Birthday weekend

I had recently celebrated my birthday. I usually brush it off with the thought of getting another year older. But this year is different, it is somewhat of a personal milestone for me since it marks the year that I officially lived half of my life in New Jersey. Wohoo! Oh how time just moved so fast for me.

So, as our usual family ritual, we had our weekend meal at the restaurant of my choice. This time I chose a Korean buffet restaurant (no surprise there) that we would be able to grill meat at our table to our hearts content. It sounds like a great idea but when we got there we got a little bit frazzled. Usually a server would put down all you need to start on the table top grill but with the buffet concept you have to get up and get what you need to start cooking. Yes, you have to cook you own food. It also meant that it would take about another 15 minutes to cook it. With a big group it could be more. So it could be a little frustrating if you are really hungry and you have to wait for your turn on the first batch of cooked meat.

At first, we put in big chunks of meat then a server checks up on your table and help cut the meat with scissors. After a few batches of grilling, he then takes out the grill metal plate and place a clean one. We are not used to this process but everyone seem to be observing. It is a new experience after all.

  
Overall, the food was great and had a good meal. This is a good place to leisurely hang out while waiting for your food to cook. It was a little stressful for me that Madison was always leaning over the hot grill. She wants to help out with the cookout thinking its like in our kitchen when I let her mix the batter whenever we make pancakes.

That was the highlight of my weekend. As for the actual day of my birthday, I went out with my sisters to spend the day out leisurely indulging myself with my favorite things. First stop was a brunch at my favorite Malaysian restaurant and have my new found comfort food. The Asam Laksa.

The Asam Laksa is a combination of sour tamarind broth with lemongrass, chili, mackerel fish flakes, onion and noodles. The combined mix of hot soup, salty fish with a hint of lemongrass and chili makes it an ideal food on cold and cloudy days. It has an acquired taste but I can't get enough of it. If they make it good in the Jersey area, I could just wonder how it would taste like if you happened to be in Penang. This is something I want to look forward to.

Another milestone of sorts about this week is that my daughter is 3.5 years old. She is halfway through the year when she turns 4 which also meant that she is ready to go for pre-school. Yikes. Where did the day go? Somebody told me that if I blink I could see her on her way to college. Gosh, that is just a huge jump. I was just teaching her how to ride a bike. Haha.

As for gifts, I got the greatest birthday card from Madison. My sister helped her cut the construction paper and draw the face. Then Maddie put together the design of putting the bow, nose and the rest of the stickers. Funny when she gave this card to me, one of the yellow stickers fell and told her to fix it. She immediately took her glue stick to put it back in place. It was the sweetest gesture. I really love, love this girl.



That is my birthday weekend. I guess if you put it in another perspective, I am lucky to have great family and friends along with good health and everything else. That I am always forever grateful.