Have you ever?

Have you ever stood in line for a long time (hours) to be the first or close to being first to get concert tickets or a big sale electronics store or book signing?

I have not done this but I know a few people who have. I think it is a waste of time. I have seen it on the news and wonder  if it was ever worth it.

My shortest post....

The week that was....trying to keep my cool

This was a week that I am so glad is now over. We were short staffed at work and a lot of things/problems came up and there was no policy book to follow and it felt like the rules were being handed out anytime a problem comes up. I almost wanted to just walk out and retire. But it is another day and a nice break from work.

Everyday this week, I walked home and stopped by some stores I wanted to check out. I bought some toiletries which happened to be all on sale. It felt so good when I can save money here and there.

I have read blogs and seems the topic mostly was about watching tv or being a couch potato. I thought I watched a lot of tv but reading these blogs, I can say I am not a tv addict. At work the ladies have all kinds of shows they follow, one has 3 shows on Thursday night. Then they all talk about it the morning after. I go home , turn tv on but I am not watching as I am starting dinner. I watch news at 6:00 and might watch Piers Morgan if he has a guest that I am interested in watching. I am in bed by 9:00 pm. Friday nights are the only time I might stay up late and I watch mostly the Food Network or HGTV. So I feel good knowing that I am not a tv junkie. Lately I have been following Off the Map, which would be the only one on my schedule. Or maybe I have a boring life!!!

I'm just glad for these two days I don't have to be at work and looking forward to the long weekend in 3 weeks time. And about 50 more days and it will be officially spring.

Balmy weather....

Wow!!!!! for a few days it was really warm. Temperatures in the plus, like yesterday was +6 and today +7. What a change!!! It was raining a bit this morning which made the roads slick and slippery. And it is January, which should be coldest of the winter season. We are enjoying it as it will only last till tomorrow and we are back in the -low teens by the weekend. A nice day to walk home.

I don't know if this is part of global warming but this is for us a welcome change in the dead of winter. I know some people cannot relate to this as they have no experience in situation like this but just be happy for us.


So I will just enjoy while it lasts.

On the menu.....

This past weekend I wanted to bake so I did. I also wanted to make a different kind of chilli. So instead of ground beef I used chopped sirloin steak and it turned out really good.

Chili made with chopped sirloin steak.

The name of this cake is "better than sex cake" code name - coconut pina colada cake.

It is easy to make but is yummy. I brought some to work and again the ladies enjoyed it.

Have you ever?

I have posted that I will start this feature which will be interactive. I hope you will comment or just jog your memory and remember if this has happened to you or to anyone you know.

It will be weekly but not necessarily on the same day. I don't like deadlines and if I do it on a definite day of the week, it will feel like an assignment to me. My job has a lot of deadlines and I am trying my best to get away from that.

So for this week........Have you ever ordered a dish in a restaurant and have to ask them to take it back for some reason or another? What was the end result?

I was at Kelsey's for lunch last year and ordered chicken penne. When it came I noticed it had one little chunk of chicken. I asked the server if in order to call it chicken penne, it had to have just one piece of chicken. She replied it should be half a chicken breast. So I moved around the pasta to show her the one chunk of chicken. She was surprised to see it. I did not ask them to take it back but a few minutes later, there was a plate of sliced chicken breast. And when the bill came, I noticed that they did not charge for my order. Good customer service. I was fine how they handled it and did not expect to get it for free.

I am looking forward to some comments. By the way, I was asked by a few readers that they are having a problem with comments. My friend and I have tried different ways and the only thing is to leave/choose anonymous and it will appear. I will try to read up on that part and figure it out. You can always email me with your comments. My email address is on the page about me. Thanks.

Music of my generation

The music below was popular when I was in high school and just heard the end of the song on the radio awhile back and just had to look it up.  So for those readers my age...I hope it will bring back all kinds of memories. Listen and enjoy.

