Katharsis

2009-11-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

Tornado strikes Los Angeles?

2009-03-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

Nope.

It's just the set of "The War of the Worlds" at Universal Studios.

25 Random Things About Me

2009-01-30T13:29:00.000-08:00

1. My parents tried to escape from Vietnam in 1979 but were captured by communists. My dad was thrown in jail and was released several months later after my mom was able to successfully bribe the guards. In 1980, they successfully escaped (on a small fishing boat) to Malaysia, where I was born.

2. My family was sponsored to come to the United States by a small Mennonite church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1981. No, we did not become Amish. My dad worked in a slaughterhouse, and my mom worked as a seamstress. They learned how to speak English by watching Sesame Street with me.

3. A few years later, my family drove cross-country to Denver, CO. My parents gave all my toys away because they wouldn't fit in our car. To this day, I really miss my stuffed Ernie and Bert dolls.

4. We packed up the car again and moved to Stockton, California when I was in the 2nd grade.

5. My elementary and junior high school put me in ESL, even though English was my first language.

6. To help support the family, I helped my parents sell perfume and hair accessories at a flea market from age 10-13. Every Sunday morning we would wake up at 6 AM, drive to Modesto and set up our stall. We hauled everything around in a $400 green van that had a giant screw painted on the side, along with the word "it."

7. It took my dad two years to finally paint over the "it."

8. I have a brother who is 13 years younger than me. When he was a baby, people used to think he was my child... so I made him wear an "I love my sister" bib every time we were out in public.

9. I typed my dad's handwritten thesis when he was in graduate school because he could only type with two fingers.

10. During my senior year of high school, I had my jaw broken and reset with tiny pins and plates to correct a slightly crooked bite. I had to have my teeth wired shut for 10 days. I was so hungry that one day I cried after watching a commercial for KFC.

11. I used to sing in a cover band.

12. After an amazing 6 year battle with lung cancer, my dad died on January 20, 2007. He's my hero, and I miss him every waking moment of every day.

13. The last words I remember my dad saying are "I hate cats." I blame it on the morphine.

14. Every year I travel to New York City just to eat. There is a Japanese term-- "kuidaore" which means eat until you drop. That's pretty much what happens in New York.

15. I'm positive I've found the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. His name is Eric, but I call him "Pudding."

16. I live in Santa Monica with Eric and our dog Venus in a tiny beach bungalow.

17. "Black Velvet" is my go-to karaoke song.

18. I took a screenwriting class once. It was taught by a creepy, metro version of Joey from "Full House," and I haven't tried screenwriting since.

19. Every morning Eric leaves me a multivitamin, a calcium pill and a glass of water on our nightstand.

20. I love my job. I work with the most creative people in the TV industry, I listen to stories from the nation's leading health experts, and I help educate people millions at a time. It doesn't get any better than that.

21. Eric and I have three jars filled with names of restaurants, divided by price range. We like to draw from it every now and then. And we're convinced Urban Spoon stole our idea.

22. My dream car is a black, convertible Porsche 911 Turbo. I'm hoping that by the time I can afford one, there will be an electric version.

23. You can find me in the background of several TV shows, an ESPN commerical, one feature film, and the 2006 MTV Movie Awards. I've also sang background vocals on one album and modeled for a random designer's jewelry catalogue. And Eric and I were almost cast to be on a reality show.

24. My mom and I are teaching Eric how to speak Vietnamese.

25. I'm thankful for all the people in my life who make these 25 random things about me possible.

2008-12-21T01:37:00.001-08:00

New Orleans

2008-11-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

Hawaii

2008-10-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

Evidence of a successful bachelorette party

2008-09-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

In the span of one and a half weeks, I...

2008-08-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

worked 70+ hours

spent an afternoon with Dr. Atul Gawande

flew in 7 different airplanes

danced on-stage with Jamie Fox and Little John in Las Vegas

attended 3 days worth of meetings at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta
visited my family and friends in Stockton

I have to admit, being busy is kind of fun.

I have to admit, I'm frickin' tired.

One of my biggest pet peeves...

2008-07-29T18:53:00.001-07:00

... the incorrect use of the apostrophe.

I've lost a bit of respect for one of my favorite shoe brands.

No, this isn't a scene from a horror film...

2008-07-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

...it's the hallway to my office.

A cupcake fit for Carrie

2008-06-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

Washington, D.C.

2008-05-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Chicago

2008-05-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

New York City Eating Tour: Day 3

2008-02-23T21:56:00.000-08:00

Day 3's eating experience is beyond words and pictures. I'll just tell you what I ordered, and you can pretty much assume they were the best meals I've ever had. No, seriously.

Le Bernardin

155 West 51st Street

New York, NY 10019

http://www.le-bernardin.com/

What I ordered: Three course pre-fixe lunch

TUNA

Layers of Thinly Pounded Yellowfin Tuna, Foie Gras and Toasted Baguette, Shaved Chives and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

WILD STRIPED BASS - LANGOUSTINE

Baked Langoustine and Striped Bass; Confit Tomato Agnolotti; Bouillabaisse Consommé and Curry Emulsion

SWEET POTATO

Spiced Sweet Potato Tart, Red Wine Caramel, Maple Whipped Cream, Pistachio, Vanilla Salt

We love Eric Ripert.

Babbo

110 Waverly Place

New York, NY 10011

http://www.babbonyc.com/

I heart Mario Battali.

