Well, Then. (D5-7)

It's been quite a week. I've been extremely busy for the past few days. Doing some PR work and it's taking forever. I still have to set up a presentation I have to give tomorrow at a fundraising dinner - which our store will be catering for. The kitchen smells of roasted chicken, many kinds of masalas, the fresh cilantro and chili.

Alright, so it's time for some good news. By God's will, insha'Allah, we may move on August 6, or whenever the day after the upcoming Eid is. The people who lease out our other house house will complete their lease in July, which makes it easier on us as we don't have to lift around heavy boxes while we are fasting (as Ramadan will be during the month of July). My father and brother don't seem as excited as my mother and I to move. They want to wait one more year to get our business in Hamtramck settled. I've been trying to keep myself calm about getting out of this area since 2011. Remember my post about buying a new house back in 2011? I found out a few weeks ago that my friend moved just a few blocks away over there, and his sister lives on my street there too. The mall is about 3 miles away, the move theater is just a mile away, Dunkin Donuts down the streets, everything is just a short drive away. Anyways, enough about that.

We have decided what the room schemes/themes will be:

• Mother's room - Old World Italian
• My Room: Modern Luxury
• Hall Way: Traditional/Transitional
• Living Room: Italian
• Family/Great Room: Contemporary
• Kitchen/Dining: Country
• 2nd Hall Way (to Garage, Bathroom #2 and Basement): Contemporary 
• Bathroom #1: Luxury
• Bathroom #2: Eclectic 
• Patio: Tuscan Garden w/Outdoor Kitchen
• Front: Stone with Landscaping 
• As for the Basement, that will be another post ;) 

I also gave some bad news to balance out the good. My lens for my camera became nonfunctional. I mean, they still function but the barrel for zooming is stuck. I can only focus - which is also kind of messed up as it grinds and not smooth. I dont know how this happened, but I'm sending it to the Sony repair center in Texas soon. After the event on June 16 & 17, that is.

As for my food diary, its been quite a mess. On day 5, I stuck to my regular low-carb diet, but yesterday (day 6), I had to fast. I had carbs at 4am in the morning so I can fast the whole day until 9:15pm, when I also broke my fast with carbs. I felt so bloated. But that's a good sign. It means that my stomach capacity has shrunk. Today (7), I ended up eating a fried chicken wonton roll and half a bag of these Indian chips. I couldnt resist myself as it was a new product and was my only chance to try it out. Then, I got home and make Kofta Curry out of Chicken Meatballs. I also ate an egg white omelette with mushrooms and fat free cheddar. But then I had 1 and 1/2 whole wheat pitas with Beef & Potato curry. I couldnt resist. I'm planning on skipping dinner or having a hard boiled egg without the yolk for dinner tonight. Whatever works out.

Another day awaits...

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June 3 & 4. That Fast?

Ah. I feel so bloated. Why did I have that Tang? Oh the carbs. I'm gonna pay for this. Sweet delicious gut busting carbs. I had succumbed to temptation today. No, not hanky panky a'la skanky. I meant my food desires. I went out to Checker's and got myself a large order of fries. I feel like shit now.

My food diary for  today was: Samosa and Propel Zero for breakfast, a whole wheat pita with Egg Curry (bad, Raizin!), and then I had cheated and gotten myself a large order of fries around 7pm, and for dinner, I'm really not in the mood. I think those fries are still in my stomach. So I'll just finish up this glass of Tang. I was craving a glass of juice, so I thought why not get that Vitamin C?! Although, I do agree that I should limit myself to all natural 100% fruit juices/pulp juice.

My food diary for yesterday: I had Green Tea for breakfast. I got home around 2:00pm and had a Tuna Salad (made with a can of tuna, deviled egg white, onion, a leaf of lettuce, and a tablespoon of spinach dip). For dinner, I had about 1 whole wheat pita and Beef Bhuna. Sigh. I shouldnt have done that.

I realized that I've been eating pita for two days now. I'm not supposed to, whether it's whole wheat or not! I'm trying to avoid the carbs. Same goes for curry and bhuna. That stuff is loaded with oils and onions, not to mention the beef too - no dark or red meat!

As for the day, it went okay. I sent in the ad papers one more time and actually called up the lady at Color Point Print and she said it seemed fine. My green light! No more worries about that. I also got my license plate for my car! Yaay! I can drive it again. But daaamn, gas prices went up high! I'm waiting for a day to fill up my tank again. Just not tomorrow. I also got my credit card bill in the mail today. Lol. I did raise the balance by $80 - BUT I bought a few necessary things for my car, such as a steering club lock and matching floor mats.

