Humans being

Thanksgiving's this weekend, and it's a great time to catch up and binge on some TV.  I watched the entire first season of this show in just one day, but you can feel free to spread out the eight episodes however you like.  The show is called Humans, and like any good show, it makes you think about life and humanity but is also just enjoyable to watch.

Humans is a drama centered around what society would be like if very human-like artificial intelligence were common place, something that is very possible in our lifetime.  These AI, or "synths" (short for synthetics) as they're called in the show, are everywhere.  They sweep the streets, work in factories, and regular families even have them as housekeepers/nannies.

As you'd expect, some people think they're a great advancement for the world and others are opposed to how they affect human lives.  One family gets a synth out of desperation to bring order to the house, but their synth starts behaving strangely.  It turns out there's a handful of them that are more than the mindless, order-taking automatons the world believes them to be.

It's an intriguing plot and a glimpse into what our world may be facing soon.  The show does a good job of capturing the different possible human behaviors and reactions - possibly drawing on how we've behaved to new technology, changing demographics, and economic shifts throughout history.  But if you don't want to be bothered by that, it's also a gripping story about two families trying to figure out what's going on and survive.

On a related note . . . here are some videos of the robots I saw in Japan.  If this is what's displayed to the public in a museum, imagine what's already been created that we haven't seen.

Quick note - Amazon Prime just $79 today

Heads up to all my loyal readers - You can sign up for Amazon Prime for just $79 today.  They're celebrating the launch of The Grand Tour.  But the offer is for today only, so if you're interested, don't put it off.

Thanks, as always, for reading my blog.  Stay tuned for more posts!

Full steam ahead

The music and displays in stores are telling us that the holidays are just around the corner (even though they seem to be around the corner earlier and earlier).  This means not only getting gifts and food in order but also making yourself and your home presentable for all the obligatory gatherings.

Don't get me wrong, I love the holiday spirit and many of the things this season brings, but it can also be a bit stressful.  Part of that stress, as I mentioned, is making yourself presentable.  I like dressing up now and then, but why do so many of those clothes require ironing?  Of all chores, my least favorite is ironing.  It takes too long and one quick mistake takes even longer to fix.  If you're lucky, the mistake is accidentally ironing in a crease where there shouldn't be one, and then you spend the next 15 minutes trying to iron it out.  At worse, you burn, melt, or find another way to ruin the fabric.

My intense dislike of ironing is why I finally got a steamer.  I've spent many occasions watching wardrobe stylists easily steam the most wrinkled clothes into the smoothest garments and actually been jealous of them for succeeding where I have failed.  I don't have the money or space to get one of those professional stand up steamers, but I've found a portable one that works quite well.

What's great about this Conair steamer is, unlike most other handheld/portable steamers, you can hold it at any angle.  Because most others are designed slightly like a tea kettle, you have to hold those upright or the water drips out.  The Conair steamer not only lets me set up and pull my clothes however it works best to get the wrinkles out, but I can steam my couch or bedsheets while they're on my bed, if I'm really trying to impress people with my tidiness.  Let's be honest though, I doubt I'd ever be that particular about how my place looks, but it's nice to know I can be if needed.

So with all the prep for the holidays coming up, it's nice to know I won't have to worry about the ironing.  Now if only they could also develop a simpler, faster, and less stressful way to travel during the holidays.

Me Before You - my thoughts after

I'm a bit late to the game, but I recently watched the hit movie, Me Before You, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Jojo Moyes.  It was as good as everyone said it was.

Although it involves a heavy and controversial topic, there are light-hearted and touching moments.  The stellar cast led by Emilia Clarke (of Game of Thrones fame) strike the right balance to give the audience an emotional and fulfilling experience.

Emilia Clarke's character, Louisa, has spent her whole life in a quaint town when she is let go from her latest job and finds herself in a new one, for which she has no experience - being the carer for a wealthy young man who was paralyzed in an accident.  Throughout her journey, there are plenty of highs and lows.  Make sure you have tissues ready because there are several tear-worthy moments.

It's not a movie to watch when you just want something light and brainless, but you should watch it at some time.  It's been years since I've seen a movie so moving.

Light up your life

My latest new toy is a lighting kit.  I know it's not exactly a common household staple, but with how much personal photography and videography has grown over the past few years, it's actually become quite handy and kind of fun.

