Granted, I wasn’t as physically active as I probably could have been (too much piano and studying/reading instead of playing outside or doing sports). It probably didn’t help that my mom was a good cook or that we were taught to eat up all the food in our bowls or else our luck would disappear.

Maybe if I had brown rice and more of the less appetizing vegetable sides instead of the tasty sweet and savory goodies, weight wouldn’t have been issue. OK, and maybe if Mom were a bad cook, and she had allowed me to take dance lessons even though my physique wasn’t dancer-like…but I digress.

The writer missed out on a number of points with regard to losing weight eating Korean food:

Salt and sugar issues. Korean food has quite a bit of salt—especially kimchee. Although kimchee is great for the good bacteria from the fermentation, in its less fermented state, it’s pretty salty. (That’s how kimchee is able to be preserved well.) The problem with too much sodium is water-retention and high blood pressure. So, for people with high blood pressure, trying to lose weight with Korean food might not be the right way.

Assorted namul

Sodium can also be a problem in “namul,” the various vegetables that are blanched or quickly sauteed. (Salt is thrown in to help draw out the water and bring out flavor in the food.) Some examples of namul are spinach, potato stems, mung bean sprouts, soybean sprouts. They are usually presented as banchan (side dishes) or part of a popular Korean dish called bibim bap (rice mixed with vegetables and egg and sometimes beef with spicy red pepper paste). However, I suppose the fact that namul are vegetables—high fiber and low calories—may offset the salt issue.

As for meats, one needs to be careful with the marinaded meat dishes as they often have high sugar and salt content. One can order plain kalbi (rib meat) or thinly sliced beef instead. They’re great in lettuce wraps with shredded green onions tossed in sesame oil, soy sauce, a bit of sugar, and slightly sprinkled with red pepper flakes. My daughter likes dipping the plain cooked meat in a salt/pepper/sesame oil dip.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG). If you are sensitive/allergic to MSG, one has to be very careful when dining in Korean restaurants. Although one might request MSG not to be added to the food, it may already be present within the premade sauces and panchan from outside vendors. Sometimes it’s in the soup base.

Problem with MSG-sensitive people like me—water retention.

Forgotten goodies. The writer forgot to mention the important diet food of miyook gook (seaweed soup). People traditionally have miyook gook on their birthdays, and women who have recently given birth eat miyook gook to help lose weight quickly.

For people who are dealing with water-retention, hobak jook (kombucha squash soup) might be the food for you. However, one needs to be careful of the carbohydrates from the white rice mochi that might be in the soup or the sweet white rice flour that might be added to help thicken and/or sweeten the soup. Sometimes sugar is added to enhance the flavor of the squash—kind of like how Italians add a bit of sugar to tomato sauce to bring out the flavor of the tomatoes as well as cut out some of the acid.

Caveat. As the writer mentioned, the weight will come off as long as one reduces 500 calories from one’s daily requirement (whether through decreasing food intake or increasing calorie-burning through exercise). As long as one is careful about caloric intake and avoids the refined carbohydrates in the white rice and noodles, the hidden sugar in the marinades and side dishes, and the extra sodium that easily brings on the water weight, Korean food can help one to lose weight.

But let me tell you, with all the goodies that come with the meal, it’s tough to eat like a Buddhist monk. And, if you happen to go to a small Mom-and-Pop Korean restaurant or to a Korean friend’s house, it might be a bit insulting to leave food behind/untouched.

So dieting, be damned. Live a little and enjoy.

At this point, I should be curled up in fetal position and sucking my thumb. Instead, I’m like Dorrie from Finding Nemo repeating to myself, “Just keep swimming, swimming…”

Last day of school for the year is this Friday, which means I need to get gifts and write thank you cards for the Princess’s teachers, and she has many. Each time I make up my mind to go shopping, something conveniently comes up that keeps me from going. I suppose the worst-case scenario would be my rushing out to the nearby grocery store Friday morning before school and madly picking out gift cards.

God, I hope it won’t be that way. I’ll make sure I’ll go Thursday evening instead. ;-P

The Princess’s birthday is in ten days, which means I need to send out her invitations ASAP if she hopes to have anybody come. (Bad Mommy for procrastinating!) OK, maybe I am passive-aggressively trying to keep the number of attendees small since I’m hosting it at home. I also think she prefers the intimacy of a smaller group vs. the chaos of a bigger one.

