long overdue update

It has been 5 years since my last post because I have forgotten about my blog post. It isn't until recently that my friends from SFU and I decide to document our session progress. I am surprised to find my old blog upon logging in, so I have decided to keep it alive again. My friends and I started a blog for learning Gaelic language roughly 2 months ago and it was named "The Warriors of the Gaelic round table" (www.gaelicroundtable.blogspot.com). I am one of the admins who's in charge of posting and organizing the content, while others are in charge of posting as well as editing. It is very rewarding to be part of this project because it allows me to apply my learning from Linguistics as well as my experience in simple HTML coding. I hope to get more people involved in this project in the future, when the club is fully established next term.

I have recently started an exercise program called "Insanity." It is a 2 month fitness program where one exercises at home through watching DVDs. The exercise targets warm-ups, stretches, daily exercise topics (cardio, abs, circuit, etc...), and cool down stretches. It averages from 35~45 minutes per day for the first month. So far, I'm in week 3 and I've gained roughly 3 pounds. Making my average weight 108.2lbs. I am hoping to reach 160lbs by the end of my training, but I need to pick up the game and start eating properly and exercise rigorously in order to achieve that goal. Scrawny to Brawny, here we go :)

I have to admit that cooking isn't my talent. But once in a while I would crave for Taiwanese food. If you are on the same boat, or just want to try something new, here's a recipes to share.

Taiwanese hot and sour soup (5 estimate serving)

Ingredients:

Tofu - one box or two tubes

Lean meat or Ground meat - 200~350g

Black mushroom - 10 heads

Inoki mushroom - 2~3 packs

Dry black fungus - very little, 10g (for garnishing/texturing purpose)

Carrot - 1 stick (the chubby size ones)

Seasoning:

Dark/Black vinegar

White pepper

Chilly sauce - (substitution)

Parsley - very little (garnishing purpose)

Sesame oil

Salt or Chicken broth

Potato starch - 3 tbls or more

Steps:

1. Rinse and soak the black mushrooms and black fungus in water in separate bowls for 2hrs

2. Boil 3/4 water in a medium size pot

3. Wash and peel and cut carrots into julienne; cut the tofu into small strips or cubes; cut the black mushroom/lean meat into strips; wash the inoki mushrooms if necessary.

4. Add the bowl of mushroom soaked water into the pot for flavoring (optional)

5. Toss the meat into the boiling pot until slight brown and shortly after, the ingredients at medium heat.

6. In a bowl, dissolve the potato starch in water and pour it slowly into the pot after the ingredients are cooked.

7. Add the seasoning to your own liking.

Notes:

1. You can substitute white pepper for chilly sauce for a different kind of spice.

2. Parsley, sesame oil should be added last.

3. Tweak the amount of starch to your liking (the consistency of the soup depends on the amount of starch you have added and also how long you have heated it)

And that's about it for today. I'll try to get some other recipes in the next time.

Kiyevame