Thursday, April 8, 2010

Better Than A Hallelujah - Amy Grant

ever wondered why things happen to you and only to you and not to anyone around you? ever wondered if it happened for a reason? ever thought why isn't God here when you need Him the most?
God is here, He's next to you and has been carrying you.

sometimes, we get so blinded by the our needs, our desires, our wants, that we end up losing sight of being content of what we have. and even sometimes, you just wish God would hear your cries, He's there... just need to have faith.
this is one of my favorite songs when i feel down, lost, or even confused.

Better Than A Hallelujah - Amy Grant

this song touches your heart and your soul, bringing warmth and comfort into your daily lives.
God Bless YOU ALL!!

Monday, April 5, 2010

still baby proofing...

in 4 months, haley will be 2 yrs old... and i'm just now finishing on baby proofing the kitchen. lol...

even though haley has already open the cabinet in the kitchen countless times, but i figure it's best to complete the project before she gets herself into trouble. ;)

i got 7 more cabinet doors to install the baby latch on, so that means babies r us.. here i come. or at least i'll go there tomorrow.

these things are a PITA (pain in the ass) to install. they come with limited directions and most of all, their directions are not easy to understand. but good thing i'm pretty handy. ;)

once you have a pattern, or a system, in place the rest are installed easily.

ok... time to get ready for a different project called... going to bed. lol~

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Rainy day + Krohn Porto 2003 = GOOD!

it's been raining today on and off. but after 6pm.. it started pouring cats and dogs.

so, on a rainy day like this.. it's best to cuddle up and spoon with your wife or your lover.

for me, i'm cuddling up with my baby chloe and a bottle of Krohn Porto 2003.

just picked it up from Whole Foods and cracked it open.

pairing it with some chocolate angel food cake, i think i'm going to have a wonderful Easter evening.

Salute~!

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Friday, April 2, 2010

Typical joke in the Silicon Valley.. but so TRUE!!

The Joke of Silicon Valley...
一篇在矽谷盛傳的笑話


A butcher watching over his shop is really surprised when he sees a dog
coming inside the shop. He shoos him away. But later, the dog is back
again. So, he goes over to the dog and notices it has a note in its
mouth.

有個肉販看到有隻狗走進他的鋪子裡吃了一驚,肉販把狗噓走,可是沒多久這隻狗
又跑回來,所以他探頭看了一下這條狗才發現狗嘴裡有張小紙條。


He takes the note and it reads "Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of
lamb, please? The dog has money in its mouth, as well."

他拿起紙條,紙條上寫著「麻煩給我12條香腸和一條羊腿,錢就放在狗嘴裡」


The butcher looks inside and, low and behold, there is a ten dollar note
there. So he takes the money and puts the sausages and lamb in a bag,
placing it in the dog's mouth. The butcher is so impressed, and since
it's about closing time, he decides to shut the shop and follow the dog.

肉販低頭看了一下,哇!還真的有十塊錢耶!所以他收了錢,把香腸和羊腿放入袋
子裡以後再放到狗嘴裡。肉販對這隻狗實在太訝異了,想想又剛好快打烊了,他就
決定收攤然後跟著這條狗看看。


So off he goes. The dog is walking down the street, when it comes to a
level crossing; the dog puts down the bag, jumps up and presses the
button. Then it waits patiently, bag in mouth, for the lights to turn.
They do, and it walks across the road, with the butcher following him
all the way.

他們沿著路走,來到十字路口的時候這條狗就把袋子放下,跳起來按了行人通行
鈕,再叼起袋子耐心地等綠燈亮起,再行通過這個路口,當然肉販還是緊緊跟著
它。


The dog then comes to a bus stop, and starts looking at the timetable.
The butcher is in awe as the dog stops a bus by pulling its left leg up
and gets in it. The butcher follows the dog into the bus. The dog then
shows a ticket which is tied to its belt to the bus conductor. The
butcher is nearly fainting at this sight, so are the other passengers in
the bus. The dog then sits near the driver's seat looking outside. As
soon as the stop is in sight, the dog stands and wags its tail to inform
the conductor. Then, without waiting for the bus to stop completely, it
jumps out of the bus and runs to a house very close to the stop.

