Heartbreaker

If you think children are innocent little creatures, let me tell you that you are far from being remotely right. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying children are malicious or anything. All I'm saying is they mastered the art of manipulation since the day the doctor pulled them out from their mothers' tummies.

Changunnie has been very fixated at changing her clothes four to five times a day. If her wish doesn't materialize (especially at school), she cries till someone has enough and offers to help her change. This isn't acceptable behaviour and we decided to take her out of school for couple days to correct the problem and to avoid her associating school to anything negative.

We had a long talk with her on Friday and she appeared to comprehend how serious the problem was and more importantly, how determined we were to fix it. She agreed to everythig we said and was on her best behaviour the entire weekend.

Then came Monday. She wanted to put on a pair of tights instead of wearing her perfectly clean pants. Tears flooded her face and I decided to carry her into her room and let her cry it all out alone. She knew my softspot for her and kept saying "mama, where are you? Why did you do that?" while crying loudly.

Grandma gave me the support and we st outside of the room to wait for her to calm down. 15 mins later. She stopped and I gave her a hug and the lecture.

She told us that she wanted to go back to school tomorrow and promised that she won't cry. Will see if she can keep her promise. For me, I have to learn not to be manipulated by the crying.

Thank you, my two little elves!

No, neither of them look like Will Ferrell!

We ambitiously (or through lack of coordination) invited about 40 people over for Thanksgiving dinner. To feed 40 people is a logistic thing that I can handle but to cater three groups of people with different culinary preference in one go is the tough part. Anyway, despite the few hiccups( which included charcoaled carrot) we survived. Other than Grandma, everyone loves the mashed potato. Grandma thinks mashed potato should hold its shape when scooped onto the plate. She still cannot get over the thought of 25% butter(while in reality, the number is closer to 75%.... she didn't see how we put butter into the pot...)

What I want to say is I want to thank the two little elves who came to our rescue. Not only did they help to prepare the dinner, they reminded me a very important lesson in life which is priceless.

When I first met them through Peech, I was impressed by their passion about food and cooking. Lots of people claim to love food but it's more of a show than an appreciation of food and the work being put behind it, and I mean from growing all the way to cooking. They have the flame in their heart and really got me thinking if I should leave the zoo to embark on a new career. Some people might say there's too much to give up but I'm more convinced each day that I should do something that keeps myself happy and good for people I love and care even if that means less money and more hard work.

Got a long to do list and lots of reading. Thank you again my two little elves!

You don't know who you are messing with!

In a short period of two weeks, there are one break in attempt and one break in in my neighbourhood. To be more exact, my next door neighbour is the victim in the latest case. The family was at home and the dogs didn't bark. The thieves must have gotten to their house from climbing in through our rooftop. Now here's a problem. If we don't do enough, these thieves can break into my house too.

We have two retirees, a toddler and a not so smart maid. Unless daddy and I are at home, we don't really have anyone who can handle a combat. Grandpa was good in his prime but it's not easy for him to fight with someone who's probably half his age. What should we do??

I should get the baseball bet out from storage and keep it in my room. I'll leave the golf practice club with weight with Grandpa. The man can still drive pretty far. And here, I'm using this venue to tell whoever out there who got the courage to try this neighbourhood again:

When I was a student, I did really well in Biology and have really clear idea of what kind of damage I can inflict on people by attacking certain parts of the neck, spine and where the sternum ends.

I don't faint when I see blood. In fact, I know I get my motherly instinct of when I smell blood. My husband witnessed that in couple occassions and he knows when to stay back.

We may have a high population of women at home but each of us handles knives well. Grandma got a real talent to cut quickly with heavy blow.

Daddy may look gentle but he can turn into the green hulk when he has to.

Anyone who dares to come close, I guarantee you an excruciating death and you have my word.

International Men (and Women) of Confusion

Technology may make communication more available but it doesn't make it any easier. In fact, the lack of communication in terms of body language and facial expression over a teleconference creates lots of misunderstandings. If you want to complicate matters, make sure you organize a call with participants from America, Europe and Asia. Somehow, someone will tell you the only available time is 4am Hong Kong time. As if talking to people who are clueless about the other region isn't enough of a challenge, they want me to talk about how local regulations impact a structure when I'm half awake. And don't give me the half full half empty talk. No matter how you look at it, I'm just not my normal self at 4am!

Why am I so angry? Coz I've been "invited" to join a call at such unfriendly hour!

Analyze This

How long does it take for a former government official, a nursing officer, a lawyer and a banker to get a dog? It's been two years and the clock is still ticking.

