It's My Birthday!!!

The day finally came... it couldn't come soon enough...?  In any case, I had an awesome birthday.  Everyone from my family to my friends made this day so incredibly special starting a week ago.  From organizing an amazing dinner to heart warming cards and thoughtful gifts, I could not have asked for more.  Maybe an iPad 2 but no, seriously, this is probably my best birthday yet.  I can't wait for next year!

Enough with my being chatty - enjoy the photos.

The birthday started out with a beautiful bouquet from Winston Flowers.  My favorite place to give and receive flowers.

First thing on Monday morning, I was given a whole boxful of these delightful cookies! Who can resist Momofuku Milk Bar Cookies?! Not I.

The next surprise came from Beacon Hill Chocolates,

and I got macarons!!!

Then my coworkers put together this spread for me. Best. Place. To. Work. Ever.

Can you feel the love?!

My friend Lola bakes me a margarita cake - there was rum in the frosting.  Can we all say YUM now? Yes, I'm trying to make a wish.

My mother made me a platter of 50 egg rolls.  Very, very delicious and yes, I'm partial.

The rest of the spread came from Trader Joe's.  I didn't have time to cook.  :(

Spinakopita, mac n' cheese balls, taquitos!

More taquitos and more egg rolls.

And the night ended like this...

Sorry, can't post the rest... :D

Practicing Self-Compassion

As an early birthday gift, my friend Lola gave me two shirts that say, “I <3 My Two A Days”.  She said it reminded her of me since I say that so often.  Yes, there are days when I actually do my two-a-days but that’s not the point of this post.  The point is why is it that we don’t treat ourselves as well as we treat our friends and family?  I know, I tell you the point without your having to dig for it.  I thought of this idea today when a friend brought it up since I told him how much self-loathing I engage in when I miss a workout.  The problem with today is that I am sick.

Here’s the background, every morning between the wee hours of 6-7 AM, my Lola sends me a text message with her workout plan.  Sometimes, she’s already gone for a 6 mile run and on other days, she’s already done her boot-camp training.  I then update her with my plans for the morning with the potential plan of an after work workout.  She then tells me whether she’s in or out.  “Are you in or are you out?” I think that line comes from Bruno.  We share different workout ideas, new foods to include in our diets, and support each other to overcome our mid-afternoon sweet cravings. 

So it was of no surprise that even though I felt like crap yesterday, I agreed to head to yoga after work.  I was told that I looked pale and green after my workout.  Yeah, no bueno.  Today, I feel even worse and was put on antibiotics but somehow, I managed to squeeze in a workout.  Again, no bueno.  I think there’s an addiction to breaking a sweat and panting heavily after an amazing workout.  Maybe? No?

I guess the real question is why can’t I treat myself better.  I’ve often complained on this blog that I find it so hard to cook for one and easier to cook for two.  I guess that is because I find it easier to take care of another person than it is to take care of myself.  Missing a workout is not going to hurt me in any way – it’s not like if I were to miss a day of strength training that I will lose everything I’ve gained.  Or is it because of the extrinsic value we learned as children that the harder we work the more we gain – such as money for every “A” received, prizes for every book read, etc.  I think the new-age parenting focuses more on the intrinsic value, which fosters drive and motivation within the child.  In other words, the child somehow decides that activity is what he or she wants to do regardless of what he or she might gain in monetary prizes, however, if any is gained then it is just a bonus but it doesn’t take away or give more to the pleasure of the act.  Was that too complicated?

I think one of my goals this year is to practice self-compassion.  As my birthday is slowly approaching, I’d like to learn how to truly take care of myself, be nicer to me, and allow myself to enjoy activities without thinking of it as loss and gains but more as pleasures in life that create growth and drive.

Anna & Amanda Bike to AOU BBQ!

Amanda and I have witnessed many of our colleagues biking to work everyday and deep down, we were uber jealous of their fierceness.  You see, we're deathly afraid of biking on the streets - come on, cars are on it! So, we thought it would be hilarious and quite the adventure if we were to bike to our unit's BBQ in North Cambridge, which is approximately 6.2 miles away from Back Bay.  We saw two bikes left at thehubway station by Copley Library and claimed our game. However, I do not recommend this method - these bikes were super expensive! At the end of the day, it cost us each $72 to rent the bikes for 5 hours.  I believe Urban Adventures Bike by the Waterfront only costs $35 for 24 hours rental.

Here are some photos from our silly adventure to North Cambridge and one that we survived without much damage!

This is by the Charles River - how gorgeous and merely two blocks from my apartment!

We found some nice strangers to take our photo but because it was so sunny - I made a silly face - not sure if you can make it out or not. 

We made it to the BBQ drenched in sweat. 

Then I spent most of my time playing with this lil' lady - she is SO SO SO cute.  I really mean that. She was fascinated with my hand and thought it was a toy. 

And then we did this... no worries, we took the train to Charles MGH and biked our way home and of course, making a pit stop at the Apple Store. Just because. 

