Why does my rice taste weird???

When I go to work I always make sure I pack my homemade lunch. As you've seen from my previous posts (under "work food" label) the food option is not that great. If I want to continue to live and live healthy I realized that cheap gravy glop is not the way to go. The majority of the time my lunch I bring is Korean food. Sometimes I do have to skip on the kimchi though because my colleagues might start to assume I smell like fart. :P 

As most people do, I always have my food in plastic containers and then heat them up whenever I'm ready to chow down. Have you ever experienced like a "different taste" or "weird smell" after the food was microwaved? I can think of at least 10 times just recently. The food either has a weird soapy taste or a strong plastic fume taste. That would just ruin everything because I worked so hard to make my kimchi bokembop and it winds up tasting like this???

Well, today I came across this article and it all made sense!---

Our homes are full of plastic, and the kitchen is no exception. The problem: Chemicals in plastic containers and other kitchenware may leach into thefoods or drinks that they're holding. Scientific evidence suggests that some of these chemicals may be harmful to people, especially infants and children.

The two best-studied offenders are bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. BPA mimics estrogen and has been shown to disrupt hormone and reproductive system function in animals. Research by the National Toxicology Program found a moderate level of concern about its "effects on the brain, behavior and prostate gland in fetuses, infants and children." Phthalates have been shown to disrupt the endocrine system and have led to malformations in the male reproductive system in animals. Studies in humans have found associations between high phthalate exposure and a variety of health concerns including low sperm quality, high waist circumference and insulin resistance.

Researchers are still debating whether phthalates and BPA actually cause these health problems and, if so, how much exposure is necessary to trigger them. While these issues are being figured out, some experts recommend taking a preventive approach: "Minimize contact of food with problematic plastics as a precautionary measure to protect your health," suggests Rolf Halden, PhD, adjunct associate professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Here are six simple tips for reducing your exposure to the potentially harmful chemicals in plastics.

1. Know the code. Look on the bottom of your plastic to find the recycling symbol (a number between 1 and 7 enclosed in a triangle of arrows). The code indicates the type of plastic you are using and can give you important clues about safety. "We generally say 1, 2, 4 and 5 are considered to be the safest," says Sonya Lunder, senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group. Try to avoid using plastics with 3 or 6, as these leach chemicals that may be harmful. Number 7 is an "other" category that includes BPA-containing plastics called polycarbonates. These plastics, which you should avoid, will have the letters PC printed underneath the 7.

2. Reconsider the microwave. Heat can increase the rate at which chemicals like BPA leach from plastic. Containers labeled "microwave safe" have been tested by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and found to leach extremely small amounts, which the FDA has determined to be safe. However, some experts advise people to keep plastic out of the microwave altogether. "I don't microwave anything in plastic," says Lunder. "It's really easy and fast to put my food into a ceramic or glass container and heat it that way." And never put plastic wrap on top of your food in the microwave, since it can melt. Use wax paper or a paper towel instead.

3. Use it for its intended purpose. Plastics that are designed for single use should only be used once. "Plastic breaks down over time," Lunder explains. "Some aren't designed to withstand heating and cooling." Most plastics with recycling code number 1 are intended for single use, such as disposable water bottles. And that takeout container from six months ago? Toss it. In general they're fine for refrigerating leftovers, but aren't designed for heat exposure or long-term use.

4. Wash by hand. Only put plastics into the dishwasher if they have a dishwasher safe label. If you want to be extra-cautious, wash all plastics by hand or use only glass and ceramic plates and dishes. In the dishwasher, plastics are exposed to detergents and heat, which may accelerate the leaching of BPA from food containers.

5. Do not freeze. Only put plastics in the freezer if they have a freezer-safe label. Freezer temperatures can cause plastics to deteriorate, which increases the leaching of chemicals into the food when you take containers out of the freezer to thaw or reheat.

6. Don't panic. Cutting down on exposure to potentially harmful chemicals in plastics can benefit your health. But as Dr. Halden reminds us, "Many things in your life pose a much higher risk than exposure to plastics, such as smoking, poordiet and even driving a car."