We have been talking about getting a dog in HK when Changunnie started to show her affinity to animals when she was about 8 months old. We have read at least three volumes of books like "The Complete Dog Book - the Official Publication of the American Kennel Club". We went to the local dog rescue at least three times, contacted the police department about adopting a retired police dog, contacted dog breeder...etc. We even short listed some dogs including the Korean Jindo Gae (dogs from Jindo Island, famous for their loyalty to the owner, ability to hunt and to fight, the military spirit made them a top choice as working dogs for the Korean Army) but there's always reasons why the dog isn't suitable.

Our inability to make a decision does not stop Changunnie from displaying her affection for dogs. Whenever we see dogs in Sai Kung, Changunnie runs up to them to hug them. Sometimes, when we see a big dog, she wants to ride on them.

Now we really want to get it done.

There was a break-in attempt at or neighbour's house last week. The dogs in the neigbhourhood alarmed the owner ( it was 8pm in the evening. No one would have activated the alarm system when the family is eating supper at home!) our neighbour called the police when the guy was in their backyard. No one got hurt in the end but that got us worried.

We also to find a companion for changunnie. Who knows when I can have number two and even if I am lucky enough to have number two, having a dog to bring the number of children to three is an idea that we welcome. Plus, we want to have a reliable family member to look after Grandma, Grandpa and Changunnie when we are at work.

What should we get?

How to look 10 years younger without any Botox

An old colleague sent me an email this evening. He was my partner in crime when it came to marking stupid stuff in real work emails that we recieved. The email had three words only and it got me thinking, "having fun still?"

The honest answer is I'm having more and more fun outside of work and feeling exhausted at work. I can't really stop working because that's my means of paying for the fun things we do outside of work. Sadly, I am so institutionalized that I don't know what else I can do. I've been having lots of "what ifs" in my head but it's not easy to execute.

I still remember the day I met up with my partner in crime for lunch 3 months after he escaped from the zoo. I walked into the restaurant and walked right past him. I responded to a tap on my shoulder and there he was, looking happy, healthy, glowing and ten years younger!

I want that too. I want to be in good enough physical and mental shape to hang out with Changunnie. Having to deal with animals that need Valium isn't really helping.

I like making up songs for Changunnie and I actually enjoy building things. Baking makes me relax and cleaning is therapeutic. I am thinking of taking the test so that I can be a certified plumber and electrician. When will I be able to make the decision to move on?

Thanksgiving - we aren't pilgrims

I bumped into a colleague whom I don't really work with but we always trade food story. He was telling me about his long weekend in Seoul with his wife and they ate all the goodies there (including chargrilled Korean beef) and somehow we started talking about Bacon Explosion and Turducken. Yes, Turkey with a duck stuffe inside and there is a chicken in the duck.... And deepfried. Only in America but the thought of a combination of two American dishes just wouldn't go away from my head.

It'll be Thanksgiving in two weeks and we are hosting a dinner at home. I am toying with the idea of making a bacon web and cover the turkey in it for bacon. I think the part that I want would be the gravy and the thigh. Let's see what else I'm going to make... We tried to follow couple Robuchon recipe and the venison one killed our confidence completely. I'm hoping I can redeem myself from making the Joel mashed potato for thanksgiving. To play safe, I'll also make a Hawaiian mashed potato with onion and sweet corn. I know, it sounds weird but it doesn't taste as bad as it sounds!!

What else are we making?? Apple pie, pumpkin pie, peacan pie, cookies for people to take home? You know what? I'm hungry already and starting to wonder if I need to start my time off earlier in the week.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a day to be grateful and I'm very grateful that despite of all the BS I witness or deal with at the zoo, I get to cook for people I care and have a good time each and everytime we have friends over for dinner.

Now, what kind of bacon should I use for best result??

Hibernation

We were like a bunch of bears yesterday. Food coma from Kimchee day on Saturday (I didn't take pictures and my friends got better ones anyway)

http://shereats.blogspot.com/2009/11/blog-post_16.html
http://chi-he-wan-le.blogspot.com/2009/11/kimchi-day.html

plus the rainy cold day means hibernation. It's very interesting to see how food plays tricks to our brain and that brings all the animal instinct back to life.

First, we woke up feeling hungry. The food intake moved our metabolism up by at least couple notches. I went from a ramyun with lots of craps (spam, egg, spinach....etc), macarons, fruit, and bread. The way we ate was like a bear before hibernation. We were on a serious "See Food Diet".

Then, I dozed off on the hardwood floor, next to the sofa in a curled up position, kinda like...erh... an animal! When we woke up, it was dark out and we ate more and slept more.

I don't mind spending my weekend that way provided that I can burn off the calories in my sleep!

PTA

I don't remember PTA being a casual thing when I was in school. My father met with my teachers four times a year, each time to collect my report card and not always a pleasant event. The one recurrent commment has been on attention span which I am still getting these days in my PMO at work (Oh! PMO = Performance Managerment Online, very high-tech in names but low-tech when it comes to the actual process....) and the other one is how once I labelled someone as "less adequate", I start to ignore that person...

