Witty Repartee...NOT!

I was walking down the hall leading to the emergency room last night when I passed two nurses in their winter coats, in the middle of their shift (obviously going out to smoke cigarettes). We exchanged hellos and as we were parting ways, I said playfully, "Hey, you know, smoking is bad for you."

To which one replied, "Yeah, so is being a bitch"

Huh...WTF??????????

I was so stunned because that comment came out of the blue that I could only call out, "Hey, that was uncalled for!"

In my fantasy world, without missing a beat, I would have immediately volleyed back, "Then you'd better quit, shouldn't you" or "It takes one to know one" or better yet, "Oh fancy that, a talking female dog!"

In the real world, I fumbled...hahaha...not that I would have been that rude anyway. My father has always said, "You do not have to sink to their level to fight them," an advice that I've taken to heart. Still, I sometimes wish that I did have a quicker, wittier tongue.


UPDATE: I went to work today and was told by said nurse above that she meant that being a bitch was not good for her.....not me. A fellow colleague had asked her about our little exchange and suddenly realized that her comment could have been perceived as insulting to me and apologized. Since I smiled at her as soon as I saw her today (even before hearing the explanation), she realized that I had no hard feelings. Alles gute!

Lonely....

He left for Penang, Malaysia yesterday.



My Widget tells me that I have 41 more days to go.
It just seems like a loooong time.

I Dream of Blue Skies, Warm Seas and Good Food

Sitting in a cold lonely room,
Wishing for some sunshine and warmth,
Reminiscing about lovelier times,
Can you blame my longing heart?





I will return to you one day.......Greece, I love you....

Summer's Over

My mom complained that she is tired of seeing my feet whenever she logs onto my blog. Summer's over and so should the hiatus......but I feel so lazy after NOT blogging for several months. Besides that, I am swamped with work and life while makes it really difficult to find time to sit in front of the computer for hours at a time. Yes, people...it actually takes me hours to compose the post and then edit the pictures. Now try doing that after 10 brutal hours at the ER, being abused by screaming patients...you get the picture.

Yet, I love my blog too much to just let it rot. So, my solution is to make a little compromise. I will continue to write mostly about food and I will include interesting things that I come across during my daily life and travels. Of course, you get to hear my rants as well :)

This way, I can continue to keep updating my blog more frequently and you get to hear all about my life. You have been warned!

A ShoutOut To My Wonderful Friends

It was my birthday last Thursday and since it was a weekday, we or rather, I did not have any celebratory plans. At the most, the bf and I were going for dinner and then, I was planning to go to Jazz In The Park with the bf for some socializing. Hahaha.....someone once said something about the best laid plans.....

I think I once mentioned to the bf that you HAVE to have at least a birthday cake to celebrate the anniversary of your birth. Since I came to the US in 2001, I have not had a birthday cake and I really, really missed having one. The wonderful bf remembered and this year, after dinner at Coast (because the last attempt to have dinner at Coast went awry--long story that deserves another post), he told me that we have to go to a friend's house to drop off an Ipod car kit adapter. Innocent enough.

Then, when I walked into my friend's apartment, I saw a cake (not just any cake, it was a STRAWBERRY cake) with lit candles and balloons in the air and the best part of all, my closest friends!!!! They were all shouting "Surprise" and "Happy Birthday". And this is, was one of the best birthday's ever!!!!

To the mastermind: I love you very much!!! Thanks for so many wonderful years together.

To the rest of the party planners: Thank you very much for planning this. I am very touched by your effort and grateful that you are my friends. My friend, L once told me, "At home you rely on your parents, outside the home, you rely on your friends." You guys are definitely people that I can count on through thick and thin and I am so proud to call you my friends.

Thanks again.

Funny Comedian/singer

I was just browsing around You Tube and found this guy. He is seriously hilarious!!! Just click on the link play and listen. When I get smarter, I'll hopefully learn how to post the video directly on my blog. Anyone willing to teach me? A big shout-out to Tine for teaching me how to do this. You rock girl!!



Just for the record, Pachelbel's Canon in D is one of my absolute fav piece of music. So, lovers of Canon in D, don't kill the messenger.

