Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Easy Pizza Playdate


4 little boys + 1 day of icky weather = Make Your Own Pizza Playdate

What you’ll need:

  • Baking sheets lightly rubbed with olive oil
  • Pizza crusts (I used Trader Joe's refrigerated ones and each bag of dough made two 8” pizzas)
  • Sauce(s): we had 2 choices: marinara (“smooth”) and vodka (“chunky”)
  • Cheese(s): we put out shredded mozzarella and shredded cheddar
  • Toppings: have the toppings pre-cut and in bowls so little fingers can easily get to them…I offered up red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, salami and roasted broccoli

Unless you’re into clouds of flour, I recommend doing the rolling the dough part yourself then calling the munchkins in to do the decorating. At first half the kids just wanted cheese pizza…but then one of them got the idea of making his pizza into “a face” and that opened up a whole exciting way of using (minimal amounts of) veggies. This was a messy project, but nothing a dustbuster and some paper towels couldn’t handle! Plus each kid went home with dinner to share with their brother or sister...and my children's dinner is made. Bonus.

Chimichurri Rice with Sausage & Spinach

On the day my older son has Kindergarten soccer practice (otherwise known as: one very patient dad trying to herd cats), our whole evening routine is thrown to the wind. Normally I feed my kids around 5:00 and they’ve had their bath and stories and are in bed between 6:30-7:00, respectively. Friends balk at their early bedtime, but neither kid’s complaining (any more than they already would no matter when they had to go to bed) and there is a brief period of calm at the end of the day.

But on the days we’ve got "soccer", we don’t even get home until 6:15 or so. This means I feed my kids their supper at 4:30 then race around putting shin guards on, looking for the soccer ball…and then spend an hour trying to keep my little one off the field and out of the parking lot. Unless I really plan ahead, dinner these nights doesn't get started until well after my husband has gotten home so it's got to be quick and easy...or takeout.

Last night, after the kids were asleep I went downstairs to figure out what I could quickly whip up. I hadn’t been to the market in several days and the fruits and veggies from our CSA were pretty slim at this point in the week. Still, with a little digging around the freezer, dinner turned out great….and plentiful enough that we can both have it for lunch today.

Chimichurri Rice with Sausages & Spinach

1 pkg Trader Joe’s Chimichurri Rice (in freezer section)
1 pkg Trader Joe’s Andouille Chicken Sausage, sliced thin
1 large bag frozen spinach

In a large fry pan, sauté the chicken sausage in a little olive oil. Add the frozen spinach and sauté until warmed through. In the meantime, heat the Chimichurri Rice according to the package (I did the microwave heating). Once warmed, add to dry pan with sausage and spinach. Done!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Suit Question

Many people have asked me (they assumed that being temporary Thai citizen, I know everything in Thailand) the very same question most men and sometimes women would want to know about Thailand.

"How much is it to make a suit in Thailand?"

Come on, I know you've wondered about it before. My mom asked me, my guy friends asked me, even my baby asked me.

Then, they ask:

"Is the quality good?"

"Is it worth the trip up there to make a suit?"

Some say yes, some say no.

It's totally dependable on individuals.



Well, to answer your question..

making suit in thailand
(RM1 =~ 9.7 Baht)


And YES, most of suit-making businessmen in Thailand are Indians.

Deep Water Faith

I'm turning 49 tomorrow and I can't help but think about how I might be caught in the middle ....
As lyrics to "Somewhere in The Middle" by Casting Crowns echo in my head, I pause to ponder my life. At least half of it is over and yet I feel like I'm just getting started -- just getting started grasping "deep water faith" and just getting to the place where I think I could let go and jump in with everything I am and not look back to see who might be watching. I gotta do this thing now; time is running short; we gotta take this city for the Lord; passion for His House burns within me. I think I've left the cold, and the old, and who I used to be. I'm ready for the hot, and the new, and who I am in HIM. Deep water faith cannot be tested in the shallow end. I'm diving in. :)

"Somewhere In The Middle" by Casting Crowns


Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle

Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves

Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle

Monday, May 25, 2009

I got pissed drunk

for the first time in my life, I can finally proudly declare that I have been (yes, i am going use the word) "pissed" drunk!

It involved black-out, puking, screaming, collapsing on floor,
the experience, I have to say, was refreshing.

Since, well, in some weird twisted way, I have never done this before, nor of course have I experience before.


So I have returned from my weekend cruise in Singapore. Yay~~ *cloud nine*

I don't want to get off the ship. Why must all things good come to an end. *sob sob*
It was so dramatic, first we won money in the casino, not a lot, but not before we lost a wallet with IC, platinum credit card and all cash inside. o.O

And this was all after I got pissed drunk.


Back to my story.

This was what happened. At least what I thought it happened, according to my vague vague memory as of now.


On the first night, my baby wanted to sleep early due to exhaustion. So with a tad bit too much energy and very awake, I decided to take a stroll all around the cruise for a look see. Which ended up to be a 5 hours stroll.




I practically haunted the whole ship that night, watched a movie in the theater (alone T_T), visited the wine shop, walked through the photo gallery for our photos, up to the swimming pool at the top deck and finally, settling myself in the karaoke bar at 1:15am.

The Phillippino waitress came over and handed me a drink menu. I flipped open and saw their Happy Hour list, available from 1:30am - 3am. I thought, wow, what a deal. And they have house pour wine served in glasses for SGD7.50 to SGD8 each.




So I thought, yea, why not.

I ordered the white wine (bartender was nice to give it to me anyway despite it was before 1:30am) and sat down at the bar counter.

you know, one that looked like this?




