t
o
n
y
a
n
g
'
s
 
w
e
b
l
o
g


on a normal day i try to wake up at 10am and go to bed at 2am. what happens in between though is anyone's guess since no two days are ever the same. i just go where the day takes me, no schedule, no routine, no pattern. it's a weird way to live but if nothing else it keeps things interesting.

the end is near for my contract work with client S. today we had an online discussion about gold deliveries and invoices. i think i'm in a good place with them. not sure when the next project will be, i've got so many hooks in so many of their projects, sooner or later they have to come back to me to fix something.

i was also on the phone with blue cross today, trying to verify that yes indeed they were giving me the shaft. the woman on the phone seemed very impatient and kept on asking, "what exactly do you want, sir? i don't understand you," when i asked her why blue cross was retroactively charging me for health insurance i didn't even know i had without telling me first. "you can change your start date, sir, but you won't be covered for 6 months, only for emergency room visits." replace "sir" with the derogatory word of your choice, that was the vibe i was getting. so basically i was screwed, either pay for a month and a half of nused insurance, or not get full coverage for half a year. all i know is the next time i go to the doctor, i'm going to milk blue cross for all it's worth, getting every single test i can (hearing, eyesight, DNA, biopsies, blood works, CAT scan, x-rays, EKG, EEG, MRI, everything!).

i took a break from work and went down to chinatown. some tofu and bean sprouts for my parents, some smelly tofu takeout for me, and an appointment to see a chinese dentist for my teeth. get this: a teeth cleaning appointment next monday afternoon. talk about fast! so what's up with the other dentist, the one who was too busy to take me as a new patient? there's definitely something that can be said about face-to-face negotiation. the old receptionist was very kind, even told me how much the cleaning would cost (just $60!). she asked for my birthday for some reason - maybe trying to figure out how old i was - and seemed surprised when i told her. before i left chinatown i also got some pastries from one of the local shops. i was happy to see that i didn't get a ticket for my questionably parked motorcycle (i was nervous because i saw several meter folks patrolling the area).

after dropping off the supplies at the cafe i came back home. oh smelly tofu! other than actually going to taiwan, this is the next best thing. i'm surprised the people at taiwan cafe don't already know me and what i want since i get the smelly tofu every single time i'm there.

in the early evening my parents and my sister came over for dinner. i made puttanesca sauce with meat raviolis. the sauce turned out way too salty, with all the olives, capers, and anchovies i added, but i managed to sort of save it by adding some milk and sugar.

our family friends from costa rica are here in town this weekend to see their daughter graduate from MIT (for the second time). my house has been selected as the venue for a multi-family dinner on sunday. so guess what i'm doing at 1am in the morning? that's right, making a dozen flan. i'm trying something different this time, first greasing the ramekins with some unsalted butter. hopefully this will make the pudding easier to remove come eating time.

finally as the hours approach 4am, the flans are done, and ready for the fridge!