Enjoy!

Drugged and Drunk

I came home from work this morning at 4 am and saw the bottle of Nyquil that I had asked the bf to get for me sitting on the kitchen table. I picked it up and thought...hmmm.....I'll get some sleep tonight. I then took the recommended 30ml (had to read the label because it was my first time ever taking Nyquil, I usually let my body battle it out with the virus) and got ready for bed.

THEN.....my head started pounding, my face felt tingly and flushed. I shifted uncomfortably in bed and held my breath....yes, my heart was racing and I began to feel nauseated.....oh crap, what was in the damned Nyquil? I finally made my way back to the kitchen and read the label. Oh shit! Alcohol is listed as the first inactive ingredient...alamak!

I can't process alcohol......

Was passed out till 2 pm today

SICK!!

Arrrgghh......I fell victim to the evil cold virus that is circulating out there....and now in my system. I thought my immune system was at it's peak from being exposed to so many types of bugs and viruses at work but it suddenly lost the battle yesterday...just as I was going to work. Then, I spiked a fever at work and it was all over....the virus took over. I started sniffling, having hot and cold flashes, stomach cramps, the shakes (yeah, I found that one new symptom AS I was suturing up a patient's face), a headache, I can't hear out of the right ear and my throat is KILLING me.

I HATE BEING SICK!!!

Anyway...I was craving for some comfort food but my body was aching too much to cook. So I sat in front of the computer for an hour, then finally had enough caffeine in me to move. This soup based dish is really simple to make if you have the right ingredients in the kitchen already. Since mine is always stocked to survive a famine, I didn't have to drag my body to the grocery store.

Mee Suah or Tang Hoon Soup

Ingredients:

• Half a package of Mee Suah or Tang Hoon (dried)
• 2L of Swanson's Chicken stock
• One can of baby straw mushrooms (drained)
• An assortment of meat balls, fish balls, squid balls etc
• 4 stalks of baby bok choi, cleaned and cut into bite size pieces
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dash of soy sauce

Cooking method:

• Put stock into pot to boil.
• Add the assortment of meat/squid/fish balls and cook until they float to the surface.
• Add the straw mushrooms, baby bok choi and the mee suah or tang hoon.
• Season to taste.
• Consume.

Simple and most importantly, minimal work.

Enjoy...pic coming, no energy to edit.

Guilty pleasures: Coach bags

I kept telling myself, cannot spend money frivolously, cannot, cannot, cannot!!!

And then I saw it, looking back at me from the display case....calling my name...and I knew. I had to have it.

Isn't it gorgeous? It reminds me so much of springtime and flowers and sunshine and rainbows!!


I stood in the store for quite a while and was mentally tallying up the damage to my credit card and finances. Then, I thought, "I shouldn't make an impulse buy, I have to really think about this." After all, I was in Naples, Florida and I was about to board a plane in 2 hrs. How to carry so much baggage? I was rather proud of myself as I walked out of the store without making a purchase.


Then, I landed in Milwaukee and went to the Coach store the next day and burned some plastic...hehe :)

And then, I saw this other baby.....and thought, what the heck, if I'm already burning plastic, may as well make it MELT!


I am so in love with my new bags. *Mentally calculating how many extra shifts I have to work*


Do you love bags?

Naples, Florida. Part Deux: Sunsets

Every evening, at sunset, a large crowd would gather along the beach-front and on the beach to watch the sunset. By 7pm, people would start milling around the swimming pool and beach bar of the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club. It's a great time for people to mingle, chat and relax after a long day of.....A) laying on the beach, soaking up the sun (lazy-bugs) or B) long medical lectures and workshops (me...super hardworking). Alright, I managed to do a bit of both every day.
When the sun starts sinking down towards the horizon, the crowd will migrate towards the beach and stare at the great ball of fire for what seems like hours. When the sun finally sets, you eyes are temporarily blinded from staring for such a long period of time and you literally see stars (and not only the ones in the sky).