To my surprise, it was a pretty decent white. Very easy to drink, smooth on the throat and fruity to my senses. I continued to take my sips and watched on.


There I was, sitting alone listening to old Singaporean uncles and several youngsters singing oldies in some tormented tones.

You know one thing about sitting alone in a karaoke bar.

Despite my confidence in my shameless self in expressing myself when it comes to singing in public on a mic, I found that it was an entire different case when there's no close audience sitting next to you to either cheer you on and go down to shame-ville together with you because of your awful singing.

No, it is quite a challenging thought to be singing to a whole group of strangers when you are sitting in the bar ALONE.

But what the heck, I was here I might as well shame myself once before I leave the ship.


So I decided to down another two glasses of my white (big mistake), proceeded to order another sparkling french white (bigger mistake), and requested a few songs (you know where this was going).


By 2:45am, I was singing loudly dancing around the bar with a few equally drunk funny Singaporean uncles to ....er..... well.. I can't remember what song, but I could bet my good dollar that it was something along the generation of "Oh Mandy" and "Superman".

3:00am, I took the final gulp of my 7th glass of wine (or my third red wine, note: these were full glass pours instead of half glass), grabbed my bag and left the bar. Alone.


I wobbled my way down the stairs, hit the lift button, headed down to deck 6, and wobbled all the way along the corridor back to my room.




The moment I walked through the door, I fell flat on the ground, not before calling out for my baby.

He jumped out of bed and sprung toward me in shock. Held me up to support me standing. He might have tried to get me to settle on my bed, but I was feeling really drowsy I refused to obey.

Next thing I knew, I was bending myself puking all over the toilet sink, stomping on the ground every now and then when there's nothing left to puke, only to puke more when the urge emerged.

There were flashes of images where I was kneeling over the floor to get over my dizzyness/headache (I don't really know what the feeling was or how to describe it, but it was quite horrible).

Then one final puke, I stepped outside the toilet and hit flat on my bed sound asleep.

Which I thought happened between 3 ~ 5am.



O, how wrong was I.

Because when I woke up that day, it was already 12:30pm (dang!). He sat next to me and the room was a mess!!!

He told me that I puked almost everywhere, and proceeded to point the landmarks I planted, on the carpet, in the toilet, all over my clothes and I even clogged up the toilet sinks with the vege that came out from my stomach.

Puked five times. Passed out six times.


In accordance, this was what exactly happened that night at 3am.

Walked through the door, passed out.

Carried to bed. 10 mins, woke up, fell off the bed. Hit my arm. Carried to toilet, puked. Came out, passed out on floor.

Woke up, carried to toilet, puked even more, puked on him too. Hit forehead on sink tab. Came out, passed out on floor again.

4am. Woke up, went to toilet. Puked while sitting on toilet.

Came out, passed out on floor. Curled into ball. 30 mins.

Woke up, wanted to puke, couldn't move. Was brought a bucket, puked in bucket, filled the bucket. Brought a second bucket, continue puking.

Laid flat on floor, passed out. 45 mins.

Woke up, turned head to drawer, pulled out drawer, place my head over drawer, slept for a while, woke up, drool into the drawer, blew nose mucus into drawer. Passed out on floor.

Woke up, carried to toilet, attempted to puke. Came out, flopped on bed. And never woke up.


So basically. I was sleeping on the floor from 7am-9am. And slept on the bed thereafter till 12:30am and have no recollection of what happened after 4am.

Ermmm... That explaines the bruises I got on my forehead and arm.

bruises


Interesting.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Mommy Needed a Little Pampering

I wish I could come up with some cool/adventurous story about why I am limping around this Memorial Day weekend…suffice it to say it involved carrying my little one on my hip all of my older one's “K Beach Day” and wiping out (yes, in front of everyone) while trying to make my way to the water. Who knew that a California born and bred mom could have offspring who do not want their feet to touch the sand?! Anyway, rather than throw myself a full-blown pity party I enlisted my husband to watch the kids, and booked a facial for this afternoon. I do very few things that are for me-- and me alone-- but this is one of my regular splurges. And a weekend when I am supposed to “take it easy” seems like a natural week to book another appointment, right?

The aesthetician/owner, Melissa, uses Jurlique products (or Skinceuticals if you request), so I can feel good about what’s going onto my skin…and I come out looking radiant after all that facial massage. If you feel like you need a little “me” time and want more info on Elysian Fields Facial Spa, click here. (Though keep in mind that clearly facials, and not web design, are her forte…in fact I think the prices are outdated on the website too, but at $90, her hour long facial is still worth every penny.)

Friday, May 22, 2009

Escargots

I found them when visiting the hilltop Summer Palace of the 4th King of Thailand in Petchaburi.

summer palace on a hill
hilltop


stairs to the summer palace of king 4th
Stairs up the hilltop


summer palace
Summer Palace


lady boys
Lady boys


Ah~ What a refreshing sight,


pagoda


The view from here. See? Pagoda in the distance.


While I was browsing around the palace (forbidden to take photos inside, sacred ma, disrespectful to the royalty),

I spotted these little decalicies climbing around the corner underneath the pot.

snails group


There's not one, but a whole groupies of them!

a lot of snails


This was like a hang out joint for them. They were under every single pot.

Who eats this stuff?
oh wait. I did.

See if I can find a picture somewhere here.

escargot

Ugh. seriously. I must be crazy.


I mean, does one can actually look at these and say: "ermm... escargots." *rubs tummy*
One has to be either really blind, or really love escargots.

No, make that blind and anosmia (loss of smell).
God they smell. -.-


big snail small snail


wtf The big escargot just poo-poo on the small escargot.