The most useful parts of the kit to me are the backdrops and stand.  With limited space and how I've decorated my apartment, it's difficult to find a clean plain background against which I can take photos or videos.  It usually involves a lot of furniture moving and cheating angles, and then having to put the furniture back.  Now, I just position the backdrop where I want and let it hide all my furniture and mess behind it.  (People don't need to see how strangely I live.)

The backdrop makes any product photos for online selling look better, and no one can see the dust bunnies that accumulate in the cracks between my floor and wall.  There's also the added bonus of being able to use it as a room divider or have it block the street light that slips past my blinds.  If I don't want it to be that noticeable, I can easily shrink it down or take it apart and store.

So far, I've only used the backdrops for their simple aesthetic, but there is a green screen backdrop, and I'm looking forward to trying out some effects.  When I'm done taking my next US passport photo, I can quickly swap the white for the green and renew my Hogwarts flying broomstick license.  I can also get patterned or specialty backdrops and get more creative.  My niece and I could have a lot of fun with these:

 

But I didn't get this kit just for the backdrops - otherwise I'd just get a backdrop.  It also comes with easy-to-set-up-and-store lights.  The ability to collapse and fold all the lighting equipment is incredibly useful for storage (and portability, if I ever want to take my creativity on location.)  And having these lights available is preferable to trying to work with my dim overhead lights and moving all my lamps around.  The light sockets fit normal light bulbs, so you don't have to worry about buying expensive specialty bulbs when the ones that come with the kit burn out.  Being able to get all this equipment at such a reasonable price has definitely been worth it, and I'm having a blast playing around with it.

My public transport love/hate

As much as I've complained about it over the years, in general, and as a concept, I am grateful for public transport.  Yes, I would like it to be more convenient, less expensive, more dependable, less crowded, cleaner, quieter, etc., but having lived in and visited many places with some sort of public transportation, it's pretty nice to have.

I'd still like to have a car because sometimes a car is just best suited for a situation (at least until any of those sci-fi modes of transportation like teleports and TIE fighters come to fruition), but most of the time, subways, busses, and trains are the way I like to travel.

When something/someone else is taking you where you need to go, you can just sit back and read a book, listen to music, people-watch, or do absolutely nothing except remember to get off when you reach your stop.  If you're tired, it's okay to lose your concentration a bit because you won't have to worry about crashing into someone or something.  When you get to your destination, you don't have to find parking.  And who doesn't get a little rush and weird sense of accomplishment when they just make it on board right before the train/bus departs?

I even like how some systems have built their brand and you can get cute products like these:

       

Unfortunately, not all public transportation systems are created equal, and the US, for various reasons, hasn't developed as well as others in Asia and Europe.  The good news is, when I visit those other countries, I enjoy my time there even more because I find getting around easier than I do in the States.

I love places where the stations and vehicles are clean and you can see how long you have to wait until the next train or bus arrives.  If a city has a good bus system, I love being able to see different streets and neighborhoods as I travel to my destination.  Traveling between cities via overground trains are also a great way to see the countryside.  You can absorb everything around you when you don't have to devote some of your attention to the road ahead of you.

All in all, I do like public transport.  Now let's see if I can remember that the next time I pay $2.75 to travel one mile and my crowded train is delayed for an unknown reason, resulting in my commute taking longer than if I had walked.

...

Oh, and here's a little video to get in the subway riding mindset:

On my feet - shoes for comfort

I'm not a big shoe person (literally and figuratively).  For me, when it comes to shoes, comfort is key.  Maybe it's because my feet aren't ideally shaped for the more trendy designs.  Maybe it's because I walk a lot.  Whatever the reason, my favorite shoes are the ones I can wear all day without pain.

With summer approaching, most of the time you'll find me in flip flops.  It's hard to beat flip flops when you want to give your feet space to stretch and breathe.  Plus they're the easiest shoes to put on and slip off.

Like most people, I'm a sucker for the $1 flip flop day at Old Navy.  I get a pair in almost every color and pattern they have.  They're light, easy to pack, and match so many spring and summer outfits.  The only issue is because the sole is flat and thin, they can wear on your feet and ankles if you wear them as much as I do.

