Indelible Adventures: September 2016

Friday, September 30, 2016

House Specialties

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This week I’ve discovered a new way for me to meditate and relax after a long and, or stressful day. We all have them and clearly I’m no exception! No matter how crazy or mad the day I can’t wait to get home and cook. Yes, I said cook!

It’s at this point that you’re shaking your head and saying, “he’s lost it now, yep lost it completely!” At first there was a level of accomplishment and even a little enjoyment when I cooked, but strangely its only recently that I truly realized not only do I like to cook but also feel drawn to it…even when I didn’t have the kids and just cooking for me.

Yikes!!

Often on weekends, after yoga class I find myself pulling out the cookbooks and perusing the pages (yes, mostly Italian but not all) over a steaming cup of coffee and wondering what recipe I’m going to experiment with that night. Once I have my list of ingredients I’m off to my favorite grocery store to seek out what I need… I find even this process fun; yes I know I’m crazy (btw that’s your outside voice!) ☺

Now don’t get me wrong, nothing makes a parent more contented than seeing their kids enjoy their meals and have second helpings, or in Zach’s case sometimes thirds. In fact, it’s gotten to the point that when I actually feel like going out for dinner, and its about this point that they generally reply that they’d prefer to stay in and then proceed to give me their meal orders. Ha!

Of course, neither of them have the same tastes in food, and if they do its pretty plain fare. Zach is not a spicy food type guy, and a little timid about trying new dishes whereas Sami is the complete foodie in our household and loves pretty much any type of food and is definitely willing to give anything a try.

Yes, I realize I’ve created my very own monsters but at least I know the ingredients and feel like it’s a good compromise in terms of the food quality and overall healthiness of the meal. Depending on the amount of time I have to prepare and deliver a meal sort of fit into a couple of categories. There are those meals best suited for mid week (30 min or less) then on a weekend meals that take between 1 – 1.5 hours over a glass or two of wine (great for experimenting) or the open ended weekend extravaganza’s that could take all day…just simmering away. Trust me the house always smells divine after one of these type meals!

In fact this past Sunday I had decided to make my famous crockpot meatballs – slowly cooked over 8 hours. With the 30 or so minutes it takes to gather the ingredients, dice the vegetables as a prelude to the actual making of the meatballs it’s a bit of a labor of love, but I know this particular meal is top of Zach and Sami fav’s, and so it’s a fun recipe to make. Of course they were a hit, but in my eagerness I made too many and so ended up eating all of the meatballs over three days and a few meals – delicious yes, but now need a break from the meatballs. Lol!

So, I can hear you thinking what are the other specialties does TW have up his sleeve? Well, I make a mean Crab Cake so I’m told, as well as a fantastic Tuscan Ragu although for this one I don’t have the “real” ingredients that I'd enjoy if I lived in Italy…Cinghiale (wild boar) is really what makes it authentic Tuscan fare, but its such a simple one to make and if I have the right ingredients it takes 30 min or less and is absolutely delish! This one I know from memory I’ve made it so many times. In fact, often when the kids have been away and I haven’t seen them for a while they beg me to make this one for them – its their comfort food. So sweet, to have a dish so in demand!

Another classic Italian dish, this time care of Rachel Ray is her "Broken Spaghetti" meatballs. These oven roasted gems are a simple 30 min appetizer, but if you make them a little larger and then make your own home made tomato sauce it becomes something truly special.

Sami loves her Butter Chicken (Indian), but Zach not so much as its too spicy, so if Zach is out for dinner she’ll often ask me to make this one with Basmati rice (thank you to my great little rice cooker/steamer) and Nan bread. So flavorful and spicy – such a great change of pace!

I've always enjoyed Thai food and so I'm always trying recipes from my recently acquired cook book "Rosa's Thai Cafe" by Saiphin Moore. Take your time with these incredible dishes, and luxuriate in the experience, the smells and the wonderfully rich texture of her recipes. My personal favorite is the Green Curry with Chicken - see pp 78.