I had the pleasure of watching the sun set with friends for a total of 5 nights and each night's show was completely different. This was also a time when the dolphins would come close to shore and play, so we also spent a lot of time scanning the horizon, hoping to see dolphins. It was really a beautiful and enchanting time of day.


Being the doofus that I am (as a result of absorbing too much UV rays), I had forgotten to bring my camera to capture pictures of the first 4 sunsets. Luckily, on my last night there, I brought my camera along and was able to get these shots.


I shot hundreds of pictures and almost blinded myself in the process. Looking at an LCD screen with sub-optimal light is a bitch, I tell you. There were lots of oohs and aahs of appreciation as the great golden ball of fire finally touched down on the horizon. It was absolutely fascinating to watch it sink, and sink and sink. Then you suddenly realize that the air is getting cooler and cooler and every strand of hair on your arms is standing at attention because you are still wearing a tiny bikini, sitting on the beach, shivering without the sun's rays to warm you. Not to mention the fact that you have family and friends that live part time in Naples but no one has advised you to bring a sweater.....

And then you hear it. It starts out as a single clap....then more clapping... and then the whole crowd joins in the applause at the magnificent display of nature that they had just witnessed. I have never heard or seen such a thing...applause for a sunset. Then I shrug and join in. What the heck, if you can't beat them, join them.

Ok....now what's for dinner?

My First Meme

I got tagged by SweetContemplation and decided to try my hand at my first meme. Here goes:


[A is for age]: 26 plus. My mom has been yelling at me for being too honest about my age, "Where got people so proudly announce that they are 26 one???"
[B is for booze of choice]: Alamak, cannot drink at all. Lacking an enzyme called acetaldehyde dehydrogenase....makes me turn red, sick in the stomach and then puke...without the benefit of getting high first! Supremely unfair, kan?
[C is for career]: Physician Assistant in an inner city ER
[D is for your most dreaded]: Flying cockroaches. Euuww!! Can't think of anything worse than this, Tine.
[E is for essential item you use everyday]: Cellphone-also doubles up as camera, alarmclock and mp3 player. Love it so much!!!
[F is for favorite song at the moment]: How To Save a Life by The Fray.
[G is for favorite games]: Twister. I remember the good old days in high school playing that game.
[H is for Hometown]: The sunny, beautiful island of Penang.
[I is for indulgence]: Laying in a hammock on the beach of Redang Island, looking out to the beautiful, crystal clear water and reading a romance novel. The is a warm breeze stirring about and the sky is completely cloudless as I look up. And a hot guy bringing me a cool, tall glass of watermelon juice....paradise.
[J is for favorite flavor of juice]: Watermelon
[K is for kids]: None=Tadak
[L is for last hug from husband]: Tadak also
[M is for years of marriage]: Not married yet
[N is for name of your crush]: Hahaha...most of my CGL cronies know this one. Man, I was so obsessed with this guy until I met him socially for the first time, then....big letdown.
[O is for overnight hospital stays]: Tadak
[P is for phobias]: I am claustrophobic.
[Q is for quote]: "SHUT UP! Enough already, Ballstein! Who cares about Derek Zoolander anyway? The man has only one look, for Christ's sake! Blue Steel? Ferrari? Le Tigra? They're the same face! Doesn't anybody notice this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills! I invented the piano key necktie, I invented it! What have you done, Derek? You've done nothing! NOTHIIIING! And I will be a monkey's uncle if I let you ruin this for me, because if you can't get the job done, then I will!" Mugatu from Zoolander
[R is for regret]: Not pursuing a career in mass media and broadcasting. I played it safe and choose medicine, a stable career instead. Sometimes, I daydream about being on TV. Would love to be on a food/travel/leisure tv show like Samantha Brown or Rachel Ray.
[S is for status, married or single]: Still single.
[T is for time you wake up]: When my alarm tells me it's time to get up. I have weird shifts and get up at weird times.
[U is for underwear]: Sloggies from Triumph.I love them...have to stock up everytime I go home to Msia.
[V is for vegetable you love]: Kangkung=water convulvus. Majorly need some belachan kangkung right now.
[W is for worst habit]: I grind my teeth at night. Very bad for jaw.
[X is for x-rays you’ve had]: Chest and back. Hahhah, it's sounds like T&A
[Y is for yummy food you make]: Blush...hopefully everything is yummy lah.
[Z is for zodiac sign]: Gemini. Hmmm...a Gemini who is born in the year of the Monkey...it's like a double whammy, isn't it?