Then there’s Christmas shopping for both sets of families and planning for Christmas Eve/Day dinner. I’m leaning towards a potluck on Christmas Eve, supplemented by ordering sushi and/or Buffalo Wild Wings (sauces on the side), which oddly enough is a good combination. Or perhaps I should put out a request to meet at a Chinese or Korean restaurant for dinner and just have everyone meet at our house afterwards for dessert, gift exchange, and Christmas carols—that way, there’s minimal clean-up/set-up.

Earlier today HB asked me about our annual Holiday newsletter. With Facebook, it almost seems redundant, but the newsletter does help us keep in touch with the anti-social media folks that we know and love.

Oh, well. If I can’t get to it by Christmas, I can always aim to get it done by New Year’s, right? (New Year’s as in January 1, not Lunar New Year, January 23—tempting though it may be.)

Must breathe. Breathing is good.

Shopping. I need to go to Fresh Farms, Dominicks, Whole Foods, Dundee Market, Sunset Foods, and that’s just for groceries alone. Am still trying to decide on whether or not I want to face the hoard at Costco, and/or get some more stuff at Bed Bath and Beyond, Sur La Table, or Williams-Sonoma, or simply make do with what I have. I’m leaning towards the latter.

The hardest part is shopping—dealing with the crazy drivers on the road and in the parking lot yapping on their cell phones, dodging the crowds and carts in the tight aisles, and waiting patiently to be rung up while trying not to get annoyed by the person in front who keeps adding last minute items or the person behind who keeps bumping me with her cart because in her mind that will somehow make the line go faster.

Over the years, I’ve gotten wiser and figured out a way to skirt the madness. Just need to go either really early or near closing time. I also have my Thanksgiving prep list updated from last year on a GoogleDocs spreadsheet, so all I have to do is to follow through. (Best part is that I can easily access it on my phone.) It’s not all that bad.

Cleaning and set-up. Originally I was planning on hiring a cleaning service, but I don’t think that’s going to happen this year. Just need to make sure the oven is cleaned before tomorrow and concentrate on tidying the first floor and making sure the Princess doesn’t undermine my efforts. If I’m lucky, HB will help out, or some mysterious elves will come out while I’m dozing.

Cooking. This is my favorite part—really. I can watch/listen to some old favorites while I’m chopping, braising, and stir-frying. Should it be a Jane Austen or Richard Armitage movie marathon? Or maybe I should rewatch a K-drama, perhaps something with food/cooking to keep me inspired? Decisions, decisions… Speaking of which, I have yet to finalize the menu.

Menu for this year (so far):
Turkey (plus extra legs for the younger set) and gravy
Stuffing
Pasta limone salad
Spinach dip and sourdough bread
Stir-fried haricot verts
Oven-roasted asparagus
Crudite (baby cucumbers, sugar snap peas, celery, baby carrots, jicama)
Guacamole
Mashed potatoes and peas (for the Princess)
Braised shitake mushrooms and root vegetables
Jap chae (Korean glass noodles with stir-fried vegetables)
Namul (mung bean sprouts, potato stems, fiddlehead ferns)
Bossam (boiled Korean pork belly, kimchee and oysters, napa cabbage to be used as wraps)—made by SIL
Grandma Lee’s jellied cranberries—made by my mom
Mashed sweet potatoes—made by my mom
Assorted kimchees—made by my mom
Pumpkin pie
??? Baked goodies from Swedish Bakery—brought by my sister Julia

To do (or not?)
Moo gook (Korean beef and radish soup) or miso soup
Vietnamese spring rolls or homemade egg rolls or mandoo
Haemul pajun (seafood and scallion pancakes)
Paella or drunken steamed mussels
Cole slaw or cabbage salad or curried chicken salad
Red velvet cupcakes (dairy-free) or pumpkin cupcakes
Apple or pecan pie

Very likely I probably won’t get to the latter list. I can always save those for another gathering. Christmas is just around the corner after all.

