"Distressed babies and the bottom line"

This article made me really upset while reading it. Probably because I'm a woman who unknowingly may end up in this same situation one day. Or someone I know. 

As one commentor put it, "They keep telling us these CEOs get these huge pay packages because they are the best and the brightest. Yet time and again they show themselves only to be the greediest and most parasitic."

AOL, Tim Armstrong, distressed babies and the bottom line

This is a good article - spot on.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/22/opinion/granderson-criminal-kids-responsibility/index.html

Half Marathon Reviews

So this past year I've really pushed myself to the limit when it comes to running - I've completed three (THREE!!) different half marathons. It was always on my todo list but it was one of those things you never think you'd actually be able to cross off. Then one day I just signed up for my first half marathon .. and 7 months later, I've ran three! The feeling you get when you cross that finish line is like no other, and especially for a slow poke like myself, all those weeks of sweat, pain and tears have finally paid off.

Just thought I'd share my experience with the half marathons I've run in: Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon, Angus Glen Half Marathon and the Toronto Goodlife Half Marathon. Now granted, I'm not usually one to pay attention at each few miles like other people, but there were a few things that stuck out for each one.


Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon 2012
First thing that comes to my mind: BEING LATE. 

Oh yea. That's right. I was late for my very first big race, my first half marathon. But let's back track just a little bit and start a few days beforehand. Run kit pick-up is always at the Direct Energy Centre, and it always happens to be in Exhibit D .. the FARTHEST hall away from the GO train. Anyways this has got to be the most organized and straight forward run kit pick-up ever: give your bib#, and you get everything you need in a very nice draw-string bag. Shirt, bib, safety pins, samples and all. Activate your bib in the booth right beside the pick-up area and you're good to go. The shirt was meh. Just a standard red sweat-wicking shirt with the Toronto Waterfront Marathon logo ironed on. Fast forward to race day.

The half/full marathon was supposed to start at 8:30am, so I figured that leaving home around 7:15am would be plenty of time; it'd probably take 40minutes to drive down (chauffeured by the awesome bf), and I'd have time to find the start line and stretch. Right? Wrong. It was 7:45 and we were on the Gardiner when we hit a brick wall at Yonge St. Five, ten, fifteen, twenty minutes pass and we've only inched along, no where close to Spadina. Why did I think that at an event with 12000 people running JUST the half marathon  would not be driving to the event as well? I don't know. Call me ____ [fill in your own word]. We swerved out and got out at Davenport (or whatever the next exit was) and tried to weave our way back east but kept hitting road closures and I just tell the bf to let me off wherever we are. By this time, it's about 8:40am, I'm about almost 1.5km from the start line and my corral is going to start soon. And it begins to rain. Awesome.

I make it to the start line just as the last corral is starting to move - phew! By this time, the rain has subsided but it's starting to get a bit humid. The first few km were a good wake up call - slight uphill on University Ave, but that's all the uphill there was until the very end. The route reminds me of the CIBC run, which ends up running north on University until Bloor and cutting west towards Bathurst. We pass Robarts library with lots of students looking at us like we're crazy and before I know it, 5K is already done. I'm feeling good and the 2:15pace bunny and its mob are right in front of me stopping for water. I breeze on by.

We weave west to Bathurst and then south. Here is where there are a bunch of people with awesome signs. It's about 7k now and I usually break for water. Now when you pass people cheering you on, you can't just pass by walking. You feel like a loser and need to keep those legs moving. First awesome sign I see: "STILL FASTER THAN THE KING STREETCARS!!". I crack up laughing and give the lady holding the sign two giant thumbs up. Next sign: "RUN LIKE YOU STOLE SOMETHING!". Laughter ensues and my legs make it to about 9K where I slow down for my first energy gel. 

I love running over the bridge at Bathurst and Front. It feels great running on the sidewalk overlooking Fort York, but it feels even more awesome running on it in the middle of the road. 11K arrives somewhere on Lakeshore and I slow down to take a breather. It's been dead flat which is great. I'm near the 2:30 pace bunny. Gobble down a GU Chomp and off we go. A guy running barefoot passes me holding his shoes. So does a guy in a giant pumpkin costume.

I remember the scenery being very boring. Lakeshore is boring. There are few to none people cheering you on in this section because it's not near anything. It's just road. Just you and the pavement. I step in a puddle at 13K and curse out loud. I've lost the pace bunny too. Down goes another few GU Chomps. 

The turnaround has arrived!! I don't remember when but all I remember was rounding some pylons and heading back east. Oh the joy! But still like 7K to go lol. And I think we're going slightly uphill. At 15K my legs are starting to feel stiff. My quads, my calves are tight. I park myself on the side and stretch for a good minute before joining the crowd. At this point I text my bf to tell him where I'm at. 