Changunnie's school is all about "communication" and I've been to two PTAs so far and am about to have a long chat with the school sometime this month. It all started with a call from the school last Friday.

Changunnie is usually a very pleasant kid and for those of you who met her, she's not someone who is unreasonable. The teacher called up on Friday and said Changunnie is too dependent and seeks attention...blah blah blah.

To verify, each of us did a little role play with Changunnie in an attempt to put pieces back together. It sounded like like there's some issue with one particular teacher in her school. That lady is cold (even when we were at the PTAs) and I have a strong suspicion that she simply doesn't know how to communicate with Changunnie. Will see how it goes but I have a feeling that I will be the angry woman again!

Superbowl without a helmet

I mentioned in my last post that we didn't go to any fancy restaurant for our 10th anniversary dinner. Some of you may know the reason. Grandma fainted on the rooftop the night before and ended up with a black eye and a swollen cheek....

It was around 5:30pm on Thursday. I was not particular happy because of some crap at work. My phone rang and I had the super calm grandpa on the line. My heart was up in my throat. When grandpa is super calm, it means something bad happened.

"Grandma passed out for 3 seconds and fell down on the rooftop. Right cheek landed on the ground first"

I called our family doctor and left work immediately. There wasn't any taxi so I ran to the subway station to catch the train. It was all calm at home. Changunnie was playing with grandpa in the living room. I ran into grandma's room and saw her lying in bed with a towel wrapped around her head, err.... like a mummy! The right cheek was swollen and she couldn't open her right eye. There were serious bruises under her eye. The only comfort was Grandma was conscious and could recount exactly what happened. Both grandma and grandpa insisted on not going to the hospital. The only thing for us to do was to monitor her conditions (no vomitting, no serious headache, good eyes movement...etc).

On Saturday, we took her to the doctor and X-ray. Our family doctor didn't scold us but we knew exactly what he meant when he said the skull got very thin bones and it's hard to detect a fracture which can cause complication during heeling....

Fortunately, grandma's condition has gotten a lot better and as suspected, the brusise around her eye started to spread and her cheek is starting to turn greenish. She should be alright in weeks. There was one thing really funny about the incident. We joked about how grandma looked like she played in the superbowl without a helmet and when daddy and I went to Lee Garden to fix Changunnie's stroller, we saw a poster and I couldn't help but to take a picture. Grandma could be the fashion icon according to the poster.......

SML and Robuchon

No no, we didn't go to any fancy restaurant on Friday night (that's another story!) but had a good weekend filled with good food.

We worked till late and had to buy a present for a 1 year old. Dol (the first birthday) is a huge thing for Korean families and we were invited to attend the Dol Jan Chi on Saturday. As unprepared as we always are, we rushed to Times Square to buy a present in the last minute for the birthday girl. When we were done, it was 9pm and thought we would stop by somewhere for a quick bite.

The restaurants in the Times Square building weren't exactly on our A-list. The Thai/Vietnamese restaurants are alright but I wouldn't pay the price for their food as I know I can pay 1/3 the price for tastier dishes in Kowloon City. We have never heard of the Japanese ones there and weren't sure if we wanted to try the unknown (where dishes could be localized). Then, I remember Peech's post on SML and decided to give it a try.

The place was packed but there was a table out on the terrace. Even though it's self service out there, it was not that hot in the evening and we figured why not. The waiters weren't there to wait but to usher people to pick up their orders at the bar. We picked a number of dishes and waited eagerly for our tapas size (S) dishes.

We were quite happy with the Meatball in spicy tomato sauce. The oxtail risotto was al dente (even though I don't mind the taste be a tad stronger). I liked the foie gras and chicken confit and we wiped out the dish in minutes. The beetroot salad with feta cheese, deep fried polenta were not bad and so was the penne arrabiata (I am confident that my version is better though!) The spicy calamari was a disappointment. It didn't have the kick at all. The pork belly with cole slaw didn't meet my expectation. It wasn't bad but just didn't wow me (I cannot forget about the one I had at Amber during one of our lunch club outings. It melted in my mouth and I had that wonderful taste in my mouth the entire afternoon). It was pleasant overall and I was quite pleased with the bill. They definitely scored high in the value for money department.

We went home with two cakes from Robuchon (Peech, thank you very much for that! It was a very nice of you to get that for us!) and.... : the cake fell off the backseat onto the floor when we made a sharp turn when we were 5 minutes from home....

I have to say whilst it is nice to have both form and substance, substance is still very important. When we had the cakes the next day, no one even asked why one cake was not in recognizable shape. No one said anything other than grandpa saying "best cake I have ever had" three times when we were all busy digging in. Changunnie wouldn't let anyone touch her hazelnut chocolate cake. Yes, she ate a quarter of it all by herself!