To solve that issue, I present my favorite flip flops - the FitFlop.  It was originally marketed to help you get more of a workout for your legs while you walk and hence, shape your legs nicely.  I don't know if they actually do that.  I haven't seen a difference in my legs, but I do feel a difference in my feet.  Because of the way the straps are positioned and the sole is shaped and cushioned, I last a lot longer wearing FitFlops than regular flip flops.  The sole curves around the bones in my feet - it kind of reminds me of a memory foam pillow.

Another great pair of shoes to alternate with my flip flops are MBT shoes.  These shoes are also marketed to give you more of a workout while you walk because of the way the sole is curved.  (Marketing the benefits of exercise without as much exercise seems to be a pretty popular strategy.)  Like the FitFlops, I don't know how much of a difference they actually make to the shape of your legs, but these shoes are great for ankle soreness.  After multiple days of walking all day in my Old Navy flip flops, my ankles feel beat up, but after a day of walking in the MBTs, my ankles feel better.  Oddly, they feel better than if I had just rested on the couch all day.  I never studied physiology, but maybe the shoe changes my stride somehow and positions and moves my ankle in a therapeutic way.  All I know is they're comfy and fix my ankles.

Admittedly, although these shoes come in different styles from casual to dressy, they will probably never be seen on the runways of Fashion Week, but isn't it better to walk confidently and comfortably than struggle to stand in unbearably painful shoes?

Early books get the bookworm

I love a good story, and as amazing as TV and movies are these days, nothing beats the combination of a good book and your own imagination.  I'm lucky that I developed the habit of reading at a young age.  Children's books are the best - from those early baby books that had only a few words but lots of tactile elements like a dog that actually felt furry, to chapter book series with no pictures but plenty of cool adventures that inspired real life fun.

Having recently spent time with my little niece, I was reminded of the books that shaped my childhood and, well, me.

Bumble B. Bear Rides in the Car by Stephen Cosgrove and Charles Reasoner

This book was the first one I could read in its entirety all by myself.  It chronicles the steps this little bear goes through to get ready for a car ride.  I loved the pictures and seeing how his steps compared to my own.  After doing a quick search just now, I found that it's actually part of a series of books - Bumble B. Bear does more than just ride in a car!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

A classic.  An interesting story, illustrations that spark the imagination, and counting.  What more could you want?

Up From Jericho Tel by E.L. Konigsburg

This author may be better known for From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (also a great book, and made me wish I could live in a museum), but Up From Jericho Tel was my favorite.  It had a bit of magic and fantasy in it and a little more character development and celebration of individuality than other books I read at the time.  Of course, that's my analysis now.  At the time, I just loved the book.  No concrete reason why.

The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin

If I read one of these books today, I'd probably still find them interesting, and I'd still want to be a member of the club.  I loved all the series and spin-offs - the regular books, the super specials, the mysteries (although they scared me a little), and even the little sister series.  I used to secretly stay up at night to finish these books.  They're probably why my vision's so poor, but I have no regrets.

The more I type, the more I think of other books that I loved.  If I keep going, I don't think I could stop, so I'll leave the list here.  The point is, children's books are wonderful and the list of good ones is endless.  If there are any children in your life, make sure they get to experience the joy of them.

Tournament time - nothing is better

In two weeks, I will be surrounded by computer and TV screens, kicking off my favorite time of the year - tournament time!  I've mentioned my love for basketball and my even more intense love for college basketball before, but now it's time to discuss the crown jewel that is the NCAA D1 Men's Basketball Tournament.

To keep myself from spouting incoherently as I release a fire hose of everything I love about this tournament, I've tried to organize and highlight things in five main, somewhat chronological, categories:

Selection Sunday

The Sunday before the tournament starts, the tournament selection committee selects and reveals the teams they are inviting to the big dance.  Remember how I mentioned that in college, every game matters?  This moment is the culmination of everything that happened in the previous four months - every win, loss, margin, strength of schedule, etc.

Bubble teams (i.e. those for whom the invite isn't a foregone conclusion) find out if they've done enough to make it.  The shoe-ins find out if they've done enough to get a "better" seed.  All teams learn where they're playing and who their first opponent and potential future opponents will be.  And all of us start debating why the selection committee was right or wrong to overrate or snub or stack a region or lay out an easy path for so-and-so.

