Board Game Xmas

I was introduced to the world of board gaming when I was dating a game store owner. Board games have piqued my interest since I first saw them in Amazon, but not much. Too expensive, too complicated, too much hassle. Of course, I never actually played one except Cards Against Humanity, but that one was a no brainer.

I sat with him as he played the Netrunner, and feeling especially dumb. Too fast and too confusing, I told him. He made me sit and play Guildhall next. I did this too, feeling apologetically stupid. The other two players including him had to guide me through the game very, very slowly. Then Mystic Vale. Descendants of Atheros. Splendor. Costa Rica. Forbidden Island. More Guildhall. Arkham Horror. 5 months later my Christmas wishlist is filled with board games.

There is something in board gaming that evoke your sense as a human. I was surprised to see how competitive I could be, not to mention mischieveous and somewhat ruthless. I pretty much adore games where I can messed with people, it's better than actually winning the game. Of course, thanks to my non-existent skill and experience it doesn't happen a lot; but it is still fun to play. It is even fun to just sit there at the store and observing the players: feeling their energy and passion, watching every gesture and facial expression, and just revel in the madness.

For me, the greatest, absolutely greatest gift I had receive in 2016 was my introduction to amazing world of board gaming and the equally amazing board game players. It's the laughter, the excitement, the fun; it's the realization that there are awesome things in this world that I might not even know of. And that's just grand. We live in the world full of prejudice and distrust for people that are not one of us. It is such a good feeling to open up and learn new things about other people and understanding them as whole.

But it's not just about appreciating the community; I was also madly in love with the games. Often times I would sit there and sift through the opened store copies, unboxing each of them to learn the mechanism of the game and admiring (or criticizing) the art work. He would ask me if it is really fine with me to wait on him until he finish with his work, and I, enthralled with each new treasure I found would look at him confusedly and answered, "Why wouldn't I?". The mathematic and probabilities, the stories, the pictures, the way the game is designed, all announced the glory of the human mind and passion behind it.

I still got blank look from friends and family when I tried to persuade them to play board game with me. Yet a friend became so enthralled with Dice Heist that I had to give her my copy. "Do you know that this is a great vetting tool for H&R department?" she said, "you can see people's character from the decision they made: whether they are greedy or careful, whether they are easily manipulated or not." To be honest, I wouldn't dream of using it like that, but it make sense. Then again, the more experienced player could easily calculate and game the system thanks to their vast experience. Suddenly gaming sounds more complex than just childhood obsession, is it not?

Finding something you like that can lift up your spirit is pretty rare these days. It is such a negative and depressing world that one could easily forget how liberating it is to laugh freely, to gain a sense of accomplishment from mundane things like winning a game, or to simply have fun. Board game did it for me, and those who are interested could easily browse local gamestores or join the community. If it's not for you, there are many other activities/ hobbies/ interesting things that might suit you but you just don't know it yet. Open up yourself, talk to more people, expand your friend circle, know more about people, let each and everyone of them bring you to the new world, the new perspective that you do not know. Life is far too short and far too grand to be spent underneath your shell.

Game on, lovelies. And have a Merry Xmas to you all.

Christmas is Cancelled

Pull out that red lace bra

Put on that kinky thong

Spritz up that sexy perfume

Coz it's Christmas time

 

And Imma party till I drop

Imma Imma party till I drop

 

Combat boots and mini dress

Mistletoes and sexy smile

Spiked hot cocoa and straight up shots

Come on, it's Christmas time

 

And Imma party till I drop

Imma Imma party till I drop

 

Bodies on the sofa, more on the floor

Everybody else is getting more

How did I get here, why should I care?

Hella yeah, it's Christmas time

 

And Imma party till I drop

Imma Imma party till I drop

 

Woke up with hangover like Kesha would

A stranger next to me like Katy should

Starting a new romance like Taylor could

Hey baby, it's Christmas time

 

And Imma party till I drop

Imma party till I drop

 

Yet here I am alone in my room

In Superman pajamas and kitty cat socks

Cold, cold beer and spicy hot soup

Entertaining the ghost of Christmas past

 

I aint getting out, no I aint

Christmas is cancelled love, it's cancelled

 

The innocent faces were there no more

The happy laughter was gone as well

 No Christmas shopping, no Christmas joy

It's me and the heater and the buzzer for sure

 

I ain't getting out, no I ain't

Christmas is cancelled love, it's cancelled

 

"You think it's easy, prick!" I yelled and scream

Even though the picture cannot reply

But what is destroyed cannot be repaired

And this very day, my Christmas end

 

I ain't getting out, no I ain't

Christmas is cancelled love, it's cancelled

 

I got Netflix and Game of Throne

I got books and movies galore

I got food and drink and online pals

Whoever need stepkids and family and Christmas Joy?

 

I ain't getting out, no I ain't

Christmas is cancelled love, it's cancelled

 

Maybe next year I'll re-instate the Christmas

Maybe next year I'll party so hard

Maybe next year I'll have a family once more

But this year, let the sleeping Grinch lie…

 

[Merry Xmas for those who are still able to celebrate, you lucky MoFos :* ]

Note: news about this old but gold Xmas Godzilla (all hail Japan!) can be found at http://inventorspot.com/articles/giant_godzilla_christmas_tree_spruces_tokyo_mall

Turkey-ing Around

I had been living in US for a mere 5 months when I experienced my first Thanksgiving and holiday festivities here in the state. It was grand, mind you: rows and rows of nuts and dried fruit and colorful harvest/autumn decoration which soon followed by the shiny decoration with red and green and poinsettia all round. And lest forger the turkey, the biggest bird I've ever saw in my whole life, for a mere 59 cent a pound. Uhh.... Say that again??

