jethy

tom yum is my utmost favorite thai dish, next to catfish salad and any red-curried dish. it’s the spiciest soup i’ve ever tasted, and it reeks of the exotic thai flavors of lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves. i’ve always wanted to learn to make this at home, except that galangal and kaffir aren’t indigenous to the philippines and thus i don’t know how to source these two key ingredients.

last night i’ve been able to try it again in a place i haven’t been. the place is almost like some hole-in-the-wall, off-the-beaten-track part of rockwell-kalayaan area. the tom yum and the red curry we’ve ordered are the best i’ve tried so far in this country. although it isn’t as spicy as the authentic thai versions (which can be a good thing for filipinos) and all the dishes were leaning towards sweet.

this was quite tough for me. first consideration was financial in nature. next was size. then there was the choice between getting a PC or a Mac. an IBM ThinkPad (T-series or X-series) or an Apple iBook 12”.

first choice is of course the PC/Windows format since that is what i already know how to use, and a ThinkPad because i think it would be an advantage, in terms of purchase and services discounts and proximity to service center, that i work for an IBM subsidiary. yet considering my budget, which isn’t a lot coz i also need to invest in photographic equipment, i was considerably attracted to the iBook 12” for it’s size vs. price quality. not to mention the sleek styling it has over the ThinkPads. don’t get me wrong. i love the ThinkPad. it’s all black body is very professional. it’s just that i’ve been around them for the last 12 years, and these gems are indeed very sturdy workhorses.

going back to size vs. price, i was hoping to get a TP X41 but it was way too expensive for it’s configuration. it was twice the price of the basic iBook 12” and yet it didn’t have as much RAM, as much hard disk space, nor an optical drive. even the TP T42 will be a better buy if you want more beef to your buck. even with the considerable discounts given during the employee sale held august of this year, it wasn’t substantial enough for what the iBook 12” was offering.

so in the end, i got myself the iBook. nevermind that there aren’t a lot of compatible software for the OS X around. am sure i’ll have a lot fun working with iLife. there’s always the office TP for PC/Windows stuff. nevermind that i never worked with OS X before. a technocrat like me will always find her way around it. i’ll just be porting all my photography work to the mac anyhow. hopefully it could also last as much as a ThinkPad.

working out regularly and turning into a semi-vegan for about a year didn’t really help in shedding down to my old weight. not a single pound lost. so i turned to the south beach diet. at first i was of course apprehensive because when i hear about low carb and high protein diets (like the atkins diet in particular), what comes to mind are the health hazards associated with it like perilously high bad cholesterol levels, as well as liver and kidney damage. there was no way that i will get into such a diet. instead of killing myself, i’d rather be overweight and maybe i’ll just sweat it all out in another year or two.

through some local magazines that i’ve read, i’ve learned that the south beach diet may have an edge over the atkins diet. i like that it’s not another high protein diet, and it emphasizes on controling bad carbs, bad fats, and sugar. i also like that i will only totally avoid carbs, fat, and sugar for just the first two weeks (phase 1). eventually i was able to buy the paperback version and then read about the whole deal.

so i started. it wasn’t easy. the first two days was tough and it left me cranky, because in this country, there aren’t a lot of choices if you eat out. filipinos just love rice, and a lot of local restaurants don’t offer an alternative such as mixed vegetables, and if they do, it consisted of corn, carrots, and green peas cooked in butter. because of the rise of the popularity of this diet, some local entrepeneurs have started offering pre-packed south beach meals which are delivered to your doorstep everyday for 800 bucks. that’s 11,200 buck for the 2-week span of phase 1. geez! that’s my entire food budget for a month or two, and i’m going to wolf it down in two weeks?! utterly crazy. i carefully read what foods were allowed and then i shopped for the food myself. i may not have adhered to the prescribed menu, but i did only eat what was allowed for phase 1. i had my mom prepare steamed mix veggies consisting of tofu, bean sprouts, green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower, and tomatoes (plus diced chicken sauteed in olive oil and garlic). at work i would just buy fish or chicken from the cafeteria.

after phase 1 i’ve lost about 8 lbs and then lost about 2 more in early phase 2. even tho phase 2 allows more types of food, most of my favorite food are still discouraged. like tempura, japanese soba, chinese fried rice, sushi, pizza, italian pasta, etc. it drives me crazy sometimes. especially if you appreciate good food and love to cook as i do.