Listening To: Vitamin String Quartet

I had a really hard time choosing music for our ceremony at first.  I was torn between modern (but I did not want sung lyrics) versus traditional/instrumental music.  I've just never warmed up to Beethoven, Vivaldi, Wagner, and co.  And while Jim Brickman has composed some nice pieces, they were on the bland side.  I enjoyed the Love Story/Viva La Vida mashup from Jon Schmidt, but that was too short and I didn't want to keep playing it on a loop.  Finally, thanks to the plethora of blogs out there, I discovered the Vitamin String Quartet.  VSQ covers common/popular songs in a string/instrumental format.  Of course I immediately forgot about searching for wedding appropriate tunes but instead youtubed all my favorite artists that were out there and seeing if VSQ had covered them.  Eventually I did buckle down and chose this line up for the prelude:

VSQ- Boys Don't Cry (The Cure)
VSQ- Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol)
VSQ- Hands Down (Dashboard Confessional)
VSQ- Love Story (Taylor Swift)
VSQ- Marching Bands of Manhattan (Death Cab For Cutie)
VSQ- One Sweet Day (Mariah Carey)
VSQ- Shadow of the Day (Linkin Park)
VSQ- Stolen (Dashboard Confessional)
VSQ- Yellow (Coldplay)
VSQ- Viva La Vida (Coldplay)

Their covers are extensive and branch across many genres of music.  While I don't think that all the VSQ covers sound great (I didn't really like any of the Goo Goo Dolls covers as much), they do make great substitutions when you want familiar music that isn't distracting.  VSQ was perfect for my wedding.  I used them in the processional as well, but that's another post!

Right now I have VSQ's cover of DCFC "The Sound of Settling" on repeat.  Thanks to a $3 Amazon mp3 credit I was able to download it!

Found here:

and here:

 All images via Amazon.  Offer expires midnight tonight!

Okay, to piggyback off my last post- is it "settling" or "settleing?"  >_<

Spell-Check, Anyone?

I read a lot of food blogs/yelp reviews/chowhound/the like.  The spell-checker in me wants to correct people but I always refrain.  I just make sure that I spell/use foodie terms correctly/accurately myself!

It's banh mi...not bahn mi.
It's macaron...not macaroon (you don't buy Pierre Hermé and Ladurée macaroons!).
It's macaroon...not macaron.
It's wiener...not weiner.
It's chipotle/chilpotle, not chipolte!

Confessions of a Justin Bieber Fan

One of us is a Justin Bieber fan.  I won't say who.

Watching the AMAs:
Willow Smith: "Now put your hands together for Justin Bieber!"
One of us: ::clap clap clap clap::

Googling Justin Bieber:
One of us: "Did you know that there was a online vote to see where Justin Bieber should perform next and everyone chose North Korea??  That would be so funny!!"

Watching Justin Bieber tilt his head as his hair falls into place:
One of us: "You think if I grow my hair out it'll look like Justin Bieber?"

In the shower:
One of us: "Baby baby baby oh! Baby baby baby oh!  I thought you'd always be mine!!"

Out of the shower:
One of us: "Man, I wish I was a pop star."

On youtube watching the trailer for Never Say Never:
One of us: "Ooh can we go see that in the theater???"
(Keep in mind, the last time either one of us went to a movie theater was at least 1.5 years ago)

The other one of us likes Justin Bieber too.  Just not as much...

A Prime Rib Thanksgiving

We had my parents over for an early Thanksgiving dinner.  We wanted to cook the 8 lb prime rib that was hogging valuable freezer space before we stocked up on a new one (or two, although it really does take up so much space!) next month (PR goes on sale twice a year- xmas and easter- from $7/lb down to $3.50/lb!).

I usually defer any cooking that involves beef to Jerry.  He's really, really great at it, so why try to reinvent the wheel?

3/4 inch thick slices.  My mom killed an entire slice- I was impressed!  Although there was not much to dislike about this- absolutely tender and tasty.

As much as the PR was so delicious that it would have been to hard eat something else, I knew that I wanted a well rounded meal, so I made green bean almondine.  It's so ridiculously easy that I can't believe I used to only cook green beans with oyster sauce.  Now that I'm discovering new ways to cook my favorite veggies, I rarely reach for the aforementioned flavors-for-dummies stir fry sauce.