接下來這條狗來到公車站,開始盯著時刻表瞧。肉販很震驚這條狗居然懂得舉起左
腳來攔車,然後搭上了這台公車!肉販跟著上了車,狗把綁在項圈上的車票秀給車
掌看,看到這一幕,肉販就像其他的乘客一樣簡直要暈倒了。狗狗接著坐在司機旁
邊看著窗外,當下一個站牌出現,它就站起來跑去車掌那兒搖尾巴示意他要下車
了,不等公車完全停妥,它就迫不及待地跳出公車往一間離站牌不遠的房子奔去。


It opens the big Iron Gate and rushes inside towards the door. As it
approaches the wooden door, the dog suddenly changes its mind and heads
towards the garden. It goes to the window, and beats its head against it
several times, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door. The butcher
watches as a big guy opens the door, and starts abusing the dog, kicking
him and punching him, and swearing at him. The butcher surprised with
this, runs up, and stops the guy.

它打開了院子的大鐵門,衝向房門,當它接近那道木門的時候忽然改變主意往花園
跑去,它朝向窗戶走去然後用頭去撞它好幾次,然後再跑回房門前等候。肉販看到
一著彪形大漢開了門,然後開始凌虐這條狗!他打它、踢他、還大聲咒罵它!肉販
實在不能忍受這種事,就跑去阻止這傢伙!


"What in heaven's name are you doing? The dog is a genius. He could be
on TV, for the life of me! "To which the guy responds: "You call this
clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog's
forgotten his key."

「你他媽的再幹什麼!?這是一條天才狗耶!我用我的性命擔保它絕對可以上電
視!」

這男人就回答肉販:「你說它聰明?這是這條笨狗第二次忘了帶鑰匙!」


Moral of the story.....
You may continue to exceed onlookers expectations but shall always fall
short of the boss' expectations.
It's a dog's life after all.....

這個故事告訴我們.....

不管你再怎麼拼命,老闆都不會滿足的!

這就是做為一條狗的宿命啊....

Monday, March 29, 2010

帥哥西裝 Handsome Suits

this is a japanese movie. one of the best ones i've seen in a long time. the moral of this movie is "never judge a book by it's cover"; which is especially true when it comes to love and finding love. for some reason, watching this movie brought up a lot of memory which got me thinking...

it's always easy to be loved then to actually love someone. loving someone means ur putting yourself out in the open with lots of risk of getting hurt. but an easier way would be to learn how to love yourself first. because once you know how to love yourself, loving someone you care about with all your heart, all the risk doesn't seem to matter or mean anything anymore.

watching this movie reminded me of how i was when i first met cherie online. she was in high school, while i was in college. she and i met online through a chat room because i was bored at 3am in the morning trying to finish my marketing paper. cherie went online and start chatting with me in english because she needed english help on her paper. thus as time went on, we became penpals.

during that time, we didn't see each other photos, nor did we know how each other looked like. it was after a month later that we talked for the first time on the phone. even then, we didn't know how each one of us looked. i was shy, because i was never the handsome type. so when she asked me how i looked, i would always say... i'm the cute type. wahaha...

during the many months we chatted online and offline, i really liked her personality and we have so much to talk about and so much in common. but i knew, once she gets into college, maybe this little crush she has for me will fizz out like a bubbling champagne going flat. but her crush, her love for me, kept going strong; which i could no longer deny my feelings for her. we never met, nor have we ever seen each other's photos, i had a feeling maybe she's the one. but never had i let her know how i was feeling for her, because i was afraid when we meet face to face, it will change everything.

