PROJECT366 * DAY 1 – Daily Routine – Yoga

Yoga is my daily practice and my daily cup of tea.

P.S. The beautiful figurine is a gift from my friend, Ken. It is so beautiful. Thanks so much …..

PROJECT366

Project366 is one photo per day project during 2012. The photo represents something about my daily life or something that is related with my daily life. I am using the name of Project366 since year 2012 is a leap year and there are 366 days.

Each year, people have new resolutions and people try new things. Well, taking photo is new thing for me. I am trying this new thing and I am taking photo each day of this year to be better in taking photos.

The goal is one photo per day project. I am committed to this project and I don’t make any excuses. I may not get a chance to get to the computer and post everyday but I am taking one photo per day and will get everything posted when I can.

I do not have any specific goal or theme of what photos to take. It will be related with my life. The project is about anything and anywhere life takes me in 2012. Feel free to drop a line or two for any comment and/or feedback throughout the project.

FOODIE/DINE-OUT * The Bagel Restaurant & Deli – Skokie, IL

Going out for brunch at diner during weekend is one of my favorites. On one Saturday morning, I was going to meet my friend that lives in the city and Old Orchard Mall is located in the middle. The Bagel is located in Old Orchard Mall and I used to get food from here when I used to work for retail during weekend at this mall.

I love going to Jewish deli to have brunch. The Bagel is authentic Jewish deli. The deli counter and the bakery located by the front door. The deli has great assortment of fish, spreads, and baked goods. The bakery case looks so yummy.

When we arrived around noon, this place was busy, but we were seated right away. The server was fast, courteous, and very friendly. The Bagel has so much selection in the menu. Soon after we were seated, the server brought a plate of pickle and a basket of variety homemade bread and bagel chips (the challah bread was soft and moist). I discovered that it is homemade pickle and the pickle was fresh as well as delicious. I could taste that the pickle was not coming from a jar.

I ordered Egg White Omelets with Broccoli and my friend ordered half/half combination lunch of Matzo Ball Soup and half of Corned Beef Sandwich on Rye. The Matzo Ball Soup was tasty. The Corned Beef Sandwich came with coleslaw on the side. The Egg White Omelets was tasty and the portion was huge. The omelets came with a small bowl of fruit salad.

Overall, it’s such a pleasant dining experience at The Bagel. Good company, good food, nice service, and cozy atmosphere shared with good friend.

After the meal, we walked around for probably half hour before heading home. I wish I had more time to walk around, but I was so happy that Vivian and I could meet.

bagelrestaurant.com

westfield.com/oldorchard

FOODIE/DINE-OUT * Ming Hin Cuisine – Chicago

On one Saturday evening, we were walking in Chinatown Square (the newer part of Chinatown) to find somewhere to eat. We decided to try Ming Hin Cuisine. Ming Hin is considered newer place in Chinatown. Ming Hin is Cantonese style spot.

Ming Hin is consisted of two floors. On the first floor, by the entrance, there are roasted chicken, duck, and pork hanging by the glass window. I really like the décor, ambiance, and the layout. It is very modern and contemporary. I could not really take lots of pictures since I went out with group of people. The place was packed and we were seated on the second floor. The service was fast and efficient

We ordered:

1. MingHin’s Special Fried Rice
2. Peapod Leaves with Garlic Sauce
3. Hot Pot Casserole Fish Fillet and Tofu with XO Sauce
4. Soft Shell Crab
5. Deep Fried Salt Pepper Calamari
6. Deep Fried Salt Pepper Shrimp
7. Hot Stone Pot Sizzling Oyster with Ginger & Green Onion
8. Mongolian Beef

Everyone got to pick one dish and I ordered Hot Pot Casserole Fish Fillet and Tofu with XO Sauce. I only could take the picture of the Deep Fried Salt Pepper Shrimp. I was disappointed when the dish came because the fish fillet was breaded with flour and egg, so I only could eat the tofu (due to egg-yolk allergy). The Mongolian Beef was really good, the beef was very tender, succulent, and tasty and the dish was emptied within minutes by the group. The Peapod Leaves was bright green, very tender, and tasty. I could not really taste other dishes since I have allergy with soft shell seafood.

Overall, Ming Hin Cuisine is alright. The modern place cannot really be compared with the taste of authenticity with other place that we prefer, such as Lee Wing Wah (our favorite place).  The fare is considered not expensive, for that many dishes that we ordered, it was about $15/person. The service was fast and efficient.

Ming Hin also offers dim sum earlier of the day from 8am until 4pm. This restaurant stays open until 2 am. It’s nice to know there’s option, not that I would go out at midnight to find something to eat.

Ming Hin Cuisine

2168 S Archer Ave

Chicago, IL 60616

minghincuisine.com

EVENT/CHINESE NEW YEAR * Lantern Festival (Chap Goh Meh)

The Lantern Festival is called Chap Goh Meh Festival in South East Asia region (Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore). It is a festival celebrated on the fifteenth day after the Chinese New Year celebration. It officially ends the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Historically, the Lantern Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar year in the Chinese calendar. The fifteenth day is the first night to see a full moon in the lunar year. According to Chinese tradition, at the very beginning of the new year, whenever there is bright full moon hanging in the sky, there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. This is why Paper Lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns are the symbol of the Lantern Festival.

