It's that time of the year again. The northern temperate climates are slowly waking up from a long freeze. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. I very much love the change in seasons, but something about the renewal of spring makes me simply happy. Denver happens to be crazy this time of year. To say the weather is unpredictable would be an understatement. I've seen it be 70 degrees til 4, thunderstorm, snow 12 inches, then have a snow day only to find that the snow has melted by noon. Fortunately, today looks as if it's going to be sunny and in the 60s, which means I get to sit out here on my balcony all day and enjoy some much needed rays. I used to be relatively tan (for a polish/russian/austrian/brit/name another European country known for it's pasty-ness) back in the days as a lifeguard in LA. I'm not saying that the reason for getting a tan is all superficial (although as a woman, I'd be lying if I said that didn't play a part), but if I show up in Malaysia without some form of natural protection from the sun, it's gunna be a painful first few weeks.
It's also odd for me to say that I've had a productive spring break. As a grad student, spring break is much less about the party and much more about needed rest and a large amount of getting your life outside of school all caught up. Usually, (but thankfully not this semester) it is a time to catch up on everything else you ignored in favor of studio. Thus, my extra free-time was spent doing some much needed organizing (I had lost my medical records in the black hole I call our home office). So I cleaned, organized, threw stuff out, figured out what I did and didn't need. That way, in case something were to go wrong while I was away, I wouldn't have to send the boyfriend through hell to find it. I found the medical records.
I am also proud to say I finally bought myself some work clothes. Although I spent more money than I would like to admit, this was a necessary purchase for me. Aside from my last office job, in high school, at Drive-Thru Records, which had no dress code, I haven't worked in an environment that requires things such as a suit. I generally find work clothes extremely uncomfortable, so it was nice to shop with the requirements that it had to be made out of a natural fiber and airy. Although this may cost a little more, I am not going to wear polyester in a place that boasts 80-90% humidity with equally as high temperatures. Just not recommended. See the sweat rant a few posts down. Furthermore, all of my causual clothes are either too dark, denim, or may offend some people (Muslim country, so I'm taking about things like strappy shirt sleeves, not t-shirts with awkward slogans). I tried to get things I would also wear at home, which proved to be interesting, because I wear a lot of dark colors, so this super light thing is all new to me.
Lastly, I discovered a goal I would like to fulfill while in KL. I found this great website (
here) that had some tasty looking Malaysian recipes. I decided to try the chili crab (where the link goes). Apparently this is the writer's mom's recipe and it's pretty authentic (according to the author). Now if my unexperienced self, living in a landlocked state on the other side of the world could cook this dish and think it is awesome, I can only dream of what the real thing will taste like. The sauce totally opened up my palette to a new type of tastes, not to mention I also discovered I loved eating with my hands even more than I thought I would. I would love to learn from a local how to cook Malaysian food. I'm hoping my fast-improving language skills will be able to help me out. As an adventurous food enthusiast, I think I'm going to enjoy South East Asia. D, a friend of mine, spent a summer in Singapore a few years back. She's been telling me all about the food of Singapore and KL. She told me that Singapore has tons of food festivals, even one for the famed Durian fruit (another item on my 'to-try' list, donno what it is? Google it). I'll have to try to make it down there for one of these festivals. Singapore, and occasionally Malaysia are often called 'Asia 101' countries because of their unique mix of Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, and local influences. I will be getting the best of many worlds, not just both.
Well, I hate to break it to you, but it's just too damn nice out to spend any more time on my computer. Time to shut down and enjoy the day.
Until next time
-M
It's that time of the year again. The northern temperate climates are slowly waking up from a long freeze. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. I very much love the change in seasons, but something about the renewal of spring makes me simply happy. Denver happens to be crazy this time of year. To say the weather is unpredictable would be an understatement. I've seen it be 70 degrees til 4, thunderstorm, snow 12 inches, then have a snow day only to find that the snow has melted by noon. Fortunately, today looks as if it's going to be sunny and in the 60s, which means I get to sit out here on my balcony all day and enjoy some much needed rays. I used to be relatively tan (for a polish/russian/austrian/brit/name another European country known for it's pasty-ness) back in the days as a lifeguard in LA. I'm not saying that the reason for getting a tan is all superficial (although as a woman, I'd be lying if I said that didn't play a part), but if I show up in Malaysia without some form of natural protection from the sun, it's gunna be a painful first few weeks.
It's also odd for me to say that I've had a productive spring break. As a grad student, spring break is much less about the party and much more about needed rest and a large amount of getting your life outside of school all caught up. Usually, (but thankfully not this semester) it is a time to catch up on everything else you ignored in favor of studio. Thus, my extra free-time was spent doing some much needed organizing (I had lost my medical records in the black hole I call our home office). So I cleaned, organized, threw stuff out, figured out what I did and didn't need. That way, in case something were to go wrong while I was away, I wouldn't have to send the boyfriend through hell to find it. I found the medical records.
