Monday, June 25, 2007
Home Sweet Home!!!
Hey... It's been 1 week already that I've been back!!! Many things to say... but may be too lazy to type it all :p
I had so much fun during my weekend in Vancouver. I stayed with a good girl friend and we did tones of girly stuff like enjoying a home spa! I also had the chance to meet with another good friend from Ottawa who was stopping by Vancouver on his way to Hong Kong. We ate cheap sushi and good Cantonese food (that is hard to find in the California Bay Area).
Now I'm back in Montreal... Can't wait to meet all my good old friends... hehehe.
I had so much fun during my weekend in Vancouver. I stayed with a good girl friend and we did tones of girly stuff like enjoying a home spa! I also had the chance to meet with another good friend from Ottawa who was stopping by Vancouver on his way to Hong Kong. We ate cheap sushi and good Cantonese food (that is hard to find in the California Bay Area).
Now I'm back in Montreal... Can't wait to meet all my good old friends... hehehe.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
I'm going home!
You probably wonder what I've been up to lately.
My sister came again this past weekend... for 2 more interviews! This is the 4th times she comes in 2 months. She's taking away half of my weekends and taking away time from working on the garden and backyard! It looks like she will take an offer and is moving here for real. We'll soon have to start looking for apartments and help her move-in!
I'm also preparing to go back to sweet home Canada. I'm leaving on Friday and will stay for a whole month. Yesterday, we had a ceremony for our first zucchini. It was yummy! I stir-fried it with some garlic, salt and sugar. Too bad I won't be here for our first tomatoes. We have many... a lot!!! The plants have grown bigger than I expected. Back home, they grow half my size and here, our two tomatoes are my shoulder-height! I should show you some pictures next time!
My sister came again this past weekend... for 2 more interviews! This is the 4th times she comes in 2 months. She's taking away half of my weekends and taking away time from working on the garden and backyard! It looks like she will take an offer and is moving here for real. We'll soon have to start looking for apartments and help her move-in!
I'm also preparing to go back to sweet home Canada. I'm leaving on Friday and will stay for a whole month. Yesterday, we had a ceremony for our first zucchini. It was yummy! I stir-fried it with some garlic, salt and sugar. Too bad I won't be here for our first tomatoes. We have many... a lot!!! The plants have grown bigger than I expected. Back home, they grow half my size and here, our two tomatoes are my shoulder-height! I should show you some pictures next time!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Friday, June 01, 2007
Little Prank to the In-Laws
Scrubbing the stove top is a new task that I introduced to DH's family. MIL (mother-in-law) already commented that few weeks after our marriage. She claims we don't need to scrub the stove top every day. I suspect her heart is aching because I'm making her beloved son working too hard.
On Wednesday, DH and I did our routine cleaning after dinner. We washed the dishes and scrubbed the stove top. MIL walked by and suggest that we wrap the stove top with aluminum, hence diminishing our scrubbing effort!! "Yes, that's what others do", she says. I had nothing to answer, I really didn't know what to say... For a moment, I pictured our brand-new kitchen upgraded with slate-stone flooring and granite counter top with a black stove wrapped in silver-colored aluminum. *yurk*. But I could find no good words to reply MIL, so I stayed quiet.
I then remember a story that my university friend told me, which inspired me to do the following. The next day, yesterday, I decided to play a little prank to show MIL how I respect her ideas and approve them. I wrapped MIL and FIL's white eating bowls blue plastic wrap. I served miso soup in those bowls and asked DH to present them to his parents. "What is that for?", asked FIL to his son. "So that we don't need to wash the dishes later", replied DH. He put them on the table and walked away looking at me smiling and trying not to laugh. His parents were clueless and didn't comment. I guess they didn't link it to what MIL said the previous night... But that was funny experience :D
Loving my story? You can support my cause by contributing to my "Moving-Out Fund" by PayPal at littlecamy at hotmail dot com.
On Wednesday, DH and I did our routine cleaning after dinner. We washed the dishes and scrubbed the stove top. MIL walked by and suggest that we wrap the stove top with aluminum, hence diminishing our scrubbing effort!! "Yes, that's what others do", she says. I had nothing to answer, I really didn't know what to say... For a moment, I pictured our brand-new kitchen upgraded with slate-stone flooring and granite counter top with a black stove wrapped in silver-colored aluminum. *yurk*. But I could find no good words to reply MIL, so I stayed quiet.
