zzzzz.....

my camera broke. i did not break it. some little creatures in my purse decided to smash my screen, thereby producing a lovely leaf like pattern on the corner. i thought it was cool until josh told me it was broken. well, if it shattered, it sure shattered prettily.

hence, there will be a lull in euri-dom for awhile, until i get a new camera. which should be really soon! but no worries anyone...i'm still grubbin' to my heart's content.

i've also been too distracted to post recent pictures sitting in my camera.
i need to do my taxes!

i have to do my laundry!

i have to stop eating this box of life cereal sitting on my desk.

i have to work out!

bbs: more pix. more fit. more better.

incriminating evidence?

Some pictures of me recently "surfaced" and I realized something after seeing them...





People really have to stop taking pictures of me from that angle.

a real day off

I gave myself a day off today...one of many perks of owning my own business. However, there are many time consuming, worrisome downside effects as well. But this is what I signed up for, what I focus on, what I've sacrificed for, and I don't have many regrets. David has been so understanding but I've also neglected him in the process. Hence, the day off to spend with David!

We started the day heading down to Long Beach on an excursion. I did some research and decided to check out Jongewaard's Bake & Broil because it sounded interesting AND it got 4 stars. Upon walking in, David knew why I picked this place (it WAS a bit selfish of me but it was OUR day...right?).

*sitting behind the register/hostess stand/take out counter (it's a small place) were cakes, pies, and cute earthenware

*underneath the hand written daily specials menu was another cake - a coconut pineapple frosted layer cake. And it was REAL

*to the right of the register was another shelf of cakes, pies, cupcakes, cookies, etc.

When the hostess called my name to be seated, she said "You-rye, your table is ready". -____- David says I need to change my name. I said he needs to change his name because I only put my name down for the purpose that "David" is too common a name. Ah well, I gotta add that to the list of mispronunciations!

I thought this sign was funny:

*i am sooo making one for the office

We were seated next to ANOTHER cupboard of baked goods. I'm currently designing my future kitchen to look like this!

Don't worry, they serve "real food" here. I got the burger special:

*why can't all burger specials be like this?

*i'd have to say this was one of the best burgers i've had in awhile - grilled onions & jack cheese makes everything better!

*David ordered their country gravy biscuits, sausage, with seasoned hashbrowns. That was delicious!

I'm sure you think you know what I picked as my side option, but I didn't want to be predictable. So I got a brownie pie:

*it is what it is - brownie baked in a pie shell. the brownie was soft baked, moist and rich. Delicious with a cup of coffee

Believe me, it was a very hard choice! I had to choose between pies, cream cheese pies, cakes (7 kinds), and bread puddings.

Afterwards, we walked across the street to the Dana Branch Library (where I explained to David what a "book" was and that it was a place where people READ and that it was not called a librarium). All the Long Beach Public Libraries offer a 50% coupon off admission to the LB Aquarium, good for a group of 4 people. Just go in and ask!

David and I had fun at the aquarium...mingling with the school kids and exhausted parents & teachers. haha. I'll post more on that tomorrow! But here's a cute shot:

*an anemone ("uh-nem-uh-nee") or as some parent was explaining to her child "annie-mony"

Stay tuned for more fun!

Pa Pa ZAO!

Last night we checked out this place called Pa Pa Walk, discreetly located in the San Gabriel Hilton Commercial Plaza. It's hidden behind an elevator...but trust me, it's there.


And what can you find there?

Specimen 1:

*toast...brick toast to be exact

But not just any brick toast...it was filled with corn chowder:

*now you see it

*now you don't!

I'm doing the non carb thing at night still. Not like corn chowder is the best for me, but at least I didn't tack on the extra bread. I snuck a piece though, and it had a sweetness to it, like a chinese donut. Like a fried mon tao (the steam white bread) to be exact!

Specimen 2: the cold cut platter

*a plate of seaweed, tea eggs, tofu, and some animal's ear (quit cringing)

Specimen 3: Beef stew with spinach noodles

*beef was a bit tough, but the noodles & broth were really good. Steeeeamy!

Specimen 4: Mango Shaved Ice

*layers upon layers of soft ice, mango syrup, sweetend condensed milk, chunks of mango, topped with a scoop of mango ice cream. Look how excited josh and ell are!

We have a few theories on the meaning of Pa Pa Walk:
1. Dad walks
2. Pa Pa kind of sounds like "jog" in cantonese, Jog, Walk...you get the picture
3. There is no meaning. The title belongs on www.mymomisafob.com
4. PopoZAO! I told Josh that was the name of the restaurant and made him yelp it. He was confused. That was great fun. But actually, if you say "leave" in Chinese, it does sound like "Zao" so in essence it could be pa pa walk.

