simple joys

i had a great weekend. much better than the previous one when i spent most of it in bed, asleep most of the time.

my system seems to beat this virus that gripped me drowsy most of last week. i guess it was also a relief that another graduate class is finished, and the new one begins today. wow, this is already my 5th class. 7 more to go and i'm done, together with all my wonderful classmates who have been nothing but helpful and selfless. FSO EMDT October '08 batch-- we truly rock.

on to simple pleasures...

Z came over for the weekend. he was done with something last week too. good thing this weekend was on the mild side so we were able to go to the mall and to my local ikea. i got me an 5 quart aluminum pressure cooker for $24. Not bad at all. Then off we went to Ikea to look at bunk beds for Z, who wants to maximize the space in his bedroom. too bad the boxes won't fit in bruce.

in other news, i've been getting in touch with his family more frequently via Skype. just over the weekend, his dad had skype installed, so there's another family member of his in my buddies list :) . i think i better learn a few more czech phrases so i can talk with them more. i need to get passed "how's the weather there?"

how i wish my mom is tech savvy and can get skype too.

i put my cooking skills to the test with my new pressure cooker. i cooked a batch of czech beef goulash. the first time i tried cooking goulash, the meat wasn't so tender, and I am an impatient cook, so i finally got me a pressure cooker to cut down my cooking time. well, let me tell you that my goulash was a hit with my favorite czech boy.

the best compliment a cook can get is a an empty plate and a big smile on the diner's face. i now have three czech dishes up my sleeve. on to my next kitchen adventure.

a high school, friend sent me a link to a recipe for the best chocolate cake ever. i'm keen on starting this project, but i need to get me an electric mixer as well as some baking pan. the only experiment i've tried on baking was to make a carrot cake one thanksgiving years ago. i guess it's about time i clean the oven.

don;t worry, i'm not getting overly domesticated. in fact, i'm on my way to the gym after tutoring today. time to burn some blubber.