Meal Requests From Friends

Back in 2011, I wrote about all the meals I enjoyed having that people have made for me when I visited or hung out with them or their families. Those memories pushed me to seek recipes and recreate the dishes I enjoyed so much in the company of good people in my own hallway of a kitchen.

During the last two weeks my friend Noel had told me that she wanted to eat some of the dishes I used to make for her and Yonathan when they came over to my home almost everyday when I was back in San Francisco for a year. I always joked about signature dishes being food you like to frequently make over and over again with a half-ass-recipe that doesn't involve measurements. You only know what you want to put in it.

Back then, I really just liked making one dish. Balsamic vinegar and honey glazed pork chops with instant mashed potatoes and some kind of microwaveable frozen vegetables. The "gravy" was just the leftover vinegar/honey and juice from the pork chops served over everything. I haven't made it since I have been here in Chicago so it was a rather nice surprise that my friend had this request. Some day in the future, I hope my possible future child will make this request of me. It's nice when someone likes something you make. Maybe that's how my mom feels when I ask her to make Burmese food.

 SATURDAY- THE START OF WEEKEND BRUNCH AND VOLUNTEERING FOR AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

Spring is finally underway! When I walked out of my apartment this morning to go to the gym the air smelled different. It smelled and felt like a mix of spring and summer. The warmth of the air, the dust and earth, the trees and plants, and something I can't describe. I can't help but be happy today is so nice.

When I got back to the apartment, I went straight to cooking breakfast. I love weekend breakfast especially with other people. Noel will probably eat plenty more big breakfasts here before she leaves for SF.

Saturday Breakfast! Bacon, eggs, star tater tots, crumpet, jam, apples, and tea!

 After cooking, I had to get ready for the American Cancer Society volunteering event. I have to say I was so bored signing the volunteers in and repeating a phrase over and over again that I really wanted to leave.  This experience only makes me feel more grateful that I am in a profession like engineering and science. I don't have to interact with people all the time. I don't have to repeat the same phrase. I don't have to smile because it is polite. Being the first person of contact and greeting people or being pleasant around them all day is a lot of work. A lot of things I have now seen in the last couple of years have put me more at peace with myself and the hard choices I made or didn't make that led me to where I am today. It's strange that I think about this so much. Over the years I have become less self conflicted but doubts still creep into my mind. Why is that I wonder? I thought a lot about what I wanted from life, and on top of loving what I do which is to make things for a living, I also wanted to find peace- peace in my mind. I didn't leave SF soon enough in my opinion because some of the things I can't control creeps into my dreams. It's always the same dream with some slight situation variation. Dreams of never being free or escaping parental figures and their iron rules. I guess what I don't want is for people to be the reason I stop myself from doing anything anymore. So is it possible to reach a state of infinite peace? Perhaps I am looking and trying for the impossible in everything.

Just Feel The Way You FEEL

 April is coming to an end and the tulips are slowly rising out of the dirt. The weather is starting to feel more like Spring except for last Friday when it snowed. This was great because my friend Noel from San Francisco has not seen it snow before. Although she didn't go out when it was coming down Friday night, she got to see the rooftops of the buildings below my window covered in a dusting of snow Saturday morning.

It's been a week since she traveled here from San Francisco, and I have to say it's been pretty awesome having her around. I have always wanted someone from the Golden State to move to Chicago and although that is still not likely, I like that we both can just be. It is kind of how I described hanging out with my brothers in LA. The presence of someone important means more than the social engagement. She's my best friend for lots of reasons. We love arts and craft, we like the piano, we like hiking, and we have gone through ups and down and still ultimately like each other. There is no need to put up a happy front if you don't feel it. You can just be and that's one of the greatest feelings in the world. A lot of social interactions for introverted people take a lot of energy. Some people require a lot more attention and direct engagement which means eye contact, speaking, hearing, expressions, etc the whole time you're with them because it would be awkward otherwise. I think you know when you establish a real connection with someone when moments and periods of silence can pass without saying a word. It's just that comfortable and comforting to be around them. The weekend is almost over and time is flying by fast. I am really excited for Helen to come to Chicago too so we can have a girls outing!

Nookies 2013- OMG we're getting old o_O!

Nookies 2011- We look so young here!

JASON VISITS FROM NYC

A few years back I met Jason through a mutual friend of a friend in San Francisco probably in 2009 or 2010. Then, Noel and I visited New York City, NY and my sister in Norwalk, CT in 2011 and met up and hung out during our time there. Now, he's here interviewing for jobs in the Chicago area. Unfortunately I was not as good a guide as he was or really great at engaging him during his stay in Chicago. I ran out of energy Friday night and was definitely out of energy Saturday. I still hope he had some fun meeting people. If he moves here, I would introduce him to more people he could hang out and party with since I am not the party type. I felt really bad that he might not have had the kind of time he wanted here in Chicago, but I didn't know he was so extroverted and social with so much energy to burn and stamina. New Yorkers!

Showed him the Cloud Gate AKA the Bean!

Nookies!

