A lean, mean tennis machine!

After a week off from tennis, Valerie was quite excited to start practicing tennis again. Of course, she has to do it in style, which includes wearing everything from a colorful headband to a heart necklace to sparkly shoes. Who knows, maybe she'll be a better player because of them :)

Valerie wants to go see Cinderella's Castle

Iron Man 2

I can't wait!

God's Pharmacy

The above certainly gives me more motivation to eat a well balanced diet. I’ve been mainly a meat eater ever since I was a little kid, and it’s slowly catching up to me. I’m a host to a variety of health conditions: nearsightedness, allergies, skin problems, acid reflux, sensitive stomach issues, migraines, backaches, and frequent sore throats. Of course, being a health care professional, the foods above are not intended to prevent, treat, or cure any disease.

TV Lineup

9/21 Heroes - Can this show reclaim its former glory?
9/25 Smallville - I’m loyal to the end, 9th season and counting!
10/2 Stargate Universe - My dreams come true! Hope this is good.
10/9 Sanctuary - A so-so sci-fi show that I watch when there’s nothing else.
11/3 V - I have little recollection of this series from 1984...

Cardio Workout Attempt #100

Back in the old days, I preferred playing full court basketball games as a form of aerobic exercise, but these days, it’s too physical for me to play with elbows flying around everywhere. Since then, I’ve tried other types of aerobic activities, but I haven’t found one that I could stick with until now (I hope).

Running was my second choice for a good cardio workout, but it was just too hard on my knees and feet. Next, I tried bicycling, but I didn’t like the fact that my arms weren’t doing anything. Later, I gave the elliptical bike a try, and while I was getting a workout for both my upper and lower body, I didn’t enjoy standing up as much as I did sitting down from bicycling . I know, it’s kinda lame, but I do enough standing at work. Well, I’m onto using a rowing machine now, and so far so good. I get a decent workout on both my legs and arms, I’m able to attain my target heart rate, and I also get to sit down!

Aquarium Wonder

from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

Table tennis champion in the making?

In the sport of table tennis, China dominates the world rankings. Of the top 10 players in the world, more than half are from China. There’s no secret to their success. A player’s training starts at a pretty young age and requires deliberate practice and hard work that is demanding and painful. A child with potential will get pulled out of school to practice 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. It’s no wonder that US table tennis players can't even come close in skill level, given that the best US player is not even ranked in the top 100 (but we do have the best swimmer in the world). In the following video, the form, power, and footwork of this little girl is just unbelievable! I bet she plays more table tennis in a single day than I do in a whole week :-O

Tennis 101

Today will be the first day that Valerie will step on the court for tennis lessons. Her interest in the sport is not too strong, so I figured putting her in an atmosphere with other toddlers learning tennis may help peak her interest. Let's see if the old saying "monkey see, monkey do" holds true in this case. So far, mommey loves shopping, Valerie loves shopping. Aunt Kat likes art, Valerie likes coloring. So, daddy enjoys tennis, Val enjoys tennis? Hahaha, only time will tell.

Valerie at 3 years old

Valerie is growing up so fast! She's been potty trained and just moved up to the 3 year old Preschool class. She's attending 3 full days. She seems to be adjusting well and happy to be joining her friends in the room. She also got very good assessment grades from her teachers for all her developmental milestones from 19 to 36 months. Valerie has come a long way and still has some trouble separating from mommy and daddy.

Hot Pot Menu

I have to say the hot pot that I prepared this past weekend was much better than expected. Normally, Sherry goes with a chicken broth soup base while my mom uses just regular water. This time, I went with the Lee Kum Kee Satay Soup Base for Hot Pot that I found from the asian grocery store, and as a result, the food turned out really flavorful!

In the past, I found it cumbersome to use chopsticks, ladles, and even the small metal strainers to pick up food from the hot pot. This time, I decided to go with a long slotted spoon, which turned out to be actually quite efficient. It is now my utensil of choice to use for hot pot.

Without further ado...

fish fillet (a staple of hot pot imho)
fried fish cake (something new that Sherry discovered)
fish balls (rubbery taste as some would say, but tolerable)
oysters (distinct taste which I like)
tofu (a needed balance)
nappa (our new favorite vege for satay hot pot)

dipping sauce mixture: ½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce, 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, ½ tablespoon soy sauce

My mom makes a pretty good dipping sauce, which I’m in the process of figuring out how to make...

Q & A

Valerie is really growing up as she is communicating like a mini-adult and learning more words. She’ll give consistent answers whenever Sherry and I ask her the same questions over and over. It’s really wonderful to see her develop and see the kind of person that she’ll become.

Q: What is your favorite color?
A: Red

Q: What is your favorite animal?
A: Polar bear

Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Milk

Q: Who is your best friend?
A: Mommy

Q: What do you want to do today?
A: Color and read books

Q: What do you want for Christmas?
A: Books and clothes

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: Nurse (I’ll still try to train her into a tennis prodigy, haha!)

Happy Holidays

Thanksgiving is around the corner. I'm excited this holiday season, because I'm Off on Thanksgiving and Christmas !! Getting ready for holidays is hectic-the shopping, decorating, cooking and sending out Christmas cards. I'm looking forward celebrating this joyful time of the year with my family and good food!!!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! I'm surprised that Valerie is the only one in her class dressed up for Halloween. It's a beautiful day and no one dressed up? Valerie must feel awkward being the only kid with the costume on.

Milk Consumption

Valerie is not lactose intolerant. We stopped using the Lactaid after a week because it didn't help much and switched her back to the organic milk. The reason her stomach stuck out was due to her daily milk intake. Recently, Valerie likes drinking milk from a regular plastic cup instead of her straw cup, and she is drinking less milk, around 16 to 20 ounces. She drank a lot and so much faster with the straw cup.

Children over 12 months of age need only 16 to 20 ounces of milk a day recommended by pediatricians. We're aware of that but she loves milk. She was drinking about 36 ounces per day. She became full from the milk and didn't eat much of her solid food. I hid all her straw cups, so she doesn't ask for them and now she likes using the plastic cup. After she lost all the fluids, she seems lighter to me and her pants seem a little loose. Now, her tummy is normal and she eats more solid food:)