Earlier this week I figured out a quick and easy way to make dairy-free cinnamon rolls using Pillsbury Place and Bake Crescent Rounds and some cinnamon sugar, and then topping it off with my Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese Frosting. We can’t have the traditional Pillsbury cinnamon rolls because of the dairy, but I think this version tastes better anyway.

Mama Sophia’s Lazy Person’s Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
1 roll of Pillsbury Place and Bake Crescent Rolls
Cinnamon sugar
Mama Sophia’s Better Than Cream Cheese Frosting

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Make cinnamon sugar (if you don’t already have some lying around): Mix 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 2 tbs. ground cinnamon. (Don’t plan on using the whole thing for this recipe. Keep some extra lying around for next time or other things like cinnamon toast.)

3) Unroll the Pillsbury dough on a sheet of parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet/baking sheet. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar generously on one side of the dough. Tear off each strip along perforation and roll into cinnamon roll shape, or take three strips and braid them, and join ends together like a braided donut for a more unique shape.

4) Bake in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. While buns are baking, prepare Mama Sophia’s Tofutti Better-Than-Cream-Cheese Frosting.

5) After buns are done, spread on cream cheese frosting or put a dollop on the side for dipping. Enjoy while fresh and hot!

Note: You might choose to melt some butter/margarine (about 3 to 4 tablespoons) and coat one side of the strip before sprinkling the cinnamon sugar. I’ve chosen not to in order to reduce some calories—not that it makes that much of a difference.

(updated 12/9/11)

Although much of what I read was common sense, here are some useful pointers I got from the book:

Harness the power of vision. If you can’t visualize/identify your goal concretely, chances are you are not going to make it happen. When you can actually see something, it makes it that much more real/possible.

I’ve read this in a number of self-help books—how instrumental it is to post pictures, post-its, vision maps, and personal motivation statements to achieve one’s goals. Visual reminders help you focus, especially when you lose track. The more vivid and poignant, the better:

Visual cues turn a want into a need, the absence of which causes sense of dissatisfaction. Use cues to kick you off autopilot as well as remind you of commitments/results you want to achieve.

What I thought interesting was the authors’ suggestion to portray the default future (what will happen if you continue the way you’re going). Nothing like a bleak vision of gloom and doom to motivate you to change.

Take a scientific approach to change. There is no one sure-fire way to succeed in anything. As the saying goes, different strokes for different folks. You need to recognize what motivates you, anticipate that obstacles that you’re likely to stumble upon, and figure out what to do when you encounter them. That’s why it’s important to learn as many strategies as possible and figure out what works for you.

Another interesting point from the book: Use our proclivity to fall into routine/go on autopilot to our advantage. It’s an evolutionary thing—apparently we fall into habits to save our brain for other challenges. So create good habits/practices and you’re well on your way to make the changes permanent.

Bad days equal good data. Keep in mind that there will be missteps and bad days along the way. The important part is to persevere, and look at these learning experiences as necessary steps for you to find out what works and what doesn’t. No matter how great the misstep, it’s still one step closer to your goal.

Set yourself to succeed. Recognize who will support and who will undermine your efforts. You can always try to convert your negative influencers to become your allies by asking them to intervene when you’re not doing things that support your goals. If they won’t help, you’ll find that you may need to distance yourself from those negative influencers.

Control your space. Keep good things close and convenient, and bad things distant and difficult.

Find value in what you do. This will help reposition the unpleasant tasks so they are more palatable. “Focus your attention on the values you’re supporting. The words you use to describe what you’re doing profoundly affect your experience of the crucial moment.”

It could be a matter of treating the activity like a game, setting up small prizes along the way for meeting certain benchmarks and penalties for not keeping commitments, keeping score and challenging oneself to do better at each checkpoint, and more. However, use incentives in moderation. Small rewards work their magic. “A large incentive often becomes an end in itself and when removed, so goes your primary source of motivation.”

Also, be sure to reward what you do, not what you achieve.

Break skills into small pieces and practice each skill in short intervals. Change happens gradually and with daily practice—ideally “perfect practice.” Don’t avoid your weak areas. Confront them and work to make them your strengths. Get others to help you—they can give immediate feedback and/or redirect you when you get off track.

