i feel like i'll go to hell for this

rupert noticed a single wasp flying around the birdhouse on top of our deck rafters. he could just barely see the start of a wasp's nest inside the birdhouse. probably not a good thing to allow a wasp to make herself at home near the kids' play area outside. so i told rupert to knock the birdhouse down and throw it away. when the wasp flew away to do whatever it is a wasp does, rupert acted as my hitman and "took care of the situation."

a few minutes later, from inside the house, we saw the wasp return and fly around the rafters. and fly around and around the same area. occasionally it would stop on the wood beam. but then it would fly around where its nest should've been. i could imagine it thinking to itself, "well, i'm sure i left it here somewhere," the way some people wander around the same area of a parking lot looking for their car.

even after close to an hour, as we left to eat dinner at my parents', we could see it looking for its nest. it was rather sad, actually, and i felt bad about it. hopefully it found a better place to nest, away from mean people like me.

what i made for dinner :: asian chicken salad with snap peas and bok choy

this one is a keeper, but i probably won't make it again until it's hot outside. for a salad it takes some time to prepare (just poaching the chicken took 30 minutes) but you can make everything in advance and throw it all together in the evening for a really refreshing salad. the supermarket i was at today did not have baby bok choy, so i bought regular bok choy. since it's not as tender, i ended up poaching the bok choy for a short period of time (letting the stems poach directly in the liquid and keeping the leaf part out of the liquid).

actually, i had two hits today :: i also made ground coriander and cilantro flatbreads from the same issue of bon appetit (may 2008). they don't bake in the oven; they're panfried in olive oil (3 minutes each side). because of the baking soda and baking power they puff up thicker than you'd expect but they cook through in 6 minutes. the picture in the magazine shows "flat"bread but mine almost looked like crabcakes; i flattened out the second batch of dough more but they still puffed up pretty high. they're good though! (i didn't make the raita or the coriander oil to go with the flatbread but it's still tasty.)

(and, just so ian had something to eat, i made honey-mustard-sesame chicken legs for him. also yummy, but this is an old stand-by recipe.)

what i made for dinner :: caramelized leeks with roasted salmon fillets

salmon is one of the easiest main courses i prepare; it's pretty hard to screw up, it's quick, and both the kids like it. despite the positives, i do get a little bored with the pink stuff after awhile. a new recipe to the rescue!

in the march issue of cooking light there was an article about leeks, a vegetable i'm pretty fond of. and just the other day hubert keller described how to julienne leeks during an episode of his show (while he was cooking beef, lamb and pork baeckeoffe). let me tell you, the technique works great and i could've julienned leeks till the cows came home. [the technique :: wash and trim the leek of the green part and the root end; cut the leek to the length you want the julienne to be; stand the leek on one end; slice down from the top, with the tip of the knife reaching to the center of the leek; "unfurl" the leek and lay it flat (it should be a stack of rectangular leek leaves); julienne to your heart's content]

anyway, i digress. caramelizing the leeks takes a bit of time (20 minutes), but it's well worth it. the leeks were so sweet and gave the salmon a little oomph (taste and texture-wise). the recipe says the salmon fillets roast in 8 minutes. mine did not; in fact, it took three times as long. you'd think that since i cook salmon fairly regularly i'd know by now how long it takes to cook a piece of fish. my fillets were a bit larger than 6 ounces so that may have been part of the reason it took so long. i now know to throw the salmon in the oven at the same time as i start sauteeing the leeks. then it should all come together at the same time.

couscous and a green salad accompanied the meal.

what i made for dinner :: curry + rice

we have a tradition on the first monday of the month :: i make japanese-style curry+rice. the reason the tradition started is because i have pta meetings on the first monday of each school month. i needed something quick to make so i can scarf down my food and run out the door after rupert got home from work.

for awhile our standard curry was chicken with onions, carrots, and potatoes. sometimes i used beef, and i even tried seafood curry (not very well-liked by anyone). one day i randomly threw in shimeji mushrooms, which led me to become a bit more adventurous with my ingredients. lately, the parents' favorite is eggplant curry with ground pork, shimeji, and chickpeas. it's really quite good with a nice balance of textures and flavors. maya likes it too, but i still make a smaller batch of the chicken curry for ian.

what i made for dinner :: risotto with italian sausage, caramelized onions, and bitter greens

you know what's nice? a sunday evening when ian's at a playdate and maya's taking an extra-long nap. that means i can make a non-kid-friendly dinner. tonight's menu :: risotto with italian sausage, caramelized onions, and bitter greens from the march 2008 issue of cooking light + salad.

if you have 20-minutes to spare to keep stirring the risotto then this is a great recipe. i really like arugula (the bitter greens in the recipe) and it gives the dish a nice flavor and bite (and some color). i didn't add any salt to the recipe and only used 2 teaspoons of parmesan (rupert added more to his own dish), and i thought it was fine. i used a smoked turkey and chicken sausage instead of the italian sausage and it was still good.

i will definitely make this again, especially if the kids aren't around.

