Keep on moving

Whew! Just got back from an hour long bike ride - I'm trying to be active in the hopes that I may lose some weight...or at least not gain any more. Mind you, it's not easy since I am not on a strict exercise regime (or on any regime for that matter) and though I am aware of what and how much I eat, I don't really exercise any willpower and tend to pig out! So, I have started to use an on-line food and activity diary called EATracker. It's not bad - inputting the information is long & tedious, but I guess having to take time to do that stops me from eating...hmmm, maybe there is a method to their madness.
Two months ago, I left a job as Production Manager which caused me lots of stress, made me smoke, and kept me busy 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. Today, I am definitely not stressed (other than trying to plan supper), I haven't smoked since I packed up my office, and I am busy only when I want to be. For example, most of the day yesterday I was helping out backstage for a local dance company. It was lots of fun...for once I didn't second guess my abilities & just did it. I chalk this up to the stress-free life I've been leading. Because I "just did it," I had a great time! I took time to talk & joke around with people, to appreciate the "art," and I never once felt the urge to smoke a cigarette. How awesome is that! I also got to see these cute kids "shine" onstage and be so proud of their performances. What a fabulous day!
Another thing I now have time for is sewing as you know from previous posts. Since my last post, I have finished the white skirt, made a simple short-sleeved, A-line dress with a zipper in the back, and just today, I cut out the material for a tunic (this will be my second attempt at a tunic). If I'm feeling ambitious, I just may sew it together tonight. Sleeves are still difficult for me, but I'm getting better.
In July, I've taken on a 3-week gig as Stage Manager for a new play being produced here in town. I'm going to be missing the first 5 days of rehearsals but I'm not stressed since the company wants me to SM and because I don't want to stress anymore. I want to enjoy theatre again and to have fun, so I am making an effort to do just that. Mind you, I'm saying that now, but I'm really going to try - I'm not a very nice person when stressed.
Now, I do know that I will be a bit stressed about Yeh while I'm in rehearsals - particularly him being home alone as he can be a bit forgetful at times and I'm worried about his insulin schedule. If GD is onboard with me doing this gig, I think I'd feel better because he'd probably talk me out of worrying and would be able to do the evening insulin. However, he thinks I'm crazy to take the gig and was not willing to do the insulin & suggested I get a nurse. Hmm, yeah thanks for that. OK, I was a little bitter there.
In a little under 3 weeks, GD, my mother, and I are taking Yeh to see his cousin in Calgary - something he's been wanting to do for many years but my grandmother wouldn't go because she doesn't like planes and she believes that she and Yeh wouldn't be able to do it since they don't speak English. Bah! They could do anything, Yeh still can do anything. He's been going for walks on his own as I mentioned in the last post and he's been walking just a bit farther every time. He's quite happy with himself.
Well that's it for now. I must go and figure out what's for supper...sun's out today...Barbecue!

A Project, A Phone Call, A Fright, and The Sisters

It's been a good couple of days...

Yesterday I finished my second sewing project - a knee-length straight skirt with a flounce. The fabric is black silk (thank goodness for leftover fabric from my mom!). I did a pretty impressive job if I do say so myself! I thought the zipper would be the most difficult, but it turns out the waist and the hem was more challenging. I couldn't make the lining of the waist fit with the actual skirt - so the skirt has a permanent little pucker at the waist - you'd really have to look for it to see it, so it's forgivable for my second project. Because the flounce is cut on the bias of the material, the hem was a bit wonky in that it's kind of like a cloth tube that's wrinkled. The whole project took approximately 5 hours in total, two afternoons. I did a lot of measuring & re-measuring; I pinned and re-pinned the pattern pieces to the fabric several times before cutting since the leftover fabric had lots cut out of it; I attempted the waist 3 times before it was acceptable; and I did a lot of pressing to help make the hemming easier. Next time will be faster as I will know better what to do.

So, what did I do this afternoon for 2 hours? I cut out the same pattern again! In those 2 hours, I also began the sewing - the darts, the lining for the waist, the back panels minus the zipper(which I don't have yet), and the ruffle for the bottom (because the fabric is heavy, I'm going to finish the bottom with a ruffle instead of a flounce). I think the rest will take 2 hours or less, providing all goes well with the waist. This time the fabric is a white satin with embroidered vines on it (it's leftover from my sister's, P's, wedding dress). I think this white skirt will look cute with a dark shirt & my denim jacket.

My sister, J, the second oldest, called today. We had a great chat. I told her how Gai Doi was waiting for his 2 best pals to pick him up for their outdoor brewfest weekend of drinking and beer brewing and meeting other brewers and drinking. GD was like a 6 year-old waiting for the bus to take him to camp. He was so adorable. Pick up was at 12 Noon, however, at 10AM he had his cooler packed with his supplies. "Uhm, honey, maybe we should keep the ice packs and the food in the refrigerator until just before 12 so that it will stay colder and the ice pack won't melt?" "Oh, really? Uh, ok, I guess so. But I don't want to keep the guys waiting." "Really, honey. It'll be fine. We'll have enough time." I took their photo after they force-fed GD's stuff into the back of the already full mini-van. Oh dear, unsuspecting brewers, look out!

