War...Unbelievable Strength and Resolve...and More

 

Today The World stands in Solidarity with Ukraine.

It has been three days since the invasion.

 

Kyiv is still held as of this morning.

President Zelenskyy is fighting alongside his troops and has refused numerous offers of refuge elsewhere (including the US). 

They have tanks and anti-aircraft weapons, too.

 

Many acts of heroism have already surfaced. 13 men who died on Snake Island when a Russian Battleship demanded their surrender...and their answer was "Fuck You" and they continued their stand.

Ordinary citizens...and mayors and such who have taken up arms to defend their cities and country.

Teenagers and old women filling Molotov Cocktails to throw.

A grandmother who reportedly told a young Russian soldier to fill his pocket with sunflower seeds so they would grow when he fell. 

...the sunflower is Ukraine's National Flower...

Make no mistake about it...if this war is won and Putin is thwarted...these average ordinary people who stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine's soldiers and say "Not Our Home" will make the difference.

Globally, we have responded with tough sanctions...freezing banks and assets. Sending weapons, ammunition, military equipment and in some instances troops...most of the world standing in solidarity...including thousands of Russia's own people.

And so we wait...and hope.

Working on a Sirloin Steak Stroganoff with mushrooms brunch for my guy and I, tomorrow. 

This month has been insane...hopefully settling soon.

Today is a Cinderella Day, here.

I did manage to watch

Which, despite its all-star cast, was uniformably, bad.

As in almost unwatchable.

All of the characters had no redeeming qualities whatsoever...even Adam Driver who started out humble, quiet, almost likeable...ended up

"I married a MONSTER"

"No...you married a GUCCI."

Yeah...it was like that.

Lackluster performance by both Leto and Pacino...were the final nail is this abomination's coffin.

2 hours and 38 minutes of my life that I shall never get back.

I have started the Jack Reacher series though...am on Episode 5 and it is phenomenal.

John said I'd love it.

So, will be finishing it next week and reviewing it then.

Must get back to things here.

 

"Dad said he needed help with the laundry, Mom."

                                                                             Gadget

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virtual China: Taiwanese Tea Eggs

 

The photo above is NOT my eggs.

This is a stock photo...mine failed.

...will be trying again...

The Recipe:

Hard-boil several eggs.

Use a spoon to crack the shells outside, but do not remove.

Simmer cracked eggs in solution of black tea mixed with 5 Spice Seasoning.

Remove and store in refrigerator in solution for 1-3 days.

...I only left mine overnight...this may be the problem...

After which, when peeled, they are suppose to look like this.

 ...mine did not...

They are rubbery and have a distinctive savory smell. I hesitate to use the word good to describe the flavor...perhaps interesting is more accurate. The texture was very off-putting.

These must be an acquired taste.

The #1 street food of Taiwan.

I will post pictures if my second attempt works out.

 

Until then... 

 

TAH DAH!

 

Virtual China: Taiwan

 

 

 

Taiwan...also known as Republic of China

began as a Dutch settlement

and was named'

Formosa 

at one point

by the Portuguese

meaning

Beautiful Island

 

It remained

under Japanese Rule

from

1895-1945

and the traditions, culture and architecture

of that time 

remains

 

Taiwan Tour 

https://youtu.be/dp8xuBqTAUs

Another

Taiwan Tour- Top 50 Places

https://youtu.be/-ltO_iTeiVM

 

Located 100 miles off Mainland China

Taiwan is now fighting
(as is Hong Kong and Macau)

takeover from

PRC

and have been for some time

The legal status of

Taiwan

is 

a matter of serious

contention.

The people are split
almost 50-50

Half consider themselves

Taiwanese

the other 

simply

Chinese.

The Taiwanese 

want to continue their independence.

The Chinese 

want

Reunification.

With 23.4 million 

people living

on the island

this is a tangled

mess.

It will not be quickly solved.

Or solved to everyone's 

satisfaction.

 

Mandarin

is the most common language here.

Buddhism and Taoism

 the primary religions.