Not really sure who to tag because not sure who reads my blog on a regular basis. Anyone offering to be tagged?

I am in Penang!!!

Up in the clouds

The journey did not start out great.

I missed my flight out of Milwaukee to O'Hare. Stupid United Airlines did not deign to inform me that my flight was moved up and I arrived at the airport just a little too late to board. How could this happen? I guess, the answer is that it could only happen to me.

Luckily, my champion of a friend who had given me a lift to the airport saved the day by driving me from Milwaukee to Chicago in rush hour traffic and I arrived in time for my connection to Japan. I had already not slept for 24 hrs even before starting my journey and now, waiting at the check in counter at O'Hare while the airline groundstaff swiped my passport again and again, all the while looking puzzled did not help to stabilize my emotions. I thought that they were going to say that my passport was defective and I could not travel. My friend took a look at my face and started patting my head. Finally, they figured out the problem and I was on my way.

The flight from Chicago to Narita was uneventful. In fact, it was pretty darned good. I think that taking Japan Airlines was a good choice given that the route was better (decreased number of connections and layover time) and the price was fair. The food was not too bad as well. Naturally I didn't eat much due to the anticipation of gobbling down authentic Penang food. My favorite airline is still Singapore's SIA but I guess poor beggars cannot be choosers.

I had to switch seats on the flight from Narita to Singapore because I was sitting next to this guy who was reeking of stale cigarette smoke. I was practically gagging as the plane took off. I quietly explained the situation to the stewardess who was alarmed by the greenish tinge of my complexion as not to embarrass the poor guy sitting next to me. Much to my dismay, the empty seat that she choose to place me in belonged next to the girlfriend of this guy!!! Alamak! In the end he'll find out that he was so smelly that I could not even sit next to him. I covered my face and slept for the entire journey.

As the plane touched down in Changi Airport, my heart began to pound in excitement. I was traveling on Business Class from Singapore to Penang, thus giving me access to the premier class lounge for 8 hours. Finally, a place to take a shower, eat and sleep laying down. It was really heaven after such a long journey. I could even check my email and make some phone calls.

The koi pond and Chinese garden at Singapore's Changi International Airport, an oasis of serenity amidst a bustling, noisy airport.

It was my first time flying business class and it was such a fabulous experience. I MUST do it more often. Finally, I did touch down in Penang International Airport. My dad and the bf were waiting to greet me at the gate AND my baggage BOTH made it. That's a pretty sweet ending compared to the sour beginning.



What a looooong journey!!! It's so good to be finally home at last.

A big shout out to my friend Andi Dodol for driving my ass to Chicago. I owe you big time!!

2 More Days

I am desperately counting down days until I board that first flight in a series of flights that would take me home to Penang. Isn't it funny that as much as I am looking forward to it, I am also dreading the passage of time. I fear that I would blink and before I knew it, I would find myself on a plane heading from Penang to Milwaukee, my long awaited holiday---over. I guess time does fly when you're having fun but I am just afraid that it would be another year before I see my beloved family, friends and hometown again.

Is that not ridiculous for someone who had ONE more day of work AND still more packing to do before leaving in 2 days? I think I need to see a psychiatrist.

Winter Snow Storm

As I was driving to work yesterday afternoon at 4:45pm, I heard on the radio that we were going to get 6-10 inches of snow by the next morning. At work, I was told that a severe snow storm warning had been issued and the predicted snowfall was 10-12 inches. It was expected to start snowing at midnight. I kept warning all my patients to go straight home and stay there before the bad weather started.

When I left work at 3:50am this morning, the sky was still clear with no sign of snow. My colleague who was walking out with me predicted that the storm had probably changed directions and would probably miss us. I drove out of the parking structure. The radio announcer said that he just stepped out of the building and from what he observed, people should wake up a little earlier and be ready to use the snow shovel. I also remembered thinking that he must be on crack. The sky was completely clear!