J also had a good laugh when I told her about Yeh and his solo constitutional. I think it was on Tuesday that I asked Yeh to go outside to get his circulation going as he had been sitting & reading for 2 hours straight with no movement. He obliged and stepped outside in his slippers to, as I imagined, wander around the yard, look at the budding flowers and check the progress of the garden. Content that Yeh was moving around, I began making soup for lunch. Ten minutes later, I looked outside to see what Yeh was doing. Hmm, he's not by the garden or the grapevines. Well, I'll just look out the front...he's not there. Yikes! A dozen thoughts raced through my head - my uncle is going to kill me for losing his father, it'll be on the news that there is a missing 87 year old Chinese man, or he's been kidnapped by the neighborhood kids. I ran to the kitchen, turned off the stove, and then raced for the door. Who walks in but Yeh...all smiles, "Me walk to highway." It takes me a second to figure out what he means...I get it - he walked down the block to the next street...in his slippers? Yeh was very happy with himself and decided that every day before lunch he would go for a walk, on his own, in his slippers even. And he has, except, of course, when it's raining and I have persuaded him to wear his sandals.

GD was at home while I was talking to J on the phone & corrected me on details of the above stories. J and I ended the phone call with a "Love you." GD commented that he was impressed that we sisters (we sisters equal 4 very different and passionate women) were getting along so well. I surmised that maybe the sisters have always gotten along well, but because I was so busy with work and never around, we didn't have a chance to show it. GD chuckled...who am I kidding? This IS impressive - usually the sisters fight like cats and dogs, vying to be the one who is the smartest, the one who has the most possessions, the one with the best husband, the prettier one, the one mom likes the most. Typical sibling rivalry...but we sisters have always been there for each other and the rivalry...well, we take it with a grain of salt.

Back at'er

Since we last met over 10 days ago, my Yehyeh, Gai Doi, and I have been busy...

Let's see, the rain finally stopped on the Victoria Day weekend. So on Saturday, we invited some friends and their kids to the house for a barbecue...nothing fancy - burgers(buffalo, beef, or chicken) with the fixings(lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard, relish, and cheese), BYOB, and friends were asked to bring either salad or dessert. It was a really fun and relaxing time...lazing around the yard with beer in hand, kids throwing around a frisbee (that is until it was stepped on and broke! Good thing I picked up that football at the yardsale!), Gai Doi's first experience bbq'ing burgers (we lost 2 to the flames - those suckers seem to slide right through the grill!), eating lots of great food outside for the first time this year, ice cream sandwiches (yummy!), and then retiring indoors for a round of Cranium (one of the most fun boardgames around!). GD and I don't have children, but we do love having them around. They fill the house with a great energy which makes me smile.

On Sunday & Monday, we put in our little four foot by four foot garden. Nothing fancy and very tiny. There's two tomato plants (one grape, one beefeater), 3 cucumber plants, 4 green pepper plants, 2 different lettuces (buttercrunch and red leaf), and some basil. This is our first foray into vegetable gardening, actually, into any sort of gardening really! It was very exciting and scary. I didn't think that I could ever feel so protective about a four by four piece of earth...but I am - Is it getting enough sun and water? Is that a weed? Is that an evil ant gnawing on a tender leaf?. I am drawn to it everyday, rain or shine. My Yehyeh planted some cilantro and green onions in the flower beds (as there wasn't enough room in the wee garden). He also planted some seeds of a red-leafed plant that I don't know the name of, but Chinese people make a great soup with it. Yeh is a bit disappointed that the squash seeds he planted haven't sprouted...oh well, he says we'll try again next year. Gai Doi and I are a bit pessimistic...if we harvest one small tomato, a gherkin-sized cuke, and a lettuce leaf, we'll be happy. It is, afterall, our very first garden.

The rest of last week went by quickly...some highlights were:

1. I finally finished unpacking and organizing the computer room - there is so much space and we know where everything is - Yay! So, now it's just the "little yellow room," a small upstairs bedroom that we've used as the "storeroom" since we moved in, to unpack and organize. Originally, it was meant to be for me, my office/sewing room/whatever. However, since it was a "storeroom," both GD and I have set up shop in the "big yellow room" with my sewing area and his beer making area. So, I've now decided the "little yellow room" will now be a single bedroom. I told Yeh my idea and he said he would move into it instead of the "big green room" that he currently has. This is great because we'll get a double bed and set up the "big green room" as a guest bedroom. I love it when a plan comes together!

2. GD had to buy a new burner for the stove...during his last beer making session, the burner basically melted because of the high heat and the length of time it was on. I discovered this the next day when I was making char siu bao. The steamer pot was not level on the burner...I took the pot off and saw that the "legs" of the burner were all twisted and askew. So, this provided GD with the excuse of purchasing an outdoor burner(a la turkey fryer) and larger pot(32 quarts).

