Youth and Youth Movements

I will forever be a believer in youth. I love the growth, naivete, creativity, idealism, realism, passion, and exploration that youth encounter and endure. This leads me to recommend a few great youth-driven and youth-centered organizations:

Advocates for Youth
...and their related site MySistahs
East Bay Asian Youth Center

"Forever Young" by Youth Group is playing as I blog this. No, I can't be more redundant. ^_^

FamilyPACT

If any of you are familiar with the amazing teal card, this might be of interest to you.

"[FamilyPACT] provides services to women and men who earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Participants can receive birth control, reproductive health services and education about sexually transmitted diseases. The program does not provide abortion counseling."

These services are provided free of charge and in California, everyone is eligible for the FPACT program - documented and undocumented citizen alike. Given how hard the California state budget is being hit, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is now requiring the hire of over 1,300 new employees to verify (immigration status) eligibility for FPACT and threatening an end to major funding if it isn't carried through. Even the governor is fighting back!

Courtesy of Snowflake

This must be true.

Gettin' over the hump of the week

After getting some bedding for the rats, Mike and I headed over to Target to look at all the holiday regalia. As soon as we hit the wreaths and Christmas CDs, I started getting gushy and teared up like a mother! I get so reminiscent and limerent around the holiday season... I'm looking forward to my 75 degree Christmas in LA. ^_^

Mike got me this mini muffin pan ::glee:: and mini muffin papers from Target, too! Of course, I employed the pan as soon as I got home.

Pumpkin Muffin Army! (I made 60...jeebus)
I also made a pot of ground turkey chili. Kidney beans + ground turkey + diced tomatoes + McCormick chili seasoning (Now with 30% Less Sodium!) = a bloated Mike

Here's a mike

from Manila (well, more like China?), drinking San Miguel like a pro.

Here's a monkey

from Siem Reap, eating lotus seeds like a pro.

Upright Citizens Brigade

Let's protect the sanctity of marriage, folks!

More on that ridiculous proposition

This was passed on to me by Jay Benoit, a perennial mentor of mine.

"So I be written in the Book of Love; I do not care about that Book above."

Groceries

I should be restocking. Mike and I bought a few things from Safeway yesterday. The essentials: bananas, eggs, yogurt, bread, juice, ground turkey, beans, salad stuff. We need to make our way to Costco before we become hermits for finals.

We went grocery shopping in Cambodia, and the markets there had these baby carts along with baby aisles. Mike's so animated. =)

Making brownies to pass the time..

Here are a few tasty treats I've had in the last few days...

(I didn't know how to take a more flattering picture of this)

This is Cheeseboard's feta cheese and walnut bun with a fig glaze.
After the taiko performance in Oakland, the group decided to hit up a few pastry shops in Oakland's Chinatown. I found this baby waiting to be bought! It was nearly the size of my face.. feeding frenzy! [There's Ryan, looking devilishly handsome.. haha]
For 20 cents, I know I'll be getting more of these (as greasy as it was).
I will be a lifelong sucker for red beans. The one on the left is a dense coconut jelly with red beans, while the one on the right is a deep fried sesame ball with red bean filling. [~$1]
_____ [memory = bad] salad from FSM. Again, not so flattering of a picture. It had way more meat than I had expected and even though they put dressing on it, it wasn't overpowering.
I didn't eat these people, but they sure look edible.