16K. ONLY 5K TO GO. I'm feeling good and as I get closer to the finish line, the Gardiner is sitting above us. Lakeshore is awful at this part and you really have to keep your eyes peeled for uneven bumps and potholes. I've caught up with the 2:30 pace bunny!! I speed up a bit so I can take a breather further down, gobble a few more GU's and wash it down with water. 1K to go!

Bay Street finally arrives and I pace myself. Cheerleaders are starting to appear again, screaming that I'm almost there. Am I?? Slowly I start to see barricades up, and more people are ringing cowbells and waving signs. People scream the name on your bib. It's a great feeling having so many strangers cheer you on. I turn the jets on and start sprinting .. 50m pass .. 100m pass .. 150m pass .. holy shit my legs are screaming at me where the hell the finish line is. I realize there's a GOOD 500m left lol and slow down. By the time I can see the finish line, I turn the jets on one last time and tunnel vision kicks in. My legs go into full throttle and I'm weaving around people and it's loud from all the spectators cheering you on .. and WHOOSH past the finish line! I do a little hop with my fist pumped in the air.

The feeling of crossing that finish line is like no other. That's all I can really say. For me, it was 6months of pain, sweat and tears.

Post-race analysis: Almost everything about the race was great. The packet pick up was easy and seamless. The shirt was some generic shirt with their logo ironed on, and the medal was nothing to gush about. They had water and Gatorade set up at the designated KM posted on the website, and it was set up on BOTH SIDES of the road (very important with billions of runners). Port-a-potties were busy everytime I passed one (I didn't use it) and I didn't end up finding the energy gel handouts. Post-race was decent - you get funneled to get food (they ran out of cookies!) - bagels, bananas, full Gatorade and water bottles and yogurt. It was hard for me to find my bf since they blocked off Bay St and you had to weave into small streets to get back out to the main streets.

Angus Glen Half Marathon 2012
First thing that comes to my mind: COLD AND ISOLATED. 

With one half marathon under my belt and being in decent shape, I decided to sign up for another one a few weeks later. I picked up my run kit that morning, and apparently they ran out of small shirts. WTF? I signed up early enough to guarantee my size. All they had was a Large - I was bummed. Another lady was kind enough to give me her small shirt since it didn't look like it was going to fit her. Later they ended up finding boxes of other sized shirts - bad organization! Oh, and the shirts were a blazing yellow. No way I could get hit by a car wearing that thing. The run kit comes with FULL sized Johnson and Johnson products! Didn't use the wrinkle cream but the sunscreen has been very useful.

I met up with a friend and her husband and we chatted until the start. The nice thing about this race is that you can wait in the club house until the start of the race to stay warm! Today's weather: -1 Celsius. Oh yea this was gonna be one hell of a run. I had my tearaways on top of my shorts, my thick UA shirt under the run shirt, hat, and a pair of cotton gloves. The bf hid inside the clubhouse and waved at me lol.

I skittered outside 2 minutes to "warm up" before the gun went off. I was only like 10 seconds behind the actual start time - that's how few people there were at this race! You pass by a few golf greens which is nice .. then slowly head towards the Angus Glen community. All I remember was gawking at all the magnificent houses and how nice it would be to own one. There were a few people parked in their camping chairs at some points, some even handing out tissues for runny noses! 

It's 5-6K in and we slowly leave the housing community and start heading north on McCowan road (or maybe it was Warden). One side of the road is closed for runners, but even the other side is still sparse with cars. Few spectators. There is NOTHING up here. 

There are lots of rolling hills, and at about 12K I think my friend and her husband passed me. My GU Chomps were near frozen and I had to hold it in my hand for a few minutes to warm up to actually eat it. It became a lesson learned - when I need to eat, gotta warm it up first!

More rolling hills and we finally pass by a residential stretch. Some stretches are not closed off to traffic and cars just go past you, kicking up dirt and dust. Yea, not fun. The only spectators are the volunteers (read:high school kids doing volunteer hours) at the water stations. But, the cheering was very encouraging given that it'll be the only thing you'll get until the next water station.

20K and I'm feeling good. Cold, but good. I finally round back into the entrance of the golf club and I can see the meandering path and the giant inflatable finish line. My brain screams SPRINT! SPRINT! SPRINT! and away my legs go. My bf has been waiting out in the cold for 15min for me to cross the finish line - what a sweetheart! 

Sadly I finish only 2 seconds faster than STWM, but I'm not the last one in my age/gender category! I had seriously thought I ran this one better, but maybe the cold was just too much for my legs.