So I really wanted to show my parents what fresh pasta tasted like.  Our pasta attachment is absolutely wonderful and I bust it out any chance that I get to!  This was a simple egg pasta (eggs, flour, salt, water!!) that I dressed with basil/pine nut/evoo pesto and I added some baked tofu that I had marinated overnight in a mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.

Not pictured:  I made a roasted cauliflower and potato soup that included bacon, onion, curry, stock, and milk.  It was probably the least popular "dish."  But since I made such a large batch we had it for lunch and I just served a small portion at dinner for my parents to try. 

These awesome cranberry chocolate toffee oatmeal cookies were for my parents to take home.  My friend C had come over earlier today and we made a few batches of cookie dough for some Thanksgiving baking.  I like recipes that allow you to prep days beforehand.  That way I can just bake when I need to and not worry about waking up early or staying up late in the name of freshly baked goods! 

It was nice hanging out with my folks and introducing them to food that isn't...white rice and stir fry/claypot.

Four Eyes

I'm back to being a four eyes...temporarily.

As those close to me know, I've been rocking glasses since I was 11 and contacts since I was 13.  Being a four eyes has been pretty costly for the last 16 years.  I'm grateful that my mom has always made sure that I had the best when it came to my eyes- whether it was special thinner lens or regular check ups.  However, my eyes have gotten worse over the years and I'm pretty much a mess when a contact shifts up my eyeball and I can't see anything for the life of me. 

I've always hated glasses and contacts, but since I've dealt with them for more than half my life, I got used to it.  I first found out about Lasik from my cousin, who did it nearly 10 years ago.  Of course back then it was a foreign concept to me.  Fast forward to a couple years ago when I made the decision that I wanted to get it done in the near future, before I had kids.  I didn't want to do it while I was in grad school because it was a costly procedure (and I don't trust places that do it for super cheap, it's my eyes, after all!) and I felt like I wasn't in a position to spend money back then on something that was cosmetic.  I really believe in not spending money that you don't have- so if you're in debt, what are you doing investing in a cosmetic procedure that would put you in even more debt??  Didn't make sense to me financially.  I also thought about doing it before the wedding, but since the recovery time is extensive, I didn't want to commit time to taking care of my eyes while having to do so much other stuff.  In addition, you're supposed to avoid extensive exposure to sunlight for at least 3 months...and our honeymoon was in Fiji...so the timing wasn't working out.

Since I had waited over 15 years, what was another few months?  So I finally decided that I would do it before the end of this year.  I knew all along that I would go with UCLA, as 1. three of my friends (including Jerry) have done it there with the same doc, and 2. alumni discount!  The procedure is still costly (over 5k), but definitely worth it when I think about how much my mom and I have spent on glasses, lens, solution, and check ups over the years.   The catch was that for those who wear hard contact lenses they have to wear regular glasses for 3-4 weeks prior to the consult and subsequent procedure.

Because my glasses were outdated and I couldn't see as well in them (yeah, I went 3 years without a check up, oops) I had to quickly make an appointment to get new glasses.  Thank god for insurance because when it was all said and done, I paid only 200 bucks for them.  I saved a lot of money by opting to use the same frame.  It seems kind of silly to pay that much money for something that I'll only need for a month, but since I spent 10-12 hours a day in front of the computer and also because there are times when I need to drive late at night, I needed the strongest and best quality glasses to enable me to do my job and live my life.  I've gotten a lot of compliments on them since many of my friends/colleagues don't see me in glasses...but honestly I hate them.  It's been a week and they already annoy me!  But oh well...my consult is in 3 weeks and my surgery is the week after that...so I'll think of it as the homestretch.  

Now if only they wouldn't get in the way whenever I worked out!

Photobooks Galore

Too many choices out there for photobooks.

I'm going to have to refer to this round-up when I need to start making some albums!  I already have a Groupon for $60 worth of Blurb books, but that probably won't go very far so I'm interested in trying out other companies.  Will post reviews...eventually.  I just feel so lazy to even get started!! 

Undecisive: Holiday Cards

I decided against making my own holiday cards this year because I have other DIY plans for the holidays.  Minted is offering 40% to former customers (I did my wedding invites with them) for one product, so I'm highly considering using them again.