So, what does this all come down to? How about no more microwaving plastic. I guess I have to start bringing a plate with me to work as well. As soon as I read this article I immediately checked the bottom of the plastic containers. I found at least 3 of them (that I use on a regular) were marked with the number 3!!!! Agghhhh!!!! Those were quickly tossed out! I learned something new and interesting today, and from now on whenever I'm looking for good containers I guess I should consider if it's marked with numbers 1,2 ,4 and 5 instead of if it's "on sale for $1" at Walmart. (no wonder they're on sale!!! they contain BPA!!)

Sečoveljske soline, Slovenia

Sečovlje salt works

Sečoveljske soline (Sečovlje salt works or Sečovlje Salina) are part of Krajinski park Sečoveljske Soline (Sečovlje Salina nature park), which is a big protected area of wetlands with salt fields, where salt is being gathered in a tradtional way for over 700 years. It's the biggest salt works in the area and it's definitely worth to see, if you're traveling to Piran or Portorož. Read about the history of the Sečovlje Salina here>>

My girlfriend and I arrived in Sečovlje pretty late, because we spend a lot of time in Postojna, Koper and Izola. The sun just set upon our arrival, so we couldn't see the salt fields in their full glory. Sečoveljske soline are a very scenic place where photographers like to come during sunsets to take photos. The area is huge with around 6.5km². If you want to enter the premises, you need to pay (5€ for adults, see price list). Since we came so late, we just stayed outside, took some photos and left for Portorož and Piran. We were under a tight schedule. Here are some of our photos:

Sečovlje salt works.

The hill on the other side is in Croatia.

These houses are called Fontaniggia, people from Piran had lived here during summer.

These are Sečovlje salt works from the air. [View Larger Map]

My girlfriend in Sečovlje. That's the closest to Croatia she could get.

The road to Portorož :Before [Slovenia Tour 2010] Next: Portorož>>

Useful links: [Sečovlje salt works website][My Slovenia page]

[All photos by MKL, 2010]

Something to consider next time you valet...

This article on yahoo pretty much covered valet's job to the T! Trust me, you will want to abide by these rules of thumb....I've seen these happen with my own eyes an a daily basis. Even if you think that the place/hotel/restaurant that you're valeting at is high class or 5 star quality that doesn't necessarily mean that the valet company they contracted with is. The majority of these people parking your car are 16-26 yr old boys that have no respect for other people's belonging. Your nice BMW M3 is merely a joy toy to them and they WILL have their own test driving session while you're enjoying your $70 meal. 


It's All About the Tips

Valet parking is a service job, much like being a server at a restaurant. Pay is based largely on tips and most valets will usually do their best to earn a good one. "Valets always find out about a good tipper and make sure to take good care of that customer. My company pools all the tips, so there's no competition for the 'best' customers. But in smaller operations, if you're given a tip, you just pocket it."

Many assume that the people with the nicest cars will leave the biggest tips, but that's not always the case. "I drive all sorts of luxury cars for people who tip very little or not at all. The customers who have experience working crappy jobs are the ones who have more empathy and tend to tip better. A lot of people who are 'forced' to valet by the hotel assume they don't have to tip. Maybe they think the hotel is paying the valets better than they are, but we're making minimum wage plus tips."

How much to tip? A survey of so-called "tipping guides" indicates a wide range, anything from $1 to $10 depending on the situation. An informal poll of Edmunds editors elicited a similarly wide array of answers — anywhere from "nothing" to $10 or more at a hotel, but averaged $2-$3, paid when retrieving the vehicle.

What Annoys Valets Most

It would seem like common sense to avoid angering someone with the keys to your car. If you really want to annoy a valet (at your own risk), keep asking for your car to be brought around over and over again to get something out of it. "If you tell us everything you want from the car the first time, we'll bring it all back for you. It saves everyone time that way."

A favorite pet peeve of many valets is cars that reflect poor personal hygiene — they may smell, have trash everywhere or look like they've never seen the inside of a car wash. "When you're afraid of contracting a disease by sitting in the seat, it's generally a bad sign."


Revenge of the Valet...or Just for Fun

If you're particularly rude, aggravating or have stiffed on a tip in the past, there are a number of things the valet staff might do in response. Notably, most valets won't show annoyance or anger the customer. "First and easiest, we'll take a long time to bring your car up, and we're not going to take the time to put your seat and mirrors back the way they were. But I have known valets who lower tire pressures, change climate and radio settings, or intentionally ding the door or scrape paint in a place where it's not easily noticed. There's nothing better than getting your revenge and getting them to tip you, too."

