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Yesterday I rode my bike and did a grand loop of Seattle, about 50 miles. We started from my house in Redmond at 10:30 am. Went down to Sammamish Rivertrail and to Kenmore, continuing on to Burke Gilmon Trail to U Village. We stopped and get some delicious frozen yogurt at Mango (12:30 pm) and then cross the bridge to Lake Washington Blvd. The view along the lake was spectacular. We've got tired and riding across I-90 to bellevue seems like a daunting task so we've visited a friend in Mt. Baker (at 3:00 pm) and have her driven us to south Bellevue, near BCC. After a break we rode to the Crossroad Mall to get lunch (4:30 pm). Then we rode to Marymore Park, catch the trail and rode to the right under the hill of my neighborhood and walk our bikes up the long, steep hills up my house.

12:02 PM | Add a comment | Permalink | Blog it | Travel

June 18

Cooking Classes

Last summer, after getting back from Paris, I wanted to broaden my food repertoire and learn making tartes. My search online led me to Bon Vivant School of Cooking. The Pie and Tarte making class I've took last year was an eye-opener. We (a class of about 12 people, from all walks of life) learned how to make biscuits, shortcakes, tartes and pies, all 8 kinds of desserts, from scratch and the class was very hands-on. I went home, feeling enpowered, bought a food processor and a tarte pan, started making all kinds of tartes all through the summer and into the holiday season. Even though I've gained 8 lbs as a result of all the desserts, I've gained the happiness of being express my passion though baking and share the love with friends and family.

For my daughter Allison's 11th birthday, I've hosted our own cooking class party. It was a great theme for the party for tweens. They get to get their hands dirty making the turkey meatballs, experiencing the more
adult-like food with their friends and make mini-tartes from scratch together.

Since I was in the school's mailing list, I watch for the classes I am interested in and sign up for individual classes. I was going to take the French counrty cooking class in the winter but the timing wasn't right so I took the Italian cooking with lemon class last month. You can see from the picture above that we are making fresh ravioli. The jar on the table is the lemoncello we've made.

Tonight I've taken the Indian cooking class. The instructor is a nice Indian lady who's studies culnary art but ended uo working as a software engineer. We've learned to make lamb soup, green chutney, lemon rice, mice meat kabob, Indian fried pancake with syrup, and, the dish I was in charge of, the coconut curry chicken. In the picture above, it's in the pot that's closes to the camera. The chicken dish uses 13 kinds of spices, plus the freshly toasted coconut flakes. We pan-roasted them before grinding them up in a coffee grinder. No wonder my curries never tasted as good as those in the restaurant! I have 5 spices, top, and they are ages old. I've got to get myself one of those spice trays and start building my library of Indian spices. All the food we've made in the class turned out delicious. Beside that, we all took the time to chat and have a great time. For me, it's time and money well-spent.

12:20 AM | Add a comment | Permalink | Blog it | Food and drink

May 01

Lately...

Lately I -

Cooked big meals on Sunday nights and eat as a family. Have enough leftover that..

Saved money and energy deciding on what to have for lunch at work. Simple thing like this..

Doing my share, earning my daily bread...

Like a good honest woman

Made a resolution

Allowing people to

Taking adventage of me...

Doing me wrong..

Or, Disrespecting me...

Once a day

Keep me grounded

Good for my soul

Set me free (from anger)

For I have enough saving in my band of hapiness to be generous

4:48 PM | Add a comment | Permalink | Blog it

February 28

It's been a long time...

It's been over 6 months since I last wrote my blog. It's not like my life was eventless. As a matter of fact, my life has been graduately transformed and the path in front of me is no less curious and challenging.

Several things happened during the period:

Discovered the joy of Yoga
Took a tarte making class and started baking all kinds of tartes and pies
Cooked a lot more than before
And, as a result, gained some weight
Stayed home more
Transisitioned my job from internal software developement to customer-facing consulting
Went to Breitenbush Hotsprings Resort by my self last summer and learned how to enjoy being by myself
Visited Cancun, Chichen Itza, and Merida in Mexico

In general, I think I am busier and my work is more challenging. To counter that, I tend to be more domestic, and I crave inner peace more. I am less social and quieter in my personal life because I have to be the opposite of those at work.

11:23 PM | Add a comment | Permalink | Blog it

July 23

Sequim Lavender Festival, the 7th Times

Last weekend I took my daughters and an Indian coworker to visit the Sequim Lavender Festival. It was held in the third week of July every year and we had been going there since 2002. Every year we visited my favorite farm, Jardin du Soleil where they have u-cut lavender, arts and crafts vender tents, food, music, a beautiful Victorian garden, and, most importantly, a nice lady who help people taking photos with their camera. Why it's a big deal? Valerie Henschel is a professional photographer and she stands on a ladder to get a great vintage point for taking scenes of subjects among the sea of purple haze. After a couple of years, I told her how I appreciate the photos she took for us and she remembered us. Last year I gathered the photos throughout the years and e-mailed her. It was a delight to see her again on Saturday and she was amazed how fast the girls had grown.

Coming from a different country with no family here except for my two daughters, I want to establish my own family tradition. The once a year Lavender Festival is something special for us. It is my hope that my daughters will remember it when they grow up.