2. Why do I have to separate them by colors and not just tossed them all in the laundry?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a bonding moment with my little girl, tomorrow my plans include visiting our newly painted house and Sunday, I want to eat out after our church service!

We had our dinner last Monday night courtesy of Mayor JV at Gloria Maris Shark's Fin Restaurant...well known for their Chinese hot pot. It's my second time at Gloria Maris and this time I got really curious about the hot pot. My first experience at the restaurant they served us a divided hot pot..The other side is spicy while the other side is just the ordinary broth. This time it's not divided but the food that were cooked are the same. It has a variety of seafood balls, veggies, meats and noodles.

(photo grabbed from Wikipedia)

Do you know where these hot pots originated? According to Wikipedia:

Some have claimed that the Asian hot pot tradition had its origins in the region of Mongolia, even before the rise of the Mongols, although there is little historical evidence to support this. A much more popular claim of origin is from Sichuan province of China.

The Mongolian hot pot tradition originated from northern nomadic tribes. The Mongolian version of the steaming feast has been called the father of all Chinese hot pot. The Chinese hot pot boasts a history of more than 1000 years. Both the preparation method and the required equipment are unknown in the cuisine of Mongolia of today. Due to the complexity and specialization of the utensils and the method of eating it, hot pot cooking is much better suited to a sedentary culture. A nomadic household will avoid such highly specialized tools, to save volume and weight during migration.

Hot pot cooking seems to have spread to northern China during the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-906). In time, regional variations developed with different ingredients such as seafood. By the Qing Dynasty, the hot pot became popular throughout most of China. Today in many modern homes, particularly in the big cities, the traditional coal-heated steamboat or hot pot has been replaced by electric or gas versions.

Because steamboat and hot pot styles change so much from region to region, many different ingredients are used. While not strictly traditional, it is fun to experiment with ingredients and sauces according to one's own tastes.

It's one yummy and great food to try. So if you want to have a little fun while dining try the Asian hot pot.

I was shocked when I read about this on the newspaper...A 13-year old boy and a 15-year old girl became parents just recently. Alfie, 13 and Chantelle, 15 are parents of baby girl Maisie. I think it was a really sad story. I couldn't imagine that young children of that age can actually do that. But it's a reality in Europe.

Ahhh...Great Britain...reported the highest rate in teen pregnancy. Who are to be blame on this? The parents? The society? The media? I don't know. Maybe all of them are responsible for this.

I just hope that we as parents will be more responsible and loving parents. We should be the guide of our children...leading them to the right direction and protecting them from dreadful influences of the environment and the world so that we can raise up more mature and responsible kids who will be the hope of the next generation.

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To read more of Alfie's story visit here. Photo grabbed fromt he site as well.

We recently had our annual physical exam for our company’s HMO. We had series of physical exam and as expected, my BMI is still not normal…still underweight so I need to eat plenty and take vitamin supplements. But the good news is my eye grade lowered so I need to replace my glasses. Of course they are tied up with an optical shop who also offered me their frames and lenses. Honestly, their complete eye wear can cost me a month’s rent. Even if they offer it for four gives through salary deduction, still it will cost me much. So I just asked a copy of my eye exam result and prescription so I can choose where to buy. I know there are a lot of stores our there who offers complete eyeglasses at a minimal cost. Like this one…

This chic pair will just cost me $8! It’s already a complete eyeglasses with free UV protection and anti-scratch coating, and where else but at Zenni Optical. Zenni Optical is best known for their very affordable yet high quality and stylish prescription eye glasses. They have a wide array of stylish eyeglasses for everyone and even the New York Times mentioned them as one of the option for cheap pair of eyeglasses on their January 23, 2009 issue. That only proves that Zenni Optical is really an option for people who would want to have a great pair of eyeglasses that won’t ripped off their pockets. :)