Fried Tofu

Tofu has always been a favorite in our kitchen but we don't get to try a lot of different dishes, mostly because we do not know how to prepare them and we usually stick with what we know.

Recently, Mom brought a vegetarian cookbook and left it with me because she says that we might make more use of it than she did. True to her words, I went through the book immediately and found a recipe for this simple fried tofu dish.

1. Dice tofu and scald with boiling water for 1 minute (to half-cook the tofu).

2. Drain the tofu on paper towels.

3. Dip the tofu in egg and then coat with flour.

4. Deep fry in hot oil.

For the sauce:

3 tbsp lite soy sauce

2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp sesame oil (did not put this much)

60k

We brought the (old) car in to the dealership for service last weekend, it was only supposed to be an oil change but we realized the night before that it was due for its 60k service.

The service manager told us that it would take a few hours at least for the 60k service, initial estimate was $650. That blows this month's budget, I thought, but we agreed anyway. After all, it wasn't really optional. Thankfully, they had a loaner car available so we didn't have to wait around for a few hours.

Then we remembered some symptoms that hubby had noticed recently:

- first there was that clanging noise, we've had this before and was charged $50 to fix a loose heat shield (we figured that if it were the heat shield again this time, we'll pass)

- and then there was that chirping noice that hubby hears when the airconditioner is turned on

So with that, we left the dealership and went home. Sometime around 2pm, the service manager calls us:

- the clanging noise was due to the heatshield again, they'll fix it but won't charge us again (whew!)

- the chirping noise was due to the belts, they had to be replaced for $190. So that blows next month's budget. Teka, what budget ? *sniff*

We were also told that the car would be ready for pickup by 2:30 and hubby tells them that we'll pick it up between 2:30 to 3p.

At around 2:45p, halfway to the dealership, we get a call from the service manager again. This time, she tells us that the gasket was leaking! She tells us that the tech flushed the coolants and when he was testing, the coolant he put in started bubbling - this pointed to a leaking gasket which they were able to confirm.

Fortunately, the service rep tells us that even though this isn't covered by warranty anymore, they will fix / replace this under goodwill and won't charge us anymore (after all, she did mention that the leak happened after they flushed the fluids anyway). The snag is that fixing a leaky gasket is a huge job and it will take a few more days.

So last Saturday, it rained and poured - out of our wallets, that is.

All this kinda makes me think if keeping a car beyond 5 years is worth it. But then again, after spending this much right now, we better use it for a few more years to get our money's worth.

Also, I'm quite glad that it's just in the shop for regular servicing and not for any other damages - in which case, we'll probably have to bring it to auto body buena park instead of the car dealership's service center which would surely cost us a whole lot more.

Announcement

Make your Stick Figure Family at FreeFlashToys.com

Check out our new baby blog at http://hafamilychronicles.blogspot.com

Back to Reality

So my family has come and gone and I'm left with lots of happy memories - mostly of the little one, Lyle. I can't get enough of him and his sweetness (translation: paglalambing) and even though his non-stop chatter gets tiring at times, hubby and I couldn't help but fall more in love with him.

Now, while I enjoy my last vacation day before I go back to work tomorrow, I'd like to leave you with my favorite conversation w/ Lyle. We were driving to Washington DC and everyone else except for the driver (hubby), Lyle and me were asleep. I look back and saw my sister (Lyle's mom) sleeping w/ her mouth open and I pointed it out to Lyle. He started giggling and asks me what we can do. I suggested throwing potato chips, fries and all sorts of food /drinks into her mouth and he readily agreed (of course, we didn't do anything).

Eventually, I suggested that we throw boogers into her mouth. He looked at me, aghast, and said "A-i, your own sister!" and then promptly put his finger up to his nostril and started picking his nose.

*smile*

Later, when I would retell the story to the others, he would claim that he was feeling uncomfortable with a booger up his nose and that he was trying to get rid of it. He didn't have plans of flicking it into his mom's mouth.

I so love this kid. Maloko talaga, he gets that from me (proud aunt).

---

Mom, sis and I didn't talk about our issues anymore. Okay na rin, I wasn't ready for a confrontation nor an autopsy. I'd rather just move on.

Better

I cried for many days and thinking about how I should act and what I should say to Mom and Achi and still couldn't figure out what was expected of me. I keep thinking that if I make the first move and call Mom up, they would get together again to talk about how I called and talked to Mom as if nothing happened - which was what they did the last time.