what i made for dinner :: slow cooked carnitas + roasted tomatillo salsa

i haven't posted about dinner in awhile but that doesn't mean i haven't been cooking. mind you, i haven't been making dinner every night, but i do cook. earlier this week i whipped up an impromptu pot roast that came out pretty well with minimal effort.

i was a good little girl this week and actually went through the supermarket circulars to see what was on sale and checked my list of recipes i want to try out. success -- a match! slow cooked carnitas with roatsed tomatillo salsa from the april 2008 issue of bon appetit.

this recipe is super easy because it requires very few ingredients and cooks in the slow cooker for 6 hours, so it's very hands-off. i did make some modifications to both the carnitas and salsa.

carnitas :: instead of 2 teaspoons of salt i used 1 teaspoon, and that was plenty. i also added some garlic powder, ground cumin and ground coriander. because of my "diet," i decided to put some carnitas and salsa on a salad instead of consuming it in tacos as the rest of the family did. i totally enjoyed it and loved that the salad required no dressing. (i used organic mixed greens, tomatoes, red pepper, and avocado.)

salsa :: i'd never used tomatillos before but this salsa is incredibly simple and really quite good; a perfect way to use a vegetable for the first time. rupert liked it more than the carnitas and wants me to make more. i followed the recipe closely, but i also roasted a clove of garlic. actually, i might add more garlic next time for that extra blast of flavor.

the recipe is part of bon appetit's "family style" column -- recipes that are supposed to be easy, kid-friendly, and also provide leftovers. the leftovers recipe using the carnitas is for cubanos, cuban sandwiches. i'm tempted to try the sandwich but rupert is thinking of putting the carnitas into quesadillas. either way, i betcha it'll be good.

29 months.

maya @ 29 months :: april 4, 2008

• she is finally -- finally! -- starting to use more japanese words. and she definitely understands that there are two ways of saying things. for example, she will ask me to draw her a "wani" and then repeat "ow-ee-gatow." (and by "ask" i mean she brings me her magnadoodle and says "wani" while pointing with the magnet-pen.) but she still does not speak very clearly; her enunciation is really quite poor, which is starting to worry me a bit.
• the movie-of-the-month is "mononoke hime (princess mononoke)," which she calls "shishi" for inoshishi (boar). her favorite line? "sare!" (leave!)
• she really relates to the "curious george goes to the hospital" dvd rupert bought for her recently. it must be because she often has a stomach ache. [warning :: the second story on this dvd, "mouse soup" is bizarre!]
• everytime we go to a birthday party she thinks it's her birthday. or, if she gets a present for whatever reason she thinks it's for her birthday. and she knows cake and candles come with any mention of birthday.
• she talks to her little friends (and me!) like she talks to my mother-in-law's dog :: "stop!" "stay!"
• she likes to look at my scrapbook layouts. she asks me to pull down the "pick-cas" (pictures) from the bookshelf and flips through the layouts, often mistaking baby pictures of ian for herself.
• we're able to get her to unchi (poopy) on the toilet exclusively. this is helpful since her poops are so huge that they are unpleasant to clean up after they've been deposited in a diaper. she's also getting better about telling us she has to go #1 so we've started getting her to pee on the toilet at least once a day. but i haven't had the inclination to actually start "potty training."
• it's not very rie, but i am going to have to start using time-outs more often.
• she's getting attached to my workout buddy, P (who also happens to be ian's best friend's mom).
• sticks her plastic stethoscope to her mouth by sucking in.
• enjoys talking on the phone :: she's always pretended on her toy phone but she got a taste of the real thing while rupert was out of town and now she always wants to talk on the phone when it rings.
• loves bandaids ... then again, what kid doesn't?
• gives loooooong, slobbery, full-on-the-lips kisses
• she sings this crazy song she made up over and over again. what i can make out sounds like, "i'm a boy." and because she is her parents' daughter, when she starts warbling ian reaches for anything and everything that will cover his ears.
• when rupert and i embrace she comes running and wedges herself between us, yelling, "no! no! no!" as if to say, "break it up, people!" just to bug her we hug often and hard. ;)
• likes to use the pre-k/kinder computer at the library.

last weigh-in + fitness update

ten pounds in ten weeks ... that's what i lost! well, almost ten pounds; to be exact it was 9.8 pounds. i didn't win the fitness challenge, but i came in second place. i'm really pleased with what i've accomplished :: it's not just about the weight-loss, but more about the lifestyle overhaul, seeing the changes in my body, and feeling different about myself.

the whole process really has set the tone for long-term changes in how i eat and live. i'm stronger, my endurance is up (i can go up the sand dune more easily now), and i've even taken up jogging. yup -- jogging! if you've known me for awhile you know that i absolutely HATE moving faster than a slow stroll. but i ain't gonna lose any weight or fat going as slow as a turtle.