Okay, even as i write this my mouth is watering... If I don't stop I'm going to find myself back in the kitchen breaking out the pots and pans and making a second dinner!

Seriously, when I found myself single again I was a little intimidated given the my cooking skills were well and truly rusty - 16 years of not cooking very much other than the occasional BBQ is a life time, especially when I found that I now that to cook for three.

However, what surprised me most was that I fell in love with the art of cooking and the sheer enjoyment of creating new dishes and the intricacies and nuances that come with it - yes, I'm hooked!

Nope, I'm not your average guy, but hey, you already knew that - right...

Ciao Ciao!

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“Hanoi Posting” A series of fictional micro-stories by Terence Wallis

Come visit "Hanoi Posting" at its new home! New episodes added

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This week I've opened my archives to discover some great photos, this weeks are from my recent trips to San Francisco.

Enjoy!

Amazing Burmese food (309 Clement Street, San Francisco) - the best in SF!

Another impressive mural in downtown San Francisco...just too many to count

The lick of cloud washes over the Marin Headlands and the Golden Gate bridge

A freighter off the Pacific Ocean sneaks into San Francisco bay under the cover of the cloud

Making its way past Alcatraz toward Oakland

The California climate is very similar to Australia with lots of Eucalyptus

Pressed tin ceilings during a late lunch at Fort Baker - reminds me of my childhood

My new best mate...this pelican plopped himself down next to me
thinking that perhaps I had food...but alas only a camera!

Sun rays thru the elevated road leading to the Golden Gate Bridge - taken from Vista Point

Coit Tower in the distance - my next objective! To walk SF you need to be part mountain goat....seriously :-)

Sunset from the base of Coit Tower - looking back toward the Golden Gate in the distance. It was
so beautiful and the temperature perfect!

A heavily loaded oil tanker making its way into San Francisco bay from the Pacific Ocean

The view of China Beach taken from the Lands End trail

The mighty Golden Gate Bridge in all her glory! Such an unforgettable landmark

Friday, September 23, 2016

Strictly business!

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As a writer I publish multiple times per week, and realize that there are many different channels to distribute my work, however I must admit that I was a little taken back by a couple of the comments directed at my story from last week entitled “Sweet conversations” in which I described my daughters success and our conversation around finding out about being chosen for the U18 women’s Canadian soccer team.

I certainly wasn’t expecting the wonderful congratulations and heartfelt outpouring of support from so many people for Sami’s amazing accomplishment. Thank you!

Not surprisingly with the good comes the not so good, in that, when I published my story on a well known social media channel focused on the business world there were a couple of detractors, in that they didn’t think that this was the type of content should be publishing via this channel and made it clear that this belonged on Facebook.

After my initial consternation had subsided I reflected on both the story and the comments and came to an interesting conclusion in that I perhaps should of added greater context to draw the parallels from the making of a national team as an elite athlete to that of the business world.

My first instinct was to not publish my blog link to this particular social media channel, but then it felt like the pendulum had swung too far the other way…  And what about the 7500 people who read my post via this channel…with the majority celebrating Sami's amazing accomplishment and the special bond that I have with my daughter.

As I reflected on the situation it struck me that Sami was doing exactly what I’ve been preaching to her and Zach their entire lives, and that is to follow your heart and to pursue the things that they're passionate about.

In my mind this story captures, what in many ways I believe the corporate world has lost - and that's the ability to connect the dots and see past the narrow and often myopic view of what constitutes as being "business" related.  Unfortunately many of us see business merely as a series of transactions for monetary gain?

We seem to have missed the fact that life is an opportunity for us to share our joy, to touch the lives of others, to celebrate amazing accomplishments and to connect on a personal level. I would contend that these things are universal and that life shouldn't be so strictly siloed into either business or personal domains per see, because whether we like it or not there will always be dependencies within each that cross the boundaries and blur the lines.

A couple of my readers suggested that we take advantage of her selection on the national team by seeking corporate sponsorships to future support her soccer career. Clearly that wasn’t my motivation for posting the story – it was driven by sheer pride and the fact that she will be representing her country internationally in a sport that she loves so dearly.

