Ham Fried Rice

hamfriedrice.com is soon to be under construction. Want to know what I’m thinking about or chewing on? Read it at http://dumpinthefrump.blogspot.com

I’ve been busy. Ok, my eyes have been glued to the television. I am an Olympics junkie, always have been. When I was 8, I was absolutely head-over-heels in love with Mitch Gaylord, enthralled by him and the U.S. men’s gymnastics team. Check out the Olympics home page: http://en.beijing2008.cn/

Opening Ceremony was exhilarating. I absolutely love the motto One World, One Dream and the hope it instills. There is nothing more incredible than seeing the Palestinian team march a few teams after the Israelis, or Iraq march next to Iran, later followed by the United States. It’s simply amazing that for sixteen short days, the world can symbolically put aside its differences.

I am going to work a bit harder on my Chinese. After all, my husband is fluent and literate in two dialects, Mandarin and Cantonese, and he’s a white guy. As an American-born China doll, I can barely scrape by in Mandarin. Now is the time to start studying. Because, tong yi ge shijie, tong yi ge mengxiang. One world, one dream.

Suddenly life just got a little cheerier. I didn’t think this would be published for the general public’s enjoyment. I didn’t take into consideration the practice of opportunism. Let’s face it, money talks. But who’s complaining? This is excellent news! And if you really feel like splurging, there’s the Collector’s edition for only $100! (I will be purchasing the $12.99 standard edition.) Available on amazon.com December 4th. And by the way, the new HBP trailer is excellent!

It was a sunny 95 degrees outside and as I was driving my kids to the dentist, I felt a bit morose. Being a full-time stay-at-home mom can be quite isolating. Sure, there are other moms in the neighborhood to chat with and compare notes with. But really, I want to be “enlightened.” I suppose I struggle at times because I wonder what life is like outside my sphere of reality. Is it adventurous, fast-paced and exciting? Is it beautiful, poignant and meaningful? Not to say that my life isn’t those things, at times, but I do feel “trapped” every now and again…

It’s ridiculous, I know. I try to be grateful for all of the good things in my life. I want to be wise, content and have clarity of vision on this journey called “life,” but oftentimes I find that I am foolish, sad and a bit lonely.

Well, that lasted a full five minutes. Then I remembered my dear friend who was lovely, good and wise. She was murdered a few years ago in the Ivory Coast. She was a grandmother, mother and friend. I think of her during these moments of self-pitying weakness. She used to say to me, “Sounds like someone needs to count her blessings!” When I thought of her reminder, I took a breath, slowly exhaled and started counting:

1. This journey called life.

2. My family: Matt, my children, the rest of my family.

3. My friends. The human connections I’ve formed, from my soul.

4. Good health.

5. The material things I’ve been blessed with: home, job, food, clothing, etc.

6. The knowledge that there is more to this journey, after we die.

7. The talents I’ve been blessed with, such as playing classical piano.

8. The joy I find in reading or watching a good movie.

9. The opportunity to learn and grow. The capacity to learn.

10. Dancing! (now with my children.)

Needless to say, the self-pity party was momentary weakness and dissipated shortly thereafter. Thank you my friend A for gently telling me to “suck it up.” I will forever be grateful.

And I wish I were referring to my abs. But unfortunately, I’m not.

I’m in the middle of week one of my new regiment and I’ve forgotten how difficult the first two weeks are. I’ve completely changed eating habits and started exercising. My schedule thus far:

Mon- Tae Bo with resistance bands, 45 minutes. Weight training and abs 30 minutes.

Tues- brisk walking 25 minutes.

Wed- Tae Bo with bands, 45 minutes. Ab work, 15 minutes.

Thu- I think I’m going to attempt some jogging tonight.

As far as diet is concerned, it’s amazing how easy it is to unthinkingly pop “junk” into your mouth. I took the kids swimming on Tuesday. I fed them some goldfish crackers and before I knew it, I had popped a handful into my own mouth. By the time I had eaten them, I realized my oopsie. Wow, bad habits are hard to break.

Mon- a bit of a wash, since I didn’t start the program until that night.

