tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60001386905264941132012-01-01T18:51:09.525-08:00My journey towards being healthy.2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.comBlogger1701100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-43141640023340743962012-01-01T17:59:00.000-08:002012-01-01T18:51:09.538-08:00

So I'll keep with tradition and write a post about my goals for 2012. 2011 was a year of growth for me - a year of getting to know myself, pushing boundaries, listening to gut instincts, throwing myself at new challenges, striving to follow through, and completing some life goals. I realized this year that I'm a serial entrepreneur and finally achieved small successes, mastering the art of

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-64108215211129097542011-11-27T22:18:00.000-08:002011-11-28T06:06:13.701-08:00

Somehow I've stumbled onto the age of 30, wrapping up a rather eventful second decade of life and decided to do a little bit of reflection. When I started this blog exactly 3 years ago on my birthday it was because I didn't think I'd live to see me in my thirties. Thus, started a series of gut instincts, irrational decision making, emotions, and adventures in the past 3 years which have pushed me

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-3532823717909113002010-09-25T11:17:00.000-07:002010-09-25T23:59:18.399-07:00

I've been intrigued and reading more and more about a Paleolithic diet in the last few weeks. A friend of mine mentioned it since she does cross fit and everyone there is all about eating Paleo. At its fundamental - eat natural foods rather than processed foods should be common sense but it is not and it is pretty hard to do living in an urban city. So she is doing a month challenge of a paleo

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-17849588928065575422010-09-24T13:36:00.000-07:002010-09-24T17:13:14.391-07:00

It has been one week since I purchased my first slow cooker ($30, President's Choice) and what a joy that week has been. In the week prior to my spontaneous purchase, my friend had bought one for her boyfriend and proceeded to spend $100+ on all sorts of meats at Costco and a cook book! I've always shied away from leaving my stove on low for hours on end so I stay away from making soups and

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-81145116038681529042010-07-27T11:48:00.000-07:002010-07-27T12:21:03.823-07:00

Alright, so I've just signed up to do the Vancouver Triathlon on Labour day long weekend here in Stanley Park.Activities this week:Sunday: 20km bike ride thru Stanley park. 45min.Monday: 1km swim in Kits pool.Tuesday: 5km run thru Stanley Park. Beach Volleyball.Wednesday: 1km swim.Thursday: Brick workout: 20km bike ride, 5km run. Windsurfing.Friday: REST.Saturday: 5km run.The

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-90239787027457264372010-03-09T13:22:00.000-08:002010-03-09T14:13:54.489-08:00

I'm rather impressed with the mission the media has been undertaking recently - which is to expose how we are stuffing ourselves silly with "Food" and how we should be aware and concerned about what the food in our grocery stores are actually made from and how were they made.I watched Food Inc on the weekend and it made me wonder how we're going to solve these problems. How do we bring back the

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-55825470773800958572010-03-05T17:17:00.000-08:002010-03-05T17:22:54.213-08:00

Alright, I spent the last four months essentially undoing all the steps I took last year to get healthy. Yes I know - I feel so guilty.You can make mistakes once but once you see history exactly repeating itself its just no good. And I'm very disappointed in myself.Now that the olympics are over and I'm over the heartbreak AND my startup has taken off, there's really no more excuses of mine on

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-73962515309988611542009-12-25T12:09:00.000-08:002009-12-25T12:25:17.636-08:00

Wow the year is almost over. What a year. Let's see what I accomplished this year and what I want to accomplish next year.Accomplishments in 2009- Lost 35 lbs.- Did the Tour De Cure Bike ride in Napa Valley.- Hiked to Inka Trail to Machu Picchu.- Started my own business.- Moved to Vancouver.- Fell in love.- Survived getting dumped.- Built upon priceless friendships in Toronto, California and

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-28485450994437907562009-12-17T23:52:00.000-08:002009-12-18T01:12:57.086-08:00

I've reached out to my support network in the past 2 weeks. And I'm really really grateful at the kindness of my friends.I've learned a lot of things:1) When you think you have it bad, there are others who have it 100x worse.2) Be true to yourself. Only you know what makes you happy, sad, what you want, what you don't want. Only you can change how you feel about something or how you deal with

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-63087437129881924262009-12-12T11:38:00.000-08:002009-12-12T12:35:38.635-08:00

When I started this journey last November - it was about realizing that life was short. That I should not let life and opportunities pass me by. I realized that you should live life by the minute, live in the present, worry about things under your control. I was unhappy before because I was living within other people's definitions. I couldn't make a decision until a gun was pointed at me - be

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-2109841182503486922009-12-07T13:26:00.001-08:002009-12-07T13:52:25.607-08:00

My friend and I came up with a really analogy to explain life, especially relationships. If this post makes no sense, its ok just ignore it. If it does, I think I should write a book because it's helping me a lot.I bought a civic. I needed a car right away when I moved to a new city. I realized that Bay Area public transportation sucked and I couldn't keep renting a car because it was

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-5290257762485376092009-11-17T00:55:00.001-08:002009-11-17T01:00:32.211-08:00

Could you do me a favour and take this survey? http://bit.ly/2E2hty

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-12214129203949416452009-11-09T09:04:00.000-08:002009-11-09T09:56:50.112-08:00

