Life As I Know It: March 6th, 2011

Time flew by so quickly.  Not much to blog about these days.  I have been busy with work and a gazillion other small things.  Like my internet issues.  It has been down for a few days and Rogers technical support is just useless.  I eventually got myself to a Rogers store and traded in my faulty cable modem for a better one.  During my no internet time, I was surfing on my phone and using my data plan (gasp!).

Anyway, I'm looking forward to my next visit home to Toronto.  It looks like I will be back around Good Friday/Easter Monday long weekend.  Too bad there isn't a long weekend in March.  :(

I haven't posted wine picks for a while so here are my latest selections:

Affordable White:
Amaral Cool Climate Sauvignon Blanc 2010 ($14.95).  Sauvignon Blancs are excellent when paired with "lighter" foods like appetizers or salads.  But they also go really well with Thai food.  :)  SBs are light, crisp, and usually very fruity.  New Zealand is best known for producing excellent SBs but this one is from Chile and is quite good.

Affordable Red:
Bodegas Lan Crianza 2006 ($15.00).  This rioja was #44 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 list in 2010.  For $15, this red is a steal.  It's not a heavy wine so best paired with a nice medium rare steak.  I'm hungry just thinking about the combo.

Big Money White:
I got nuthing.  :)

Big Money Red:
J. Lohr Los Osos Merlot 2007 ($19.95).  I think this might be the 2nd time I've recommended this wine but I don't care.  It's a great red!  It came out this weekend and it is outstanding with medium rare prime rib.  Pudgy-tested.  :)

Honorable Mentions:
D'Arenberg The Footbolt Shiraz 2007 ($22.95).  Aging potential and excellent producer.
Terre Di Rubinoro Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 2006 ($17.95).  Was my 2nd choice for Affordable red.

Really Big Money Red:
Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($59.95).  It's a California cabernet sauvignon and excellent aging potential.  It's got nice colour, aroma, and a lot of flavour.  Score: 92.

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Life As I Know It: Feb 1st to Feb 6th.

Drove home last week to spend Chinese New Year's with my family.  It was extra special because Sam, Steph, and the kids (Hong, Seph, and Sienna) also made the drive up.  There was a snow storm warning the day that I left Ottawa.  On the drive out, there was a blowing snow between Ottawa to around Kingston.  On that stretch there were a lot of unmarked police cruisers on the road.  I drove by 2.5 accidents as well.  A half accident?  A full accident is when police, ambulance, or tow truck is present .. and usually more than one vehicle is involved.  A half accident?  This pickup truck managed to drive into the side ditch and was stuck.  It tried to back out but spinning wheels just dug it deeper into the snow bank.

I made it home safely and in time for dinner.  :)  Since it was Chloe's first birthday, I made chocolate cupcakes with pink icing.  Even though she's only 1, her mom gave her a small sample of cake and she liked it.  :)

It snowed overnight and dumped around 10 cms.  It was heavy stuff!  Sam and I shovelled the driveway.  It was good exercise but I certainly paid for it the next day.  My back was so sore but in a good way.  Despite the snow, the IBM Lunch group made it to work and lunch at Diamond Restaurant for dim sum.  Even Vicky who was working from home, made it out for lunch.  It was really nice seeing everyone.  It was the first time I attended a group gathering since ....

I drove back on Saturday afternoon.  It was a perfect drive.  Although I got nervous at one point when I noticed a car speeding up behind me .. it was a Ford.  And then .. uh oh.  It was an unmarked cop car.  I changed over to the next lane and the unmarked Ford drove by me.  I was going 120 at the time but the cop still pushed me out of the way.  Good thing he didn't pull me over.  :)

I promised to cheer my friends on at MG this year.  My friend managed to get me a t-shirt from the organizers!  Awww .. thanks C!!  I will wear it proudly one day. 

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Windchill of -36C

I dunno about you but it's cold out there.  The good news is .. the canal is going to be nice and solid!  :)  Skating anyone?

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My First Tournament

Well .. I mentioned in my last blog post that I had signed up to play in my first badminton tournament - OU Smashfest 2011.  It was a lot of fun.  I played mixed doubles with Justin Ngo.  He and I have played together at the badminton club before and we make a good team.

