of face wash & porcelain dolls

I've always taken my skin for granted. I'm fair-skinned. Wait, scratch that -- I'm nearly albino, with dark hair, eyes, and brows, so my skin really stands out. People have told me I look like "a porcelain doll," which makes me blush (which is not a good thing when you're Winona-Ryder-pale). Thankfully, I've never had any issues with my skin, other than the occasional blush-fit.

Till now.

Out of nowhere, I've broken out all over my my left cheek and on my chin. The boyf thinks it's because I have a tendency to rest my hand on my left cheek and that germs are contaminating my face, but I'm a madwoman with the hand sanitizer, so I refuse to believe that's what is causing it. I think it's a combination of sleep deprivation and/or stress.

It is a sad thing, Reader, to go from being called "a porcelain doll" to having skin that now looks like this:

Hello, moon. Please tell my face to stop imitating you. Kthxbai

I'm exaggerating only slightly! Le sigh. So I bought a few face cleansers to try and combat this problem. Clean & Clear = Nothing doing. Neutrogena = Made my skin dry and scaly, but didn't make the zits disappear. St. Ives = Made it worse!!!!

This story does have a happy ending, though. My mom got tired of me buying all this "junk" that wasn't doing anything to help the situation, so one day she told me, "Why don't you just use Noxzema?" And memories of high school suddenly came rushing back to me. I used that face wash religiously all through high school, when my skin was at its clearest. In fact, that's when I got the most compliments for my complexion. The big blue bottle was such a mainstay in my past that I can't believe I ever stopped using it. I don't even remember why...

Well, I bought it a little less than a week ago and have been using it since, and already I'm seeing a massive difference. I love that the bottle looks virtually the same today as it did all those years back, when I was just a girl in my teens trying to take care of her skin. Noxzema, you rock my socks. I'll never stray from you again. Promise.

Cue: chorus of angels

LOLcat Picture of the Week

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Doesn't this picture remind you of the game "Clue"? And the movie? I used to love playing the game when I was little. Ah, good times...

No Reservations: Vietnam

Every time Anthony Bourdain has gone to Vietnam, he's encountered the same problem: he doesn't want to leave. He has come to love Vietnam with the passion and fervor of a first love, and no matter where his trips take him he finds himself pulled back to this country.

Tomorrow night, Bourdain journeys again to Vietnam and rediscovers old haunts. Here's what Ingrid had to say about the episode:

The next episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations is quite different from any this season.

There is no food destination in the world like Vietnam. The country is a clash of cultures mixed with a hectic urban pace- where people are serious about eating. It is never a question of where to go eat when in Vietnam, but a question of what you will miss. Tony wanders the streets of Saigon, walking past food stands, sidewalk cafes and hawkers, enjoying sizzling seafood and vegetable crepes, fresh beer, and garlic sautéed seafood.

He also reunites with the current owner of Les Halles, Philippe Lajaunie, for some iconic food that blends French and Vietnamese cuisine, and for a stroll around a local fish market: a loud, smelly, bustling market run mainly by women. They also befriend a water taxi driver who invites them for a true family meal back at his home.

Could Tony handle living in Vietnam for a year to write the great Vietnamese novel?

This is the last episode of the season and we won't be getting new Bourdain until AUGUST (woe), so you bet I'm watching tomorrow night.The new episode airs Monday, March 9 at 10pm EST on the Travel Channel.

Bourdain posted about his trip to Vietnam on his blog, which you can read here. Below is an excerpt from that post:

It's no mystery to anyone who knows me, or has ever heard me speak publicly, or ever read my books that I'm utterly besotted with Viet Nam. And as I may also have mentioned, I plan to spend a year there sooner or later. This show coming up is a sentimental return to Saigon -- where I first touched ground in-country back in 2000, a settling up of business with a much loved, departed friend, a reunion with Philippe Lajaunie, my former boss at Les Halles and my sidekick on those first heady days of making television for "A Cook's Tour." It's also a trip to the historic village of Hoi An and surrounding countryside for purposes of acquainting myself with the area -- the housing market in particular. Can I live there? Will my family be happy? (My little girl-by then age three -- or three and a half -- most importantly.) Will she like the new neighborhood? That's what the show's about. Another episode in my continuing love affair with Viet Nam.

Everything I've seen about the country and heard about from Bourdain's show and his books leads me to believe I would love it just as much as he does. And you know my obsession with Taro Boba... ;-D

I hope you've enjoyed my posts on Anthony Bourdain and that you will check out tomorrow night's episode if you haven't yet had a chance to watch the show. Here is a sneak peek of tomorrow's show to whet your appetite:

These are a few of my (current) favorite things...

Tokyo Police Club
So this is my new favorite band. They are from Canada. I'd heard of them before, but for some reason I was always dismissive of their music without my even having heard them. Stupid, I know. Then on Monday night, the boyf is showing me the website for this movie coming out soon called "TOKYO!" and the trailer has this amazing song ... by Tokyo Police Club ...

