YOU DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO FOLLOW YOU BROTHER'S FOOTSTEP

Dani started piano when he was 4 yrs old...
Last year , after reading Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother ( by Amy Chua )
I ask him to practice more
On the spring recital 2011 , he did better than the other two recitals before..
( better = meaning I could listen without hoping it end right then )
then, on summer, I started to fight with him about the piano practice
He asked to stop the piano lesson...
On fall, I cannot take it anymore...
he got what he asked.

Timothy started piano at 6 yrs old when he could read letters and count numbers
By the encouragement of the Tiger Mom book, I ask him to practice seriously
He did well on his first spring recital
After Daniel stopped playing piano, Tim practices less
During winter, due to pneumonia, christmas activities, and such..
his performance on winter recital was not good...

Only my husband came to his recital.
I was too tired from going to the doctor office 2 times in a day .
First appointment was Daniel and Sophie's annual check up in their pediatrician .
Second was Timothy's ( in a specialist ) to check a lymph node infection that happened right after the pneumonia...
Thank God ..it was healed quickly after the second round of antibiotic

Timothy said to me : I will stop piano lesson at 4the grade.. just like Dani

I said : You don't always have to follow Dani's footstep
            Maybe you will enjoy piano more than him
            Now PRACTICE !

But I will let him decide when he's in 4th grade

        

HOPEFULLY LOW CHOLESTEROL CURRY

I usually do not follow the recipe exactly... I work with what I have in my kitchen..
That is why I do not like baking.. I mostly bake muffins.. the muffins will taste different from time to time

My mom 's advice :
If it doesn't taste good... do not add the spice..or herb.. or whatever you think you need to add... usually it just need more salt.. add a little bit at a time ...tasting it a lot... untill you think the taste is good...

My mom's advice works for me...This is my recipe for chicken/ tempe/ tofu curry ..
I hope and try my best to make it low cholesterol...
I also like to add a LITTLE salt  again and again..after each indgredients to layer the flavour

4 pieces of garlic
1/2 onion
protein ( chicken breast/ tempeh ) as big as 2 hands
2 potatoes
2 carrots
6 pieces of kale leaves ..middle part removed, then cut just as you like
3 or 4 pieces of keffir lime leaves

2 tsp yellow curry powder ( or as much or as less as you like )
3 cups of fat free milk
2 tbsp coconut milk ( just to make the curry smell good )
1 tsp sugar ( works like msg without the chemicals )

chop the garlic and onion, potatoes , carrots
cut the protein into cubes ( or as you like )
sautee the onion..when translucent, add garlic..add a little bit of salt and pepper.
after the garlic smell good, add the protein... add a little salt ,pepper ( again ), curry powder
when the chicken/ tempeh cooked , add carrot and potatoes .. add a little salt and pepper ( again )
after about 5 minutes, add fat free milk, coconut milk, keffir lime leaves... simmer..
after about 10 minutes correct the seasoning add the sugar... simmer untill carrot and potatoes tender..

serve with rice and kerupuk ( shrimp chips )...

My Prayer from Psalm 90 : 12

" Teach us to number our days aright , that we may gain a heart of wisdom "

Teach me O' Lord
to count the hours that I spend on : watching movies
                                                     facebooking
                                                     blogging
                                                     reading novels
                                                     chatting on the phone
                                                     aimless activities

that I may gain the heart of wisdom..
because...
                                                     kids need leading
                                                     husband needs loving
                                                     food needs cooking
                                                     chores need delegating
                                                     body needs sleeping

Teach me O'Lord to prioritize
my time with You alone
that I can live to the fullest
without breaking
my limit

MAO 'S LAST DANCER

Saya membaca buku ini kira-kira 5 tahun yang lalu. Buku ini adalah autobiografi Li Cunxin, seorang penari balet asal Cina yang terkenal di kancah balet internasional.

Ketika saya melihat filmnya sudah muncul, saya sangat kepingin nonton. Baru 2 minggu lalu kesampaian.

Li Cunxin berasal dari daerah miskin yang sering terlanda kelaparan . Keluarganya pun miskin, namun bahagia. Pada usia 11 tahun, dari jutaan anak di Cina, ia terpilih oleh panitia kebudayaan Madame Mao untuk menuntut ilmu di Beijing Dance Academy. Pergilah Cunxin meninggalkan keluarganya .

