Could This Be

Two nights ago, I thought I felt Babe move. I was sitting on the couch watching tv, with my hands placed on my tummy when I felt something moving against it. I can't be absolutely positive, since this is something new to me, but I am quite sure that wasn't gas I was feeling. :-)

We had a gyne visit this morning, and though we couldn't see Babe on the sonogram, we could hear him moving actively via the Doppler. Oh, and did I mention I gained over 4 pounds in 4 weeks??

Dr Garner has also okayed our road trip, so starting from tomorrow, I can finally actively plan for it. This will probably be our last couple trip for a very long time, and in a way, I think this will be the honeymoon that we've never really had. All our previous trips were action-packed ones with lots of walking from dawn to dusk, and I can't wait to just sit back, relax and admire the fall foliage. ( hint to Yifan)

Current Mood: chipper

Booboo

There's no question about it. Blondes are dumb.

Yoga II

After a really long break, we are finally back at yoga, or at least, Yifan is. I had to sit out. I showed my moral support by accompanying him for class and sitting in the far end of the room reading, and trying to sneak in a few pics here and there.


doing the " Three- Legged Dog"


taking " The Flow"

Current Mood: lazy

Curry Chicken

Ingredients:
- chopped chicken pieces
- potatoes
- salt
- curry powder
- cloves
- star anise
- cinnamon stick
- sambal belacan
- lemon grass
- coconut milk
- turmeric

The rempah:
- shallots
- garlic
- ginger ( in place of galangal)
- dried chillies
- fresh chillies
- buah keras




Current Mood: satisfied

Baked Cod

Ingredients:
- cod fillet
- lime zest
- salt
- pepper
- lime juice
- red pepper flakes



Current Mood: happy

Back With A Blast

Lately, we've been doing the things we used to do, but hadn't had time for in a while ( think mobtv) -- going to the theatre and taking up reading. We finally caught Spiderman 3 which was okay, and I really liked Knocked Up. I've also just finished Gucci Gucci Coo by Sue Margolis:-




My tastes in food have become more varied, and while I didn't really like noodles much in the past, I eat them almost at least once a week now. Chinese-style mee, and italian pasta, I love them all! Yesterday, I broke my chilli fast by eating my first chilli padi in nearly two months!! I think now that I am more adjusted to the changes in hormones, I have/am starting to get back my usual palate. Taste-wise, those tiny peppers don't appeal as strongly to me now as they once did.

My brain, on the other hand, misses the fiery sensation the chilli peppers bring me. You can imagine how happy I was when it was Hatch Festival at Central Market when we were there last weekend.


green peppers-a-roasting




sambal belacan coming up!

And did I mention that I also discovered a new-found love for Philly Cheesesteak? Since it'll be Oct before I get to eat the real McCoy, in the meantime, I'll have to make do with a California Cheesesteak right here in Texas.





But really, my true intention was to save some stomach space for this:



"Do you eat to live, or do you live to eat?"



Current Mood: awake

Clay Pot Chicken Rice

Ingredients:
- chopped chicken pieces
- dried mushrooms
- chicken stock
- water
- rice
- spring onions
- fried shallots

The marinade:
- ginger
- dark soy sauce
- light soy sauce
- pepper
- sugar
- sesame oil

* i omitted lapcheong from the dish because i ran out of it.

I'm hoping to get a couple of clay pots soon so I can prepare the dish just like how it's really supposed to be done. ( I couldn't find the clay pots I wanted at the asian supermarket I went to yesterday.)

Nevertheless, my clay pot chicken rice, minus the clay pot, turned out really well. Yifan is asking for an encore!



Current Mood: hungry

I Eat, I Shop

Bavarian Grill
Aside from Poor Richard's Cafe, this has got to be my other favorite restaurant in Plano. We were there on a Friday night, and the place was rockin' with fun! The decor was very pretty- there was a little choo-choo train running along the entire perimeter of the restaurant, it reminded me of Stew Leonard's in Norwalk.

A band played funny little songs that most of the patrons seemed to know the words to, and there was lots of clapping and dancing in the seats!







This last pic turned out blurry. Yifan must have been feeling a little tipsy then. heheh. jk!

Perseid Meteor Shower
Has it been a year since we last drove out to Frisco trying to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower? Last night, Yifan saw 3 shooting stars from our balcony. Lucky guy!

Tax-free Shopping
Tax-free holidays couldn't have come at a better time this year!! I desperately need an overhaul of my wardrobe. I need new ( and longer) tops, and drawstring bottoms to last me the next couple of months. It was a headache looking for something to wear out for the weekend yesterday. I tried on tops that were either too tight or too short to cover my belly, and I had to wear the knitted knee-length elastic-waisted pants despite the heatwave that's currently taking over most parts of the country. Urgh! Oh well! Something to look forward to this weekend. :-)

Current Mood: hot

Braised Chicken with Yam

Ingredients:
- chicken wings
- ginger
- garlic
- preserved soy beans
- sugar
- yam

The marinade:
- light soy sauce
- oil
- oyster sauce
- corn flour
- pepper

The sauce:
- light soy sauce
- dark soy sauce
- oyster sauce
- water
- sesame oil

Current Mood: bouncy

My Oh My!

Look how Babe has grown over the weeks!

He was just a little bean when we first saw him at 6w2d. (heartbeat: 120)



Then the little bean grew to become a not-so-little bean at 8.5 weeks. (heartbeat:172)



And the latest pic I have of him taken at the sonogram for Down's Syndrome testing:- he was measuring at 7.2cm at 12w5d, with a heartbeat of 160 beats per minute.



It's too bad gynes in the US don't do ultrasounds at every visit, so the next time I see Babe will be at the 20th week when we will know for sure if he's a lil Sharon or a lil Yifan. :-)

We did get to hear his heartbeat at my last visit at 13.5 weeks-- a steady 156bpm.

Lastly, just thought I'd post a pic of myself with my growing tummy.



Current Mood: loved

Superliga

We felt cheated!!

It was a match between FC Dallas and LA Galaxy... and David Beckham was supposed to be there. All in all, it was a boring game, and so not worth shelling all that money out for. I don't blame Beckham for not wanting to play here ( though the reason given was that he was nursing an injury). Frisco, or Texas for that matter, is nothing like what the Beckhams would be used to:- the town is "rural", the stadium is small, and soccer-mania hasn't really caught on in the US yet. The atmosphere was sorely lacking last night, and people were more interested in chit- chatting/eating/drinking beer than watching the match.

Nevertheless, it was an experience for us, albeit a not-so-good one.



















The match was a lil slow, and Yifan hadn't had his dinner yet (he'd rushed over straight from work) so we decided to call it a night and instead head to Manny's for a bite.

Some parting shots:





The score when we left at the 70th minute was 4-1 with LA Galaxy leading.

We managed to catch the last bits of the game at Manny's. In the end LA Galaxy won, and the final score: 6-5 !!!! Unbelievable.