thanks to my work-out buddy, P, who made me jog short distances during our workout at the dune a few weeks back, i've begun my love/hate relationship with running. after i shed a few pounds and my legs got stronger i found that jogging wasn't as horrible as it used to be. don't get me wrong, i don't actually like to run, but i feel compelled to keep running. (a sidenote here :: i say "running" but i'm just jogging slowly at this point.) i'm really proud that i can now run a mile without stopping. (if you're a runner, don't scoff! even in my junior high school days -- when i was 35 pounds lighter and 20 years younger -- i couldn't run that far continuously.) my longest run has been 2.5 miles with some walking thrown in. my goal is to participate in a 5k sometime this year and i really think i can do it.

the fitness challenge may be over but the group is going to continue meeting weekly for weigh-ins and support. i'm going to attend, although i'm not sure about putting in another $20 to see who loses the most in another 10 weeks. it's not about the money for me, but about keeping up the motivation and healthy choices. it definitely helps me to know that i'm accountable and other people know about my progress (or lack thereof if i'm slacking).

hopefully, by the end of 2008 i will reach my target weight, finish a 5k, and look + feel amazing!

welcome M+E!

our friends S+M just welcomed two new daughters into their lives! we are so happy that twins M+E arrived safe and sound. and it looks like big sister L is pretty happy about their arrival too. congrats!

amazing watts towers

as our last "activity" for spring break, the kids and i headed to watts towers. the towers are pretty amazing; but surprisingly, they weren't as tall and huge as i thought they would be. it's really all in the details.

there's more to it than just the towers. originally, simon rodia built his complex, which he called nuestro pueblo, adjacent to his home (that burnt down in 1955). what's left is an enclosed triangular area (essentially his backyard) with the towers and a gazebo inside. according to the tour guide, this enclosed triangular shape is based on a ship and the towers are the masts. there's even a "steering wheel" and a miniature ship (called the marco polo) inside.

another interesting fact :: rodia was a disenchanted roman catholic who started his own religion. many who study rodia now believe the gazebo is actually a chapel and the bird baths and fountains are baptismal pools. there are tons of crosses and hearts placed throughout the complex.

i recommend spending the $7 for the half-hour tour. the kids and i joined an elementary school group on their tour so it may be different than the adult tour. i'm definitely bringing rupert here (without maya) so we can really take in the amount of work that went into the building of the towers.

[here's a another write-up about the towers with pictures. you can see a few more of my pictures here.]

can't wait til june!

we're starting to save up for this.

a day in the life ... without rupert

sometimes i hate my husband. like when he leaves me with the kids and goes traipsing across the country for a few days. how dare he?!

actually, rupert went to a conference in nyc for a few days. originally, i was planning to join him so we could "get away" and i could see my best friend and hang out at all of my old haunts. unfortunately, my mother is out of town so there was nobody to dump leave the kids with. besides, ian has spring break this week so at least one of his parents should be around, right?

since rupert was off having a grand old time in the city, ian and i decided to go somewhere too. on monday we drove up to santa barbara for the day. our plan :: go to the mission, eat some mexican food recommended by his uncle, and go to the sea center on the wharf.

i think the kids had a good time; ian was a real trooper letting me deal with maya before seeing to his needs and wants. and it was definitely worth it when he said it was the best day so far this year. to be honest, though, throughout the day all i could think was, "how do single parents do it?!" i barely had a chance to enjoy anything; i was so pre-occupied with chasing maya around, making sure ian was getting attention, and driving us from point a to point b. i was physically and mentally exhausted by the time we drove up the driveway that night. at least when rupert's around the parent-to-child ratio is 1:1 and we seem to deal better. but when it's just me i get discombobulated and i can't think straight. so, i guess i actually need rupert around even though i complain about him all the time.

the la zoo was a zoo

since both rupert and ian had the day off yesterday we headed to the la zoo. we knew it was going to be crowded when we saw the traffic sign on the 5 warning us "la zoo exit jammed." turns out the exit wasn't jammed but the parking lot was ... so was the line to buy tickets. it was the longest i've seen it. i guess everyone and their mother had the day off.

we chose to become members of the zoo (again) just to bypass the line. well worth the $75. as long as we go a couple of more times in the next year it'll pay for itself. i'm sure with the way maya was demanding "animals!" she and i will be back again soon.

now, there are some problems with the zoo on a hot, crowded day :: many of the animals are either hiding inside or are completely lethargic at the back of their enclosure; you are either getting run over by a stroller or are running someone else over with your stroller; you get sweaty but not as sweaty (and stinky) as some other people; your kids start to bug you; and it appears most other parents are completely annoyed with their children as well.

honestly, the only good thing about going to the zoo yesterday (besides the family time) was that i saw giovanni ribisi and jason lee at the new gorilla reserve (which was very nice, actually). it appears they coincidentally ran in to each other there. rupert, sadly, missed seeing them even though he was standing right next to them during their "hey, it's good to see you" conversation. i was really tempted to say something to jason lee since maya and i are big fans of buddy/syndrome (who he voices) from the incredibles but if you're an la-native you know not to bug stars while they're enjoying private time (especially when they're with their family). he looked pretty awesome with aviator glasses and his my name is earl mustache. giovanni, on the other hand, needed some reprimanding since he was smoking a cigarette before he was completely out of the zoo. for shame!