Last night's dinner at Russell House Tavern was great success!  Having all my wonderful friends there reminded me that moping over a lost phone was the silliest thing I could have done all day. I got some amazing gifts and can't wait to use them!

The Obsession w/ My iPhone

(nope, not about food...)

Trust me, I’ve read endless articles on those who sleep with their phones under their pillow just in case someone texts them in the middle of the night.  I used to shake my head in shame at how one could be so attached to technology.  After all, it’s just a phone, right?

No, wrong. I was totally and completely wrong.  How do I know this?  I lost my iPhone less than 48 hours ago and my world has turned upside down and all around - not to sound so cliché.  You see, I’ve been an iPhone user for as long as I know it and looked forward to all the upgrades over the years.  I was particularly impressed with the iPhone 4 and liked it more than I liked my first few iPhones – and maybe I’m only saying this because it’s the only iPhone I’ve since lost.  What I am really trying to say is that I have become completely obsessed and attached to my iPhone without even knowing it.  Yeah, that’s bad.  Let me explain.

Within the last 48 hours, I have come back to the same establishment, where I believe I lost my phone, 5 different times.  I have made over 15 phone calls and written at least 10 emails.  I’ve even scoured postings on Craigslist just to make sure that no one stole my phone and is trying to sell it on the black market.  I think the Find My iPhone site is now my homepage. Fortunately and unfortunately, it tells me that my iPhone is still at that establishment but that establishment can’t seem to find my iPhone.  The frustration is overwhelming.  And when the establishment asked me what my iPhone looked like, this was my description: “black iPhone 4 in a teal Speck case”.  Seriously?

My girlfriends tried to commiserate with me, one said, “oh at least you had a good time on the date, right?” I said, “are you kidding me, there’s nothing more reliable than my phone – for goodness sake, I sleep with it every night!” 

My coworker asked me to join her and a group of friends for happy hour after work and I told her that I needed to go home and mourn the loss of my phone.  Yeah, I’ve got issues.

I even told another girlfriend that I’d rather watch my Herve Leger dress burn in a flaming pit of fire than lose my iPhone ever again.  For those who know me, they know I love my Herve Leger bandage dress.  That was a bold statement.  I might even go as far as saying I’d give up chocolate for the next year.  It is pathetic I’m telling you.

All of a sudden, I don’t know how to coexist in this world anymore.  I walk around now with my old iPhone 3G activated so that I have contact with the outside world, yet, I feel so foreign.  The identity that came with owning a new iPhone 4 in a sleek teal Speck case is now gone and all I’m left with is using an outdated model suffering from serious wear & tear.  Since I just synced my old iPhone 3G with my computer, all of what I had on my iPhone 4 is gone… photos from London, of my dog sleeping with a ball in her mouth, and random photos of my friend’s cute lil’ baby.  My apps are all unorganized and not in the appropriate folders, the fonts look different, and everything is so much slower.  I’ve lost my recent contact information, my calendar has disappeared, and everything just looks so darn fuzzy!  Just from my description, you would wonder how I ever functioned with that phone.

Fortunately, the establishment’s security department has not called me back yet to confirm that they have or do not have my iPhone 4 in their safe somewhere.  So, there’s still a little hope but it’s feeling quite meek.

I am looking forward to civilization and forking over $700 for a new one.  No, not really.  

Summer Salad w/ Orzo & other fun stuff...

The Boston heat wave has been brutal and required my apartment's thermostat to stay on 79 at the highest - it was sitting between 72-75. This definitely makes me wonder how I managed the Saigon heat last May. And plus this serves  to remind me that the summer is almost over and my birthday is almost here. How scary! On top of that, I'm still waiting for the confirmation on this moving business... so crazy... I'm only moving about a mile away to a new apartment if everything goes as planned. And back to the same building I've lived at twice before at two different times in my life. Maybe the 3rd time's a charm like however the saying goes.

My dear friend Sue is putting together my birthday dinner and Lola is already planning on baking my birthday cake with all the fixin's I like. As always, I also like to keep my birthday low key and intimate. I really just want to celebrate it with close friends who know how my past year went down (or up) and are there to reflect on the positives with me. I know, I'm quite cheesy. In any case, we are going to one of my favorite places in Harvard Square, Russell House Tavern, so I can't wait.

I got a bit off topic but the weather completely cooled down today, which reminds me to eat my greens. Nothing quite nicer than a summer salad for dinner on a Sunday night to make Monday mornings feel more welcoming. Seriously.

The orzo should really be the main character... I had to order this brand online. I probably didn't need to but it was hard trying to find a Greek market in town and accessible via the T.  They do come in different grain size as you can see these are the "large" - I've definitely used mediums before. 

The AUDITION. Why? I didn't end up using everything you see in this photo. Originally, I wanted to call this post, the summer salad with everything but the kitchen sink. 

Fresh crisp greens always make my day brighter and healthier. :)

Gotta' rinse that celery heart... rinse it well, girl (boy). 

