It seems to be getting more and more difficult to write regularly.  My work continues to spill into my personal time.  If I haven't visited your Xanga lately, I hope you'll understand.  I've left a few comments here and there.  I kinda envy those of you who manage to carve time out to write daily (or close to it).

I accompanied my bf who had to pick up his nephew at an anime convention.  It was interesting watching all those people (mostly teens) dressed up.  There were a few folks in their mid 20's who were also dressed in costume and other regalia.  I can only say this was one of the few times live that I've felt so ... normal.  I was impressed with his nephew though.  He takes after my bf.  He's careful with his money and bargains for deals from the vendors.  When he can't get the deal he wants, he walks away.  I didn't even know how to bargain until I was well into my adulthood.

My bf treats bargaining as an inherent right.  If you dont' - you left money on the table.  He does it with banks to reduce mortgage rates, car dealers, home repairs ... He may not get what he wants but the price he settles for is always less than the original price.  Heck, in this difficult times - you got to look after your dollars.  Of course, you don't want to bargain so hard that the vendor is about to wring your neck. 

Some food pics.
Whole grain pasta with veggies and shrimp.  It's easy and fast to make after work. 

Rice noodles with pork, bitter melon, red peppers and black bean. 
This took over an hour to make. 

I purchased this Bánh mì from Chinatown.  (oh yeah... I ordered one with hot peppers once by mistake, whoo.... it was hot!)

Baby bak choy with oyster mushrooms. (Another simple stirfry).

So what was the last purchase you bargained for and do you have any
bargaining tips you want to share?

There are days when I feel like my brain isn’t working properly.  Normally I couldn’t care less but when I'm confronted with dad’s fading  memory,  I worry that this will happen to me sooner rather than later.  A few examples:

Every morning I take my vitamin pills right after breakfast.  The other day, I opened the cabinet and kept staring inside but I couldn’t find it.  I’ve never misplaced the bottles of vitamins and other supplements.  I kept staring until I realized I opened the freezer door by mistake. 

While I was at my brother’s place, I was about to say hi to my sister in law when I completely drew a blank at her name.  I was stunned.  Luckily someone called her name and I was spared the embarrassment. 

At my bf’s place, I forgot the name of one of his nephews.  He was running around and I wanted to tell him to slow down.  I opened my mouth and couldn’t figure out what his name was.  It took about 15 seconds before I remembered his name and by that time, he had already darted out of sight.

Strange...  now where was I?

In other news, one of the cheaper vegetables out there is cabbage.  I've been adding it to my soups.  My mom used to cook a lot of cabbages.  It's actually quite nutritious and the cabbage keeps for a while in the fridge.  This one is simply chicken soup with some carrots, onions, cabbage, celery and a few left over broccoli from dinner.

It’s been crazy at work.  We’re a bit short staffed as well which has meant a spike in my workload.  It’s been over a week since I’ve written anything.  I read a bit of your entries but haven’t really commented or responded to all of them.  I probably will go into hibernation again this week from blogging.

My bf made an amazing dish the other day.  It was Alaskan King Crab in black bean sauce.  It was on sale but still very expensive.  I was joking with him to get 2 until I saw the price!  It was a bit gruesome watching the guy behind the counter cut it up.  I just wished they were a bit quicker.  It was very delicious though and there weren’t any leftovers.  He had his extended family over to help polish off the food.  It was also a good to play with the baby again.  He’s being toilet trained so the parents are a bit nervous.  When it was time for them to leave, the baby refused to put on his diapers.  So his mom asked him to go to the toilet first.  He refused to do so.  After some stern negotiations from his parents, he agreed to go to the toilet.  But he pointed to the one upstairs.  I guess he just wanted to stretch out his visit.   He won’t let anyone hold his hand on the way up or back down the stairs.  It’s just so interesting watching him assert his new found independence.

The other day, my dad and I were having dinner at a restaurant.  There was a baby boy that was just learning to walk with his grandmother’s help.  Eventually the grandmother put the baby in one of those cloth harnesses on her back.  She just held on to the knot on her chest that was holding the baby.  I thought the baby might be uncomfortable but he didn’t seem to mind.  When she walked by my table, I asked her how old the baby was.  She said he was just 10 months old.  I smiled at the baby.  He just turned away.  Grrr….

