Kinda Edible...

Well, I've been trying to find some time to make my own soba ever since I found buckwheat flour at the Bulk Barn. I have to say, it was a semi success. On one hand it was edible, on the other hand, it depends on your definition of the word edible. First, I had major issues finding a good recipe. Some didn't appear authentic, one even called for eggs. This sent off red flags, as it seemed like they were just using the method for italian pasta dough and substituting the flour. I finally found one that seemed okay, however, there were some issues. For example, what does it mean to work the dough until it reaches the smoothness of "a baby's ear lobe"? I started in anyways, and quickly ran into a problem. I didn't seem to have enough wheat flour (as buckwheat lacks gluten, wheat flour is needed to hold the noodles together, or so I read). Oh well, too late. Then, as I started mixing, I found the instructions to keep my fingers down in slicing motions a bit harder to follow than I expected, as the water was quickly absorbed and nothing like dough had formed yet. I added more water and hoped for the best. During this, the words "YOUTUBE" came to mind. I popped on quickly and found an instructional video, while cursing myself for not having thought of this earlier. Well, the noodles came out, sort of. A bit crumbly (very short noodles, as the strands would break along the folds), and definately full of fiber (perhaps will get the finer buckwheat flour if I try it again), but at least the flavour wasn't too bad. And dispite the coarse flour, the noodles were still somehow "smoother" than the dried ones, or so I'm telling myself. Now that I look at the picture of the fruits of my morning's labour, I can't help but think, this picture looks a lot like the one of the 2000 year old bowl of noodles they found in China I saw on the National Geographic site...is that good or bad?

Forgot about those muscles...

I joined a dragon boat team this summer, and boy do I feel it today. After a week and a half hiatus from training (we took a short break after a tournament 2 weekends back), we started back up again. Not only was the sudden activity a shock to the system, but we didn't have our regular coach. On top of that, traffic and weather conditions meant that we were a few paddlers short of a full boat. But wow, it's a "good" pain, but nonetheless, pain. Perhaps tennis tonight might be pushing it...
But, I do have to say, having new coaches every now and then is a good opportunity to get a different perspective on our paddling!

Finally!!!

When I was living in Japan, amazon.co.jp was part of my internet-life-line-system. In the small town I was in, the English book selection was limited to say the least. But I was always amazed at how wonderful the selection of items on amazon was. My favourite part was that not only did they have books, but they had everything from computer games, electronics, jewelry, kitchen appliances, flowers, food, alcohol...the list goes on and on. I even used it to send things to my friends in Japan after I returned home. Much to my annoyance, the Canadian amazon was still limited to mostly books, music and software. I could order from the American site, but that meant extra shipping and the dreading customs charges (I once ordered a sale item, so I ended up paying more in taxes than I did for the item).
Low and behold, I decided on a whim (at 2am) to check the amazon.ca site. And what do my greedy little eyes behold, but a home and garden section!! While it's still not as extensive as it's American or Japanese counterparts, it's a start! Off to explore I go!

World Cup: Back to Basics

Over the weekend, I caught a glimpse of a children's soccer tournament at a local park. And I couldn't help but stop and reflect on what a lot of adults hope children will gain when they play sports: sportsmanship, fair play, love of the game....

As I watched, I was disappointed how some adults have drifted away from those ideals. I had been quite excited about following this year's World Cup in South Africa. It started off great! The build up to the games, seeing all the different flags around the city, feeding off the energy of the fans (and vuvuzelas) and discovering that the Simpson's were correct (that listening to Spanish commentators makes the game more exciting).
However, one day changed all that. The first incident was during the game between England and Germany, when the ball hit the crossbar and went in. The German keeper, Neuer, quickly grabbed the ball and put it back into play. At first, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. It had been so fast maybe he missed it and just saw the ball as it was in the air. Alas, no. In post game interviews he flaunts how he acted purposefully to fool the ref into thinking the ball hadn't crossed the line. Then he goes on to say who he felt the his team was better anyways. First of all, if you were so confident in your team's superiority, why bother cheating? Be a professional, a role model, a representative your grandmother would be proud of and accept that you let a goal past you. Secondly, you've just admitted to cheating. In an arena where it should be the best of the best, where you walk onto the field holding a child's hand, how is this behaviour anyway to represent your sport and your country. If our team had done the same thing, regardless of the result, I would be ashamed. No matter how talented you maybe (in athletics, or in this case, in dramatics) That's not the way anyone should want to win.

Then came the reaction. Again, I return to the children. I recently read a graduation quote from our school's year book on what their future goal was: "To never make the same mistake again". Amazing what a 14 year old has grasped, and yet adults have failed to, or forgotten. Instead of looking at the 2 incidents that occurred that day as learning experiences and an opportunity to improve the game, FIFA was non-apologetic, saying they had spoken with the teams. Yeah, lots of good that will do the teams that got eliminated due to your results. And it's not like the situations wasn't foreseeable. Not to mention, the readily available solution...If a sport like tennis, where a little ball is going over 100m/hr has the technology to track the ball, I think they can handle a soccer ball. But what irked me most of all was the attitude they displayed. Not too long ago, a missed call cost a pitcher a perfect game. However, the umpire that made that mistake was professional enough to go and look at the replay, admit he was wrong and apologized. While the solution wasn't perfect, the attitude was there. FIFA's response to the situation has only left a bad aftertaste.

How to lose your customer's trust in 90 days

I recently got a prepaid cell phone for school. There are only 3-4 people who have the number, and I have made a total of 3 phone calls, all under 1 minute. On top of that, I've been out of the country for most of May, which means the phone wasn't even turned on. So, imagine my surprise when I got an email from Telus telling me that they had examined my phone use and thought I would save money by switching to a monthly plan. I think if they had actually looked at my records, they would have sent an email telling me I would save money if I switched to using pay phones!

Edumacated!

Well, I had my graduation ceremony today!! \(^o^)/
Glad it's over, but a little bit sad as well. I definately won't be missing those all nighters though! From now on, my sleepless nights will be from looking for work!
Day started out quite dramatically, as someone didn't get time off of work to go to the ceremony. This snowballed into us leaving 40minutes late. And of course Murphy's Law kicks in and we run into 2 traffic jams on the way. All this before 8am!

It was nice to see some familiar faces again. But, too many people and rushing around to really catch up with anyone. Just a lot of quick hugs, and waves from acrossed packed rooms.

I'm back....

Well, have returned from my little trip. It was odd....I really enjoyed seeing everyone again, but it always feels like I'm missing out on all the important things in people's lives, that I spend so much time saying good-bye.

Almost forgot I'm graduating this week. I haven't been to university since February, I almost forgot about it! Remembered just in the nick of time. I guess I need to figure out where I'm going and of course what to wear!

Started watching a new drama on soju called Tokyo Dogs about two detectives that get partnered up. One is a straight laced, elite officer from NYC. The other appears to be a total slacker from the Tokyo force. I'm still figuring out some of the plot because not all the videos work. But the most interesting thing is seeing all the stereotypes. Like the Japanese detective telling the suspect to co-operate because the other guy was from the states and that he was used to shooting criminals all the time.