When you're not around to see it, there's a lot valets do:

• Blast the stereo and change the radio stations: "Any time that I have a car with a good stereo in it, I take an extra minute to check out the sound quality. I also change the satellite radio station, but I almost always change it back."

• Speed in a parking structure or on the street while driving to a lot: "We once had a running contest going to see who could get the fastest top speed inside the hotel parking structure. I set the record with a 55-mph run in a Porsche 996 GT2."

• Rev the engines of performance cars: "I can't help revving up the engines of the cool cars I get to park. My favorite was a Lamborghini Gallardo. I drove it straight to the top floor and called all of my friends in my phonebook. I said, 'Guess what I'm driving!' then stuck the phone out the window and revved the engine. Heck, I even called my parents and did that."

• Drift: "After our parking garage is cleaned, we have to re-park all of the cars back in the structure. Of course, having an empty, wet parking structure just begs for a little hoonage. I take every rear-wheel-drive rental car and find out how well they drift going up the structure. Surprisingly, the Chrysler Crossfire does a great job. Gotta love rental cars; they take the most abuse."

• Go through the customer's property: "Though I personally never rifled through anyone's belongings, I hear plenty of, 'You should have seen what I found in this person's car' while we're standing around waiting for cars to pull in."

Advice for Customers

Remember, you are giving one of the most expensive things you own to a complete stranger. You would be surprised how far a smile, a good attitude and even a little pleasant small talk will get you. If you're pleasant and tip, most valets will go way beyond the call of duty. Here's what to keep in mind, according to Mark:

• Realize that it's not all about you: "We're dealing with many, sometimes hundreds, of customers a day. Time is money for us, too."

• Don't leave valuables or anything illegal in your car: "Not if you want them to be there when you get back. We've found drugs, adult-only items, even guns." Smaller items are more likely to be taken.

• Clean the interior as well as the exterior once in awhile: "And for God's sake, use a trash bag."

• If your car is damaged or anything is missing, tell the valet manager and get a copy of the incident report and the contact information of their insurance company. Don't accept it if he asserts that the "release of liability" language on your ticket absolves them — it won't stand up in court.

• Valets at a hotel usually work for a contracted company, so if you have any problems with their service, notify hotel management. They can help resolve disputes in your favor.

• Be wary in major cities where valets must park cars on the street. If a valet parks illegally or forgets to feed the meter, the customer can get stuck with the ticket.

• Tip a little when you drop off the car, especially at a hotel, and your car will get better treatment: "The valets will be more likely to 'keep it close' in the hope that you're a good tipper and that you'll reward them for bringing up your car quickly."

• Evening shifts are the roughest for hotel valets: "We work our butts off to park all the cars of the people checking in and barely make any tips. The morning shift makes big tips the next day when people get their cars to go places or check out of the hotel."

• Reward a valet for working hard. "If it's raining and he appears with an umbrella, or he towels down your seat to keep you dry, he deserves a bigger tip. But don't worry about not giving a tip if you don't like the service."

• You get what you give: "Your car will usually get the same treatment that you give us, for better or for worse."

There are plenty of honest, hard-working parking valets out there who want nothing more than to serve their customers and earn a living. So when you drop your car off, it's a good idea to look your valet in the eye and acknowledge that he's a person, too. If not for that reason, then at least to improve the odds of getting your car back exactly as you left it.




Before we end this post.......If you're still not convinced or happen to be stubborn and stuck in tipping $1 in this day in age watch this clip- Not good.....



Tip of the day- TIP!! At least $3. My personal advice- don't ever valet!! Avoid it at all costs if you can. Is parking your own car really that bad? Have Americans become that lazy where they can't walk a couple more steps from the parking garage to the front door? Unfortunately..yes! If you want to make sure you're care is in really good hands then you better fork out $5-$10. They always remember the good ones.....maybe not by face but definitely by your ride. And for the stiffers.....better hope your Kia is under the 10 yr warranty because the valet boy will have no mercy for the shocks as it's speeding over those speed bumps......*ouch*

The best styling staple.....

