So I’m one of the old-fashioned ones, going home every year for Chinese New Year?

“I don’t care for the traditions and won’t be visiting my relatives. I only see them once a year during Chinese New Year — where’s the connection there?” said one 25-year old student, who declined to be named and was bound for Hong Kong.

Emphasis mine. That’s called “if they embarrass their parents in the international news they will stop getting an allowance”.

I do try to get home in time for the reunion dinner every year. I think I’ve only missed Chinese New Year once or twice. I don’t think it matters too much whether or not you are into the whole ‘bai nian’ thing, you should do it to be with your family.

And leaving Scotland for two weeks in February means we avoid some seriously shite weather.

This was originally meant to be pho bo, but we can’t seem to get it. This alternative is pretty tasty, though.

Serves two.

Ingredients
1 sirloin steak, sliced thinly (very thinly)
2 beef stock cubes
2 bowls boiled (hot) water
1 star anise
Half a cinammon stick
4 cloves garlic (less if you’re not so into garlic)
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced
2 handfuls of vegetables (we alternate between chopped green leafy and bean sprouts)
Half a tbsp of fish sauce
Half a lime
2 servings of flat rice noodles (we’ve been using udon, though)

Method

1. Pour the hot water into a saucepan. Crumble in the beef stock cubes and bring it to a boil.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, cinammon stick and star anise. Boil for 5 minutes.
3. While the stock is boiling, cook your noodles. If the noodles take longer than 5 minutes to cook, start before you prepare the stock.
4. Add the vegetables into the stock. Boil for another few minutes so they start to soften.
5. Place the noodles into two bowls. Arrange the beef slices (yes, still raw) on top of the noodles.
6. Add the fish sauce and squeeze the lime juice into the stock, then take it off the heat.
7. Pour the boiling hot soup over the beef and noodles. Swish the soup around until the beef is cooked.
8. Serve.

(Neil and I found that adding the beef to the soup while it was still on the stove, even if only for a minute, overcooked it.)

• ‘helped’ (moved the tin around so Neil didn’t trip) varnish the floor in what will be the bedroom
• watched Jonathon Ross (Jeff Goldblum is hot in a creepy sort of way)
• went to Body Pump class (I took it easier on the weights, not that it was heavy before, and hey presto, I didn’t feel like I was about to drop them, half an hour in)
• ‘helped’ (read the instructions, counted screws and bolts and dowels) Neil assemble the wardrobes (they are massive)
• had a late dinner of chicken fried rice
• did the weekly shop at Asda
• bought a washer-dryer and refrigerator (wahey!)
• had a late birthday lunch at Ravellos (mmm… steak)
• ‘helped’ (see above) Neil assemble the bed, only to discover that the struts that came in the package didn’t fit
• went to Ikea to get the strut exchanged for the correct ones (and did NOT get a hot dog)
• finished assembling the bed
• read a bit more of The Memory Keeper’s Daughter

A heavily-pregnant colleague came to visit us today. We were all staring in amazement at the size of her belly.

You know how sometimes you can tell if someone is staring at you (when you’re not looking at them, that is) — and it gives you prickles along the back of the neck, or whatever? I wonder if foetuses get that feeling, which would suck, since they can’t exactly turn around and check.

(I mean buns in the oven that are more buns than dough. I don’t believe a human being has been created from the moment of conception.)

The Island Tapes
Glasgow Film Theatre
6.15pm, 21 January 2008

Gaelic music always sounds slightly melancholy to me, even if the music is upbeat. I think it’s the way it’s sung. It, however, suited the style of films (slightly cheeky while silent, I wish tourism officials would take note of the tone in these — contemporary tourism promotions are so bloody boring). Worthwhile if you are interested in the social history of Scotland.

I’ve got a new entry for Wikipedia in logical fallacies. I’m calling it makio shit uppum. It almost always occurs when someone is losing an argument. Here’s how it works:

Scenario 1. Invent examples of highly negative character traits you attribute to your opponent. For example, “The floor is 90 years old and rotting. It will collapse if we do not replace it.” “You only know how to spend money. You want to replace the floor because you’re moving in,” Even better, do that to your opponent’s significant other / spouse. When they aren’t present. For example, “—— doesn’t talk much. She is ignorant.”

Scenario 2. Only respond to what you think your opponent should be saying, not what they are actually saying. For example, “You are so ignorant for saying that about me in front of ——!” “The little dig I made was at ——, what does what his son said have to do with you?” “You should be ashamed of your behaviour towards me in front of ——!”

I notice that “being ignorant” is frequently used as a general-purpose insult here in Central Scotland. Which, frankly, tells me how ignorant those tossing the insult around truly are.

• did the weekly shop at Asda
• went to the Body Pump class (I think I actually felt worse this time, because my body knew what to expect)
• watched Neil clear out the space under the chimney breast
• had lunch at McDonald’s (yay!) and picked up cement at B&Q
• Watched a few Take That videos on Freeview (no, there is nothing wrong with me being a little bit thrilled that Gary Barlow’s birthday is just a few days before mine, and no, I was not aware of this at the height of my Take That infatuation)
• had dinner at Frankie & Benny’s
• let Neil go off to work on the floor on his own (what, you mean my incessant uninformed suggestions and offers to help are slightly annoying?)
• finished reading Bonk and the latest portion of The Gargoyle (I’ve only got half of the manuscript to go!)
• started watching Band of Brothers (that has got to be one of my favourite mini-series)
• watched The Italian Job (the Michael Caine one) on DVD