The only thing is I can't decide which card!

Jerry likes this one more.  I do too, but I'm worried that it's a bit too cheesy lovey dovey?  I think I've made it clear that I'm not really one for PDA in any shape or form!  Or maybe I'm just being too paranoid.  It is awfully cute!!  And the pale blue is so pretty.

The picture is not as cute, but I like having two picture slots.  And it's "safer." 

I just realized that I could probably solve the snowman card problem by creating a collage out of 2 pictures and uploading it as one image onto the website.  But I'm worried about the quality, picasa tends to lower image quality when making collages, grrr.

I think I'm leaning towards the snowman one...but I don't know!  I'll have to sit on it for a week or so.

Toronto 2010, Part 3

The most popular of the Toronto Islands is Centre Island.  My cousins took me here in 2004, and I don't remember it being that crowded because we had brought roller blades and I didn't have to worry about falling into people (I'm embarrassing to look at on things that require balance...).  However, on this trip the island was super packed, as expansive as it is.

We brought the fruit and banh mi sandwiches from Chinatown and had a mini picnic.

There's a lot to see and do- hikes, beaches, pools, fountains, rides, gardens, etc.

There's definitely something for everyone!

These are pics from the ferry ride back.  It costs around $6 RT and takes about 20 minutes or so.  Our ferry ride there was extra crowded.  We didn't know why until we got back and saw folks trying to scalp Arcade Fire tix.  Then I read Perez Hilton later and found out that Michelle Williams was also on Centre Island the same day we were.  I wonder why! :P

I highly recommend a trip to Centre Island.  It's nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Toronto.  My cousin told me that her college friends would organize birthdays and other celebrations there, how fun!   I guess we have Griffith Park...but it's so undeveloped! 

Part 1 & part 2. 

J&J Wedding: First Official Sneak Peek

We ate, sipped, and were married!

I'm really happy with the images we received and am excited to sort and organize through them all.  This one immediately jumped out to me and begged to be blogged about. 

FYI, we were SO thirsty but held it just long enough for a photo op. :)

Listening To: Sara Bareilles- Uncharted

I have been playing Uncharted by Sara B non stop for weeks now.  I've been a fan of hers since my UCLA days- Gravity was on heavy rotation back then too.  I'm really happy that she's found mainstream success since she released Love Song.

In other news, our pro pics are in and now we have the daunting task of narrowing down over a thousand pics down to our favorites, a tall order...yikes!

Toronto 2010, Part 2

Yorkville is a cute and rich part of town.  Think Rodeo Drive meets 4th Street in Berkeley.

We had some treats from a really cool market.  I prefer dim sum egg tarts to these portuguese ones, the peameal bacon sammie was super salty, and Jerry, the king of french fries, could not make a dent in the poutine.  Food fail.  I would have tried more items from the market, but I was saving my tummy for later good eats.  But it is fun to try everything once!

Kensington Market is really random.  And colorful.  And took 5 minutes to walk through.

Weeeee Chinatown.  I got to stock up on my beloved fruits.  The best places are next door to each other- Lily and K&K.  I had the best sugarcane drink of my life inside Lily Fruits Market.  Fruit stand in front, bubble drinks in the back.  See how fresh the sugarcane is?? Mmm!!  Ooh they also have Banh Mi Che Cali...notice the typo?  You know a place is totally legit and authentic when they don't employ a proof reader!

I really love my fruit.  So cheap and fresh!!!

The ticket folks at CN tower tried to rip us off by telling us that the line to the get to the 2nd observation deck (there's 3- the glass floor, the look out and the sky pod) was like 2 hours long.  So they said if we bought the most expensive package (which include all 3 levels + IMAX movie + motion movie ride) we could skip all the lines.  They also said that if we didn't get to watch the IMAX movie we could come back with our tix stubs and get a DVD instead.  So since we were running low on time, we decided to just go for it.  So even though we got to "skip" the main line...we had to stand in another line that were full of "skippees" in order to do the chemical body scan and bag checks.  So once we cleared that line, we had to wait in another line to go up the elevator.  Soooo, 15 min later we make our way up, and we find out there's ANOTHER line that's like 1.5 hours long to just go on the skypod.  So not worth it right??  I end up overhearing a tower employee tell another visitor that if they show guest services their sky pod tix stub, that they could get a full refund.  So we decided to do the same.  Being on the look out deck and the glass floor were enough for us.  So we go to guest services and show them our unused tix (ride/movie/sky pod) and they refunded us the difference.  Score!  So we basically put down a down payment to skip the main line haha.  So shhh...there's the secret way to skip lines on a busy day!

