Christmas Day

Jessie jots...

On Christmas eve, we did our last minute grocery shopping and actually got a bouquet of flowers for the table setting upon Joey's request. We also got that two apple decor thing on each side for 50% off at Michaels and the yellow orchids on right is actually a gift from Tim and Steve, which kinda works with the rest of the table setting.

Just as we were busy preparing, setting things up the day before and making sure we have enough food for the festive day, we were also getting a little impatient, guessing from top to bottom what the heck our presents were! The socks were hanging on the wall for so long that now we understood why people do Christmas countdowns. As soon as the socks start growing fat over time, our curiosity and anxiety grew even more.

On Christmas morning itself, everyone woke up a bit earlier than usual... and you know why!

First person to go was Pipi. We dug Pipi's stuff out from her socks for her and boy was she excited! I might exaggerate it a bit as a bias mommy... but look at her in the picture. Doesn't she look like she knew?

The first item above was a red collar. We had to get her a bigger one now that she has grown in size. Her old pink collar has got so small for her neck and so this new one would do the trick telling us where she's hiding/spying/sleeping. Second is a toy loaded with cat nip with feathers on the end that flies like a shuttlecock. Fun I would say and she seems to be swatting at it a lot lately.

Next was Joey's turn and Yew Wai's turn. I don't think we want to see any of their pictures since no one has really groom themselves prior. And also, thinking of the risk that I might get abused for loading them up.

So everyone got to open their presents. I'll tell you guys what I got for Christmas. Ahem! lol

I got some really amazing presents this year. I didn't believe that Hushby got me the crystal ring that was eyeing for at Anthropology. It was quite pricey and I remember telling him how much I adore the shape and the glitters but deep inside, I really didn't care if I have it. It was just a wish.... you know how one often make wishes that are just for fun...

Like I wish to have Sarah Jessica Parker's Louboutin's shoes but not really? Coz some wishes are just plain impossible. I guess not this time ;)

Yeah, be careful of what you wish for!

As you probably guess it, Hushby broke the rule. I got my wish granted because the ring was in my sock. I have to admit, it was a pleasant surprise and I love it.

My main present, the big one that was sitting under the tree the entire time was.... A pair of shoe! Which I've already wanted to have it for a some time... Hushby seem to get clever-er and clever-er each time he gave me a present. He was never good in this department but this time, I am overjoyed! I'm already saluting him for being so skilled keeping all the items above so secretive and for truly knowing what I like.... after 7 years. haha


I don't know if it was just me but it seems that people were wearing nude color pumps/heels everywhere these days. I love this Jessica Simpsons shoes a lot... not because it's a trend but I love how comfortable and how well it goes with every outfit... especially anything that's short. It sure has a slimming effect, and if there's anyone who hate to see their legs 3 miles long, that's certainly not me!

After presents session was done, we moved on for breakfast. I made a simple egg pizza breakfast with some cheese. And then we went on watching pictures slideshow, strolling down memory lane of what we did last Christmas. It's a drastic difference from the north to the south, not to mention.

At around 3pm, I started preparing for our Christmas dinner when my kitchen helpers were still occupied watching pictures and videos we captured across 2008. The pork loin was fresh and nicely thawed for the occasion. This is another good and easy recipe from Tyler Florence, also obtained from Food Network. We only need lots of fresh sage and thyme which I snipped out of my herb garden, mixed it in with olive oil and rubbed the pork loin in a good herb oil bath.

After two hours roasting alongside with the stuffed apples, the pork is nicely done. It's cooked all over and had to rest to let the juices flow before slicing.



For the pork gravy, I scooped out all the juice that is left on the roasting pan onto the sauce pan to heat up with a couple tablespoon of flour and a cup of chicken stock. What's special in the sauce is this....

Hard Apple Cider! Taste like beer but has an apple flavor to it. It's absolutely delicious and it's full proof that this recipe can never fail you no matter how bad of a cook you are. It's really easy to make and because of that, I think the recipe might have become part of the Christmas tradition already.

For appetizer, I served Mushroom Polenta. Another easy recipe, in which I just cook some mushrooms with onions, poured white wine over it and cook it down and thicken it with some flour. When its thick, I cut the polentas into slices and pour the mushroom mixtures on top.

Joey is an absolute sweet tooth, so the Sweet Potato Marshmallow dish has to come back!

All dress up for Christmas. Me in Festive RED, which I think I once wore it for one year's Christmas and Joey in glittery nude beige top.