For some reason, the supermarkets near where we live in California had these turkey galore just before Thanksgiving, selling their 16 lbs (about 7.2 kg) turkey for a mere 10 dollar. My husband decided we should have a real turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, and off we went to fetch one. We found a deal in our supermarket, 59 cent/lbs if you purchase additional $25 worth of groceries. That was easy. At the cashier I handed him a coupon I got from the supermarket flyer, which then reduced the price to a mere 47 cent/lbs. Our 13 lbs turkey costs us a mere $6.30. We didn't do turkey dinner though, and went Thanksgiving with his family instead. So instead I cut the turkey into pieces and conveniently threw them in freezer bags for later use. I ended up with these parts: 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wing drumsticks, 2 wings, 2 wing tips, 1 neck part (they're big enough for snacking), 2 boneless breasts, and the backbone/spine.

Rice congee/porridge; Turkey soup 

I immediately threw to backbone and the breast bone into the crock pot and, adding up some onion-carrot-green onion-and potato to the mixture, making it into soup/broth in a mere 4 hours. The meat from the bones were enough to fill a big lunch box, and I ended up with about three 24 ounces jars of turkey stock. I used one jar (plus some cooked turkey meat) to make rice congee/porridge for me and our son. It was delicious, and especially easy since all you need to do was to put some cooked white rice in the broth and let it dissolved into gooey deliciousness for about 20-30 min (don't forget to stir it now and then). Our son gobbled it up!!

Roast Turkey with baked asparagus and Dhal; Turkey Potpie and assorted stuff 

The drumstick, neck and wing parts went the next day. I used Pioneer Woman's Caveman Pops Recipe, but I somehow screwed up. The wing parts and necks were delicious, but I ended up chopping the meat from the drumsticks (legs and wings) to be used later because they were too dry and too spicy. The thighs were used for Turkey Potpie, adding up the remainder of the meat from the Caveman Pops recipe for taste. The result was a very flavorful potpie, and only a small portion remained which I salvaged for my husband. Again, this was relatively easy since I was using the frozen vegetable and turkey stock for the potpie and my husband made the mashed potatoes. You could even cheat and use the instant mashed potatoes if necessary.

Turkey Sandwich; Popcorn turkey with celery and ranch dressing

The delicious breasts coming up next. I roasted one half of the breast in the crock pot using this recipe. The writer was right, it came out really moist and tender. I propped the meat on top of 'rack' made from carrot and potatoes, allowing it to be cooked with being immersed in its own juice and thus dilute its flavor. I sliced them carefully and conveniently used the sliced turkey for turkey sandwiches. The beauty of cutting a whole turkey is that you could easily used them anytime you want and not having to eat the same thing for the whole week. It took me well over a month to finished up the last part of the turkey, the remaining one half of the breast, as I was alternating the turkey with other meat for variety. For the last dish I decided to just cut the turkey meat into cutlets and made spicy breaded cutlets. It's great for lunch, it's great for snacks, and it's so convenient to carry on our weekend excursion. And again, these all for a mere $ 6.30.

After Thanksgiving they still had sale on turkey, and I saw a whole lot of turkey that only costs $6-$13, but not many people bought them. Seriously, all you need is a big sharp knife and about 30 min of your time, max. Granted, you would need to pair the food up with something else and you would need other ingredients too; but that said, you can always keep the ingredients to the minimum: celery sticks with the cutlets, frozen veggies for potpie, baked asparagus with the caveman pops, green onion with the congee. I always think less is better, no need to go over the top especially when you have a small family or cook for yourself. And at 59 cent/lbs you seriously couldn't get a better deal. You can also do this with chicken (lowest price at my supermarket was 88 cent/lbs) which still made for a cheaper alternative than beef and pork, and a much healthier option than processed meat. If you are still in doubt, watch the how-to video below.



I am not a vegan, but I believe that human should eat with conscience and waste as little food as possible. And I am also efficient by nature, my country's diet was not really of abundance. By being creative and keep your mind open, you can maximized the food that you eat. Discarded fat and bones from pork/cow/chicken would make really good broth, for instance, instead of buying the factory-made broth. This would helped not only the tension on your wallet, but also increased your health and, and eventually helped the animals too. Don't bother saying you can't afford it, even at $1.29/lbs (normal price for whole chicken) it still packed more flavor and nutrients (and waaaaaay less preservatives) than a can of processed meat ($3/can). A 30-minute marinade sauce only costs $3 and it can be use for the whole chicken (and more); or simply use whatever dried herb you have in the pantry and salt and pepper. Don't get discouraged with complex recipe or long cooking time, there are tons of recipes that don't need long cooking time or a 2-pages long ingredients, just keep things as simple as possible. Give it a try, you'd be surprised to see how nice it is to eat fresh instead of processed food.