Redefine “normal.” Stop comparing yourself to others. Concentrate on answering, “How do you want to live and feel? And who do you want to be?” It’s easy to fall into a trap of measuring ourselves against people/organizations that are not any healthier/stronger and being blind to our own shortcomings. Aim to be the standard for others to follow.

__________

Consider reading the book out to see how the authors’ Six Sources of Influence are applied to common goals such as jump-starting your career, overcoming addiction, improving relationships, losing weight/getting fit, getting out of debt. For more information, also check out their website changeanything.com.

Hope these tips were helpful to you.

Right now, I’m on the fence about getting more candy. Worst case scenario, we can always borrow from the Princess’s goody stash, especially anything nut- or dairy-based that she can’t have because of her food allergies.

Things we can easily redistribute—Muskateers, Milky Ways, Butterfingers, Whoppers, Tootsie Rolls, Milk Duds, fruit-flavored chocolates, plain M&Ms, white chocolate—basically anything dairy- and/or nut-based that HB and I don’t like. We’ll be sure to hang onto the Hershey bars and Snickers, which HB likes, and the KitKats and Reeses Peanut Butter cups, which I like.

My Halloween Candy Giving Rules

1) Kids/adults who put effort on their costumes get more treats. In fact, no costume, no treats. What’s the point of Halloween if one doesn’t dress up?

2) Younger kids get more treats than bigger kids because they can’t go around for as long. They can pick two handfuls vs. one.

3) Kids whose parents tail them from a minivan will get floss, Nutri-grain bars, celery sticks, and/or flyers from our nearby health club for a free trial membership. (Get up and walk, people! You’ll be eating the kiddies’ candy later anyway.)

4) Repeat visitors over the age of 10 will get last year’s candy. Clearly they’re just out for quantity, and not quality.

5) More candy will be given towards the end of trick-or-treating time—between 6:45 and 7 pm. Gotta get rid of inventory.

6) If you complain about selections or take more than 10 seconds to choose your candy, no candy for you!

For the longest time, I’d been yearning for an iPhone. What’s there not to like? The 8.0 megapixel built-in camera; the ever-entertaining and resourceful Siri, who can answer questions, help with scheduling, find restaurants, take dictation and send messages/texts for you, et al.; the fact that there’s an app for almost anything one’s heart desires; the integration with iTunes, iPad, Mac computers; and more. Plus, if I get an iPhone I’d be supporting my stock investment, and that’s a good thing, right?

Although I’m currently using the much less popular Palm Pre, it has served me very well these last couple of years. I can talk, text, check email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, surf, listen to music, watch some videos, play games, schedule/plan, make lists, take pictures/short video clips, and more. (I also can surf while I’m talking on the phone—though I don’t make a practice of it.) There’s probably even more I could do with it, but haven’t fully explored all its functions, etc.

I know I wouldn’t be able to do the simultaneous surf and chat while on the iPhone 4S via my current carrier; only AT&T allows that. However, after having been burned by AT&T, I’m very reluctant to use them again. I don’t like the prospect of getting charged extra for data usage beyond monthly minimum, or having to deal with spottier than usual phone connections, etc. In fact, I’m wondering why Apple hasn’t issued a universal, carrier-blind iPhone—one that works the same way regardless of what phone network one is on.

A part of me doesn’t want to be like everyone else, carrying the latest and greatest iPhone, for which in three to six months, there will be a new and improved version. Why can’t mobile phone carriers have a leasing program option—one which a person might be able to pay a little extra each month to be able to upgrade phones every quarter, every other month, or even sooner? That would take care of those folks who must have the latest and greatest gadgets. (I know if I plan to design for mobile phones, I’ll need to upgrade more regularly.)

Granted, BestBuy is supposed to have a buyback program that supposed to take care of that “I just got the gadget, and now it’s obsolete” issue, but I’m sure there’s a catch in it somewhere. Plus, I heard that the company isn’t doing well at the moment, so who knows how long that buyback program will last.

Why do we have to lock in for two-year contracts? In South Korea, one of the most wired countries, people can go month-by-month with carriers of their choice, and there’s no hard feelings if one feels like changing services. A free market with competition from many sources is a good thing—it challenges the carrier to improve its services as well as brings down the cost a bit, at least one would think. It seems that here in the U.S., we really only have a few to choose from with very little wiggle-room for the cost.

