Author: MS

What Has Placed A Smile On My Face This Week

Published by MS

I went for a long walk across the city, through neighborhoods I assumed would be less crowded. But I think I’ve seen more humans walking about the city during the social distancing then I used to in the past years, doing the walk. It was the most invigorating feeling to see families walking together, talking, and while wearing masks, keeping their distance. I prepared lunch for myself, thinking I might eat while I walked, since the park I normally go to with these walks might be closed. Instead, there were signs at every entrance to the park, simply asking that we keep six-feet apart, but take our time to enjoy the park. So I sat on a bench, ate my sandwich and grapes, and stared out to the views of the ocean. The most interesting gatherings in the park were families, or friends, who met up, and sat six feet apart on blankets, and enjoyed catching up in person. I suppose this was a good idea or one that’s been happening for the duration? I …

Food: How To Dice and Slice And Clean

Published by MS

My mother marvels at my style of cooking, cutting and even baking. To put it bluntly, she doesn’t understand why I do the things I do. So we talk about it of course, while I nearly slice my finger off, from all the stress of her scrutinizing my technique. But you know what? At least I’ll have many fond-ish memories of this time together in the kitchen. I need to stop and explain here for second. Cooking in our culture is a ritual, and each recipe is managed in the most artistic of ways to create a meal – where my mother, her mother and I’m sure her mother before – would remind the impatient generations afterwards that ‘a woman must cook with her meal’ – which I never agreed with as a young child or a teenager. But now I get it. Although, I still prefer quick methods and easy recipes to follow. BUT! since we are on lock down and I’ve chosen to revisit or refresh all of our cultural recipes during this …

Home Schooling – Adult Style

Published by MS

Since some of us have been forced to home-school our children, I think we may find ourselves sometimes cringing at some of the assignments tasked to them. For example, me with math. You might feel the same about science, or history, or even language-whatever it may be in your part of the world. So it dawned on me, to start this series, where I share some refresher facts from around the world to seem just maybe smarter than usual to our kids. What do you think? I mean, no insult to anyone, I’m just trying to have fun here. So if you want to play along, then by all means do so, otherwise feel free to swipe left. 🙂 Here’s today’s topics of learning Hey was this fun or it’s a hard pass? {featured image full credit}

Topics of Conversation From Around The World

Published by MS

In my efforts to remain positive and a little distracted from what’s become the norm these past few months, I want to share some interesting articles I found online which might be fun for trivia with the household, or zoom-chats across the globe. Call me a nerd – I don’t care 🙂 And if the above is a pass – then consider this 10 positive habits to adopt right now {featured image source}

Dinner Plans and Discussions About Small Spaces

Published by MS

What’s for dinner is the topic of discussion every morning when I run upstairs to my mother’s house and help with breakfast. She says good morning, I say hello, and she says, so what’s for dinner tonight? I mean I know you are working from home and I don’t want to bother you, but what are the plans for dinner? and I look at my watch. 🙂 Then I go downstairs to my home-office space and search frantically for a creative meal that she would enjoy also. Because the last thing I want to hear when I ask her how dinner was, is – oh its fine – meanwhile I’m having seconds. So, for dinner tonight – we are having this recipe for eggplant Parmesan – did you know male eggplants are better tasting then the female since they have less seeds? I didn’t know, but learned it now. Also technically, my eggplant Parmesan will be more of an eggplant lasagna – since I will be adding pasta-lasagna in between the eggplant and cheese layers. …

Food: Chicken and Garlic Noodles

Published by MS

Some ingredients are hard to find at the grocery store, so I’ve been improvising – to create meals I’be been craving from evenings out with friends at a local Asian fusion restaurant. Mind you, these are not my recipes, but ones I find online with the ingredients and ease of prepping ideal. Because for me – time is valuable – and spending too much time over a hot stove takes away that much time from the eating ritual in my home – with spirits and loaded conversations – fun ones of course – since who wants to be brimmed with anxiety over a meal? For dinner tonight – I will make this chicken and garlic noodle dinner with a few minor adjustments – due to shortage of ingredients or some I don’t care for. INGREDIENTS 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons corn starch or flour 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper 3 tablespoons sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce – I will use Worcestershire Sauce, since allergic to …

Decor: The Perfect Guest House

Published by MS

I am hoping that in between the responsibilities, we are tapping into our creative sides, or hope that is what we are doing – to ward off all the negative energy from bad news and beyond, which is crippling our minds and lifestyles on a whole new level – then the health impact of COVID-19. But if we haven’t yet, it is time to start an online art class, an online wine tasting gathering, an online book club, film review, gardening club, learning to sew, learning to dance, yoga, and well you get the just of it. And if you happen to have a shed or space on your property to consider a guest house or home office – then you might appreciate this wonderful build-out. And by the way I bought a trampoline because I’ve always wanted to overcome my fears of jumping around on one 😉 Featured image full credit and source

Weekend Recap and Some Questions

Published by MS

Hello Everyone! I decided to take a mini break from my computer this weekend, and instead spent more time in the kitchen learning our traditional cooking from my mother. A task I find myself needing more of these days – mostly because of the bonding we seem to have taken for granted in the past – being so busy with our lives. But really – don’t you wonder now, why we were so busy or too busy for some things that seem to have become the more important of things since COVID-19? Besides the cooking and sharing of stories with mom, I watched a few films which I feel the need to share since it brought up more questions. Like… The Humming Bird Project – touches on the greed factor in how businesses are run in the U.S. (in this case) where the race to build the fastest high-frequency fiber optic cable is at stake . The interesting part about this film was the many times human morals and behaviors were questioned and each time, …

What We’re Loving This Wednesday

Published by MS

Last night a family member called in need of company while cooped up in a hotel room away from his home. For work naturally. Usually he would joke and send interesting text messages, but his tone last night had me worried. So we engaged in conversation, him comparing mostly all the new ordinances being put in place for the state he lives in to the one we’ve mastered here in California – now going on six weeks or more in some places. By the end of the conversation he thanked us for being there for him and I reminded him to avoid panic, that everything will be okay. It’s a hardcore transition we are all going through, but one we need to see the good more than the bad so we can endure and come out the other end stronger than ever. Afterwards, I lay in bed, as usual reflecting on all the events that shaped the day, and I smiled, because I was more fixed on the positive, like these…