hello 2011

Good-bye 2010.  Where in all flying heck did you go? I'm not one for New Year's resolutions.  The idea seems so pointless considering how over 90% of them get tossed to the wayside because the mind, body and heart has that humanly lazy side we all tend to try hiding from everyone else.  We're so good at coming up with thousands of lame excuses for why we didn't follow through on this or that resolution. 

Maybe if I think hard enough I can think of a few highlights worth the nostalgic mentioning: what was memorable, what's sentimental ....and what's yummy.  That I'd much rather do.

movies

Inception:  Shear brilliance.  It's like a few Hollywooders took a few studies about dreams and their movie brainstorming was on steroids.  My elementary watchers got incredibly confused with all the details.  Dylan and Tyler were able to grasp a large part of the concept.  Mav?  Well, what did he care as long as he was perched on the over sized couch with his favorite people in the world and his blankie?  All those ingredients help make a good movie for him even if he doesn't get it.  

SALT: I have yet to see a movie with gun smoking and speed racing Angelina Jolie that I didn't like.  The woman plays her rolls remarkably well as the good woman who has to flirt with danger and controversy to do some good.  

The Book of  Eli:  There was no major publicized support from the Christian community. Thus, what was pure curiosity turned into a mighty pleasant surprise.  Why, it's actually God inspired if I do say so myself.  Would like to instruct every God-loving Christian to see it and love it...but I'm sure there's a few legalists that would ralph at the very idea of calling it God inspired. (^_^)

Alice in Wonderland:  Johnny Depth is always great.  The queen really cracked me up. "I need a pig here!"   The costumes were brilliant along with the make up.  

Grown Ups:  I've never been a fan of Adam Sandler.  He's really not that funny.  But this movie was full of vulgarity, inuendos, and the funniest lines.  There may be kids/families in the movie but idealy it's not exactly a family friendly movie.  None-the-less, I couldn't help but laugh so much at so many of the remarks.  

How to Train Your Dragon:  Even my soon-to-be [on the first of the year] 14 year old thought it was cute.  He doesn't express opinions that include what he thinks is cute very often.  Most boys don't think of anything being cute.  However, he does [still] think his baby brother [now four years old] is cute.

Shutter Island:  After all the suspense, the twists and the turns, the storyline wasn't exactly what I thought it would turn out to be.  Usually, intrigue comes first and is followed by whatever the viewer assumes the ending will be.  But no, intrigue was at the end.  Brilliant though.

ingredients

The few favorites are mango, ube, all things coconut.  There's nothing nostalgically sweet of islandish paradise like mango.  One bite and I'm so homesick.  Ube has been so fun to experiment with: biscuits, cheesecake...etc.  It's astounding and disappointing at the same time that Lee Lee's Asia Market quit carrying the ube jam.  That's one of my two favorite ingredients in a halo halo [the other being leche flan].  Why would any Asia market stop carrying the stuff?  Coconut milk goes perfect with nearly everything islandish I try to cook.  It's difficult to go wrong by adding it.  If there's one thing I loath running out of, even for a day, it's coconut milk.  Now, I'm intrigued and want to try coconut flour and coconut sugar but have yet to find them.

yummies

Cracker Barrel's apple streusel pie [Ima gonna attempt to make one in 2011],  curry , Cheesecake Factory's Thai lettuce wrap,  suman, red velvet cake, flautas [I'm of the strong opinion mine are the best], ube cheesecake, sushi, cream puffs......

regrets?  

Well, I'd really rather not go there.  Fortunately, there aren't that many anyway. 

2011 goals

I'm working on the most important one right now.  Ho hum....yes, it has to do with weight loss.  But really, it's never too early, and being late can be a potential danger.  For some, it's lethal.  I'm excited.  The Hcg protocol   provides the momentum with results I'm not only in desperate need of, but love.

After all the talk of wanting to fly out to Manila in May, we will be bouncing off the walls in exhilaration once the  tickets are bought and paid for.  There's just one problem....I most likely won't want to leave at the end of 2-3 weeks.

Would it be unrealistic to hope and pray for a move?  Like.....to the islands?