Clearly there is a fine line, but I do want to highlight that there isn't a lot of difference between an elite athlete and a high flying executive other than the arena that they perform in is slightly different.

Both require four key ingredients to becoming elite - irrespective of whether its athletics, business, music or any genre or field for that matter:

Passion - Burning desire and love for what you do;

Focus - An incredibly strong and consistent work ethic;

Perseverance - A dogged and stubborn persistence to be the best;

Self belief - To constantly believe in yourself and strive for excellence everyday

For most of us we will never reach the heights of this small and select few, but when you witness it first hand its incredible to behold, and you definitely know it when you see it.

Indulge me for just a moment, and let's play it forward four years from now, and Sami is on the Canadian senior women's team, a scholarship-ed (I may have just made that word up) athlete to a prestigious US university and about to represent Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Would I be any less proud? Would I want to share this great news and the joyful exchange between Sami and me - of course I will, because is an exceptional gift, not only for me but for all those around us irrespective of whether they are personal friends or business colleagues.

Everyone loves a good news story...and I especially love telling one!

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“Hanoi Posting” A series of fictional micro-stories by Terence Wallis

Come visit "Hanoi Posting" at its new home! New episodes are being added this week...

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This week I've finally gotten around to curating my photos from my trip to Copenhagen earlier this summer.

Enjoy!

The changing of the guard at the Royal Palace

Inside the Royal Palace - this antique mirror reminded me of a fairy tale
"mirror, mirror on the wall..."

The Kings money counting table etched in marble - dating
from the 14th century

One of the hundreds of gorgeous chandeliers in the Royal Palace

Up close and personal with the Danish Royal crowns

Nyhavn - Copenhagen's famous waterfront district.

The shipping navigation lights at the docks in Nyhavn

Affordable housing just outside the Copenhagen city center

I'm still struggling to understand what this monument is for, it seems like the sailors ship was sinking...
and so less of a triumph and more of a disaster type affair??? :-)

No this isn't Copenhagen's world renowned "Little Mermaid", no far
from it!

Stunning piece of outdoor sculpture down along the waterfront

The Copenhagen Opera House - simply stunning!

The intricate stairwell maize

The Danes love their history and so lots of monuments and displays - which for a history
buff like me was heaven!

Friday, September 16, 2016

Sweet conversations

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Since Sami attended tryouts for the U18 Canadian soccer team over the recent September long weekend she has been waiting patiently for the notifications about whether she made the team or not, even though they said that it would be a few weeks before they decided on the final squad.

She was just one of 36 young women that attended the tryouts from all over Canada...can you say competitive? After the three days of intensive two-a-day training sessions, which included a number of games, she was understandably reserved about her chances of making the team, citing the strength of the players who attended the elite camp and an inkling of doubt as to whether she felt she measured up was starting to creep in...

So for the past week she’s been a little more emotional that normal and I put it down to her starting a new school year (Yr. 10) with a lot of academic expectations (that she puts on herself – including a couple of Yr. 11 courses that she has decided to take so that would be ahead academically). Of course there's the whole social aspect of starting a new school year with new classmates and finding your feet again. And now that I look back on it its clear that what was playing on her mind was the pressure she was feeling about making the team.

This week her class has been on a school trip to Ottawa and last night she called to ask if I’d gotten any emails from the coaches or any news at all. After checking my email I indeed noticed that I had an email from the coach and so after quickly scanning it I read it to her over the phone. The gist of it was that they had submitted their recommendations for the team to the Canadian governing body that would review and contact the girls individually. It was vague as to when that would happen exactly, but they’d find out before the end of the month… I could feel the disappointment in her voice, as I tried to quell her fears of not making the team.

As ever, I tried to be neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic but pragmatic in my approach. I explained that you can’t rush the process and that she shouldn’t read too much into not hearing yet and that “things would play themselves out no matter what”. As the Canadian national team head coach for Australian Rules football I’ve been in similar situations when choosing a team to play internationally, the selection process is the somewhat easy part but it’s the final selection and notifying the players that's so incredibly tricky. It’s fraught with extremes of happiness (for the ones that make the squad) and the depths of disappointments (for those that don’t make the squad), and in some cases you’ll break the spirit of the player if not delivered in the right way...