There are over 15,000 temples on Taiwan.

In 1995 they implemented Universal Healthcare

known as

NHI

Assuring that all

who need medical

attention

can receive it.

 

Gay rights

have

been acknowledged here

since 2017.

Karaoke

is a holdover

from the Japanese

and is extremely

popular here

Taiwan Karaoke Bar

https://youtu.be/W2RCZFwg3es

It is so popular

that even some taxis offer

karaoke cabs

https://youtu.be/CsQK1LGuQI8

...notify Dante...it seems

we have found

an additional

circle

of

HELL... 

Next
we will

try

the favorite

cuisine treat

of Taiwan

The Tea Egg

Until then...

 

 

Virtual China: Macau-The Eye

 

After a careful look around...I think this building has to be the most incredible feature on Macau.

"The Eye of Macau"

It is a 56 story skyscraper which rises in a loop 230 meters. 

Inside the massive project are multiple hotel suites, an aquarium, gaming and entertainment halls...and from the loop viewing hall, one can see both sides of the island and Pearl Delta.

Positioned at the edge of the water, on a clear calm day, it reflects the Chinese figure 8...considered a lucky symbol in China.

Drone Over Macau

https://youtu.be/WedPbF5-TCs

Sadly, this footage was taken a few years before The Eye was built.

Drone Footage at Night

https://youtu.be/8u0weA61oP0

The only view of the interior I could find.

Next week we will explore Taiwan.

Until then...

Sixty and Me...Our Kids Have Paws...and More

The Sixty & Me group has been like a doorway to a new life. Centering.  I can't say too many good things about it. Exactly what I've needed. Some much appreciated perspective and shared experiences. It is okay to reinvent or rediscover your life. It is okay to say "..no mas..." to being the care-giver after spending decades in that role. It is okay to be done raising your children...or to spend the time/limited resources/energy on what you love/want. Not selfish....self-care.

Today is a Cinderella Day...without the helpful woodland creatures. The laundry is churning...there are dishes to do...dusting..trash to be gathered. And maybe some painting on my new canvas, later.

I was doing some cyber-cleaning recently and found some baby pictures of Our Kids-With-Paws.

Sofi...when she was still tiny and had bat-ears!

And now...

 

Gadget when she was STILL Suri.

And now...

 

Dealing with some huge changes in my life right now...and it helps to stop for a moment and remember that EVERYTHING changes. 

Even us. 

Maybe especially us.

And that's okay.

The weather has been everywhere this week. It's 6...no it is 30...wait...it is snowing...raining...sleeting...19....almost 60 degrees.

Robin Williams described it best

"Weather by Sybil"

Seeing an over-all decrease in Covid...and hoping for the best. Triple vaxxed and still masking out...it has been nearly two years and neither John or I have caught The Plague. 

We didn't get old by being stupid.

Dreamed of GARDENING last night...I have such plans for the Spring and the patio and borders.

Woke to snow still on the ground and 17 degrees.

It may be a while.

I've a deep wide planter that I want to start some bamboo in...and a lotus. 

Also various herbs in other pots to use with my Chinese cooking...and a few clumps of mints to accompany teas.

The new painting (pictures soon) is a multi-medium piece. Different for me...but I'm enjoying it. 

Should have dreamed of dinosaurs this week...after seeing the trailer and first five minutes of Jurassic World: Dominion...I went back and watched the previous five...to refresh my memory...and now we wait until June for the sixth and final one....

sigh

It is going to be amazing.

So, back to the household chores.

Have a Great Weekend!

Virtual China: Macau- Fusion Cuisine and Jade

 

The wok...cleaver...and my hand-carved jade goldfish arrived this week. The long stainless steel cooking chopsticks are coming directly from mainland China and take longer...

The wok is amazing, and I used it to make my Macau Shrimp and Rice.

The cleaver...omg...can be used for slicing, dicing, chopping and probably home security, as well.

Eight inch by 4 inch flat blade...so sharp you could shave with this thing. You can slice so thin you could make homemade potato chips with it!

