Glasses

We took Khazana to the eye doctor yesterday and sure enough she needed glasses! I wore glasses all my life until a couple of years back when I had laser eye surgery. However, she looks cuter in hers than I ever did in mine!

Vietnam Satellite

I was just informed by my cousin that the satellite images have been updated and are much clearer. Check this out...Isn't it amazing...Hanoi Vietnam! Above is a satellite image of the Hoàn Kiếm lake area (use the arrows on the map to move around)!

Click here to explore the city!


(Daewoo Hotel, the place we got married)


(Our Old Street Ngoc Khánh/Kim Ma and Van Phúc Apartments. Ok, this image almost made me cry because I can remember so many times walking down that street and going to the Swedish Club and so forth- brings back a lot of memories)

I can't Fake It Anymore

I need to get out of here. I need to travel! I am just not meant to live here. I am a forever expat. Every time I decide to go visit FSO Globetrotters website or Prince Roy's Realm, I feel that they are living what is supposed to be MY life. I am totally jealous- I really need to get my life back.

Buon Appetito!

People are always posting fancy recipes to their blogs and so I decided to post my good old spaghetti recipe. This is pretty simple since I don’t make my own spaghetti sauce, but what makes it special is the evaporated milk. You would not think adding such a small amount would change the taste of spaghetti sauce, but it does. This is what we are having for dinner. Anyhow, try it…buon appetito!




Spaghetti Recipe

1 lb. Spicy Italian Sausage
1 bottle (can) or your favorite spaghetti Sauce
2 to 3 ounces evaporated milk

Cook up the meat until brown, and drain. Add the spaghetti sauce to the meat and cook until thoroughly heated. Add the evaporated milk. This is when the sauce turns this funny orange colour, but I am telling it changes the flavor completely!

Serve with spaghetti noodles, parmesan cheese and garlic bread. A big glass a milk taste good for some reason too!

Image chef

Fellow blogger Karma let me in on this cool website called image chef where you can type your own message into different backgrounds. I absolutely love it! Here are some examples I came up with. Go now....create your own, they are fun.

Welcome Won Ton!

As you all know we had to get rid of Bailey and Khazana was devastated. So we decided we had to get another dog and so we picked Won Ton (Khazana picked the name). Won ton is a tiny yorkie boy who is here to stay! I don't have to do much writing, because from the pics you can see how cute he is.

Happy Father's Day Andrew!

As I write this you are out swimming with Khazana and I am sure you are having a great time. I just wanted to say Happy Father's Day to you and let you know that you really are greatly appreciated.

Andrew is what we call "the number one papa." He is SO involved, fun, caring, protective, responsible, and loving. Can you ever really be the perfect parent- I think in some ways you can and Andrew is as close as you can get. The interesting thing is that Andrew is quiet in his parenting style, yet firm. Khazana knows all the boundaries with him, no guessing. Anyhoo, this all difficult to explain.....bottom line.....Andrew is a great father and we could not ask for more...he covers all of the bases.

Khazana the Historian

Another funny moment from Khazana's life. So she has a friend over and I overheard them talking in the kitchen. Khazana was explaining to her friend who Martin Luther King Jr. was and his legacy. To hear Khazana talk about this is very common, because she absolutely adores him and he truly is her hero. Anyhow, the funny part was the reaction from the friend to what Khazana said. It went something like this;

Khazana: That is Martin Luther King Jr. and he did lots of good things, but the white people did not like him.

Friend: White people?

Khazana: Umm hmm....the white people.

Friend: White

Khazana: Yes, white people.

Friend: What do you mean by white people?

Khazana: You know, just like your skin colour.

Friend: So am I bad?

Khazana: No, no, that was the olden days.

Friend: So white people like me did not like him and only black people liked him?

Friend: White people??!!

Khazana: Yeah, they did not like him. But then one day they saw all of the good things he was doing and just decided he was a good person.