At first, Justin wanted to play pure mixed - me at the front, while he covers the rest of the court.  We lost to a really good team at the start but we had some good shots.  The second game .. I don't know why but I felt a bit more nervous than the first game.  I thought we could have won the second game but unfortunately we lost that too .  Since we were guaranteed three games, I wanted to play doubles' strategy for our third game - just in case it is our last game.  That's when everything started to click.

We started playing better and won the next two games.  We ended up in D finals against a much younger team - they were practically kids.  I really tried my best and it paid off.  We ended up winning 2-0.  I'm a much stronger player than I was a year ago.  I used to not run as much and give away points .. now I actually hustle and I have good shot placement.  My friends were so proud of me - first tournament, first win.  To celebrate, we went out for Korean food.  Yumm.

I'm exhausted but I'm good.  Next is the Mark Grantham team tournament but I won't be around to play or take pictures.  It will be Chinese New Year weekend. 

P.S.  thanks Shirley for giving me a great door prize - Hello Kitty pyjamas!!!  :)

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An Interesting Article

Friend of mine sent me this article from the Wall Street Journal.  I thought it was pretty interesting.  Can any of my Asian friends relate to this???

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html
 

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On the last night of my Christmas vacation in Markham

On the eve of my Christmas/New Year's holiday in Toronto/Markham, I am sad that my trip has come to an end.  I am leaving for Ottawa tomorrow morning.  I had the best time and a much needed vacation.  This was my first week long vacation of 2010.  As you can see from my Year in Review post, it was a busy year for me and there wasn't much time for vacation.

On Christmas Eve, I came home just in time for family dinner.  It was great to see my parents, my siblings, brother-in-laws, and all of my nieces and nephews.  I missed the Christmas Eve all-you-can-eat sushi lunch but I was there in spirit.  I even called in to say hi to the gang.  I was told that I didn't miss much though - many of their food orders were ignored or fell on deaf ears and in the end, they left with little food in their tummies.  :(  Not good for an AYCE sushi place.

Christmas Day was great.  Justine & Dickens made a turkey dinner with lots of side dishes.  I brought the stuffing and cranberries.  It was everything I expected it to be and more.  I really missed spending Christmas with my family last year and I got my wish this year.

On the days in between, I got to spend time with my parents.  My sister, parents, and I spent a few afternoons playing mahjong.  I could tell my dad really enjoyed it.  When I'm not home, there aren't enough people to play.  So while I was home, we played quite a bit.  It was nice to see that his skills are still sharp.  Sometimes I worry that they are getting old but my parents are still pretty good.  I think laughter helps a lot.

After spending a few days with family, I got to have lunch with my friend Chris L.  Chris was a good friend from university.  He told me about an unfortunate family incident that happened earlier this year and I was quite sad for him.  I hope 2011 is a year of change for him.

I also got a chance to meet up with Larry, Vicky, and CoKa .. but all on different days!  :)  That just means three different nights out.  It was fun hanging out with each and every one of you but next time, we're going for one big lunch together because I won't have that many days to spare.  Haha .. :)

Tonight was hot pot at Joyce & Samuel's house.  They recently bought XBox360 with Kinect and they ordered Dance Central!  Guess who's addicted to that game now?  :)  That's another first for me .. a dance video game?  Me?  I'm usually really shy about participating in video games because I'm such a newbie at it .. but I didn't care tonight.  It was a lot of fun.  Should I get one?  ;)

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2010 Year in Review

Wow. The year went by so fast! It's that time of year where I recap everything that I have or haven't accomplished this year. Back in April, I had created a to-do list of things that I wanted to do over the summer. It was a long list as is .. and during the fall and early winter, I started adding more to my to-do list.

Let's see ..

To Do #1 - Continue taking yoga on a weekly basis.  - COMPLETED
Instead of taking yoga, I started taking pilates at the gym every Saturday afternoon. I love this class and I know I will continue taking it into the New Year.  I have to look for a class elsewhere because my current instructor is pregnant and so she will no longer be teaching the course at my regular gym.  :(

To Do #2 - Take the Wilton Cake Decorating I course.  - COMPLETED
Course 1 was completed. I enjoyed it and will likely take course 2 & 3 in the New Year.

