The week so far

In another 5 days, the Chinese New Year will officially come to an end. If you ask me, two weeks of celebration is a long time! We can't go on feasting like this.

I've recently violated all my rules about healthy eating and am now suffering from the ill-effects of over eating. I felt so lethargic and heavy that I forced myself to start running again. After a 4-month break, it was such an effort to pound the pavement that I ended up with sore muscles. Well, I'm glad I did because it is easier now.

I'm also back to eating lighter meals. Last night, we had Vietnamese rolls and fish soup for dinner. Vietnamese rolls are surprisingly delicious when eaten with a tangy dip, and they're such a cinch to make. They are completely fat-free as well.

The family loves it, so I forsee it will be a regular feature on our dining table from now on. On Tuesday night, I met up with some friends for a mostly vegetarian dinner.

We had yu-sheng (raw fish and vegetables) of course since it's only available at this time of the year.

During the new year, my god children came to visit me and as usual, everyone focused their attention on little Rusty.

We also went visiting. It's nice to know that my best friends are the same ones who went to school together. This group from junior college meets regularly. We've even gone on holidays together. In fact, I'm going hiking with ML in Southern Italy this May. We're really excited about the trip.

Needless to say, a visit to best friend's house is compulsory every new year. We were treated to delicious popiah and snacks.

And we washed everything down with Chinese tea- a very pretty variety that 'blooms' in hot water. Just look at how gorgeous it is!