chunky monkey

On Thursday, I went into "work" donning my uniform when I bent over.

Pop.

What's that sound?

My button came flying off. Note to self. No bending over.

On Friday, I went into "work" donning my uniform when I bent over.

Pop.

What's that sound!?

My button -- second button -- came flying off.

Crap.

I walk quickly to the washroom checking the "situation."

My zipper was still up... and I noticed. The pants actually fit well and snug!

A testament to Richmond-living.

buy to buy

I find it peculiar that our accumulation of materialistic wealth forces us to purchase more (other things) to protect our assets?

So that in essence, the more we buy, the more we need to buy?

Seven to Eight servings of Fruit and Veggies?

The Canadian Food Guide recommendations are pretty steep, if you ask me.

I tried to meet the "standard" today.

I made a fruit juice out pureeing a pear, apple, orange, handful of frozen strawberries, and a small kiwi. That should be enough, right?

Nope.

Each fruit is one serving. It made about 1.25 L of a thick, "Jugo juice-like" drink. I drank about 800ml of it. That was maybe 3.5 servings?

Plus I ate cheese with toast.

For lunch I had leftovers--beef noodle soup, with my favourite, cow's stomach. Yum! I added about a cup and a half of "sui choy" making for a delish lunch.

Count that, five (5) servings thus far.

And I've already eaten my quota of meats.

Then rolls in dinner. Rice, tofu mixed with fish, and my ultimate fav, "gai lan."

I ate 1.5 cups of greens here.

Count that, 6.5 servings of veggies. I was done for the day. Incredibly full.

Final count:
6.5/7 servings of Veggies, and this was with a conscious effort
5/6 servings of "Grains"
2/2 servings of "Milks"
4/2 servings of Meats

And this not including snacks. Evidence as to why I'm steadily packing in the pounds.

The "C" word

Why do you come unsuspectingly?
Do you not know that you are an unwelcomed guest?
You come, stay, ravish one's body and soul...
Stripping a person of their joy,
Leaving but a shadow of the former self.

We pray for a miracle.
We ask for a sign.
We are polite.
But you are a stubborn one.

So now the digging will begin,
To excavate your roots,
Please don't stay,
Take all your little friends with you.

You might have taken my buddies,
But she...
She's a fighter, that li'l one.
With the fam together, the force is unstoppable.

With prayers lifted high,
Covered with love,
Bonded by one Spirit,
Our faith is in You.

Help?!

Was a-wondering. Do you have an hour or so to edit a portion1 of my grad-paper? A "thesis-mini" of sorts. Don't worry, it's in Mickey-mouse English, which pays tributes to my ESL days.

My topic?

How do traditional Asian cultural values of family, hierarchy, harmony, and education factor into and influence the beliefs and practices of subsequent generations of North American-Born Chinese Christ-followers?

Doesn't it make you just want to get out of your seat and shout Hallelujah?

1 The blogspot version of footnotes... A portion = a mere dozen or so pages of my 70+ page "thesis-mini." Thanks in advance!

MSN with a baby boomer

A riveting conversation with my technologically savvy auntie on MSN

Shale: Oh yeah, Happy Valentine's Day. K is working, if S is not home for dinner than you and Uncle can have a romantic dinner together :D
CCC: S has to go to school he will come home late. but we still have a dinner at home.
Shale: then you and Uncle can have a romantic dinner together. bring out the candles and wear a sexy dress. Haha :D
CCC: I can't because my father in law eat with us.
Shale: oh...yeah.. nevermind

lent-ing

Last Wednesday was the beginning of Lent. I've never participated in it (by "sacrificing" something)... but this year, I thought I'd give it a go.

I "gave up" snacks and extraneous meals.

I fumbled on the first day... but it was well justified.

Three days later... I'm down again.

I think I might as well call it quits.

3/3

Gastropod!

My final dine-out.

Desserts--top notch.
Appies--presentation rocks.
The Mains?--dry.

Is it me, or the common theme with my white restaurants (of my choosing) are overcooked protein?

That's why I eat raw. Yum. Gooey, fleshy, rawness. I think that's what I'll eat in heaven.

Anyhow...

$50 bucks later...

I think I'm fasting for the rest of the year.

phew!

Today I conquered a domestic demon.

Three (3) loads of laundry.

Life can only get better.

2/3

Restaurant numero dos -- Blue Water Cafe. Upscale pretentious Yaletown dinery Please bring your professionalism and great looks.

Decent food, delightful conversation with Mum.

A snippet of our verbal exchange went something like this.

M: How was your day?
S: I went to the tattoo parlour.
M:
S:
M:
S: So...
M:
S: Wanna see?

1/3

I'm living life extravagantly, enjoying these two weeks of dine-out Vancouver. Unfortunately, many of the great restaurants are now on the $35 list which furthers the hole in my purse. My reasoning goes like this: it's be a rarity to see my pretty face indulging in Vancouver's fine-dining restaurant scene.

Here's my attempt at a Restaurant Review.

No worries, I won't make a habit of it.

This is a fabulous promotion from the recesses of Tourism Vancouver. When everyone intends to "cut back" and save money after Christmas, many of us end up dining out multiple times for $35/$25/$15 for a 3-course meals. Great food. But after drinks and tax, we're looking at 50 bucks a pop. Ouch.

Rare is the winner of "silver" in the "new fine dining" category of Vancouver Magazine. Seriously, Vancouver is quickly becoming a one-stop cuisine destination, rivaling the best in the US.

I failed by forgetting to bring my camera. But you can just imagine. A delectable 3 course meal. Not counting the two "from the chef" plates that came out to greet us... for free!

Only problem is that for someone who enjoys raw fish, thought the edges of my fish were a bit dry. And my dad's beef tasted like something from the Taiwanese beef noodle house. The flavours in the dishes however nicely complemented each other.

And the service was impeccable.

I'd go there again.... If I had $50 bucks to spare.

After all this, trust me. I'll be dining in.