Post-race analysis: Other than the t-shirt screwup, packet pick up was fine. The golf club had Timmies coffee and timbits for people, and all runners get a decent buffet lunch after the race! I shoveled a lot of stuff on my plate for the both of us lol. But the biggest thing for me was the cold and isolation, and these will be the reasons I will not run this race again. It was a cold run, and I think end of October is my new cut off point for races. I also enjoy races where you're surrounded by people (others, like my friend, enjoy smaller races with fewer people. To each their own I guess). More spectators, more runners, more encouragement, more fun.


Toronto Goodlife Half Marathon 2013
First thing that comes to my mind: THE HILL. 

Just like the STWM, packet pickup is at the Direct Energy Center, in the furthest hall from public transit. Only this time, packet pickup wasn't so nice. I arrive and see two areas for pickup. Er? First they direct you to pick up your bib. And if you pay close enough attention, you'll grab some safety pins sitting on the table. Next, get your shirt in the area beside bib pick up. It's a long line. I signed up for a small but am worried it's too big. They let me try on an XS and a S and I go with the small. Yes, all the women were trying on their shirts to see if it fit. Which is why it was holding up the line. I know, I was one of them - SORRY.

But damn, the shirts were NICE. The nicest run shirt I've gotten to date! Not some lame tshirt with the logo slapped on the left corner (like STWM). But now you're with a shirt and a bib and they don't give you a bag. Luckily there's a stack of white plastic bags off to the side so all of us are jacking one to stuff our kit pickup and free samples in it. I'm actually in a bit of a hurry to catch a train home and almost forget to activate my bib! They really should have made it right beside the bib pickup so you don't forget.

Learning from last year's fail, I arrive at the start line an hour early. It's a lot easier this time round since the HM starts an hour later than the full, and it's easier to get around the road closures. Bf walks me to the start area where I stretch and warm up. I've heard about this "secret" washroom in the civic center and head towards it. Well, looks like the secret is out because there is a HUGE line. I say sod it, and head back towards the port-a-potties. 

We get called to the start line and kiss the hubby goodbye. I thought we were going to do a moment of silence for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing but I didn't hear a thing. I guess they did it at the full. I park myself right behind the 2:30 pace bunny and off we go!

It is a BEAUTIFUL day to run. Like, the most perfect day. It's a balmy 17 degrees out, no wind, just sun and a few clouds in the sky. We pass under the 401, and as we come out, I see it. The hill. Hoggs Hollow. I just keep my eyes straight ahead and avoid looking up. 4K in and here comes the journey up the hill. I did "some" hill training, but it did not prepare me for this. I made it up a good portion of the way up with a decent pace, maybe 80% up, before my legs cried uncle and I had to stop and walk up the rest of the way. I thought, WHOO that's the last hill I'll see! But to my surprise, there were a few more.

First thing I thought of after the hill was WATER STATION. There was not one right after - it was a good 0.5 or 1K later. And here begun the chaos. Everyone wanted water and Gatorade. They were only set up on one side of the road - turns out only 1 side of the road for entire course route was closed for runners. So mobs of people were trying to get water and Gatorade, and you end up waiting. And your shoes get wet and sticky because people spill Gatorade and you have to step through it to get around people!! BAH. Pretty much after the first water station, I had to make a calculated decision on whether to get water and slow down to a crawl and walk through a sticky mess each time. It was awful at most stations.

5K passes and I'm just on par my with my training. How do I know? The number of songs on my iPod that have passed (yes, I played the same playlist and start at the same song so I know). I'm getting a bit dejected because I thought I'd have run a bit faster and trained a bit better. But I start to notice the downhill stretches. My cadence increases and I've got a good pace. 8K passes and I'm slightly ahead. 

The scenery is nice along Yonge St - lots of stores to see, and lots of people! But the downside - slight rolling hills. No, I haven't escaped them. There were at least 3 more slight hills you had to run up before you get a nice downhill stretch. And I found it was slowly taking a toll on my body.

10K and I slow down for my GU's and water. I'm pretty sure I'm faster than my training pace, but one guy who passes by barks at me to keep running. I gulp everything down and oblige. We make a turn to go east and it's this really nice stretch of cool winding road. Near Rosedale and River St I think. 
When we turn east and start heading on Wellington, I feel my body start to slow down. Maybe it was the hills. Maybe it was me running faster than normal pace. The stretch before hitting Distillery District was tough. But then I headed back into familiar territory - St. Lawrence Market - and I find the energy to keep going. I used to work in this area and I loved it. And my sister was waiting and trying to find me around here but I didn't see her :(. Saw a lady holding a funny sign: "My legs hurt - how are yours doing??". HA.