what i made for dinner :: salmon chowder

i found this recipe in the bristol farms cooking magazine that was lying around my mom's house. the picture of the chowder looked appetizing and the ingredient list was short (a big plus in my book).

but, once again, i found the dish to be bland. rupert and i tried to figure out what went wrong. perhaps it was the substitutions i made (frozen salmon filets instead of fresh, olive oil for sauteeing instead of butter, half-and-half instead of heavy cream)?

it has potential; i could see it being good and creamy, but that requires the fat i omitted. big surprise, huh?

and, can i just tell you? freshly toasted sourdough bread is soooooo good after not having it for a looooooong time.

what i made for dinner :: orecchiette carbonara with leeks

i love pasta carbonara but it's like cholesterol (not to mention, fat) on a plate. i eat it once in a blue moon; and i've never made it myself. however, i just could not resist the orecchiette carbonara with leeks recipe in the april 2008 issue of bon appetit. something about the picture appealed to me :: maybe it was the cute orecchiette pasta, the green of the leeks, the crisp of the bacon ... who knows?

but to make it "healthier" i made a couple of modifications, which must have been successful because everyone ate it, even ian (he's my barometer of how appealing my food is).

• instead of the orrecchiette i used whole durum wheat chiocciole pasta for two reasons :: 1) i couldn't find the orrecchiette at tj's and what i did find at whole foods cost $6.99 for less than 9 ounces. someone please remind me to stop shopping at whole foods; 2) i'm trying to choose whole wheat over regular pasta.
• i made more pasta (16 ounces) than the recipe calls for (10 ounces) but kept the amount of carbonara sauce the same. my thinking is that there's less sauce on each piece of pasta so you're not getting as much fat.

i'm sure the original version of the recipe is delightful. it's unfortunate i won't get to taste it! and even the modified version i only ate a cup of. sigh.

[edited 03.23.08 :: this does not reheat well. best to eat it all up the night you make it.]

the end of an era

last tuesday was our last rie class. i am really bummed, and i think maya would be too if she understood that we aren't going anymore. we have been with the same group of kids for two years, in the same environment, with the same teacher.

this is my second round of rie classes (ian attended too) and i couldn't recommend it more. it's not a "traditional" kind of class with lots of music and "engaging" activities. it's about the kids figuring out things for themselves in a safe and nurturing environment. the parents learn and share rie parenting techniques and sit back to observe the children.

there used to be a rie-based infant center (daycare) in redondo beach but, unfortunately, it's no longer in business. i wish there were more rie classes/schools for older kids. i would love to keep learning about rie and how to apply the philosophy as the kids get older. (it's my understanding that some rie parents move on to the waldorf school when their kids get older.)

i'm also disappointed that class has ended because i've grown really fond of the other parents. i hope we stay in touch and get together often.

now i've gotta find something else for maya to do on tuesday mornings ...

what i made for dinner :: soba with marinated beef and tomatoes

another cooking light recipe (from november 1999) :: soba with marinated beef and tomatoes. this could potentially be a decent dinner (although ian didn't like it ... surprise, surprise!). a huge plus is that it's pretty quick to make; i marinated the beef and portobellos before leaving for ian's french class and whipped up the sauce and boiled the noodles in about 20 minutes after getting home.

some changes/recommendations ::

• turns out flank steak is expensive. instead of a full pound of meat, i used half a pound and substituted sliced portobello mushroom (one medium-sized cap, around a quarter of a pound) for the rest. more veggies are a good thing, right? cheaper meal is a good thing, right?
• i made too much soba and it was too mushy. i recommend making two bunches of soba (which i think is around 7 oz uncooked) and preparing it so it finishes cooking after the sauce is done (or is nearing completion). i made three bunches of soba and it sat for a few minutes until the sauce finished cooking, at which point the noodles got much too soft.
• the sauce was on the bland side (maybe because i made too much soba?) so i would try to liven the flavor up with either some ginger, sesame oil (instead of the vegetable oil), chile, and/or more garlic.
• i didn't have any oyster sauce so i used japanese tonkatsu sauce instead (and omitted the sugar since tonkatsu sauce is sweet).

new "feature" on the ol' blog :: what i made for dinner

as part of my fitness challenge i've been trying very hard to eat healthier meals. which means i've been trying to make more food at home from scratch. it's been fun poring over old issues of food + wine, gourmet, and bon appetit to expand my culinary repertoire. but my new favorite is cooking light. not because they have fancy recipes that look way too de-lish, but because they actually list nutritional information on their relatively easy (and quick) to make dishes. luckily, the library has a subscription so i check out a couple of issues once a week, find what i want to try, and then get the recipes online.

here's the recipe i tried out today :: moroccan chicken thighs. as an accompaniment i made a simple israeli couscous (also my first time) with shallots and parsley. i rather enjoyed it, although now i think i might have a bit of heartburn (which is extremely rare for me).

i had a feeling the kids wouldn't like the sweetness of the apricots with the savory sauce so i halved the amount of dried apricots and chopped them on the small side. (i used the turkish kind and they were indeed a bit on the sweet side; if you can find them, use the california dried apricots like the recipe recommends.)

the coriander got omitted only because i didn't have any on hand. possibly because of that the dish didn't have a strong "ethnic"-y flavor, which was probably fine for the kids. i now have a jar of ground coriander so i'm looking forward to trying it with this added dimension. i also found that the cinammon flavor was stronger than i would've liked, and i wonder if the coriander would balance the flavors out.

