Let me first state this is a very emotional post for me. It's a post of grieving and a place where I'm going to try and let go of some of the heart wrenching pain I'm feeling.
The last week has been a very hard time for me. My wonderful and amazing Oma the last of my grandparents passed away Saturday. I had received a phone call from my mother on Thursday saying that Oma was in the hospital and they thought she may have had a stroke. Later it changed to her having surgery and that they'd be putting in some stents meaning that it wasn't a stroke, but a heart attack. Surgery went well and she was stable and resting, but would be in the hospital for five or six days. Due to Covid only one visitor is allowed at a time so we were letting my aunt who she lives with stay with her. Saturday morning I woke up with the kiddo and did the usual routine. Hugged the husband, discussed breakfast, get a cup of coffee, take two sips and start to feed the little guy breakfast. My phone rings, one of my aunts is on the phone telling me that Oma suddenly took a turn for the worse and if I want to see her again I'd better hurry. On the bright side I live only minutes from the hospital so I was there in not time. I wanted to take my son to see her, but covid rules dictate no one under the age of 11 is allowed in the hospital unless it's for a procedure. I really can't complain though, the hospital was extremely flexible with us as it was. They allowed 16 of us in her room. Her six kids and grandchildren with some of their significant others. A priest was called and last rights were given. A little after this she woke up. She started chatting with us, holding our hands, and laughing. She was with it and stable. We talked and she face timed with relatives in Holland. :She got to video phone my son who called her Oma for the first time. She got to video chat with other grandkids who couldn't be there. She was doing so well we had a small pizza party in her room (none of us wanted to leave for food) and continued hanging out and lavishing attention on her. Finally her nurse came in and said that she was seemingly on the road to recovery and as she was so with it that she'd probably be fine until at least morning so a few could stay, but the rest of us should go home. We said our goodbyes, I hugged her and kissed her cheek and told her how much I loved her. My mother, uncle, and his wife would stay by her side. I went home to hug my own family. I relaxed at home and got another cup of coffee, took a couple sips when my phone rang. My aunt was calling to tell me she was gone. Less than an hour later. I rushed back to the hospital and was the first to arrive. Hugging my mother and my uncle and staring at my Oma now peacefully lying there. I listened while crying quietly to the hospital chaplain sing a song for her. None of the other grandkids could bare to come back. I sat and mourned with my mother, aunts, and uncles. My aunt who had been caring for her couldn't come back either. As her caregiver for the last 9 plus years we couldn't blame her. It was heart wrenching knowing that this lovely vibrant woman had come back around just long enough to tell us all goodbye. While I had sat next to her holding her hand she had told me she wanted to go home. When we asked if she meant my aunt's house she had said no. Now I'm pretty sure I know where she was referring. At 90 years old she knew it was her time. Her husband; my Opa, had died 16 years before and her last sibling, her little sister had just passed a week before all this. I don't think her heart could take anymore.
My Oma was an amazing woman...she lived in three countries and had two kids in each one. She spoke four languages, two Indonesian dialects, Dutch, and English. She was born in Indonesia and due to being part Dutch had to deal with very rough treatment. At one point when she was a girl her family was forced to flee their home. During this time period anyone who wasn't pure blood Indonesian was put into convents if they were girls and concentration camps if they were boys. My Opa was actually beaten in my Oma's garage after her family had fled (they hadn't met yet at this point). Under the threat of being killed my Opa, Oma, and their two children fled from Indonesia to Holland. After she had her two kids in Holland they decided to move to America. The Catholic church funded their move and they came here. Six kids, ten grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. We were incredibly lucky to have her. For her last birthday we had all taken a trip to the coast where she made a glass float at one of the glass blowing factories there. Her birthday was just before the covid locked down happened. I'm heartbroken that due to covid we hadn't be able to go and see her before Saturday. The last thing I had wanted to do was somehow spread it to her. To my wonderful Oma I know it was your time and that you were ready, I love you and you'll always be my hero. Even at 90 you were still young at heart and you rocked your little seal onesie on your birthday! I'll miss you <3
Alright so I mentioned before getting lots of different types of instant noodles. I got some from world market. A-sa noodles! I liked these! The noodles are weird and frilly looking, but they taste really good if you like building spice. They definitely had a bit of a kick to them. Tried another kind of noodle from the local Safeway that come in a bag with the noodles still in a soft state and a liquid broth. I really, really, like these! The broth is a bit strong and very salty. If you don't like a rich broth it might not be for you.