I change my hair so much it's apart of my lifestyle. For some apparent reason I can't keep the same style or color longer than a couple months. What can I say? I like "change." ^_^ 


When I was going through my "short hair" phase I was getting a little bored and wanted it to look more "wild" and "stylish." I did some research and discovered this great hair wax!  Gatsby..... This product is very popular with asian guys especially and can be found at most asian stores in Cali (especially LA.) Girls use this as well but more in a punk rock look like so--------

Ok Ok. Maybe that was a dramatic example...so here's something more subtle-

Cute, right?? I know!! So, I was hoping that Sally's Beauty Supply store would have it but no luck. :(  I was getting desperate in thinking that this was the IT thing to revive my hair back to coolness!! Then it hit me!! Ah, yes.....EBAY. Ebay is handy and great in so many ways! I haven't paid retail price on a lot of things thanks to them! (and the people selling the products of course) I put in an order and received it within days. The seller was great and responsive. I couldn't wait to test this thing out!!


I did go on the Gatsby website to get some styling tips but a lot were for guys.. :(   So....my next reliable source was youtube. I saw some interesting tips..some weird...some questionable but this one in particular was exactly was I was looking for! This girl's so adorable!

This is what the Gatsby wax looks like-

And this is me with my "Gatsby style"

Although my hair has grown out a lot since this picture, I'm contemplating on whether or not to go back to it. It's so dang hard growing out damaged, dry, over-dyed hair...lol.. Well see.......

let's party on!!!

While the majority of America is relaxing and having a good ol' bbq gathering with friends and family, Anthony and I have the pleasure of working all weekend long!!! I really shouldn't complain though because these hours are crossing over to overtime. Yeeaahh. I never realized how many people get the pleasure of getting wasted......in front of their kids... L_L Hahaha. It's funny how you realize growing up how parents really remain child-like at heart. I think it's just something about staying young and clinging on to those innocent times that keeps us in that state of mind. Although I'm not "full grown" yet I have come to the conclusion that adults in reality have the maturity level of a 21-25 yr old all their lives. Some of them just hide it better than others. ^_^ The only thing that changes is their appearance..... unfortunately some don't age as well as others...sorry.


Moving on....... This weekend is going by somewhat fast but somewhat of a drag too. I discovered this new song while driving to work and I got hooked!! You see, I'm not usually the one to care for mainstream music so listening to the radio is r-a-r-e. This song though, I can tell won't play me out! I love any type of dance beat and theme. I went home and youtubed this new artist and I loved what I saw!!!! ..........


Yep!! That's right!! Korean artists making it up in the mainstream music world!! Hip hip horray!! Don't you love the beginning? Proudly representing Ktown and Korean bbq!!! 


This is my "it" song for the summer and I'll be playing it all weekend long!!!


P.S. I'm working on a new blog layout because i noticed that this one cuts off like half of the pics and videos!! *boo* Here;s the full screen youtube clip for the song-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4s6H4ku6ZY

on the way to school.....

I'm slowly getting ready for my some-what long day. My first class starts in approximately in an hour and I'm crossing my fingers hoping there's no homework for the weekend.Yeah right, who am I fooling? I forget this is college aka adult world which = more responsibilities and tasks. *sigh* So far my teachers are cool and laid back. I'm taking Korean 101 and it's going somewhat better than what I imagined. I can actually read the hangul characters....kinda. But still!!! I know more than what I did before. Although I don't understand everything I read at least I know how it's pronounced and written. I'm slowly gettin there..... 

And what's a better way to start off the day?? Starting it off with my favorite coffee  *joy*--------

                            

And now to top of the post with this really cool clip I found while "getting ready" for school.....
http://www.youtube.com/user/rakeshkumar91

This couple is great!! I admire this type of dancing and style!!

Slavín, Bratislava

A famous war monument dedicated to Soviet Army soldiers


Slavín as seen from the Bratislava Castle. It was built in 1960 and it's dedicated to Soviet Army soldiers, who liberated the city in 1945. The top of the statue of a soldier is 50m tall (the pylon is 39.1m and the statue 11m tall). There is a wonderful view of Bratislava near Slavín. Hope I can go up there one day.

[MAIN post][Bratislava map][Slovakia is not Slovenia][All photos by MKL, 2010]