I'm impressed.

Definitely my go to knife, other than peeling/paring.

The hand-carved jade fancy goldfish arrived on a red braided silk cord with adjustment beads of white jade and a placement bead of green jade.

It is perfect...buttery soft...silky smooth and takes on your body heat when worn much like amber or opal.

I love it.

About Jade

https://www.britannica.com/topic/jade-gemstone

https://youtu.be/DwsEBjtmJ5c

My little fish is Nephrite. 

Carving Jade

https://youtu.be/jRWxs4sRA90

https://youtu.be/3SLhfCo5ck4

 Anyway....

 

Macau is known for its fusion of Chinese and Portuguese flavors.

The favorite street foods here include 

Egg custard tarts.

 ...which we tried a long time back during Virtual Portugal...

Soft bun with crispy fried pork chop.

....basically a steamed bun with a whole bone-in fried pork chop...sounds delicious...but not much cooking involved...

Egg rolls.

...just finished all the egg rolls from Lunar New Year...so no...

The fourth favorite food was fusion of Shrimp and Rice...with a Portuguese Twist.

 While the rice and green beans were steaming I thawed the shrimp...saved several for chilled cocktail...then sliced my lemon.

I put a couple tablespoons of oil in the wok...and stir-fried chopped onions, peppers and shrimp together...then added tomato sauce and chili powder blending all the flavors well. 

I added my steamed rice and mixed thoroughly.

Plated above I added chopped cashews to my steamed green beans.

The completed stir-fry looked like this.

Lemon juice was squeezed over as a finish.

 The spiciness of the chili and tangy flavor of the tomato and lemon made this an exotic treat.

I think it would have been much better with cubes of stir-fried pork instead of shrimp. 

But it was tasty and filling...and went well with the sides. 

Not Chinese...Not really Portuguese...like everything else is Macau...a nice blend.

Sunday, we will check out something interesting Macau has to offer!

Until then!

 

 

Virtual China: Macau and Festival of Lanterns

 

Known as the Las Vegas of Asia...Macau is best known for the 41 casinos on the island.

Tour

https://youtu.be/XQgU54KhG5s

 

The Administrative region (China but not PRC) was under Portuguese Rule from 1557 until 1999. 

This has resulted in a kind of chaos. Languages. Religions. Cuisine. Architecture. 

Chinese and Portuguese are spoken here.

Both Buddhism & Taoism rest comfortably with Catholicism which is a huge holdover from Portuguese times.

Cuisine is all over the place. Chinese, Portuguese and a fusion of the two creating completely new and unique dishes.

Very old architecture to sleek modern Chinese.

The name Macau is derived from the sea goddess.

Today is the 15th Day of the Lunar New Year and the end is marked with the Festival of Lanterns.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ekWlSnRUX3w?feature=share

The Festival of Lanterns often symbolizes letting go...whether it is of something in your past or just the Old Year.

The lanterns can be paper or silk...hand held or floating.

Next time we will sample some of the cuisine from Macau.

 

Macau Walking Tour

https://youtu.be/xnybGgcArSU

 

 

 

 

Post SB...and Valentine's Day

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Maybe just coffee for me...

Way too much snacking last night through the Superbowl. I did discover something new (...well...for me)  These.

 Absolutely amazing! The sauce is sweet and smokey. The chicken is moist, tender and good. Fair price for something you can fix quickly. Nice for a snack, but you could easily serve them with sides and make a delicious meal fit for company!

 The game was great. 

Even though Stafford and The Rams won...it was close all night and could have been either team's game to the last minute and change. Exciting! Expect to see a lot from Stafford and Burrows in the future. We are witnessing the changing of the guard with the retirements of Brady and Brees and new blood with Stafford and Burrows and such...

The commercials were light and funny, for the most part.

Then there was the QR Square that just appeared and bounced from corner to corner of the screen.

Clicking on it would reveal what it was for...

Right.

It also gave the crypto-currency your contact info...so they could spam you endlessly in the future.

