Ominvore's Hundred

Just for fun... I think I have dome this before over here (btw, I still have so much I want to post over at that blog, not enough hours), but maybe not on the blog... so here goes again.

Those I have tried are in Red
a few additional from my list back in 2008. Currently 84/100

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (don't see this one happening...)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda -The Chinese Hot Pot yes, this version no
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects -And a scorpion!
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips ( no longer eat them... I was told for years that it was chocolate... which it is not)
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain 70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie (one of my life regrets)
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Back in the saddle-and a PSA

HOME. HOME. HOME. No travel for 15 days and the next trip is VACATION! Can I say again I am HOME!

Today, October 1st we are crunching numbers, taking charge of the finances, working the steps in YMOYL, looking at long range plans-career goals- and generally getting back to what we know we find important.

More coming soon, but here is a PSA... One of my favorite blogs is Eating Asia, they are featuring a few cute puppies that they are caring for in Penang. I hope they find good and suitable homes for those pups. If you are in KL or Penang and want a dog, please contact them.... BUT first and foremost, don't forget to "shop local". For my Singapore friends, there are tons of dogs and cats currently looking for a loving home, check out these organizations for pets. My pupper Lina thanks you (as to her sister cats Sedona and Christmas and dog (JD) that we rescued and have passed on) all of whom were rescue animals. Pet store pets and puppy mill pups are inbred, generally unhealthy and abused animals. Everytime you purchase one you continue the cycle. Adopt instead and please spay and neuter.

PSA over, thanks for listening!

More tomorrow on the YMOYL tracking

Singapore Society for the Prevention of Crulety to Animals

Action for Singapore Dogs

handiwork

A big believer in this!

Check out the New Dream Blog... an insightful look at handwork and our current society.

We’ve come to think of the homemade and handmade as having some kind of
mystique: as if only our grandmothers or a special class of craftsy people can
mend a hem or can some jam. Our hands have an inferiority complex. In reality,
there is no exclusive society that allows in only the dextrous: those of us who
are rather clumsy can still knead dough, top-and-tail beans, and weed a
garden.

Whole post here

I believe that the basic instinct of our lives is to get in touch with those things that matter to us, some of us are connected by smells-sights-sounds- others are connected by touch. I could never let go of printed books for the tactile nature, nor could i give up my quilts.

Speaking of Handiwork, a few pictures of the Class I just did at Scrappingville in Kuala Lumpur.


Nilla sewing away!

Sam's stitchin'

Sharon's finished page



More pictures here

Weighty Issues

Been on a bit of a binge recently. Lots of travel, lots of entertaining, lots of food -and wine. All in all not a bad thing, except for the weight. I feel over full, stuffed, poached and well done. A pork roast overdone, one glass of red wine too many, and one more business dinner (tonight) to go too.

One of the things I took for granted in Oregon was the availability of fresh seasonal produce. Seasons don't exist here in SE Asia, not really, which has its pluses and minuses. I miss eating seasonally though. I miss summers filled with Corn on the cob, canning peaches and making pickled green beans. I miss so much about home (food and wine being a big part!) I do like living in the Asian tropics however for the constant availablity of yummy fruit, fresh chickens and fresh eggs, and fresh green chinese veggies. Those are all in the positive side for sure!

Well, back to the weighty issue, I have been eating too much, drinking too much and generally not taking care of my health as good as I should. In order to get back on track I intend to go back to eating locally when possible, eating whole foods (almost exclusively-save my soy milk in my chai) and cutting out the joy of my life pure processed sugar... WHAT.... NO SUGAR???




Now now, let's not be too rash young lady.... sugar is GOOD, and in minimal amounts (like in dark chocolate) can be good for you, so I am going to cut out HFCS first (that's high fructose corn syrup). Which should I stick to my guns about whole foods should not be too hard. Hard part comes in the soda/cokes I drink and those sweet sweet goodies known as candy bars, but i need to; i worked hard to lose the extra weight I gained after I had the kids, I am generally happy with where I ended up, but always felt to be at the peak of where I should be I have about 10 more pounds to go.





So, starting tomorrow after my last dinner I go whole foods. I am taking baby steps, the next step is to get this old butt back into the pool for some real swimming, but baby steps my friends... baby steps....besides, sugar is far easier to give up than my glass of Wine!

Recharge- mental and physical

The last two months, my normally crazed life has been on full heat. My work is going overboard with billable hours in the 230+ for two months running. My business has also been busy, preparing and teaching scrapbooking classes in Malaysia. We have also had birthdays, start of school and lots of mommy travel. it is all good, but stressful and hard on the family.

D has started to struggle with writing, well let me rephrase, the struggle has always been there but now it is really manifesting in tantrums and inability to complete his work. Some of this may be a self esteem issue, some may be linked to his language problems ( I am assuming here) but it is frustrating for him and heartbreaking for me when I can 't be there to help. K on the other hand is dealing with the normal 6 year old strife of having ghost stories being shared among friends and sleepless nights thereafter. again, the travel I have been doing leaves me away during these times and it kills me to know that Jeff is having to be a super dad and do this without me.

I am near the point of crashing though, I can feel it. A big key is my lack of focus. I am scattered all over, I am stiff and sore physically, I am tired and run down, I cry over the silliest things (like not having a pair of shorts to wear last Sunday). I have three more weeks before we run away for a short vacation. I am trying my best to make it to the trip well and healthy, happy and content. I do not want to spend my whole vacation crabby and out of sorts.

What I am doing is trying to re-connect with those things i find important. I am slowing down where i can, taking time for myself, working and reading things that make me feel better. I am designing a plan for my life that includes healthy choices from diet and exercise to spiritual and emotional health as well. I am still working on the details, but I am going to start to swim again and meditate every morning.

Baby steps, yes for sure, but as the often quoted Gandhi stated ....

"Be the change you want to see in the world"

Until I can be the change, I am still looking forward to this