Tues- B: oatmeal, egg white, 2 glasses water. L: taco salad with a spoonful of salsa (no dressing), grapes, 2 glasses water. D: salmon burger on whole wheat buns (no condiments other than salt and pepper), steamed spinach, an apple, 2 glasses water. More water before bed.

Wed- oatmeal, protein powder, 2 glasses water. L: taco with lettuce, cilantro, corn. 2 glasses water. D: stir-fry chicken with red bell peppers and onions, brown rice, spinach. 2 glasses water. Snack: handful of raw almonds. 2 glasses water.

Thu- oatmeal, protein powder, raw almonds, 2 glasses water. L: chicken and brown rice, grapes, 2 glasses water. Snack: low-fat yogurt, raw almonds, 2 glasses water. D: grilled steak, zucchini, spinach with tsp. low-fat vinaigrette, 2 glasses water.

Sounds unexciting, I know. I’ve never been adverse to eating leftovers. In this case, it’s simply easier, because I have to make kids’ meals. But for most people (i.e. Matt) it’d take proper planning to create a week’s menu.

This week’s challenge has been:

1. Motivation to exercise, because I’m sore and tired. It’s easy to whine/complain and be tempted to “skip a night.” But I know the secret to life in general: consistency is key!

2. Don’t look too closely. It’s too early to scrutinize my body. Noticeable changes don’t occur for a few weeks. I only weigh myself at the beginning of the process and then check results based on how my clothing/jeans fit. But it’s hard not to obsess over the fat rolls.

2. Thinking before I eat. I’ve been trying to retrain my brain to see food as fuel, not pleasure. I’ve noticed the smells of food really hit me, especially when I’m cooking other things for my children. My best bet has been to write down my food plan the day before. It’s much easier to stick with something already in writing. As they say in Body for Life, “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.”

I realize this is just for me, but I feel like if I post it, I’ll somehow be held accountable. Because I absolutely loathe failure. And public failure is the worst.

I am inspired by this woman. Dara Torres, 41-year-old Olympian and mother.

My issue of Time came today and imagine the rush of adrenaline I felt as I looked at the cover. Dara Torres, nine-time Olympic medalist. Her chiseled body may seem too masculine to most and may even cry out ‘roid usage (I don’t believe it) but above all, it screams “Beautiful” and “Inspiration” to me.

The drive this woman has is amazing. In regards to doping allegations, Torres says, “So many middle-aged women look up to me. I want them to feel proud, like they can do what they set out to do. I would never do anything to disappoint these women.”  (Time volume 172 number 5, 48) I am in awe and above all, inspired.

Her photograph of pure power, beauty, fitness and success now hangs on my vanity. I started today and will keep posting how the journey goes. I even had Matt take “before” shots, reminiscent of our Body For Life days, ten years ago. It’s not a pretty sight, but before long, I’ll be a “new” me. I look forward to the challenge.

by Heath Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight.

His ferocity, feral and maniacal twistedness, everything about his performance screams Oscar and deservedly so. This is one of the most frightening villains I’ve ever seen, ranking up there with Hannibal Lecter.

I drove home thinking, this is one of the best movies I’ve seen. I applaud indie auteur Chistopher Nolan for crafting an “action” film that makes you ponder and think, long after the credits have rolled. It’s a bit too long, but you don’t really mind. The complex layering, the range from disturbed darkness and despair to the poignant and beautiful ending, all culminated by brilliant writing, acting and directing.

The material is extremely dark. I felt as eerily disturbed viewing some scenes with the Joker as I did watching Nolan’s film Memento. Definitely not for the faint of heart, and not for children. Which leads me to a suggestion to the MPAA. Perhaps a rating between PG-13 and R? Despite a lack of obscene violence, gore, blood or language, it probably leaned closer to an R rating. Not only for Two-Face’s scenes, but for the disturbing dementedness that is the Joker. Evil is an understatement.

And in anticipation to my sisters’ questions: yes, my favorite scene was the Joker, dressed as a nurse. And yes, that really was the coolest truck stunt I’ve ever seen. And yes, Christian Bale is hot.