Summer Smash 2009

I didn't do too well in the just concluded Summer Smash 2009 despite all the training I had in Malaysia. Some pointers from this tournament.

1) The shuttle AS30 was too fast. Should have slowed it down or used another shuttle. Made a lot of mistakes (out ball) because of the shuttle. Not worth it! Need to bring extra racket in case string breaks.

2) When playing against a rally player, don't kill so fast. Their defense is good and you get really tired from attacking but to no avail. Rally with them since your consistency is OK.

3) Playing against a player who always hits the shuttle back to the same position, you need to hit to different position. I keep hitting back to the same position and she can cover so well. That means she's expecting it. Move her around the 4 corners (rally) and when the time is right, kill!

4) Footwork needs to improve. Doing the wrong footwork drill. Need to return to center slower and then accelerate to the next position after seeing where the shuttle goes. Opponent keeps hitting to the same position and I get caught coz' I come back too fast because I have to break the momentum.

5) Need to improve fitness. Warm up before match is very important.

6) Don't tire yourself too much during tourney....eg. preparing food and taking care of kids. Doing too many things at a time. No focus and need to get into the right frame of mind ie. competitive mind.

Still Alive!

Haha......I have been MIA for almost a year. It's amazing how time goes by so quickly. Much has happened since I last wrote. In chronicle order, I got laid off back in Feb. I was quite shocked at that time and kinda lost, not sure what to do coz' it means that we will have no income at all. Have you ever been in that situation where you had no income at all? It's really scary at first coz' we are so used to having a "secured" job and a constant flow of income to pay the bills. Somehow, we have survived almost 7 months now without a constant flow of income. Thanks to tax rebates, severence pay and unemployment benefits. I must admit that we are kinda running low on reserve now.
Another major event this year was Justine Yong Zhi Xin was born into this world in May. It was an easy birth which took only 20 mins. I started breastfeeding her on the first day and it went well. I was determined to be successful at breastfeeding but alas, I only managed to breastfeed her till she was 4 months old. She latched on very well, unlike Zoey which had a bit of a difficulty latching on. Breastfeedin Justine was a fulfilling experience. The only setback was of course it was difficult to breastfeed her in public and also the fact that I did not produce enough milk for her big appetite. I kinda miss breastfeeding now. Well...there is more to write but I will do it another time. It's time to go to bed now......hopefully, it won't be another year before I pen my thoughts down again. Haha....

Just Blabbing

Hi! I'm back! I know....I haven't been blogging for a while now. Even when I did, it was to fill up the posts. What nonsense about the National Christmas Tree. Who cares about the National Christmas Tree anyways, except that it's huge and nicely decorated, well at least better than my Christmas tree at home! Haha....
Anyways....have been having a bit of a mental block recently and sorting out some issues. It's difficult to write when you have something else on your mind. So, what's been going on? Nothing much....except, there was Christmas and the New Year that just passed. My brother came from some ulu town called Kalamazoo and have already left. My family and I went to Vegas for the New Year! Other than that, it's life and work as usual.
I was working during the Christmas week and it's so nice to be in the office when there's very few people around. Just feels like the whole place belongs to you. My brother even came up and sat at my cubicle while I worked! Haha...
I haven't been playing much badminton anymore.....the one thing that I really love to do and the one activity that breaks my ever so routine life. What the heck! Just a few more months and I'm back on my feet playing like a pro! I've been improving on my return serve lately. I tend to stand nearer to the service line and improve on my reaction time. Many a times I catch the front person on the other side of the net off guard. It's all about the timing. Another skill that I have managed to practice more due to my imobility was to place the shots more accurately. SInce I have been playing mostly mixed doubles, I have been placing my shots in the middle (between the front and back) of the court. This shot requires control as you have to hit it high enough past the front person but not too far to the back so that you force the person at the back to step forward to get the shot. And if executed correctly, he will have to lift for your partner to smash. Hehe....so, I'm still quite happy with my badminton skills la although cannot run much. The area which I would like to improve more but haven't managed to is to have a better net and also to do cross net. I still have not program my mind to do a cross net because at the same time, I'm trying to improve my net. I have a better feel of cutting the feather to do a tumbling shot and therefore, am always netting straight instead of cross.
Anyways....I have to lower my standards these days when choosing who to play with. Haha....especially when I am partnering Saroja, we have to choose players that are not so strong so I don't have to run so much! I wonder how's the little one feeling inside tumbling all over! Well, at least I'm still having fun. It sucks to play when you don't have fun.
I've also just finished reading this book on Justine Henin. She's my favorite athlete and I draw inspiration from her during competition. She's has the toughest mental out there in the professional circuit, men or women. To me, in sports, it's more of the mental then the skills. Of course skills matter too but when both players are of pretty much same standard, the difference between them is their mental. If I can apply my mental attitude on court to my work, I'll be enjoying every minute of it already. Unfortunately, I don't feel so confident at work as compared to when I'm on court. On court, sometimes, I feel......INVINCIBLE! Haha...just kidding la. But I feel really comfortable when I'm court as if I'm born to be there. See......since young, I aspire to be an athlete. Any kind of athlete, be it on the tennis court or on the running track or in the swimming pool, I feel most comfortable and confident there. But anyways....it's too late now. I'll just have to take this chosen path with positive attitude. In whatever you do, do your best....someone keeps reminding me that! :)
OKla....enough of blabbing la. And....it's 5 o clock! Time to go home! Till later....