Passing through the heart of downtown is kinda nice. Not too many spectators in the downtown core, but the sound of runners beside you helps keep you going. It's got to be about 15K now (signs weren't the best here), and I see a woman on the ground being tended to by medical personnel. I hope she was ok.

We make it over the bridge at Bathurst - did I mention I love running over it? - and head past Fort York. 2K to go! We're about to hit Lakeshore when I see a giant sign: "MARATHON. KEEP LEFT. HALF MARATHON. KEEP RIGHT", with giant arrows. By now it's got to be about 20.5K and my body is drained. My legs are tired. My brain is tired. It would be so depressing for me to have to turn left instead of right. I head right and now start to see throngs of people. It's a great sight - just like the STWM. People have cowbells and vuvuzelas and are telling you to keep going. But then a thought crosses my mind - WHERE THE HELL IS THE FINISH LINE?? I crane my neck and don't see it up ahead. But wait - I see people round a bend and turning left .. ! And then all of a sudden - I see the bf in the crowd!! He's taking a video of me and I give a giant thumbs up and a huge grin. I round the bend at full speed and sprint towards the finish line! I cross the finish line with my arms up in the air. Final time: OVER 7 MINUTES FASTER THAN MY PREVIOUS TIME - BOOYAH!! The finishers medal is really cool looking too.

Post-race analysis: packet pickup could have been better organized. I didn't expect a nice bag or anything like STWM, but picking it up in ONE line and having the bib activation within eye shot of pickup would have been good. The course itself was good and bad. I found Hoggs Hollow really tough, and the smaller hills afterwards kept you from thinking it a breeze after Hoggs Hollow. The downhill stretches were really nice, and the route itself is net downhill, which was nice and helps shave off some time. I hated, HATED the water station setup (i.e that it was only set up on one side). I love the finishers medal. The medal for the HM is big and silver and the medal for the full is HUGE and looks like gold! If I had to run a full, I'd run this race only for the medal. Post race area was meh. There was bagels, bananas, oranges and only cups of water/Gatorade, but you don't get a bag. Pick up any two things and your hands are full already. Oh and they were giving out half protein bars - yea that's right - they cut it (wrapper included) in half. So you can't take any to eat for later. I found this race to be much more tiring than the STWM or Angus Glen races. Whether it was the faster pace or all the hills, who knows.


Overall:
Best race pickup (organization): STWM
Best race kit: Angus Glen
Best race shirt: Toronto Goodlife Marathon
Best race route (scenery): Toronto Goodlife Marathon
Best race route (location/elevation/hills): STWM 
Best race route (organization): STWM 
Best chance of getting a new PB: Toronto Goodlife Marathon
Best finishers medal: Toronto Goodlife Marathon

EDIT: I'll post some pics of shirts and medals later when I'm not too lazy.

So I had created a map of road closures for the Toronto Goodlife Half Marathon 2013, but I totally forgot about it! 

I got totally screwed (read:I was an idiot and didn't plan ahead) when I ran my first half at the Scotiabank Half Marathon last year and trying to figure out what roads were closed/open near Spadina with 20minutes to go before my race was a complete nightmare. Fortunately my bf is great at keeping calm, while I tend to panic and flail my arms. More on that story another day.

Here's the link - hopefully it serves useful for someone! Also, the list of closures shows up on two pages which is kind of confusing - anyone know how to change it so it shows up on one page?

https://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=213059616540420689750.0004d6ac07f25db0600dc&msa=0&ll=43.755473,-79.394417&spn=0.129198,0.291481

They have it written out here but looking at the map might be more useful? Anyways I'm planning on exiting an exit or two east of Yonge (Leslie or Bayview, probably Leslie) to try to avoid being late (again). Then we're gonna skitter through some side streets to get me as close as possible. The only bummer about this race is that the start and end are no where near each other so you or someone dropping/waiting for you has to drive/travel so far! That's one reason why I like the SWTM a little better.

3 DEAD, HUNDREDS INJURED IN BOSTON MARATHON EXPLOSIONS

No words come to me. I am filled with anger and shock.
What kind of sick fuck would do this?

I went for my run outside today and my head was a foggy haze. These events were unfolding thousands of kilometers away from me. But it hurt a community that I belong so close to. There was no religion, no politics, no ethics involved. It was just people running a fucking marathon. 

Why?

3 dead. Hundred injured. I'm not religious, but I truly pray for Boston. My heart goes out to you.

What a sad sad day for the culinary world. 

http://www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/2013/04/01/toronto_soup_master_dies_suddenly.html

When my bf first got take out from RaviSoups, I was blown away at how delicious the soup and veggie wrap was. I've had a few of the other soups and wraps and they all have been yummy.

RIP Ravi, you will be missed, but your legacy will live on.