It was bound to happen - a slippery slope to: eating meat -> eating out -> eating more drinking a glass of wine -> some beers -> shots -> mixing it all up insecurity -> stress -> smoking crappy weather -> not biking -> not running -> not working outSo I decided to take a step back and look at my year. Goals are only achievable when you put them as your priority. You've got to stay grounded when

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-90212768059609769792009-10-21T13:53:00.000-07:002009-10-21T13:57:17.261-07:00

Craving homecooked asian food I bought eggplant and bean sprouts this week to make another stirfry. I don't think I've ever cooked an eggplant before. And typically I'm used to seeing the long skinny ones not the fat squash-looking one. Nothing special, I sliced the eggplant, washed the beansprouts and some leek. First cooked the eggplant withi olive oil then added in oyster sauce and peanut

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-35917254205316682232009-10-21T13:32:00.000-07:002009-10-21T13:58:56.566-07:00

In celebrating of a NGUYEN-ing (yes WINNING) weekend I was able to check off some restaurants from my Thu-Eat list. Toshi Sushi is an amazingly fresh and delicious as well as easy on the wallet! I've checked yelp and dinehere enough to know that I should expect a long lineup. There were 5 of us, started waiting at 6pm and sat at 7:30pm. But honestly it was worth the wait!! The Uni was really

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-52295521082245442672009-10-16T10:02:00.000-07:002009-10-16T10:15:37.958-07:00

Really liked this article that B found. It's pretty inspirational at how an attitude change really affects your luck. In the university years, I was always fascinated with the good luck I always had. Not studying still meant riding the bell curve. Co-op jobs that took me to Vietnam and California which meant a new place, new experience every week. Singapore was filled with travels all over

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-54614889119212362232009-10-16T09:46:00.000-07:002009-10-16T09:53:22.838-07:00

After the last failure of drinking raw beet juice, I made sure that wasn't happening again! I bought 2 beets, wrapped them up in aluminum foil and put them in the oven at 375 degrees for 60 min. I left them in the oven for a while after that too because I forgot about them :) But it wasn't a bad move, since when I opened up the foil, steam didnt rush to my face. I cut away the skin, making

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-88428191936847881642009-10-16T09:35:00.000-07:002009-10-16T09:46:26.933-07:00

I challenged myself this week to cook single portion dinners so that I have no left overs. As well, I wanted to split these ingredients into two different dishes! I miss home cooked Vietnamese (or any asian) food where my mom would make several dishes and there was always some type of soup. So that's what I did - all in the span of 30 min.Soup1. Boil water and miso paste.2. Throw in bok choy,

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-25797060394434936222009-10-14T21:25:00.000-07:002009-10-14T22:01:38.680-07:00

Alright - the free exercise route is not working for me. I have a seawall right outside which I've yet to run on in months and biked as many times as fingers on my hands all summer. I have the complete P90X videos and open one up once a week at most. Paying for something makes you more accountable. I really enjoy it when someone tells me what to do and corrects my form - I completely miss JJ

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-66146081531582967502009-10-08T15:48:00.001-07:002009-10-08T15:56:10.212-07:00

Now that my office is located 15 seconds away from my kitchen its a dream come true to be able to control what I eat during the week. Now that I have access to Costco again, the first order of business was to get my frozen falafel balls, stock up on pita bread and a big box of edamame. Aside from freezing strawberries and bananas you won't find anything else in my freezer except these things :)

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-48552779537611862132009-10-08T15:19:00.000-07:002009-10-08T15:46:44.505-07:00

When I was on a strict no rice/pasta streak, a friend suggested trying Spaghetti Squash! I never happened to find it at the supermarket though until last week! The sign said Spaghetti Squash and I brought it home, cut it in half...and was a little disappointed! I half expected it to be long strands of spaghetti shape squash inside but for all intents and purposes it looked like a solid nothing

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-76732862846736833452009-09-30T13:56:00.000-07:002009-09-30T14:18:20.770-07:00

When I first moved to Vancouver I started doing intervals to train to run 5km. Then laziness kicked in and running went out the window. Now there's rain and a billion other excuses on why I don't run. Which really has to stop. In Hawaii, we found out we were in Maui the same time as the Maui Marathon! Also, the day before the marathon there was a 5K Maui Taco Run! After a week of a lot of

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-67897752746320042342009-09-27T00:23:00.000-07:002009-09-27T10:28:34.061-07:00

I've been very delinquent in my blog posts lately. Just got back from an amazing trip to Kauai and Maui. I hoped that hiking, snorkeling, surfing and a 5K run would counteract eating out and lazing at the beach and pool everyday. However, the food won this battle as I came home and to my dismay, gained 5 pounds - which I quickly lost being sick over the week. Anyway, I wanted to write about

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-21491378084626603942009-08-26T16:23:00.000-07:002009-08-26T16:35:08.963-07:00

My sister showed me a simple snack on my trip that I had to hurry back to Vancouver to copy. First of all, I did not know you could just freeze Pita bread and heat it up again whenever you want to eat it - this makes it last forever and also the taste doesn't degrade! Then I didn't know that you could throw it in the oven and broil it for 5-7 min and it becomes pita chips!I followed this recipe

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-18321917430357785902009-08-22T09:01:00.001-07:002009-08-22T09:21:21.417-07:00

There's a big reason I've stayed away from malls for years - only buying the basics and not really caring what I wear. My obesity dressed in any particular brand, colour, style would be just the same. Luckily I have my personality going for me.As years passed and every time I went into a mall to pick up something XL or size 14 or trying to squeeze into size 12 it was very disheartening. I love

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-10081950182991944512009-08-17T17:10:00.000-07:002009-08-17T17:55:29.101-07:00

The last 12 months have definitely changed my life. I've been to 5 continents, countless cities, countries, flights, gas stations. I've moved. I've shrunk. I've ate. I've drank. I've photographed it all. I tried to pick pictures that show me at my fattest (165+ lbs) in September 2008 and how Thu lost 30 lbs since then :)Take a look at the album.

