trying to figure out lent all over again

It’s been a very eventful week…in fact, I just learned what it’s like to be dumped. Twice. On consecutive days.

I’m working on this project and the people I’ve been trying to interview have been…inconsistent. I was left wondering whether this was even worth it; me rushing out around lunch time, waking up extra early, working till late…and I’m convinced that the One up there is trying to teach me patience.

This week has made me realize (probably yet again) that much learning comes from waiting. It comes in those times where you feel so abandoned that you’re not even sure what your head is thinking and what your heart is feeling. But alas, if you persevere, if you’re desperate enough – you begin to realize that there is a very clear reason why you’ve stuck to your guns.

This busy week has not been good for my lent reflection…and other than my fasting commitment through Streams of Justice, I have yet to figure things out. As I ran through certain things in my head….I would bar them off as either too easy or too complicated.

I’ll be doing something in relation to spending less…I have yet to determine the exact rules to abide by.

sunday poetry

like an unfinished novel
I tuck you away into a nook

for now

with the hope that I will finish telling this story someday
whatever the climax, denouement, or conclusion may be

favourite childhood foods

last night, a group of friends and I (in full friday night exhaustive state) started talking about our favourite childhood foods.

sunmaid raisins (who likes RAISINS???), pop rocks, corn nuts, fruit rollups, sodalicious candies were among some of the ones brought up (wow...all my friends must have rotting teeth).

for me though, the thing I most associate with eating as a kid is steamed fish. my mom would bring me to the market with her everyday, carrying me on her back as a toddler and holding my hand as I grew older. We would choose a fishy together at the fishmonger's...I can't honestly recall the names for the fish in english, but I did realize in recent years that I grew up eating a lot of black cod. black cod is cheap at chinese markets!

eating fish was a regular habit for us, and when I asked my mom about it years later, she says it was to "make me smart". Ah, yes...such Chinese reasoning. If I think hard enough, I can still smell fish steaming in our Hong Kong apartment...and how it would sizzle when mom poured the hot oil and soy sauce on a green onion and ginger laden fish. it was sensory overload in the best of ways and I, to this day, still love a good fresh steamed fish :)

sidenote: my favourite part of a steamed fish is the cooked blood that's found caked on under the skin...some might think that's disgusting; I think it demonstrates how my appreciation for the "nasty bits" (and Anthony Bourdain by association) really started at an early age.

hakkasan - food porn

to celebrate chocolate ball's birthday, we went to the well-hidden and chic "hakkasan"...nestled in an industrial complex near bridgeport and no.5 road. the food is "modern chinese" but still pretty grounded in traditional preparations and flavours, I would say.

highlights:

baked curry whelk - tickles the palate! this was an aromatic way of starting off the meal.



the appetizer plate - I don't know how prosciutto and melon is supposed to be innovative, but the rest of the items were quite delish (especially the fried shrimp tofu)







shark's fin soup



braised pork hock - easily the best dish of the night. tangy, slightly anisey, and glorious tender porkiness...the sauce just begged to be soaked up by rice.



crab with garlic that won't make your breath smell bad. yep, that's what the waitress told us! and admittedly, we didn't get garlic breath. the garlic was actually the highlight of the night for me...I could have eaten bowlfuls (ok, perhaps an exaggeration) of that stuff. I've been thinking about how the chef does it...must...steal...recipe.

awkward conversation

The other day, the wormball and I were discussing “conversational strategies”. We’re both not very good at small talk, so you know…you gotta figure out ways to cope. First, here are some of my own conversational weaknesses.

1) According to my sister, I laugh too much.
2) Using my cynical-sometimes-mean brand of sarcasm too easily (working on that one) – I only do this when I’m (too) comfortable!
3) Not maintaining eye contact
4) Not genuinely listening (really thinking: when will this end?)