Comparison of energy chews and gels

Running is my thing now-a-days. It doubles up as my workout most days, and I've found it also serves as a way for me to vent the day's stress away. 

I only started running a few years ago. I had always been one to do the yearly charity run with friends, and one year I thought to myself that I could do a little more than 5K. So I signed up for an 8K. And then a 10K. And then a 16K. And then a half marathon. And here we are! [Just to give credit, if it wasn't for my awesomely supportive bf, I'm not sure if I would be this far into running. He's run with me through just about all my races leading up to where I am now. Even when he vehemently declared he hated running after I made him run a 16K with me, he still proudly waited for me at the finish line for my other races (in cold, crappy weather. And finding/paying for parking). He's a gem *little hearts fluttering from my head*.]

Anyways, back to this post. So when I started running longer distances, my morning bagel wouldn't be enough for me and I needed to fuel up along the way. Cue in ... energy chew and gels. Here's my take on them:


Energy Chews

GU Chomps


These guys are my tried and true - I carried these through both my half marathons. I've tried just about all the flavours and all are great. Shaped like simple cubes, they're easy to pop out of the package, and easy to eat. Taste good, to boot! You get unique flavours instead of the standard orange and berry. I've had the Peach Tea and Watermelon and both are great. Have yet to try the blueberry pomegranate  but I'm pretty sure it'll taste good too. The chewiness of these are a lot better - not like taffy but it doesn't cut through like jello, and some chewing is required to break these things down. I have to admit they're a smidge big for my liking but I'm just nit-picking now. The smaller packaging allows me to fit two of these guys in my SPIbelt (as long as you rip it open and squish all the air out)

Taste: 4.5/5
Chewiness: 4/5
Packaging/ease of use: 4.5/5
Overall feeling: Tried and true. 


Honey Stingers

I've heard these are pretty popular because they're organic. I've had them once back last year but I probably didn't get many of these because I mostly got GU Chomps. Decided to give these guys another try because I had a gift card to a sports store and they carried these. The time that I did crack a pack open during my run, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy they were to eat - it really does cut like jello, and you can probably eat these while running (well, at least for me, I can't multitask and chew/run at the same time). I guess the reason I didn't quite like it was because of the flavour (pomegranate) - just wasn't my thing. But I stocked up on a few other flavours this time so I have higher expectations this time round. 

Taste: 3.5/5
Chewiness: 5/5
Packaging/ease of use: 4/5
Overall feeling: Will get these when I want to switch it up.



Sharkies

These chews were the first chews I bought when I started running longer distances. It was appealing, because they were organic, and shaped like sharks! But, upon trying it for the first time, I was instantly turned off by it. The reason - the chewiness. I slowed down for a rest during a run, pull out the package and pop one in my mouth. I'm instantly hit by how difficult these things are to eat. It's like eating taffy or something. They are so chewy that I can only shovel 2 in my mouth to chew before rest period is over. Even then, most of it is still stuck in my teeth and I have to pry them out with my fingers while running.

I don't think it mattered what flavour the package was - I wasn't going to buy these again (for some delusional reason I did, and regretted it when I ate the first piece). Not only that, the package is unneccessarily big - when I run outside, I need to shove all my stuff in my SPIbelt and this thing just takes up space (I have to rip the packaging open then fold it). Not only that, because each of the chews are small shark-shaped items, they get bunched up together in the packet and you really have to fumble with it to push them up to the opening.

Taste: 2.5/5
Chewiness: 1/5
Packaging/ease of use: 2/5
Overall feeling: Will not purchase these again. Chewiness was the biggest factor.


Energy Gels

I have to admit, energy gels were the first things I used when I started running. It was just easy to have a one time use thing. So I bought a couple and realized not all energy gels fit your personal preference. Like energy chews, my biggest thing is chewiness/viscosity. Most of the energy gels I found were too viscous (GU, PowerBar, ClifShots) - I just find it much harder to eat and wash down with water. The only one I've really stuck with for some time is Carbboom because the consistency is "thinner". Not only that, but it's not sickeningly sweet like the other ones (strawberry-kiwi seems to be my favourite). I recently bought a pack of eLoad because when I was energy chew/gel hunting I spotted it and it was of good "squishiness" from what I could tell from the packaging and am still waiting for a chance to try it (I bought so many different kinds of energy chews so I'm trying to get through most of those first, sorted by expiry date!). I have high expectations for it because I know someone who's used it and liked it (granted, she used the eLoad powder but hopefully it will be similar).

The biggest downside of using energy gels is that it gets sticky. And if you botch the opening, be prepared to run with sticky hands AND carry a sticky tab/package for the remainder of your run! Or if you're lucky like me, I time it so that I eat it a block or two before I know there is a garbage can on my route.