The Brackets

After the teams and seeding are revealed, we can start predicting who will win each game and ultimately the entire tournament.  Every year I am horrible at filling out my bracket, but I still do it.  In the beginning, it's kind of fun to see if I actually select the correct upsets.  For games where I don't care who wins, it gives me someone to root for, if only because I randomly wrote the team's name on a line a few days earlier.

I think the best thing about the bracket is it brings people who normally don't follow basketball into this world.  It doesn't take any skill or knowledge to fill out a bracket, and even if you have no idea what's happening in the game, you know who wins (the team that scores the most points) and you can trash talk with your friends about how you got it right.

Single-Elimination Format

Arguably the core characteristic of the tournament is its single-elimination format, which means every game will be one team's last for the season.  While everything during the regular season mattered going into Selection Sunday, after that, the only thing that matters is what happens during the current 40 minutes the team happens to be playing.  This win-or-go-home format is what makes it possible for less talented teams to go further in the tournament than the most talented team.  It's why it's so exciting - the stakes are higher and unexpected outcomes more likely.  Oh the drama!  It's why, even if my team's not playing or if they've been eliminated, I still love watching.

The First Weekend

If I had to choose just one part of the tournament to watch, it would be the first weekend.  The tournament is essentially structured into three consecutive weekends.  All the games of the first two rounds are played in the first weekend (Thursday through Sunday).  Then there's a break until the following Thursday, which begins the next weekend when all the games of the next two rounds, the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, are played.  And finally, the Final Four and Championship Game are played the Saturday and Monday of the week after that.

Since there are 64 teams when the tournament starts, that means they have to fit 48 games into the first weekend.  That means it's back-to-back games during nearly all my waking hours all weekend, at times with multiple games happening at the same time.  That's why I need multiple screens.  There's so much happening and the potential for so many exciting and wonderful moments.  You could see a nail-biting buzzer-beater in one game, change the channel, and see another one a few seconds later.  You see so many teams with different styles of play and match ups that would never be scheduled during the regular season.  Multiple upsets can happen in one day.  Games go into overtime.  It's non-stop emotion.  One great moment after another.

One Shining Moment

On the subject of great moments, the tournament is not complete until we hear the final notes of One Shining Moment.  After the final buzzer sounds, after the champions receive their trophy, we're treated to a sentimental montage of clips from throughout the tournament set to a cheesy but lovable song.

The NCAA March Madness Facebook page has been posting One Shining Moments from the past 30 years, and I've loved watching them.  Some of them I saw the first time they were aired but most are new to me, since they were before I started watching basketball.  Even if I have no affiliation with the teams in them, they still give me a great feeling.

Ironically, the only One Shining Moment that didn't make me all sappy was the one created when my team won the championship in 2010.  That's because that year they decided to cut in video of the singer singing in a studio in between footage of the tournament.  Kind of takes you out of the moment...  So for that year, I prefer the video Duke Blue Planet put together, set against the classic and dulcet tones of Luther Vandross.  (Warning: Duke haters, which I realize is most of the country, you may not like this version either.)

One Shining Moment is probably the best encapsulation of why this tournament is special to me - you experience the emotion of the players, coaches, and fans.  It's a wonderful celebration.

Alice's Tea Cup - fairytale food

One of the NYC restaurants I love is Alice's Tea Cup.  They have three locations, and each one is a cute little space decorated with fairy wings and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland-inspired art and knickknacks.  Even better than the magical environment is the delectable menu.  The tea selection is huge.  Breakfast/brunch entrees, sandwiches, and salads are all delicious.  And desserts and pastries are scrumptious.

Imagine my joy when I discovered they have a cookbook!  I tend not to buy many cookbooks because they usually have just one or two recipes I want and the rest are filler, but I want to make almost everything in the Alice's Tea Cup cookbook.  One of my favorite recipes in the book is for chocolate cake.  It always comes out moist and not overly sweet.  Here's a summary of the recipe:

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup hot brewed coffee

Sift together the dry ingredients.  Mix in the rest (except the coffee) with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Decrease the mixer to low speed and drizzle in the coffee until everything is blended.  The batter will be very liquidy.  Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350° F.

The book also has a recipe for vanilla buttercream frosting that you can put on the cake!  But this book isn't just full of desserts.  It also contains recipes for brunch, soups, salads, sandwiches, scones, tea concoctions, and party planning suggestions.  You can even learn how to tea-dye fabrics.