Ketika berusia 18 tahun, Cunxin dikirim ke US untuk mengikuti summer ballet program di Houston University. Mulai di sini, kisahnya rame... Ia bertemu dengan gadis yang menjadi istri pertamanya. Karena keputusannya untuk tinggal di US, ia ditahan di Konsul Cina di Houston. Li Cunxin akhirnya bebas, namun ia harus melepaskan kewarganegaraan Cina-nya.

Filmnya berakhir dengan happy ending, Cunxin bertemu kembali dengan orang tuanya..bahkan bisa kembali ke Cina . Namun di buku, kisahnya terus lanjut. Cunxin dan istri keduanya dikaruniai seorang anak yang tuli.
Istrinya yang saat itu mejadi principal dancer , terpaksa melepaskan kariernya yang sedang ada di puncak , demi mendidik anak mereka.

Saya sangat suka buku dan film ini...Kerja keras serta peruntungan Li Cunxin sangat luar biasa. Walaupun berat jalan hidup yang harus ditempuh Li Cunxin, humor tetap mewarnai buku dan filmnya...
Serius tapi tetap menghibur...

PIZZA KEDUA

Kali ini saya menggunakan saus pizza dan keju mozarella. Resepnya adonan masih tetap sama, dari bungkus ragi Fleishman. Saya hanya menggunakan tepung terigu, tidak dicampur dengan tepung whole wheat seperti pizza pertama.

Kesalahan saya ialah, saya salah mengukur banyaknya tepung. kurang banyak.. setelah melihat adonan menjadi sangat lengket, saya baru ngeh kalau menggunakan mangkuk ukuran yang salah. Akhirnya, saya tambahkan tepung pakai " feeling " aja...

Anak-anak saya makan pizzanya.. hanya tinggal 1/3 tersisa. Lain kali saya akan nonton youtube atau minta diajari seorang teman yg sering sekali bikin pizza....( tunggu telponku Ri ! )

INTRODUCTION TO BALLET

Sophie always likes Angelina Ballerina. In the gym that I usually go, there is a ballet class. for 3-5 years old.
After her 3rd birthday, I enrolled her.

Usually when I heard ballet, what I had in mind is " strict, serious, disciplined "..
Hair should be like this, hand should be like that.. the more symetrical the shape , the better..
Only several choice of colors for the outfit.. etc, etc...
A 3 years old girl could grow to hate it if there are bounty of rigid rules.

But this class is fun...
Any kind of comfortable clothes..
( But who can't resit the chance to dress her little one in leotard ? )
Fun music
( not classical .. but Disney's princess songs, soft music,
yesterday I heard " How much is that doggie in the window " )
Not all the ballet phrases like 1st position, 2nd position, plie, etc..
but also the one that made more sense for little kids 
( such as...jumping like bunnies, arms like crocodile mouth, hands ..sun up, sun down, etc )

And ..STICKERS...after the practice done....

ORIDANI

ORIGAMI BY DANI

" It's relaxing," when I asked Dani the reason he likes to do origami

Not for me, I said in my heart...

HOW STURBUCKS CHANGED MY LIFE, Kisah tentang Orang Kaya yang Jatuh Miskin :

"  A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else " Wah ini menarik, pikir saya...

Michael Gates Gill adalah seorang eksekutif di perusahaan advertising di New York. Ia berasal dari keluarga yang berkecukupan. Tamatan Yale. Ia punya istri dan empat anak... Sukses, kaya dan bahagia.

Ketika memasuki usia 60-an.. hidupnya berubah... karena nasib dan ulahnya sendiri.

Karena perusahaannya downsizing, ia dipecat. Ia berselingkuh dan kehilangan keluarga. Ia kena tumor jinak di otak dan menjadi setengah tuli.

Michael lalu ditawari bekerja sebagai pegawai di kedai kopi STARBUCKS...Perubahan pun terjadi setahap demi setahap... Bersih bersih ..sampai membersihkan toilet.. belajar menjadi kasir...akhirnya belajar membuat kopi . Kehidupan lama yang glamour tidak ia dapatkan kembali namun perubahan dalam karakter terjadi. Ia belajar menjadi rendah hati . Ia belajar menghormati rekan rekan pegawai yang mempunyai latar belakang yang berbeda dengan dirinya...Anak kandung dari perkawinan pertamanya , mulai menghormati dia kembali.