I then remember a story that my university friend told me, which inspired me to do the following. The next day, yesterday, I decided to play a little prank to show MIL how I respect her ideas and approve them. I wrapped MIL and FIL's white eating bowls blue plastic wrap. I served miso soup in those bowls and asked DH to present them to his parents. "What is that for?", asked FIL to his son. "So that we don't need to wash the dishes later", replied DH. He put them on the table and walked away looking at me smiling and trying not to laugh. His parents were clueless and didn't comment. I guess they didn't link it to what MIL said the previous night... But that was funny experience :D
Loving my story? You can support my cause by contributing to my "Moving-Out Fund" by PayPal at littlecamy at hotmail dot com.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Video of my Beau Riding a Cupcake!!!
Thanks Bunny for the comment!! As per request, let me post a something about my thin DH... Look at him riding a cupcake!!
Cake Time!!!
This pas Sunday, I rode an electric cupcake!!!Yup, this cupcake is using a car battery and parts of an old bike... No... I didn't make it, it was made by DH's co-worker and his wife. It was so much fun an totally hilarious!!!
Monday, May 14, 2007
French Dinner with Friends
At the "Alliance Francaise" gathering, we met a friendly couple from Paris. They invited us to their home on Friday to have dinner with some friends.
French people eat late (we know that from our trip to Paris in 2005, restaurants don't open until 7PM for dinner), our host said dinner would be at 8PM. We got there at 7:45PM, then we chatted and didn't start dinner until 9PM!
Dinner looked fancy. For appetizer, we started with some smoked salmon with some cherry tomatoes and some lettuce. Then for main course, they took a dish out of the oven and it was still boiling. It was a dish with cheese on top, "au gratin" as we would say in English, but in French, it would be the adjective "gratiné". It looked very cheesy... I asked, "Is this what we call mousaka?", they replied, "It's 'hachis parmentier'". Oh, wow... "What is it?" "It's a dish made of beef, onion, and potatoes." Wow... "What origin does this come from?" "Euh, I think French... it should be French." I took a bite and recognize right away this comfort food. "Oh, I know this dish", I said, "in Quebec, we call it 'pâté chinois'!". They found me very weird: "pâté chinois" literally means "Chinese pie"! Yup, I'm not kidding!!! In Quebec and New Brunswick, there's a version of hachis parmentier with added corn that we call pâté chinois. (You probably wonder why it's called like that, well, read the links then. ) Between the main course and dessert, there was a dish cheese, hmm... I tried Roquefort cheese for the first time! It was strong!!! Hehehe, I wonder how these French people stay slim with all this food (and drinks)!!
French people eat late (we know that from our trip to Paris in 2005, restaurants don't open until 7PM for dinner), our host said dinner would be at 8PM. We got there at 7:45PM, then we chatted and didn't start dinner until 9PM!
Dinner looked fancy. For appetizer, we started with some smoked salmon with some cherry tomatoes and some lettuce. Then for main course, they took a dish out of the oven and it was still boiling. It was a dish with cheese on top, "au gratin" as we would say in English, but in French, it would be the adjective "gratiné". It looked very cheesy... I asked, "Is this what we call mousaka?", they replied, "It's 'hachis parmentier'". Oh, wow... "What is it?" "It's a dish made of beef, onion, and potatoes." Wow... "What origin does this come from?" "Euh, I think French... it should be French." I took a bite and recognize right away this comfort food. "Oh, I know this dish", I said, "in Quebec, we call it 'pâté chinois'!". They found me very weird: "pâté chinois" literally means "Chinese pie"! Yup, I'm not kidding!!! In Quebec and New Brunswick, there's a version of hachis parmentier with added corn that we call pâté chinois. (You probably wonder why it's called like that, well, read the links then. ) Between the main course and dessert, there was a dish cheese, hmm... I tried Roquefort cheese for the first time! It was strong!!! Hehehe, I wonder how these French people stay slim with all this food (and drinks)!!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Free Ice Cream!!!
This is my 3rd post about free (or almost) ice cream in two months!!!
Häagen-Dazs ice cream shops will give out free cones of its new
flavors, Cinnamon Dulce de Leche and Sticky Toffee Pudding, on
Tuesday, May 15, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at any participating
Häagen-Dazs location
Häagen-Dazs ice cream shops will give out free cones of its new
flavors, Cinnamon Dulce de Leche and Sticky Toffee Pudding, on
Tuesday, May 15, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at any participating
Häagen-Dazs location
Museum Month
As I mentioned in a previous post, this month is free admission to selected museum for BoA's customers. On Sunday, we went to the city to visit two museums: California Academy of Sciences and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
We went to the California Academy of Sciences first. We found parking about two blocks away for $5 whole day, it was a decent deal, last time we were in downtown San Francisco, it cost us $17 parking!! This museum has a fancy name for an aquarium. Yup, that's what it is... we saw many tanks of fishes and not much of anything else. It was very small. Oh... and not only we got there for free, there was an oyster tasting!!! Yup, there are 5 different species of oysters and it was about tasting the difference between them. Since it wasn't crowded, we got to taste many... hehehe, I think I had 4. Then, we walked to San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). We did every floors starting from 5th floor where Picasso is. Hehehe, unfortunately, I don't know how to admire modern art.