Once dinner is served, Hushby had to slice the roast pork because my knees were getting weak... from becoming too hungry!

Is there always something with men slicing meat? Just a thought! lol


I hate how Christmas is a time we always overeat but who can withstand these good food! At one point, we rest in the midst of engulfing ourselves by our deadly sin soon to realize, we should just grow out of it. Afterall, it's only happening once a year! hehe

To keep the mood lifted, and thankfully Pipi wasn't sleeping at that time, we started playing with Pipi. Hushby actually got a little Santa Clause hat for her which we bought from PetSmart. So we tried it on her the moment she was around and gosh, was she annoyed!

She totally hated the hat.... like totally LOATHE it in the sense she was swinging her head left and right so hard the hat flew off from her head. We got to get her wear it again a few times and had to hold her up for a picture or two or else she start swinging again.

"GET ME OFF!"

Look like she only like to wear the hat like an apron. She didn't mind walking around like that the whole time, which was funny... she just didn't like wearing a hat.

So, that's how we spent our Christmas... eating, playing with the cat and just being overly full. Boring one might think but we had a whale of fun! :)

The days before Christmas

Jessie jots...

Believe it or not, like Thanksgiving, this year is my first time celebrating Christmas... like REALLY, really celebrating it. Cooking, decorating, dressing up for it and buying presents. I felt extra motivated this year, partly coz' my sister was visiting from Minnesota and the little furry addition to our family, miss Pipi.

Sorry that this entry came a bit late. I was drafting it one day but didn't have a chance to upload pictures and all. And since I just injured myself and lost a bit of mobility freedom, I'm going to take this chance to write before the blog grows cobwebs.

Dressing up for the occasion was fun, especially when you never had a chance to do so. This time, I gave myself no excuse and let ourselves be invited for Hushby's company Christmas party. I didn't know how formal the event was going to be and I didn't want to spend more money on more garments. The closet is going to burst.

I dug out a couple of tops and skirts I haven't wore for ages! Literally, ages. I last seen the halter neck top was in 2002. And the skirt which I bought from BM plaza, has never seen daylight. Surprisingly, the two pair up well together. So easy job there to assemble the outfit. Next, I just volumnized my hair with some wax and then, put on some make up and I was set to go.




During that time too, we went shopping for a little Christmas tree. I didn't want anything too big since living space is limited. I was happy to find this fiber light Christmas tree in Target for only $20 when its original price was $40. Coincidently I have this small stool which I cover with 2 yards of discounted felt cloth for the Christmas tree to stand just a tad higher. Then, we adorn it with some obligated Christmas presents and voila, Christmas mood was on!



Then of course, who can forget christmas lights. They were cheap and easy to get too. So why not?

We also got these socks from Target. And we told each other to get 3 presents for under $10 (only to find out somebody actually broke the rule!)

I had to quickly scramble my way through, prepare all the Christmas gift and get everything clean up (Jane, here's where the maid scene came in! LOL) before the arrival of the mighty Joey Chiang! Her flight was suppose to be arrive LAX on Dec 20 at 11pm. Knowing she's arriving later at night, Hushby and I went out for dinner and rented a movie to watch, just to kill enough time until we start driving at 10pm to get to LAX.

And then Joey's came, she told us the flight is going to delay for a long time. So we stay up somemore as the plane they were going to take is still in Denver, CO. That's crazy I thought but due to the blizzard, everything up north went bezerk. And then another call, delay again for two hours. And then another call, another hour. By the time we got home from the airport and all, Joey and I slept at sunrise. It was a crazy night but oh well, we're just thankful she arrived safely.

First thing that morning (or rather afternoon), we went for Taiwanese porridge because what could be better than something light and home made? :)

First day of Joey's arrival, we didn't do much. Not only was she experiencing jet lag, we were too! Since none of us slept well, it was only better for us to laze around at home.

Second day of Joey's visit, we went to a local place for breakfast called Bon Jour. From the sound of it, you know it's French. And she had a crepe craving.... so...

After that, we went window shopping at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. It's about 25 minutes drive north of my place and it takes equal amount of time just looking for a parking space. What was I thinking?! Why join in the Christmas shopping crowd... guess I wasn't thinking thoroughly. At least it was fun while it last. And also just for the thrill of it, we went trying on designers shoes are Bloomingdales... names like Prada, Ferragamo, you get the idea... boy oh boy, those designers shoes are something! Even my feet was tingling at some point hahaha!