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-42744679291998809562009-08-17T12:39:00.000-07:002009-08-17T12:57:24.014-07:00

Went on a 2 hour trek (30km) to see beaches along the south part of PEI. Only a handful of cars passed me probably at a rate of 1 per 20 min. The red sandy beaches were beautiful and the water was so warm. The rolling hills of grains and potatoes and green made it a very serene ride.

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-70672651462712180132009-08-15T18:23:00.000-07:002009-08-15T18:33:00.674-07:00

I'm out in PEI for a few days and of course every meal I'll try to have will involve some fresh seafood! So we went out to Queen's Meat Market before they closed and bought 3 1lb live lobsters for $5.99/lb! Not too bad :)Boiled some water, added some salt. When it was boiling, drop in the lobster for 18 minutes. And that's it! The pot here couldn't fit all 3 at the same time so I had to do a

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-43864907764815853252009-08-08T10:35:00.001-07:002009-08-08T10:39:24.450-07:00

Thanks to Kam and Gordon Ramsey, this is being added to my list of quick and simple dishes to make!I bought goat cheese covered in black pepper and freshly baked sour dough bread to go along with it. Once again my magic bullet came in handy.All you need is broccoli, water and salt for this.Watch the video and let Chef Ramsey show you how easy this soup is!

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-68217223905582476512009-08-08T09:21:00.001-07:002009-08-08T09:59:16.373-07:00

I think that the last time I lived in Vancouver I never saw the beautiful green outdoor playground that the city had to offer. I was limited by the 5km radius that my scooter took me and never crossed a bridge unless I had a ride. This time, it's much different.Gulf IslandsFor example, I didn't realize that right beside Vancouver are 200 islands!!! Some are reachable by BC Ferries, others can

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-76272386511202371172009-08-07T02:11:00.000-07:002009-08-07T02:12:38.970-07:00

Great now there's evidence that beets are awesome for your workout! Maybe I should've had some of this before I did the grouse grind yesterday.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8186947.stm

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-91611412826954177532009-08-04T12:51:00.000-07:002009-08-04T13:03:23.148-07:00

The baby scallops we bought from Superstore were nothing to write about - previously frozen. But wow, following Jamie Oliver's (Happy Days with the Naked Chef)instructions on how to make Pan Searced Scallops was priceless.Ideally you'd want a nice meaty large selection of scallops but we used baby ones. Season the scallops with salt, pepper and five-spice powder. Heat up a pan with some olive

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-62627192637999088232009-08-04T10:37:00.000-07:002009-08-04T12:01:50.366-07:00

Last week at the farmers market we bought fresh corn that we brought to a BBQ that night to watch fireworks. We bought ingredients for a super yummy fresh salad (red/yellow tomatoes, cucumber, sweet onion, red leaf lettuce). And we also bought a bunch of organic broccoli.Since we'd be camping in Cat Lake for the weekend, I decided to whip up some broccoli pasta to bring along. As a child I

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-67928321922555963502009-07-31T12:28:00.000-07:002009-07-31T12:32:34.790-07:00

Decided it was long overdue to customize my blog just a little bit. I think the artwork best represents what this blog entails. Do you think its inappropriate? Let me know your thoughts!

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-86021973572859958442009-07-30T13:04:00.001-07:002009-07-30T14:27:27.846-07:00

Before: After:A few weeks ago we had a roommates pizza night. We actually made the dough from scratch which is something new to me!I followed this recipe/video for the dough and it was delicious! The only complaint about the recipe is that they gave it in ml and g instead of tablespoons/cups so I had to keep my computer by the kitchen to look up google conversions. Garlic was added which was

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-82985668181519818732009-07-30T12:37:00.000-07:002009-07-30T14:27:18.380-07:00

I was flipping through a cookbook and read about a miso salmon - however the recipe called for putting it in oil and a pan and I really felt like steaming a fish. I got a whole fish from T&T on sale for $7 and decided to experiment a little.Miso paste: I combined a 1/2 cup of water with 1/2 cup of miso, one piece - maybe 2-3 tablespoons of thin strips of ginger, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Mixed

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This week I decided to try as much as I can go to back to the diet I started at the beginning of the thufat journey. Soups are easy to make and lasts over so many meals. Since the weather has been over 30 degrees everyday and sometimes reaching 40, I decided a cold soup would do me good.I bought free range chicken broth (1 container - 900mL), boiled it with 1 potato chopped and 1 onion chopped

