it's easier to be happy

1. winter vacation has been excellent! i was in england over christmas and new year's. cambridge was graced with a lot of snow which made for very pretty countryside sights, especially along the coach ride out to oxford. first time i saw a frozen river! england was quite cold (in its characteristically wet, dreary way) hence our squirreling behaviours: stocking up on groceries for the whole week, hibernating and h/c-uddling in owstone croft, lots of culinary adventures with what we could pull out of the fridge. some failures, on my part, like the omelette that just wouldn't become an omelette. why are eggs so difficult? poaching, frying, omeletting them requires not only patience, meticulous attention, quick reflexes, but also courage... you need courage to flip over the eggy mixture. of course there were many successes too (roast duck!), mainly thanks to his culinary instincts and creativity.

2. at home, i have been spending lots of time with my very funny mom, making lots of japanese-themed food with her on afternoons. and behold! our okonomiyaki (japanese pancake). i love mayonnaise...

we also made a lot of jellies this week to go with red bean pastes, homemade tang yuan-like dumplings, and tinned peaches and pineapples yummy :).

sigh my mom is just hilarious. her imagination seems to exceed mine - well, i like to think that we're both very imaginative in a cartoony way but the other day she said that my light weight is good for the environment because it means i will not crush as many innocent flowers and grassy patches when i tread on the earth?! okay it's not as funny when i transcribe this into english.


3. APPLICATIONS ARE OVER!!! oh that feels good. not going to worry too much about the results (yet). i'm trying to keep my mind flexible; whatever happens, will happen, and i'll deal with it once it happens to me, instead of wasting my days fearing about uncertainties.

4. going out for chilli crab tonight with my parents!

5. i'm happy with my body. life becomes easier when we focus on the good stuff, and when we stop using negative language when talking about our own bodies. i know this is a sensitive topic for many, but i think it's worth emphasizing that in spite of all the imperfections you may see in the mirror, you probably have a thousand things to be thankful for... that lovely skin, those eyes, that hair, those legs, those knees, that perfect smile, those hands, that stomach, those ankles! and believe me the people worth knowing are those who will see you as that beautiful person.

and if you must know, i choose my friends based on their looks so if you're my friend, you are beautiful / handsome. (i'm serious about the latter.)

7. the spring semester starts on wednesday! my english professor has already assigned readings for the first meeting, which means i have to buy the books on wednesday morning (i arrive on tuesday night) and start reading right away for the 3 pm class.

so that's about it :). life is good~