When my dad went to the washroom, a woman and her baby made their way to the table right beside ours.  There were already others eating at that table.  I figured she waited at the car until the baby was awake before coming in.  She was right in my line of sight and I saw her right profile.  Now this may seem like an odd observation.  I noticed her breast and it was plump.  Of course, I thought to myself, she’s nursing the baby.  So yeah – this was probably one of the rare moments when I would notice these things.  I wonder if I was straight, would I notice this and in the same context?  Thankfully my dad came back, sat down and blocked my view.  

Editors note:  please excuse Matt – when he is thinking about babies, he just can’t help himself. 

This past couple of months, I had a chance to work more from home.  Sometimes I can come home before the rush hour and finish my day at home.  A couple of times, I’ve been able to put in a full days worth of work from home.  It saves on the commute and if I'm really motivated, I can get started by 7:00 AM.   

Working from home isn’t that easy for me.  I get distracted very easily.  This is a fatal flaw for a procrastinator.  On my worst days, I’ll be doing laundry and cleaning while work piles up.  Oddly enough, laundry and cleaning are some of the things I procrastinate when I do my chores. I try to stay away from the TV.  I'm a lot better now than when I first started.  It's like going to university for the first time.  There's no one around to supervise you.  But when you work by yourself at home, you have to be very disciplined.  I don't know how some of you can do this. 

Sometimes the noise from other condos and the traffic sound can can get on my nerves.  If a unit near me is doing renovations, I'm dead.  If there's construction work on the road outisde, I know I won't get a lot of work done.  The other day, the fire alarm rang very briefly.  There's also the usual fire alarm testing, garage cleaning (we have to park elsewhere), condo inspection or water maintenance.  But I suppose that's the price I pay for living in a condo downtown.   Eventually, I will need a better phone than the one I have.  I’m also looking for a good chair as well.  My ass needs a more comfortable throne.  

There's a relatively new coffee shop in my neighborhood.  It’s called the White Squirrel.  I dropped in there for lunch a couple of times when I worked from home.  It's small but cozy with wifi.   If you’re ever down in Queen West – you should check it out.   It’s a couple of doors down from Calfouti and across from Trinity Bellwoods Park. 

Here are some food pics:

Winter melon soup with a splash of sesame seed oil

 

Chicken in sweet soy sauce. 

 

Soup (pork based) with tofu, carrots, napa cabbage, fish meatballs and some dried scallops for extra flavor.   

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I was cleaning up in the kitchen the other day, putting away dishes, cutting boards and other stuff.  I left one of the cupboard doors open (just slightly).  I turned away to reach for something and turned back.  Of course, my head hit the door.  It wasn't a hard hit.  But hard enough to confirm that you don't see birds circling your head while chirping their little hearts out.  I can also confirm that swearing helps reduce the pain.

This week, I also broke 2 bowls.  One was just an ordinary soup bowl.  But the other one was from a pottery in Chiang Mai that I shipped back years ago.  On other things that are breaking.  I haven't found someone to service my washing machine yet.  It still works but the squeaking sound is worrisome.  My receiver also stopped working.  I'll probably have to take that in for repairs.  I just dread rewiring those speakers.  It took my brother and I a couple of hours to set everything up. 

Speaking of things that are wearing out... my dental hygenist warned me about my receding gum lines and told me to be more gentle when brushing.  She said it's a common mistake. While I was carefully brushing my teeth that night, I looked in the mirror and noticed my receeding hairline.  As I finished up in the washroom, I looked down to see if anything else was receding.  The only thing that wasn't receding seems to be my tummy.  Sigh...

"The scene of the crime." 

I did manage to make a decent dish this week.  Bittermelon and beef with home made black bean sauce.
It took a day to air out my condo. 

I am determined to keep at least one new year's resolution this year.  I've never been good at keeping any of them - except for maybe a few months.  So this year, my resolution is just to eat as much as possible.

Cupcakes - I didn't try these.  I think they are from The Cupcake Shoppe.     

Eggettes from Chinatown.  So good...  

I think this is called Carmelita Cakelet (chocolate sponge & caramel mousse with toasted almond meringue
and drizzled with caramel.  It's a small cake - 3 1/2 x 5 1/2.  It's from one of the stores in my 'hood - Dufflet .

The only thing that is remotely healthy.   A pasta salad with broccolli, poached chicken breast,
poached shrimps, scallions and red peppers.  I drizzled a simple olive oil, lemon juice and mustard dressing
over it along with a bit of Parmesan cheese.   

