virtualberta

Some random notes:

+ Perhaps I'm extra-sensitive from growing up in drought-ridden California, but people in Taipei sure are silly. For the past two years, the country starts worrying about draught in late spring, and restrictions are put in place. Two years ago, they actually shut off the water every five days to conserve water. Not so fun in the middle of the summer, when you're hot and sweaty, and want to get all that grime off.

There's talk again this year about the possibility of a draught, although it's been raining all day. The kicker is, there's a guy outside my office building right now watering the plants and the pavement. Hello! It's raining already!

+ Lunar new year's eve is on Wednesday. I'm very fortunate that the Taiwan markets are closed, so even though the official holiday begins on Wednesday, our department is off this week.

+ I've decided to use this extra time to go on a detox program. The changing weather (warm-cold-warm-cold) makes this an ideal time to do this. So this week, I'm eating only fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans. No meat, no fish, no dairy, and no grains.

I hosted a dinner party Saturday night to kick-off the program. My friends were impressed with how tasty the food could be. On the menu were braised pumpkin, stir-fried greens with tangy miso dressing, and pan-fried tofu. For dessert, we had pears poached in cranberry juice, cinammon, cloves, and a splash of red wine. The poaching liquid was later reduced to make a glaze for the pears.

I've had such the relaxing weekend: just puttering about the house organizing and cleaning (which is what one is supposed to do before the start of the new year) and taking care of myself through diet and plenty of rest. I'm also catching up on my weekend. Sometimes burrowing at home is just what I need.