Yeah, let's just say I'm not so dismissive now. :-p

This is the song that was playing:

Be Good (RAC mix) - Tokyo Police Club

Bubble Tea
Oh my stars, I love this drink so much. What is this strange drink with the abnormally large straw and bizarre "bubbles" at the bottom of the cup? Why, it's Bubble Tea. I first heard of it on "No Reservations." Bourdain was visiting Vietnam and he kept singing the drink's praises. So when I discovered this little Vietnamese restaurant near the boyf's house called The Green Papaya, and noticed they sold Bubble Tea there, I just had to try. My favorite flavor is called Taro Boba. It tastes just like a Rice Krispie treat, only liquid, and the "bubbles" are so much fun to slurp! Try it, you won't be disappointed, and Vietnamese food is yummy, too.



Dragon Quest V
It's no secret that I'm a big kid -- I play video games and my idea of a vacation is a trip to Disney World. I even own a DS Lite. It is my pride and joy (next to my Crackberry). Maybe it's a good thing that I'm a teacher -- it helps me stay young at heart. :p So the game I'm currently playing, Dragon Quest V, is my new favorite game. I've played other Dragon Quest games before, but this one takes the cake. It's got the perfect blend of action and story, and the translation is pretty good, IMHO. If you're a gamer and a fan of the DS, check this game out.



"Slumdog Millionaire" AKA "Q & A"
If you haven't yet seen this film, you don't know what you're missing. It deserves every single award it has won. I saw the movie on a day that I was feeling very low for personal reasons, and I left the theater practically walking on air. When I learned that the film was based on a book called Q & A by Vikas Swarup, I was curious to know more. Curiosity led me to buy the book. I'm currently knee-deep in it and loving it. Mind you, it's soooo different from the film but still awesomely awesome. If you haven't yet seen the film, I recommend reading it first. You can click on the pic to your left to read a portion of the novel on Amazon.



Pixi
Oh Target, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways... The boyf and I enjoy going there and just browsing, not something I'm fond of doing. Yes, I am a girl and enjoy shopping like every other girl does, but I detest spending long hours in any store -- unless it is Target. I love discovering new brands there, new items. One item I recently scored was this eye shadow palette from Pixi, it's called the "Lumi Lux Eye Palette," and it's got the most gorgeously gorgeous colors. I love how the shadows are so rich, plus they virtually glide onto your eyelid. Their shadows are also great in that they have sticking power and don't fade away easily, and I love-love-love the sparklies they put into them. Here's a close-up of all 20 awesome shades:

A rainbow of gorgeousness!

What are your current/forever favorite things? Let me know in the comments! :-)

Snippet of verse

(I have no idea where this came from...)

"This tapestry of sky can't hold us"

I am cloud-heavy, tethered to air

You are in the driver's seat, anchored to metal

And there are poems thrumming at my veins

Itching to get out

There are songs beating against my teeth

But I keep forgetting the tune

So I sing along to the radio instead

Watching while pretending not to watch

The buzz of your lips as you sing along, too

Driving with no destination, we drive endlessly

Until the horizon begins to repeat itself

This tapestry of sky can't hold us

Its indigo threads bleeding expectation and regret

So we tumble down

Effortlessly

Into this waltz of second-guessing and you-first-then-me

Knowing somehow without knowing the steps

Somewhere between sunrise and sunset

I fall asleep

The murmur of your voice barely audible

Over the stereo

The last thing I remember is the feel of sunlight

Warm on my upturned face.

LOLcat Picture of the Week

This one made me laugh a lot for some reason. :-D

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No Reservations: Sri Lanka

In this week's episode of "No Reservations," Anthony Bourdain is going to a country I've always wanted to visit: Sri Lanka.

One of my favorite authors, Michael Ondaatje, was born in Sri Lanka and I've come to learn a little bit about the country's rich culture from his books. I'm writing a thesis on Ondaatje's novel, The English Patient, with the focus on the assimilation of different cultures. Sri Lanka fits perfectly with my theme because the country is a blend of many different nationalities, their influences visible in everything from the architecture to the food.

Here's what Ingrid has to say about tomorrow night's show:

In the next episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Tony is truly taken in by the locals as they show him Sri Lankan culture and cuisine.

Portuguese, Dutch, British, Indian, Arab, Malay and Moor traders have all contributed to the diversity of Sri Lankan food. While in Colombo, Tony enjoys popular street foods, rides in a tri-shaw, samples lampreis, a local delicacy, and eats a heaping pile of kotu roti.

His journey doesn’t stop there. He continues onto the smaller seaside village of Seenigama and speaks to villagers about how they rebuilt their town after the devastating tsunami. Once the rebuilding was complete, the unity of the townsfolk led to other projects, like the creation of a culinary school to help Sri Lankan’s learn to properly prepare local dishes. It’s a must visit for Tony.

The new episode debuts tomorrow, Monday, March 2 at 10PM EST on the Travel Channel. Bourdain will most likely blog about it, so check his blog between today and tomorrow. I'll be sure to update this post to let you know when and if he posts something.

Here's a sneak peek to whet your appetite... Thanks, as always, to Ingrid for providing the info. and the clip! :-)