Happy Holidays!

Meet our first Christmas tree, a 30 dollar 6 feet tree that, once all set up, is somehow shorter than me.  Steve found it on Black Friday sale at Target.  Although we say (daily) that it will be returned, we still dolled it up with lights, an owl, a red star, and ornaments old and new (mostly new).  The challenge was finding the tree skirt since my husband refuses to pay more for the skirt than the tree…  As always, his perseverance paid off, when he finally came across "santa the tree skirt" at Home Depot.  Super cute!!

I have loved plugging in this tree every morning, especially on rainy and dreary ones like today.  The glow and warmth from a Christmas tree is what people call "holiday magic".  It's why this is the happiest season of the year.  Maybe one day (soon) we will get a bigger tree, but for now, I'm loving it.  

Our house is our home, our happy place. 

2013, year of the honeymoon cruise.

Steve hearts golf

My cuddly owl!

I'm always saving buttermilk recipes.  Inevitably when I buy buttermilk for one recipe, there is half gallon left fermenting in my fridge until past expiration date.  Not until now have I found a recipe that is worth making (after all, it's hard to get inspired to make cornbread or entire apple cake).

Buttermilk braised chicken!!  It's a recipe I will go to whenever there is leftover buttermilk in my fridge.

Now… on to that apple cake.

I am getting attached to my long hair.  It's somewhere between long and super long, and I shy at the thought of cutting it.  I envy pictures of shoulder length bobs, slightly curled, slightly wavy.  The weight of my own hair is nothing short of comforting, if not always bouncy and smooth.  I am attached.

About work.

I am grateful for it.  I count down days until I'm back at it, with mixed feelings of dread and eagerness.  I expect the intensity of both to fade over the years.  Walking into work, there is a pep in my step.  Leaving work, there is (slightly more) pep in my step.  I don't hate it.  I am grateful for it.

On the days I'm not working, I plan meal recipes, catch up on my favorite blogs, look for books to read, and plan vacations.  Oh, and shop.  Working days make the nonworking days more meaningful.  That, I am grateful.

the Hunger Games part II

All is well that ends well, and I'm proud of my husband for sticking to his guns and detoxing for 48 hours.  In the end, he didn't finish two gallons of the horrid lemon water juice.  That may have been the worst part.  We are back to eating three square meals a day, happily together.

Loving the apparatus.  Imagine laying on the floor, staring at these half balloon, half cloud, somewhat whimsical, totally inspiring creations.

the Hunger Games

This has not been a good week (or month, for that matter).  The only redeeming factor is now gone - my happy, cheery, supportive husband, has turned into a grumpy, mopy, irritable impostor.  It all started with an innocent and HEALTHY notion of a juice detox that he read about somewhere and started to talk about over the past few weeks.  I was ALL for it, always nagging him to eat healthier (and lesser?), even picked out the exact dates for him to try.  TODAY and tomorrow!

There may have been a selfish ulterior motive as well.  I envisioned less time worrying about what to cook and eating whatever I want (not exemplary myself in either food selection or portion control) for 48 hours.  In short, a mini-holiday from cooking and feeling guilty about not cooking.

Oh how it backfired on me from hour 0, when S realized that detox means no coffee.  I knew he was in trouble when I took a sip of his diluted, sour, water+lemon juice that made my nose wrinkle.  Really, I expected more from Whole Foods.

We are in too deep now, but I want my husband back.  In conclusion - detox should be done on your own time when it won't have to be witnessed by loved ones.  Because really, hunger is hard to watch.

late night reading

Late night reading - 

"But the thing about life is that you simply cannot settle for melancholy, even when it's true.  You are not a tragedy, you are a personal essay.  You must rise above and you must do it in the last paragraph with basic grammar and easily recognized words."

A Personal Essay by a Personal Essay - Christy Vannoy

August rains in Atlanta remind me of temper tandrums.  Come and gone with no warning, and once gone, not a trace of resentment.  So I headed out today in jeans, boots, and an umbrella when the second I got into my car, the heavy down pour that made me doubt my decision to leave the house at all only seconds before... stopped!  And I spend the afternoon outlet shopping with friends in shorts and flip flops.