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Shoot, you'd think I'd have more time now but unfortunately blogging has taken a backseat in my jam packed summer of fun. There's so much content and pictures I've been gathering up to write about, I just don't know where to start!Well ok this post will be of the present then the next 10 posts will be of the food, activities and fun since I moved countries. Some new updates:- you can now go to

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So I've relocated, somewhat unpacked and settling back into a nice routine. Luckily in my month of eating out and no resemblance of a routine, I've been maintaining a weight of 135lbs. Meaning...I haven't lost a pound since May except days after a hike and dehydration.That's 2.5 months and not acceptable!!I do feel stronger though, especially with my legs - I can go a bit faster and much longer

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So I've arrived in my new home after an awesome road trip up the West Coast. The one week road trip included Burney Falls, Crater Lake, Oregon Sand Dunes, Mount St Helen's and finally Vancouver. I'll write more about that as soon as I get pictures up.I apologize for the break in blogging but I'm baack and have an amazing dinner to share with you. After a month of traveling, eating out, packing

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It's been a hectic 2 weeks of coming back and moving out. And here are random thoughts I've had- I donated about 80 items of clothing to Salvation Army ranging from size 12-14. Then was still disappointed to find pairs of jeans that kept trying to fall off me after the truck pickup.- Some people who hadn't seen me for a year or so saw me and immediately commented on my weight loss.- I've moved

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This was the first week of tasting the bay area while catching up with old friends I might not see again in a long time. I'm not sure why everytime I reach I milestone I celebrate by gaining all the weight back. This week was definitely a typical week in a past life of a year ago and makes me want to exercise and do a clense and never eat like this again :)Sunday: - Quizno Sammys Vegetarian

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Actually, I'm currently at 132 lbs which means I've lost 32 lbs!!!!!! :) This calls for a celebration and a silly youtube video. Here's a song I listened to over and over on my trip.

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Day 4: Wiñaywayna to the Sun Gate to Machu PicchuDistance: 2.49 miles/4 kmMaximum Elevation: 8,829 ft/2,700 m Machupicchu Elevation: 7,872 ft/2,400 mBright and early we woke up at 4am. Since I had about 8 hours of sleep, I was up and ready to go! We had a quick breakfast, said bye to the porters and off we went to walk about 5 min to join the lineup. We were about the 5th group in line at the

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-21746319315748991942009-06-17T08:21:00.000-07:002009-06-17T10:01:01.185-07:00

Day 3: Pacaymayo to WiñaywaynaDistance: 9.94 miles/16 kmMaximum Elevation: 12,792 ft/3,900 mCampsite Elevation: 8,692 ft/2,650 mDay 3 was pretty brutal. When everyone told me that Day 2 is the worst of it, I half expected Day 3 to be a cake walk. Nope, we had to cover 16km today and...it's not flat. So up the mountain we went, visited a ruin and again went upwards to see some small ponds, then

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-59457069695676122852009-06-17T00:43:00.001-07:002009-06-17T09:50:14.499-07:00

Well, I've been home for a few days but wanted to write a little about the best hike I've ever done.We started at Km 82 along the river and the train tracks. If we were optimizing, we'd follow the train tracks which are flat and takes us directly to Machu Picchu. Actually we'd be on the train. But no, instead we used our two feet, arms and sometimes a core to plow through 4 days of 8 hour a

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-61810788145175405312009-06-04T12:41:00.000-07:002009-06-04T12:51:05.503-07:00

The past 2 days have been a very unique amazing experience. we took a motorboat 3 hours out to a few islands in Lake Titicaca. The first was Taquille, where the blue water and views were breath taking. It took about an hour to climb to the top to the town square and a few more steps to get up to a house for some quinoa soup and fresh grilled trout. The views and people were just incredible.

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-15928682771885883712009-06-02T18:54:00.000-07:002009-06-02T19:05:11.466-07:00

Hey everyone, I've landed safely yesterday into Lima. We stayed in Mira Flores and only had a bit of time to walk around to see fast food restaurants, a church and a whole bunch of casinos! We played slots and could've walked out ahead 1 sole but left when we lost 2 soles. This morning we headed to the airport to fly to Juliaca with a stopover in Cusco. Then took a bus to Puno which is built

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-86242345598755343922009-05-31T17:19:00.000-07:002009-05-31T17:39:40.965-07:00

I had made a mistake and assumed I was leaving for Peru on Saturday :) Instead, it is 1am on Monday morning. This leaves room for a full weekend of awesomeness in the bay area.We headed to Mt Tam to try out this hike I had heard so much about for the past few years as the best hike in the bay area! And sure enough, it was pretty awesome. We followed the route suggested by bahiker to go up from

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-11986564130477091942009-05-30T02:55:00.000-07:002009-05-30T03:06:09.224-07:00

Ewwwwwww. Who is that girl?!?!June 2006 June 2009

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-70522800535378056602009-05-28T09:00:00.000-07:002009-05-28T09:20:16.253-07:00

Well, I'm back from Yosemite and the sunset hike trip to Half Dome didn't go exactly according to plan but what I did experience was priceless.- Full rainbow and a cool shower along the falls.- Full sky covered with stars and shooting stars and UFOs.Instead of arriving to start the hike at 12 to get up to Half Dome by 8pm, we were late and did not anticipate the hour wait in front of the gate or