Today seemed to be an ordinary day, I guess. Nothing else is on my mind. Oh well, another day awaits!

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Sunny Sunday. Day 2 of Diet.

Today was a rather normal day. Went to "work" and set up for a program there. I wasn't expecting there to be light snacks, but turns out there was actually quite a few things. Someone had given a tray full of Alfredo Pasta, a Chicken Sikh Kebob platter, and a tray of spiced and roasted potatoes. I did a pretty good job of avoiding everything, and yes, I accidentally skipped breakfast again. When it came to serve the potatoes, my eyes just glowed. They were those mini waxed potatoes that were roasted with spices and butter and then broiled til brown and caramelized. And I'm a sucker for roasted veggies. 

I hate my self for this, but I had 4 of those. Yes, four mini golden wax potatoes. Oh god, the starchy goodness. It's going straight for the thighs (I hope not). I had realized what I'd done and decided to finish with a tall bottle of water. I then decided to call that brunch, as I had skipped breakfast and have eaten too much to have a lunch. Nonetheless, it was time to wrap up and go home. It was about 3:00pm when I arrived at my door step, and I had just remembered to grab the camera tri-pod from the car. I was going to do a short YouTube video - just for fun and to see how it goes. I took a quick shower and got dressed into my PJs and started filming my sketch. Done with the first 2 minutes and then, oooh look, the cat just walked in. And then, BANG.

The tripod had tipped over and the camera fell on it's lens on to a floor board. I got scared because it was a thousand dollar camera and it hasn't even been a year since I got it. I see that it's still turned on, which is a good sign. But then, when I twist the lens (for a full-frame or macro), it wouldn't move as it did before. It used to just glide, especially on manual focus, but now, it grinds - which means that I wont be able to do auto focus with those lenses anymore. :( Boohoo. 

Friggin cat. No, I kid - it was my fault for not securing the tripod before letting go of it. In a way, I'm relived that it wasn't the camera body that got damaged. Anyways, I called it quits and decided to go grocery shopping, just like I said yesterday!

I walked into Al-Haramin, my favorite grocery store in the entire city to buy a few things. Number one on the list: lettuce. Personally, I hate ice-berg lettuce. Yeah its cheap, but it has a lot of the bitter white parts - which I HATE. I cant stand the bitterness. I wasn't a fan of romaine lettuce either because after separating the leaves, I would have to make a triangular cut on every leaf to get the nasty white bitter part out. Before, I used to give it to the bunny, but now I just throw it out. They didn't have my usual green leafy lettuce today. I loved those because it's mostly leaf and the stems (the white part) is really thin and small. So I had to get the romaine. Next: Minced Chicken (ground chicken). I wanted to make baked Kebobs and freeze them for everyday use. I would just need to reheat a few and add them to my salads or just eat them as is. As I was walking down the aisle to get to the butcher, I saw the cheese selection. Cheese has no carbs (low-carb too) but it's pretty fatty. However, this one brand of cheese caught my eye. Fat Free Cheese? Alrighty then. But I need something strong so I can use less of it. I ended up getting the sharp cheddar. Good choice! I also saw some mushrooms on sale, so I grabbed those too. I checked out, walked out the store, spending only a few dollars (I'm a smart shopper, hehe), and drove home.

It was time to mow the lawn. I guess it would cut down the carbs and calories from the potatoes I had at noon. I mowed the backyard and front yard and called it a day. I ended up going to and playing at a soccer game with a few of the local kids. I only played for 30 minutes as I wasn't in proper attire and was jiggling all over the place. I came home to start on my kebobs.

It was a bit more than a pound of chicken with some pre-sauteed onions, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, sharp cheddar cheese, some lemon juice, Shan BBQ Sikh Kabob spice, salt and pepper. I started off my washing the minced chicken - I know I sound crazy for doing this, but in my family, we always do this with any meat, minced or not. I then dice half an onion and smash a few cloves of garlic. I take a nonstick skillet and start wilting the onions without any oil. A job well done. I add some garlic and a teaspoon of chili powder. The garlic started to carmalise and I wanted to deglaze before it starts burning. I added just a small splash of lemon juice and then transferred the onion mixture in the bowl. I give it a good mix and add all of the spices. I let it rest in the fridge for an hour and then make small little mini sausage sized rolls on a baking sheet. I baked them at 450F for about 20 minutes, until they're white with a few golden spots. It's chicken breast. White means cooked! Overcooking will make it tough, especially when you plan on reheating them. 