MEC has a wonderful assortment of all the energy chews and gels that I mentioned - it's where I usually stock up. They had the SPIbelt for some time and I was lucky enough to snatch one up before they removed it from stock. Greatest $17 I ever spent! Had a friend tell me she uses it as a money holder for travelling too!

I'm halfway through my HM training for the Toronto Marathon - ran 13K on the weekend and it felt great. My long run this week is supposed to be 16K. But, there are a few worries I have:

• running inside vs outside.
  My first few HM's that I ran were in October, when I was able to do most of my training outdoors during the summer. Other than my disgusting runner's tan, running outside is so much nicer than inside in every aspect.
  With the Toronto Marathon being in May this year, most of my training has been indoors on a treadmill. With the weather hitting 10C yesterday, I laced up for my first run outside and definitely noticed a difference in my breathing. My lungs hurt. And my single UA shirt wasn't warm enough for the first half of a quick run. I'm hoping the weather warms up asap since there's only a month left before the race!
• Hoggs Hollow hill.
  I hate hills. They're evil. Period. And this race has a dreaded hill, Hoggs Hollow. I mean, I've ran races with hills before. The first race I ever signed up for was the Harry Rosen in High Park. I had no idea what I was signing up for and there was this evil 90degree incline (ok not vertical, but you get my point) in the first few KM. At the end, when the volunteers are cheering you on that there's only 500m left to the finish line, you look up and realize that you have to run up that bloody gawd-forsaken hill again. I mean, talk about deflating your spirits. Damn
  Ok so back to Hoggs Hollow - from the pictures it doesn't look THAT bad. But I've driven on Yonge st before and you realize it ain't that easy. And reading up on some other blogs, this is scaring me. Because 1) I hate hills, and 2) I haven't incorporated much hill training in my routine.

This post has been very helpful about breaking down the Toronto Half Marathon into noticeable sections. In the past I've never really paid too much attention (or remembered the course in THAT much detail) - it's nice that someone actually has and shared it! 

T-38 days! 

Today, one of my male colleagues personally bought and hand delivered a lovely flower to all the women in the office to mark International Women's Day.

I just wanted to post about how thoughtful it was, and how a small gesture really goes a long way.

Thanks Sami! You made my day!

It was hella cold the other day. The only thing that really fixes that is having hot pot. But that wasn't really an option so I went for the next best option: chili.

Yup, the yummy comfort food that you want to eat curled up under a fleece blanket with your kitty at your feet while watching hockey.

Normally I'm one of those people that need some kind of recipe to follow when making something I don't usually make, but soup/stew is one of those things where you can be really flexible and throw whatever you have on hand into the pot and it'll still turn out awesome.

I also needed to make enough so that there was just enough for the two of us and not the usual leftover portion to feed another army. You'd be surprised how much finished product you get after you throw in everything even though it doesn't look like it!

Here's what I used (a rough estimate, since I was just guestimating at the grocery store):

------------------------------------
Chili (ali edition) - 3ish servings
------------------------------------
1 large can diced tomatoes (28 ounces I think)
1 medium can of mixed beans
1 small (read:DINKY) can of tomato paste
Ground beef. Whatever kind you have on hand. 300g should be enough
Seasoning spices - black pepper, paprika, chili powder
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onions
2 tablespoons oil
3 large round buns
Just a whee bit of cornstarch


Why do we need round buns? Because I went the extra mile and made an edible serving bowl! YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAA. More on that later.

--------------------------
Putting it all together
--------------------------
Heat the oil in a pan, and add the diced onions. Cook until translucent, and add the beef. Cook for a few minutes on medium heat, and add whatever seasonings you like. I usually throw in black pepper, paprika and chili powder. When the beef is almost done, add in the diced tomatoes, beans, tomato paste and diced veggies. 

Turn the heat down to somewhere in between low and medium and simmer for about 30-45 min. Meanwhile, go enjoy the hockey game

*during intermission*

Come back and check on your chili. If it is a bit watery (I added the entire can of tomatoes including the water), then add some cornstarch dissolved in cold water. It should thicken up. 

With the round buns, about 1 inch from the top, cut off the top. Scoop out the inside bread guts - I like to use this as filler with extra meat I bought from the store to make meatballs! But that's for another day. Like I was saying, scoop out the bread guts so that the inside of the bun is hollow. 

The chili should be done now, and give a hearty scoop of it into your newly created bread bowl. Oh, we went back for refills a few times using the same bowl but there was enough leftovers for one REALLY hearty lunch.






















Enjoy!

Puff pastry with beef filling

I love Foodgawker. It's a mish mash of wonderful food ideas submitted by people all around the world. Granted, all these delicious looking posts may not actually taste delicious, but it's sure helluva fun time staring at all of them!