So, with Joey visiting, the cat got extra attention and she's loving it! Clever Pipi, she thinks Joey is a toy. So she kept biting Joey out of the blues because Joey didn't know how to discipline her. She doesn't bite us like that but with Joey, she loves the rough and tumble play. At least my guest is being entertained. haha hope she is not all bruised when she goes back to MN!

Days before Christmas, it was raining like cats and dogs. Locals said California only rain 30 days out of year. I think we have already experienced the 30 days. And it was Pipi's first few times seeing the rain, so she really enjoy looking at rain drops and play with them as if they were bugs. Once I discovered that, she was quite wet. Before she could even rebel, I knew I had to shampoo this smelly cat (which kind of reminds me of Phoebe's songs from Friends) and get her all clean up before Christmas.

So that was it for the days before Christmas report... I will update what happen on Christmas.

By the way, Happy New Year to all my friends! Have a wonderful 2009 year ahead and may the year bring you many good opportunities plus wonderful luck in everything you do!

If Pipi was a cartoon character...

Jessie jots...

I always tell Hushby that Pipi really look like Waffle from Catscratch in Nicklodeon. It was one of the silliest cartoon show ever but it cracks me up everytime its on. Pipi really look like that one really silly character named Waffle... even more when she puts her ear back.

A Message to Women

I've got to run, but I thought I'd share these two posts made by Gala Darling. I usually stay away from cheesy messages, but I thought these were really important for all female to read.

First part:
Stop comparing yourself to other girls, no matter how pretty, clever, cool or cashed-up they are. No one will ever have your unique twist of talents, perspectives or beauty.

You do enough. You have enough. You are enough.

Stop comparing yourself to other girls, no matter how talented, well-dressed, popular or capable they are. You improve the world more than you can possibly comprehend, just by being true to who you are every day.

Go outside & be fabulous. Watching who you are, & seeing what you’re becoming, makes us so proud to know you. The world delights in your presence. We all love you very much.




Second part:
People often email me saying,
“I’m (insert age) & (insert size), what should I wear?”

There is no real answer to this. No one “should” wear anything, except for something that makes them happy. Just because you think you’re too young, old, skinny or big, that doesn’t have anything to do with what you wear.

Curvy girls don’t have to dress to de-emphasise their shape, just like girls with little boobs don’t have to dust bronzer on their chest in an elaborate pattern so they can create the illusion of big breastisses. The whole concept is ridiculous. What is beautiful to me is not necessarily beautiful to you, & vice versa. Different things appeal to different people, & that’s wonderful! Who wants a homogenised society?

What you wear is entirely up to you! You are not obligated to wear something to please your mother, father, husband, wife, sister, brother, manager or local clergyman. You can, if you want to, but it isn’t usually a recipe for sartorial joy.

When you look at well-dressed people, the #1 thing you start to notice that they ALL have in common — regardless of their personal style, shape or budget — is that they look confident & happy with what they’re wearing! If you feel confident, you can get away with pretty much anything, & when it comes to that, I can’t tell you what will make you feel that way! Some of us like tutus, some of us like tuxedo pants, others like lederhosen. It’s a beautiful personal mystery, & one that only you can find the answers to.

If you want to know how to “minimise your problem areas”, buy a Trinny & Susannah book & be done with it, but honestly, that’s not the way to make yourself happy. You do not have to dress like a suburban mother just because you have a bangin’ booty, or luscious thighs, or a little belly!

Know this: There is no such thing as the perfect body. We all have different views of what is hot or sexy or crush-worthy, & that’s amazing, & to be embraced! You are gorgeous just as you are. Don’t hide yourself away because you don’t have Marilyn Monroe’s curves or Kate Moss’ frame.


And again, to stress the point: Be yourself. Do what makes you happy. Wear what makes you happy. Have confidence in yourself! Not everyone will like what you're doing or what you're wearing, but the only opinion that matters is your own. If it makes you happy, go for it!

No, do you?

Jessie jots...

I was hiking at San Luis Obispo's pride, the Bishop Peaks on Thanksgiving holiday. The locals raved about it and so was the Sunset magazine. We thought, why not give it a try. The view is absolutely magnificent and the hike up was really enjoyable. It's tough, it's a challenge but overall, you feel a great sense of achievement when you complete the strenuous hike. And I crave for it!

According to the magazine, the hike can take as long as an hour for regular hikers to reach the peak, but there was so much huffing and puffing involved, I took an extra hour to get there. No joke and not funny for a beginner. Eventhough I've workout quite regularly now, I still find it quite a challenge. Some spots are dangerous as there were a lot of rocky, dry sand area where you can easily slip and fall. For a person who is afraid of height, like moi, it can be quite daunting. Thanks to Hushby constant motivating words and inspiring elderly people who went up without much problem, I did it!