The view is really lovely!  It is also fun seeing peoples' reactions when they walk on the glass floor.  Fun times :)

Stay tuned for part 3!  Here's part 1.

Toronto 2010, Part 1

I have a special spot for Toronto- I have family there and have visited quite often, 5 times to be exact!  For my 6th visit, I was really excited to have Jerry accompany me for various reasons.  One- to meet my "Torontonian" relatives, two- to introduce him to yummy eats.  I was even able to accomplish three- explore new places.  Here's a bunch of collages from our trip!

I jumped on a BOGO Virgin America promo.  Only $500RT for 2 people, sweet!

My cousins B+M always have a dog or 5 around.  Since there's 2 kids in the house now, they gave one puppy away to a cousin and the other stays at the parent's house.  Baby is the momma of all those puppies!

This is my cousins' fave joint for no frills family meals.  It reminds of Rice Things in Redondo Beach, our personal fave go-to for Japanese fast food.

Many strange things for sale...only in Canada!

My first time at this lake-front park.  It was so cute!

I love swings!

Jerry's first time at Niagara Falls.  I've been to both sides, and the Canada side > the US side.

Every time it really catches my breath away.  A must-see!

A totally cliche thing to do, but we had to do it!  Funny story- the candy bar Jerry is holding in the top right corner is courtesy of the Maid of the Mist "emergency" team.  See, on our way to the dock, we got stuck in the elevator for 20 minutes!  It wouldn't have been so bad if we weren't packed in like sardines, and if we didn't have my 70ish year old relative with us!  Although she was pretty tough though for her age.  She didn't even freak out or show any signs of stress.  But we did tell the person on the phone that we had a grandma in the elevator, so they really hauled ass to get us out of there, AND when we got out, we were greeted on the other side with candy, chips, and water.  Yay for Canadian hospitality aka yay for suing abatement haha.  Speaking of hospitality Jerry was really amazed at how nice Canadians were in general.  Even when he bumped into someone in Chinatown of all places, that person said sorry anyway!

We were able to get these pictures because our Nikon is waterproof-ish.  Meaning, you shouldn't really dunk it in water, but if it gets sprayed by I don't know, a HUGE waterfall or two, then it should be okay.  :)  We personally did not fare so well.  Despite my efforts to tighten the plastic hoodie over my head, my hair still got pretty wet.  And our shoes got soaked!  I remembered from my last time on Maid of the Mist that my feet got wet.  So this time, I packed our sandals.  Except I forgot them in the car.  So for anyone planning to go on MM, put away your shoes/socks and wear sandals! 

We went to a totally pimped out buffet for dinner.  I almost felt like I was in Vegas!  The food was just okay.  I was impressed by the many ice cream flavors though.  I HAD to try each one, except now I don't even remember which were good.

To be continued!

The Forever Home: Front Doors

Check out this link of front doors featured on Design*Sponge (isn't that fuchsia color gorgeous??).  Makes me excited for the day when we move into our "forever home" and I can customize our living space to my heart's content!  (If we live in a cool neighborhood- I know of some cities where they are pretty strict with their code enforcement- some cities even have a do-not-paint-with-these-colors list!)

Here's some fun, interesting, and maybe not so practical entrances.  I wouldn't necessarily incorporate these exact ones, but they give me good inspiration!

All images via google images.  I'm too lazy to type them all out!

I Lust After Letterpress: ilee Papergoods

I am LOVING the goodies from ilee Papergoods.  Check out their etsy shop here.

Image via Owl Letterpress Notecard Set

I look forward to going to local craft fairs throughout the year so I can stock up on letterpressed goodies!  I might splurge on a 2011 pretty calendar if I can find the right images.

Dress Up: La Via 18 Printed Silk Dress

I would love to add this dress to my closet!

La Via 18 Printed Silk Dress

The back is so pretty as well!  AND it has pockets.