We finished the day by walking to Chinatown and had dinner there. It was a long and tiring day, but educational. :)
We went to the California Academy of Sciences first. We found parking about two blocks away for $5 whole day, it was a decent deal, last time we were in downtown San Francisco, it cost us $17 parking!! This museum has a fancy name for an aquarium. Yup, that's what it is... we saw many tanks of fishes and not much of anything else. It was very small. Oh... and not only we got there for free, there was an oyster tasting!!! Yup, there are 5 different species of oysters and it was about tasting the difference between them. Since it wasn't crowded, we got to taste many... hehehe, I think I had 4. Then, we walked to San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). We did every floors starting from 5th floor where Picasso is. Hehehe, unfortunately, I don't know how to admire modern art.
We finished the day by walking to Chinatown and had dinner there. It was a long and tiring day, but educational. :)
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Coconut Pudding
I recently made mango pudding for my sister when she as in town. DH complained that I was not thoughtful enough because he doesn't like mango. So, I looked up recipes for coconut pudding (椰汁糕) and found a few thanks to google search. I made it last night and *oh yum* it tastes just like the ones you get at dimsum!!!!!!!
Here is the recipe I used: http://www.tinfu.net/healthnfood/dessert/dessert25.asp
Ok, now one more item I won't order at dimsum... :)
Here is the recipe I used: http://www.tinfu.net/healthnfood/dessert/dessert25.asp
Ok, now one more item I won't order at dimsum... :)
More Freebies!!!
Free museum admission for Bank of America's customers during the month of May!!!
http://www.bankofamericapromotions.com/museums/
http://www.bankofamericapromotions.com/museums/
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
New Toy!!!
Sister came to town... and brought us a new toy! It's a Motorola RAZR, the G3 model (forgot its name) that is for the Asian market. Woohoo!!! a toy to use in Asia on our trip planned for the end of the year!
Finally not an Err4
DH finally registers on our scales last night. After close to 1 week of Err4, he registered 4.9% body fat last night... phew... I was afraid my husband was disappearing...
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Cheap Ice Cream!!!
This time it's Baskin & Robbins promotion time, it's cheap - $0.31 - but not free!
http://www.baskinrobbins.com/Promotion/31cent.aspx
It's Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 from 5pm to 10pm!
http://www.baskinrobbins.com/Promotion/31cent.aspx
It's Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 from 5pm to 10pm!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Err4?
Talking about being married to a skinny husband. Two nights ago, after his shower, DH (Dear Husband) was looking forward to play with our new scale... He stepped on it happily and was astonished to receive an "Err4"... "Error 4?", he expressed out loud. "Don't weigh yourself until we find out what error 4 is", he said to me. He pulls out the instruction manual and here is the explanation:
Display Err4 Body fat percentage is beyond the range (4% to 50%).
Ok... So I weighed myself and got a normal result to confirm the scale is working fine, then DH weighed himself again and gets the same Err4.
Today, for the 3rd night in a row, DH is still Err4. (He used to be slightly less than 5%, in the 4ish%.)
Display Err4 Body fat percentage is beyond the range (4% to 50%).
Ok... So I weighed myself and got a normal result to confirm the scale is working fine, then DH weighed himself again and gets the same Err4.
Today, for the 3rd night in a row, DH is still Err4. (He used to be slightly less than 5%, in the 4ish%.)
Monday, April 23, 2007
My sister is coming... Again!!
My sister is coming this weekend... again!!! She was here just 2 weekends ago, the company she interviewed for is making her come in again for a second and final round of interviews. It will be another weekend of eating and drinking...
Another trip for cheap!!!
Hey all, remember my trip to Napa Valley? We stayed at a resort offered by those timeshare presentations? Here is another one... for Honolulu, Hawaii!!!!
Early last week, my husband got a letter from snail mail. It talked about a trip for two including airfare to Honolulu and 2-night stay for $100!!! That sounded too good to be true!!! So, my husband called and asked if there were other fees and the lady confirmed that the $100 was to cover the taxes, no other fee!! We quickly booked an appointment to listen to the timeshare presentation and went in on Saturday morning.