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-50832432490793680742009-05-28T08:30:00.000-07:002009-05-28T08:48:52.472-07:00

On Friday I wanted to clear my fridge of farm vegetables so thats what we did! We bought some fresh salmon and lemon.I marinated the salmon with olive oil, pepper, salt, pine nuts, pepper flakes, rosemary, thyme and lemon slices. Baked it at 350 for 25 min. It came out super tender and juicy.I had some help with the veggies - Dustin peeled the Fava beans and we boiled them for about a minute

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-38419840120903147882009-05-27T20:59:00.000-07:002009-05-27T21:02:41.561-07:00

Not wanting to spend yet another meal eating out, I willed myself to go to safeway today and buy food.I bought some - Morningstar Portabello Mushroom Veggie Burger patties- Fresh Sour Dough Wheat Bread- Mushroom Brie Cheese- TomatoesCame home and put it all together with my farm lettuce in the span of 10 min and seriously, it is the tastiest burger I've ever had. No sauce, no oil, nothing. Try

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-82508133841903700652009-05-21T00:00:00.001-07:002009-05-21T00:10:54.208-07:00

Alright armed with new pants, fleece, shoes, socks, headlamps along with my trusty northface waterpack and mangos we went on our final test hike before Half Dome tonight. We started around 8:15pm in time to see the sunset. Since Mario is equivalent to 2 mules, trying to keep up a decent pace with him was tough. It's probably the fastest I hiked up Mission Peak but his absolute slowest time :)I

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-765642104550155792009-05-18T09:00:00.000-07:002009-05-18T09:20:03.201-07:00

What a way to wrap up my bay area experience with a sunday morning stroll along Hayes and Fell into the Golden Gate Bridge....observing the creativity, livelihood, and debauchery of thousands of SF Bay area peoples.This event is way better than Halowe'en since the weather was perfect and any costume (absolutely anything) goes. Lifeguards, inmates, aliens, fighters, cast of 300, Jesus, creepy old

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-8488526590809862922009-05-18T08:54:00.000-07:002009-05-18T09:16:49.431-07:00

We headed down to Big Basin on Saturday to tackle a hike along the Sky to Sea Trail to see three water falls. There are beautiful Redwood/Sequoia trees all over which provided plenty of shade. Because of my lack of navigation skills, we went the complete opposite direction. When we realized this it was already an hour into it and we decided to keep going to the Ocean Summit View. When we got

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-85600846323447175592009-05-14T09:21:00.001-07:002009-05-15T01:39:24.430-07:00

I have to admit, the last week or month has been a slump in the healthy cooking at home or even packing lunch or waking up early. Lemme try to get myself out of it.Today:Hue Food for lunch - Banh Bot Loc, Banh Beo, Com HenChinese for dinner - Bok choy and other veggies, Fish, ChickenYesterday:Burrito in Alviso for lunch - ok fine I had beef tongue + beans + rice :|Pluto's in Palo Alto -

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-43954093435427933482009-05-11T01:20:00.000-07:002009-05-11T08:07:25.936-07:00

My friends just got back from an epic snowboarding winter in Colorado so I was excited to come up to Sausalito to spend the weekend catching up!! They planned out an awesome hike in Point Reyes to Alamere Falls - I didn't realize until half way in the hike that the special treat was THREE waterfalls - the last one falling right down into the pacific ocean. We started at 1pm and took our time

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-15775666391422492722009-05-11T01:11:00.001-07:002009-05-11T01:22:45.336-07:00

We had an eventful Friday night when we finally made it to Mission Peak at 9pm. 2 hours behind schedule of course. So I've done this hike a couple times but never started in pitch black. At least I had a headlamp this time and more people to intimidate the cows. Geesh, the cows are very aggressive and loud at night. Not to mention how scary they look as big fat blobs all lined up to attack

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-37068291129700457482009-05-08T00:08:00.000-07:002009-05-08T00:18:24.342-07:00

Haha I love this link. It's funny that the BUTTER or CHINESE FOOD TAKEOUT or the ENCHILADAS or BREAD was overlooked in her downfall.WHAT HAPPENED to her?!WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?? ok don't laugh. This was from the Pacific Mall days in highschool :)

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-73938188580098221062009-05-06T23:36:00.000-07:002009-05-07T00:11:57.797-07:00

I've hit a bit of a slump in the work out arena. I'm severely lacking on the strength training, muscle building exercising lately during the week. Mostly I've been doing cardio activities during the weekends - training more for endurance and distance on my bike and hikes. Some weeks went by without a single day at the gym during the week. Unfortunately I think some of my weight loss has been

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-78570284017211316032009-05-05T12:26:00.000-07:002009-05-05T13:08:14.637-07:00

What a great great day in the life of 2. I had a blood test a few weeks ago and got my results today. GUESS WHAT!!!! I am NOT Pre-Diabetic anymore!!!!Yup that's right, my fasting blood sugar is in the normal range! It means my body is working to break down glucose again! My cholesterol is back to normal. My liver is back to normal. My kidney is back to normal. My good cholesterol is still

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-74050882504252004332009-05-03T20:44:00.000-07:002009-05-06T22:29:35.494-07:00

