Phew .....

I cranked up 3 different experiments with food today.

First, I began with making the pineapple jam filling for my pineapple tarts.
Then, I made my rendition of buffalo wings -- only I used skinless boneless chicken thighs.

Finally, I made a strawberry cake.

Other productive tasks today include mowing the backyard. It was quite a workout!!!

Well.. enjoy the photos ... except for the chicken cos' Keith and I ate it up before it occurred to us to take pictures.

I guess this is more like a "mom vs mom" kinda thing.

I rented "Because I Said So" last night. I needed a less intense movie, a funny movie, to herald in the weekend.

I really don't know if I liked it or not. In fact, at some pointSSSS in the movie, I was actually irritated and sort of repelled by the mom (DW - played by Diane Keaton) in the movie.

 

It just made me very glad, very very glad, that my mom is very unlike DW.

First of all, I am thankful that my mom has never tried calling me an insane number of times like DW did in the movie. 
Yes, there were times when I was out very very late, mom just called to ask for my whereabouts, and I assured that I will be fine and let her know when to expect me (or not). Mom knows I dated and but she always tell me "to be careful" She will let me know if one guy is better than the other. She told me one guy was kinda older for me, one guy wasn't quite decisive enough. But she did not nagged about them, nagged about my constant failed relationships or even attempt to foretell what's to come. 

My mom lets me decide what is and who is right for me.  I give her the reasons and she accepts it.

Mom is still the traditional asian mom and the rather typical mom who wants to keep her baby baby despite the fact that I am actually getting older.  Yet, she doesn't "hover" over me, critiquing every single move or decision I make, or trying to prevent myself from getting hurt, or trying to give me a safe shelter where I will always be babied and pampered and taken care of.  Mom was willing to recognize that I am growing up and I have aspirations. She was able to recognize that I am not longer 7 or 8, and was willing to "let me go" and decide for myself.  True, she isn't always supportive and isn't always thrilled about my decisions, but stubborn as I am, I just work at it, give her facts and reasons, and eventually she kinda understands and lets me have my way.

 

Mom doesn't try to instill her opinions or her dreams on me. 

She wants me married, but I have reached a point where that issue is at the back of my mind now.  Sure, getting married and being someone's other half sounds pretty good, but does marriage really works? I mean, two people getting married doesn't mean that they will be leading pretty happy life from then onward.  Getting married doesn't shelter you from pains and heartaches. What my bf and I are right now is pretty much like a married couple. We've been together for years now, I take care of the girl duties around the house, he takes care of the man chores around the house, we go to family reunions and family celebrations of marriages and births etc., we have mortgage and bills to pay and I consult him when I am about to make big decisions, and we fight but we also make up.
But mom isn't there to tell me I am wrong about this guy because he doesn't fit the nice goody asian dude that she kinda wants me to date. Mom isn't there urge me to get married to this guy because we have have been dating for so long anyway.

She lets me work out the kinks in my life. She still has reins around me, but she has loosen it a lot that I practically think it isn't there. 

She lets me jump through the hurdles and occasionally pull a little to wake me up and focus on what's ahead. 

 

 

and I let out a sigh of relief?
Another quarter down ... and four more to go!
It hasn't been peachy, but I am enjoying everything thoroughly now.

And thanks to all those people who stood by and supported me along the way ....

The one whom I call at odd hours to ask to borrow some luck ...

The one whom offered to feed me real meals when I couldn't afford the time to cook ....
The one whom made all the cream puffs to destress me ....

Thanks!!

 

 

 

Happy Mother's Day to the mothers, the stepmothers, the grandmothers, the step-grandmothers, the great-grandmothers.

Happy Mother's Day to the to-be mothers, the would-be mothers, the could-be mothers, and the longed-to-be mothers.

 

Enjoy!

I woke up this morning, put on my running shoes and my running attire and started running.

It was a rather muggy morning. Rather nasty actually. But I just wanted to run.

So I ran and I ran ...

Me, my footsteps, my heartbeat.

Whatever I was listening to, my thoughts, my dreams.

No chattering children, no one to pay attention to, no one to keep pace with.

My focus was channeled to my feet and my heartbeat.

Every step I pounded on the ground makes me feel good.

I could stop at any moment, but I didn't. I just kept going.

And then ... I stopped.

My heart was beating fast.

I was breathing heavily.

I walked to the gym and finished up my morning with some weights ....

 

And I feel good all over again.

Very good ....

Two weeks left before this quarter comes to an end.

This is gonna be hectic ...

2 exams in aphasia class, 1 in child language, clients' quarterly treatment reports to complete, session data log to update, my clinical hours log sheet to update, supervisor evaluations to complete, end of the quarter meeting with program director and clinic coordinator where they tell you what you havent been doing or what you have been doing well .... 2 presentations to give, treatment plans to plan and complete ....
And that is not even the end of it ...

 

We'll have 3 parties this coming week too..

Retirement party for department head, Speech and Hearing Center May Picnic, and a go-away party for one of our favorite professor.....

 

My to-do list is filling up ...
With the completion of one tasks heralds the inclusion of 2 more ...

 

It will all be done somehow ...
We have done it for the past 2 quarters already and we will sure do it one more time.

 

After that, I shall sit down, relax, and have a glass of wine.

 

By the way ... showers are AWESOME stress relievers!

It is not even 9:30 am and I already had 2 under my belt ..... :)