This company (RCI) sounded like much a better deal than the last timeshare presentation (Shell Vacations) we listened to. It was so attractive that we did spend 30 mins to think about it and finally turn them down... hehehe This one is really cheap, only $8350 for 21,000 points which is enough for 3 weeks of stay per year in one of their 3,800 condoes they own across the world, HOA (Homeowner Association) fee is only $273. Also, being a preferred member, we could get 30-50% off airfare since they are wholesaler. Since we are planning a trip to Hong Kong this year, we thought maybe we can make use of it and resale it next year... We should come out cheaper or we might just break even... I also thought I would have a place for my parents to stay if they visit the Bay Area. But at the end, the choice was easy - they don't own condoes in Hong Kong or San Jose, so, not good for us... BUT WE GOT A TRIP FOR $100 and for listening and considering!!! hahahahaha
Early last week, my husband got a letter from snail mail. It talked about a trip for two including airfare to Honolulu and 2-night stay for $100!!! That sounded too good to be true!!! So, my husband called and asked if there were other fees and the lady confirmed that the $100 was to cover the taxes, no other fee!! We quickly booked an appointment to listen to the timeshare presentation and went in on Saturday morning.
This company (RCI) sounded like much a better deal than the last timeshare presentation (Shell Vacations) we listened to. It was so attractive that we did spend 30 mins to think about it and finally turn them down... hehehe This one is really cheap, only $8350 for 21,000 points which is enough for 3 weeks of stay per year in one of their 3,800 condoes they own across the world, HOA (Homeowner Association) fee is only $273. Also, being a preferred member, we could get 30-50% off airfare since they are wholesaler. Since we are planning a trip to Hong Kong this year, we thought maybe we can make use of it and resale it next year... We should come out cheaper or we might just break even... I also thought I would have a place for my parents to stay if they visit the Bay Area. But at the end, the choice was easy - they don't own condoes in Hong Kong or San Jose, so, not good for us... BUT WE GOT A TRIP FOR $100 and for listening and considering!!! hahahahaha
New Toy!!!
We got a new toy!! It's a scale with percentage body-fat analyzer!! It was a deal on amazon.com, regularly priced at $99 and down to $17.99. Amazon doesn't charge sales tax for item shipped to California and shipping fee was waived because we signed up for Amazon Prime membership (free trial for the first 90 days).
I knew how much body-fat I had, but it was my husband's body-fat that I was curious about! That guy can eat, he doesn't exercise much, but remains fairly slim, so I always wondered... Maybe he has a lot of body-fat and he doesn't even know!!!
Ok... the verdict? 0_O He has the lowest level of the healthy range for body-fat percentage for men (which is about 5%-8%)... He's not even 5%... *sigh* some people can just afford to eat without having to worry...
I knew how much body-fat I had, but it was my husband's body-fat that I was curious about! That guy can eat, he doesn't exercise much, but remains fairly slim, so I always wondered... Maybe he has a lot of body-fat and he doesn't even know!!!
Ok... the verdict? 0_O He has the lowest level of the healthy range for body-fat percentage for men (which is about 5%-8%)... He's not even 5%... *sigh* some people can just afford to eat without having to worry...
Lunch at Google!!
My brother's good friend happens to be living in the Bay Area and working for Google. We bumped into him and his family and he invited us to visit Google and have lunch there. So, last Monday, after we drove my sister off to the airport (she was in town for the previous weekend), we went to Mountain View and met the friend at his work. I guess you all heard about free meals at Google and how they have chefs cooking for them. We had to check it out!
We got there around 11:30AM and visited the friend's office, two of their cafeterias, and a few of their mini-kitchen. It was still early, we had the chance seeing the happy cooks working hard preparing lunch with love and attention. Wow, lots choice of food!!! and all healthy choices!! Their milk is organic and their snacks are healthy choices like yogourt, apple crisps (made from dehydrated organic fuji apple), nuts, smoothies... As for lunch, one of the cafeteria served tuna steak (rare in the middle, just like tuna sashimi!) and New York steak... oh yum!!! But we didn't eat at that one, we settled for a second cafeteria where we had sole fillet stuffed with chunky crab meat... :D~ and for dessert lava chocolate cake and lemon strawberry shortcake!!! HAHAHA... my husband was so happy, he can eat and he was running out of space on his tray!!!
Hmm... We need to go back ;)
We got there around 11:30AM and visited the friend's office, two of their cafeterias, and a few of their mini-kitchen. It was still early, we had the chance seeing the happy cooks working hard preparing lunch with love and attention. Wow, lots choice of food!!! and all healthy choices!! Their milk is organic and their snacks are healthy choices like yogourt, apple crisps (made from dehydrated organic fuji apple), nuts, smoothies... As for lunch, one of the cafeteria served tuna steak (rare in the middle, just like tuna sashimi!) and New York steak... oh yum!!! But we didn't eat at that one, we settled for a second cafeteria where we had sole fillet stuffed with chunky crab meat... :D~ and for dessert lava chocolate cake and lemon strawberry shortcake!!! HAHAHA... my husband was so happy, he can eat and he was running out of space on his tray!!!
Hmm... We need to go back ;)
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