Although, trust me by this time I was also starting to get a little nervous as well and hoping that no matter what that she would be communicated to with respect and with the least amount of drama either way.

This morning I was working in the office and my mobile phone rang, it was about 9:45 am and I reached for it when I saw her name flash on the screen.

Sami Hi dad

Me Hi love - is everything okay?

Sami Guess what? (pause for effect – yes, she follows in my sense of the moment) Dad I made the team!

Me Wow!

I’m very so proud of you love – congratulations… (Okay my eyes may have watered just a little at this point – hey, I’m a sensitive and proud father.

You did it sweetie! (Me with a smile on my face the size of Australia!)

Sami I’m so happy right now...

Me You thoroughly deserve it after all of your hard work. I’m thrilled for you...

We need to celebrate this weekend when you’re back

Sami That sounds great!

Me You’ve made my day – I love you. Enjoy your day and I’ll see you tomorrow night at school

Sami Bye dad – love you too!

This short, but sweet conversation is one of the high points in my life.

When I told Zach this afternoon I was hearted by his thoughtful and proud brotherly response. He was thrilled for her and said something, which actually caught me a little off guard. He reflected on all the sacrifices she’d made to follow her passion for soccer and said, “she’s given up a heck of a lot to get where’s she’s gotten – no social life, not able to do things with her friends or go out, and I’m happy for her and can’t wait to go watch her play for Canada next summer”.

Sibling love has never been a focal point of their relationship, but I think that I now see that they are much closer that what I ever imagined and something that I have always hoped for and although a bit of a rarity beautiful to witness first hand non-the-less. He was genuinely proud of her accomplishments - so sweet!

So now the saving up begins – Zach’s graduation trip next summer in Europe and our backpacking adventure, plus Israel to watch Sami play for Canada in the 20^th Maccabiah Games. Just so you know this is the third largest sporting event in the world after the Olympics and the World Cup of Soccer with 80+ countries participating, 40 sports and almost 10,000 athletes. The opening ceremony is in Jerusalem on July 4^th and runs through to the 18^th. I’m excited for her and can’t wait to see her on the world stage, but more importantly excited for her future and all that she has before her.

We'll find out in the coming months who they'll play in their pool, but I'm sure its going to be very much like the world cup and all the usual suspects - USA, England, France, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil and of course Australia... Her next big tournament is in Bermuda in the first week of October where she'll be playing on her school varsity team against other schools from all over North America. Such a great experience!

Isn’t it’s crazy to think that I already have a full dance card for next summer in terms of travel and adventures, but there you have it.

Yes, one proud papa!!!

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“Hanoi Posting” A series of fictional micro-stories by Terence Wallis

Come visit "Hanoi Posting" at its new home! New episodes are being added this week...

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To commemorate Sami's achievement, this week's photos are a selection of recent soccer shots.

Enjoy!

Taken last year when they won the gold medal at the North American games

Her first jersey with her name on the back - super happy about that!

Taken at the recent tournament in Stamford, Connecticut

Readying for a throw in...

Tagging up in mid field

Warming up with shots on net

The corner kick marking against Los Angeles

Taking on two defenders close to goal - to header or not to header...that is the question

Protecting her goal on an early corner kick

In action, with her mum and grandpa watching from the sidelines

Sami and her Toronto team mates - Silver medalists 2016

Sibling love - taken in Melbourne, Australia during March break this year

Friday, September 9, 2016

Boston calling...

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How do you define your success when visiting a new city? Is it by checking off your list all of the sites you saw, or the number of tours you squeezed in? Perhaps the restaurants you ate in? Or the games you went to see…

I guess my measuring stick is slightly different, but of course you already knew that. I’m a big believer in “self-guided tours”, armed often with little more than a hotel map and with my ultimate aim of getting lost. Strangely, this is very easy to do – not all hotel maps are to scale let me tell you. :-) In fact, this past weekend in Boston, I chose not even to take a hotel map but just set off from the hotel after arriving at the hotel and dropping our bags.