28 months.

maya @ 28 months :: march 4, 2008

• bugs really, totally freak her out ... especially if they find their way inside the house. sometimes she'll find an ant in her room and she will burst in wails and tears until i get rid of it.
• now watches "nemo [lilo] and stitch" -- no matter how many times we say, "li-lo" she keeps saying "nemo."
• calls her grandma (rupert's mom) by her first name.
• it's been a rough month of whining and defiance; rupert and i are nearing our wit's end. it's been a totally different parenting experience with maya compared to ian's toddler years.
• good reminder not to leave crayons within reach of her crib :: she drew purple swirls on her wall one day while i thought she was taking a nap.
• she's definitely stringing together more words into sentences and questions.
• likes to sit in the basket of the stroller. people look at me strangely because they think i'm pushing an empty stroller. as i pass them maya peeks her head out and i hear giggles from the passerby.
• doesn't care to remember her ABCs but remembers after one visit that marukai is where we get strawberry pocky.
• working our way to higher numbers :: counting to 3.
• she has been daddy's little girl this month and insists on "daddy do it" if he's around.
• loves her cereal; she's into tj's honey nut Os right now (we can dupe her with regular multigrain cheerios if we're out of the good stuff).
• she's extremely particular about what piece of food she eats from a specific place on the plate. it's annoying when she wants a particular honey nut O with milk from one part of the bowl. it's no use trying to tell her that the milk moves around in the bowl and it's all the same!
• she plays with the little girls at ian's school during drop-off in the morning. but she calls them all by the same name, "maggie" (one of the girls she plays with everyday).

playing catch-up ... again

i've been meaning to blog for awhile now and just haven't had the chance to sit down and compose something. in the meantime i forgot everything i wanted to write. ugh. old age is slowing me down!

rupert "celebrated" his 32nd birthday last monday (he's not particularly thrilled to be well into his 30s). my gift to him was this poster i've been eyeing for awhile (it's made its rounds on the crafty blogosphere). with the added stress of school and work -- and dealing with a crazy maya -- i thought this would be a great mantra for him (and me) to follow. it's an old british world war II propaganda slogan. you can buy it online through u.s. distributors but i got it from england (barter books) for much cheaper. once it's nicely framed we'll put it up in our living room in place of the art canvas i got for our dating anniversary last year.

let's see ... my fitness challenge is going well. i think i left off with the week 4 weigh-in and since then i've continued to lose weight each week (except for this past week when my weight didn't change). in total i think i'm down about 6 or 7 pounds, which is more than i hoped for. i know i keep saying this, but i'm not too concerned with the number on the scale. i'm concentrating on incorporating and sustaining healthy habits that will stick with me for the rest of my life. and i'm well on my way :: i work out for at least half an hour six days a week and i eat smaller portions of healthier foods. just another month left of the fitness challenge but i know i will be sticking to my exercise and eating routine.

the camera finally came back ... fixed! we missed it so. we were reveling in the glory of not having anything broken in our house when -- you guessed it -- something else broke. our beloved television wouldn't turn on (it's only two years old!). this is a big deal because we are a huge tv-watching family. at the very least, we need (yes, need) the tv to play the wii and ps2, and maya cannot go a day without watching a movie. the repairman came yesterday and quoted us $800 without even opening the back of the tv! rupert and i think it's the fan (it's been whirring like crazy lately) so rupert cleaned it and it's working ... for now. we're keeping our fingers crossed.

then, a city inspector came by yesterday and cited us for not having mowed our lawn. sure it's overgrown and yellow with dandelion flowers, but we were just enjoying the greenery the recent rains brought us. ;) we suspect one of our elderly neighbors, who always complained to rupert about the state of our yard, "reported" us to the city. so much for the "city of good neighbors" (our city motto).

to top it all off, rupert and i are fighting off colds. what a week!

asa ramen

friday night :: no ian ... no dinner plans ... cold ... what should we eat? at first we were going to get mexican from our usual place, but then an idea hit me. why not try the new(ish) ramen place that rameniac mentioned in his la times article as having some of the best kotteri shoyu ramen around?

so we drove down to gardena around 7pm to the strip mall i've been to quite a few times before (my extended family used to go to sanuki no sato a lot) and sat down at the counter of asa ramen. (i wasn't quick enough to snag the only four-person table; there are about five other two-person tables and i think about eight seats at the counter. if you go early enough there's no wait.)

seeing as i'm on a "diet" and just pledged to my fitness challenge nutrition "leader" that i would cut back on my ramen intake, i opted for the assari (light) shoyu (soy sauce) ramen ($6.50). rupert got the kotteri (rich ... i.e., fatty) shoyu ramen ($6.95) large (+$2.00, i think). we each got the shoyu tamago (marinated shoyu hard-boiled egg) ($1.00) to go with.