During this time, people watching informal lantern parades, trying to solve puzzle on lanterns riddles (contains message of good fortune, family reunion, abundant harvest, prosperity, and love), eating sweet rice flour made into sticky glutinous rice ball either served plain or filled in with sesame, red-bean, or peanut butter paste (people believe it will give them good life), and enjoying family reunion.

The photos of the Lantern below were taken at Chicago Chinatown on this past weekend. There were some restaurants hung paper lanterns in front of the front door and window.

 

Below is the picture from Lantern Festival from Garrett Popcorn Shops in Singapore. Garret Popcorn Shops was first opened in Chicago in 1949. Besides the plain and buttery flavor, the most popular flavor is called The Chicago Mix and it is blended of CaramelCrisp and CheeseCorn flavors. Garrett Popcorn Shops has traveled to New York, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

COMFY-NEST/COZY-NEST * Snow at Cozy Sanctuary

Midwest and snow storm. To be exact, Chicago and snow storm. When the weather forecast said that snow is coming, it means lots of things. How much snow are we going to get? What time is it going to start and what time is going to end? The schedule of the day has to be adjusted; especially it is snowing during weekdays vs. weekend. Traffic is going to be one major problem especially during rush hours. Be prepare to have lots of ample time for going everywhere (if it is necessary) and patience is one of the key to drive during snow storm because cars move at so much slower pace. If one of the schedules involves going to the airport, either reschedule the flight or be ready to be stranded in the airport for few hours (just prepare to have something to do in the airport like books, games, or apps on the phone). O’Hare Airport (ORD) has reputation with cancellations and delays during bad weather. Prepare to keep update yourself with winter weather advisories and storm warnings from any weather website.

Last year, in February 2011, Chicago experienced “snowmageddon” when we had snow storm (more than 20 inches) and blizzard with really high wind and very low visibility. In the city, the blizzard left hundreds of drivers stranded along Lake Shore Drive, one of the city main thoroughfares, for up to 12 hours overnight. I remember those snowmageddon, because we had to stay home hibernating for two days since there was no way out at the next day. We could not get the cars out of the garage. The snow plow in the subdivision did not start plowing until the next day once the snow stopped. Everywhere else was closed for business and schools were closed for two days.

Among all of the questions and statements above, snow time is actually beautiful to see. It is amazing natural scenery. Fresh snow is breathtakingly pretty and it emanates very serene and peaceful winter vibes.

Below are some of the pictures at Cozy Sanctuary subdivision that I took it during snow. It is actually nice to walk right around snow storm because the temperature is right at 32F.

This is the neighborhood of Cozy Sanctuary subdivision the next day after the snow storm.

EVENT/CHINESE NEW YEAR – Starbucks

Chinese New Year is the most important day of the traditional Chinese holidays. It marks the end of the winter season, and the start of the spring season.

Chinese New Year’s Eve is the day where Chinese families gather for the annual reunion dinner, in which family members get together to celebrate. It is common to have the dinner at grandparents’ house or at the oldest member of the family. The reunion dinners also significantly feature specialty food such as certain seafood (e.g. abalone) that is usually reserved for this and other special occasions during the remainder of the year. Several foods are consumed to usher in wealth, happiness, and good fortune. Noodles dishes represent longevity and long life (though this practice is not limited to the new year, but also for birthdays). Orange is the most popular and most abundant fruit during Chinese New Year as it represents golden, luck, and fortune.

Red envelopes or red packets (“hong bao”) for the grandchildren were distributed during the reunion dinner by my grandmother. The red envelopes contain money in certain numbers that reflect good luck and honorability. Per custom, the amount of money in the red packets should be of even numbers.

Early morning on Chinese New Year’s day, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy, good health, prosperity, and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes.

Red color is associated with Chinese New Year. When I was growing up, we have new outfit every Chinese New Year and it had hints of red color. The red color is related with popular themes of good fortune, happiness, wealth, and longevity. It was once believed that red color could scare away evil spirits and bad fortune. Wearing new clothes is to symbolize the new beginning in the New Year and having more than enough things to use and wear in the New Year.

The common greetings for Chinese New Year is “gōng xǐ fā cái” which roughly translated as “Congratulations and be prosperous”

Year of the Dragon

According to Chinese Five Element Astrology Calendar, 2012 is the Year of Water Dragon. Dragon is a legendary animal and it is symbol of emperor in China. Since the Dragon is coated with mysterious color, Chinese consider that the dragon is unpredictable, untouchable and people cannot see its head and tail at the same time.

Starbucks and Chinese New Year 2012

This is the first time that I saw Starbucks released the Chinese New Year card and envelope. For the Year of the Dragon in 2012, Starbucks released the gift card with matching red envelope. The dragon illustration represents strength, courage, and prosperity throughout the year.

Wishing you and your family endless years of abundance joy, health, peace, prosperity, and wealth thru the year, Gong Xi Fa Cai!