5 months ago I discovered that I had Pre-Diabetes and decided to sign up for the 25 mile bike ride in Napa Valley to fight Diabetes. At the time, I had never even biked 10 miles before but decided to work towards this event. May seemed like a long time away.I learned a lot about my bike in the process by watching YouTube videos of how to fix the brakes and the derailleur. I learned what a

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-62114472191368831302009-05-01T23:56:00.000-07:002009-05-02T00:48:58.556-07:00

Ah, Berkeley and good food come hand in hand. It's no exception especially when you get to eat good food and meet up with some close friends and see how far we've all come. It's funny how things work out - we all came from the same university, lived a few minutes away from each other in Tee Dot, together we've traveled the world, ate and drank all throughout the world, done well doing whatever

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-58906467523127729362009-05-01T09:17:00.000-07:002009-05-01T09:36:01.538-07:00

This is not an appropriate video and will offend you....I'd put an R rating on it.but boy does it make me laugh - random video - thanks Irieeee.

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-52610466266319980792009-04-30T11:06:00.000-07:002009-04-30T21:51:02.577-07:00

My goal as the end of the week rolls around is always to clear my fridge, so I made this up on the spot.Started with some cut up chard and a cut up sweet red onion I had got from the farmers market last week in a pan with olive oil. Then added some green peppers and garlic. Found some left over tomato sauce (not much, just maybe half a cup) so I poured that in. Then heated up some brown rice

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-65384597723101506692009-04-27T09:01:00.000-07:002009-04-27T09:15:37.639-07:00

We followed this recipe for dinner. The sweet (red) green onions and the bright yellow chard from the farmers market were just delicious! We also added shitake and oyster mushrooms into the recipe. The consistency was a lil too watery but I'll take any hint of alcohol (white wine) that I can get :)

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-46795996214063051212009-04-27T02:14:00.000-07:002009-04-27T02:21:26.283-07:00

This surely was an expensive bunch of kale if our bikes were taken at the same time we paid for this.We made chips again, this time enough to feed 5 people and the cable guy! A little bit of new experimentation shows you should not stuff all you can onto a oven pan but spread it out so that theres only one layer of kale there. It took about 15-18 min to finish at 350 degrees.Also, we missed

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-9667826263860296452009-04-27T02:05:00.000-07:002009-04-27T02:14:19.176-07:00

I've decided to treat my $500 loss of a bike as a weekend vacation in SF, where if I didn't have the luxury of the lovesack, the delicious food and kitchen there at the Palms, I would definitely have spent that much.So let's talk about food instead! This weekend of food was yummmy! Mario introduced me to Matzo. I've heard about unleavened bread in the bible but was never sure people actually

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-71841812658562553932009-04-25T22:09:00.000-07:002009-04-25T22:19:31.860-07:00

I've been lucky so far that I'd never got my car towed or stolen or any other method of transportation. Until today. I mean, I am fully aware that I had the Napa bike ride NEXT week and was going to go for a short bike ride today to prepare.We figured that biking to the Farmers market is much faster than the 30 min walk there, so me and Kat went. We parked the bikes in the corner of Mission

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-25127713212542069502009-04-22T08:42:00.000-07:002009-04-22T10:29:45.033-07:00

Google Analytics actually gives me a good idea of where my friends are in the world :) In all of 31 countries! I can't believe it's already been 5 months since my attempt at starting a new lifestyle. Thanks for all your support so far. Thanks for all the kind words and feedback.Thanks for going out to the farmers market and buying vegetables like Kale and Leeks.Thanks for sending me useful

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-72060813909865024672009-04-19T20:13:00.000-07:002009-04-19T21:02:49.429-07:00

What a great sunny weekend in the bay area! It might have been just a tad too hot (High of 90F/32C). Today we braved the 10 mile hike at Black Mountain in Rancho San Antonio. It was a 2300 ft climb (toughest in the first mile and in the last mile) The rest was decent switch backs. We didn't even rest too much and it took about 6 hours. I'm not sure I'd recommend doing this hike when it's

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-10784041135690260102009-04-19T01:10:00.000-07:002009-04-19T01:32:46.201-07:00

You know, for the past few weeks we've gotten beets and they look so intimidating since I've never touched them or handled them before. Firstly, the red stains everywhere look exactly like blood. How could something like this taste good??Oh how wrong I was. We roasted some beets today and they were DELICIOUS! I remember having beets at the salad bar and hating it. But after you roast them,

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-15118622665013158202009-04-19T00:53:00.000-07:002009-04-19T01:04:55.522-07:00

You know, I love Youtube!! Instead of taking my bike into the shop because I know next to nothing about bikes, I looked up how to adjust my front and rear derailleur and sure enough, theres a ton of helpful videos. Now I know how my gears work and what those cables from the gear shifters actually do. And what the lil + and - screws are. Finally I can use all my gears!So off I went to Campbell

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-73601370122067881402009-04-14T02:07:00.000-07:002009-04-14T08:08:46.149-07:00

After being enlightened by how much vegetables can be used up by making soup, I decided to make a variation of the Minestrone soup on the weekend for my consumption the rest of the week.

