i am proud of myself

hiukei 1 : 0 live octopus

'ok! just take it with your chopsticks'
'put it in your mouth'
' and CHEW!!!'
' F A S T!!!'
' CHEW CHEW CHEW!!'
' it's swiggling but it's ok!'
' don't look at it!'
' just CHEWWWWWWWWWWW!'
' okok!! good job!!'
' take a sip of shochu'

thanks to my coach Jeff
and my lovely mental support Johanne
without you guys
this is mission impossible

when it's cold, it's time for...

quiche!!!
homemade quiche!!

crust from 101 cookbook recipe
(oatmeal and sesame crust is the BEST crust ever!!)
throw in some eggplant, broccoli, ham, cheese, dried tomato, egg and milk
bake in the oven

and
Voila!!

smelling good
feeling warm
D E L I C I O U S

on board...in chicago

i had a great time in chicago
beatiful weather
lovely people
amazing skyscrapers

the river, the lake, the art institution, the food

and the train aka 'Metra'
somehow it reminds me of Thomas the train

hello visitors

thank you for singing in the morning



thank you for stopping by at night

a deep breath
a step back
learning how to be still

when you can't buy it

you make it

that's one of the biggest lesson
i have learned being in japan

i am referring to food

i was graving for hummus
i had some canned chickpeas
mashed it with some spices and seasonings and olive oil

voila~
homemade hummus!!

on a slice of baugette
topped with dried tomato
and i am in heaven

i am a student

since April
i started my grad program

i hate to say this cos it will sound like i am bragging
but since ppl have been asking...
so...i will just say it once
i am in a phd program
yes, i will become a 'doctor'
that all depends on if i can hand in my thesis 3 years from now

ok with that being said...
i just want to say
i love being a student
learning something you are passionated about
there is nothing better

each meeting with my prof is a self realization of how little i know
i think i am becoming a fan of my prof
this might sound really strange
but i kinda understand how young grad students fall in love with their prof who are like their dad's age
don't worry
i am not going to put myself into something exotic and complicate...haha!

each meeting with the parents is another realization of how LOVING parents are
i am trully touched by each of them
they are all angels to me
i am learning to much from them
it's frightening though
because i don't know if i can be as good as mothers when i become one

each meeting with the kids is another self confirmation of how much i love working with kids
they are just precious little beings from God
they are all different and they are all little darlings

there are more benefits to being a student too
student discount
research trip (domestic and oversea)
meeting lots and lots of really smart people
feeling young...hehe :) (this is a big one!)

i shall save this post as a self encouragment when i start screaming and crying with my thesis in the future

another lesson learned

read the prescription CAREFULLY before taking it
because
a) you don't want to feel like you are wasted/high at work
b) you don't want to have a purple face at work
c) you don't want to feel like you will vomit anytime
d) you don't want to worry that you may die from the overdose

prescription says:
1 tablet.3 times per day after meal
hiukei read:
3 tablets. 3 times per day after meal

didn't realize i made a mistake until i felt like i couldn't walk straight...
i took 7 pills in total when it should only be 3
overdose on antibiotics is not very fun
not at all

i have definitely learned my lesson