Passed!

K had his 16th birthday recently and passed his G1 written driving test the same day! He was so excited and M let him practice driving around the block. He is now qualified to take lessons on the road. M said he was quite tense waiting while he wrote the test, because it seemed like a lot of people were failing. There was a pair of twins, one passed and one didn't. Last year, the driving test cost $100, and this year the fee is $125. But if you fail, you can re-take each subsequent time for $10.

That same night we went out practising again, just around the block. He did a good job and enjoyed the lesson, although he went around the corners a bit wide and perhaps too fast. He'll receive his G1 photo ID in a few weeks. He has a temporary one meanwhile.

Ocean Girl has a post on Kuala Lumpur with this great travel video. I think I have to visit one of these days, if only to check the food out.

And Kay posted this cute Korean video on her 1000th post, I had to share.

News

Bloggers sue to get their share of Huffington Post sale

Vegetarian diet linked to lower cataract risk

Higher vitamin D dose could help elderly protect eyesight

Undercover Boss

It rained on Sunday. I decided I needed the exercise and went for a walk anyway, umbrella in hand. The weather was mild and there were quite a few people out walking with their umbrellas or wearing rainjackets. The hyacinths are starting to pop up now.

That evening, we watched this TV show called Undercover Boss. It just happened to be on after The Amazing Race. Anyway, it was a really good show. Here is a synopsis of the episode I watched, I was in 'good' tears at the end of it:
Baja Fresh

'David Kim, the CEO of Baja Fresh, the leading fast-casual chain in Mexican dining in the United States, goes undercover posing as a contestant who is competing for one position within the company. Immigrating to America from Korea was hard on David’s family when he was growing up. His parents had to live through hard times, so his goal was to become someone that could help his parents live a better life. David hopes to use this undercover experience to find the truth about how his company is functioning, while reflecting on the time that he has left with his dying father. '

According to wikipedia, 'Undercover Boss has been criticized as a "reality show" for presenting scenarios and situations which rarely happen to employees in real workplaces and are in fact dramatic tricks. Others point out that CEO's in real life workplaces do not typically go out of their way to provide gifts and other extra benefits to front-line employees at the expense of the bottom line.'

Oh well, back to real life, I knew it was too good to be true!

Creative Tuesdays - Rooftops

This week's Creative Tuesdays theme is 'Rooftops'. Mmm wanted man-made roofs, so here they are.

Time to go check on what the others did. It's a pretty theme, I think.

Crème Brûlée with Crab, Avocado and Havarti

I got this dream of a recipe from Dairy Goodness (Dairy Farmers of Canada). Well, it looks like a dream to eat, I don't know if I'll ever get around to making it, but maybe you will:

3/4 cup (180 mL) whipping 35 % cream
1/4 cup (60 mL) milk
2 egg yolks
1-1/2 tbsp (22 mL) flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) diced Canadian Havarti
Ground Cayenne or Espelette pepper, to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 ripe avocado, diced
2/3 cup (160 mL) crabmeat, well drained
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1-1/2 tbsp (22 mL) sugar



Preheat broiler.

In a saucepan over low heat, heat cream and milk until steam starts to form.

Meanwhile, beat egg yolks for 2 minutes then beat in flour. Pour a little warm cream into egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour mixture into saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture thickens. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add Cayenne and salt and pepper generously.

Evenly divide avocado and crabmeat among 4 medium-sized 3-1/2 inches (9 cm) ramekins and sprinkle with lemon juice. Pour cheese mixture on top; sprinkle with sugar.

To caramelize, broil for about 4 minutes. Serve hot or warm.


News

I love this video, it's a pleasure to watch:

Woman lives large in what may be New York’s smallest apartment

Sunday Sketches - Maui

I saw a small photo in the Travel section of the newspaper the other day, it was captioned 'Maui Hawaii' and I thought it was a pretty sunset and decided to draw it for Sunday Sketches:



Let's go see what the group did today!

Sweet Saturdays and Fake Eggs

It's time for Diana's Sweet Saturdays. These Pillsbury cookies are some of my son K's favourites and I understand it's one of the healthier cookies you can buy.

Hope you'll consider joining us for Sweet Saturdays!







Pete had a disturbing post recently about fake eggs in China. I think it's worth sharing with everyone. You have to see this video.

Paint Party Friday - Cake Pops

I saw an article about Cake Pops in the newspaper and decided to feature it today on Paint Party Friday.

'The bite-size cake balls on a stick, born in the U.S.A. and already popular in London, are poised to go mainstream in Canada thanks to Starbucks.'

The featured flavours are Birthday Cake, Tiramisu, and Rocky Road.

Going to check out what the rest of the group worked on this week, please join me!