cherie was a swimmer and had broad shoulder and a longer chin, but definitely shorter than Jay Leno's. haha. but when i first saw her photos and met her in person, i knew she was the one, because those were the things that attracted me to her even more.

she came to the airport to pick me up at 6AM, after taking the long bus ride from Taipei to the airport. when we meet for the very first time, she was very shy but happy to see me (which after our marriage she told me she was a bit disappointed the first time she saw me... but that's for another story later on.. haha).

when we walked side by side, she kept wiping her sweating palm against her dress. she looked like she wanted to hold my hands but was shy to do so. so, i grabbed her hands and next thing you know.. cherie leaned her head on my shoulders. right then and there, i knew she's the one i've been waiting for. the one that God had made all my previous relationship end in misery or burn up in flames or crash and burn if you will. all that was to test my endurance as a trial and preparation for the one He prepared for me. cherie is my missing puzzle, she completes me. she's my best friend, my lover, my wife, and my partner in life who has given us a beautiful angel, haley.

never judge a book by it's cover.. likewise, when you do meet a guy or a girl whom doesn't attract you at first sight, maybe you should look again carefully... not with your eyes, but with your open heart. because just maybe.. he or she may be the one that God has create and planned for you to meet.

this movie is really the best! a very heart felt, warm and fuzzing feeling type of movie that will melt away your heavily armor shielded heart to find love again~



click here for a brief overview of the movie

Sunday, March 28, 2010

craving for crab cakes...

well, tonight... i just had a sudden craving for crab cakes. don't know why, but at least i'm not pregnant. roflmao (rolling on floor, laughing my ass off).

anyway, crab is too expensive and it bad for my cholesterol. thus, i decided to make something else. instead of using crab, i used black cod. yup, you heard it, black cod cake, that's what i'll call it!

i used the following ingredients:
2 x black cod fillets
2 x potatos (any kind will do, probably the red potato or the creamy yellow ones will taste even better)
1 tsp of butter
1/2 yellow onion
1 tsp of season all (guess it's the US version of MSG... haha)
1/4 cups of grated Gouda cheese (aged 6yrs)
2 eggs
1/2 bag of panko (japanese bread crumbs)
dash of sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1) cut up the potato in small portions and boil in water till soft. smaller portions of potato size will cook faster and more evenly. you can also add some sea salt into the water to make it boil faster. after poking it with a fork to ensure it's soft, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. let it sit and cool while still draining.

2) dice up the onions and pan fry it with 1 tsp of butter. add a bit of sea salt and a dash of pepper and let it cool on the side. don't cook it till it's super soft, just enough where the onion is caramelized and smells sweet.

3) take you black cod fillet and pan fry it till the fish starts to tenderize and fall apart. don't worry if it doesn't look good, cuz it's going to be mashed up in the end anyway. pan frying it will bring more flavor to the fish.

4) find a bit bowl or pot and put the potatos, black cod, grilled onion, Gouda cheese and season all. start mashing it like mash potatos and adding sea salt to bring the flavor to your liking. remember not to put too much salt. it's back for your blood pressure and also because the Gouda cheese will be salty too. once the taste is to your liking, now add the 2 eggs in and mix till it's even.

5) panko time. if your mixture still looks to be too moist, throw some panko in there and mix it up to absorb the moisture.

6) heat up your frying pan and just use a tad bit of oil. keep it at medium heat. like about 3-4 tsp of any kind of oil, except olive oil! olive oil is not too happy with extended heat and will cause the oil to breakdown chemically, which isn't going to sit well in your body later on in life. best oil to use is corn, it's happy with extended heat and won't breakdown that easily.

7) take the mashed up cod and potato mixture and using a spoon put a small amount in your palm and roll it to a size of golf ball. then roll the golf ball in the panko so it's evenly covered on the outside. next.. press your palm together so its flatten a bit. don't flatten it all the way.