I kept 3 and added them to a simple salad and froze the rest. I guess I did pretty good for today's diet. Oh well. Not much of an exciting day, I guess. Oh well. That's enough for tonight.

Another day awaits. 

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June 1st. Also Day 1 of Diet.

Alright. After all of the nuisance yesterday, I've decided that I should start my diet. It went okay, but not as I planned. Turns out, I was lacking a  lot of things in the fridge and pantry. I got up for work this morning and skipped breakfast - accidentally. I am just so unused to eating breakfast and I usually go on my day without it. On a work day, I usually just have a cup of caffeine-free green tea. But when it was time for my tea, there was only chamomile. It's okay, I guess - there is no nutritional value to it at all, especially when sweetened with Equal sugar.

I didn't get any computer-required work done today. I prepared outgoing mail and whatnot. Nonetheless, the morning wasn't that busy. Dad made fried in the store's kitchen for the hot food buffet thing. Surprisingly, all of it was sold out. But there were some Somosas and (I guess I can call it this...?) Indian Tater Tots left over. I think he'll just refrigerate them and stick them in the oven to reheat for tomorrow. I didn't get to drink any water at all. I absolutely hate drinking tap water (unless it's at home), so I had to wait until I got off and get myself a bottle.

After work, I went to our store and sent dad home for lunch. I had one of those Tater Tots out of curiosity. They just looked so big and golden and I was wondering what it was. I bit into it, and realized that it wasn't worth it (as delicious as it was). It was mashed potatoes, cilantro, Thai chili peppers, salt, and a breaded crust. I was in the mood for some juice, seeing that I didn't get much "fluid" in me. I had a few choices: soda, energy drinks, tamarind juice, or Propel. Obviously, I went with the zero cal/carb grape flavored Propel.

I then went home as soon as my dad came back, and decided to take a nap. It would help time pass. By the time I woke up, it was almost sunset. I took a walk to the dollar store to buy the cat a litter scoop, but turns out they were closed. LOL. Oh well. I then used the sifter that came with the litter box and got that done. I took a bath and decided to make dinner. I went through the fridge and could not find anything that would be considered healthy. I got frustrated until I saw a carton of eggs. I grabbed two of them and separated the yolks from them. I'm not a fan of hard-boiled eggs, so I made an omelette with onions, 3 different kinds of pepper, cilantro, a little dash of curry powder and some salt. I served it on top of a very flat home-made rice flour tortilla with some spinach dip. I made sure to drink a big mug of ice cold water so that I feel extra satisfied.

And I guess that was the end of my day. Another day awaits.

P.S. I'm planning on going grocery shopping tomorrow. Or at least, I hope. My damn temporary license plate expired and the actual one is still at my car's dealer. Oh, what a tangled web we weave.

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Well, Well, Looks Who's Back!

Look's like it's been about a year and two month since I've abandoned my blog. Yeah, I graduated and finished my first year of college and stuff. Other than that, I guess I'm still the same. I've had a few things on my mind and I needed to just let my thoughts out - so I thought this would be the best place. Personally, I hate writing things down, so a blog seemed to suffice.

Today was just a day full of confusion and depression. First, someone yells at me for not doing my "job" and that I was lacking productiveness. And I'll be honest, I really don't want to be doing so much at one time. I want the summer to myself - well, most of it anyways. However, I do get my work done. It may take some time and it may not be perfect but it's damn well completed. I'm human and I make mistakes, some stupid and silly ones and some complicated ones too. Oh well, not much I can do about it.

After noon, I was at the mosque praying and then I get a SMS from my friend that another one of my best friend's father had passed away. I was in disbelief, but then got worried for her. We haven't been in contact for a while and it was really hard to get a hold of her because she had no phone. I called up another friend who lived near her and I heard her voice... sobbing and wailing. I couldn't understand a single word. My heart just melted and her cry sent a chill down my spine. The least I could do for her is to go to the funeral.

So I did go, and it was packed! We prayed and had the service and I saw some of my other friends there who came to show support. We all left together and went home. I got home around 10:30pm and started making dinner for myself - a Chicken and Tortilla Salad. I also made some desert-style oatmeal for later or possibly the day after for a snack. I ate my salad and went to my room and got on the computer for some browsing and FB-ing. I then get called downstairs... that's when the drama started.