What is Christmas to you?

.....a time for giving
.....spending time with your family and loved ones

......time for partying

......time to reaquaint oneself with God

......time to reflect back on the year that has just gone by

To me, Christmas was never a very significant time of the year as I grew up a Buddhist. Also, growing up in Malaysia, where Chinese New Year and Hari Raya celebration are more felt than Christmas, well at least to me! However, this past few years since coming to the US and after knowing Chris, the meaning of Christmas has changed for me. For one, we have been putting up Christmas tree at our home the past 3 years and on Christmas day, out of nowhere, there would be presents under the Christmas tree for each one of us. Would it be any different this year? (Hint! Hint!) Haha.....another ritual that we do is to go to church on Christmas morning to attend masses. It's nice to see everyone in a Christmas mood, all dressed up in their best suits. Best of all is the Christmas carols that is sung. They sound a lot more familiar to me than the usual hymns.

This year Christmas will be different for me as I have the whole family here with me. When I said whole family, I meant the whole family.

We have dad, mum, sis, sis' friend, ah boy, Chris, me and Zoey. Normally, it's just the three of us. But this year, my parents have decided to forgo the warm and humid weather of Malaysia to be with us in this cold and windy winter.

I must admit that December is never the best time for me. I always feel the most depressed during this month because it's so cold that you feel like being in bed under the covers most of the time. Moreover, it gets dark early outside.

This year, I'm not going to complain about the cold weather or having to work during Christmas week. I'll just rejoice in the fact that my family is here with me and appreciate the time we have together. Family reunions like this are difficult to come by especially when we have all grown up and move away from home.

Merry Christmas everyone and may you all rejoice in everything you have and appreciate the people in your lives. Now, off to open my presents!

National Christmas Tree

What is the National Christmas Tree, one might ask. In the United States, a large tree near the White House is decorated as the National Christmas Tree. The grand illumination of the Christmas lights on the tree by the President of the United States early in the Christmas season is an annual televised event and a month-long festivities known as the Pageant of Peace. Nearby smaller trees and other decorations leading up to the National Christmas Tree are referred to as the Pathway to Peace. (source: Wikipedia)

The lighting of the National Christmas Tree is just one part of what has become a major event at the White House -- the Christmas Pageant of Peace first established in 1954). Activities include featured guest performers, strolling costumed entertainers, and more than 50 volunteer choirs, gospel groups, bell ringers, and cloggers providing live musical performances.

What once was a single Christmas tree, now includes a main tree with 56 smaller trees - one for each state, territory, and the District of Columbia -- lining the Pathway of Peace. (source: about.com)

On Dec 6th, President Bush and the First Lady led a countdown to the lighting of the National Christmas Tree to mark the beginning of this sharing season.
Hmmm....it's time to put up my own Christmas Tree too.

My own Thanksgiving Turkey!