YouTube - Chad & Jeremy "Before and After (Losing You)" Extended version remix

YouTube - Chad & Jeremy "Before and After (Losing You)" Extended version remix

On the menu....

As I have just posted, I did not cook for 4 nights. So this is one of the things we ate, what my cousin cooked.

Chicken arroz caldo which is like congee.

Tofu with vinegar/soysauce/sliced onion, side dish for the above dish.

Fried garlic/sliced green onion which are sprinkled on top of arroz caldo, yummy.

This is cheese pimiento which is a spread for toast, crackers, bagel. I have not had it for a long time. I brought some to work and the ladies enjoyed it with their bagels. I will have it for lunch today spread on crackers.

The week that was.....balmy weather!!!

The past week seemed to have gone by so fast. I had a cousin visit and for the 4 days she was here she cooked dinner. We had a great time reminiscing and I at times was venting.

The weather was nice, it got warmer. -2 and that means I was able to walk home which I enjoyed. Last night, I asked Nil not to cook as we are  going to cross the street and have donair which was supposed to be one of the best in the city. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures as it got messy and we could not put it back once we opened the wrapper. It opened up due to the amount of meat and sides and that is how we ate it.

Thanks for everything, Nil. I hope you can come back and we can go out and do some stuff.

This is my all time chocolate/candy indulgence!

A perfect size toiletry bag for me and the colour. Again, thanks Nil.

This came in handy after I had just thrown my last winter house slippers. It came in a red tote bag as well which I could take to work for the time I pass by a grocery store to buy things I might need for dinner or lunch the next day.

The sun is out and it will be balmy, so I know I won't be housebound. I am thinking of baking again. I don't know what yet. Enjoy your weekend!!!!

Little things mean a lot...

I have not posted anything in this feature for a while so here is another one of my treasures. It is a little book of poems written for just one person. The messages/themes of the poems are all about love, missing a loved one, remembering him on special occasions, that he will not be forgotten. I believe it is the author's way of grieving and her way of moving on, although we know it will never be easy. Why is it a treasure? I am the only other person besides the author who has a copy. And once in a while I open it and read it, though it always makes me cry. This book of poems is about my nephew and the author is my sister.

This picture is my all time favorite of all his pictures. 

The week that was.........trying to keep warm

For the second week in a row, we have had snow and more snow and colder weather. This is not good as I am going to be housebound again. The temperature is in the -36 with the windchill. Now I am thinking of what to do, I did my laundry last week and baked. This time I am cleaning out my fridge and kitchen cupboards.

If the weather continues to be this COLD, my place will be immaculate. I just heard that the forecast for the end of next week will be single digit temperature. Oh, for us that is balmy!!! It would be appropriate as I am expecting a visitor from California who is staying here for about 4 days. I had warned her to wear her warmest coat and boots. She is on her way to Yellowknife to visit her mother. This stop will just be a practice for her....she is going to have a heck of a freezing adventure.

Next week I am starting "Have you ever?" I hope the weather improves as I am sick and tired of wearing layers of clothing and freezing waiting for the bus.

On the menu......

Pansit luglug/seafood pasta

mocha chiffon cake with butter cream icing

lumpia shanghai

These were part of what I cooked last weekend. I have not baked in a while and decided to bake the chiffon cake. I was not going to do icing for it just drizzle chocolate ganache but I wanted to decorate but I had people waiting so I did a quick design.

Snow, snow, snow and more snow

They are fluffy, pristine white and looks cute but I hate it. The flakes started coming down lunch time on Friday and has never stopped. So I have been house bound and I had wanted to wash my vehicle as it has been in the parkade for weeks and just dusty. It was a bit embarassing. I drove to work since I had a medical appointment on Friday and I think when I brushed off the snow, I brushed off all the dust with it as well.

Now the forecast is for colder weather for the rest of the month. This is the time when I seriously think of moving where it is warm. But then I get to thinking that in about two months it will be over and then spring is upon us. I just have to be positive. Not having driven for weeks, I never had the chance to have my winter tires installed, guess there is no point in having it done now for just two months. At least I saved a bit of money.