Parang kasalanan pa.

So I don't call them and they didn't call me. Stalemate, I guess. This is so not normal for us. Also, I was flying out to MA again to report to the office and she did not even ask if I was okay.

I figured, she probably does not care what happens to me so long as her precious other daughter and her grandkids are okay there on the other side. So I decided to let go. Ayoko na, crying can't be good.

I finally get a call on Friday night. Now, it's my turn to say "Mom called me up and talked to me, parang walang nangyari." Looks like we're back to normal now, at least w/ Mom.

Honestly, I still feel sore about the lying - but nothing is going to change that. I have come to realize that Mom & Achi have their secrets and they have this relationship going on and it's never going to be the same between Mom & me.

I still feel sore that Achi hasn't made any moves to talk to me yet and w/ her, I am adamant. I don't want to talk to her first. She lied to me and she betrayed me, so she should make the first move if she wants to talk. Kapatid kung sa kapatid but if she can go on w/o me, then surely, I can live w/o talking to her. I have never depended on her for anything in my life and I'm not about to start now.

Trust is a very serious thing with me, I'm sure that Sis would say otherwise and that she probably feels that she didn't do anything wrong but finding out that I can't trust my own sister was just a little bit short of devastating to me.

What do I expect ? Di ko alam.

What do I want ? A sincere apology that shows that she understands why I was upset and what she did wrong. Nothing more, nothing less.

Snooping around

... is never good.

I tried my hand at snooping today and I found some things that I wasn't supposed to know and I'm not too happy about it. In retrospect, I shouldn't have persisted in finding out anymore.

I feel like Pandora right now. I couldn't resist the box full of secrets and I just had to open it. Unfortunately, like Pandora, I released some bad stuff along with the good and as much as I regret what I've done, there's nothing I can do. And even more unfortunate, is that unlike Pandora, I see no sign of Hope.

My Mom's famous words come to mind (when she's caught in a lie or when she finds that she cannot explain herself) - "Tapos na, wag na nating pag-usapan." How I would like to be able to do that and stop remembering and stop thinking. But I can't.

Among the revelations I found out is that my family - specifically, Mom and my sister - still persist in lying to me. It's kind of funny in a perverted suwail-na-anak sort of way, how I kept on baiting Mom and she kept on denying it when all along, I already knew the answer and had proof that she was lying.

In fairness, Mom's good, she stood by her statement (lies though they were). Nag-iyakan na at lahat (well, I mostly did the crying), pinanindigan pa rin nya. Oh, how I wanted to shove the truth up her face but as I've learned from previous experience, that never works.

I'm not saying that Mom was a bad mother. She was one of the best providers, if not *THE* best. She's done and sacrificed everything that she can to give me a good future but she does have her faults. I hate to sound like an ingrate but, recession woes aside, this is just one of those times when money isn't good enough - I would rather have her honesty than cash. Minsan kasi feeling ko she's trying to pay me off. It's like she knows that she's deceiving me and feels like she owes me.

Nakaka-loko lang that she persists in lying and I know all along that she was lying. It's so demeaning.

Anyway, as with the rest of my angst that should most probably remain hidden, dito ko na lang ilalabas. If Mom & Sis see this, then so be it. Fate siguro. If they don't, then sige, magplastikan na lang kami in the meantime.

Mom, you're such a drama queen. I know I am too because it's obviously in my genes as I can't help being my mother's daughter.

Food Diary

I just had some organic taco chips loaded with Pico de Gallo (from Baja Fresh) for bfast today. It was good!

I still get amazed with how much I enjoy tomatoes whenever I have some. I don't particularly enjoy tomatoes which are cooked - in sauces, stews or even in soups - but I absolutely love munching on raw tomatoes. 

A few years ago, when I was working on a project in London, the standard breakfast fare in the hotel I was staying in was sauteed mushrooms, slices of bacon, baked tomatoes and eggs. Obviously, I started all my days with mushrooms and tomatoes, I did this for 2 weeks.

--- Edit:

Okay, so I couldn't resist the lure of the chiu chow chili sauce and had to have it for lunch. So I my lunch of hotdogs, scrambled eggs and rice. I sprinkled the Chiu Chow Chili (Garlic) sauce over each spoonful and savored it.

Now ? Heartburn.