I knew I reached the peak when there were a couple of benches and there were no path ahead. I was desperately looking for a place to rest and enjoy the view coz what better way to treat yourself after two hours long hike? Too bad though, all the benches were occupied with people and backpacks, so I went to sit on a rock nearby. Hushby went exploring around while I sat there trying to get some strength back before I had to go down. It was sooooo exhausting, I can't believe I made it up there.

And then some people left the benches, I quickly took a sit on it without looking who was also aiming for a seat there. Came an elderly man with a cane, who sat beside me and other two middle-aged men, walked in front of me. One of the men stood in front and block my bird's eye view. Already annoyed, I just look elsewhere and get my rest. Then as he gushed ever so loudly about how beautiful the view is from up there, he took out his camera and said "Maybe she can take a picture for us..."

I thought to myself, is he refering to me?
So I didn't say anything because...

#1, I don't know if there's other SHE behind me AND
#2, he didn't even look at me! He was looking at the camera.

And then, came the question... In my 26.... well, almost 27 years being alive, nobody ever ask me:

"Do you speak English?"

"No... do you?" Now.... thatttt would be funny.

After a second thought, I just said yes, without further humiliating him.

Hell ya I was offended. I know I look Asian but hey, we're not in Vietnam or Bhutan! How rude of him to refer to me like I'm a little bug... just "she"? I should have just take a shot of him of his crotch and left the scene, but no, I'm a nice girl and civilized.

Unlike him. Hmpf!

All in all, the hike was a lot of fun, the view was amazing and the weather was perfect. I was just a little offended by this people who thinks only WHITE PALE MALES can speak English!

Over-excitedness?

Jessie jots...

I'm so happy and overjoyed with my friend Shuh Jiuan's marriage last weekend. It must have been a joyous occasion, full of laughter and love. And all the wonderful people who surrounded her with so much love and care, and not to mention, all that ex-high school friends who all of us treasure... must have made Jane and James the happiest that they can be. And of course, being one of those people who knew about how James and Jane met during their university days, made it even more meaningful when I got to know they were getting married. :)

Picture courtesy of Ai Nam. Sorry I had to steal this from you, Ai Nam. I'll get you a cup of coffee or pay you for Yoga ;)

Evidently as someone has told me, if you have read any of my comments on Facebook or even from writing here, you probably can sense how excited and envious I am. It's so obvious, it's ridiculous. Being half way across the globe, Yew Wai and I do feel left out from time to time when friends meet up for reunion, friends have babies and especially when friends get married... it's so sad when we get invited and can't be there. People should just not invite us next time. That way we can't be sorry about not attending... haha.

But whenever time and money allow us, we would grab that chance to return home and be with familiar people and surrounding. We crave for the feeling, it's so bad... I guess you call it homesick!

Which brings me to my impending announcement, not like it's anything huge but I figure if I do, then I would not miss anyone out. Cathay Pacific is going to fly me to Penang soon! WOO HOO

1.1CHIANG/LI.SEE*ADT
15MAR SU LAX HKG HK1 105A 730A(16MAR)
16MAR MO HKG PEN HK1 300P 640P

Because of this itineary, I don't feel so leftout anymore. We've finally going home to pay a visit, gosh, finally! I am going to see my family in the comfort of our own home, in my own little place where I grew up, speak in Manglish (Malaysian + English) all I want and be as silly as I can. It has been two years since I've been back, so please forgive my over-excitedness... if there's a word like this.

For you concern pet lovers alike, yes, I will miss Pipi dearly. She will be staying here with Hushby for a while until I return in June. Hushby will take a good care of her, bath her and feed her. She's happiest when she's at home with overflowing cat food and a couch to sleep on. So don't worry.

There ya go, I am really looking forward to my holiday! And definitely looking forward to see all of you in Malaysia! :)

And Jane, I will cry with you if you ever get teary over James' speech again and if Azleena's not available to join the 'kecoh', I'll be there!

Jessie's Thanksgiving Dinner

Jessie jots...

Since this is our first year away from our host family who is based in Minnesota, and since I have cravings for anything roasted and all other comfort foods alike, I went on to grab some of Foodnetwork's recipes online and planned for a Thanksgiving meal. It was a lot of planning ahead for this kind of meal, I can imagine it must be more difficult to prepare for 10 guests or so. However, I underestimate the challenge of cooking for two.