12 to 12

I'm working strange hours these days.  12 to 12.  More like 12 to 10 since I always slip out early (I let others slip out early too when they are on 12 to 12, for working till midnight is truly depressing).  I have gotten used to waking up at 10AM and having time to straighten my hair before I go to work, looking more put together.  It also means more quality time with my husband since he works from home on some days.  I get to wake up to him fully caffeinated, and drink the rest of his coffee.

I like to refer to S as husband instead of hubby because I have waited so long to call someone my husband; every syllable counts.

My husband went to Destin with his family today, and left me behind.  I came home to an empty apartment at 10 pm, and all of a sudden can't remember what's so great about solitude, silence, and personal space.  I miss my husband terribly.

I saw (not one but) two lightning bugs on my way home tonight.  It feels like instant good luck.  The first one flickered in front of me so fast by the time I realized what it was, it was gone.  Made me smile anyway.  It was dark, dingy and wet, did not seem the place for something so magical as a lightning bug. :)

cheese buns

http://deeperstory.com/the-day-i-ate-6-cheese-buns/

I love this story.  The courage it must take to tell something so dark, hidden and personal in its complete detail, with complete honesty.  It stirs up memories not so distant, and makes me wonder if I'm still the same girl who was addicted to cream cheese and couldn't stop eating it by the spoonful.

Loving this red dress.  It is my "cheese bun".

Life is not poetic these days.  It's very gritty, full of grown up issues.  S softens this reality, filling each day with laughter, silliness and his kind, goofy smile.  Will marriage always be so good?  I often wonder.  After three years together and almost one year of marriage, S officially moved in with me.  The combining of things and having two of everything.  He will officially try and sell his condo.  This is because we have (almost) officially bought a house!  I'm officially excited + overwhelmed, S is officially stressed + overwhelmed.  I'm more vocal about it.  He is the strong and silent type.

hectic times

A LOT of things are going on right now.  2013 has been HECTIC!  I'm all nerves 55% of the time (not more only because I sleep a lot).

Quote of the day - All men are high maintenance, even the low maintenance ones.

Other things are happening as well...

Such as house hunting.  Who would have guessed that my husband and I would be stumbling over ourselves (and other people) trying to find a house in Milton, Georgia, aka horse country.

Such as September honeymoon to Barcelona and then cruise around South of France and Italy.  No exclamation mark because I haven't started to plan yet.  Will contain my excitement even if by punctuation only.

Such as my first Miu Miu!

Such as being young and in love!  I try not to take my husband for granted, the best part of my everyday.

the ring

Today Steve and I bought a sapphire ring for my mom for Mother's Day.  I had intended this same style with a ruby inside, but only the sapphire was available in this setting.  I just love the almond shaped cluster of small but distinct diamonds.  Here is to hoping mom likes it!

In other news -
Today we found a normal looking cafe in a non-sketchy part of town with NO wireless internet!  When they told Steve there was no internet available, he asked - what happened to it?

Also.  Tomorrow we are going house hunting with a realtor.   I'm going through all the right motions (even got prequalification done), but the concept of buying a house is still very surreal.  Whenever Steve asks me - what are we going to do with such a big house, I'm speechless.  What ARE we going to do with the extra four bedrooms and three bathrooms and that unfinished basement??

Lastly.  Honeymoon destination may be changed from Paris to Barcelona.  If so, I want to stay here!

Sunday again.  Next week is a normal Monday through Friday working week.  Fingers crossed.

One day into summer weather, and I'm over it already.  This warm, tepid, tiresome day, and my perpetual indecisiveness over which temperature to set the AC.  Tomorrow baby natalie is coming to visit me with her mom, can't wait!  I'm craving some girl time.  Last weekend of Dallas wedding and mini-reunion just left me wanting more.  Marriage is good, marriage is wonderful, but nothing replaces my girlfriends.