Lately most of the new things I've tried have come from this website. The latest experiment? Puff pastry with beef filling, from A Bit of This and A Bit of That. No, there is no official name for it. At least I couldn't find it on the website.

Here's the picture of what it was supposed to look like:  

Did mine turn out looking like that? Nottttttt quite. But I tried. 

Anyways that's besides the point. The point is that it was quite straight forward to make (with some oopsies thrown in) and it was helluva yummy. Even the bf enjoyed it (he IS too nice to say if something does taste bad tho .. but the compliment seemed geniune so I'LL TAKE IT!!). It was fun listening to him guess on what on earth I was trying to make.

Here's my take on it:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Puff pastry with beef filling (ali edition. Adapted from original posting)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This wonderful snack, if you could call it a snack (it feeds like a meal for two people), has two parts - the pastry and the filling. It's not really puff pastry (it's healthier!), but you could probably use store bought puff pastry instead.

------
Pastry
------
300g white flour
125g butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons water
1 egg yolk + 1 egg white
1 tablespoon milk

*Notes: I used butter instead of shortening/lard because that's all I had on hand. 

----------
Beef filling
----------
200g cooked ground beef
Pinch of salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, whatever you feel like seasoning your beef
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup diced onion 

*Notes: You can optionally add some ginger, diced celery, cabbage, capsicum. I didn't have any of that stuff but I guess it would make it yummier. Also, don't be too generous on the beef. I estimated about 300g raw beef but after assembling it all together, I found there was TOO much meat. I also used extra lean ground beef, but you can use whatever you'd like. Fattier beef makes for a yummier end product :P

---------------------
Putting it all together
---------------------
You're going to want to make the beef filling first. Add the oil to a heated pan and cook the ground beef, breaking up the pieces as best as you can. Cook the onions (and ginger if you're using it), and throw in the beef. Add the spices, and cook for about 5 minutes. Try not to dry out the meat as it'll be sitting in an oven for some time. It probably wouldn't hurt to undercook it a bit. Once it's mostly cooked, transfer it to a bowl and set aside.

Now sift together the flour and the salt. Mix together with the butter (I melted it in the microwave straight from the fridge - don't make it too hot tho). Add the water in and start to knead together into a dough. Once it's a nice ball of dough, let it sit for about 15min

*fast forward 15min*

Sprinkle some flour on your work surface and roll out the dough into a rectangle-ish shape. I got no idea how big but the recipe said to smush it out so it's about 3-5mm thick. I just kind of guestimated.

Cut the dough into three progressively bigger rectangles. Roll the first rectangle along its length (rolling like it like it's a sheet of wrapping paper). Place this first roll at the bottom of the next larger rectangle (kind of like joining them) and continuing rolling so that the first roll is enclosed in the second one. Now do the same with the third. Tuck the ends of the roll inside and press firmly. At this point you're supposed to refrigerate for 2hours but I totally missed that step while making it (oooopsie) so I just stuck it in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Here is a very helpful picture from the original posting:
















*fast forward 10min*

Take the dough out from the fridge (or freezer), and roll it out into a 15x6 inch rectangle (personally, I just rolled it out into a rectangle until it was thin enough). Spread the filling out lengthwise over the dough. Fold the left part of the dough over the filling, and spread some egg white over the edge before folding the right part of the dough on top (the egg white will help it stick together). 

At this point, you should preheat the over to about 250F.

Bend into a "U" shape and move it to a baking sheet. THIS is where some blunders happened. My overestimation of meat meant that it was so bloody hard to bend it into a "U" shape (ended up being just a "bend" lol). That, and I probably didn't make the dough long enough to make it bend into a "U" shape. Oh, and you SHOULD use a cookie sheet instead of a lame aluminum foil baking sheet because the thing is DAMN heavy (you'll have to use hands to support the bottom or else byebye snack!). 

Before transferring to the oven, mix the egg yolk and the milk together to make egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the top of the pastry so that it will give it a nice brown top and will help prevent it from burning. Take a sharp knife and make cuts into the pastry that are around 1-1.5inches apart.

Originally, I baked this blob for about 40min at 200F. BUT, I did notice that after 40min, it didn't look like it was really browning, so I jacked up the heat to 450F and let it cook for another 10min and it became a nice brown. Next time I will probably bake it for 30min at 250F and see how brown the top gets and crank up the heat to give it a nice brown top for a few minutes.


And here is how mine turned out:

I know, I know, it doesn't look nearly as nice as the original posting. But it was hella good. And I'd totally make it again.

Enjoy!