mine was good, although i couldn't help but eye rupert's much richer, much bigger meal. but first, let me describe what i slurped:: the regular size bowl is on the smallish side, but it was perfect for me since i'm watching portion sizes (i would say the size is similar to chabuya tokyo noodle bar's). the broth is indeed assari, not as salty or shoyu-ish as i imagined. the noodles are thin and firm, just the way i love them! it comes with a couple of slices of pork, menma (bamboo shoots), and green onions. the added egg was quite good; the shoyu flavor was really deep but the yolk still retained some of its runny-ness, which is the way i like my ramen eggs.

i took a sip (i gotta cut back on my sodium too, so no drinking-to-the-last-drop business for me). i took a slurp. i took another slurp. and it was good. but ... i just could not get the idea of soba out of my head. something about the thinness and the bite to the noodles combined with the broth reminded me of a plain bowl of hot soba noodles. not exactly what i was expecting at a ramen place.

rupert's bowl, on the other hand, had the rich, pork-infused, fatty soup that i usually opt for. i admit i had a sip and slurp from his bowl and it was much better. much more the ramen i had in mind. alas, i will have to save the super-splurge of a big bowl of kotteri shoyu with extra toppings for another day ... or year ... or lifetime.

asa ramen (i've also seen it spelled "ahsah" ramen)
18202 south western avenue
gardena, california 90248
6:00pm~2:00am (closed sundays)

baby shower gift

my friends M+S are expecting twins in the next month or so ... that'll make three daughters under the age of 2! to help them get ready S is having her baby shower today. i sold two tagE*blankEs to another family friend to give to S. so i had to think what i should make as a gift.


i found this pattern by jan andrea for a travel diaper + wipes case. i figured, with twins, M+S will need to stash diapers in various places (like their car) so why not have a cute case? now that i think about it, i shoulda made another one for their older daughter L's diapers, too.


the directions say that "depending on your sewing knowledge" the project should only take half an hour. you may remember from my experience making L's first birthday present that i'm not particularly good at gauging how long projects take. sure enough, it took me half an hour just to print out the patterns, cut them out, and adjust them (i needed the pattern to be bigger), and another 15 minutes just to cut out the darn fabric. the actual sewing took at least another hour, i think; it took me a few minutes to figure out a couple of the steps. if i make another one, though, i'm sure it won't take me nearly as long.


i was going to add a pocket to the front for a travel-size purell bottle, but i totally forgot. instead, i added a ribbon near the flap for the purell and a linking ring.

CHA-W 2008

you know that scrapbooking is about 1) preserving memories, 2) the pictures, and 3) shopping, right? (and pretty much in that order, too.) which means that one of the biggest events of the year is the craft and hobby association's winter show, where manufacturers showcase their new products (it's like fashion week for the scrapbookig biz). most attendees are buyers, but i got a guest pass from my best friend who works for an arts supply manufacturer.

needless to say i was giddy to be attending. after all, you get to see the new products weeks and months before they hit the stores. i went on the first day, which is usually hectic, but it wasn't as bad as i expected (my aforementioned friend predicted the slump in the economy would affect sales). the scrapbooking section seemed to be the most active since there were crazy scrappers and store owners walking around pulling carry-on bags behind them. i'm guessing they need roll-y luggage for all the catalogs and freebies they get, but i'm still not sure what's in their luggage.

it took me more than several hours to browse just the booths i was interested in. i also took some time to do "make-and-takes," simple projects you make at the booth with a company's products.


by far the most product-heavy make-and-take i did was from little yellow bicycle, deja views' new line. it was an acrylic mini-album using the zach's life collection; they even let us take home the left over stickers, labels, and tags from the sheets we used. well worth the 30 minutes i waited in line for my turn.

i also had fun at the fiskars' booths make-and-takes :: a notebook and mini chipboard keychain album. for the notebook i used the new scallop border punch, which i really like.

as for product, i, of course, loved the new stuff from american crafts (i always do) and i was bummed they didn't have any make-and-takes despite their huge booths. chatterbox's new papers are darling, especially the happy day line. i'm looking forward to the heather bailey line from autumn leaves. the new lace cardstock from ki memories is super-cute too; my faves are the apples and stars. there were tons and tons of other stuff i looked at, but i can't even remember a fraction of them. since i'm not a retailer i refrained from taking any catalogs (i don't think they would've offered any to me anyway); it'll come back to me once the new products start showing up in magazines and stores.


it's unfortunate i won't be able to buy most of this new stuff, but it was fun just looking. however, i have to say that nothing i saw totally wowed me; nothing completely new and innovative that i've never seen before. the peek-a-boo chipboard+acrylic albums from tinkering ink are pretty cool, though. sadly, i didn't see these in person; i found out about them after the fact from someone else's blog. there were just too many booths and too many products to see in one day. now i understand why people attend all four days.