Not 3 mins later, flakes started to fall. Tiny flakes turned into big flakes, big flakes turned into puffy snow and I started to drive faster. As I got onto the highway, gusts of white stuff was blowing everywhere! It went from clear skies to a full blown blizzard within minutes. By the time I got home, snow was already accumulating on the ground.

This was what the East Side looked like this afternoon when I woke up at 2pm:





Mounds of white stuff on the ground. I am so glad I didn't have to go to work today!!!

*&@$%$ Road Runner! I lost my post

I spent one and a half hours of precious time writing a post and it got eaten up by the evil internet connection failure. Frustrated does not even begin to describe how I feel right now. Damn you stupid road runner!!

State of the Art Hot Dog Cooker

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin

This post is not for the faint-hearted or easily offended people. Warning, potentially offensive material below. I received this picture from a forwarded e-mail and was caught off guard when I saw the pic. The title of the e-mail was the same as the title of this post. I was laughing so hard, I almost fell off my chair. If the bf had been around, he would have thought that I was mad. Okay-lah, who am I kidding, the bf knows that I'm mad.

Without further ado, I give you the creative achievements of some really bored people......







With ref to above quote from Brillat-Savarin, "Hot dog anyone?"

Best of all, the email was forwarded to me by my dad!

p/s I would like to give credit to whoever took this picture. It's brilliant.

Thanksgiving Teaser

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin

I was invited to celebrate Thanksgiving with my god-sister's in-laws last Thursday. Boy, it was such a magnificent feast! Her in-laws are both very creative, artistic, gracious and most importantly NICE people that I felt so honored to be invited. I was a little apprehensive about asking permission to take pictures because I did not want to be rude but the spread was so beautiful that I finally had to ask. Little did I know that Mrs. A* had already read my blog and she okayed the Thanksgiving post. Unfortunately, my camera's batteries died.

I was so bummed out until my god-brother offered me the use of his camera and I snapped tons of pics. I'll post them up when he sends them to me. It will be worth the wait.

My stomach was so happy after that huge meal. Thanks so much Mr and Mrs A.* It really feels great to be a part of such a wonderful family.

*Names abbreviated for privacy purposes

Casino Royale

The name's Bond, James Bond.

Went to watch the new 007 movie last night with the bf and my godparents. Despite my initial skepticism, it was really good. And the airport scene also explains why I temporarily lose my suitcases every year while flying home. @%#* you, terrorists and secret agents.

My initial reluctance to watch the movie stemmed from my inability to digest a blond Bond. However, shortly after the opening credits, I saw him in action and my jaw dropped. This guy is good. And HOT. He makes Pierce Brosnan look like a sissy-boy. And I like Pierce Brosnan! I have always wanted to see Hugh Jackman be cast as Bond but then again, I'm totally biased. I'd see Hugh Jackman in anything...the man can sing, act and dance. More importantly, he kicks ass, sprouts metal blades from his knuckles and kills vampires. Can you beat that? The only way to defeat this hero is by proclaiming, "I am a Scientologist" This trumps everything.

Jumped on couches lately? It's okay, just say, " I'm a Scientologist"

Insulted any depressed post-partum women lately? It's okay if you're a Scientologist

The press hounding you for making stupid, chauvinist statements after CCTV operators focused on the thighs of female journalists instead of the Penang Municipal City Council meeting proceedings? "If the dress was not sexy, the incident would not have happened" Instead of blaming the decently dressed journalist, the Penang Municipal Council president Datuk Abu Bakar Hassan should have replied, "We're Scientologists" Would have worked out better for him, I think.

Okay, I am getting out of hand. Back to the Bond movie.....spoiler alert. Stop reading now if you have not watched the movie.

This Bond is more testosterone laden and athletic compared to all the other Bonds, barring Sean Connery's. He's quick to react, unafraid to take risks but most impressively, pauses at times to assess the situation and THINK. Beauty and brains= I like. Craig's juggernaut-like Bond contributes to propelling the movie's momentum from the get go. It hit the ground running, so to speak. Just look at this man, he gets my blood running.


