Asterix's Expressions

Happy 2006!

Well, I've held out from blogging for years on end, now. Perhaps it's time to give it a try. I suppose I'll start out by having a brief recap of what happened at the end of 2005.


Pancake Pantry 2005!

For the past four years, Lauren, Michele and I have met up for breakfast at the good'ole Pancake Pantry in Hillsboro Village. Mmm . . . blueberry pancakes! I must admit that pancakes there are the best I've tasted. Just about everyday will one find a long line jutting out of the restaurant and around the block end. Even on a cold December mornings, people didn't seem to mind the weather all that much. As for Lauren, Michele, and me, we've been at it since Christmas 2002. Since we live in three different areas of the world and get to see each other only once a year, naturally, we'd come together for delicious pancakes and catch up over breakfast, no?

And here we are, filled up to the brim with pancakes and maple syrup, immortalized beside the Wizard of Waukesha Guitar, right outside the restaurant.

Next year will be our fifth-year anniversary breakfast. Perhaps we should do something special . . . like eating at the Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg! That should be fun, so we shall see.

Oh, there's a Millbrae Pancake House in the Bay Area, and its pancakes are pretty good, too. Does any one of you want to join me for pancakes sometime?


Narnia


I went to see Narnia, finally, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. I had finished reading the novel for the first time in my life only a couple of weeks ago, so the book was still very fresh on my mind when I saw the film. It's great to see that the filmmakers have stayed pretty faithful to the book. I love the movie as much as I love the book, and I must say that Lucy is my favorite character, both in the novel and in the film. She is brilliant, honest, sincere, and innocent-almost the perfect child. I certain agree with Andy and ANg that she pretty much carried the entire movie.

That same night while at a Chinese Christmas party, I overheard a couple of friends chatting about the movie. They criticized their Christian friends for over-analyzing the meaning of the movie and for reading too much between the lines. Presumably, they didn't want the movie to be compared to anything Christian. I chuckled to myself, thinking, "Perhaps they forgot that the author of the novel was one of the greatest Christian philosophers of all time, and he had design the novel to be a Christian allegory in the first place." On a similar note, I've heard some criticisms of the movie, saying that "it's trying too hard to be like Lord of the Rings." I agree, but I also see no problem with it. Tolkien and Lewis were friends and had influenced one another in their writings. So it shouldn't come that much as a surprise that the movies tend resemble each other.


Shopping for Clothing

Okay, I admit it. My wardrobe is overdue for some new additions. I went with my friends Ezekiel and Michele for some after-Christmas clothing shopping. At the end, I decided to wait until I return to California before acquiring anything new-heavy luggage is just not my thing. But my mind is set-I must buy some new clothing!


Cheesecake Factory

My parents and I went to eat at the local Cheesecake Factory after Christmas. Having been living in the Bay Area for a while, I've realized that I don't know Nashville that well anymore. And I didn't expect a Cheesecake Factory to pop up in the middle of Greenhills Mall, not that I'm complaining, of course. The meal there was most satisfactory.

For some reason, I had the notion in my head that Cheesecake Factories are rare across the United States, and that there are only five or six of them-maybe that's why I didn't expect one to be in Nashville. Well, it turns out that there are three of them just in the Bay Area. That is excellent news.





Cranium Hoopla

For New Year's Eve, I went to my home church's annual party at the Bible College. Usually, there is basketball, volleyball, and people chatting. This year, there is Cranium Hoopla.


And boy it's fun. So next time when there's not enough people for Cranium, there's always Cranium Hoopla!

posted by Asterix @ 9:04 PM