Chicken Thighs Save Lives

I feel like I've blogged about this before, but this year I've started to develop a love of cooking for Jimmy. I task Jimmy with finding a recipe.  After work, I head directly to the grocery store and buy ingredients for the night.

I'm learning that chicken thighs save lives: it's cheap, it's delicious, it's moist and it's so easy to cook.  I've compiled the recipes that I've completed on my pinterest board! I've made all those things.  I also make enough for Jimmy to have lunch the next day.

After dinner Jimmy provides me with with so much unsolicited appreciation and affection.  "Thank you baby it was delicious" as if I've achieved some amazing feat. "Let me do the dishes!" He shouts as I put things away.   It's so wonderful and makes me so happy when he responds that way.  Food is love.

He's usually home by 6:30 and dinner is ready.  One time, he came home earlier.  To my excitement he was able to help me like those couples on TV!  I gave him basic instructions and after completing them he just sat down.  I was annoyed.  As if the rest of the meal was going to prepare itself!  I thought about it for a moment, cooking is the last thing he wants to do after work and forcing him wouldn't help.  So I just took a deep breath and made a mess in the kitchen while he scrolled his phone.  He offered to help when I was basically done, (of course.)  He proclaimed how delicious and it amazing it was and gave me a giant kiss.  I compare it to how I never offer to drive.  Driving is the last thing I want to do and he knows this, so he ends up driving us to restaurants and events and always finds amazing parking.  I should show more gratitude for this.  While I can't say Jimmy loves driving all that time, I think it's fair to say that we find balance with things that we don't mind doing for each other.  I feel pretty lucky that we're able to compliment each other in this way.

Cooking has allowed me to become creative with left overs.  I always take home extra rice to make fried rice and recently I turned a box of leftover veggies from a party platter into soup!  No waste ever!  One of the best moments was turning cherry tomatoes into a light marinara for pasta!

I should take better pictures of my creations, but for now... here's an Instastory about my journey with Emeril  Braised Chicken Thighs and tiny hands.

  

Friday Ups and Friday Downs

Last Friday was a little rough for me.  I've come to realize that I'm not interested in the escape rooms since every day at work is an escape room.  I'm challenged with getting client questions which my initial response is, "WHAT?"  And after pinging coworkers willing to help me, scanning 20 page resource docs, reviewing presentations, and reaching out to slow-responding specialists I'm able to provide an unconfident answer.  It's puzzle after puzzle.  Duct tape after duct tape applied on multiple tools that are supposed to work with each other.  And "digging" for the solution becomes more and more literal.

The job can be frustrating. And last Friday I was defeated.  I apologized to my urgent requester:  "I'm only as good as my resources."  I also embarrassed myself in front of VPs of VPs when when I asked a question that I should have know the answer to 2 months into starting, not 2 years.

But this Friday was different.  I prepared for a 2 hour presentation and killed it.  My throat was dry at the end of it and the room of 8 was gracious and asked me if I could come back.  My counter part was grateful that I was able to do them this favor and informed my manager that she wanted me to work on these accounts that could turn into millions of dollars.  I want to work with her.  Good at her job and genuinely cares.  My rating has improved to "Exceeds Expectations."

Driven to do better, I was on the phone with another client for 1.5 hours working passed 5PM on the same Friday... like back in the day when I was entry level.  Put in those hours.  But I can't complain.  I feel like these Friday ups and downs have helped me re-engage.  Work can easily become mundane but these days have shown me that a roller coaster is good for me; to keep me holding on.

Gaysian YouTube Vlog Click Hole

Jimmy really wants this $1,000 point and shoot camera: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V 20.1 MP Digital Still Camera.  While justifying the cost, I found that it's very popular among vloggers.  So I started to search for Gay Asian Travel Vloggers... which got me to a bunch of random hits.

This is how I'm spending Wednesday...



Hank!  I'm suprised this gaysian is still vlogging.  An with Mike Bow too who apparently is hustling.  Get those entertainment dollars Mike.



Is this my future?  I'm always amused when I stumble upon content from people I know.  I guess, it's not as exciting as before since you can find them once you're friends on facebook.  I miss the days when you needed to get a screen name. RIP AIM.  Quentin is a friend of a friend that I've been introduced to before.  Interesting to see what he's up to...



Ooo A Thai film about "Fathers."  Maybe when I feel like watching something alone and crying.



I met Sam Tsui at Ikea.  Super nice guy and very talented.  I remembered watching this music video wedding video and Jimmy cringing.  LOL.



Will is fighting cancer right now.  He's super entertaining and I don't think he's gay, but he's speaking Salitang Beki which is gay lingo in Tagalog.... which apparently is an art form.



Oh god, this kid is going to regret this one.  But it's cute.



I... no words.... but I screamed a couple of times.



Something different.  This guy was adopted by two dads!  How cute.



Putting Project Gelb on my to-watch list.



LOL!  I'm really into these Consent videos by ACAS Asian Community AIDS Services




Ooooo Gay Asian Web series!!  YES!  But only one American one.    And so much bad kissing.

The Boy Next Door - Korea
Hanging Out  - The Philippines
Paper Boy - America
Red Ballon - China
Awakening Love  - China
First Kiss - ?
We are Gamily - Chinese
People like Us - Singapore
All About Sec 377 - Indian

Wow there's a bunch of interracial gay couples on YouTube.   Errr.. got a bit complicated labeling their race, ethnicity and nationality per usual... corrections welcomed.  But.. hmm, couldn't find a gaysian couple.  Where ya'll at?

Nozomi and Micky (Japanese and English)
Michael and Luigi - (Japanese American and White American)
Adam and Wil (White and Asian)
Rupert and Juan (Latino?)
Tsukasa and Jonas (Japanese and Swiss)
Jack and Ben (Black and white)
Aaron and Stephen (French and American)
Huey and David (Asian Canadian and Canadian)
Bernardo and Adam (Brazilian and American)
Shawn and Taiyo (Japanese and South African)
Matt and Blue - (White guys... but that's Kyle XY!)

Oooo and a channel dedicated to Gays with Kids!

Whoa... what a roller coaster.

Hmmm Gaysians with blue contacts...not quite it... Albert Pham and Scotty.

Okay gay travel vloggers, finally: Estevan's Travel Vlog Playlist, marco in a box, Ravi Round the World, Nomadic Boys and two bad tourists.  Ugh.. but no gaysian travelers or gaysian couples....... Oh well.