At first, my father went off on me and started complaining about how I've been slacking at "work" lately. He was yelling at me that I barely do anything and that he receives a lot of complaints - which I've already dealt with in the morning so I really didn't feel like explaining myself. Then he tells me that the flyer I created for our store (oh yeah, forgot to mention - we opened up a grocery store in January 2013) was rejected for the 2nd time. He was yelling at me because the lady from the printing company called back and said that I sent the wrong size. I was just baffled. I went back on my computer for the file and I saw that I sent the right one, so I really don't know what the hell all the confusion is.

Secondly, my mother goes off on me about my fatness and my eating habits. She says that I eat too much and that I am the fattest/biggest person in the family. She then asks what I ate today - everything that was put in my mouth. I told her exactly what I had: A wrap for breakfast, rice and potato for lunch, a samosa for a snack in the evening, and a salad (made with shredded chicken that was pan seared in A1 sauce, crumbled tostadas, 1 slice of bread that I toasted with seasoning to use a croutons, a handful or two of lettuce, and spinach dip to bind it all together). That was it. Just 4 things today. And yet, she complains that I have eaten too much? What is this f**kery?!

I don't know. I guess today was a bad day. But nonetheless, I am still living. That's enough for tonight.

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April Showers? My ass.

The anticipation is killing me! I want to move already. Thanks and praise be to God, who has provided us with an immaculate home in Hamtramck (an amazing city surrounded by Detroit) that we've been living in for 14 years now. I grew up in this home and there are so many memories. I will truly miss it but still want to move.
I want to move to our new house in Warren, the third largest suburb in Michigan. We bought the house last year for almost $85,000. So why move you maybe asking?

The house is a lot newer, has better insulation, looks and is very clean, and is close to all the malls and stores.
However, the most important reason is because I want to live in a modern American manner with a desi (Indian, Bengali, Pakistani) twist. I sort of want to live the American dream. Of course, I can do the same thing to the House I'm currently in, but its not worth it. The house was built in 1924 and is almost 3,000 sqft (includes upstairs). But the house has very poor insulation and a roof that needs fixing every year. I don't mind, but I do think its time we move on.

We've been looking for a house in the suburbs for almost 7 years until we found one last year. Originally, we were looking in the Troy, Madison Heights, and Sterling Heights area. But after looking at so many Damn houses, we decided on a cozy flat house (oddly called a Ranch house). Sort of reminded me of the houses they have down in California. The house barely needed any work done to it.

Right now, we have a guy Renting out the place for $1,000 a month until his 20 month contact is up and its our time to move in. It was a smart move for us to let the guy rent out the place. It sort of pays off the house and insurance bill. We will move in the summer of 2013 before going to London and Bangladesh for a family visitation/vacation.Anywho, before there are any more tangents, lets get back to the reason I want to move.I want to make the inside look like as if an American family lived there, but still having some deep Islamic and Desi roots.

These can be expressed through paintings, pictures, and figurines. But the American part will be important to me. I feel like I'm an American first before Bengali sometimes. I grew up here and don't remember much of my first 2½ years of life in Bangladesh. My idea of an American style home is having a theme throughout each room of the house. Elegant, traditional, country, and modern are just examples. I want to do a contemporary and sofisticated theme. That means large mirrors with frames in the dining room, candles with large holders stationary on the dining room table and shelves. Matching picture frames! Dear lord! Almost every Bengali house I've been to never have matching wall picture frames, matching furniture, or even a legit theme. I want the family room to look elegant.

It has a stone art fireplace and a doorwall leading to a patio. The floors are hardwood and the space is kind of open in the room. As for the hall, it will have family portraits and accent decors such as mirrors and candle holders. The livingroom will have a contemporary look to it. The kitchen will be modern looking. Large white cabinets covering three walls, and a counter that goes around in a U shape. The stove is a flat surface electric style one. So it has a lot of potential.

That's it for this post. My next post will be about May and Past Vacations. Lol!

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My Late March Post... Sorry

Happy March!

A step closer to spring and graduation day, huzzah. Can't wait to get out of this hell hole of a school. I feel bad for some of these teachers. They have to deal with these idiotic kids. Dear God! They're all animals! I don't know how they can handle being with them. Hell, I leave after fourth period. These kids are so stubborn and rude. Half of them smell like shit and the other dont speak English.

Capstone Proposal letters have been submitted and now we're in some deep capstone shit. Hopefully, I can get it all done this month :) The English teacher is planning on giving a final semester quiz, but little does she know that the capstone itself is 40% of our semester grade for English.

Ugh, and now Wayne States bitch ass is requiring me to submit some shit to them. I only have 4 more days left. FUUUUUUUUKHHH!

Anywho, that's all for this post. My next post will be super sized and about Moving and an Anticipated Desi-American life style.

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