle school kids somehow.

Most of the books I got in my teaching credential courses were...sorry to say...boooring. O_o Many were applicable, but it was not easy to read - and I LOVE to read! But this one presents the information in a different way, and it's not easy to put down. I didn't even pick this book out from the library, ha ha ha...Shelton did, as he's studying on his Masters (School Psych), but I started reading it and ended up taking it captive from him. ^_^

Spicy Chorizo Quesadilla

No picture...but next time, I'll pop one up! =)

Meanwhile...directions are easy...here's a quick explanation from my f/b wall. ^_^