I am just looking out through my patio door and now feel depressed.....just too white and cold!!! Does anyone really like this kind of weather?

 View from the 23rd floor, lots of snow and below is my balcony with all white stuff!!!

Rewind, Reconnect and Reminisce

A great all inclusive resort. Villas, flowering shrubs, fruit trees and ponds. This is where I met 2 guys from the Dominican Republic. One is a friend of my sister and the other his bodyguard. We were all there to share and witness the wedding of my niece.

I was asked by my sister to entertain them and be the host. So during the reception I was sitting beside the bodyguard, Pedro and trying my hardest to have a conversation with him in Spanish. Thank God I had taken Spanish for four years during my college. After the reception, we all went to the lobby and had drinks, though I don't think they did.

At this time I had asked Pedro to sort of pretend to be my bodyguard and it was hilarious. We had pictures taken but out of respect to him and Elvis, I will not post the pictures. They asked if we go back to the DR to get in touch with them. After this, we have emailed back and forth a few times.

June 2010, I had the chance to go back to DR and Pedro picked us up at Excellence Resort and took us and gave a tour of Santo Domingo.  He took us shopping and ate a real Dominican meal on a roadside diner. We had the best of times and reminisce about the wedding. We met Elvis at a very nice restaurant and we had dinner. Since it was too late to go back to the resort, he booked us in a five start hotel all expenses paid. Just can't believe the hospitality he showed us. In fact, Elvis told me, next time I should call him first before booking a trip as he could get us cheaper accommodation. Maybe I will take him up on his offer

This may not be after a lot of years but it is one of those situation where you think you will never see them again. Elvis and Pedro, it was great to reconnect and reminisce and maybe someday, we will meet each other again.

The week that was............

This was a very short workweek for me, I went back to work on Wednesday. I found it was a long break but still enjoyed doing nothing. So it was busy three days, mostly I had to do all our ads and it took me two days to update and do new ads.

I feel I had a good start of the new year, I had walked everyday and did my time on my treadmill and did almost 4 miles each day. I took Friday off from the exercise routine, decided that is the day to just relax.

I went for my mammogram Friday morning so that is one medical appointment done. I believe it went well.

Yesterday, we had the start of snowstorm/too much snow, so we were sent home early before the roads start to be really messy. So that really made this past week a very short work week. And it is still snowing and the roads from my balcony I can see, has turned nasty. I know I will be housebound so I will do longer time on the treadmill today and tomorrow. The forecast has been snow for a few more days and colder temperature. OOhhh, the life living in cold Edmonton. But that is what makes us tough.

I think I will start to bake this afternoon....mocha chiffon cake with butter icing.

Maybe I will post more later since I will not venture out today. Post more memories in picture and launch my special people feature.

Another year gone by.....

Yes, another year has passed and I am trying to start the new year on a positive note. 2010 was a trying year for me. It was also a time when I had to make a lot of changes in my personal and professional life. Some are for the best, a few had to be done just because.

This year I am going to try my best to better myself, in my job, how I handle my finances and really prepare for my retirement which will come soon enough. I don't know if I am looking forward to it since I have tried to do semi-retirement 3 years ago and I got bored and went back to work. If I still enjoy going to work, I might work until the time I feel this is it.

The first thing I have resolved to do is to watch my diet, not necessarily losing weight but to eat healthy and doing my exercises. I have just realized that I like walking and I do it as much as I can when the weather is warm. I have managed to walk at least 16 city blocks everyday and really enjoy it. I even look forward to it.

These are not resolutions, I think of it as just improving my life and enjoying my life. In fact, this past holiday I stayed home a lot and just relaxed and did nothing. Although I was able to accomplish what I set out to do, clean and organize my storage room and also my closet and drawers.

So I feel and believe like this will be a good year for me. It will also be a big milestone. So here is to a great start and hopefully a great end as well.