HB recently got a Samsung Galaxy 2, and overall HB seems happy with it. This android phone does pretty much what the iPhone 4S does and then some. He loves the fact it can run superfast on 4G (an iPhone only runs on 3G) and is integrated with Google products, so searching, getting maps, watching YouTube videos, accessing GoogleDocs, etc., are pretty quick. He said he had watched a video comparing the damages between an iPhone 4S vs. the Galaxy 2 when dropped, and said that the iPhone would shatter, while the Galaxy would be intact. Considering how klutzy I am, that alone is argument that I should probably not get an iPhone—at least not if it doesn’t come with an automatic airbag.

Granted, there are a few little user experience issues on the Samsung—HB says that the transition of the screen as one flips from horizontal to vertical and vice versa is more elegant on the iPhone, and also that he wishes there was a button on the lower front/center vs. on the upper side corner, but realizes it’s probably a patent issue that keeps Samsung from being able to have center button. Little things, really.

Even the sales people at our mobile carrier seemed to have nothing but good things to say about the Samsung. What better endorsement for a product is there than for the sales people to be using and loving it.

In the meantime, I’m still in limbo, almost waiting for the decision to be made for me. Christmas is just around the corner, so maybe HB will surprise me? (I trust his tech judgment.)

This got me thinking about some of my other shopping pet peeves:

The Faux Sale. I love a bargain like anyone. But when I get emails to 40% off every day, it really backfires. The message I get is that the price point is set so that the clothing retailer can afford to give this discount (i.e., everything in the store is overpriced by at least 40%). It also seems that the company is in business because of the unwitting fools who don’t use the coupon and end up paying full price. It makes me not want to shop at this particular store at all. I certainly don’t want to be subsidizing someone else’s shopping.

Consequently, I’ve unsubscribed from their email list and I no longer have to put up with their spam dingleberries. Feeling lighter already.

(Side note: I don’t like the word “spam” referring to junk mail. The actual pork product in a can is actually pretty good with rice and in kimchee chigae [kimchee hotpot]. I much prefer using the word “dingleberries”—DBs for short—for unwanted emails.)

Also under the “faux sale” category are stores that offer 5 percent or 10 percent off. Sales tax in Chicago is at 10 percent, so those discounts are almost insulting.

BOGO BS. The other shopping pet peeve I have is the BOGO—buy one, get one free. For example, most of the time I just need one package of hotdog buns or one package of bread. However, when they have a BOGO, I feel obligated to grab the second item—regardless of whether it’ll be consumed or not—otherwise I’d be losing out.

I wish the store would simply allow us to redeem the 2nd one free at another date—perhaps within a month’s time. Wouldn’t that be a better way to encourage customer loyalty? Stop by again to pick up the free item that you were rewarded as well as other items on your shopping list.

In the same family as the BOGO is the buy one, get multiple items free or at half off, in which you feel obligated to purchase multiple items in order to take advantage of the offer. Sometimes you just have to walk away very quickly and pretend you never saw the offer in the first place.

Fuzzy Math Checkout. In case you weren’t aware, etailers have different prices for different folks depending on where they’re coming from. For instance, if I visit a site from the UPromise site, I get a different price compared to just going to the site directly. Likewise, I get a different price when I go from my credit card company to that site with the potential of additional earning some cash back from my credit card company. Add in the variables of looking up discount and/or free shipping codes that might be available online, and you need to do some serious number crunching to get the best deal possible.

Times like these I wish I were a programmer so I can come up with an application that can readily look-up and calculate the best deal for me based on the credit cards I have, etc. Instead, I just use the old pencil and paper and manually calculate and record the different permutations and the costs. Or just go the path of least resistance.

If I do the take the path of least resistance, I usually tell myself that not having to deal with crowds, wait in long lines, or look for parking is worth the small extra price for a peace of mind.

Although I felt overwhelmed this morning with everything that needed to get done and was feeling a bit down on myself, meeting with Ellen gave me the spirit-boost that I needed. I consider myself lucky to have a great friend nearby with whom I can meet and talk with about anything/everything and not worry about being judged. I’m able to see things more clearly, come up with alternatives, and most importantly, decompress.