I particularly enjoyed the clever dialog, especially between Eva Green's Vespar and Craig's Bond. The scene on the luxury train to Montenegro was well crafted. During Vespar and Bond's verbal exchange, we witness a crack in his impassive facade and catch a glimpse of vulnerability as well. Vespar uses her sarcasm and beauty as armor and could have come off as a total bitch if not for her ready smile which comes off looking sincere. She laughs at others but more so at herself, as though she was only playing a role. We later find out that she is.

Casino Royale allows its audience to see the man behind the mask that is James Bond, to see that for all his amazing abilities, he is only a man. This Bond feels, he loves and he screams in pain as his family jewels are walloped over and over again. As soon as I figured out what Le Chiffre was going to do with the rope, I could not stop a very loud, "OWWW" from escaping in the theater. This prompted laughter from some members of the audience. Sorry people. In this situation, the usual silent stoic Bond would have been unrealistic.

Besides the great scenery and background locations (hello, Mr White's castle in Montenegro), those were the best parts of the movie. They kinda lost me a little during the sappy falling-in-love scenes.

Also disturbing was the realization that I was more upset upon seeing the destruction of Bond's Aston Martin (what a gorgeous car!!) than watching people get killed. I was like, "Noooo...... don't harm the car" This is a testament to the prevalence of violence in movies, mirroring the escalation of violence in today's society. I am reminded daily at work.


I also like to pick apart movie plots and nothing bothers me more than loose ends or gaps in the plot/logic. Pleasantly, there were only a few things that bothered me while watching the film:

1. The scene where Bond goes to the Bahamas to track the originator of the 'ELLIPSIS' text message. He has the exact time when the message was sent so he goes to the security room of the beach club and searches the security camera archives for the suspect. Clever no? Then he correctly picks the one camera that was focusing on the driveway of the club. Wow. Then he fast forwards the film to the exact time that the message was sent, and sees the suspect coming out of his car and handing the keys to the valet. Brilliant right? Wait, how do you send a text message and valet your car at the same time? I'm not that talented personally so I think this scene's logic is flawed.
2. After Bond was poisoned with digitalis (we were informed in the movie), he was instructed to use the defibrillator to shock himself. Unless, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) guidelines changed on me, you cannot shock unless you are in ventricular fibrillation (V-fib) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (pulseless V-tach), at which time you would not be talking. It's called a cardiac arrest for a reason. And he was certainly not there yet according to the scanner rhythm shown, so the machine would not even work! This is to protect people from getting shocked by accident-something that can actually trigger cardiac arrest. It definitely made more sense when Eva Green shocked him when she found him unconscious. I'm sure there were at least a few ACLS instructors, paramedics, nurses, physician assistants and doctors that cringed at that scene. This is also why the bf does not watch medical shows with me.
3. Why did Vespar have to die? If she was innocent and was coerced into betraying Bond, why didn't she fight to live? She knew that Bond loved her and proved it by struggling to save her even after she betrayed him. That's just selfish man.

All this aside, it was still a great movie and I'd definitely watch it again. I would give up 4 plates of Char Koay Teow (fried noodles) for this movie. Five plates of Char Koay Teow for Mr Daniel Craig. Yummmy!

I Can't Wait To Go Home

I have been running around for the past few days, partially in preparation to go back to Penang (please read: buying presents) I had the past 3 days off, will work one day tomorrow evening and then have three days off (including Thanksgiving day). After that, all hell will break loose and I will be working like a fiend to maximize my shifts before flying back to Penang. Yes, I'll be working right until the day before I leave. Then I am going to collapse into a comatose state until I reach Singapore. I will be determined not to eat on the flight, okay, will tell the truth, determined not to eat a lot on the flight so that when I land in Penang soil, my family can cart me to the nearest hawker center and shove food down my gullet to revive me.

Last year, on my Singapore to Penang trip, I declined the 'generic airplane crap' that MAS serves and caught incredulous looks from the passengers sitting next to me. They probably thought that I was mad because I didn't even take the food that I had already paid for. I thought that they were mad because they were wasting stomach space on crappy airplane food when delicious Penang food was only minutes away. I will be saving my stomach for your culinary splendor, dear Penang Island.