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-51971918902156171122009-04-12T22:32:00.001-07:002009-04-12T22:38:10.561-07:00

Today we braved mission peak again, this time I kidnapped my roommate to come too :) This time was way tougher than last week. First it was really hot as we were ascending but we were making good time ~50 min to get from the bottom to the rocky area... Then I decided to take a detour to avoid the rocky top area, but that turned out to be 2x longer and I didn't actually avoid the rocky top.

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-73982299752308092372009-04-12T01:15:00.000-07:002009-04-12T13:35:05.874-07:00

I really love cooking at Chris' kitchen!! He's got the best cookbooks, perfect utensils, pots/pans, and the magic bullet. So today we made the best use of all vegetables in the best Minestrone Soup I've ever had. We followed this recipe closely and the results were absolutely perfect. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera to show off how awesome it really was. I did pack some left overs home

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-13079599132111205252009-04-11T18:16:00.000-07:002009-04-12T11:27:11.506-07:00

After talking about it for what seems like months now, we finally went on a bike ride from SOMA across the golden gate bridge today and back. 19.9 miles! There's always been some excuse - waking up too late, rainy, windy, cloudy but we finally went !! It was a beautiful day in SF and for the 2.75 years I've been in the Bay Area, it's the first time I took this ride. Needless to say it was

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-40158793522162296852009-04-09T01:34:00.000-07:002009-04-09T01:45:15.655-07:00

Wow, slow and steady I have reached another milestone!I'm not sure if my sleeping habits and stress levels or any kind of routine has been commendable to talk about this past month. I still make a concerted effort to work out and cook no matter what - although squeezing this new lifestyle with everything else I need to do in life has been a big challenge that I have yet to fully sort out. I

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-59032842226481273162009-04-09T01:04:00.000-07:002009-04-09T01:26:03.068-07:00

So this is an experiment gone wrong. Hmm, I think my experimentations for vegetables this week have not been so good but at least it's a learning experience.Fennel at first smell and taste (I've never seen it before in my life) is like licorice. Texture like celery. Hmm I don't like licorice or celery. I think most fennel dishes are soups or broths since its so strong. Anyway I found that

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-3443593725782363002009-04-05T22:18:00.000-07:002009-04-05T22:56:45.343-07:00

Yummmmy. This has got to be my best gourmet dinner I've cooked.We switched to Two Small Farms these past few weeks but I've been away. I took the whole package this week which included many vegetables I had never seen before! Dandelion Greens (Frastigliata), Fennel, Beets, Green Garlic, Cilantro, Thyme. Pesto:When in doubt, I make pesto :) I combined dandelion greens, green garlic, cilantro,

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-508064658252630202009-04-05T00:46:00.000-07:002009-04-05T01:56:12.756-07:00

After a terrible week of jet lag, no exercise and high stress, you could just see the steam coming out of my head by Friday. I finally had a good nights rest of 15 hours and was convinced to go to Mission Peak. So I have to say I've been very bad at getting out and hike to train for my Macchu Picchu trip in June. Actually by bad, I mean I haven't yet gone on a steep incline hike this year (

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-41815659875270955202009-04-01T02:33:00.001-07:002009-04-01T05:52:56.735-07:00

I'm jet lagged and awake at 1am. So I find this:http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/squeez-bacon.html- watch the youtube video it's hilarious! If it's edible, it tastes better with SqueezBacon!Oh well, to balance it out, "dad" gave me some interesting links while I was gone:here's a link that perfectly describes my feelings about the Winter vegetables from the CSA so far:http://www.slate.com/id/

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-89965152702880685812009-03-31T17:34:00.000-07:002009-03-31T17:49:38.003-07:00

So on the plane ride back from Beijing I happened to sit beside this nice old lady from Vancouver. She's in her 70s or 80s for sure. She had help walking to her seat and then getting her insulin put into a bag of ice.Seeing the insulin, I immediately steered our conversations towards health. I wanted to hear what someone who's been through it all had to say. So she has had Type 2 Diabetes for

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-7196108823361926482009-03-29T04:50:00.000-07:002009-03-29T05:08:15.460-07:00

If I had more time to plan things out I would not have taken the hotel recommended tour to the busiest section of the Great Wall at Badaling. We got off to a rough (2 hour) start of lineups and crowds and pushing up to...a slide car. What's a slide car you ask? Well a slide car is the following: It's like Thunder Run at Great America/Wonderland. I'm not a fan of the tacky souvenirs, constant

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-66101484378611285932009-03-28T07:31:00.000-07:002009-03-28T08:03:15.128-07:00

As a self proclaimed vegetarian for the year, I surely have done a terrible job at avoiding meat here in Beijing. It's very tough to just order vegetables - meat seems to be the center of attention and part of every dish. Ok, well when in rome...right?It didn't take much to twist my rubber arm to eat...Beijing Duck. Gosh, I can't get enough of it. The perfectly crispy skin. The lovely wrap

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-7267525991502203102009-03-25T03:23:00.001-07:002009-03-25T03:49:12.840-07:00

I'm torn. Having a healthy routine and lifestyle has been the goal of 2009 and beyond. However, I also love the excitement of the random life of living every minute to its fullest, in a new place, trying new foods, making new friends or catching up with old, and learning new things. Why is it the year I decide to change my life around, I've flown to 7 cities and 4 countries in 3 months? What

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-16489432290670877642009-03-23T17:46:00.000-07:002009-03-23T17:49:39.483-07:00

Oh Asia business travel hotels, why do I have such a weakness for you. Fresh dim sum, congee, steamed goodness, sushi, western breakfasts, fruits. How many breakfasts am I here again? 10 days of it? ah crap.Did I mention how much I LOVE the food here! :)At least there's a decent gym here!!