Some things we talked about today:

Permission to take care of oneself. We both tend to give, give, and give to our families, and yet never quite keep a reserve for ourselves. So we decided to give each other permission—an assignment—to take care of ourselves: a day each week to recharge, or if schedules don’t permit that, then an hour or so each day during which we would allow ourselves to indulge in something frivolous. Because at the end of the day when the work is done and the kids are put to bed, we do deserve a little treat. For me, it could be a few rounds of Scrabble, some chapters of a romance novel, an episode from a Korean drama, or maybe some retail/e-tail therapy. I need to remind myself that it’s highly encouraged, because all work and no play makes Mommy even a greater bitch to reckon with.

Parenting—there’s no easy answer. We muddle through as best as we can. Although there are tons of advice out there, it’s all about trial and error. Some approaches work better than others. And it’s OK to blow up once in a while, to not justify/rationalize one’s actions, and simply say, “Do it because I said so.” Ultimately, we want to teach our kids some core values and basic skills so they can take care of themselves. For me, I want to make sure my daughter knows: 1) don’t give up when things get hard; 2) work hard, play hard—but make sure you meet your responsibilities first; 3) don’t blame others for things that aren’t going right—make the most of what you can; 4) if you need help/want something, ask; 5) the world doesn’t revolve around you—you have to work with and around others; 6) do the right thing. And although the Princess may not like my ways, I do hope she understands that I’m trying to do my best for her sake.

Celebrate the small victories. Change happens gradually. People need encouragement/positive feedback along with the criticism. Even if things don’t go according to plan, be grateful for the little things.

The flip-side—things can always be worse.

I’d like to say I was imposing a technology-free weekend on myself, but I’d be lying. (It is, however, a plan of mine to do it one of these days—though not during a Blogadays month.)

The truth is I was busy with family stuff and dealing with writer’s block very poorly—avoiding writing altogether. Guilt is setting in after nearly three days of non-blogging, so I figured I should at least jot down a few things that I did or thought about and that I could write about later…

Nothing like inviting people over to force oneself to clean up common areas quickly. I managed to vacuum the entire downstairs, do mountains of dishwashing, and wipe down surfaces with Windex and/or antiseptic cleaning wipes in preparation for houseguests this past Saturday. Urgency equals emergency and a realization that cleaning really isn’t as big of a deal as I sometimes make it in my mind. Just need to give myself a time limit and do it.

Surprise, surprise—Rockford has a neat Japanese garden. My sister, Julia, told me about Anderson Garden and suggested that we check it out. I enjoyed the peaceful gardens, beautifully manicured trees, man-made waterfalls, footbridges, and meditation paths. At certain points, one could easily imagine being in Japan vs. a small town in northwest Illinois. Will post pictures soon.

King Spa—I got an Aroma Gold Massage/Bodyscrub at King Spa, a Korean-style sauna and bath house. What a great way to slough off dead skin, old soap scum, deep-down dirt, and what-have-you. By the end of the session, my skin was sparkly clean and oh-so-silky-smooth-and-soft. I think I need to do this at least once a quarter. Hoping for another Groupon in the near future.

No pets under my roof. No matter how much begging and pleading from my child, I resolve never to cave in, let alone give her any false hopes. She’s welcome to have pets after college, once she’s living on her own and able to support herself. Wicked and heartless mom, that I am.

Must travel with booting bucket on long car rides. It is a bad idea for me to sit in the third row/back of moving vehicle, especially when roads are bumpy, curvy, and/or vehicle is in stop and go traffic. As I am getting older, I am more prone to car-sickness. I wonder if my days of riding rollercoasters are over?

Loving K-drama Scent of a Woman. Kim Sunah is one of my favorite Korean actors. This drama isn’t complete yet, but so far I’ve been crying buckets these past few episodes. I believe there are two more left and then the season is over. (Sigh.) Anyway, I plan on writing a more detailed review later.

Watched SIL make moorl (water) kimchee. Turns out making this kind of kimchee is easier than it sounds. What I like about moorl kimchee is that it’s non-spicy and a welcome contrast to other panchan on a typical Korean table. Will post recipe soon.