I made my first own thanksgiving turkey this year. A friend of ours came from Ventura on thanksgiving evening planning to buy an already cooked turkey. Unfortunately, all the cooked turkeys have been sold out at Vons. What's up with that? I would think that they would have made more for last minute people like us.
Anyways....he bought a frozen 10 pound turkey instead. Initially, he had no idea that it took 3 to 4 days to thaw a turkey.
Well, I took the turkey and soak it in the sink to thaw it. It's suppose to take about 8 hours that way. We didn't get to cook the turkey until Saturday morning though. First, we brined the turkey overnight. Brining adds moisture and flavor to poultry and helps to keep it from drying out. Add 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of honey to 1 gallon of water. The honey is to counteract the flavor of the salt and to maintain the flavor of the turkey. I also added 5 pieces of bay leaves and a handful of black peppercorn. Boil the ingredients with the water and wait till it cool before soaking the turkey in. You do not want a half cook turkey. You need to find a huge enough pot or bucket to fit the entire turkey. We didn't have a huge enough bucket so we had to use one of the waste paper bin instead. Haha...of course, we cleaned it out first!
The next day, remove the turkey from the bucket and pat dry to remove the salt from the surface of the turkey. We put 5 to 6 stalk of rosemary and sage in the cavity. That was probably not enough as we did not taste much of the herbs in the turkey. Before you bake the turkey, put some oil on the surface of the turkey and wrap it with foil to maintain the juice. It also takes a shorter time to bake that way. Turn up the oven to 450F and bake for 2 hours or until the thickest part of the turkey registers 175F. If you did not cover the turkey with foil, set the oven to 325F and cook for 2 1/2 hours. And voila.....you have yourself a deliciously cooked turkey!
Now, for the gravy. Take the giblet, neck, heart and liver and chop them into small pieces. Stir-fry with onions, celery and carrots and a pinch of salt. Not too much salt coz' you will be taking the dripping from the turkey later and add it into the gravy. Next, pour water into the pan until it covers all of the ingredients. You can add chicken stock to add flavor. Let it simmer for about 45 minutes. Lastly, take the drippings from the turkey and add it to 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix thoroughly and pour into gravy to thicken it.
To summarise the whole process:

Brining

1 cup salt
1 cup honey
1 handful black peppercorn
1 TBS bay leaves

Turkey cavity

2 TBS rosemary
2 TBS sage

Turkey Gravy

1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 celery, chopped
1/4 tsp of salt
2 TBS flour

I think the turkey was quite successful on this first attempt. It was a little too salty for me but Chris said it was just right. Well....if he says it's good, it must be good coz' he doesn't always say so. Haha....Anyways...I hope you all had a great thanksgiving and a good turkey meal!
Oh, last but not least, I forgot to give credit to my friend, Carolyn for this great recipe. It was also her first attempt at making the turkey and it was also a success.

Zoey's World

Zoey Yong Zhiyi came into this world on August 23rd 2005. Her arrival was witnessed by papa, Chris and popo. The moment I set eyes on Zoey, I had tears in my eyes. Everyone commented that she had a lot of hair and the color is black as charcoal. Zoey is a very good baby that never cried much. From the moment she was born, she was very observant. When you carry her in your arms, she would look intensely at you, as if trying to memorise every line and curve on your face. She has this look of alertness in her. They say that all babies are the same but somehow, looking at your own is very different. You see the little details on her face and on her limbs. Zoey has my eyes, in my opinion (although most people say her eyes looks like her papas'). She has papas' nose, no doubt about that and her mouth, hmmm....looks kinda like my brother's. Haha....her chin looks like her paternal popo and her hair, I guess the blackness resembles mine although the texture is definetely much softer than mine. Her left fourth toe is kinda crooked. Hmmm...wonder what happened there during the formation. Anyhow...that's her trademark! OK....I'll not go into more details coz' she wouldn't like that next time when she grows up and everyone reads about her. Haha....yeah right, not like my blog has 10000 visitors or anyting close to that.
Anyways.....she has grown to be a very good girl, who likes to help mama and papa a lot doing household chores. Her favorite cartoon is Barney and she likes to sing and dance a lot.
To my little girl, thank you for making my life fulfilled.