as expected, i also glimpsed some scrapbook "celebs" :: ali edwards, donna downey, elsie flannigan, heidi swapp, jenni bowlin, shimelle laine, laura kurz, and my friend, mary grace abuzman. i took a class with mary grace over a year ago at scrapbook oasis but she still remembered me when i peeked into the fontwerks booth (i guess it helps that we're friends on facebook). she came right over to me and gave me a big hug; she's so sweet and friendly. i stayed to chat for a bit, did a make-and-take with their new branching out stamp set, and saw mark montano (from tlc). the only other person i had hoped to see but didn't was kristina. i saw that she was teaching a class with nisa on the first day but i didn't know about it in time to sign-up. bummer.

anyway, that's my cha recap. i wouldn't mind going again ... this time with my camera (even though the rules are emphatic about absolutely no photography, everyone was snapping away). and maybe with a resale license. hee!

playing catch-up

i neglected the blog for a week and i'm forgetting what the heck's been going on around here ...

• sadly, my compost was infested with ants and fruit flies this morning. not a pretty sight. hopefully they'll go away ...
• i gotta get into crafty mode this week 'cause i need to make some tagEs. i said i was going to udpate the shop with boy tagEs at the end of december and that hasn't happened yet so i better get my butt into gear. and if all goes well i'll be debuting a new product shortly.
• i lost 0.4 pounds last week so i'm back to my weight from the week before that. but i've decided not to concern myself with the number on the scale too much ... although, the $120 pot for the "biggest loser" is tempting.
• our camera came back from the camera shop in time for my photography class ... but it's still broken! we paid $350 to get it fixed and rupert's gotta take it back in today. grumble grumble!
• laundry is piling up like crazy (clean + dirty) ... i don't feel like i have a lot of clothes but i guess i do.
• my body is getting used to going to the gym. in fact, when i didn't go to the gym on friday, it totally threw my day off. i was still in my PJs on the couch at 7:30am, not doing anything productive, which is not how i've been spending my mornings lately. people are saying i'm getting hooked on working out ... me, hooked on exercising?! seriously? wow.

27 months.

maya @ 27 months :: february 4, 2008

• at the beginning of the month she went the longest she's ever gone without a bowel movement :: two weeks! for days she complained about "pompom (tummy) owie" and she tried to go but nothing. rupert and i are thinking that maybe she thinks she can't go unless she's on the toilet ... which is where she finally went ... and clogged up the toilet a bit. can't blame her, it was two weeks after all!
• she cries during the "fishnapping" scene in finding nemo because she's so upset about nemo being taken away by the dentist.
• she's definitely talking more. unfortunately i don't seem to be understanding more.
• somehow learned to sing the alphabet song by herself. she doesn't say every letter but she's got the general tune down ... and "l-m-n-o-p" sounds so cute.
• her current favorite pixar movie :: the incredibles. she especially likes jack-jack and the robots (see below). seriously, we watch this movie at least once a day, sometimes twice. for some odd reason she calls bob parr's boss at insuracare "jiji" (what she calls my dad). i don't think they particularly look alike, but whatever.
• she's really into "be-bots" (robots) :: she likes to play with my robot pencil sharpener (but i had to take it away since it's a favorite chotchke of mine); we've watched the iron giant, robots, and the incredibles; i bought her robot pjs from old navy's boy section.
• actually enjoys drinking the "jolly green" smoothie i made (pineapple, mango, spinach).
• during the second to last week of january she had four bowel movements. four! she's been a nicer person for it. and during the last week of january she almost went everyday. we've been a happier family for it.
• when rupert started reading one of his school books, she went over to his school bag and brought him his highlighter.
• for awhile she was into chunky yogurt and insisted we add cut-up fruit to her once-favorite-smooth yogurt.
• rupert, in his infinite wisdom, taught maya how to say, "oh man!" when things aren't going her way.
• at the park she doesn't want to go down the slide by herself anymore. she will climb up to the slide but then freak out until you go down with her. but just before sliding down she likes to wave to all the little people, "hi everybody!".
• the moment i've been dreading is about to arrive :: she's not napping everyday anymore. i'll put her down, she'll complain, and then it'll be quiet. so i think she's napping but when i peek in her room she's standing in her crib, bright eyed, and apparently without having napped.
• i think she understands the counting concept ... up to 2.
• when the front of the crib is down she tries to climb up into her crib. but her legs aren't long enough to get all the way up so she just leans forward and falls into the crib headfirst.i'm having a hard time distinguishing between her "help me" and "hold me".
• spiders freak her out.
• a few new fav phrases :: i want it, i don't want it (usually right after she says the first phrase), i neeeeeeed it.
• using the spoon much better without spilling (too much) ... now if only i could let go enough to allow her to feed herself.
• when we cross the street she holds my hand and yells, "run! run! run!" and tries to hurry to get to the other side.
• terrible two independece is shining through :: "maya do it" as she gets into her car seat.

week 4 weigh-in

i knew it was coming :: the week my weight goes up. that was this week :: i went up 0.4 pounds. but i'm not too bothered by it. after all, it could be new muscle mass, right? right? plus, i met my diet challenge of eating more vegetables this week (which earned me some brand new lip gloss).