I am also proud to say I finally bought myself some work clothes. Although I spent more money than I would like to admit, this was a necessary purchase for me. Aside from my last office job, in high school, at Drive-Thru Records, which had no dress code, I haven't worked in an environment that requires things such as a suit. I generally find work clothes extremely uncomfortable, so it was nice to shop with the requirements that it had to be made out of a natural fiber and airy. Although this may cost a little more, I am not going to wear polyester in a place that boasts 80-90% humidity with equally as high temperatures. Just not recommended. See the sweat rant a few posts down. Furthermore, all of my causual clothes are either too dark, denim, or may offend some people (Muslim country, so I'm taking about things like strappy shirt sleeves, not t-shirts with awkward slogans). I tried to get things I would also wear at home, which proved to be interesting, because I wear a lot of dark colors, so this super light thing is all new to me.
Lastly, I discovered a goal I would like to fulfill while in KL. I found this great website (
here) that had some tasty looking Malaysian recipes. I decided to try the chili crab (where the link goes). Apparently this is the writer's mom's recipe and it's pretty authentic (according to the author). Now if my unexperienced self, living in a landlocked state on the other side of the world could cook this dish and think it is awesome, I can only dream of what the real thing will taste like. The sauce totally opened up my palette to a new type of tastes, not to mention I also discovered I loved eating with my hands even more than I thought I would. I would love to learn from a local how to cook Malaysian food. I'm hoping my fast-improving language skills will be able to help me out. As an adventurous food enthusiast, I think I'm going to enjoy South East Asia. D, a friend of mine, spent a summer in Singapore a few years back. She's been telling me all about the food of Singapore and KL. She told me that Singapore has tons of food festivals, even one for the famed Durian fruit (another item on my 'to-try' list, donno what it is? Google it). I'll have to try to make it down there for one of these festivals. Singapore, and occasionally Malaysia are often called 'Asia 101' countries because of their unique mix of Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, and local influences. I will be getting the best of many worlds, not just both.
Well, I hate to break it to you, but it's just too damn nice out to spend any more time on my computer. Time to shut down and enjoy the day.
Until next time
-M
It's that time of the year again. The northern temperate climates are slowly waking up from a long freeze. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. I very much love the change in seasons, but something about the renewal of spring makes me simply happy. Denver happens to be crazy this time of year. To say the weather is unpredictable would be an understatement. I've seen it be 70 degrees til 4, thunderstorm, snow 12 inches, then have a snow day only to find that the snow has melted by noon. Fortunately, today looks as if it's going to be sunny and in the 60s, which means I get to sit out here on my balcony all day and enjoy some much needed rays. I used to be relatively tan (for a polish/russian/austrian/brit/name another European country known for it's pasty-ness) back in the days as a lifeguard in LA. I'm not saying that the reason for getting a tan is all superficial (although as a woman, I'd be lying if I said that didn't play a part), but if I show up in Malaysia without some form of natural protection from the sun, it's gunna be a painful first few weeks.
It's also odd for me to say that I've had a productive spring break. As a grad student, spring break is much less about the party and much more about needed rest and a large amount of getting your life outside of school all caught up. Usually, (but thankfully not this semester) it is a time to catch up on everything else you ignored in favor of studio. Thus, my extra free-time was spent doing some much needed organizing (I had lost my medical records in the black hole I call our home office). So I cleaned, organized, threw stuff out, figured out what I did and didn't need. That way, in case something were to go wrong while I was away, I wouldn't have to send the boyfriend through hell to find it. I found the medical records.
I am also proud to say I finally bought myself some work clothes. Although I spent more money than I would like to admit, this was a necessary purchase for me. Aside from my last office job, in high school, at Drive-Thru Records, which had no dress code, I haven't worked in an environment that requires things such as a suit. I generally find work clothes extremely uncomfortable, so it was nice to shop with the requirements that it had to be made out of a natural fiber and airy. Although this may cost a little more, I am not going to wear polyester in a place that boasts 80-90% humidity with equally as high temperatures. Just not recommended. See the sweat rant a few posts down. Furthermore, all of my causual clothes are either too dark, denim, or may offend some people (Muslim country, so I'm taking about things like strappy shirt sleeves, not t-shirts with awkward slogans). I tried to get things I would also wear at home, which proved to be interesting, because I wear a lot of dark colors, so this super light thing is all new to me.