We stayed down on in the waterfront section of town where they’re a ton of new hotel developments underway, a veritable mega construction site. However, I’m predicting in the next two to three years this area will become the epicenter for the young and hip to live in downtown Boston. Our hotel was a newish affair that was comfortable without being too over the top; the big plus was that it was super quiet. The only downside is that it was at least a 20 min walk to get to downtown via the construction site or a 8 – 15 min taxi ride depending on traffic.

So it was an easy choice to set off on foot toward what looked like downtown, especially after sitting on a plane for an hour or so. Zach had sourced out lunch in the North End neighborhood which is a little east of the downtown proper and after a disappointing false start ended up having a most agreeable Italian meal at Dolce Vita on Hanover street. You know its authentic when it’s chock full of Italians sharing a glass of grappa at the bar over lunch. A perfect yardstick if ever there was one, don’t you think?

Indelible Tip #1: Explore the North End This neighborhood has an absolutely amazing array of restaurants, bakeries and bars and although primarily Italian in nature are equal and arguably better than New York’s little Italy. Boston is known for its world-class seafood and therefore this neighborhood also has a host of seafood restaurants worth checking out when you’re here.

Boston has lots to see and do, particularly if you’re a history buff or someone who wants to explore America’s beginnings as a nation. An easy way to explore some of this history is to check out the Freedom Trail.

Indelible Tip #2: Founding Fathers The FreedomTrail is a brick defined path that runs approximately 4.0 km (2.5 miles) through Boston linking 16 significant historical sites as it meanders its way from Boston Common all the way to the USS Constitution (the oldest commissioned US warship) in Charleston harbor. This trail connects such sites as Paul Revere’s house, Bunker Hill monument and the site of the Boston massacre of 1770 in which five Bostonians were shot in a melee with British redcoats after an angry crowd pelted the soldiers with snowballs… Yes, snowballs!

When we travel Zach also loves to explore by himself so we split up a couple of times and so we could each do our own thing. He had a blast catching up with some friends from his summer school days at Georgetown University who are now freshman (first year students) at Boston College. In fact, he was out to 2:00 am at a campus party and thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Indelible Tips #3: Choices...choices Boston is one of those great cities to explore on foot, in fact over the 3.5 days I spent walking the city I covered more than 65 km (40 miles) and pretty much saw it all, although my feet were feeling a little tired by the end its a relatively flat city so not too much exertion required.

Boston is also home to 39 Universities and colleges from the oldest and most prestigious universities in North America, for example Harvard was founded in 1636 and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), is considered by many as the best university in the world and definitely the highest ranked globally and both within the confines of Boston. The upshot of having this many prominent schools in a city with the population of only 646,000 people is that it significantly raises the IQ of the general population, as well as providing a young, active and diverse mix that comes with these celebrated schools...and did I say accomplished and smart!

Two of my favourite memories from the weekend was playing chess with Zach at Quincy market (yes, they have 8 chess boards set up for anyone to play)...and why does everyone ask who won??? He did of course. :-) And our slow breakfasts at the Black Rose tavern (160 State Street) - the Classic Breakfast is both filling and delicious!!! Yes I had the Irish bacon and the sausage with my eggs...hahaha. It was a great way to start the day, especially when there was no rush to get anywhere - awesome lazy day starts!

It's a shame Sami missed this trip with us but as you know she had tryouts for Team Canada U18 soccer. She will find out at the end of the September if she made the squad of 18 from the 35 players invited to participate. Fingers crossed!

All in all our visit to Boston was a fantastic way to spend a long weekend, and I would say the perfect amount of time to take it all in, without rushing too much. Plus we were blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather which certainly helps!

Enjoy Boston when you go - cos' you know you're going to - right!?

p.s. I'd love to hear your best travel experiences so feel free to share them in the comments section below.