Slice 'em up beautifully... or not... or however you like to slice 'em. 

We all need a lil' heat in our life. What's romance without the heat? I don't understand the connection with romance and salads but I'm sure you get the gist of it.  Don't worry, these peppa's* aren't hot - nothing like the tacos from hell at Tremont 647 on taco tuesday. I sat there crying for a good 30 minutes.

*seriously, you non-Boston folks, please do not say to another Bostonian, "whoa, you don't have the Boston accent" - not everyone from Boston has an accent. what the heck... 

That taco from hell make these guys seem like the wimps of the peppa'** family. 

**seriously, I do not say the word like that in real life. 

Slice up some beautiful tomatoes. Yes, I'm extremely cheesy today - I think everything is beautiful!

Lookin'*** good. 

***seriously, I do drop my "g's" sometimes. i often say "keepin' it real, son"- yup, with the comma and all. 

The only thing summer about the salad is the peach. Man, I hate to cut peaches.

I try to do this first (slice it?) then break it apart with my bare hands. It ain't no easy task. 

This was the best I could do under the circumstances. 

But my slicin' skills came in handy and it don't look so bad after all. 

Pickles are the true secret to a delicious salad. I can't imagine eating salads w/o pickles anymore. It adds such a nice punch and kick. I know, I am using ninja terms to describe food because that's how versatile I am. 

With the amount of TJ products in this one post, you'd think TJ paid me to do this. But no... I'm just a huge fan and they're about 5 blocks away from me. 

I don't care how big you are or how often you take lipitor - but when it comes to cheeses. Full fat only. Anything else is just a lie. Who wants to live a lie? I know I don't - neither should you. 

This salad is just getting prettier and prettier.

Now, the orzo, slivered almonds, and dried sweetened cranberries. 

I added some fresh ground pepper and sea salt then toss it all together. Toss toss!

Go feed your soul. 

In the mean time, it is summer and rosé is my drink of choice. This bottle was a recommendation from Central Bottle which is a super cute liquor store near MIT and Central Square. They carry different types of cured meats, cheeses, and breads as well. Do check it out. 

As you can see from the cork, the bottle was stored properly. Thank you.

Pouring myself a modest glass and you can see my reflection! 

Anyway, that's all folks. ENJOY!

Pig Cheeks, Snails & Lovage (St. John Hotel)

If you refer back to my London post, you'll see that I ate at the St. John Hotel in Leicester Square and orderd this very dish.  It is so exciting to see it featured in Travel + Leisure Magazine World's Best Awards issue (August 2011).

YAY!

Pork, Shrimp, and Fish Dumplings w/ Shiitake Mushrooms

I have made dumplings more time on this blog than anything else.  I should start a dumpling wholesale business.  Seriously, I mean it.  You can start placing orders.  I can't help it - they're just so fun to make and makes my heart flutter with joy.  If my heart can flutter... or makes my heart beat with joy?  Whatever, you get the point. These are a lot more dim-sum like than any other ones... I think because of the protein density.

On another note, I'm going to Stockholm in September! To visit my old roommate from Israel.  I have not seen him in over 5 years so I totally can't wait.  He's now a make-up artist at Christian Dior.  I totally can't wait.  Let me pull up some throwback photos.

This was us at some ultra cool hookah lounge somewhere in the old city of Jaffa

Us in Jerusalem (there are very few photos of me wearing sunglasses)

Us in Taba, Egypt

Oh! Just looking at these photos make me so excited and can't, can't wait to see him in Stockholm and see his new life there! 

It must also be something about Israel that I decided to make both pork and shrimp - damn, I'm just missing a dairy product in this thing. 

In the mix:

1.5lbs of ground pork

2 cups of minced tilapia

1.5 cups of minced shrimp

1 cup of minced shiitake mushrooms

1 egg

3 Ts of fish sauce (oyster brand)

2 Ts of sugar

1/2 T of chopped chili peppers

Pile of cleaned and gutted shrimp - gosh, these things are so high maintenance. I would definitely hire someone to clean shrimp for me. 

Mincing it until it turns paste-like. 

Just like this. 

Rinsing these suckers and squeezing them well. 

Minced shiitake mushrooms. 

Nice and firm tilapia filets. I really don't like tilapia on its own so I think it was perfect to add them into the dumpling mix. 

All minced up.

These guys are very spicy so use with caution. 

Adding the fish sauce.

I used this brand but you can use whatever else you have on hand like the two crabs or three crabs or four... whatever.

Add a few drops of vinegar. Do it. I promise it will help your dumplings taste better and super terrific. 

Combine super well.  At this point, I just put my hands in there and made sure that it was all well mixed together. 

My set up. I was making a ton so I really needed to take a seat. For wrapping instructions, do visit any other links to my previous dumplings making adventures. 

I made about five plates like this and plan on freezing most of it. 

This was the best photo I could take with very dirty hands as you can see... they were definitely yummy and reminded me of the ones I get at dim sum. 

ENJOY!