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-68299001331655348662009-03-21T21:46:00.000-07:002009-03-21T22:43:39.697-07:00

So I dropped 4 pounds in 4 days. This is how NOT to lose weight. I stuck to packing lunch/dinner and the exercising early in the morning this week. What I didn't anticipate was the long hours I'd be awake - I might as well start bringing a sleeping bag and pillow to my cubicle.Basically if you are awake and use up every second of 20 hours a day, it does wonders for weight loss! I don't

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-3696937645819831492009-03-18T22:44:00.000-07:002009-04-01T09:50:34.527-07:00

:) I find that in times of lots of work and stress, it's so very hard to wake up early to hit the gym or pool, cook/pack breakfast, lunch and dinner and not want to grab a beer or light one up when you get home so late. It's definitely a hurdle that I need to overcome and I'm doing ok. If anything, I'll use this stress reduction kit before I cave.

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-69719137017362548012009-03-15T21:29:00.001-07:002009-03-15T21:46:20.309-07:00

I was up in Berkeley this weekend after a great lunch at Zachary's Deep dish pizza. This post could easily be about how perfect the asparagus and red peppers and garlic deep dish pizza was. It could be about how this is my favourite pizza place in the world. Or how fresh the tomato sauce is. But it's not. It's about the bookstore next door that B and I wandered into. I couldnt stop looking

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-82677003068100300822009-03-10T22:04:00.000-07:002009-03-10T22:14:47.125-07:00

I got more Kale from the farm! I was thinking of making Spinach/Kale Saag but decided to look on the web for something new. Found this from food network and since I had exactly all the ingredients (cremini mushrooms, green beans, kale, spinach, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes).First throw in some garlic in the olive oil and add onions. When it's translucent, add the mushrooms and green beans.

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-68770076181796262162009-03-10T21:49:00.000-07:002009-03-10T21:57:27.391-07:00

Can you believe I've been to this restaurant 3 times in the last week? Merit is my new favourite restaurant!I have been looking for a vegetarian place on yelp around my area and this one had good reviews and is very close to work. Friday, I had fake fish which was essentially tofu wrapped in seaweed topped with ginger fish sauce. It was sooo good. Sunday, when my friend visited and lost to me

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-63844749784625863722009-03-10T21:35:00.000-07:002009-03-10T22:04:03.364-07:00

Two weeks ago we headed to Menara Moroccan restaurant for G-Lady's birthday. I've never had Moroccan cuisine or knew what to expect for the belly dancing entertainment. It was such a great time!! First, you're seating on comfy couches along the sides of the restaurant. The dancer had amazing energy and amazing stomach muscles! She danced for at least 45 min.The food was a set course, family

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-91640023368886232272009-03-05T22:52:00.000-08:002009-03-06T07:36:15.827-08:00

Gosh, watching this youtube video makes me miss the little stalls of Pho I used to have in the mornings while living in HCMC. Even on weeknights, I'd get takeout pho to enjoy from the "original" Pho Hoa in NKKN district. Plus who can forget my grandma's pho - seeing the huge pot boiling for 24 hours, seeing all the condiments and ingredients spread out all day in anticipation for dinner. Ah,

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-36750471007921997262009-03-03T09:53:00.000-08:002009-03-04T06:56:38.255-08:00

30 more to go!

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-20621598171597793512009-03-02T09:21:00.001-08:002009-03-02T09:22:49.886-08:00

Like my new tupperware? :)

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-46923317973362384392009-03-01T20:16:00.000-08:002009-03-01T20:31:59.827-08:00

I just made this and am so excited with the results that I had to share it. It's not often that I post 8 times in a day! Hopefully that makes up for the 2 week break.I took the Asparagus Puree from Heidi Swanson's book. First thing I did was I blanched the asparagus. Ah what is blanching? Yes, I've only heard this this term recently in my adventures of cooking vegetables. Blanching is

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-35655496902674240652009-03-01T12:21:00.000-08:002009-03-01T13:08:21.497-08:00

I've been meaning to do this for a while now but since my company is no longer giving out free food, it means I finally have to fend for myself 7 days a week. I used to only cook on the weekends and once or twice during the week. These are available in my fridge this weekBreakfast choices- Mango/Strawberry/Banana smoothie with fat-free organic soy milk- Free range chicken egg white omlette with

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000138690526494113.post-34110037207732132082009-03-01T09:36:00.000-08:002009-03-01T12:08:57.310-08:00

A friend of mine told me about getting this 8 Blend Whole Grain Rice at Ranch 99. It comes in a 5lb bag and is of course expensive. It's ALL nutritious fiber from short and long grain brown rice, black rice, maple rice, red rice, red wheat and barley.I was intimidated to cook it so it's been sitting in the pantry for a month. I made 1/2 a cup inside the microwave with 2 cups of water. I first

2..http://www.blogger.com/profile/16185773058293586865noreply@blogger.com1