8) gently put into the pan. u should be able to fit 4 pcs at once. when you start seeing the edges a bit golden brown, gently flip it over to the other side. once golden brown on both side, put it on a dish with paper towels and let the oil drain.

9) now enjoy with either ketchup, tarter sauce, or cocktail shrimp sauce. i only had ketchup at home, too lazy to make a cocktail shrimp sauce.

who would have thought pan fried food could be good for you and help raise your good cholesterol? as Elton Brown would say... "Good Eats~!"

here's a photo of the finished black cod cake... super delish~!


here's chloe anxiously awaiting for her steamed black cod fillet..

Saturday, March 27, 2010

what a beautiful tasting port!

if ya'll didn't know yet.. my favorite wine is PORT. i know it's a dessert wine, but what can i say, that's why i love it. whether you are bill gates or warren buffet or even the office clerk that has a $hitty day every day at work, everyone needs a bit sweetness in their life. ;)

this is one of the many port that i have tried and really liked. it's made by BOGLE Vineyards in Clarksburg, California. this bottle is the bottle in 2006 and is a limited release with only 120 barrels produced.

this is the Bogle Petite Sirah Port. after opening it, the fragrance is released in the air and as i pour the port into my favorite glass, a little of swirl while it aspirate with the air... the smell is a beautiful floral with sweetness of baby grapes. no kidding.. it really smell like a floral garden in my glass. ;)

i just hope i don't finish the whole thing tonight. i've been missing my babies for a while now and the many more days that i'll be away from them.. tears me up inside ever so slowly~ i miss my lover and my baby haley~

a couple glass of port with some piano based soothing music to set the tone. this is really, really smooth!! i love it!

SodaGreen... 蘇打綠: 無與倫比的美麗

this is probably not a new song.. but for me.. i just found it on youtube and man... the words are really deep and has sooo much feel~

this is the bomb! i love it....... this is a wonderful song with a coffee or a glass of wine... dim the lights and sit back and relax... going to find my wine now.......

Friday, March 26, 2010

生命無限公司...Life of Never End Co., Ltd.

when i first saw this movie's title, i wondered what it's about. so when i started watching it, it all seem like a fairy tale, very child-like but with a twist.

this film was made in my hometown, kaohsiung. regardless of what ppl say about the southern part of taiwan, kaohsiung is the bomb... haha.



this is a slow movie with wonderful supporting music and visual backgrounds. and with slow movies, it's usually building you up for something that will hit you like a mofo running a red light and getting a side impact by a 18 wheeler truck!

for anyone that has lost someone precious to their hearts, watching this movie will help you find closure and you will understand life as all the puzzles will come together in the end.

this is definitely a good movie to watch... just make sure you have your tissues ready.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

My dental coverage sucks!

today is the day that cherie and haley went back to taiwan. i can't blame anyone except for the dental coverages we have here in US. it really sucks big time.

last year, i had two dental insurance coverages and had to do 2 root canal + 1.5 crown. guess how much it cost me? that's right... try $700+. that's on top of the max. allowance possible from 2 dental insurance coverage. can you believe that?

well, maybe it's not only the dental coverage sucks, but the dentist here charges an arm and a leg just for the dental service. they always bill above the max and guess who have to pay for it... that's right.. me! sigh...

i'm starting to feel like there's no dentist i can trust... it seems they are all like an used car salesman. i've changed 5-6 different dentist in the past 5 yrs. the best of all, i trust those dentist farther than i can throw them, which isn't very far at all!

so back to the reason why cherie and haley went back.. cherie needed to get her root canal + crown done plus other dental works. it's cheaper to send her home with haley than to pay the dentist here and use the weaksauce coverage we have.

although that idea sounded good at first.. it sure didn't feel good when i have to wave goodbye to my daughter and wife. haley was giving me a kiss bye and just before they were about to enter into the custom's door, haley started walking towards me. i burst into tears and couldn't hold back from then on.

now... i miss both of my babies...