So if you're not in NYC, or you don't want to wait to get a table during their busy weekend brunch hours, get the Alice's Tea Cup cookbook and enjoy making and eating your own meal.  Who says tea parties are only for children?

Warming up with ramen from Ichiran

It's been a little while since my last post.  I've been working on some projects and also took a trip overseas.  During the last week of 2015, I was in the wonderful city of Tokyo.  As it was my first time actually in the city and not just the airport, I saw a lot of sites and ate a lot of food.  But one dish is still the subject of my cravings during these cold days back in the States - Ichiran's tonkotsu ramen.

Ramen is a noodle dish, and there are many different styles of ramen.  Tonkotsu ramen consists of pork-based broth.  With pork being one of my favorite meats, I suspected I at least wouldn't dislike eating at Ichiran.

Ichiran is a chain restaurant in Japan, and it specializes in tonkotsu ramen.  In fact, it serves only tonkotsu ramen.  You can customize your dish by adding extra ingredients or selecting different amounts of flavoring of firmness of noodles, but it is essentially just one dish served in the entire restaurant.  And Ichiran does an amazing job with that one dish.

The first thing that drew me towards Ichiran was the price.  For just the "basic" bowl of ramen, without adding any extras, you pay less than $7 USD.  In any city, let alone Tokyo, that's a bargain for a meal, and your stomach leaves satisfied with both quantity and taste.  The basic bowl consists of noodles, broth, green onion, garlic, sliced pork, and Ichiran's own red sauce.  If you don't want onion, garlic, pork, or red sauce, you can specify that in your order.

To order, you start at a vending machine.  You insert cash and then press buttons to make your selection.  Your selections are printed out on little slips of paper printed by the machine.  You can just order the basic bowl of ramen, but if you know you want to add additional ingredients (boiled egg, seaweed, extra pork, extra noodles, etc.), you can select those buttons for a nominal extra fee.  (An egg costs $1, and refilling your noodles is just a bit over $1.)  You can also order drinks or dessert at this point.  Don't worry, if you don't order extras and decide later while you're eating that you'd like to add a boiled egg or want more noodles, you can order them at your seat.

After the vending machine, you get a larger slip of paper that allows you to customize your noodles.  For example, you can choose how firm you want the noodles cooked, if you want pork, how much garlic or red sauce you want, the type of green onion you want, how strong you want the broth flavor.  I selected "medium" for everything, 1/2 red sauce, green onion, with pork, and the maximum garlic that didn't incur an additional charge.

Waiting for your seat can be a bit like a game.  Ichiran is structured kind of like a bar with dividers separating each seat.  As one person finishes their meal and leaves, the next person in line takes their place.  If you're there with a group, it will likely take longer to get seated if you want to sit together, since you'd have to wait for multiple seats next to each other to become available.  If you don't mind being split up, then the turnover happens pretty quickly, since the dividers help people focus on eating rather than just sitting around.  Of course in popular areas, you'll still have to wait a while outside before being able to order and then wait a while inside before a seat becomes available.

Once you sit down, you put your order slips at the edge of the window of your individual booth and call for the waiter using a button on the table.  They'll take your order slips and after not much wait, you get your food.  If you decide you want to order extra noodles or ingredients, there's another slip in your booth that you can fill out and pay for at the table.  There's a curtain that they pull down to cover the window of your booth between you and the wait staff, so if you need to call them over for some reason during the meal, just press the button.  Unless you're getting more noodles, however, there really isn't any need for them.  Just enjoy your meal, and when you're done, get up and leave.

Ichiran was one of my tastiest experiences in Tokyo.  I loved it so much that I had it twice while I was in Tokyo.  Normally I don't repeat meals when I'm visiting a new place because I want to try as much as possible, but this ramen was too good not to have again.

Now back in NYC, all the ramen here doesn't seem so great, especially when you take into account that it's more expensive.  Why would I wait an hour for ramen that's twice as expensive and half as tasty?  I've seen some articles saying Ichiran is going to open a location in NYC.  When that finally happens, I hope they maintain the pricing and quality that I experienced in Japan.  If they can make it work in Tokyo, a city that's more expensive and has more quality restaurant competition than NYC, wouldn't they be able to make it work here?