Lastly, I discovered a goal I would like to fulfill while in KL. I found this great website (
here) that had some tasty looking Malaysian recipes. I decided to try the chili crab (where the link goes). Apparently this is the writer's mom's recipe and it's pretty authentic (according to the author). Now if my unexperienced self, living in a landlocked state on the other side of the world could cook this dish and think it is awesome, I can only dream of what the real thing will taste like. The sauce totally opened up my palette to a new type of tastes, not to mention I also discovered I loved eating with my hands even more than I thought I would. I would love to learn from a local how to cook Malaysian food. I'm hoping my fast-improving language skills will be able to help me out. As an adventurous food enthusiast, I think I'm going to enjoy South East Asia. D, a friend of mine, spent a summer in Singapore a few years back. She's been telling me all about the food of Singapore and KL. She told me that Singapore has tons of food festivals, even one for the famed Durian fruit (another item on my 'to-try' list, donno what it is? Google it). I'll have to try to make it down there for one of these festivals. Singapore, and occasionally Malaysia are often called 'Asia 101' countries because of their unique mix of Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, and local influences. I will be getting the best of many worlds, not just both.
Well, I hate to break it to you, but it's just too damn nice out to spend any more time on my computer. Time to shut down and enjoy the day.
Until next time
-M
It's that time of the year again. The northern temperate climates are slowly waking up from a long freeze. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. I very much love the change in seasons, but something about the renewal of spring makes me simply happy. Denver happens to be crazy this time of year. To say the weather is unpredictable would be an understatement. I've seen it be 70 degrees til 4, thunderstorm, snow 12 inches, then have a snow day only to find that the snow has melted by noon. Fortunately, today looks as if it's going to be sunny and in the 60s, which means I get to sit out here on my balcony all day and enjoy some much needed rays. I used to be relatively tan (for a polish/russian/austrian/brit/name another European country known for it's pasty-ness) back in the days as a lifeguard in LA. I'm not saying that the reason for getting a tan is all superficial (although as a woman, I'd be lying if I said that didn't play a part), but if I show up in Malaysia without some form of natural protection from the sun, it's gunna be a painful first few weeks.
It's also odd for me to say that I've had a productive spring break. As a grad student, spring break is much less about the party and much more about needed rest and a large amount of getting your life outside of school all caught up. Usually, (but thankfully not this semester) it is a time to catch up on everything else you ignored in favor of studio. Thus, my extra free-time was spent doing some much needed organizing (I had lost my medical records in the black hole I call our home office). So I cleaned, organized, threw stuff out, figured out what I did and didn't need. That way, in case something were to go wrong while I was away, I wouldn't have to send the boyfriend through hell to find it. I found the medical records.
I am also proud to say I finally bought myself some work clothes. Although I spent more money than I would like to admit, this was a necessary purchase for me. Aside from my last office job, in high school, at Drive-Thru Records, which had no dress code, I haven't worked in an environment that requires things such as a suit. I generally find work clothes extremely uncomfortable, so it was nice to shop with the requirements that it had to be made out of a natural fiber and airy. Although this may cost a little more, I am not going to wear polyester in a place that boasts 80-90% humidity with equally as high temperatures. Just not recommended. See the sweat rant a few posts down. Furthermore, all of my causual clothes are either too dark, denim, or may offend some people (Muslim country, so I'm taking about things like strappy shirt sleeves, not t-shirts with awkward slogans). I tried to get things I would also wear at home, which proved to be interesting, because I wear a lot of dark colors, so this super light thing is all new to me.
Lastly, I discovered a goal I would like to fulfill while in KL. I found this great website (
here) that had some tasty looking Malaysian recipes. I decided to try the chili crab (where the link goes). Apparently this is the writer's mom's recipe and it's pretty authentic (according to the author). Now if my unexperienced self, living in a landlocked state on the other side of the world could cook this dish and think it is awesome, I can only dream of what the real thing will taste like. The sauce totally opened up my palette to a new type of tastes, not to mention I also discovered I loved eating with my hands even more than I thought I would. I would love to learn from a local how to cook Malaysian food. I'm hoping my fast-improving language skills will be able to help me out. As an adventurous food enthusiast, I think I'm going to enjoy South East Asia. D, a friend of mine, spent a summer in Singapore a few years back. She's been telling me all about the food of Singapore and KL. She told me that Singapore has tons of food festivals, even one for the famed Durian fruit (another item on my 'to-try' list, donno what it is? Google it). I'll have to try to make it down there for one of these festivals. Singapore, and occasionally Malaysia are often called 'Asia 101' countries because of their unique mix of Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, and local influences. I will be getting the best of many worlds, not just both.
Well, I hate to break it to you, but it's just too damn nice out to spend any more time on my computer. Time to shut down and enjoy the day.
Until next time
-M
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