 We went to the Art Institute Saturday afternoon and saw the Picasso exhibit. Picasso went through a lot of phases with his art before he developed Cubism. He painted and sketched in the styles of artists who inspired him and continued to try different mediums to explore. I really liked his bullfight and ladies series which I don't have photos of since I didn't go to take pictures. Noel is a scientific illustrator so she found it useful to take photos of some of his work in the gallery so she can use them as references for her work.

That's a lot of BULL!

BOSTON MARATHON WEEKEND

It's crazy to hear what happened on Monday since Lilyan, Ping Jing, Noel and I left Boston Sunday night homeward bound to Chicago. I think it really makes you think that life can end in an instant and that you may never see it coming. The Boston Marathon event was actually all weekend. They had some fun kid runs and shorter runs on Saturday and Sunday before the real thing Monday. Our hearts goes out to all the marathon runners there.

Boston Duck Tour Saturday Morning. The Boston accent made it hard for me to understand the tour guide.

Happy girls!

In spirit of the marathon Lilyan and I decided to hop on the turtle and hare. Her hare stopped to scratch and groom itself so I think I won that race :)

Looking at hieroglyphics!

Egyptian statues! I actually didn't get to enjoy the experience of being at the museum as much because I was taking photos for references.

That is one big statue of a pharaoh! So chiseled!

The ideal body!

Look I'm in Egypt!

I think my butt is in the water...

Art that you can interact with.

You touch it and it touches you!

A butterfly tiara for the queen!

Fugyaku sushi in Brookline

Chasing the Chicken with Rice truck!

The Darkest Days

Every now and then my mind feels like it is splitting in half so much that the only thing you want to do is black out and escape the pain. In the last week or so at work I have been constantly around the machinist trying to get my parts made for my project and am starting to recognize that constant cursing and complaining puts me in a defensive and quiet mood. When I say defensive, it doesn't really mean I am talking back to people, it's more like I am not talking at all. Although his frustration isn't quite directed towards me because he knows I am pretty harmless and sensitive, it is still very stressful.This situation is all so familiar to a past I left behind, that being around it again causes pain.

I have always wondered what would be the best way to deal with it, since I never had problems with pain due to interaction with outside people before. In the last year and a half I struggled with the idea of therapy. Perhaps when I switch my health insurance plan, I can give it a try towards the end of the year. But maybe it is even simpler, maybe all I need to do is learn how to confront people and just say it bothers me.

T-1 Week!

Sometimes it feels like the timing is just right for a change of pace. The last two weeks have been jammed packed with too much eating outside with friends. I don't see that stopping in the coming month until the middle of May since I will have three guest, two from the West coast and one from the East coast visiting Chicago.

My best friend from middle school is going to stay for a month and I have this week to clean up and make sure things are in order when we get back from Boston. I think it will be good for me to have someone familiar in my life again.

Today I met up with Ping Jing to hand over the certificate for the hotel we're staying at in Boston. I miss hanging out with her more often, but the next coming month or so, she will be studying for her GREs for her exam at the beginning of June, while preparing for the 5k Dirty Girl run at the end of June. What I miss the most about hanging out with her are all the philosophical things we talk about. Life, the world, people, purpose. The people I am most drawn to are the ones who want to do things not just for themselves, but for society. People who like learning things, making things, changing things.

Despite all the social interaction in the last two weeks, I haven't felt much happier doing it. I think what makes me sad and unhappy is when I don't spend time making things. I love my job because I build test instruments and go through a whole design process from the conception of idea to a physical object. I like cooking because I am learning how to adjust recipes to my liking and can learn how to put things together without a recipe from time to time. I love drawing, arts and craft, coding because of my childhood and because I can visualize and exercise creativity. What all these things have in common is that they allow me to focus on the task at hand and prevent my mind from wandering and thinking about too many other things going on in life. They are also activities that create something that can be shared or purposed to affect the lives of people in ways they don't realize. I think that's where I get the greatest satisfaction in life. Most of the time these are solitary activities I do, and sometimes I just need solitude.

Today I made a beet salad. I remember roasting beets one time and it didn't come out great because they burned. This time I boiled them.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/beet-salad-with-goat-cheese/
I skipped the maple syrup and the orange juice.

I think since summer is coming, I want to find delicious salad recipes to try out.The pear salad sounds interesting.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roquefort-pear-salad/detail.aspx

Okay, I can't just have texts in these posts so here is the end reward. Photos!

 FETE MARKET NIGHT

One of the eating events I went to with some friends. I think most of the stuff there was just okay but I kind of expected it since it isn't really a place that would be easy for restaurants to work with. The red eye cupcake was really good. 

I got a crap ton off food while lilyan watched my coat and staked out a spot by the restrooms.

She looks like her cousin in this picture. She is also holding onto one of the best things we had at Fete that night.

Now I am eating it.

 

This is what happens when you shy away from the camera. David looks really drunk here.

This crab chowder was more fishy than crab tasting.

MACY'S FLOWER SHOW- COLORFUL INDIA

If you check back to the post a year ago, the theme was Brazil. I think I liked the exhibit last year because it was more natural. This year they paint sprayed the flowers and dyed the flower petals. I'll probably come back here with my SF friend.

CAFECITO!!! I love your sandwiches.

Painted elephant!

I learned that elephants are predators from Northwestern kid in finance! This one looks like it is trying to gore me.

Sprayed flower :(