Zhu Bao

I had joined in on a meme in which I have to list ten things about myself. These ten things must start with the letter that another person gives you. My good friend Emily gave me a B. Here are my B's:

Note: I do not take credit for any of the images shown above.

Bao.
Aside from the fact that I am crazy about bao - chinese or french, baked or steamed, garlic or cheese - I have a fated connection with bao since I was a child. I love fat chubby babies and I am glad I was one. My mom described me as a ball of fat. Whenever she gave me a bath, she had to pull away the fat creases to wash that unexposed part of the skin. Can't imagine how annoying that must be for her. I was so fat (and cute!) that my parents gave me the cutest and coolest nickname that to this day, I still say it with pride and joy. My nickname is a baked bread and it literally translates to "Little Pig Bread", pronounced as "Zhu Zhai Bao". Even without filling, the bao remains plump and deliciously sweet :)

Bedtime.
My favorite time of the day. I come home from a long day at work, take a hot shower, and then…zzzzz, it’s all over. The feeling of relaxing all my muscles, cracking all my joints, and dropping all my worries until the next morning is the greatest feeling in the world.

Blah.
I love this word for its simplicity and versatility. Use it to describe your feelings - "I feel so blah today." Use it to describe other people without offending them – “You look blah today.” Use it when you don’t feel like talking – “Today I saw my friend and she said blah blah blah, and I told her blah blah blah, you know how it goes.” Use it when you don’t want to hear your friend telling you the ending of Wall-E because you haven’t seen the movie yet – “I don’t want to hear it! [Covering my ears and yell] Blah blah blah…” Use it to hide your inattentiveness – “Hmm, well, what you said about the…you know, all that blah blah blah [making hand gestures as if you understood], I think it’s a great idea!”

Bloo.
Ever seen Foster’s Home for Imaginery Friends? He is basically a blue blob floating around and making funny facial expressions. Who would’ve thought a simple character like him could put on such a clever cartoon! Google him and see for yourself. He is, by far, my favorite cartoon character.

Booberry.
…or blueberry. Not my number one fruit (maybe number two), but by far THE most convenient fruit. Wash ‘em, strain ‘em, then pop them in your mouth. No seeds to spit out, nothing to pull off (unlike strawberries), and no skin to peel. Utensils not necessary, just your hands and teeth. They disappear so fast it’s unbelievable. What’s more fun is searching for the smallest baby booberry and the gigantic one, then put them side-by-side.

Boar.
By boar I mean feral pigs. Not too many people in Hawaii enjoy their presence simply because they are alien to the islands. Yet, they are just innocent creatures trying to stay alive, like all of us. Can’t we please think of other ways to control their population other than killing them? I have heard horror stories of how people set up traps to catch them alive, or hang dead ones on the fence to keep other pigs out of the yard. I have even seen a feral pig get slaughtered by a pack of dogs. Oh, I can still hear the loud squeals of the poor animal. Since this incident, I have cut back on my pork eating. I guess that makes me less of a hypocrite?

Butter mochi.
I LOVE BUTTER MOCHI! Just a second ago, I asked my co-worker for her butter mochi recipe. Everytime she makes them, I eat at least three pieces out of maybe 20? I feel bad, yeah, eating everyone's share. She makes the chocolate and the plain butter mochi, both of which are incredibly delicious. I love its sponginess, creaminess, and semi-stickiness. Hmm, since I also love haupia so much, maybe I'll go crazy with haupia butter mochi! I am a genius!

Blog, my sweet escape.
This blog is where I escape to free my mind, and let my creativity and imagination take control. I love to create. It's more than just making things look pretty. Design is all about putting a little bit of yourself in every piece of artwork that you create. I am not a professional designer or graphic artist. Nor do I want to be one. I want to create without criticism, and I certainly do not want to create for others to approve. Don't get me wrong, I have complete admiration for those who can withstand the pressure of working as a professional designer. I simply want to create for myself, to make me happy. And if you are delighted at all my colorful art and my obsession with turtles and pigs, that makes me happy too.

Birthmark.
I don't have a birthmark, at least I don't think so. But I do have something that resembles a birthmark. Actually, something more special than a birthmark (no offense to those who do have a real birthmark). When I was a kid, I used to swim everyday for hours under the hot Hong Kong sun. This was before all the talk about skin cancer. I was so dark I looked like a Filipino. Then there is this prominent X on my back that to this day, after switching to swimming in the late afternoon, I still have it. Yes, it is my swimsuit tan line. I call this my birthmark because it basically grew up with me. Swimming will always be a part of me and my back says so!

Bryan.
He is my best bud! Costco buddy, eating buddy, singing buddy, watermelon buddy, food fight buddy, TV buddy, couch buddy, cooking buddy, toilet plunger rabbit shooting buddy, free food buddy, food festival buddy, driving buddy, air hockey buddy…(I just noticed that half of these are related to food). He has made my life so wonderful that I need not ask for more.

Sorry, my B's are rather long but I hope you enjoyed reading them. If you would like to join in on the meme, let me know and I'll shoot you a letter.