 

The winds of cutbacks are blowing hard across the plains of my company.  The chit chat, instant messages and phone calls with colleagues have started to increase about a month ago or so ago.  The trouble is, you never know who has accurate information and who's just repeating what they've heard.  But the jungle drums continue to rumble. 

But first, I gotta take care of my stomach rumbling.

Fried rice - mmm...  

Beef stew - great for winter.  I got the beef from Costco so I have lots leftover which
are now in the freezer.

Soup - wintermelon with pork meatballs.  The stock is made from pork bones, ginger, dried scallop and mushroom stems.  The texture of the pork was very smooth.  I added a bit of shrimp in the meatballs too.  I had to search my memory banks but here's what I did.  I added a little bit of water to the ground pork, the usual sesame seed oil, corn starch, soy sauce, pepper, green onions & finely diced salted / preserved turnip.  I also had to toss it (hard) about 20 or 30 times into a big metal mixing bowl (just be careful it doesn't splatter).  I think this helps tenderize the meat.  I also added some egg white too and mixed it into the ground pork.

My bf and I like to cook.  He boasts that his cooking is better than mine and I do the same.  It’s all playful bragging.  He does trump me in one area though.  He can cook lobsters and crabs.  He buys the live from the tanks.  When he’s cooking those creatures, I flee the kitchen before they are dispatched to seafood heaven.  I just can’t handle that kinda stuff. 

As usual, he has very creative ways of offering opinions on my cooking. 

 

Bf:  I’m thinking of driving down to your place but it’s snowing like crazy right now.  I don’t want to drive unless of course there’s some hanky panky.

Me: Huh?

Bf:  Well, if there is, then it’s worth the trip downtown.

Me:  How about a home cooked meal?  I’ll cook you my famous mushroom chicken.

Bf:  Hmm… nah.  I’ll stay at home then. 

Me:  Ai ya… hahahaha

Anyone want a snack?  I love this stuff (of course I can't remember

what they are called).  The batter is similar to egg waffles or eggettes. 

It’s been absolutely relaxing to have the last couple of weeks off.   I’ve forgotten what it was like to sleep in for days at a time.  I’ve been waking up lately around 9:30ish and actually feel refreshed for a change.  I knew I was running on fumes the past few months and I felt really drained heading into the Christmas break. 

Christmas dinners at dad’s and with my brother’s extended family went relatively well.  At one of the dinners with my brother’s extended family, they were also celebrating the birth of a new baby boy.  He had beautiful blue eyes and looked fragile as he was only 7 days old.   He was born early so the parents were very careful with him.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my dad staring at the baby.  He was asking the usual questions about the baby which surprised me.  He was also watching the grandmother hold the baby as well.  I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.  I had hoped that he and my mom would one day hold my child.  I know they did but they have never mentioned that to me before.  I didn’t dwell on it though and just enjoyed the meal. 

I also enjoyed a great meal at my bf’s place over the holidays and got to play with the kids.  Actually it was just the baby I got to play with which was fine with me.  The older ones were busy with their computer games and/or TV.  I was so mesmerized watching the little one solve a two sided jigsaw puzzle.  He can do it with a bit of coaching.  When he goes home, he gives everyone a hug and a peck on the cheek.  Sometimes it’s a wet, sloppy kiss prompting howls of laughter and much face wiping.  But this time, it was just a nice, gentle little *smack*. 

 The only downside to this break is that I’ve caught a cold.  Thankfully there’s no body aches or fever but my throat feels like the primary battle ground for this virus.  I’ve been taking medication, herbal tea, tea with honey, lemon … I’ve also got the humidifier set on high.  I just hope this goes away soon.  It sort of put a damper on New Year’s Eve with my bf.  Instead of going out, he brought over some take out Vietnamese food and we just had a quiet evening.   He still rolls his eyes when I take food pictures though.

 

 Roast lamb made by my sister.

 

Prime rib from my brother. 

Take out Vietnamese food.  The rice was a bit cold by the time we got to eat it.  But we were so hungry it didn't matter.  We had some sparkling wine at midnight.  

I've been buried under at work and don't have a lot of free time.  If I don't leave a comment, don't worry - I'll get around to catching up on your entries. 

Bed time soon - another long day ahead. 

A couple of food pics - this is bitter melon with chicken in black bean sauce. 

Steamed minced pork with salted duck eggs.  The texture of the minced pork is still not smooth yet.  But I'm getting close.