Now, here are some strategies we came up with:

1)If you’re meeting someone for the first time, ask them about what kind of music/films/tv they like (Courtesy of Wormball)
2) Share random information no one really needs to know (Courtesy of Butterball) – this is a hit and miss!
3) Avoid the awkward conversation in the first place. If you see someone at a restaurant, for example, but you don’t totally want to catch up…and say, they haven’t seen you yet…AVOID!

the little things

I maneuvered myself over (it was SO COLD!) to Pender and Richards for delicious Korean tofu hotpot yesterday. It was about 2:30 when I arrived to Sandwich Garden, a little hole in the wall spot squeezed between other holes in the wall serving Donair, sushi, or Pizza.

When I entered, I saw a middle-aged Korean couple sitting on the counter. They were clearly the owners (the lady had an apron on), and I had clearly interrupted their lunch of what looked like beef bulgogi. The lady quickly stood up to take my order, and I literally heard her cook my hotpot from the tiny little kitchen at the far end of the "restaurant". :) It was sizzling when it arrived, adorned with three small plates of banchan (pickled daikon, kimchi, and sweet potatoes) and a bowl of rice.

After she served me, the couple went back to their lunch and chatted away in Korean...even though I had no idea what they were saying, it was still overwhelmingly cute. It just reminded me of why it's almost always more rewarding to eat at a moms and pops kind of joint.

coraline - a review

I officially love Neil Gaiman. (Aren't you proud of me emily p?)

For those who don't know, Neil wrote Stardust - which was one of my favourite movies of 2008. I have a soft spot for any movie that makes me feel like a kid again - but still manages to appeal to the adult in me intellectually/emotionally.

I then read Neverwhere, which is FANTASTIC - and the great thing about gaiman's work is that he manages to always keep the action going, and when you enter these fantasy worlds he's created; they feel real and within arm's reach.

And yesterday I had the pleasure of watching "Coraline" with the wombat. It's about a precocious young girl who moves into a new town...is bored out of her mind, has parents who barely give her the time of day...and is generally, unhappy. She then discovers another world from a sealed shut mini-door in her living door - and enters a parallel universe where she's given all the attention and excitement she desires. (but at a cost, as she would found out...you'll never look at buttons the same way again)

For a bit under two hours, I was mesmerized by the gorgeous stop motion work (puppets, frame by frame....MADNESS!!!!), which was also enhanced by CGI - making it an absolutely magical to look at. The music was also incredibly haunting and whimsical...creepy children's voices singing an unknown language and some crazy piano playing and string.

The best thing about the film is that it never tries to moralize - it could have easily gone that way and instead it just told the story. I couldn't help but think about the futility of dwelling in unhappiness - and the importance of working through the present, with a joyful heart and less complaining :) And of course - boy am I glad I don't have buttons as eyes...

the little things

I went out for a caffeine boost today, and as I waited at a light, I noticed two sisters on the other side of the street. They look about 6-8 years old and the older sister had her arm around her little sister. Donning matching coats, they just looked ducky…and having a grand old time.

It made me thankful to have a sister of my own to hug and pamper…not to mention take advantage of when I’m lazy or tired (“IRIS! CAN YOU GET MY CELL PHONE PLEASE?”, “IRIS! CAN YOU TAPE TOP CHEF??”). She’s the one person I never hesitate to tickle, mess up the hair of, open my arms to, and generally pester.

Thank God for sisters.

BC Jean - If I Were A Boy

When I heard the Beyonce version a while back, I thought: "Wow...I like this song! I never like Beyonce's music..."

And lo and behold, it's because it's originally by this artist here...who basically lost out to the big bad knowles machine and got the rights to the song wrangled out of her hands.

Anyhow...thought I would share the original :)

sunday poetry

I try to salvage
the bits and pieces
burning embers of an idea
that I'm not sure was real by any stretch of the imagination

so what have I learned?
how have I changed?
how have I grown?

I need to move forward

how ironic that the way I need to do it
is to plunge back into the past