Chiengora

I was looking at sites on how to deal with shedding when we had Bailey and I found this site. Actually there are a couple of them. Anyhow, I thought it was so odd! Making a sweater out of dog hair???!!!!

Chiengora Chic ( a site with instructions)

Juanita's Dog Hair Sweater (a pretty example :))

All That is Perfect Must End

Yes, that is right...Bailey has left us. She has found a home with her brother.
We are really quite sad in that Bailey was the PERFECT dog. However, I am sure it is the right decision and Bailey will be much happier having her companion back.







All of these pics were taken right before she left.

“It would be like killing a mosquito in Maine and saying you had conquered Malaria in Africa.”

My Mom wrote this to me regarding Bush's rising poll numbers in response to Zarqawi's death. Many Americans feel that it was a significant step in the "war on terror." I thought it was funny.

Losing Oneself

It is funny, I was talking to a neighbor the other day....talking about how down I have been lately and bored. Well "he" then said...you have Khazana, that should be enough. He then went on to explain that I really don't have to do anything else. I know he did not mean anything rude by this...but I thought it was funny how sometimes motherhood is seen as a trade in for yourself. You become a mother and you lose your own personality and interest type thing. I can't imagine anybody telling me I did not have to do anything with my life before I had Khazana. All this coming from a guy who barely spends any time at home with his family and is completely consumed with his work life.

E-Mail

Khazana got her own email address and this is what I received from her today. I thought it was so cute and so I just copied and pasted for your enjoyment!

Hi mommy I love you a lot .
I APPRECIATE THE BALIEY,S PITCHER,S.
I AM EXPETING A LETTER FROM YOU!!!.
PLEAS WRITE A LONG LETTER OK THANKS.
ENJOY.
CHOW
LOVE
KHAZANA
P.S I LOVE YOU A LOT.
P.S.S CHOW FOR NOW.

Our New Friend

This is our new friend Bailey. She is a 2 year old purebred German shepherd and we got her from a shelter. Bailey does not have the typical shelter story. Actually, she has not officially stayed at the shelter yet. She has come from a very loving home, but due to family circumstances had to be given up. We met her owner on Sunday and you could tell she was very well loved. Additionally, Bailey has a brother and we were asked to take both: of course we could not do that. So after much thought the shelter along with the owner decided that they would just have to separate them to get them adopted.





Bailey is the perfect dog. She is completely trained and very loving. We really could not ask for more. I don't know why we did not make the decision earlier to get an older dog...It is so much easier than a puppy.

Mango Smoothie/Lassi

Recipe

1 ripe mango peeled and sliced (it does not have to be completely ripe)
1 cup plain fat free yougurt (make sure it is plain (no sugar added) nada, nothing)
4-5 splenda packets or sugar to taste
1 cup ice
pinch of salt

Blend and Slurp!

It is so good. This is my dad's recipe and it is so easy and so good. It is supposed to be quite thick. I actually prefer this to having ice cream and so I will add a little more ice to make it even thicker and then eat it with a spoon. This also makes a great breakfast!

Top Three

My life is now consumed with what rank I am. The process of getting a state job is lengthy and I still don't know if I trust that it is completely "fair and balanced." I have been applying and applying to a multitude of state jobs, and for your information doing so is like a full time job in itself. They always say that about job hunting- but this really it. The process for each application is so long, and involves a few steps (most include:written, oral, interview) and then only the top three are given a chance to battle it out. What makes me a bit suspicious is the fact that in most of these situations you later find out that they hired internally. It is almost like they put on this exam system and follow through with the state requirements for hiring only because it is mandatory and then behind the scenes they are hiring. Confusing I know- I don't know if this is true, it is just my opinion and it is quite discouraging because it is like swimming upstream.

So that is that. I have about three different applications in, I am pass the first step of the probation officer position, and I just found out I did not make the top three for the community college position to be forwarded on to the hiring authority. Whew...I am starting to get good at this. They have to let me in one day.