My Berlin Kitchen, finished in three days.  Is it strange that I can drawl so many parallels between her life and mine?  Even her blog The Wednesday Chef I can't enough of, reading some old posts from years ago way past my bedtime last night.  Surprisingly, to myself most of all, I'm not all that into food blogs.  They leave me feeling a bit on the jealousy side, with all those lustrous photos of food and throngs of devout followers.  But this one I feel a personal connection to, her words and style of writing really resonate with me.  Why do I see so many similarities between our experiences?  An Italian-Berliner who lived decades in the US and then finds her soul (and soulmate) in Berlin, and me a Chinese-American who finds herself now with more Vietnamese relatives than both Chinese and American combined.  I suppose that's the common human experience, the craving for roots and traditions and (what else) love.  Capital L.

Things I love April 2013

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, the second and third books are so much better than the first.  Don't believe those who say the books have no closure, I know all about closures and the trilogy did well.  It is sad of course that the writer passed away.  One can only imagine how fast I would have downloaded and read the rest of the books if they were available.

On to The Berlin Kitchen per recommendation by Linda Lee.

2. My new slow cooker and the chicken soup that it churns out after 10 hours.  It was worth getting the slow cooker for that recipe alone!  It brings back memories of my first few weeks in the US, jet lag, and how it was the only thing that tasted good.

3. Can't wait to use the red spinner courtesy of my husband.

4.

My ao dai and everything about 3/2/2013.  

5.

This sweater is so soft and makes me infinitely happy.

6. 

So cute.

7.  Drinking coffee at 2pm.

Slow Cooker Chicken Soup

Don't let the title fool you, this soup is not boring at all, it is DELICIOUS!!!  My parents used to make this when I was growing up, so often that it broke our slow cooker.  I haven't had in 10+ years but think about it ALL the time!  Especially now, when I really need simple/low maintenance recipes to cook.  

My slow cooker is 6.5 quart so I put two cornish hens in there.  If yours is smaller then just get one.

2-3 green onion chopped small

small piece of whole ginger

2 -3 stalks of celery (very important, don't skip.  I just buy a container of the pre-chopped ones from publix)

1-2 cans of WHOLE potato (depending on the size of the can)

1-2 cans of WHOLE tomato

1-2 cornish hens, thawed

dried parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Chop off only the fatty part of the hen near the butt.  No need to skin the chicken.  Put everything into the slow cooker and fill it with water, enough to cover everythings.  I keep mine on low for 10-12 hours.  Adjust for salt before time is up.  When it's time to serve just break up the chicken in the slow cooker with two forks, everything falls apart!  

Oct 29, 2012

How did I happen to get married in San Francisco?  It's hard to say.  I think it all started when my friend Linda told me about these amazing wedding photographers based in SF.  I started looking at their website obsessively, specifically the San Francisco City Hall pictures!  Then one day, I was working nights, and my colleague pointed to the website and said - that could be you!!  Delirious from sleep deprivation, I thought - why not.  I went home the next day, used my last three PTO for the year, paid the $500 deposit, and booked Alex and Alex for one Monday morning wedding!

The only problem was... S hasn't even proposed!

This was some time in August... For the next month and half, I somehow found a wedding dress, expanded the wedding photo package to include a videographer, and got S to propose!

The rest is history.

All Photos by IQ photo

 

 

And they lived happily ever after.

I had a sneaky feeling all along that I overdid it with this apartment.  It wasn't until today, when it took six hour and three (big) people to pack it all up that my suspicion was confirmed.

Three years ago I moved into the first place to call my own.   At first I just wanted two things -- a vogue subscription with my name/address and a yellow Le Creuset.  Somehow I allowed myself to drill 20+ nails into the walls, hanging everything from over priced pottery barn frames, to drawings from Sips and Strokes.  I filled every inch of the tiny kitchen with indispensable tools- two big jars of spatulas and ice cream scoopers.

All this meant that everyday I lived here, it was a place I loved.  A place I was sad to leave on overnight calls and happy to return after long trips.  And as I stood by the door of the now empty rooms, I said a long goodbye and mentally embraced my lovely home.  It's been a good three years and as much as I counted down the days, I'm sad to see it end.

Tomorrow is the last day of MICU. Thank you for making this a three week rotation instead of four (or five). I will try not to complain about clinic because misery is all relative.

The month flew by, but here and there I left the hospital and got a little excited about life... Such as when...