Can't you see there is no logic to love
And we're lost just like the stars up above

If the compass breaks then follow your heart
And I hope it leads you right back into my arms

Eyes on fire 
Eyes on fire 
They burn from all the tears

Do you ever feel like you're slow in life? That you haven't reached all those "milestones" you figured you would reach in life by a certain age?

Yea? Yea. 

I feel that way too right now.

RIP Grandma.

I know you're happy you're with grandpa now.

I will never forget you.
I love you.

Phone reminiscing

I still remember my first cell phone. It was a still foreign concept to me, even though everyone kept saying this was the future of communication. I was just a teenager, but when there was a cell phone up for grabs in the house, I said sure, and lo and behold, it was mine.

It was a Nokia. One of those generic black, rounded things with a neon green lit screen. I think I was one of the few kids in high school that had a cell phone.

Looking back at it, it was a pretty good design. I mean, it did the job, it was a simple design, and it still fit in your pocket. Better than the Motorola bricks that my parents used to carry around. This thing survived sooo many drops, being thrown in my bag, on my desk, being sat on, you name it. The best thing about it? I could play Snake on it all day.

I don't remember what phone I got after this. I think I ended using a few hand me downs. Some flip phones. A few Motorolas. And then I remember getting one of the smallest handsets ever. I don't remember the model, but everyone had it. And it was a Nokia. A beautifully designed phone. Even my Uncle was using it a good 6 years later when everyone had moved on to a Motorola Razr.

I had been using a Motorola flip phone for about a year in uni. I had my eyes set on the Motorola Krzr, a beautiful black little piece of technology that I had seen in Hong Kong some years earlier, and it was finally making its rounds in North America. I wanted it. I was set on it.



For my birthday that year, my boyfriend got me a cell phone. A Nokia. A bronze Nokia. Not a Motorola Krzr. I opened it on the subway when we were going home, and I didn't know how to react. I knew it wasn't cheap, but it wasn't my black Motorola Krzr.

That night I popped out my SIM card from my old phone and plunked it in the new one. I had to start using the new phone, since my other one was static-y during phone calls.

Huh. A bronze Nokia.

Slowly, my love for this phone started to bloom. It hadn't left my side for a solid 3.5 years. Yes, three and a half years. When was the last time your phone lasted that long?

As time went by, I began to figure out that Nokia's were solid. Robust. Reliable. I had never had a problem with this cell phone. I loved it so much that I refused to get a new one, even if it was given to me. Which actually happened. My contract renewed, and I picked a new Sony Ericsson ($0). But I had no desire to start using it. I had my life in this phone and I didn't want to part with it. It survived uni with me, my first job, a few trips, even a swim in the toilet (that was unintended, but she survived). I loved the soft shell case it came in, and it fit like a glove. People would be so amazed at how thin my phone was.

Last last year, she started to sputter. The battery started rapidly dying, and she would turn off periodically. Even texting while keeping it charged could suddenly make it turn off .. sadly I had come to the realization that our relationship was ending and that I would have to start using a new phone.



My quest for a new cell phone was not easy. I wanted to do so many things with it, and for it to look a certain way that I had convinced all my friends that I was looking for something that did not exist. Some of the biggest hurdles during my search:
- I wanted a numeric keypad. Sure, touch screen was nice, but I was pretty proficient at churning out texts using T9.
- No QWERTY keyboard. I didn't like those
- It had to be a Nokia. This phone made me so loyal to the brand that for the first little while, I wouldn't accept anything else
- I didn't want to spend more than $300-$350 on a phone. HA! Good luck. But I tried.
- It had to be compact. I don't like oversized phones.

Then other factors started to come into play ..
- Nokia was going to start churning out Windows OS phones. Err.
- All the Nokia phones that were actually decent looking, were models that were at least 2-3 years old.
- Everyone told me that browsing on a numeric keypad phone was hard as hell. Yea yea, I learned. Eventually.

Finally, I think it finally hit me. Nokia didn't provide me with what I wanted anymore. I had to convince myself that I wouldn't be happy with a Nokia. Browsing around Pacific Mall, glaring at all the fones in the display, I had to pick something .. and I did:


Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro.


It's a small phone. It's Android. It's got a QWERTY keyboard.
Yup, I had to do a lot of compromising with myself. But after owning the lil guy for some time, I'm quite please with it.

More to come!

Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end

- Paulo Coelho

Wow. This is f-ing awesome

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1103024--kmart-layaway-accounts-paid-off-by-mysterious-donors

What a brave soul .. this is touching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdkNn3Ei-Lg

Iowa's House of Representatives is planning an amendment to repeal marriage equity in the state.
This young man's speech is very touching. I know that at 19, I would certainly have loved to had his character - kudos to him for speaking out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FSQQK2Vuf9Q