What I ordered:

Eight course pasta tasting menu...

Note to self: wear drawstring pants next time.

New York City Eating Tour: Day 2

2008-02-21T17:55:00.000-08:00

Six restaurants in one day? Yes, it can be done... and here's how:

First stop...

Les Halles Brasserie
411 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016
http://www.leshalles.net/

What I ordered:
Ouefs Benedicte (two poached eggs with Parisian ham, English muffin and hollandaise sauce), one croissant, fresh squeezed orange juice, two cups of French pressed coffee. One Anthony Bourdain sighting.

What I thought:
Fantastic place for breakfast without waiting in lines. It had a really authentic French feel to it. Breakfast: success. Anthony Bourdain sighting: not a success.

Second stop...

Billy's Bakery
184 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
http://www.billysbakery.nyc.com/

What I ordered:
One vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting.

What I thought:
Well, I don't know if you can quite see it, but I have frosting on my face. Pure sugar ecstasy!

Third stop...

Dumpling House
118 Eldridge Street
New York, NY 10002

What I ordered:
My friend just spit out a whole bunch of Cantonese, and out came these puppies...

What I thought:
Right up there with Din Tai Fung in Monterey Park, CA. The ginger infused soy sauce was a perfect compliment to all the juices that come flowing out after the first bite.

Fourth stop:

Crumbs (East Village)
37 East 8th Street
New York, NY 10003
http://www.crumbsbakeshop.com/

Yes, cupcakes again. I couldn't help it.
Oh, and there's probably frosting on my face in that picture, too.

What I ordered:
Boston Cream Cupcake - Delicious vanilla cake filled with creamy vanilla custard and smothered in chocolate fudge.

What I thought:
The difference between these cupcakes and all the others (Magnolia, Sugar Sweet Sunshine, Billy's or Sprinkles for you LA folk), is that these cupcakes have fillings! Make sure you have a glass of milk on hand for these. And a dentist.

Fifth stop:

Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 First Avenue
New York, NY 10003
http://www.momofuku.com/

What I ordered:
Momofuku ramen with Berkshire pork combo, poached egg

What I thought:
It's like the gourmet version of the ramen noodles I used to make in college. Perfect on a rainy day!

(Anh Thu, Jen, Kathy, Austin [behind the camera])

It's even more perfect when you can share it with gorgeous NYC friends!

Sixth and final stop:

ChikaLicious
203 East 10th Street
New York, NY 10003
http://www.chikalicious.com/

Chika is this cute little Japanese woman who prepares every single plate right in front of your eyes...

What I ordered:

Three course dessert...

Coconut ice cream on lemongrass shaved ice

Warm chocolate tart, pink peppercorn ice cream

and red wine sauce

Petit fours: coconut marshmallow cubes, rum-soaked pound cake, chocolate truffles

What I thought:
This was the perfect amount of dessert after all the food I had just eaten that day. There's also something about your dessert being made with love that makes it all the better.

Stay tuned for day 3: the eating tour goes gourmet...

New York City Eating Tour: Day 1

2008-02-21T10:10:00.000-08:00

After a long and crazy week, I was finally ready to take my annual trip to New York City.

Two planes, one train, two cabs and thirteen hours later, I arrived to Manhattan. And so the eating tour began...

If any of you know me, you know I love mac and cheese.

Sarita's Macaroni & Cheese

345 East 12th Street

NY, NY 10003

http://www.smacnyc.com/

What I ordered:

The Alpine: "A Swiss Mac that keeps you coming back for more. Gruyere coupled with its partner in crime, slab bacon. Hard to resist!"

The Parisienne: "Mac-n-Cheese for the "upper crust". Creamy Brie, roasted figs, roasted shiitake mushrooms & fresh rosemary. It's addictive!"

What I thought:

Even the color of the walls and lighting scream mac and cheese! And they're not kidding when they say "slab bacon!" The Alpine was by far, my favorite. Although the roasted figs, mushrooms and rosemary added a nice touch to the Parisienne, the Brie was a little too strong for my taste. I guess I'm not "upper crust" enough.

A restaurant that only serves mac and cheese = one happy Kathy.

Afterwards, we had drinks at:
People's Lounge
163 Allen Street
New York, NY 10002
http://www.peoplelounge.com/

It was incredibly crowded that night (felt like I was in LA again). Honestly, there wasn't anything special about this bar. But then again, I was too tired from all the traveling to appreciate it. Or, too full from all the cheese I had just eaten.

Love is everywhere

2008-02-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

You know your boyfriend is a keeper when...

2008-02-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

...you find this posted on your mirror in the morning.

Operation: Public Health

2008-01-25T12:50:00.000-08:00

I work in the public health field. Multiple times a day, I venture out of my office and face biologically hazardous materials. I should be wearing personal protective equipment, but I don't. I go because I have to go. There is no avoiding it when duty calls. By "it" I am referring to the sixth floor women's restroom of 8383 Wilshire Boulevard.

Two explanatory sentences will suffice:
1. Pee and poop on the seat and in the bowl.
2. Women have been witnessed not washing their hands after using the restroom.

Sometimes, you have to take matters into your own (washed) hands.

I introduce to you, the crowning achievement of my public health career:

New Orleans, 2007

2008-01-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

Silhouette

2008-01-16T16:07:00.000-08:00