For those of you who are not acquainted with this charming little island, it's my beloved hometown, located off the north-western coast of Peninsula Malaysia. See Penang on Wiki. Penang is a food paradise and has spawned millions of food snobs, including myself. When I was living in Penang, I would rather skip the meal than eat bad tasting or sub-standard food. Living or rather, eating there was a real luxury. Living in the Midwest has brought me down a peg or two. But I would still rather not eat 'Penang' food at all than to cheat my tastebuds with non-authentic fare. Anyone can identify with this quirk? I'd rather wait a year and then hentam the real thing.

The typical greeting when meeting friends and strangers alike is, "Have you eaten yet?" or in Hokkien (the most commonly spoken chinese dialect), "Chiak pa liao boay?" If you answer in the affirmative, it would inevitable lead to an interrogation of what, where and when you ate. Many discussions that have started out amiably have ended in arguments about where the best places to eat are. Say no and your friends/hosts/strangers would either tell you the best places to eat or simply drag you off for a meal.

Every Penangite thinks that they know where to find the best food. Ironically enough, nobody can come to a consensus. The bf and I often disagree on where to eat the best Char Koay Teow on the island. My favorite stall is at Song River while the bf likes the one in New Lane. This time, for the sake of my blog, I will attempt to find the best places to eat authentic Penang staples and complile a 'best of' list (which will probably be challenged by most Penangites) I don't care, get your own blog if you disagree with MY list. I will work hard, sacrifice my figure, grow fat and appear gluttonous for the sake of getting to the truth. And this is going to be my excuse when people ask me why:

• I am so greedy and eat so much
• I eat more than one dish per meal (e.g. roti canai and nasi lemak for breakfast)
• I am getting so chubby or fat (this is from the truly rude)
• I am eating like there is no tomorrow. People, I am storing up gastronomic memories to sustain me for a year. By now, I cannot remember what laksa tastes like.
• I spend so much money on food
• I take pictures of every dish before eating it
• I prevent people from eating before I take pictures of the food
• I am always talking about food, asking during lunch, "What's for dinner?"

30 more days to takeoff!!!!

JuJu Necklace

Haha..this post is not about food. It's about a GORGEOUS necklace that I had my eye on for a while. Okay-lah...a months. I could not stop thinking about how pretty it was, especially on moi neck. Those of you who know me would probably pray that I go get the damn thing now because I will obsess about it forever....and end up buying it anyway (after whinging for a protracted amount of time) Lucky for you isn't it, bf? I am faithful to the things and ones I love.

I stumbled across this adorable little store during a 'girls day out' with my godsister and was very impressed with the line of jewellery that they carried. A second stake-out with the bf (hunting for a Christmas present for his mom) yielded this fabulous 5 stranded Liz Paiacious necklace that I absolutely loved. Alas, I told myself, no more spending money on frivolous non-necessities. Christmas time is for spending on other people. If I were a Christian, then I would have said that Christmas is about Jesus and God. But I am not, so to me it's all about love, family and presents.

I was told on my second visit that there would soon be a sale and if I signed up for the mailing list, I would be invited. Ha! there was the excuse I needed. I said goodbye to my necklace and waited patietly for my invite. Happily, I received a postcard yesterday from the store about their Holiday Preview Weekend and stupidly assumed that it was the sale that the proprietress was talking about. I cajoled the bf into dropping by the store today to purchase said necklace. I think that the dissapointment must have shown on my face when I was told that the sale was some time ago and didn't I get the email. Sadly....no. The store owner, Nichole Nikolic decided to give me the sale price today as I did not receive my email about the sale. What a wonderful woman! I got MY necklace and it's beautiful. Merci beaucoup to Nichole from JuJu.

Nichole Nikolic, Owner

Store interior

Creative paper snowflakes

And finally, my necklace:

JuJu Gifts, Accessories & Decor

Milwaukee WI, 53202

Phone: 414-221-9580

Fax: 414-221-9589