Other Side of the Planet dot com

USA: CA: San Jose: Menara

Posted on April 29th, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Food, Travel, USA.

[Not much on the outside, but the inside is gorgeous - bold colors, beautiful arches, and lots of cushions!]

When I go to San Jose, I eventually end up at Menara, a local Moroccan restaurant due to my passion for eating lamb.  It’s got a fabulous decor - I enjoy staring at the pretty wallpaper on the ceiling.  The floor is full of short tables and floor cushions, making it comfortable to stretch out and enjoy two hours of eating.  The food is delicious, though it’s set menus only, ranging in price from $25 to $30 a head.   I believe they also have belly dancers with live musicians on the weekends.

[Anna and Jimb after a delicious meal of rabbit and lamb…mmm…]

0 comments.

USA: CA: Mt. Doom

Posted on April 29th, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Travel, USA.

Yeah, so, I went to visit a college friend out in California, and he asked me if I like hiking.  When I responded enthusiastically, he took me to Mt. Doom, up in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  I kid you not…look at the map below:

Now, south of the “State” in “State Park”, take a closer look… 

So, for reasons unknown to me, I followed a man off the beaten path and down a landslide-prone hill.  Brilliant.  At long last, we reached Mt. Doom…which we were strangely happy about.

[Only geeks are happy about a trip to Mt. Doom]

While I admit that I have no idea why they decided to name it Mt. Doom, we theorize that it has something to do with the peculiar rock formations…

[Creepy skull staring at us inside Mt. Doom]

0 comments.

New York Comic Con 2008: Anna the Dancing Stormtrooper

Posted on April 21st, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Costumes, NYC, Star Wars.

I attended the New York Comic Con with the Empire City Garrison of the 501st Legion this past weekend - my first troop!!  Who knew that I would randomly do something bizarre and crazy that would draw a crowd and get me on YouTube?  Yeah…you all knew…

The videos linked to below are the result of a stormtrooper being asked to dance by an African dancer, who was promoting a manga called White Shaka Boy.  The crowd quickly gathered on the empty corner.  Camera and camcorders came out.  A Princess Leia happens along our party and joins.  Yeah, Princess Leia, a stormtrooper, and an African dancer…words cannot describe…

Luckily, that’s where YouTube comes in.  The video starts here, but my moment to shine comes in the second half of the video.  Enjoy!

2 comments.

Costuming: Stormtrooper Armor Completed!

Posted on April 18th, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Costumes, Star Wars.

I completed my stormtrooper armor at long last…yes, I know I fell behind on blogging the process, but i have pics…maybe I’ll finish blogging over the summer.  Here are some initial pics of the armor in action.

[Defending my moving boxes!]

[Just so you know it’s really me in there.]

[See?  Told you so.  But you never doubted.  You, my loyal readers…you know me all too well.]

6 comments.

Star Wars: According to a 3-year-old

Posted on April 1st, 2008 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog, Kids Say, Movies, Star Wars.

This is brilliant.  A 3-year-old’s brilliant father broke up Star Wars (episode 4) into three manageable sections and sat his daughter down on three separate days to watch them.

Watch this video here.  Her retell of the story puts my 5th graders to shame.

While this has not changed my goal of never shoving small animals out of my body (yeah, I know, waiting for that dreaded internal clock to kick in,) I’ve decided that if I do ever have children, or maybe run a daycare, I’m going to subject every child to all the classics (such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones) at the age of three.

The child is SO quotable…

“Kinda like garage sale, except they’re selling robots.”
(Describing the Jawas selling droids)

“The shiny guy always worries.”
(Describing C-3PO)

“And Obi-Kenobi’s kind of teacher.”

“But don’t talk back to Darth Vader: he’ll getchya!”

“It’s an exciting movie.”
(Referring, of course, to Star Wars.)

And I love how she says “we blowed it up together” in reference to the destruction of the Death Star…oh, she’s making personal connections!  I’m such a geeky teacher!  The child is brilliant and I inexplicably love her and wish she was in my class.

0 comments.