Homage to the Olympics, and my favorite Asian friend :)

Before I begin looking forward to the interesting things on my calendar next week, I've got to pay homage to one of the world's most exciting traditions: the Olympics.

But here's the thing: as much as I love watching the sports, my commentary on them would be worth diddly-squat. So instead, I bring you my favorite Chinese food in honor of the Beijing summer games...


steamed pork buns!

These delicacies are really quite common in Chinese kitchens, but that doesn't mean they're easy to make. A recipe in Bon Appetit a few months ago sprawled over two pages, to give you a general idea. These cloud-like buns are filled with a sweet-meets-savory BBQ pork filling that's equal parts chunky and saucy. And as much of a BBQ fan as I am, it's really the dough that makes these so special. It's not too fluffy, not too dense, melts in your mouth, and offsets the BBQ sweetness just perfectly.

But don't go just anywhere for your pork buns. If you're going to do it, do it right. If you want to sit down, Golden Unicorn is my most reliable dim sum spot and has the most fantastic pork buns--in both the steamed and glazed varieties. But it's not quite easy to find.


The English sign is hard to see, but Golden Unicorn is located at 18 E. Broadway in the eastern side of Chinatown.

If you're looking for a quick fix though, Fay Da Bakery on Canal St. has a reliable variety of buns--pork and otherwise--for a shockingly inexpensive 95-cents apiece. Check them out at 327 Canal for a real treat.

Until Monday, go Team USA!

Too Good For My Own Good

When I found out that I didn't get the Big Job yesterday, my first impulse was to send back an email to the Editors.

No, no, not a nasty one reprimanding them for their poor decisions.

I wanted to thank them for considering me, see if we could work out some freelance writing assignments, and figure out what I'd have to do to get a "yes" next time around.

I got my answers a few minutes ago:

1. freelance writing is a total possibility (yay!)

and,

2. With all my "phenomenal experience," "it seems that you might be better suited for an even 'bigger' entry-level position"

Well. That's sweet. Does anyone know how this feedback can be applied to future prospective job opportunities? Because I'm certainly, certainly at a loss. Sigh.

Oy vey? Oyaji!

What a roller coaster ride this week has been!

After so much waiting and anticipation, I found out that I didn't get the Big Job. I've been bummed out pretty badly, but the one thing that makes me feel better is that, coincidentally, a friend got the job. I guess that the more of us that make it out of the water, the more people to help the rest of us onto shore.

With a few interesting things on the horizon, I'm slowly getting back to my normal self.

I thought I'd share a few "cheer up" products to stick with my mood today, and these little critters just made me crack up. They're unexpected and silly, and while completely unnecessary, they certainly brought a smile to my face!


They're called oyaji, and they're drunk old man dolls that can be linked to your cell phone. Why? I'm not sure, but they're so lovably ridiculous. If you're curious, you can find them here.

Big Job, little job

Believe it or not, I still don't know about the Big Job.

After a follow-up email, I've learned that my resume is still on the table. I've also learned that I'm supposed to hear soon. But what soon means, I cannot say!

I did, however, score a little job overnight!

It seems that a big part of being unemployed (and keeping your dignity) is piecing together as many odd writing jobs as you can juggle. Keeping true to that style, here's official odd job #3: writing job descriptions.

Oh, the irony.

But I'm not complaining--it's easy work and good money, so I'll happily do it.

I'm just still crossing my fingers that it becomes something else to supplement a full-time income--and soon!

Ways to Speed Up Time, Part 2

More than 24 hours later, I'm still waiting to hear back.

The lack of punctuality reminds me of the days way back when, when I competed on the speech and debate circuit. No matter what, we knew that every round of the tournament would be at least one hour late in starting. Still, we made it on time every weekend, just in case the odds worked against us. They never did. They still don't, apparently.

So I wait, and I pass time. And I buy things online that I don't need but can't resist, like these gorgeous candlesticks from Red Envelope that I'd been eying for months.



Discounted to $6 a piece, I couldn't say no!

Keep those fingers crossed...

Ways to Speed Up Time, Part 1

It's a crazy morning.

The boyfriend is making his way to the city by bus today, and he'll stay all week. It's a good thing, because no matter what happens today, he'll be there for me. See, today's the day that I hear back from the Big Job. And yes, that really does deserve big capital letters.

I know my odds are fairly decent--I'm one of only six people being considered.

I know I played my cards well and aced the interview. I also sent in a brilliant recommendation. So there's nothing more I could have done. It's all up to fate.

But fate is freaking slow! So I've compiled a few ways that I could pass the time a bit more quickly today...

First up, a soothing bath. Or, since my bathtub is actually kind of gross, I'll just dream about this:


Honestly, it relaxes me just to look at this bathroom! A girl can dream, right?

When that gets old, maybe I'll get some use out of the latest gift from the boy:


Laugh all you want, but the detail in this book means full commitment, and that means no thinking about stressful jobs! Plus, whatever I color becomes a study guide for him later--really, it's a genius gift.

But if all else fails and I simply can't wait any longer without exploding, I have another plan.


I'll go to London! They're a few hours ahead, right? If I was in their time zone, I'd probably already know. So there.

Anyway, keep your fingers crossed that my next update bears good news!

Until then....

A not-so-much vacation

I can't explain how happy I am to know that it's Friday.

I may not be waking up early, going to work, and living in a particularly tiring routine, but being unemployed is far more exhausting than you'd think!

First, there's the fact that I'm juggling a million job applications at once, trying to manage communications with tons of people. It's a lot to keep track of, and it's all equally urgent. It's good training for being someone's assistant, I suppose!

Then there are my freelance jobs. I love both of them--but in totally different ways. One is comfortable, familiar, fun, cozy, and pretty darn easy. The other is exciting, high-profile, and really challenging. They're polar opposites, and switching gears between the two has helped me appreciate both of them a lot. Then again, as an EA I would be switching gears between lots of easy tasks and some really important, challenging tasks, so it's equally good prep work.

But then there's the sheer fact that I never turn off. I may not have much work left for the day--or the week--but scouring job boards and worrying about responses is a full-time job in itself. Especially when there's one to be excited about coming up!

So keep your fingers crossed that I get a job to relieve me of this vacation! I have a feeling I'll be reversing all those words eventually...