- Steve was away for two entire weeks in Vietnam and I got comfortable with Skype. Instead of going to London+Paris, I now want to go East for my fabulous vacation...

- for the time being, however, I'll settle for DC in November. I secretly booked Steve's favorite hotel and didn't tell him. Instead I made up a "fake" hotel and poor him has been planning metro routes around this "fake" hotel.

- Before this week ends, I should get my contract for my first real job! Very excited...

- Romantic picnic in the park, rowing around on a canoe... Very surreal. Totally worth saving up two days to have the golden weekend.

- Navy blue peacoat with gold buttons... yummy...

- Linda N is having a baby! My new favorite intern is having a baby! The girl down the street is having a baby!

- Baby R Us is magical!

- First moonlighting gig coming up. How else could I afford the fabulous hotel with the fabulous peacoat? Don't feel sorry for me... at least I have a way to make some extra cash.

The end... for now...

MICU today. Hope I don't miss fall...

I saw a girl wearing brown boots today! First boots I spotted this season. The weather forecast for the weekend ahead promises cooler weather, and I dream of my own boots slumbering away in their boxes. Still... not sure how she thinks she can get away with tall leather boots in 85+ degree weather, except that she works within the air conditioned confines of Anthropologie, where everything is magical, and anything goes.

The past 2.5 hours had me spinning with frustration.

It didn't help that today is the end of my one week vacation with my parents, leaving them always stir up worries and uncertainties that I'm never strong enough to confront. But on Saturday, I had Steve to look forward to. And poor him, always a ready distraction for all my present woos.

Then saying goodbye to Steve today... a different set of worries and uncertainties altogether. I know he thinks I'm a drama queen (and actually proved it by putting a pink, feathery, glittery "drama queen" crown on my head in a costume shop today), especially during our weekly departures. Some days I'm extra pathetic, and actually become snotty and puffy eyed from crying. Today, the sadness of leaving my parents on Saturday + leaving him Sunday paralyzed me in his condo through an extra episode of Chopped. Thus the late departure, thus the extra frustration for the past 2.5 hours (which can be summed up by saying I HATE automated phone messages and I HATE FEMA).

September 11th. I'm hardly qualified to write anything about that day, given how remote and disconnected I was to the events when they happened. A college student in Texas with no TV... all I remember is how my class was the only one not cancelled. That's not to say I wasn't shocked or horrified, but second hand emotions... so easily shrugged off. This morning when I watched MSNBC re-broadcast the images, I wonder how I went all these years without seeing them beginning to end, but is anything ever the same again?

Shhhh.... don't tell anyone... but I've been googling wedding venues and wedding photographers and wedding dresses (most of all, wedding dresses). It's not that I'm about to get married, but it's also not that I'm NOT about to get married. Who can tell these things really. The inspiration is a set of beautiful wedding photographs in Santorini that took my breath away...

http://www.iqphoto.com/destination/

So far, my plan is to spend all my money on A) the dress and B) the photographer, and skip the wedding part all together. And as long as I'm allowed to be selfish (on my blog, at least), I will fly my favorite wedding photographer from San Francisco to wherever I am...

And the dress. I've always wanted a Carrie Bradshaw meets Christian Lacroix meets Vera Wang creation with angles and dimensions, the kind of lacy whiteness that makes the average person's head spin. This deep rooted imagery is completely changed by Linda Lee, whose own simple and ever so elegant wedding dress made me think -- why so big?

http://www.junshien.com/6370/

I don't have a dress yet. Is it true when you see it, you know it? It's still too early. After all, I'm not really looking...

My favorite sweet and tangy shrimp, except this version is jazzed up by lobster meat! Long slices of green onion, ginger, and garlic sauteed until you can smell its fragrance in the air. Then a splash of soy sauce with a spoonful of sugar later - the most amazing shrimp. It is best with the heads on, of course, but good luck finding those!

SSI

My first weekend home with Steve. Never knew my parents could be so hospitable. Always knew Steve could be so charming. He felt, oddly enough, like he belongs here, in a space that has never seen the likes of him.

A lot of cooking! A lot of watching my mom cook. A lot of memorizing the details of this house and this life that I'm so rarely apart of.

Yet, when I am here, I am home.