Quinoa Upma

Oppa Upma Gangnam Style!

We were recently invited to lunch by my brother-in-law's wife's mother's first cousin (commit this to memory - there may be a pop quiz later!).  Within minutes, we discovered that he is a big time foodie - the kind of foodie who drives two hours in a foreign land to have a taste of a highly acclaimed restaurant, the kind of foodie whose mind frequently and not-so-secretly revolves around some food-inspired thought. His wife is an amazing chef with a remarkable repertoire of healthy food ideas, armed with organization skills that Martha Stewart would envy and a green thumb, judging by the umeboshi leaves thriving in their backyard.  We had found kindred spirits in this perfect "pear".

No Hay Wi-Fi!?

Punta Arenas, Chile

I just don't get it.  When I was practically at the end of the earth, a stone's throw away from Antarctica, I was able to connect to free wi-fi and even FaceTime with my family from the airport.  On the other hand, when I'm traveling in the US, a lot of major airports only offer the kind of wi-fi that you have to pay for.  That's not the kind of wi-fi I like.

I was at a restaurant in NYC last night and the password to their wi-fi account was listed on the menu.  This really kind of struck me and I found myself wondering why Internet access is made so easy in places where we should engage in socializing i.e. restaurants and why there are barriers in places where we are often "flying solo" (ahah pun intended!).  I'm a social butterfly and have been known to make a friend or two at the airport, but more often than not, I'm doing my own thing when I'm there.  As I patiently wait in the boarding area (aka find a spot next to the gate entrance where I can hover and prepare to shove people out of the way so I don't get stuck checking my rollerboard!), I feel compelled to seem like I'm doing something important rather than just staring off into space.  I'm always wishing that I didn't have to ruin my already poor eyesight by squinting at my 4G-enabled phone while my shiny laptop tells me that Safari can not display the page.

On a slight tangent, I absolutely think American society, as friendly and outgoing as we are, has lost sight of the value of socializing in person for the benefit of our health and intellectual wellness.  I plead guilty.  Since reality says we are reliant on digital communication though, I do hope that airports and other places in America catch the complimentary wi-fi bug that has already reached the ends of the earth, but I also hope we can do a better job of knowing the time and place to use it.

Read this blog post my sis recently wrote called "Right There, but Unavailable".

The United States of Dreamers & Realists

For some reason, going for a run always reminds me of how lucky I am to have a supportive husband who wants me to be happy and nudges me to follow my dreams.  Maybe it's because I feel free and strong.

I meant to post this quote from Modern Family on Facebook on our wedding anniversary last month, but that day came and went.  So I'm going for the better late than never thing here.  I feel like this quote is especially fitting for us because my husband clearly has a man crush on Phil and I share many personality traits (and a haircut) with Claire.

Two peas in a pod.  (Before meeting me, my husband never flossed!  Good thing I gave that dreamer a reality check about oral hygiene.)

An Ogre Comes to Visit

I didn't necessarily intend on plating our dinner in the form of an ogre.  I think this is the direct result of being an aunt to three nieces ages 5 and under:

My husband seemed confused but delighted at our meal turned art project!  Here's the down low.   Details on how to make the individual parts to follow in other posts (too tired right now and have miles to go before I sleep) -

• 1 plum sliced and drizzled with honey
• chickpea + quinoa salad on a bed of arugula
• roasted brussel sprouts
• yogurt with dill, salt, pepper, and freshly squeezed lemon juice served on the side

On a mushy sidenote: in my mother tongue there is no word for nieces or nephews.  They're considered as your own daughters and sons.  Isn't that just so sweet?  And it's so fitting because that's exactly how I think of my little ones.  The natural born worrier that I am, I'm constantly fretting about them and when I see them, I'm consumed by how to make them feel happy.  I'm strict with them too, but I think this is what helps make them the polite little princesses that they are.  Oh yeah, and I guess their parents have some influence too :-D  My sister really is such a wonderful mother to them.  Patient, incredibly loving, teaches them to do the right thing and be confident (just to name a few).  I hope as their second mom, I am also doing a good job teaching them how to be their best selves.

Stop Dilly Dallying, Start Doing

I've spent a year and a half, maybe even two years, worrying about getting my blog just right.  Spent countless hours thinking, writing, perfecting...and rarely publishing.  And then I came home this weekend and in two hours, my sister came up with a vision for her blog, designed it, produced it and started writing on it, fearlessly.  I think this proves that she is superior to me in all walks of life, but that's ok because I'm still my parents' favorite ;-) Anyway, the point is that I am lucky that the two people I spend the most time with in life, my sister and husband, are big time do-ers and non-worriers, people I can learn a lot from.  The way it goes is that they give me advice, I don't listen, and then later I change my mind and decide they were right.

So it took me awhile to get here.  My MO has always been thorough, thoughtful, methodical.  But I'm here now. And I have a lot to share about some of the things I love the most.  And I want to challenge myself to learn how to think in a different way.  Unstructured, spontaneous, roll with the punches.

I wasn't blessed with great mechanical skills, but I have a really sharp memory and I'm going to use it to give you all sorts of travel advice from all the places I have been lucky enough to visit.  I'm going to blah blah yada yada about healthy foods and sound like an extremist talking about how we have banned cereal and ketchup from our kitchen, but I really just want to be educated about food, enjoy the good stuff often and the not-so-good stuff sparingly, and gush about how happy food makes me and the togetherness it creates with my foodie friends and fam who are so awesome - not only because they love food - but because they are good, down-to-earth people at the core.  And one more thing, I am all about learning and sharing, so lots of that too.

Thanks for standing behind me sis, hubz and future readers :)