3. Yeh and I made char siu bao again - it went very well and the bao turned out pretty good. We made sure we waited for the dough to rise, I used more filling and less dough, and I also made a chicken & mushroom filling to use. In the end we were able to freeze 2 dozen char siu bao and 1.5 dozen gai bao.

4. With my mom, we were able to finalize plans for a trip to Calgary. After Nanny died, Yeh talked about how much he liked to travel and how many people he would like to see. One of these people is an old lady in Calgary who has kept in touch with my grandparents through the years. And since my youngest sister also lives in Calgary, Mom thought it would be a great idea to take Yeh out there to visit both. Then, Mom wanted me to go too because she worries that she can't take care of Yeh like I do. Hmmm, I love to travel but a couple of problems...I don't have the money and I don't feel right about going to Calgary without Gai Doi because he has family there which he hasn't seen since Christmas 2004. Finally, it was decided that all four of us would go, so look out Calgary, we'll be seeing you in a month!

5. More on the home improvement front...we bought a heat gun to assist in the stripping of our dining room set and the front hall banister, which GD began by using paint stripper & only got the top of the newel post done. I've stripped the top half of one chair (only 3 left, plus a huge buffet, a dining table, and a china cabinet - yikes! This may turn out to be a life-long project). We also bought a dremmel set and I sharpened (I think) the blades on our manual push mower, in the hopes that when next we use it, we will actually be cutting the grass and not flattening it!

As you can see, the past ten days have been fairly eventful. Upcoming...I am going to begin my second sewing project, a black skirt. I need to finish my sister's table decorations for her wedding in September. Clean out the "little yellow room." Continue stripping...furniture and the banister, that is. Get ready for the trip to Calgary. And continuing the ongoing struggle to finish my resume and to apply for jobs.

Fun.

Rainy day activities

It's been raining for 3 days now. Yeh and I are trapped inside except for the damp run I made to the post office after lunch. I snapped this photo when I got back. It's from the lilac bushes that grow along our fence.

I sort of fancy myself as an amateur photographer. I say "sort of" because it seems that to even label myself as a photog I must have read at least one book or had one lesson on the use of a camera - I've had neither. I just like finding subjects/objects, framing them up in the tiny screen on the back of my 2.0mp camera, and taking a picture. If, by some luck, the photo is in focus and looks good, I'll frame it and hang it on my wall as art. I even scribble my initials and the year in the corner to make it look like a "real" piece of art. Seems to work out ok...I decorated a couple of walls this way and Gaidoi hasn't taken any of the "works" down.

On this rainy day, I've discovered how add photos to my blog - oh joy! Maybe photos will make it more interesting. It's certainly fun to do. Here's a photo of Yeh mincing ginger for our next batch of char siu (Chinese BBQ pork).

This is the first photo of Yeh to be published...I wasn't going to post any photos of us to try to maintain some anonymity, but as I visit more and more blogs, I realize that anonymity is not what it's all about. So I'm over it now.

Just looking at the pic reminds me of the smell of the char siu marinade...mmmm. If you ever want to give it a try...in a large bowl, mix together:
-1 cup of hoisin sauce
-a package of the char siu "just add water" instant mix bought at the Chinese store
-6 cloves of garlic, minced
-a splash of chinese cooking wine, again, bought at the Chinese store
-1/3 cup of honey or some sugar
-a splash of soya sauce
-two-finger-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
*Mix well. Then marinate the pork(chicken works too), cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours - the longer it marinates the better, mind you, more than 2 days sounds dangerous. I have discovered that pork ribs are perfect for char siu as are those long pieces of pork loin, which go on sale every so often. However, my mother says that is a waste of a good cut of pork and I should use shoulder pieces instead. So, for this batch, I have 2 racks of ribs and 2 shoulder pieces marinating as I type this. Yeh and I will cook it slowly in the oven at 350-400 degrees - the temperature is probably dependent on your oven. You want it to bake slowly, basting it often with the remaining marinade. Last time I made char siu, it baked for 2 hours and it was mouth-wateringly succulent and tasty. Be forewarned that this stuff could destroy your baking pan. I lost my Paderno non-stick cookie sheet to my first batch of char siu! My mother says that I should bake it on a rack in a deep pan with water to prevent the sticky mess left by the drippings. Once it's done, let it cool for a bit on the rack to set, that way when you go to cut the ribs, the meat won't completely slip off the bones leaving you with a pile of fragrant shredded meat. We like to eat char siu ribs with rice and a side of Chinese greens. The non-rib portions are sliced thinly and served on their own or in Chinese broth soups or in stir-fry. As you know from my first post, char siu is also used to make bao or BBQ pork buns, which is what we'll do next week.

Wow, it's 4PM and the rain has relented...for the time being. Yeh is climbing up and down the stairs to ensure circulation in his legs and feet. And for me, the only other activity I had planned was to finish unpacking the computer room...better get a move on before I decide to procrastinate!