The BEST part about the whole commercial was that so many people chased the square down and clicked on it...

wait

for

it

 

...is that the site immediately crashed! 

LMAO.

They paid millions for a spot that promptly crashed their own servers.

(...also they have QR generators, now...wouldn't one of these with your own personal message be a great tattoo...)

The latest upgrade to the bar code.

I still kinda want a bar code of my favorite chocolate.

Know what else generated controversy last night?

Halftime.

 Snoop Dogg, Dr.Dre, 50 Cent, MJB, Eminem (who defied the NFL and knelt for Kap).

For the first time EVER..a halftime show comprised of Hip-Hop and Rappers.

Generation Z'ers were unimpressed...most of this work was before their lifetimes...and it was just a bunch of pushing 50 dudes onstage farting around.

Millennials were happy and excited. "Best Ever" This was their music and their heroes. They grew up with this music and these artists.

Boomers and above ranged from "meh" to aghast. They turned away for more chicken wings...or raved at the TV "You see, Ethel...the world is going to hell in a hand-basket!!!"

The more racist simply glowered with disgust

"Theys knee-grows on the TV, Tammy Sue..."

Rap and Hip-Hop were never my music. I am firmly a Classic Rock girl, myself...but it doesn't mean I can't understand why there are generations of people who LOVE this music.

(...to be fair, I do not care for most new country music either...Merle and Willie wouldn't have done it this way...)

So get a grip, people.

Just like Quarterbacks...things change.

Else we would be listening to Lawrence Welk at halftime, and the stadium would be filled with (tiny) bubbles.

Okay, the bubbles might be cool.

Now to get coffee, and recover from the game!

 

 

 

 

Superbowl Weekend!

 

Finishing up a snowy Cinderella Saturday, here.

Tomorrow being Superbowl Sunday

...at last...

with the Rams and the Bengals!

John and I have decided (...since both our teams are out now...) to root for The Bengals together tomorrow!

Ya gotta have a plan.

Woke to unexpected snow showers here...and now the are forecasting much the same for SB Sunday.

But the house is warm and snug and there will be abundant snacks...

"Did somebody say snacks???" 

                                       Sofi

"Every bite you take...every snack you make...I'll be WATCHING you..."

                                                                                                  Gadget

Loaded potato skins with bacon, cheese and sour cream...Buffalo
BBQ chicken bites...Pizza Rolls...and the like.

This week I joined an Over Sixties group for women. It is amazing, fun and sometimes informative.

The creator and leader of the group explained that life is lived in three acts...like a play. 

Act I:

From the time you move away from your parents..discovering yourself... until you are 30'ish or have children...a career or job... and/or marriage.

Act II: 

While you are working your career or job. Raising your children and/or being a wife or mother.

Act III

Where we are now. Maybe retired. Maybe widowed. Our children grown...with lives and sometimes spouses or families or careers of their own. Maybe downsizing. Maybe rediscovering ourselves...likes...dislikes after taking care of others for many years.

We discuss a bit of everything...share our adventures of rediscovery.

I'm enjoying it a lot.

Just what I've needed.

 

Looking forward to Our Valentine's Escape...just a little longer!

 

And the LAST...latest and greatest of Jurassic Park.

The trailer is finally out!

Jurassic World: Dominion

https://youtu.be/obqfbOUKSFg

(...the first five minutes...)

 They have managed to gather most of the original JP cast...plus the cast of JW plus a few bonus characters.

Not in theaters until June 10th...but John and I have already made a Dinosaur Date to see this last one on the wide screen!

This one is suppose to pull all of them together and bring closure to the JP/JW franchise.

So excited!

Enjoy SBS...and I'll catch everyone on Monday!

Virtual China: Hong Kong- Tian Tan Buddha

 

Actually, located just off Hong Kong on the territories island of Lantau, the statue is also known as The Big Buddha and is one of the world's largest sitting buddhas.

 

The buddha sits over the Po Lin Monastery. 

This is the major center of Buddhism in Hong Kong.