To Do #3 - Take up tennis again  - Did Not Complete.
Instead of tennis, I continued to play badminton. I have met a few friends who are avid tennis players so that may happen next summer. We'll see.

To Do #4 - Experiment with different recipes - COMPLETED
I manage to cook at home every night and I don't mean instant ramen noodles or tv dinners. Every night, I try to make a starch, a veggie, and a lean protein. I also try to bake every once in a while. Some of my best baked goods - mini cheesecakes. My worst? The pear crisp I blogged about. That was embarrassing! :)

To Do #5 - Catching up with friends. - HALF COMPLETE
Every trip back to Toronto, I have made it a point to meet up with my former co-workers or university friends. If I don't meet up with them, I have made a phone call or two to keep in touch. I still have so many people to reconnect with .. I know what you're thinking .. just move back! :) I'm gonna try .. seriously.

To Do #6 - Badminton - HALF COMPLETE
My secret goal was to be good enough to play in the Mark Grantham team tournament this year. Unfortunately, the tournament will be held on the weekend of Chinese New Year. I will be in Toronto that weekend because CNY is important to my family. However, a friend of mine recently asked if I would play in the University of Ottawa tournament in mid January. So even though I won't get to play in the tournament I was hoping to play in, I got asked to play in another. It's funny how things have worked out. :)  I have to rest my shoulder as there is a bit of tendonitis that needs to be 'fixed' before I can continue to play on a regular basis.  I give this a 'half complete' because the tournament is in 2011.

To Do # 7 - Rediscover my hobby of photography. - COMPLETED
I have always loved photography. And the last few years, I didn't have much time for it. In the fall, I decided to pull out my camera again and start shooting. I almost forgot how much it made me happy. I get to be creative and it challenges me artistically. I've been shooting tournaments as practice.  In 2010, I shot two tournaments.  This is another thing I will keep doing in 2011.

To Do #8 - Take the Christopher Leadership Course - COMPLETED
This was another fall/winter goal of mine. I had heard about this course and I decided to take it in the fall. It was an 11 week commitment about gaining leadership skills through public speaking. This course has helped me on a personal and professional level. I started off shaky and for the first four weeks, I kept wanting to drop out. But I stuck with it and I got better and better. I started to see what the course was about and I saw the change in my attitude, mindset, and outlook. I am very grateful for what I learned in this course.

To Do #9 - Try something different food-wise - COMPLETED
I tried my first shawarma! :) It's Lebanese food and in Ottawa, there are lots of shawarma eateries. The best is at Shawarma Palace. I went there with friends after badminton one evening and the line up was so long! You know that's a good sign. My friends told me I had to try the platter. Wow. The platter was huge. It was a dinner for two. It came with salad, rice, potatoes, pickles, chicken shawarma, and the most garlic-loaded garlic sauce. That garlic stench lingers for days but it's soooo good.

I also ate at St. Hubert for the first time. It's like Swiss Chalet. I can say I've been there, done that. It's not bad but Swiss Chalet fries are better than St. Hubert fries.

To Do #10 - Make health a priority - COMPLETED
Funny how this to-do comes after my blurb on shawarma and St. Hubert. :) My health has been a priority of mine. I hardly eat out now because eating out isn't always the healthiest. By not eating out, I have learned to cook healthier dishes and try new food items. My new favorite food is avocado. I only buy these every once in a while because they are pretty expensive. When I want to treat myself, I buy an avocado. :) I've also committed to going to the gym twice a week. I notice that when I don't go to the gym, my energy level drops. I always feel good when I'm finished with a workout. When I am home for Christmas, I will likely spend some time at the gym.

Whew .. not bad for a whole year, eh? :) I must say, I had fun doing everything.

With 2011 starting soon, I'm already thinking of what should go on my next to-do list. Hmmm .. what adventure should I try next? Snowboarding? Ice skating? P90X?

What is your goal for 2011?

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