Menarik... lebih afdol kalo dibaca sambil ditemani secangkir latte hangat di dalam STARBUCKS.

HOMEMADE FAST FOOD

I like fast cooking food ... Although I like fast food very much ( KFC with warm rice and sambal, McD cheeseburger, Wendy's nuggets , Indomie ), but for health sake , I do my best to eat less of them.

This is a fast cooking food that my kids like very much..

Picollini or penne with  store bought Alfredo sauce
boiled brocolli
Ikea frozen meatballs ( not as much cholestrol as other brands )

For my husband and I, we like to use pesto or spagetti sauce instead of alfredo sauce..
I also boil the brocolli first, then use the water to boil pasta..so I save some time ...

SELAMAT MAKAN..SESUAI SELERA

CHINESE NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

Christopher, my friend's son mentioned something about Chinese New Year 's resolution...That got me thinking..

Would I consider one of these as my Chinese New Year Resolution ?

1. Eating more veggies and steam fish at Chinese buffet
2. Less going to Chinese buffet
3. More buying "made in china stuff"
4. More Cleaning and arranging stuff in my house to make the feng shui better
5. Studying Chinese ( I forgot most of my chinese..shame on me, chinese major graduated )
6. Eating rice with chopstick ( it would make the portion smaller  )

I can do no 1 and 6
I strive to do no 4
I don't think I will do no 5, at least not this dragon year

GONG XI FA CHOY, !

                                          Playing DS at Chinese Buffet

                                        Friends from church at Chinese Buffet...

Saat Pertama Sophie ke Theater

John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean

" On our way..we're on our way today...
  To see what we could see...
  on the deep blue sea.. "

We watched John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean last night. Really enjoyed the show. It was full of cute adorable sea creatures, cool fx, nice set, and lot's of BUBBLES...

STORY
Finding a treasure map, Bubble, Dorsel and Tank decided to look for the treasure. In their adventure, they would exercise kindness, imagination and courage to achieve their goal.

Although I can find the same kind of story in any children entertainment , the performance was amazing.
The fish look lively..especially the neurotic Dorsel.. He's always trembling with fear...
I found this show is entertaining both for adults and little kids...Although my three years old was unsettled during the " imagination goes overboard " scene, but some snack calm her down. I heard some little kids screaming as well...

John Tartaglia ( Johnny and the Sprites , aired in Disney Channel, several years ago ) made the book. He didn't appear in the show... With the ticket priced between $ 13-16 ..I should've known better...

My New Year Resolution

This year I will learn how to make pizza from scratch... My kids love cheese pizza. Almost every week we buy cheese pizza. Today I tried the recipe on the package of Fleischmann's Pizza Crust Yeast... I combined the the white flour with wheat flour. I did not use tomato sauce..

My kids did not like it..... It's okay.. I've got a whole year to learn...

ZUMBA

One day when I was walking/ jogging ( too much jogging.. out of breath/ too much walking... bored ) on the track in my gym , there was a Zumba class below . In my gym, the jogging track is above the basketball hall. Usually I saw people playing basketball... But this time , a lot of ladies dancing ... The music is nice ..that was my first thought.

Then the next week, I tried a zumba class. I was late. I could not really follow the dance. I came again the next week.. Then I was hooked.. I like it so much. I never been to the jogging track since then .

One thing I notice.. the closer I stand to the instructor..the better I see her, the better I dance. Once I stand on the farthest left side, I almost could not see the instructor. My dance was really awful...
So my ability to dance really depends on my instructor... not on myself ....

Come to think about it, in spiritual life, I also perform my daily task better when I depend on my God....30 minutes devotion and prayer really set the mood and energy to accomplish my day.

BOOKS THAT I READ OVER AND OVER AGAIN

The Little House Series by Laura Inglas Wilder

I am craved to read them during summer road trips and wintertime

 Books by Agatha Christie

Always love the smart and wise yet friendly Miss Marple

very intrigued with the gray cells of Hercule Poirot

I read this one the most....