my problem with eating is definitely portion control. thursday and friday nights are the worst since i eat at my parents' and in-laws' houses. they make too much good food and i have to make a really conscious effort not to eat too much.

i am finding, however, that finding healthier things to eat is getting easier. i don't crave food with refined sugar, i don't crave the fatty stuff i used to eat; and i'm finding healthier alternatives for some of my staple foods. your body really does get used to new foods (or the lack of old favorites). this week i was really into the multigrain chips from trader joe's. they're not great for you, but they're better than regular chips and they're quite tasty. i've been eating them with hummus and fresh guacamole.

my fitness partner and i also managed to get to the gym five times this week. we mostly did weight lifting so this next week we'll try to incorporate more cardio. today i went to the gym in hopes of attending a yoga class but the instructor didn't show up, so i worked out by myself. it was, in fact, the first time i did a workout alone and i did pretty well. now i feel like i can get to the gym on other days without my partner, if necessary. now, if only somebody would watch maya for me while i work out ...

donating his brain to science

when i was pregnant with ian i participated in a pre-natal study at cedars-sinai medical center. now that seven years have passed, they asked us to return for a follow-up (the study is looking at effects of pre-natal care and stress on children's development ... or something like that). that was in december. as we were about to leave, the researcher asked us if we'd be interested in going to uci for another part of the study :: having ian's brain scanned in a mri machine.



i thought it would be pretty cool to see ian's brain and he thought so too. so we drove down to irvine yesterday and had the scan done. boy, those mri machines are loud! ian watched a dvd while he was in the machine for 15 minutes; i got to sit around and listen to the clicking and buzzing.

the researcher complimented ian on how still and mellow he was. quite possibly the best scan they've gotten in such a short time. their study emphasis is on the hippocampus, a part of the brain that controls long-term memory. ian's was pretty large, and the researcher guessed that he had a good memory. now we have scientific proof about his pretty amazing memory.

next week we'll get a printout of his brain scans. i think i'll get it framed. ;)

[on a totally different note :: on the way home i dragged ian to paper source at south coast plaza. they were selling this great composition notebook from knock knock (which i can't find on either website) for $14.50. guess what? i got the same notebook at marshall's the day before for $2.99! back to paper source, i also got this label stamp, and these great papers. sigh. i love that store.]

to do :: this week

normally i'm not what you would call "busy." instead, my busyness comes all at once, as these things tend to do.

as i age i'm finding it harder and harder to remember things. and if i don't forget, then i remember too well, to the point of anxiety. the easiest solution, of course, is to write it down. problem is, i have three calendars and keeping them all up to date is a task in and of itself.

so, what does any sane person do? make another list in a completely different place ... here ::

• smog check; pay car registration
• pay mortgage
• pay property tax
• buy packing tape
• get gas
• mail tagE*blankEs to customer
• return one of ian's christmas gifts to amazon (sorry, K, we decided to return it after all)
• mail back rupert's old cell phone for e-cycling
• mail in rebate for my new cell phone
• mail gift to friends' new baby
• mail survey for follow-up to pre-natal study
• make another tagE for separate customer; deliver tagE after maya's rie class
• training session at gym
• get groceries
• work on pta newsette; get newsette printed; deliver newsette
• work on invitation order; deliver final products on thursday
• ian playdate @ park on wednesday
• watch and return netflix movies (quinceañera, waitress); watch and return library movies (the saddest music in the world, hoot)
• read and return library books (the mysterious benedict society, when asia was the world, auralia's colors, blink, the palace of laughter)
• finish up sample for mini-book class; send out class info/invite
• make more tagEs for the coming month
• keep going to the gym!

week 3 weigh-in

i feel like i'm getting into the habit of eating better and actually wanting to exercise. this is big, folks. seriously, i haven't felt the need, desire, or urge to exercise in years, and yet, here i am, feeling bad for not working out for a few days. and i'm constantly talking rupert's ear off about this excerise or that exercise.

i'm not necessarily going to love the activities i engage in at the gym, but i know i'll feel better afterwards. most things don't come easily to me :: when we worked out with the trainer she had us on the treadmill and it was awful -- i hated it; my abs are completely useless and crunches are nearly impossible; and sometimes those last two reps of weight-lifting cause me to make crazy grimace-y faces. after it's all said and done, though, i feel like i've accomplished something. i'm moving forward. i'm ready for the next workout. i feel good.

our third meeting of the fitness challenge was sparsely attended. i didn't think i did that well since the dieting felt a bit off (i.e., eating too much), but i lost another pound. that was enough for me to "win" the weekly weight loss challenge. i won myself a pair of dumbbells, which is great because i was just thinking about buying some to do simple weight-lifting at home. and ian can use them too, so he'll finally stop complaining about how weak he is!

why i {heart} trader joe's

one of many reasons ...

they were giving away their red reusable grocery bags today. it somehow made me happy to see customer after customer leaving the store with shiny, new red bags.