Yesterday I did an experiment in making steamed buns. Found a really simple recipe for the dough online and decided to fill them with some left over curry (made from Golden Curry Hot roux blocks). Turned out awesome! It has convinced me to buy steaming baskets so I have something better to cook them in than the steaming basket (meant for veggies) in my rice cooker. This has opened the idea to a variety of filling possibilities. I am now less impressed with the one dumpling place we have in town that only seems to make really odd ones.
Ah, one last thing...a fairly funny and semi-embarrassing cooking story that happened recently. I was making breakfast for the kiddo and decided I would make him a hard boiled egg. He loves scrambled ones and I figured a hard boiled one was even easier. I was making something else at the same time for myself...exactly what I can't remember, but either way I was moderately distracted. I figured after I had finished what I was doing more than enough time had passed for his egg to cook. Took it off the heat, cooled and peeled it. While peeling discovered the egg was soft boiled. I would have been fine with it, but not sure if a 1 year old should be eating raw-ish yolk. Now I know that eggs in a shell blow up in the microwave, but this egg was unshelled and the yolk was already exposed! What could go wrong? Put it in a bowl with a bit of water and stuck it in the microwave for 15 seconds. Ten seconds in and BOOM! A loud bang made both me and the toddler jump. Egg coated the inside of my microwave. Needless to say he ended up having to eat yogurt and my microwave got a good cleaning. (Don't microwave eggs that aren't scrambled!)
When we first had our son we of course received many gifts for him congratulating his birth. One of these gifts was a turtle toy from my husband's uncle that has stars cut out of the shell so lights can shine through onto the ceiling and it's also suppose to play "soothing" music. A year and a half later we come across the turtle in our son's room and decide we should give it a try. Dig through the drawer of random stuff and scrounge up some AAA batteries. Get it all in place and turn on the lights and there is quite the array of lights. All different colors, rainbowed, shifting, blinking settings. Okay that's pretty cool, now let's try the music.... This is where our turtle became oddly suspicious... The music that came flowing out can only be described as highly middle eastern. After staring very confused I figured I'd go ahead and switch songs and see if the oddity continued. I went to the next song to discover a rendition of twinkle twinkle little star or rather Twankle Twankle liddle star... English was clearly not the first language of whoever they chose the honor of recording. Mind you we don't hold it against our little turtle that his origins are of Istanbul Turkey, but we do find it highly amusing that he is now sharing his culture with our household.
Lately I've been way into youtube videos where people go around trying different stuff from convenience stores in far off distant lands. Lots of them including instant noodles and different kinds of ramen. I'm definitely willing to admit that I joined the spicy noodle craze of the samyang ramen. The other day I was in World Market and saw that they have all the various spicy ramens and some other random noodles and figured why not. I got the samyang spicy chicken carbonara ramen. I have to say it is according to my spice thresh hold pretty spicy, but in a good way! It has these really thick chewy noodles more like fettucine than ramen noodles and a cheese packet very similar to mac n'cheese. It just gives it a tasty creamy taste to balance out the spice! Then while visiting the local Costco Moonfini pointed me in the direction of some delicious tonkatsu instant ramen bowls. Just had one of these and it was good, but throw some pan fried pork belly in it and a hard boiled egg... well it becomes awesome. I think adding pork belly to anything really is basically cheating. Have a few other noodles I haven't tried yet. Let you know how those go!
Recently my cell phone has been having issues. Some screen burn-in, doesn't want to send pictures via text, random freezing. You know all the really fun stuff. Decided finally to cave and get a new phone. Well due to how things are now days and various reasons I am on a friend's cell phone plan for financial purposes (really for reasons stemming back some 10 years ago, but I digress). As such I am not the main account holder. Turns out that my new phone is not compatible with my old sim card. I figure no problem I'll contact my friend who will then contact them and authorize the activation of the new phone. Friend gives me the password I should need and says that should do it if I contact them. This is the year 2020 and I don't have another phone to call with besides the one I want to switch so I'm going to use a chat window by golly!....An hour later I finally discover that my new phone is so advanced it can use an esim card and I merely have to download it! We have come full circle my friends to download said card I just need the pin number....I'm not the account holder...I don't have the pin. Contact friend again for the pin...they don't know the pin number. Finally get said pin number and get the card going and it tells me...my new phone is incompatible with current phone plan...WTF. How can a phone be incompatible with a plan? I understand being incompatible with a company, but a phone plan? Why? It does the same exact things my last phone did. The only difference is it works! I guess it's time to finally get my own account with a different company..... stupid phone.
Update: New plan scam! Friend called company they said nooo we can skip that part I just have to call and give them a number I gave them three times before! Called... got someone with a very unique accent. Let's just cut to the chase and three hours later I have a new working phone!
