I made Filipino turon for the first time! This is one of my favorite Filipino desserts, which is always a hit at parties. It’s a super simple recipe, but very labor intensive. I used plantain instead of Saba banana for the filling , along with jackfruit. I also dialed back the sweetness, which brings out…
Second Month of Skating: Getting My Jam On!
There are lots of kinds of roller skating: park skating (ramps), trail skating, derby, figure. But I have had one primary motivation for learning how to quad skate: dancing. Or “jam skating” as it’s called in many places. Early this morning, I celebrated two months of quad skating by jamming to one of my favorite…
From Giving out Bologna Sandwiches in Santa Monica to Building a World Government
In college at UCLA in 1990s, I knew I wanted to change the world. But I didn’t know what that meant. I sought the answer through volunteering, a lot. I spent my weekends distributing food to homeless people in West Los Angeles. I got really good at making hundreds of bologna sandwiches at a time….
Intermittent Fasting Update: August 2020
I’ve been practicing intermittent fasting since January, and I have zero regrets. It’s been quite the lifestyle change, but very little suffering from my experience. I’m at my target weight and feel as energetic as ever. I started, like most people, with an 16:8 schedule (16 hours of fasting, 8 hour eating period.) This was…
Growing Up as a Coconut
I spent most of my childhood in the San Francisco Bay Area. That sounds like a great cultural landscape to grow up within, with its diverse mix of races and peoples from all over the world. My reality was quite different. Specifically I grew up in Pleasanton, California, a large town about an hour away…
One Month of Roller Skating: So Happy!
So I’ve been roller skating for about a month now. I can’t think of anything I’ve “worked” so hard at at the start. Pretty much every day I’ve put in at least 1-2 hours of practice. And when I’m not skating, I’m probably watching skate videos. I didn’t do anywhere near that much practice when…
Julianna’s eggplant boat with sauteed nuts and mushrooms (recipe)
Here’s a yummy vegetarian recipe from my colleague Julianna , who was riffing on this one. I made some modifications and added some steps to my version. Ingredients: Olive oil 2 medium eggplants, halved and scored 1 cup walnuts / pecans, chopped 1 cup mushrooms, sliced or chopped 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp cumin…
Nan’s Pancakes (via Maria V)
This recipe comes from Nan, a friend of my friend Maria in Holland. I’m still trying to dial it in, but love how fluffy these come out. Might need to steam them for a bit after frying on both sides. Instructions Sift together into a bowl: 2 cups all purpose flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder,…
Family Tech Support in 2050
I did some tech support for my mom this morning, which she was a trooper about, I have to say. It inspired this conversation that I expect to happen 20 years from now, if not sooner. ME: Hi Aria, I can’t get this stupid virtual TV thing to show me Step Up 12. It’s broken….
How I’m Surviving the Pandemic: Moving, Meditating, Connecting
So we are in Month 4 of the coronavirus pandemic quarantine, which is unbelievable and weird. Time has no meaning anymore, as people are fond of saying. Despite not getting to go to most of the places that were part of my regular routine (the office, the climbing gym, dance clubs and bars, restaurants, bakeries),…