Anyway, give it a try! I'm going back on Saturday with my family. I considered this a test run. ;)

Pictures of the Day

*kay, navs & j playing in the snow. they're so big now! :(

*a happy kay with navs

heheheeheheh

another cheat day

During my diet, different (unsupportive) people would talk openly about greasy fried foods to get me to sway. You know who you are! One of the things that Josh kept mentioning was Wing Stop.
I love wing stop, especially for their fries that seem to be sprinkled with sugar.

So off we went for dinner for a high protein, no carb, but unhealthy meal. Between the five of us, we got the Jules Pilot Pack:

*100 wings (up to 4 flavors), french fries, bourbon baked beans, potato salad, and veggie sticks (cuz you know, we gotta be healthy)

*can you smell it?

*don't lick the screen

After Josh was done eating, he proceeded to build a tower with his graveyard of chicken bones:

*what a proud moment

David thought that was a fantastical idea and built his own:

Here's the comparison shot:

Then they started playing Jenga with their graveyard:

And Josh lost. He should have cheated (like someone i know.....)

Feast and Family

David and I attended church yesterday for Reya's dedication service. It was weird being at church - I think the last time I was there was Easter! I grew up going to church twice a week, sometimes even attending church related events during the week. Maybe I'm just churched out...but I like my sister's church because the people there are real.

I didn't get a chance to snap a pic of Reya because we were all called to the stage to pray over this precious little girl. I did go camera happy when we got back to my sister's house:

*reya dancing...hehehe

*somehow, i managed to snag a shot of ian as he ran in circles around me

*brayden just got changed after leaking poo on my sweater lol

It was a festive afternoon with many people dropping in for lunch. Kids were running around, people were chatting, coffee was being passed. When it was all over, I got to talk with my family, which we don't get to do nowadays. We hatched bizarre business plans, talked of poop and diapers, and food.

*all we are missing are the yun's! :(

We all took turns trading babies. haha

*edwin and reya

*joyce and brayden

*brayden and me...and david's phone

*joyce and reya

*my mama and brayden

*martin with a sleeping brayden and reya. i like the look on reya's face! ahahahah

Whenever we have meals at my sister's house, never expect to-go containers and the easy way out. Joyce is becoming a master at catering and puts thought into everything she makes. Here's what we feasted on:

The up close shots of some of the highlights:

*california roll salad with and mild wasabi dressing

*homemade curry beef puffs, one of my FAVORITE things

*baked drumsticks

*cupcakes a la bakerella :)

*lookit, the cookies i made!

I'm so glad my diet ended in time for this! Although, I was very good and only ate one cookie, one curry beef puff, and a small plate of noodles. However, there are currently 6 puffs sitting in my freezer, waiting to be loved.

Day 2 & 3 Round Up

By Friday, day 2, i was wondering what I was getting out of this. I pestered M.m. to incorporate flavorful substance into my diet. He relented with a protein burger from In-N-Out, cheese but no sauce. He allowed one slice of tomato but it was on the condition that I ate my burger earlier in the day. No problem! Now if only In-n-Out was open in the morning.


Then I cheated (again)! When I ate my late night cottage cheese meal, I added a bit o' jam to it. And frozen blueberries. When I ran out of jam, I held my breath and scarfed up the rest.


Saturday passed by as mundane as my meals. Meetings, bland food, meetings, more bland snacks:

*that was all natural, unsalted, unsugared peanut butter

I got a lot of strange looks from Kendra every time I busted out a new snack. She doesn't seem to believe in nutrition!

For the last meal of this ordeal, I decided to kick up my tilapia and added...onions:

*it kinda made a difference

And then what did I do? I made cookie-wiches!


It was my niece's dedication service the next day so I made dessert for the luncheon held in her honor. I got the recipe from Bakerella but adjusted the sugar levels as I did not want to dump 1lb of powdered sugar into 8oz. of cream cheese! And then I added red food coloring to make it pink. :)

I've been weighing everything on my stamp scale - just because I can! Even the obvious:

*mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

And a cookie-wich weighs only 1.3oz!

And guess what? I didn't eat a cookie. I had to force Josh and David to taste test everything. I'm mean.

Here are a few realizations/things I've learned:
1. I have some sort of will power & discipline
2. Donuts do not control me (or that's what I keep telling myself)
3. My cousin/nutritionist David was doubting me the whole time
4. Trader Joe's plain, non-fat yogurt is much more "rancid" and "mold" tasting than the supermarket brands
5. I like pan seared chicken & tilapia....without salt
6. I won't be eating carbs at night for awhile, but definitely need them during the day
7. I'd rather work out than eat cottage cheese!
8. I lost some weight, so it worked :) But if i'm not careful, I'll just gain it back, plus more
9. Stamp scales are multifunctional
10. A 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt, if you must, is more preferable than a smoothie.
11. I would consider doing this again if i HAD to

Stay tuned for a real food post tomorrow!