It is definitely harder to prepare for two person because you don't know how much to cut off on the portion. Like I can get a bag of celery, and I'm sure to have leftovers because I'm only going to need one to two stalks. And it's always better to NOT buy in bulk but in the US, everything is in bulk. LOL

Regardless of the challenges, I knew I have to have Thanksgiving dinner. There's so many tempting menus out there open on Thanksgiving day but nothing beats home made comfort food. Like some said, it's good for the soul.

So, I went ahead and buy some of the freshest ingredient available here in SoCal. No more frozen green beans or store-bought angel cake. Everything is made from scratch and I love it! It's so easy to cook here and the flavors are easily obtainable that I no longer had to mask it with lots of chicken stock to sweeten things up because everything is so flavorful and fresh. I can go on and on about food... yeah, I'm clever like that. HAHA

For this Thanksgiving meal, I mixed the traditional food with the new, more bistro like food such that for appetizer, I follow's Sandra Lee's semi-home made recipe where she use bacon to wrap the figs around. She use goat cheese as glue and then drizzle some honey over when it's done. I didn't use any goat cheese in this case thinking it will not only make us full before entree is serve, but I think with bacon, it should give enough flavor to the figs.

Here's some pictures before the figs were bake. These guys only need about 10 minutes in the oven. So, that was the last thing I had to cook before dinner.

When you're preparing for two, turkey is out of the question, We had to opt for something smaller, so two cornish hens were perfect. This recipe came from Barefoot Contessa (and I always thought her name was Contessa only to realize her name was Ina Garten LOL). For this one, it came with the cornbread stuffing, mixed with saute butter onion and some corn but I added more veggies: some more celery and carrots because I like them. Mixed it with a little bit of chicken stock to make it moist and stuff it into the hens' cavity. Sounds easy, but lots of work!

The recipe only call for onions but like I said, I had too many stalks of celery left, I added of the greens and carrots for the birds to make a good juice from.

Two birds, one for each of us, only takes 30 minutes to cook at 400 degrees. These hens are bigger than I thought and it came out much more moist than what I wanted. I like the dried roasted type but oh well, we ate it anyway.

Lastly, for dessert I went for Paula Deen's Bread Chocolate Pudding. This one is a little complicated compare to the rest because of the mix and stir method. Lots of work but worth the fun. For this recipe, I have to cut the portion in half. When it called for one loaf of Italian bread, I only do half. The bread is then cut into cubes, soak in with three eggs, chocolate powder, cream, milk and some Kahlua, rum or almond liquor (I mix all three in! LOL yes, I'm liquor woman). After that, pour some chocolate chips on top and then the bread will be ready to soak up all that juice.

After about 20 minutes soaking all that good flavorful juice up, the pudding went into the oven for about an hour. The apartment sure smell nice the whole time its cooking!


Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the baked bread pudding but it look somewhat like before it was baked, only darker. The taste was absolute delicious and sinfully good, but I couldn't have a lot of it because it was making me loopy!

Here are the other dishes on our dining table.

With some apple spiced cider to accompany the dishes, it definitely smell like Thanksgiving in Minnesota.

Here's the roasted Cornish Hen. The following picture is the saute green beans, a recipe stole from Giada on Everyday Italian. I thought it was a simple dish compare to the traditional green beans in mushroom soup/sauce but since I gave my slow cooker away and don't have enough space to bake, I went for an alternative. The saute green beans seen here is cooked with cremini mushroom and onions, a little bit of chicken stock and when it's done, I shaved some Parmesan Reggiano cheese on top. Delish! The cheese sure make such a good sauce for this dish.

We didn't even get to drink that bottle of wine because we ended being too full! Only spiced apple cider to accompany and it was just nice.

And last but not least, my ultimate favorite!!

Baked sweet potato with marshmallow on top. I sprinkled some brown sugar onto the sweet potatoes before covering them with marshmallow. My mistake? I should have bought the smaller size marshmallows so that it baked better. These guys are too big but oh well, they end up in my tummy anyway! YUMMY!!

Have I tame my cravings yet? Yes

Have I overeat? Yes!

Can I button? NO!

Who can on Thanksgiving anyway?? Sheesh LOL

So, what did you have?

Not liking the new look

Jessie jots...

I'm taking off the dinosaur/rabbit thingy... not because a lot of people thought my hand look like an animal but I personally don't really like how it look even after sitting here for a week. For now, it's just going to be the regular blogger template. Will update soon.