The statue is 112 feet tall and weighs just short of 250 tons. It was completed in 1993 and can be seen as far away as Macau.

 

Surrounding it are six smaller bronze statues known as The Offerings of The Six Dervas.  Symbolizing generosity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom. All which are deemed necessary to reach Enlightenment.

The climb to Big Buddha is 268 steps...but there is also a winding access road where the elderly or disabled can ride to the top.

...thankfully....

Drone View

 https://youtu.be/Hl9TCsAIbdI

Tour

https://youtu.be/_d0zw_o7OTc

Inside the buddha is a relic...some of the cremated remains of the very first buddha. 

(Siddhattha Gautama)

https://youtu.be/IgHgLxqLCt0

Tours

https://youtu.be/1gz2smlgI0E

https://youtu.be/-ps6FhPXnKU

(this is the very best)

I hope you have enjoyed this exploration of Tian Tan Buddha.

 

 

Virtual China: Sweet and Sour Pork

 

The #1 dish of Hong Kong!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzu6E19sXSg

Step by step tutorial.

Fixed this last night with steamed jasmine rice and green beans.

...yes..I have a rice steamer...not entirely backwoods...you know...

I did the twice cook method with the pork of frying then baking. Not at all like the soggy take-away stuff. Nice satisfying crunchy coating with tender cooked pork inside that could hold up to the sauce well.

About the sauce.

I cheated.

....somehow I imagine Chinese-American places do, as well...

My sweet and sour sauce was jarred...but everything else was fresh and from scratch.

Turned out wonderful.

So much better than take-away, as everything was fresh and crisp. Stir fried the pineapple and green pepper.

The # 1 beverage in Hong Kong is a holdover from its time under British Rule (until 1997).  Black Tea with copious amounts of heavy cream. I added sugar, too.  The cream tends to take the bitter edge off the tea.  Very nice. 

Colonial.

Next we will explore one of Hong Kong's better sights.

Until then...

Virtual China: Hong Kong-The Marketplace

 The people in Hong Kong are a mixed bag.

Roughly half of them identify as Hong Kongers of Chinese Descent.

The other half are firmly Chinese...who happen to live in Hong Kong.

Interesting.

Anyway...people got to shop and eat.

The best places are the colorful markets.

Since dishes here are prepared from the freshest ingredients...most visit the markets every day.

Since tomorrow I intend to make the favorite dish of Hong Kong (Sweet and Sour Pork) and Beverage (Heavily Creamed Black Tea) I will need

Fresh Pork

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Fresh Pineapple

Green Pepper

Jasmine Rice 

Heavy Cream

Sugar

Black Tea

I have also found a wok, cleaver and cooking chopsticks (online)...and a jade goldfish necklace that I simply must have.

Tomorrow we will cook!

Until then...

Virtual China: Hong Kong

We are beginning Virtual China with the territories.

First up is Hong Kong!

Tour

https://youtu.be/2OlnG-GMSpI

A small island located five miles off the mainland...considered a territory but not part of the PRC

 

426 square miles and over 7.5 million people call it home.

Also one of the most developed cities in the world with the highest per capita of billionaires...and the most skyscrapers.

Crowded and bustling...filled with sounds and sights and smells (the name Hong Kong literally means Harbor of Incense) the entire ordeal may feel like an assault on the senses.

One would scarcely believe this used to be habitated by sleepy fishing villages and a few farmers.

It is now one of the world's most significant financial centers and commercial ports.

 

A shining jewel on the Pearl River delta.

Surrounded by the China Sea on three sides.

The Hong Kong Skyline

The primary languages are Cantonese, Mandarin and English.

Traditional characters are used in writing instead of the simplified characters of the mainland.

Example

The population is a mix of races..as is the religion. 

Hong Kong is home to Buddhists, Confucianism, Taoists, Christians, Islamic and Jewish.

The culture here is seen as a hybrid of the East and West.

Video

https://youtu.be/xwftD2aehpM

Later this week we will explore the cuisine of HK and some of its better known attractions...

Until then...